Chapter : 26
Did he just say that the person Fani asked to look after me was the Duke of Kashiar?
That can’t be right.
Is the Duke saying he wants to take care of me or something?
I tried to imagine that scene in my head for a moment, but honestly, I was better off not doing it.
If he doesn’t spill the washbasin water all over me, that alone would be a miracle.
Actually, would he even bother to try?
After finishing my train of thought, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“Funny joke. I’ve had a good laugh, so let’s end the teasing here. Please call in the person Fani supposedly asked to help me.”
I stopped laughing and looked at the Duke of Kashiar.
But the way he looked back at me—it wasn’t the face of someone joking.
“Did you not hear me? The person Fani asked to look after you is me.”
Wait—he’s serious?
Why would Fani do something like that?
Yesterday, I told her clearly, ‘Please take care of me tomorrow as well,’ didn’t I?
Now that I thought back on it, what did she say in response?
…She didn’t say anything.
She just smiled mysteriously.
Was that what that smile meant?
“Your Grace, do you even know what you’re saying when you say you’ll look after me?”
“As I said—it means I’ll take care of you. Just like Fani did.”
That’s not as easy as it sounds.
Still, I didn’t need to stop him.
Fani entrusted the task to him, and he seemed determined enough.
If things went as I expected, he’d last maybe half a day before calling for someone else.
Honestly, that worked better for me.
Actually… this might be a great opportunity.
As long as the Duke of Kashiar was trying his best, I could get him to do whatever I wanted.
I thought I’d be stuck in my room, bored out of my mind—but this was turning out to be entertaining.
If it’s come to this, I might as well make the most of it!
“Why are you just standing there, Your Grace?”
The Duke turned toward me.
“If it were Fani, she would’ve brought warm water for washing by now.”
“I’ll bring it right away.”
He caught on quickly and went to fetch it.
“Oh, I wonder how long this will take. At this rate, I’ll end up having lunch instead of breakfast. How can my ankle heal properly if I skip meals?”
I muttered loudly enough for him to hear, and his hurried footsteps echoed as he left the room.
What was this strange thrill?
I’d always been the one being ordered around—but now I was the one giving orders!
Exhilarating! Absolutely the best feeling!
If possible, I hoped he’d last a little longer in his caretaker role so I could enjoy this more.
Though realistically, if he managed to just bring the water without incident, that alone would be impressive.
But a few minutes later, my prediction completely missed the mark.
The Duke of Kashiar actually brought the water successfully.
Suspicious, I dipped my hand into it—
The temperature was perfect.
Huh. He actually did it right.
“Look this way.”
I was distracted by the neatly folded towel when he suddenly called out.
As I turned my head—
Something soft and warm brushed against my cheek.
“What… what are you doing?”
The pleasant sensation lasted only for a second.
Then I realized—the Duke was sitting on the edge of the bed, gently wiping my face with a damp towel. I nearly screamed.
“As you can see, I’m wiping your face.”
When I leaned back, he withdrew his hand holding the towel.
I asked for water, not a full-on facial service!
And besides, the Duke was way too close.
Even if he was technically the villain, it was hard not to notice how handsome he was when his face was this close.
“My ankle’s injured, not my hands.”
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re a patient right now. So just sit still and let yourself be cared for.”
The towel brushed my face again.
Well… if he insisted on washing my face for me, who was I to refuse?
Especially since both the towel and his touch felt so nice—it made me relax completely, and the awkwardness quickly melted away.
“Come to think of it,” I said lazily, “you haven’t slept for two days straight, have you? Yet you’re fine even while touching me?”
His hand paused for a moment.
But soon, the towel moved up to my forehead.
The cloth blocked my view of his face, so I couldn’t see his expression.
“Lately, I’ve been sleeping better. Maybe I’ve built some immunity to contact with you. Whatever the reason, touching you like this doesn’t make me fall asleep anymore.”
“If you really have built up immunity… then one day, maybe even my presence won’t make you fall asleep at all?”
“Is that… what you want?”
Why is he asking something so obvious?
I couldn’t let him read me too easily.
You never knew what kind of troublesome schemes the Duke might be plotting again.
“It’s not that I want that. I’m just worried. If that happens, it means you’ll be sleepless again, right?”
And I was worried.
If he couldn’t sleep, he might lose control again—and who knew what effect that would have on me or my family?
Before, he was just a stranger, but now I’d gotten close with the people at the ducal mansion.
“That won’t happen.”
The conviction in his voice was shocking coming from someone who’d lived in fear of his own insomnia-driven rages.
“Because now… I have you.”
He lowered the towel, revealing his pale face.
