Chapter : 29
Maybe it was because I was wrapped in the down comforter Pani had given me as the weather turned chilly.
My whole body felt like it was burning up.
My breath felt unbearably hot.
In the silence, only the sounds of Duke Casiar’s and my breathing could be heard.
It felt awkward.
“Duke, how are you feeling? Any reaction yet?”
I broke the silence first, thinking I couldn’t bear it any longer.
“Feels like I might be sleepy… or maybe not…”
Sleepy? Or not?
I frowned at Casiar’s ambiguous words and waited for him to continue.
“I guess we’ll only know if we stay like this a little longer.”
“How much longer?”
“Just a little longer, and I think I’ll fall asleep.”
If he’s getting sleepy, does that mean my power is still effective?
What if he’s become immune?
Even if just touching him doesn’t make him sleepy, wouldn’t that be a problem too?
“Duke, if this is what makes you sleepy, what should we do going forward? Even so, we’re not really a couple, so sleeping together every day feels a bit much.”
It’s probably not good for his heart.
At this rate, he might strain his heart and end up with a disastrous ending.
So it would be better to keep some distance from Duke Casiar.
I want to live a long life.
“We’re not ‘not a couple.’ You are, after all, my wife.”
I thought the burden would be just as much for him.
But Casiar seemed completely unfazed by holding me.
Judging by his silly little jokes.
This hurts my pride.
Am I the only one getting flustered?
Am I the only one feeling… naughty?
Realizing I was the only one heating up made the cold reality hit me.
Just because I have Argen’s ability doesn’t make me the heroine of this story.
And Casiar was never the type to fall in love with the heroine.
I had completely forgotten.
Casiar is the kind of man who destroys the cliché that even the mastermind falls in love with the heroine.
Suddenly, all the pressure vanished.
Facing reality, Casiar felt no more or less than a doll I held every day.
A doll perfectly tailored to my taste.
And he was warm too.
“Yes, a contract wife is still a wife. Thinking back, there’s nothing to feel burdened about. Besides, Duke, you’re a husband in name only.”
“I take my role as your husband seriously.”
“Yes, yes, I’m sure you do. Since you said you might get sleepy, I’ll sleep too. I’ll hold you, so just rest.”
Since Casiar was like a substitute doll, I didn’t need to wait for him to fall asleep.
“Do as you please.”
As expected, Casiar didn’t seem to care much.
Then maybe I can comfortably hold him too.
I snuggled into Casiar’s arms as if holding a doll.
I felt him flinch slightly, as if startled.
“You’re assertive. Trying to put me to sleep somehow?”
“I’m just getting ready to sleep properly. As I said before, I need to hold something to fall asleep.”
With my selfish thoughts gone, my body and mind felt as peaceful as a still lake.
I wondered if I was reaching enlightenment.
“Well then, I’ll excuse myself first. Duke, sleep whenever you like.”
I greeted Casiar, who looked wide awake, and buried my face in his arms.
Being held in his warm and reassuring embrace, sleep came over me like a meteor shower in the night sky.
The moment Riel nestled in his arms, Kysen’s time seemed to stop.
His entire body pounded as if his heart was being devoured.
‘What if Riel hears my heartbeat?’
He worried, but also thought,
‘Maybe it’s better if she does hear it.’
He secretly wished it would be felt.
Although he wanted to hug Riel tightly, Kysen swallowed his desire along with dry saliva.
‘Why are her shoulders so small and delicate? What if I hug her too hard and break her?’
He had to be careful with how he positioned his hands, supporting her head and back.
When Riel pressed closer, Kysen almost lost his rationality and nearly hugged her with full force.
Realizing she considered him nothing more than a doll, he kept repeating to himself:
‘I have no feelings. I’m a doll. I’m a doll….’
As if mocking his anxious self-restraint, Riel buried her small face in Kysen’s arms.
At that moment, his desire to hug her turned into a wish to protect this small, precious being.
For life.
Of course, only if she allowed it.
Actually, the story about staying up for three nights was a lie.
Every night, Kysen comfortably fell asleep next to Riel’s ribbon imbued with her power.
It was only an excuse to stay longer by her side.
‘Even if I stay up for nights, I fall asleep just by touching Riel, but when I’ve slept well, my power doesn’t activate.’
In the past, sleepless nights were torturous and frightening for Kysen, but now, waking hours were precious.
He could watch Riel sleep in his arms freely.
With his chin resting on one hand, he gazed lovingly at her and thought:
On nights like this, it’s fine to never fall asleep.
“Duke! Are you here?”
I woke up to someone knocking early in the morning.
