Chapter 6
That was the end of Asran’s report.
The conclusion was that there was nothing wrong with his wife’s physical health either.
The lingering unease belonged to Kahinel alone.
“Alright. You may go.”
After Asran left, Kahinel folded his arms once more and sank deeply into his chair.
‘Her pulse becomes unstable because of me?’
The most common cause of an unstable pulse was psychological change.
Tension or anger.
Those two emotions were the most prominent factors.
Let’s assume the emotion his wife felt while thinking about him was tension.
Why would she become so tense that her pulse grew unstable?
‘It’s not like she was trying to hide some mental disorder.’
Kahinel trusted Asran’s abilities, and therefore trusted his diagnosis.
‘Is there a reason she changed overnight, and is she in a constant state of tension so that reason won’t be discovered?’
It was a plausible theory.
The only problem was that he didn’t know what that reason was.
Now, let’s consider the possibility that the emotion was anger instead.
‘Could she have noticed what I’m doing to bring down Dale?’
His wife was blood-related to Marquis Dale.
Whether she was legitimate or a bastard didn’t matter.
The marquis could have learned that Kahinel was targeting him and secretly conveyed that fact to his daughter.
Upon hearing it, Dale’s woman—his wife—could have grown furious at him.
“Haah…”
But this, too, was only speculation.
There was nothing he could define with certainty.
Recalling the sight of his wife smiling brightly and saying she wanted to get along with him, Kahinel twisted his lips.
Life had been easier when she spent those two years in hiding.
He hadn’t needed to worry about anything.
But now, she not only wandered all over the place—she kept circling around him.
Since her intentions were still unclear, he had to remain cautious.
And because of that—
He was utterly exhausted.
* * *
Three weeks had passed since I became Rishua.
Those weeks were chaotic and flew by in a blur.
There hadn’t been much progress in my relationship with Kahinel.
After my “cursing Marquis Dale” performance, it felt like Kahinel had started seeing me as genuinely insane.
Even though Asran had declared my mental health perfectly fine, Kahinel’s suspicion was ongoing.
Still, there was some good news.
Eating together no longer felt awkward.
Persistently clinging to Kahinel had at least paid off a little.
And there was another change on my side as well…
“Why not dismiss everyone who spoke ill of you, my lady? Ah—sorry! That was presumptuous of me. Please forgive me.”
That’s right. Somehow, the authority over the Hyrant household staff had ended up in my hands.
It was only natural for Rishua, as the lady of the house, to manage the household—but she hadn’t done so for the past two years.
I’d been told that Taylor and Albert handled everything in her place, so I assumed I didn’t need to step in.
I didn’t want to, either.
Escaping my curse was far more urgent than fully living as the real Rishua.
But I was Rishua now, and her role wasn’t something I could simply refuse.
“I’m not going to fire anyone.”
“But some of them disrespected you, my lady.”
“It’s fine. I lived pretty recklessly before, didn’t I?”
In this vast castle, Anna was the only one on my side.
Everyone else avoided me, and since I knew why, I tried not to get hurt by it.
‘I don’t plan to fire anyone, so I just wish they’d treat me more comfortably.’
That was my honest feeling.
“But my lady… did you sleep in front of the duke’s room again last night?”
“…You saw?”
“Are you really sure you don’t need to see Sir Asran again?”
This conversation existed because—
Ever since I first felt the curse, I experienced pain at least once a day.
Each time, I went to look for Kahinel, but I couldn’t always meet him.
So I found another method—lurking around his study or bedroom.
The painkiller effect was weak, but even the aura leaking through the door crack was enough to endure.
The problem was that the pain sometimes came even after I fell asleep.
When that happened, I had no choice but to sit in front of Kahinel’s room, nodding off.
‘Everyone thinks I’m sleepwalking, but I can live with that misunderstanding.’
I was tired of being in pain.
And my desire to live was so strong that I no longer cared about others’ gazes.
“So Kahinel is at the training grounds right now?”
“Yes. Today is the day of the knights’ sparring.”
House Hyrant ruled the northern region of the Idalos Empire, and the Northern Wall Knights were its shield.
Kahinel’s swordsmanship was renowned throughout the empire.
No one dared to act cocky with a sword in front of him.
His skill truly was exceptional.