Golden eyes, glinting in the sunlight, were fixed on me—as if they had been from the very beginning.
Wait a second—
Was that a confession or a warning?
His gaze screamed “romance,” but his tone said “you’re not escaping.”
Yes, this was why talking about our contract was never a good idea.
“So, how did you even come up with the idea to wash my face yourself?”
Honestly, I was flustered.
His touch on my cheek had felt so gentle and… nice.
“When I was young, if I couldn’t fall asleep, I’d get sick. Whenever that happened, Fani would take care of me like this.”
Ah, so that’s where he learned it.
No wonder it seemed so natural.
The Duke rinsed the towel in the clean water, wiped my face again, and then gently dried it with a soft cloth.
“You said you were hungry, didn’t you? Now that we’re done with washing up, I’ll go prepare a meal.”
I sat there, staring blankly at his back as he gathered the towels and basin.
Why did it seem so natural for the Duke to be going off to prepare food?
His face looked like he’d never lift a finger for anything—but he was actually doing things quite well.
“Wait a minute… who’s cooking?”
As far as I knew, the Duke’s mansion didn’t have a chef.
The Duke didn’t like hiring too many servants, so Fani had always done the cooking herself.
He’s not seriously going to cook himself… is he?
No, no. Come on.
A man who spends his life at a desk and only eats food prepared for him wouldn’t—
Then I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror.
My skin looked radiant.
And that’s when I realized—
His hands had already touched water today.
Why is it that bad predictions always come true?
The Duke proudly presented me with a dish of… something… claiming he’d cooked it himself.
“So, what exactly is this supposed to be?”
“Can’t you tell by looking? It’s tomato soup.”
Tomato soup? Then why does it look like a K-herbal concoction?
Even after hearing it again, I couldn’t believe this dark-colored sludge was made of tomatoes.
Was this even edible?
Was he trying to destroy me through culinary means after failing to do it through a contract marriage?
“Eat it before it gets cold. You said you were hungry.”
He urged me to eat while I just stared at it in horror.
Would you want to eat this?
I mean, look at it!
“You did taste it first, right?”
“I followed Fani’s recipe exactly. There shouldn’t be a problem.”
I think there’s already a visible problem, Your Grace.
Unfortunately, his faith in Fani’s recipes seemed unshakable.
Sure, her recipes were perfect—
But his execution was the issue.
“Well, this is awkward. I was hungry a moment ago, but now my ankle hurts so much that I’ve lost my appetite.”
“Even so, eat a little. You said it yourself—if you don’t eat properly, your recovery will be slower.”
If I eat that, my ankle won’t be the only problem!
I was about to make up an excuse when I remembered—I’d just spent the morning bossing him around like I was the one in charge.
So this is karma, huh?
One day of mischief, and fate immediately bites back.
Holding my ankle dramatically, I put on my best pitiful face.
“Actually, my ankle hurts so much that I don’t even have the strength to hold a spoon. Maybe I should skip this meal…”
Before I could finish, a spoonful of soup was already right in front of my mouth.
“If you can’t hold the spoon, then I’ll feed you.”
First the towel, now the spoon—
Why was he being so unnecessarily considerate?
With the spoon practically at my lips, there was no excuse left.
Well… it didn’t smell as bad as it looked.
Despite the muddy color, there was a sweet, tangy tomato aroma.
So it really was tomato soup, huh?
My stomach grumbled—it was nearly lunchtime, and I hadn’t eaten all morning.
Fine. Let’s just eat.
They say even ghosts who die eating die happy.
Trusting that Fani’s recipe could withstand even his hands, I opened my mouth.
“Ugh.”
I immediately covered my mouth.
“Is something wrong with the food?” he asked, looking worried.
“This is…”
With tears welling in my eyes, I met his gaze.
“It’s too delicious!”
Seriously—how could something that looked like mud water taste this amazing?
It was a miraculous victory—Fani’s recipe had triumphed over the Duke’s terrible cooking skills.
“You’ll get a stomachache if you eat too fast.”
But I was starving, and before he could stop me, I’d finished every last drop in the bowl.
I hated to admit it, but it was a satisfying meal.
“The soup was delicious.”
I said it casually, but he looked genuinely pleased.
“I’m glad it met your expectations.”
Everything was fine—
Until a new problem arose.
My face paled instantly.
“What’s wrong? Is your ankle hurting again? You’re sweating.”
“T-there’s… a signal.”
He blinked, confused.
“A signal? What signal?”
Did I really have to say this out loud?
Just then, my stomach gave a violent lurch, and my last bit of composure snapped.
Gathering the last of my strength, I yelled—
“My stomach hurts! I’m going to die!”
