I Think My Fiancé Has Regressed

Chapter 56: The Eloreal Empire (2)

“Ariana and I will take the double room. Dale and Elise will each have a single room.”

“…….”

“…….”

Obviously, I wasn’t the only one who was taken aback by Alex’s sudden statement.

Neither Dale nor Elise knew what to say, so Alex spoke again, as if to confirm.

“I don’t suppose anyone would object to me sharing a room with my fiancé?”

He was emphasizing his words with a fairly firm tone, which made it a little harder for the two of them to argue with him.

Naturally, this drew their attention to me, who could resolve the situation.

“Ms. Ariana, what do you think?”

“Ms. Ariana, what are you going to do?”

“…Me, me?”

I was a little embarrassed to see Dale and Elise ask the same question at the same time.

I hadn’t really expected them to make the suggestion in the first place, and I still needed a little more time to organize my thoughts.

After all, it was only half a year ago, when we were traveling to the Canbina coast, that Alex had turned down my offer to share a room with me.

And then when we spent a few days together at the royal villa.

I don’t know what kind of change of heart he’s had in the last six months, or why he’s suddenly making this offer.

Of course, there’s only one answer I would give in this situation.

“I’m fine with it, because if my fiancé asks me to share a room with him, I have no reason to say no.”

And I’ve actually done the sleepover thing a few times in my life.

When I was a kid, I would often play in Alex’s room and end up falling asleep right there, and the other day in Canbina, I gave him a lap pillow.

Even in the carriage on the way here today, I lay in Alex’s arms and stayed awake for a while.

Now that I’m here, there’s nothing new…well, maybe not much, right?

“Are you sure you’re okay, Ariana?”

“Yeah, it’s fine, we’re only sharing a room.”

“Don’t you realize that you’re not just sharing a room, Ariana?”

“…Well, do I? I don’t know.”

Of course, I’m not an idiot, so I realize the seriousness of Alex’s offer.

And, of course, I’ve already prepared myself accordingly.

In fact, it’s a little more abrupt than I expected.

I would have thought that Alex would have been a little more deliberate in his decision-making and in a more planned place, rather than rushing into a relationship like this.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I feel bad at all.

On the contrary, being involved with Alex in any way is something I would have wanted….

“Elise, I think you’re misunderstanding something. Rest assured, we’re really just sharing a room.”

“…….”

“And I think that’s probably what Ariana meant by that, right, Ariana?”

“……Yes.”

…Well, there’s no way Alex is going to change his mind about something he’s said with the flip of a palm.

He’s already said he’ll only hold me if he can take responsibility for me, so I don’t think he’d go back on his word.

I really want to kill all the Demon Lord and the witch as soon as possible. Why are there still so many problems to solve?

At least if his heart disease had been resolved, I would have given a good reason and pushed him away right away.

I’d have to kill the demon before I could use my new cure, which would be a pain in more ways than one.

“You’re telling me you think that’s possible, Prince Alexandros?”

“Yes. I promise I will not touch Arianna, at least not until we are married.

Tonight I just want to share a room with Ariana and talk to her until I’m about to fall asleep, and I don’t want Elise to interrupt me.”

“…If that’s all it is, then I don’t have anything more to add.”

With Alex being so adamant, it would be difficult for Elise to question him further.

Not only do I have the title of first in line of succession and the title of Ducal House, but it’s already my and Alex’s private life.

I appreciate her concern for me, of course, but I can’t live with her worries forever.

…And even if she doesn’t really have the heart for it, it’s still my decision to make.

“…….”

“Ariana, you’re not thinking about something else, are you?”

“Nah, what do you mean, taking a chance and flirting with Alex…that’s not it, I have no idea what you’re talking about?”

“…Yeah, just don’t try anything weird.”

If I don’t have a good excuse to push him, I’ll just have to let him do it first.

If I can somehow get him to cross the line first, he’ll be less likely to use the excuse of defending me in the future.

It’s going to be an uphill battle, but I’m pretty confident in myself.

* * *

By the time I woke up, it was already the second night of traveling to the Eloreal Empire.

Ariana had been struggling with carriage sickness since the first day, but she seemed to be doing quite well once she laid her head in my lap.

Her hair against my thigh was a little ticklish, but it was a small irritation that I could live with if it made her more comfortable.

If I ever need to go somewhere with Ariana again, this is the way I’d prefer to travel in the future.

“Suspension….I’m definitely putting suspension on the carriage when we get back….”

Ariana, who had fallen asleep on my lap, began mumbling something unintelligible, as usual.

It wasn’t the first time in a while, I thought to myself, and I began to wonder about my relationship with her afterward.

The incident of Ariana’s neediness the other day.

For some reason, her emotions suddenly got the better of her, and she unabashedly made physical contact with me in the student council room in front of everyone.

Luckily, there were only a few people watching, so I managed to calm her down, but if it had been in a more public setting, I would have had a lot of problems.

It could have been a politically damaging rumor that Ariana was sexually promiscuous or lacking in nobility.

My plans to make Ariana a queen would surely be disrupted.

Of all the people I know, Ariana is the one who can best guide the country’s future.

Luckily, the only people in the room were those who knew her well enough without me having to tell them.

If she had done the same thing in front of an unknown number of people, it would have been impossible for even me to clean up the mess.

Especially if it happened in the Eloreal Empire, a foreign land….I don’t want to think about that.

So, somehow, I needed to ease Ariana’s desires as much as possible before we reached the Empire.

I know from experience that once she’s satisfied, she won’t try to force herself to come onto me for a while.

In the previous incident, I had satisfied her needs that day, and the same thing never happened again until the end of the semester.

So this time, I’m going to have to satisfy Ariana beforehand and make sure she restrains herself for the duration of her time in the Eloreal Empire.

That’s where this impromptu proposal to share a room with Ariana comes from.

Sleeping in the same bed, holding hands, should be enough to cure Ariana of her subtle lack of affection.

Not metaphorically, I’m actually going to sleep holding hands.

Maybe after my heart problem is fixed, but I don’t think I’ll be able to cross the line with her in my current body.

Without Ariana’s knowledge, I have been researching my own illness, but it seems to be beyond my knowledge or the scope of a royal priest.

In fact, even at this late stage of my illness, the royal priests have not even discovered my heart disease, so it is not a problem that can be easily solved.

…Perhaps I should be prepared.

If I were to have a relationship with Ariana even once, with nothing resolved, I would surely turn her into a young widow.

It’s not a title that will do her any favors in the future, and it’s not a future I want at all.

Of course, I can’t help but get a little excited at the prospect of physically engaging with her.

If I could just keep my wits about me and keep a firm grip on myself, nothing would come of it.

“Oh, Alex, I’m all washed up….”

…but to be honest, I wasn’t sure if I could actually control myself yet.