Hwairi was confident that her smile was warm and gentle. But what she received in return from Duke Kalinos was…
“Don’t dump the leftovers of your emotions on me. It’s a nuisance for the one who has to deal with them.”
“I’ll never give up. The power of love is incredible, you know.”
“The power of love?”
“Yes! I know all about what you like, Your Grace. Even in this short time. What kind of tea do you prefer, what foods do you enjoy, what your face is like…”
After thinking for a moment, Duke Kalinos stood up and let out a hollow laugh. “Hearing you talk, I think I understand a little, this thing called love.” He lightly ignored Hwairi’s adoring gaze and left.
Hwairi pressed down on her pounding heart. Anyway, she’d achieved her goal of having a conversation with him. So next is… With her heart fluttering, she gazed at the moonlight. Her next mission would take place under the moonlight.
* * *
I was sitting comfortably with my back against the headboard with Duke Kalinos. He seemed lost in thought, but he kept staring at the side of my face.
“You have a mole on one side of your face.”
“That’s probably a freckle. It’s so faint you can barely see it.”
“Then say that once you take an interest in someone, you come to know many things.”
“Aah.” Where on earth did he learn to say things like that? Shaking my head inwardly, I moved on to my next words. “Then let’s move on to the second step. Your Grace, you’ll need to gradually get to know that woman and observe her…”
“No.”
“Pardon?”
“At the very least, during the contract period, you are my wife. Why aren’t you trying to keep me all to yourself?”
“But, I…” I was about to open my mouth, but stopped when I met Duke Kalinos’s gaze. There was a hint of reproach in his eyes. “…I’m not your real wife.”
“But we made marriage vows, didn’t we?” He straightened up from his relaxed posture and looked at me. When I just stared at him blankly, he began to recite the marriage vows. “First. I swear to live a life of absolute obedience to my wife. Second, I swear to follow my wife’s orders unconditionally and live on the allowance she gives me. Third, if it’s my wife’s command, I’ll even come back from the dead…”
“But those were fake!”
“Regardless, we made vows before God. You can’t just fake that. So, what’s the next thing I need to do?”
“Honey trap…?”
His expression darkened. “If you’re telling me to seduce that woman, absolutely not.”
“No, I’m not telling you to seduce her. Please, listen carefully.”
* * *
Hwairi was meeting with Duke Kalinos every single day. Among people in society, rumors were even spreading that Duke Kalinos had abandoned Giselle.
Just by looking at my appearance, I’m more lovable and cuter…! It didn’t matter if there was no love for her in the duke’s eyes. He’ll end up loving me anyway.
Lately, her divine power had been depleting with unusual severity. Her body ached strangely, and a chill crept over her. Shivering, she pulled the blanket tighter around herself.
“Hwairi, are you all right?”
“…I-I’m fine.”
It was late at night. Hwairi’s eyes snapped open. The dark dawn was approaching. And today was… Finally, it’s the night before the full moon.
Hwairi checked to make sure no one else was around, then began to move stealthily. Through the bushes, past the darkness, she finally made her way close to the duke’s bedroom, where Giselle was staying.
The most important thing is to move without getting caught. And if she did get caught by someone with sharp senses, she’d have to act like she didn’t know anything.
A small garden came into her view. In the carefully tended garden, where the maids had put in so much effort, there was a little table where Giselle often sat to bask in the sun.
I’m sure it was here… Something Giselle often carried with her. Hwairi had to find something that bore Giselle’s touch. With her keen eye, she spotted a small switch left on the table. Found it. That woman’s belongings. It looked like a dark red switch, something that woman always kept close to her. She’d noticed Giselle sometimes left it in the garden, and today, by chance, she’d found it left behind again.
Hwairi’s lips curled into a sly smile. With this, my plan is more than 90% complete. She quickly slipped Giselle’s switch into her pocket, grinning to herself. Now all she had to do was quietly slip away, treading on the dewy grass before dawn.
“What are you looking for?”
“Eek!”
A voice emerged from the darkness. Startled, Hwairi spun around. Giselle stood there, illuminated by the moonlight.
“Nothing.”
“Ah, I see.” Giselle didn’t seem to care. She clearly had no idea that Hwairi had just stolen something from the garden.
Hwairi let out a silent sigh of relief and looked back at Giselle. “Well, I’ll be going now. I’m busy.”
“I’ll let it slide.”
“…Let what slide?”
Giselle smiled brightly. “It seems like your divine power is running low. I’ll pretend not to notice.”
With the right artifact, it was surprisingly easy to observe someone else’s mana or divine power, unless it was a special case.
Hwairi bit her lip and spoke. “You used an artifact to check? Fine. My divine power is running out. So what? I just came out for a walk to clear my head.”
“Mmm, I see.”
“Are you going to tell Grandpa? Even if it’s depleted, I can just replenish it.”
“Mmm, I suppose so.”
Giselle’s eyes glimmered with a strange intensity. Her expression was so chilling that Hwairi flinched in surprise. And just then, behind her, appeared the very person she’d been wanting to see. Duke Kalinos.
“Hwairi, Giselle?”
“Your Grace!” Hwairi jumped to her feet and ran toward Duke Kalinos. “Your Grace, did you come to help me?”
“I’m just out for a walk.”
Hwairi walked close by his side, speaking to him in a playful tone. “I see, let’s go together!”
Maybe Hwairi was too distracted by the duke. She didn’t even notice something sparkling drop from beneath her feet with a soft plink.
Giselle watched Hwairi’s retreating figure, stroking her chin. Well, would you look at that. But whatever it was, it vanished as quickly as starlight at dawn.
Giselle, who had been watching intently, curled her lips into a smile. Found it. Something interesting.
* * *
Meanwhile, in a lavish bed, Garno’s face twisted in agony as he slept. His face was drenched in cold sweat, showing that he was having a nightmare. The vivid memory of that terrible event at the monster border devoured him.
“Please save us, Patriarch!”
“Patriarch! Patriarch! Where are you?”
“P-Please save us. Patriarch, please…”
Soldiers who had been consumed by the monsters’ demonic energy turned into skeletons. All his precious men were dead, rotting away while giving off a dreadful stench.
“It’s alright. As long as you survive, Lord Garno, we’ll be fine…!”
He reached out helplessly to his fallen soldiers, mumbling to the ones who’d died after saying those words. “Co-Come back. Please…!” With a scream that was almost a sob, he jolted awake.
If only there had been a healer then. If only someone with divine power had been there, they could have been saved. No, actually, if only the healer hadn’t betrayed our family during that monster battle…
Just one healer would have been enough to save them. But the healer who had always protected them had cowardly run away. They said they were going to save their daughter. Later, inquiries were made to find the healer and question them about their betrayal. He heard that the healer’s daughter was seriously ill, so they’d fled in a hurry. But of course, it was nothing but an excuse. At the time, their daughter just had a cold.
The betrayal of that day was so painful, it felt carved into his bones.
“Huff… That cursed dream again.” He sat up abruptly, drenched in cold sweat. The dream where my family died, my wife died, and everyone died. He believed it was all because there hadn’t been a healer to save them.
Wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes, Garno sat up and hastily gulped down the water set by his bedside. Just then, Hwairi opened the door and came in.
Comments (0)