Chapter 37.
I didn’t immediately understand what that meant, so I stood there frozen in place. Friedrich’s eyes flickered with a hint of anxiety before he suddenly threw himself into my arms.
Given our difference in size, it was really just his head and neck that managed to nestle in, but he seemed satisfied with that nonetheless.
“It doesn’t have to be right now…”
He mumbled, burying his face in my chest and murmuring softly. I hesitated for a moment, then slowly stroked his hair.
When I closed my eyes briefly amid the turmoil and opened them again, the massive body that had seemed ready to overwhelm me was gone, replaced by a small boy.
Midnight had arrived before I knew it.
Friedrich kept his face buried in my chest, and it wasn’t hard to guess that it stemmed from embarrassment or perhaps self-loathing.
“Friedrich Stade.”
I called his name softly—the one that had officially changed just yesterday. He hesitated, then lifted his head.
As expected, those emotions were embedded in his clear eyes like stars.
I cupped the child’s cheek and gazed at him steadily, then smiled tenderly. Friedrich was still looking at me with a sad expression.
“Welcome to being a Stade.”
I gently stroked his cheek and asked,
“Shall we go to sleep now? You must be tired from today.”
Friedrich nodded with his head bowed low. Then, he weakly turned his back to me and tried to lie down.
When I turned him around and pulled him into my embrace just like that, I felt him flinch in surprise, his body stiffening.
“How about sleeping like this? What do you think?”
Friedrich looked up at me with a dazed expression. I smiled brightly and said,
“After all, we got married today.”
He stared blankly for a moment, then nodded. We lay down on the bed together, holding each other close.
Instead of a lullaby, I quietly patted his back, and before long, I heard his soft, even breathing.
All the while, the expression Friedrich had shown me the first time he turned into a child lingered in my mind.
‘He has no one else to rely on but me.’
At fifteen, he was suddenly cursed to become a child every night, and for five years, he endured harsh torments in prison.
Ironically, he only escaped that prison due to his homeland’s defeat, but soon after, he was on the brink of death—until I saved his life.
Moreover, here, I’m the only person he can depend on. It would be stranger if he didn’t cling to Rene.
‘He doesn’t seem inherently cruel or heartless by nature.’
So, it’s perfectly natural for this boy to want to stay by my side, to fear being abandoned.
His words of affection are likely closer to survival instincts than genuine emotion. Thinking that he might even be deceiving his own feelings just to survive made my heart ache.
‘He’ll change when he meets someone he truly likes.’
He’s still young, and his circumstances could easily lead to confusion.
Even if I corrected him now and said it wasn’t real, his defense mechanisms would probably prevent him from accepting it.
‘Once he can live safely and abundantly without me, he’ll realize it naturally.’
As long as I’ve become Rene, not only Friedrich but everyone from the original story will find happiness.
I vowed to make that happen, and with that resolve, I held the sleeping Friedrich tightly.
***
I woke up suddenly feeling stifled. At the same time, a massive body filled my vision.
‘…What? What is this?’
Some man was holding me, his face buried in my chest.
I nearly screamed, but then I realized belatedly that it was Friedrich and clamped my mouth shut.
Right, I’d held him last night to soothe him. But usually, wouldn’t you shift positions midway because it’s uncomfortable?
I stared seriously at Friedrich’s arm wrapped around my waist and his head still nestled in my chest.
…He didn’t suffocate, did he?
“Friedrich?”
When I called his name in a small voice, the hand around my waist suddenly tightened, and he burrowed even deeper into my embrace.
What? He’s awake, isn’t he? I pushed him away in disbelief.
“If I call you, you should answer. What’s with this behavior?”
When I teased him playfully, only then did he pretend to wake up, slowly lifting his head.
The way he blinked his half-open eyes somehow felt like an act—I couldn’t shake the thought.
I narrowed my eyes and asked,
“Be honest. When did you wake up?”
“…Just now.”
