I Don’t Want the Obsession of a Twisted Archduke

I want to sneak into his office.

When I rang the bell by the bed, a maid came to my chambers. After I finished getting myself dressed, I left the room to begin my day. Some days, I went to see the knights. Other days, I made sure to get along well with the maids, because there could certainly be no harm in me building amicable relations with the people of the mansion. Of course, I also took good care of Marina along the way.

The person who I ended up becoming closest to was Jean. We were often friendliest during mealtimes.

“Your Highness, what on earth did you do?”

At breakfast, Jean started making a big fuss. I was a little nervous since Jean was usually the kind of person who would easily compliment people over nothing for hours on end.

Just like when he praised me after finding out I excelled in math.

Today, however, he suddenly asked me a confrontational question out of nowhere.

“Yes?” I blinked, trying to hide the slight anxiousness in my tone. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s about Sejan.”

“What’s wrong with Sejan?” I asked while spreading butter onto a freshly baked piece of bread.

“There’s a rumor going around saying that, because of you, he’s no longer slacking off. Nowadays, he always attends practice.”

“Really?”

“Yes! I heard that he even started training the other knights without someone having to order him to do so. How did you manage to change his behavior?”

Sejan seemed to be executing what I had suggested to him before.

I really don’t understand what’s going through his mind. Why is he doing this all of a sudden?

I laughed awkwardly at Jean’s report.

“It’s a misunderstanding. I didn’t do anything. Maybe he’s just doing these things because he wants to. Ah, by the way, may I know what’s on the Archduke’s agenda for the next week?”

As we were conversing about Sejan, I stealthily snuck my request into the conversation. I thought that, since we had become close, it would be fine for me to ask such a question. The reason I needed to know his schedule in advance was so I could know when I could comfortably move forward with my plans.

“Huh? You mean the master’s schedule?”

Jean looked at me in surprise.

What is it? Does he think my request is weird?

As I grew tense with nervousness, the silence of each passing second suddenly felt too heavy.

Is it too early for me to ask that?

While I thought about how to explain myself and remedy the awkward atmosphere between us, Jean, who had been as stiff as a statue before, laughed with crinkled eyes.

“I appreciate your interest in the Archduke.”

Fortunately, Jean finally answered with a gentle tone and gave me the details of Kyle’s upcoming schedule without any hesitation. As I attentively looked over his agenda, I pointed to one of the entries on the calendar.

“Meeting?” I quirked a brow in interest.

“Yes, when the aide in the capital returns, His Highness will go straight to Pere and have a meeting with the other Northern lords.”

Unconsciously, my heart started pounding at his explanation. I continued to press him with questions.

“Will I also be coming with him?”

“I’m sorry, but Your Highness should stay behind.”

Did he read my flat expression as a look of disappointment? Jean hurriedly explained his answer.

“… Do not be upset, madam. I was just afraid that the trip would burden your schedule.”

Halfway through Jean’s explanation, I found it too hard to concentrate on his words because my heart was beating faster than before. I tried hard to maintain my composure as I asked my last question.

“It’s fine. I’m not upset, so don’t worry. So, for how long will the archduke be away from the mansion?”

Jean seemed to ponder my inquiry for a while, and the time it took for him to give me an answer felt like an eternity. Finally, he slowly responded to my question.

“He will be away from the mansion for a day.”

My heart dropped. This was it—the opportunity for me to go up to the fifth floor.

****

I hurried back to my room under the pretext of ill health, but I couldn’t calm down. My heart was still beating so hard and I couldn’t figure out why. As I unconsciously touched a hand to my cheeks, I found that they were burning hot. Maybe I was reacting to the expectation that I was possibly finally going to find a way back to my world.

Perhaps it was due to all the tension in my body, but I felt extremely tired. Though it was still early in the day, I decided to take a nap. I lay in bed and closed my eyes.

Knock, knock.

My eyes fluttered open in surprise because I was startled by a sound outside the door.

“Who is it?” I called.

“It’s Marina, Your Highness,” a gentle voice replied from the other side. “The butler told me to send a doctor for you.”

I had told Jean that he didn’t have to call the doctor, but he obviously must have ignored me and sent for him anyway.

“Come in.”

When I permitted them, the doctor came into the room and asked me about my symptoms. I was too embarrassed to say anything because I had lied about needing to go back to my room in the first place. After the doctor checked me, he prescribed me a treatment plan and some medicine.

“You seem to have caught a cold, so take this and rest well.”

Huh? Am I really sick? Now that he mentioned it, I realized my throat did seem to be a little sore. I saw Marina fidgeting nervously beside me. After the doctor finished checking me for any last-minute issues, I gulped down the medicine that he had left for me.

Ugh, it’s so bitter.

I didn’t realize it at first, but Marina flinched at the sight of my disgusted frown. I was only reacting to the taste of the medicine.

“Don’t worry, Marina,” I soothed her. “It’s just that the medicine feels bitter in my mouth. I’ll feel better when I wake up, okay?”

When I smiled brightly to show her that I was fine, Marina reluctantly shook her head.

I had said before that I was just going to take a nap, but it seemed like it would become a deep sleep instead. However, I didn’t mind too much since it was important to maintain my health. I was the only one who would be at a loss if I were to get sick, especially in this foreign world. There was no one who cared about me here.

Let’s just sleep and think about complicated things later.

Only

I closed my eyes and allowed my mind to drift. As a haze of drowsiness set in, I was sure that it was one of the effects of the medicine. Then, I dazedly fell into a deep sleep.

****

“Suyeon, come on! Get up! Come eat breakfast and get ready for work.”

I was awakened by a voice I had dearly missed. My mother was calling for me from the kitchen. Still groggy, I looked around with half-lidded eyes, and a familiar scene slowly came into view. It was my room. My original room.

Then, I realized that all the strange events I had experienced over the past few weeks were all just a dream. I had dreamed about that novel I wrote a long time ago. What kind of dream feels that long?

“Han Suyeon! You haven’t woken up yet?”

My mother’s voice grew louder as I stretched my stiff body. It was no surprise she was raising her voice since I still hadn’t left my room.

“Okay, Mom! I’ll be right there!”