THND 28

Chapter : 28

Ah, come to think of it, Duke Cassiar hasn’t been able to sleep for two nights straight, has he?

I stared silently at Duke Cassiar, who had even brought a pillow with him.

It seemed like the Duke had become addicted to my touch.

Or, more precisely, addicted to the feeling of sleeping?

How desperate must he have been to even bring a pillow and ask me to help him sleep?

If he keeps getting used to this, it could be troublesome—his obsession with me might only grow stronger.

But thinking about what might happen if I refused… I couldn’t just ignore him.

“What should we do? As you can see, my legs are uncomfortable, so it’s difficult to go all the way to your room.”

“If you’re fine with it…”

Duke Cassiar’s gaze shifted toward my bed.

“You’re not asking me to sleep in your bed, are you?”

“Just hold my hand… that’s all I want.”

That line isn’t meant for a situation like this.

I knew Duke Cassiar had no ulterior motives.

He simply wanted to fall asleep.

The problem was… me.

“I don’t think I can just hold your hand while we sleep.”

When I shared a bed with Duke Cassiar at the Marquis’ residence, I ended up curling into his arms all night.

I needed to hug something—whether a blanket or a stuffed toy—to fall asleep.

Even after falling asleep, it was the same.

If I wanted to avoid repeating the same mistake with Duke Cassiar, I’d have to stay alert all night—and just thinking about that was exhausting.

“You’ve already experienced my sleeping habits, so you know I can’t promise I won’t do the same thing again.”

By now, Duke Cassiar should give up, right?

I honestly expected him to leave immediately, but for some reason, he stayed.

“It doesn’t matter.”

It doesn’t matter? Even though I might end up curling into his arms and drooling all over him?

“Do whatever you want. Do as you wish.”

He looked at me as if nothing could go wrong, with a gaze so tender it was like a puppy waiting for its owner.

This is… a problem.

It seemed Duke Cassiar had… been tamed by me.

Originally plagued by insomnia, now he couldn’t fall asleep without my touch.

How much must he want me to put him to sleep that he’d let me do as I pleased?

I decided to test the waters so there wouldn’t be unnecessary misunderstandings like last time.

“If you’re truly okay with this… fine. But you won’t complain later, right?”

“I promise.”

I moved to one side of the bed to avoid straining my ankle. Fortunately, the bed was large enough to leave space for the Duke to lie comfortably.

“Sit here for now.”

I tapped the empty spot with my hand and called Duke Cassiar over.

Without a word, he obediently sat where I indicated.

For a Duke who rarely followed anyone’s instructions, it was unusual to see him comply so readily.

Well, sitting down was manageable. He would have to get on the bed eventually to sleep anyway.

“Place the pillow here.”

Duke Cassiar put down the pillow he had been holding, exactly where I pointed.

“Can I lie down now?”

“Not yet.”

I reached out to stop him as he attempted to lie down, and he froze.

Did that actually work?

“Anything else left to do?”

“Now! You can lie down.”

Though he frowned slightly, Duke Cassiar obediently lay down according to my signal.

Finally, the last step!

Lying side by side with him, I reached my hand toward his.

“Hand!”

Duke Cassiar’s large hand gently held mine as he stared at it.

I had successfully gotten him to respond to “hand!”

This was proof that Duke Cassiar had been completely tamed by me.

Seeing our hands clasped, a sense of accomplishment washed over me.

Wait—this isn’t just about happiness.

The fact that Duke Cassiar obeyed me was good news, but the fact that he was becoming attached to me meant leaving the Duke’s residence would become even harder.

That was troubling. But if I provoked his dislike, things could get worse.

“Aren’t you going to sing tonight?”

Lost in thought, I looked at Duke Cassiar. He turned slightly toward me, and a faint scent of soap drifted from him.

A baby-like scent.

I had always loved the smell of baby powder, even in my past life.

I was particularly sensitive to fragrances. When I had worked at a cosmetics store in my previous life, I was surrounded by beautiful scents.

Even on bad days, smelling something I liked would calm my negative emotions.

I became drowsy as I looked at Duke Cassiar.

“What do you mean?”

“I meant the song you sang for me at the Marquis’ residence last time.”

Ah, that song… the lullaby!

“See? Once you hear it, it sticks in your ears, doesn’t it? That’s why it’s truly a masterpiece.”

I couldn’t hide my joy that a famous song from my homeland could still resonate in this different world.

“I admit it’s a song I want to keep listening to.”

In the original story, Duke Cassiar had deep knowledge of the arts, including music and painting.

