Chapter 122
“After my parents passed away like that, the past eight years were hell for me.”
The Duke began to speak calmly about his story.
“As you know better than anyone, my life’s goal was revenge. A brutal revenge against the dragon that took my parents’ lives in an instant. I spent all those years chasing only that dream.”
I lowered my head deeply and silently listened to his words.
“Then I met you, and gradually, I became influenced by you. The thought of revenge itself began to fade. No, perhaps it’s more accurate to say that something even more important than revenge started to catch my eye.”
His gaze felt like it was piercing my skin. From above my bowed head, his eyes fell on me with an intensity that made my scalp tingle.
“Think about it, Gianna. Half of my life was the time I spent with my parents, and the other half was consumed entirely with thoughts of avenging them against the enemy that took them from me. But after meeting you, the priorities in my life were shaken for the first time.”
“…….”
“So many thoughts came to me. Had I truly forgotten my parents’ death? When I boldly set out for revenge, what was I thinking? And now, have I become so weak-willed that I could give it up so easily? Am I a fool driven mad by love? What would my parents think if they saw me now?”
When I lifted my head slightly, I saw his face contorted in genuine anguish.
All the torment and suffering he must have felt over the years dripped from every word he spoke.
“You even said something similar yourself. That if the real dragon appeared, I would abandon you, or that I would use your power for my revenge… hearing those words, do you know what I felt? I felt like irredeemable trash, and every time I looked in the mirror, a wave of self-loathing surged up so strong I could barely endure it.”
He tried to continue speaking calmly, but he could not stop his voice from trembling slightly.
Swallowing the rising emotion and catching his breath, the Duke continued.
“Should I continue with revenge? Or should I give it up now? I couldn’t make sense of it at all. On top of that, I couldn’t understand why you shivered at just the mention of ‘revenge.’ Hah… it was truly agonizing.”
He grabbed his head. The pounding headache seemed to transmit straight to me.
“In the meantime, you told me stories about your parents. About your father who loved the sea so much, and your mother who was so unhappy by his side. Do you remember?”
I nodded slightly.
“Listening to that, it felt like I was hit hard on the back of the head. I finally understood why you reacted so sensitively to my revenge. I hated and despised the dragon that killed my parents, but in your eyes, even that was a form of ‘attention.’ Attention so devoted that I could pour my entire life into it.”
My eyes trembled slightly as I sat quietly listening to his words.
Duke Rupellen… had understood exactly the concerns I had been carrying all along.
“Yes. From the very beginning, that was your worry. That my attention might be stolen by someone else, that I wouldn’t belong entirely to you. Isn’t that right?”
“That’s… right.”
I nodded unconsciously, unable to deny the accuracy of his words.
“In the end, it’s a matter of priorities. I can’t just abandon revenge entirely and live as if nothing happened. You wouldn’t want me to do that either. But revenge must never take precedence over you. I finally realized that nothing should ever come before my attention, affection, and love for you. Not even hatred toward an enemy.”
Everything he said was so accurate. The way he expressed it felt as if he had looked straight into my mind, pricking my heart with precision.
“Yes. If you want, I can abandon all my other concerns and focus only on you. Revenge, wealth, power, strength… whatever it may be.”
A faint smile spread across his lips, and a fierce warmth burned in his eyes.
“It doesn’t matter who I met in the original story, or who I married. That man was just a character in a novel; he wasn’t me. The only choice I have is Gianna. Only you.”
With his burning gaze, he stepped closer to me.
“In the original story, I was obsessed with revenge to the very end, but in the end, I failed and the dragon was taken by the Master of the Tower, right?”
“Uh… yes.”
“But even the dragon sealed by the Master wasn’t the real enemy, was it? The dragon in the novel was just that immature little hatchling.”
“……Yes.”
“So, isn’t it foolish to lose the love right in front of me while being distracted by some dragon I may never even meet?”
His face was now very close to mine. Every word he spoke carried his warm breath directly to me.
I shivered so much that every fine hair on my face stood on end.
“So, Gianna, from now on, I’m going to focus only on what’s in front of me.”
His lips brushed lightly against my cheek, then came close to my ear. His warm breath tickled my earlobe, sending shivers down my entire body.
It felt like electricity flowing from the back of my neck down my spine.
My heart raced, and a flush spread across my face.
“My parents wouldn’t have wanted me to be so obsessed with revenge that I push away the blessings right in front of me. What could be more foolish than that? They sincerely wished for my happiness.”
“They sound… like wonderful people.”
I tried to open my stiff lips to say something, but it was as if they had been paralyzed and refused to move properly.
“Yes, they were wonderful. And they would be very happy even now. Because their beloved son has finally found true love.”
He raised one hand to hold mine, while the other wrapped around my back.
Wherever his hands touched, warmth surged. It felt like the room’s temperature skyrocketed in an instant.
“I love you, Gianna. I’m so happy you told me the truth.”
He whispered in a low voice into my ear.
My heart thrashed wildly. The pounding echoed in my ears, and my breath came in short gasps.
“There’s one thing I want to ask you.”
“Anything… please ask.”
“Can I give you the title of Duchess Rupellen?”
It was a question that didn’t even need an answer. Who else could possibly take that place but me?
Instead of answering, I squeezed his hand tighter.
A satisfied smile spread across his face as he whispered in my ear.
“Your health is fully recovered now, right? I don’t have to hold back anymore?”
“……Do you still have any patience left? You are remarkable.”
I summoned my last bit of strength to give him a small teasing remark.
A sly, secretive smile appeared on his face, as if he were delightedly frustrated.
“If you say it like that, then I won’t hesitate.”
He seemed to let go of my hand for a moment, and then in an instant, I was lifted into the air.
“……!”
My world flipped upside down.
Before I knew it, I was lying on the bed, and before me was the Duke—no, Nox’s beautiful face filling my vision.
A relaxed smile lingered on his lips, but it could not hide the fierce desire burning deep in his eyes.
He carefully masked his impatience as he slowly traced my face.
“……But I must admit, I feel a little hurt.”
“What do you mean?”
“After shaping me according to your tastes, you went and married Princess Arines.”
“That was just the novel…!”
“Then it’s okay if we have a slightly different ending in reality, isn’t it?”
Finally, I heard the sound of his reason snapping.
I squeezed my eyes shut, and soon felt warm, moist lips on mine.
At first soft, the movements soon became intense and insistent without much time passing.
“Haa… until now, I thought my greatest strength was… patience,” he whispered into my ear, eyes dazed as if completely lost in me.
“From today, I’ve lost that strength.”
“……!”
“But instead, I can show you the second thing I do best. Hhh… watch closely.”
“Aah, what do you mean by second best…!”
I couldn’t speak, swallowing my breath instead.
In an instant, the room filled with a burning heat.
