Chapter 5
“Last night, I must have been out of my mind, daring to hand you divorce papers. You’re right—I wanted attention. But I knew that doing it that way would only make you hate me, so I just waited for daylight. I came to apologize.”
I completely dropped my pride and begged for his forgiveness like a foolish, brainless woman.
“So that’s why you came here?”
“I wanted to give you some good food and earn your forgiveness.”
I smiled brightly and presented the lunchbox I had carried all day while searching for Damon, even though the food had gone bad.
When the lid was opened, it wasn’t just spoiled—the stench of rotting food hit like a punch.
“Put it away.”
“Just one bite, please.”
With a desperate expression, I pressed the food right in front of Damon’s nose.
“If you eat it, then I’ll eat too. Should I feed it to you myself?”
“…I get car sick in carriages, so my stomach isn’t great. And after seeing that wolf pack, I’ve had enough scares for a lifetime. Ugh!”
In the end, I snapped the lid shut and covered my queasy mouth.
Damon glared at me with evident displeasure before speaking.
“Since you saved Prince Valentine, I won’t say another word. Go back to the mansion.”
“Tonight? It’s scary.”
Honestly, being with Damon was scarier.
He seemed to sense that I was scheming something, but I had to make him appear cold toward me in front of Valentine.
And I also needed to know what was happening here.
“I’ll have knights escort you. Go back.”
He spat the words coldly and turned his back.
At that moment, Valentine hobbled forward on his crutches.
“The physician says you’ve escaped a major injury thanks to Baroness Craig. I’ll have the scarf cleaned and returned to you.”
“It’s thanks to the goddess watching over the Crown Prince. I’ll take my leave now.”
Even though Damon tried to chase me away, I changed my stance from stubborn resistance to weak compliance and got up.
“Where are you going at this hour?”
“I mustn’t interfere with my husband’s affairs. He probably already feels like a burden enough.”
I pretended to be a pitiful woman, my eyes glistening with tears.
Valentine looked at me as if my sorrow would break his heart.
“Baron Craig, there are rules of propriety between husband and wife. At this late hour, if wolves appear again, do you expect the Baroness to go home alone?”
“Your Highness, my husband did nothing wrong. I came without permission, searched for him all day, and brought spoiled food.”
“You probably haven’t eaten either. It would be best to have dinner together and return home with the Baron. What do you think, Baron Craig?”
Damon growled, glaring at me as if he wanted to bite my neck.
“I’ll follow Prince Valentine’s orders.”
As soon as he said that, I wiped away my tears and beamed with joy.
“Really? Is that okay? Oh, wonderful! Damon, to think we’re having dinner together—what a dream! Since we married, I think we’ve only had dinner together three times. And one time you left mid-meal, so this really is the third.”
I clasped my hands and giggled like a child.
The two men scowled at me, each for a different reason.
“Ah, this is fun. Fun! I really feel cleared out after teasing Damon so much.”
After finishing dinner and drinking wine, I was pleasantly tipsy.
With the rain pouring, Valentine warned that going down the mountain would be dangerous. Following his advice, I decided to stay the night in Damon’s room.
The spacious bedroom was filled with well-used furniture, showing signs of long-term occupancy.
Apparently, Damon had stayed here during his overnight absences. So this place had to be important.
“Madam, there’s no nightgown, so I brought your master’s tunic.”
After bathing, Miranda handed me Damon’s tunic.
It must have been freshly washed, but a faint scent of his musk lingered.
Suppressing the flustered feeling, I changed into the tunic.
The sleeves were long, dangling down to my waist. The hem reached my feet and even dragged on the floor.
On Damon, a tall, well-built man, it probably ended at his knees. On me, it looked like a sack of potatoes.
“There don’t seem to be any maids here, only male servants?”
“Yes. And they’re so rough-looking that when I went to retrieve the tunic from the laundry servant, I nearly couldn’t speak from fear.”
“How strange.”
What could they be scheming in a secret forest hideout? The original story didn’t explain. I could only guess.
“By the way, tonight is your official… uh, conjugal night with Master. What shall we do since there’s nothing to dress up in?”
