Chapter : 6
“Fanny, what on earth are you talking about?”
At Fanny’s shocking words, black flames flared dangerously around Duke Cassiar.
“Oh dear! I only meant to think it to myself, but I was so delighted it slipped out.”
In a situation where any normal person would be trembling in fear, Fanny didn’t seem the least bit shaken.
Kyle, just by meeting the Duke’s gaze, had gone pale as a sheet, but Fanny smiled pleasantly, smoothing over the tension with ease.
I hadn’t even known Fanny for a full minute, yet I could already tell she wasn’t an ordinary person.
It felt almost like meeting a seasoned senior at a new workplace.
“But this isn’t just my own thought, you know. Since someone so flawless in every way keeps women at such a distance, of course rumors like this would spread, wouldn’t they? Having served you since you were a baby, Your Grace, I worried about it so much, you can’t imagine.”
It seemed she had fretted a great deal. Fanny looked at me with warm, relieved eyes and sighed several times in relief.
So Fanny must have raised Duke Cassiar since he was little.
No wonder she treated him differently.
If she had been with him since infancy, that meant over twenty years together—enough reason for the Duke to murmur her name even in his sleep.
“Fanny, that’s quite enough. My marriage with Lady Alios is nothing more than a temporary, necessary arrangement.”
“Yes, yes, of course. That’s how noble marriages usually are. They start as duty and business. But after spending time together, before you know it, the lady becomes the darling—that’s practically an academic truth.”
Even before the Duke’s cutting glare, Fanny didn’t shrink back; she rattled on smoothly.
The theory that I’d end up his lover was the very path I wanted to avoid, but Fanny’s words were so amusing and cheerful I couldn’t help but listen.
“And what kind of ‘academic field’ is that supposed to be?”
The Duke’s tone was closer to a warning to keep her mouth shut.
But Fanny remained unfazed.
“Romance Studies, of course. Your Grace isn’t exactly talented in that area.”
Pfft!
Caught off guard, I sprayed the tea I had been sipping.
Fanny—wasn’t she secretly a returnee with years of experience or something?
How could her way of speaking leap across dimensions like that?
As I muffled my laughter into a handkerchief, the Duke’s glare fell on me, cold and sharp.
I quickly smothered my laughter. One life was all I had, and I wanted to keep it.
“Fanny.”
“Oh my, look at me! I left the laundry hanging outside. Please, you two enjoy your time together.”
Perhaps she too sensed danger, because without even looking back, she darted out despite the Duke calling her name.
Silence lingered in the space she left.
Come to think of it, Fanny treated the Duke with unusual familiarity.
And while his expression was cold, he hadn’t actually harmed her.
Maybe Duke Cassiar wasn’t quite as ruthless and cruel as I thought.
If he truly was, Fanny could never have spoken to him so freely.
Did that mean I might be able to tease him a little myself?
The bait Fanny had tossed was too tempting to ignore.
Suppressing a grin, I demurely covered my mouth with my hand and looked at the Duke.
“I had no idea Your Grace carried such unfortunate… circumstances.”
“That rumor has no basis in truth.”
He kept his composure, but since it was a matter tied to a man’s pride, his expression looked distinctly uneasy.
For me—who had always been at a disadvantage before him—this was a rare and delightful sight.
“Well, there’s no proof it isn’t true, either.”
I let out a sly little laugh at the end.
When else would I ever get the chance to tease him like this?
I had plenty of grudges piled up against him; I couldn’t resist needling him now.
The Duke’s brow twitched.
Got him. He’s irritated.
I was pleased to have cracked his perfect poker face, when suddenly he regained his composure and smirked.
“If you really want the truth, I can prove it to you.”
“…Prove it? What exactly do you mean?”
“About me being a man, of course. Even if our marriage is only in name, there’s nothing stopping me from showing you. You seem quite curious, after all.”
Propping his chin with one hand, he locked eyes with me.
His golden eyes glimmered sweetly, like honey.
I had only meant to tease him, but somehow I’d walked straight into his trap.
“So, do you want to check for yourself?”
His long fingers brushed my cheek.
Frozen by his boldness, I nevertheless noticed the faint twitch of his lips—barely concealing his amusement.
He was enjoying this.
Realizing I’d been turned into the butt of the joke, I clenched my teeth.
Did he think I’d just accept defeat?
