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Our White Marriage Is in Its Third Year: In Other Words, There Are Only Seven Days Left Until I Can Legally Leave You, My Lord

Six days left until I can leave you, My Lord. (Part 4)

Translated by: ME

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*****

「Ah, at last... Franca, I can finally touch you. I love you—only you, forever.」

「Hyau...」

It was a sweetness akin to eating pure sugar. He had been wooing me like this non-stop! That "man of few words" thing was a lie! A complete lie!

With me perched on his lap, Lord Dominic allowed his lips to curl into a faint, soft smile. Seeing his stoic expression crumble like that made my heart throb. Those eyes that were once so sharp and piercing were now sending nothing but sugary glances my way. I wanted to scream that he was a different person entirely.

「Lord Dominic, are you investigating the fact that the number of curses on you is abnormally high?」

「Of course. The investigation revealed that the ones who cast the curses were not witches, but forty-six young noble ladies. I love you, Franca.」

「Love... Wait, that wasn't because you were playing with fire, Husband?」

「I have eyes only for you, Franca. I have never been unfaithful. Besides, the target of the curses was not me, but the Crown Prince. For some reason, they were placed near my desk in the Finance Department... And since the stationery and parcels looked like something you might send, I carelessly... I adore you, Franca.」

It was as if he were under a curse that forced him to mutter professions of love at the end of every sentence. He said them regardless of the context, leaving me at a loss for how to respond.

「...So, it was my...」

(Wait, am I the indirect cause of the curses worsening?) Lord Dominic, who had been so happy thinking they were gifts from me, must have been devastated. To think I didn't even notice he was cursed... I’m a failure as a wife.

「Franca, please do not look so sad... I love you very much.」

「—!」

Seeing me depressed, Lord Dominic kissed my cheek in an attempt to distract me. He kissed me so naturally that the intense inner voice I heard moments ago felt like a dream. H-he’s quite practiced at this?!

(Haaaah. Franca is so cute. I love her. Touching her made me love her even more. Just being near her was enough to make me happy, but the kisses and embraces are the absolute best. I love Franca, I love her! Franca, Franca, Franca, Franca!)

That is way too naked!

He’s screaming his love for my name in his head; it’s embarrassing just to listen to!

As I instinctively covered my face with both hands, the gentleman kissing the top of my head made me wonder: is this really my husband?! He’s a different person! ...No, perhaps he had wanted to do this all along. If only there hadn't been the curses, the throwback, and the busy season...

「Um... were you able to get any information from the young ladies who cursed the Crown Prince?」

「Yes. Among the young ladies, it had spread not as a curse, but as a 'love-fulfillment charm,' so they tried it with a light heart. It seems they had no idea it was actually a curse.」

「A 'love-fulfillment charm'... come to think of it, that was a trend at the Academy as well.」

「...Did you send one to someone as well, Franca?」

I wish he wouldn't stare at me so intensely as if trying to bore a hole through me. And stop kissing me every time you find an opening!

「Franca?」

「(Stop whispering in such a sweet voice in my ear!) I-I didn't send one to anyone! Dreams and wishes are things you fulfill yourself!」

「Even your bashfulness is adorable.」

「Hauuu.」

My life points are at zero from this onslaught of doting... I-I have to change the subject quickly or I'll die of a heart-throb!

「Where did the charm originate?」

「Several books titled 'Love-Fulfillment Charms' had been donated to the Academy library. Upon closer inspection, it seems they were originally quoted from a book of black magic. And the handwriting matched that of the Third Prince's attendant.」

「!?」

The scale of the incident is getting bigger and bigger. I mean, it was already a big deal the moment he was cursed in place of the Crown Prince!

Was there a gag order in place?