“Conjugal night?”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
There was more than one room here; Damon wouldn’t be sleeping in the same room as me. Thankfully. I had no desire to be in the arms of a man I didn’t love.
“Miranda, don’t worry—go rest. Where is your room?”
“Next to the entrance. I thought it was in the basement and got scolded by the guards when I went down.”
Apparently, something important was hidden in the basement.
“Good work, Miranda. Go rest now.”
“Yes, Madam. I hope you have a pleasant and comfortable night.”
Thinking she’d overstepped by mentioning the conjugal night, Miranda bowed and left quickly.
I smiled bitterly.
Two years of marriage, and I hadn’t spent a single night in the same room as Damon. The maid felt pity for me—it was ridiculous.
‘Not my fault—it’s Damon’s. Looks aren’t everything.’
I hadn’t seen him naked, but there was a statue of his body in the garden.
Why he made such a thing was beyond me. It was even washed daily by the fountain.
The most ridiculous part? He sculpted an embarrassingly large… pride. Totally useless.
I shook my head and pulled out the bread and cheese I had hidden in a handkerchief during dinner. I searched for a mouse hole.
“Here.”
I found a tiny hole and called the mice.
[If you want bread and cheese, come out quickly. Only the first to come gets it.]
Soon, a mouse peeked out.
[Click. Hiding a broom? Or a stick? Click.]
Apparently, the mice had been hit by a broom while stealing cheese before. They peeked cautiously.
[No broom or stick. Look, just bread and cheese.]
[Really? That can’t be. Squeak, squeak.]
[We need information about this house. Tell me—what’s in the basement?]
I tempted the mouse with a piece of bread.
Unable to resist, the mouse jumped out, grabbed the bread, and tried to return—but bounced off the hole entrance.
Other mice were already inside, causing a scramble.
[Nothing to eat down there. Click. Just stones. Hard. Click, my teeth will break.]
[Stones? Big stones? Or these?]
I showed the mouse a jeweled earring.
[No, hot stones. Very hot. Teeth will break.]
I couldn’t understand.
[Hot stones? Heated?]
[Give food! Click. Fire flashes! Whiskers burn! Click!]
Unlike wolves, the mice spoke nonsense, then grabbed the cheese. A mouse war erupted.
“Eek!”
One mouse was fine, but several were gross.
[Go! Never come back! Where’s the broom!]
I shouted, and the mice disappeared instantly.
Washing my hands at the basin, I tilted my head.
“Stones in the basement? Hot stones? Magic stones!”
Damon, son of the prestigious Count Rochen, had survived by being adopted by Baron Craig after Duke Racton destroyed his family.
The supposedly insane Baron Craig lived in a swamp with only crocodiles—but was actually a retired archmage.
Damon could use magic and create magical tools.
There must be a mine nearby with magic stones. He was probably making magical instruments or attempting alchemy.
Analyzing the story and current situation, I roughly understood what was happening.
“Excellent information!”
Feeling elated, I flopped onto the bed.
The soft mattress and blanket carried a faint trace of Damon’s scent. It almost felt like I was in his arms.
But he disliked me—and I disliked him. Still… it felt strange.
Time passed, and I fell asleep deeply, unaware.
Then, the creaking door opened.
The room felt dark and oppressive, like a black cloud had entered. I jolted awake.
As my vision cleared, Damon strode toward the bed, filling my sight.
Three buttons of his shirt undone, he looked at me with a dangerous glare. My body trembled like a fish impaled on a spear.
‘Eek! Why is he here?’
I leapt upright.
“Clarissa, how do you think you can handle this?”
Damon growled, probably after hearing from Valentine.
Yet my heart pounded violently. Perhaps because my body remembered how much it had once loved him.
The scent of wine clung to his breath. He had stayed behind with Valentine to drink more while I came first, so he was likely tipsy.
Pale skin, long lashes, sculpted nose, red lips—breath-taking.
Damon climbed onto the bed, looking ready to intimidate.
“Did you think you’d get away with provoking me?”