When I made a face that said I didn’t believe him, he drooped his eyebrows as if wronged and added softly, ‘Really.’
Well, fine. What’s the point in pressing it?
“Aren’t you uncomfortable? Why don’t you loosen your arms?”
I nodded toward the arm around my waist, and Friedrich reluctantly withdrew it. I clicked my tongue as I watched.
“Your arm must be numb.”
“Not at all… Ow.”
Liar. When I pressed firmly on his arm, a groan escaped his lips immediately. I furrowed my brow and gently massaged it.
“Ah, it hurts…”
“Just bear it a little. Who told you to stay like that all night?”
“…I was afraid you’d leave.”
Friedrich answered quietly.
“I was scared. That you’d go somewhere else at dawn.”
“Where would I go, leaving a child behind? Don’t say such nonsense.”
At that, Friedrich stared at me intently. When I met his gaze as if to ask why he was looking, he smiled brightly. I flinched.
“…Could you not attack me with your face first thing in the morning?”
The moment my heart skipped a beat, I released the hand I’d been holding his arm with. Friedrich’s face turned sullen as he massaged his arm alone.
I sighed and resumed the massage. Only then did his expression soften.
But by now, the numbness should have faded, right?
“Still numb?”
“It’s much better now.”
Even as he said that, Friedrich occasionally winced. In the end, I massaged his arm for a few more minutes.
“Thank you.”
“Let’s go eat breakfast.”
I replied casually and started to get up from the bed. That’s when Friedrich suddenly grabbed my shoulder and laid me back down.
Startled by the abruptness, I widened my eyes and looked at him. He blinked a couple of times, looking just as surprised.
…You did this, and now you’re surprised too? What am I supposed to do with that?
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah, I…”
Friedrich stammered as he spoke.
“I’ll give you a massage.”
“Suddenly?”
“You did it for me, Your Highness.”
Muttering that it was in return, he carefully took my hand. I was about to refuse, thinking it unnecessary…
‘Whoa, that’s refreshing!’
Unexpectedly, he had a talent for massage.
The way he delicately swept his fingers down and applied firm pressure unraveled all my knotted muscles. I murmured in admiration.
“You… How are you so good at massage? Where did you learn?”
“I’ve never learned… Do you like it?”
“Yeah, it’s totally refreshing. I almost regretted refusing.”
The fatigue from yesterday wouldn’t vanish after just one night’s sleep.
I didn’t hide my satisfied smile as I received Friedrich’s massage.
“If others tried it, they’d say it’s amazingly refreshing too.”
“I’ve never done it for anyone else.”
It was meant as a compliment, but Friedrich, who had been smiling, suddenly turned serious as he replied.
“You’re the first, Your Highness. And I have no intention of doing it for anyone else.”
“Oh… right? Well, you’re my husband now, after all.”
Flustered, I said whatever came to mind, and Friedrich’s gaze wavered abruptly.
Then he lowered his eyes again and focused silently on the massage. I couldn’t make sense of him at all.
“You’re acting a bit strange today.”
When I said it honestly, Friedrich mumbled while still avoiding my gaze.
“Maybe because it’s the first day after our marriage.”
…What does that have to do with anything? Maybe if it were the day before the wedding.
It didn’t make sense, so I stared at him piercingly. Friedrich evaded my eyes to the end, as if embarrassed.
That sight suddenly sparked my stubbornness, and I asked,
“Are you not going to look at my face?”
He paused, then slowly lifted his gaze to meet mine.
The violet eyes that had seemed reddish last night were now transparent like amethysts.
I was gazing at them, thinking how beautiful they were, when it happened.
With his eyes still on me, Friedrich lifted my hand and pressed his lips to it. Shocked, I stared at him.
“You…”
I started to say something, but Friedrich looked at me, the corners of his mouth curving up slightly. Then, as if to show off, he kissed it once more.
…I told you not to attack me with your face first thing in the morning.