So the fact that he liked my lullaby meant I had passed his strict taste.

If I performed lullabies myself, I could make a fortune!

I imagined becoming famous for my lullabies, receiving praise as an angelic singer, performing on big stages, and being showered with gold coins, and I couldn’t help but grin.

“Is it really that good?”

“Yes, of course. I might even make a fortune…”

Speaking my thoughts aloud, I accidentally praised Duke Cassiar.

“Make a fortune?”

“Ah, I just thought your taste is remarkable because you appreciated my song. With that eye for art, you could easily succeed and make money.”

Unintentionally, I complimented him.

“Well, yes.”

He seemed satisfied, so that was a relief.

“So, what about you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you like men who are skilled in the arts?”

Why suddenly that question?

“I like it when someone is good at anything, I guess?”

It’s better to be skilled than not.

“Good to know.”

Duke Cassiar smiled pleasantly, apparently pleased with my answer.

“What was the name of that song again?”

“If you mean the song I sang previously, it’s a lullaby.”

“A lullaby… as enigmatic as the song itself.”

That’s understandable—it’s a song made up in a world where the words don’t exist.

“The meaning behind the name is simple—it’s a song to put someone to sleep. I sing it when someone can’t sleep.”

“You’re like that song yourself.”

Me? Like a lullaby?

“Why?”

I stared at Duke Cassiar with wide eyes.

“Because you put me to sleep as well. To me, you are like a lullaby.”

At that moment, Duke Cassiar was committing a major offense against me.

His words weren’t wrong—after all, I did help him sleep despite his insomnia.

The problem was the expression on his face.

With a boyish scent and an innocent smile, his gaze was nothing short of seductive.

Ah, this pine-tree-like taste of his… it made my heart flutter again.

If only it weren’t for the looming tragic ending, I could have spent my life with Duke Cassiar.

Sigh. I resigned myself to just savoring the moment.

To calm my overly excited heart, I lay back and stared at the ceiling.

“Pani should be back tomorrow, right?”

“Probably.”

Then today’s embarrassing incident wouldn’t repeat itself. That was a relief, though a part of me felt disappointed.

Being in control of the Duke was enjoyable.

“You’re hoping for Pani to return soon?”

“Of course! After all, Pani’s cooking is the best.”

“I’ll take that as meaning you didn’t dislike the rest.”

“Do as you wish, Duke.”

I didn’t contradict him. He’d been considerate overall.

Though Thomas’ soup looked odd, the towel wash he gave me was surprisingly satisfying.

“It’s late. You should sleep now. You must be tired from standing in for Pani today.”

“Not particularly.”

Surprised, I glanced at Duke Cassiar.

“I think I enjoyed it quite a bit.”

He looked unusually cheerful today. Had he always been this way? At first, he seemed so cold.

“Duke, but even though it’s late, you look wide awake. You’ve stayed up for two nights straight.”

“I thought seriously about the matter after listening to you, and I think I’ve built some immunity. Our hands have touched plenty before.”

His expression became serious. It made sense—it was important to him. He’d even pushed for an arranged marriage because of this.

“Come to think of it, as your hands touched me more often, I found it harder to fall asleep. Even yesterday, when you held me, I was fine.”

I hadn’t realized that because I was conscious of others’ gazes.

True. Why was he fine when he held me, even after staying up all night?

“Duke, is it possible that my ability to help you sleep no longer works?”

“It’s not certain. We’ve only tried holding hands.”

“So we’ll have to try more to be sure?”

“I don’t want to push you too hard. But if, as you said, your power no longer works, it would nullify the meaning of our arranged marriage. So it’s worth checking.”

Oh? Is the story taking this turn?

If my ability truly no longer worked on him, I might finally be able to escape him safely.

It should feel liberating—but why do I feel lukewarm? Perhaps it’s because I liked the towel wash he gave me this morning.

His face happened to be exactly my taste, stirring complicated emotions.

“So, Duke, how do you want to check?”

“Until now, we’ve only held hands, so maybe I should hold you fully. But if it’s uncomfortable, you can refuse. There are other ways to observe.”

If my ability is gone, it would be best to separate before we grow even closer.

“Hugging isn’t difficult. It’s not the first time, after all.”

“Then I shall hold you.”

As soon as I agreed, Duke Cassiar’s strong arms pulled me close.

I could feel the muscles in his arms beneath my head and back. The strong scent of baby powder overwhelmed me, making me feel dreamlike.

I carefully looked up at him and met his alluring eyes.