Contract Marriage: Rewritten - Chapter 35
Chapter 35
Translator: Yonnee
—
Blink, blink.
Laniakea slowly closed and opened her eyes.
What exactly is in front of me right now?
She was clearly aware that it was a man’s chest, but since it was her first time seeing one up close, it didn’t feel real. The only thought that came to mind was that it looked very firm.
Just then, a droplet of water clinging to his neck rolled down his chest and trickled downward.
Laniakea’s gaze followed the droplet as it traveled lower.
Well-defined muscles created natural grooves. Muscles so perfectly toned they couldn’t even be seen on statues. Laniakea’s fingers twitched for a moment.
If she had lost just a little more self-control, she might have traced the path the droplet had taken with her hand.
Then the droplet stopped. There, across his chest, was a faint horizontal scar. Though it had faded now, it was clear that it must have been a deep wound when first inflicted.
What kind of injury is that?
As Laniakea leaned forward to get a closer look, Hyperion pulled his collar together.
The broad, solid chest she had been staring at in a daze disappeared beneath the soft fabric of his bathrobe. Feeling unexpectedly disappointed by that fact, Laniakea snapped back to her senses.
Wait a second. What exactly had she been looking at?
Only once her thoughts started functioning properly again did Laniakea suddenly leap to her feet in alarm.
But the bed she used to push herself up wobbled beneath her, causing her to stumble.
“Ah? Ah!”
Wavering, not knowing whether she would fall forward or backward, Laniakea flailed… until Hyperion reached out and gently pulled her hand.
Thanks to that, she took a small step—not back, but toward him.
“Ah.”
It wasn’t forceful, but her face lightly brushed against the bathrobe covering his chest.
Immediately, the fresh scent of soap clinging to someone who had just bathed washed over her, along with a deeper, heavier body scent unique to him.
The unfamiliar fragrance enveloped her like a wave, and Laniakea’s body stiffened with tension.
Sensing this, Hyperion quickly took a step back, widening the distance between them.
“My apologies.”
“…Pardon?”
She wasn’t sure what exactly he was apologizing for.
“Perhaps due to nerves, I slipped into an old habit and unconsciously suppressed my presence when I entered.”
At the mention of suppressing his presence, Laniakea finally understood. Hyperion thought she had been startled because he’d suddenly spoken.
“It’s alright. I was lost in thought myself and didn’t even realize you were here, so I didn’t greet you properly.”
As she said this and began to bow, he lightly waved a hand, as if telling her not to.
It felt like she should bow anyway—it was the polite thing to do—but for some reason, Laniakea sensed that if she did, Hyperion’s expression would only grow more grim. So she gave up on bowing altogether.
‘The former empress isn’t here anymore anyway.’
In the past, whenever Laniakea happened to attend a banquet, the former empress would glare at her in such a way that forced her, and even the princes around her, to bow. Supposedly it was court etiquette.
With other noble ladies and ladies-in-waiting nearby glaring daggers as well, Laniakea had no choice but to lower her head.
But now, there was no empress or anyone else watching her behavior. And the only one who could demand a greeting from her—Hyperion—clearly disliked it, so there was no need to force herself.
“Is something troubling you? You looked quite deep in thought earlier.”
“Ah, well…”
She had been about to mention her concern over selecting ladies-in-waiting, but Laniakea hesitated, then shook her head.
“It’s nothing. I think I’ve figured out what to do now. It’s not anything important enough to trouble Your Majesty with.”
That was a lie. She was still very much unsure about who to select as her ladies-in-waiting. She had no idea how to even begin choosing.
Thinking about it, Hyperion was probably the best person she could consult about it.
She knew which families supported him publicly, but there might also be houses that supported him more discreetly.
If so, choosing one of the young ladies from such a house to be her lady-in-waiting wouldn’t be a bad idea. And if they declined, she could ask for recommendations from one of their branch families.
‘There might even be someone among them who catches His Majesty’s eye.’
If that were the case, it was possible some heads of noble families had already petitioned to place a daughter from their household in her service.
If someone were to enter her service for that reason, Laniakea had no intention of turning them away.
A lady-in-waiting was that important a position, and Hyperion would have been an ideal person to discuss it with in private.
But even while knowing all this, Laniakea was reluctant to bring it up to him.
‘He’ll probably think I’m pathetic for not being able to handle something like this on my own.’
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