Fueled by stubbornness, I grasped the hand touching my cheek and narrowed my eyes with a smile.
“Since you’ve brought it up, why don’t we check right now?”
As I boldly swept aside my collar, his gaze faltered for just an instant.
He had expected me to blush and retreat—so my brazenness must have caught him off guard.
Wearing the smile of victory, I suddenly noticed something odd.
By now, shouldn’t he have already fallen asleep?
At our first meeting, even a brush of my shoulder had knocked him out.
Yesterday, just a touch on his cheek and he had collapsed.
But today—even with several points of contact—he was still wide awake.
Startled, I grabbed his face with both hands.
Instead of closing, his eyes only widened further.
“I didn’t know you were in such a hurry.”
His voice was tight under my grip.
“That’s not the point! Your Grace, even when I touch you, you’re not falling asleep anymore.”
My voice rose with desperate hope—maybe my power was only temporary after all!
The Duke thought a moment, then spoke.
“Perhaps your power only works best when I’m exhausted. The times I collapsed from your touch were all after sleepless nights.”
“But last night, you couldn’t have slept either!”
Since I wasn’t at the mansion, he must have spent the night awake again.
So he should have collapsed at my touch.
“I slept just fine. I took a sleeping pill.”
He pulled a small glass vial from his pocket, filled with a clear liquid.
That must have been the pill he’d taken.
“But before, you said sleeping pills didn’t work on you.”
“They never did—until yesterday. I suspect your influence made them effective again. You did touch me briefly, after all.”
No way.
My flicker of hope died instantly.
So contact with me restored his response to sleeping pills?
Could that be a solution?
I racked my brain desperately.
Even if I let him take pills every day, his body would quickly build resistance again. At best, it was only a temporary fix.
“…But maybe my power really is gone!”
I raised the possibility with all my might.
Yet the Duke remained calm, unshaken.
“Then we’ll test again when I’m tired. That will tell us.”
“And when will that be?”
“As usual—after a full day’s work, when I finally lie down in bed.”
“Fine. Then let’s test it tonight.”
He looked vaguely displeased.
“You’re far too reckless. Just now too—you act without any wariness at all, don’t you?”
Was he talking about when I provoked him earlier?
“What’s there to fear? The moment I touch you, you’ll just collapse and fall asleep.”
I poked his arm teasingly.
“And if your power really doesn’t work anymore?”
I hadn’t considered that.
After all, the only thing he wanted from me was sleep.
“…Your Grace, don’t tell me you’re harboring wicked thoughts toward me?”
I crossed my arms over my chest, glaring suspiciously.
His eyes said I wasn’t even worth a reply.
Hey, no need to look that offended.
“Then why even ask me something like that?”
Flustered, I muttered defensively.
“Even if it’s just a contract, you are still, outwardly, the Duchess of House Cassiar. If you act carelessly with others, it could put you in danger.”
“Danger? From what?”
“I have enemies you cannot see.”
…Enemies? The original story only ever showed him as the shadowy figure blocking Milter and Hassen’s love. It never mentioned any enemies.
Maybe he was just trying to scare me into behaving more cautiously as a duchess.
“Anyway, between you and me there’s no problem, right? As long as my power works, that’s all that matters.”
“If you insist on testing it, I won’t stop you. The sooner I sleep, the better.”
His confidence in my power oddly made me uncertain.
Still, since even sleeping pills now worked again, it was proof enough my ability remained effective.
But I clung to the slim hope, just for comfort.
“So if your theory is right, for now you can manage with just pills, even without me?”
“Most likely.”
“In that case, please give me three days before moving into the duchy. I want to spend time with my family before the wedding. I’ve been so busy I’ve barely seen them, and if I don’t now, I’ll regret it forever.”
Would he refuse, saying he couldn’t spare even one night of sleep?
Maybe three days was too much.
“Very well. Then we’ll set the move-in date after that.”
I had been ready to bargain him down to two days, but to my surprise, he agreed immediately.
“The tea is getting cold. It works best when warm, so drink it now.”
Relieved at being allowed a short trip with my family, I happily lifted my cup.
Humming softly to myself, I drank. The Duke, too, drank his tea without comment.
Where should I go?
If possible, I’d love to visit the sea.
As I daydreamed of places I’d wanted to travel—
Cough!
The Duke suddenly choked. His cup slipped from his hand, shattering on the floor.
Blood spread across his hand.