「...Furthermore, the possibility is high that the one sending the Crown Prince's curses to various departments—specifically the Finance Department—was Prince Roosevelt, the Third Prince, or his faction. Perhaps they realized the 'love-fulfillment charm' was based on a grimoire and plotted to dissipate the curse by spreading it out, or perhaps there was some other intent... That attendant is currently missing, so the details remain unclear...」

「If it’s Prince Roosevelt's attendant, that would be Lord Ash. Missing, you say...?」

「...!」

Lord Dominic’s aura shifted instantly. When our eyes met, I was shot through by his sharp gaze.

Hmm? Did I say something strange?

「Are you close with the Third Prince's attendant?」

「Heh?」

(Don't tell me... she wants a divorce because she wants to be with one of them after we part...?)

Lord Dominic was jumping to conclusions in a completely wrong direction. While I thought, (How did you get *that* idea?!), his jealousy was actually a little ticklish.

「Fufu, no, that’s not it. As I told you at the beginning, the main reason I wanted a divorce was because I wanted to be a pâtissière. Also, Prince Roosevelt and Lord Ash were my classmates during our Academy days, so we had some interaction.」

(Come to think of it... I believe something like that was in the report?)

(Report?!) I was being investigated?!

Well, I suppose a background check on a wife is necessary before marriage... In fact, if it was an arranged meeting, most nobles would do it. It’s only natural for a political marriage.

「According to the Third Prince, Ash said he was pestered by a young lady he liked to teach her how to make a 'love-fulfillment charm.' He said he was shown several prototypes at that time.」

「But in reality, they were slipped into the library?」

「Yes.」

「And the female students at the Academy saw them... and from there, it spread to other students—the young ladies. It’s the kind of thing that would become a topic of conversation at tea parties and balls...」

「Yes.」

「But for that to overlap with the time of our marriage, Lord Dominic...」

They say when it rains, it pours, but isn't this a bit much?

I felt like complaining to the gods. As I was thinking that, Lord Dominic’s inner voice echoed.

(It certainly overlaps with the timing of my marriage to Franca, and the other curses I received were concentrated around Franca's birthday, our wedding anniversary, and when the work in the Finance Department had settled down. Since the pattern was different every time and they were indiscriminate, I dismissed it... but if this was all to tear Franca and me apart, the dots are finally connecting.)

With deductive reasoning worthy of a master detective, Lord Dominic’s thoughts raced through various possibilities, approaching the core of the matter.

H-he’s so cool... His intellectual side, including his processing power, really made a great impression on me. I knew my husband was capable, but isn't he *too* capable?

「My husband is just too cool...」

I had only whispered it, but it reached Lord Dominic’s ears.

(Thinking about it that way, that marriage proposal Franca received was also—Hmmmm? Did Franca just praise me??? Was that a hallucination?)

Lord Dominic glanced at me. I could tell his heart was swelling with expectation just from his gaze. And his tail was wagging like crazy!

「Franca, what did you just say?」

「(I want to exercise my right to remain silent... but if I do, I can perfectly imagine him getting depressed. I don't want that.) ...I just thought... um... that Lord Dominic looked very wonderful while he was thinking.」

「—!?」

U-uwaah. How embarrassing! Saying that to his face took real courage.

I braced myself for Lord Dominic’s inner voice, but it was quiet. When I peeked at his face, I saw him frozen with a bright red face—actually, he had fainted. Perhaps too many things had happened and his heart's capacity had finally broken.

I tried to ring the bell on the table to call Lotus, but since Lord Dominic was holding me firmly, I couldn't reach it or get away.

「Lotus!! Heeeeelp! ...It’s no use. Whether they’re reading the room or not, no one is coming. ...It’s difficult for me to carry Lord Dominic... if only he were a small dragon.」

A flash of inspiration hit me. If he were a small dragon, I could carry him, and I could legally hug him again!

This is an emergency. This is also for Lord Dominic’s sake!

I repeated kisses, hugs, and words of love until the unconscious Lord Dominic turned into a small dragon, and I somehow managed to get him back to the estate.

Even I thought it was a rather bold response, but at the time, I believed it was the optimal solution. It wasn't until the following night that I learned Lord Dominic remembered everything from that moment.

*****

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