Chapter 87
Moreover, dressed in the duke’s attire and seated in the duke’s chair, he looked even more handsome than before.
It wasn’t that she disliked him. Until now, she’d been too shocked and frightened to notice, but once her stomach was a little fuller and her tension eased, her thoughts became even more tangled.
She wanted to curse herself for feeling fluttered in a situation like this, even wanted to grab her hair and scream—but she couldn’t do that in front of someone of such high standing.
Let’s just eat first. I’ll think about everything else afterward.
As Iella forced herself to eat, Kaldrix’s expression visibly relaxed as well.
When the awkward meal finally ended, Kaldrix rose from his seat and turned toward the window. Clearing his throat, he spoke.
“Shall we… take a walk for a moment?”
“Pardon? Ah—yes….”
Who do you think you are, anyway?!
Her face felt inexplicably hot from nerves and trembling, so Iella looked away.
“Mom, what about me?”
“Huh? Daniel is—”
At that moment, Kaldrix called a servant.
“Take Daniel to Lionel.”
Recalling how unexpectedly comfortable Daniel seemed in Lionel’s arms, Iella gently reassured her son and sent him off.
Once the two of them were alone in the dining hall, Kaldrix cleared his throat again. Iella hesitated before speaking.
“There’s no forest here, so… where are we going?”
“……”
After a brief moment of hesitation, Kaldrix answered.
“The courtyard is spacious.”
***
Damn it, what kind of courtyard is this?!
Looking at the forest stretching beyond the outer walls, Iella cursed inwardly. She had thought that, as the castle of Duke Philoche, this much land would be normal—but then her thoughts spiraled back to why am I even here?
One thing she wanted to make absolutely clear: she had nothing to do with treason.
“…!”
Suddenly, Kaldrix grabbed her hand. Startled, Iella straightened her back stiffly. That large, warm hand was unmistakably Ricks’s.
Was this the hand of Duke Philoche, or the hunter Ricks? Held firmly yet gently, as if telling her not to run away, she couldn’t tell. Confused, Iella simply kept walking forward.
The problem was the sweat.
She felt moisture gathering in her tense palm and was horrified.
Unable to bear offering such a clammy hand to the Duke of Philoche, she twisted her body awkwardly, trying to pull free. Clicking his tongue, he released her hand and instead wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
Enveloped by Kaldrix’s cloak, his body heat surrounded her. A new wave of tension sent her heart racing.
Unable to endure it any longer, she clenched her fists and burst out.
“Your Grace, I’m confused!”
“……”
Kaldrix disliked the way she addressed him. Her impeccable courtesy felt like an unbearable distance. He could no longer allow any distance between them.
But to have her call him “husband,” he would need to restore her memories—and he didn’t have the courage to do that. If she came to hate him again, if he had to start their relationship all over…
Would she forgive him once she remembered everything?
Lionel had summoned a mage from the Sun Tower to the castle to deal with Nadriel. Ostensibly, it was for the treatment of the Duchess’s amnesia.
But Kaldrix was avoiding them all, trapped in a fear he hadn’t felt in a very long time.
Meanwhile, Iella stopped walking and spoke as if she’d made up her mind.
“Your Grace, I don’t want to be someone’s mistress.”
“…!”
Without seeing Kaldrix’s eyes trembling uncontrollably, she continued firmly.
“I know how this must sound. A single mother who doesn’t even know her child’s father acting all picky—I know you’ll think that. But still, I don’t want that.”
“……”
“I’ve thought about it a lot. When Daniel grows up and looks at me, do you think he’ll be proud to say his mother was the Duke’s mistress? I’d rather hear, ‘My mom worked hard gathering herbs to raise me.’ That sounds better to me.”
Earlier it was Nadriel. Now it was Daniel.
Her thoughts never left him. Anger surged through Kaldrix, and he grabbed her by both arms and pulled her toward him.
“Ah!”
“…!”
Kaldrix froze in place.
The eyes staring back at him were the same as before—his wife’s frightened eyes.
He released her immediately. Flustered, Iella didn’t know what to do and looked around aimlessly before murmuring timidly.
“If I don’t become a mistress… will I be punished? For disobeying the lord’s orders?”
“Haa….”
Grinding his teeth, Kaldrix held his breath, then forced himself to calm down.