It seemed to be Kyle.
His voice sounded more urgent than usual.
“What’s all the commotion?”
Casiar, struggling to rise, wasn’t the only one waking up.
He looked more tired than the day before, running his disheveled hair back.
He must have slept, but fitfully.
Honestly, his body was so warm like a heater that I didn’t want to leave.
And I had slept deeper than usual.
I felt a little guilty for sleeping so well.
“There’s a letter from the palace. May I come in?”
“If it’s not urgent, later is fine.”
“It’s an urgent message from His Majesty.”
At the mention of the Emperor’s letter, Casiar got up again, letting out a deep sigh.
“May I ask what you’re doing now?”
He frowned at my thin pajamas, then wrapped me up in the down comforter.
“You look cold.”
“I’m not cold at all. Actually, the blanket feels a bit stifling…”
“No, you are cold.”
Why would someone make a person who’s warm feel cold?
Casiar’s expression was firm and sharp, so this time I decided to follow his lead.
Being wrapped in the down comforter felt suffocating at first, but soon it became cozy.
“Duke, are you listening?”
“You may come in.”
With permission finally given, Kyle entered without hesitation.
“So, what did His Majesty say?”
Kyle sweated nervously under Casiar’s piercing gaze.
“The Emperor said to hurry to the palace before lunch.”
“Without prior notice? No other matters?”
Casiar’s face twisted in disbelief.
“There were conditions rather than matters.”
“Conditions?”
“It said, whatever happens, you must go accompanied by the lady.”
Kyle’s gaze shifted toward me, rolled up in the comforter like a cocoon.
‘The lady’… me?
“It seems the Emperor has also heard the news,” Casiar said.
“What news?” I asked.
“About our marriage,” he replied.
Why am I being summoned to the palace urgently?
There’s a reason I feel anxious about the Emperor’s call.
This Empire’s Emperor, Roscalrox, is mentioned even in the original story.
He is Duke Casiar’s uncle, the brother of Casiar’s father.
According to the original, he made Casiar handle all the dirty and cruel matters the court couldn’t deal with publicly.
A mastermind above masterminds.
Nobles even called Casiar “the Emperor’s dog” behind his back.
Even knowing the risks of Casiar’s madness and rampages, Emperor Roscalrox tolerated him to control him like a pawn.
Why would this villain of villains summon me to the palace too?
He barely appears in the original story.
Surely he’s not dragging me into danger too.
“Should we prepare a carriage for the palace?”
“No. I refuse the summons.”
Without hesitation, Casiar rejected the Emperor’s call.
I didn’t want to go either, but can we just refuse like that?
Wouldn’t that cause unnecessary repercussions?
“If the Duke refuses, it will be considered disobedience to the Emperor, and the family’s wealth will be confiscated, and three generations destroyed…”
Kyle recited the conditions without even checking the letter, as if it weren’t the first time.
If we don’t go, the Duke might be branded a traitor.
Then, because I’m betrothed to him, my family’s wealth could be confiscated, and even future descendants might suffer.
“Duke, isn’t it unwise for a noble to refuse the Emperor’s personal summons?”
Just go. Don’t drag me into trouble too.
“Exercising power ruthlessly is no different from tyranny,” Casiar said, pressing his hand to his forehead.
“Can’t be helped. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, so even though it’s tiring, I hope you prepare to go with me.”
If he goes to the palace, I have to follow.
But I don’t want to get deeply entangled with the Emperor.
Just the letter shows his tyrannical nature.
Even Casiar, related by blood, is controlled ruthlessly. I’d be treated even worse.
I must avoid going to the palace at all costs.
“What should I do? You know my ankle isn’t well, so I can’t walk. I can’t go barefoot, and being supported doesn’t look proper. I think it’s better to postpone it.”
I rubbed my ankle, feeling regretful I couldn’t go, and quickly got dressed to leave the bed.
“If you go to the palace, the Duke’s mansion will be empty, so I’ll return to my family’s mansion. Farewell, Duke.”
I waved brightly and left quickly, but Casiar called after me.
“Riel.”
“Yes?”
“Are you truly okay?”
“What do you mean…?”
Casiar’s gaze shifted to my ankle.
I realized I was standing on both feet without pain.
Why doesn’t it hurt?
It shouldn’t feel better overnight.
Even if it doesn’t hurt, it has to. Now, at least.
“Ah… I can’t move because it hurts,” I said instinctively, clutching my ankle and collapsing.
“How unfortunate.”
I sighed in relief, thinking my act had fooled Casiar.
Then he quietly added,
“The injured ankle is actually the other one.”