As the commander of the Northern Wall Knights, Kahinel personally trained them in swordsmanship.
“Anna, you’re bored right now, aren’t you?”
“How could I be bored when I’m with you, my lady?”
“Then we probably shouldn’t go watch the sparring.”
“My lady, the wind is strong today. Please put on something warm.”
Anna—your change in attitude is way too fast.
* * *
“Brr… it’s freezing.”
December had just begun. How cold would it get toward the end and beginning of the year?
“I didn’t realize you were this sensitive to the cold, my lady.”
“I didn’t know either.”
You’d have to actually go outside in winter to know.
In my previous life, catching a cold was dangerous, so I barely breathed outdoor air during winter.
“Shall we go back inside?”
“No. I really need to see Kahinel.”
I had to keep stamping my presence in his mind.
By chance, I’d discovered that physical contact with him had an incredibly strong painkilling effect.
That day I brought him breakfast—
When I shoved his chest, my mind had cleared instantly.
‘Maybe physical contact is the key to breaking the curse.’
At first, I tried to get close to Kahinel in a normal way.
But after these three weeks, I realized something.
If I kept approaching him normally, I would never break the curse before my birthday.
So I changed my strategy.
No—there was no strategy.
I’d just charge straight in.
“Haah… I want to hold his hand.”
“I heard somewhere that men these days like proactive women. Confident and honest ones.”
“Oh. Really?”
“Yes. So you should just pounce on him.”
“On who?”
“Obviously the duke!”
“Why would I do that to him…?”
I had no idea how the conversation ended up like this.
When I voiced my confusion, Anna replied with heartbreaking seriousness.
“But you want the duke’s embrace, don’t you?”
“You…!”
I hurriedly checked my surroundings, then leaned in close and whispered.
“How did you know?”
“You think about His Grace all day. How could I not know?”
Was it that obvious?
Then why doesn’t the one person I want to notice—Kahinel—get it?!
I let out a deep sigh.
“I need to get close to Kahinel quickly.”
Today was the last day of November.
Rishua’s birthday was the last day of February.
I had only three months left.
“You wanted his arms so badly that you go to his room even while asleep…”
“That was an unavoidable instinct.”
Like going to the hospital when you’re sick.
“That’s right. Being drawn to the one you love is a human instinct.”
Hm. This conversation was getting weird again.
“Since you’ve made up your mind, don’t hesitate—push through! Then the duke will completely fall for you.”
“Wait a second.”
“Soon, the duke will fall in love with you too.”
“Anna, listen to me for a sec—”
“I’ll cheer for your love!”
Oh no. I’d been careless.
Anna had been quiet lately, so I thought she’d cleared up that ridiculous misunderstanding—that I had a crush on Kahinel.
But no.
It was still ongoing?
“Not like that. It’s really not!”
“Be confident, my lady!”
“I am being honest and confident! I don’t like Kahinel!”
“Don’t be shy!”
This was why stereotypes were terrifying.
In Anna’s mind, the belief that I was secretly in love with Kahinel was firmly rooted.
‘How did that misunderstanding even start?’
I had no idea where things went wrong.
In the end, I failed to clear up Anna’s misunderstanding again today.
She didn’t listen to a word I said.
‘Fine. One day, you’ll realize it.’
That I don’t have a crush on Kahinel.
Not now, and not in the future.
And that Kahinel feels the same way.
There would definitely come a day when Anna realized it.
* * *
“Anna, is it just me, or is it hot?”
“I already took off my coat.”
Of course—Anna was fast.
I removed my thick robe as well.
Cold wind howled, but my body was brimming with heat, so I didn’t feel cold at all.
Why?
“Why are all their bodies so ridiculously good?”
“My lady, did you see that just now? Those abs!”
Hot bodies moved back and forth before my eyes, completely robbing me of my senses—how could I not heat up?!
Apparently, knights removed their shirts during sparring, because every one of them was shirtless.
Bare torsos and black pants.
That outfit absolutely needs to become a trend.
I swear there is no more perfect combination than this.
“That’s the duke!”
Anna shouted, pointing somewhere.
“Where?!”
“Over there—the black hair!”
Following Anna’s finger, I saw Kahinel walking into the center of the training grounds with a sword in hand.
Oh my god.
Why… am I drooling?