“With the Duchess absent, you couldn’t become a mistress even if you wanted to!”
“Ah.”
Was she nodding because she understood—or because she was lost in completely unrelated thoughts?
Fury rose in Kaldrix again, hot breath escaping through his nose. Then Iella shook her head lightly.
When he glared at her, she muttered as if making excuses.
“No, it’s not that I’m arguing… it’s just that since the Duchess is missing, legally speaking, wouldn’t Your Grace not be considered married…?”
So what—declare the woman who’s very much alive dead and become a widower? Or divorce her to find her again?
Kaldrix swallowed the words he couldn’t speak and tilted his chin upward, staring at the sky.
After desperately calming himself, he realized her words weren’t entirely wrong—from her perspective.
He snapped his gaze back to her.
“Then should I settle my affairs and hold a wedding?”
“E-excuse me?”
At that moment, Iella became convinced the rumors about the Duke of Philoche losing his mind after losing his wife were true.
And a beat later, she realized how her words must have sounded: I don’t want to be a mistress—give me the position of legal wife.
No, seriously—why would the mighty Duke of Philoche remarry a herb gatherer with a child?
Unconsciously, she tensed her abdomen. This habit of blurting things out had caused her trouble countless times, and yet again she couldn’t stop herself.
“Get a grip! …Your Grace.”
“…!”
Kaldrix had a strange experience then. As Iella glared at him and shouted, the rage he’d felt moments ago vanished completely, leaving his mind clear.
Suppressing the smile threatening to surface, he stiffened his neck and stared at her.
“Did you hit your head too, Your Grace? The man who makes even His Majesty tremble wants to remarry a woman he brought down from the mountains? Do you honestly think that makes sense?”
If we’re talking nonsense, it’s you, Iella! Running away from me to hide in the mountains—herbs? You abandoned me for herbs?!
Once again, Kaldrix swallowed his true thoughts.
“So you’re rejecting me?”
“W-what? Reject you? I wouldn’t dare—uh… no?”
Though it wasn’t his intention, Iella felt a flash of mortal fear in his gaze. If I don’t do as he says, I’ll die.
And since she was already falling for him, her answer of “no” wasn’t entirely a lie—making the situation even more complicated.
Kaldrix stepped closer, as if soothing her. He gently slid his hand down her arm and took her hand again. Iella turned her head away, trying to hide her burning face.
She felt like she was going insane—wanting to pull her hand away while also wanting to let him hold it.
He’s the Duke, after all…!
Seeing her inner conflict, Kaldrix was finally able to calm himself.
The fact that she wasn’t completely rejecting him was like a brief, life-saving rain to his parched throat.
With a crooked smile, he lifted her hands and pressed his lips firmly to the back of her hand. Iella’s cheeks flushed like ripe apples.
“After a person has been missing for five years, the law allows marital and inheritance ties to be dissolved.”
Until now, he had personally prevented that clause from taking effect.
“Th—”
“I’ll have the temple confirm that my wife has been missing for over seven years and dissolve the marriage. Will that satisfy you?”
“Do you truly have no intention of looking for the Duchess?”
Even as she asked carefully, she felt a sense of betrayal toward men as a whole.
So once a new woman appears, the old one gets tossed aside like worn-out shoes… Who’s to say he won’t do the same to me?
A sudden thought struck her. Her eyes widened as she glared at him.
“Then what about what you told me before? That your wife asked for a divorce?”
“…!”
“And in the forest, on your way back from the south—you said there was no woman but your wife in your heart, and there never would be…!”
Startled, Kaldrix released her hand and turned halfway away.
Damn it. Damn it.
His mind was flooded with curses.
Iella opened her mouth wide and let out a long sigh.
“So even back then, you lied about being single just to seduce me? Honestly, men are all the same…!”
“Madam!”
Even knowing he was the tyrant Duke of Philoche, Iella couldn’t restrain herself.
“Do you know why Lady Soabo lives alone? That man told her he was divorced and lured her in when she was still young—and it turned out he was running two households—! No, no, why am I even saying this to you?!”
She spun around sharply and stormed back to her room.
Kaldrix watched her retreating figure, his head throbbing as if he’d been struck from behind. He clenched his teeth.
Terran… you bastard…!
