The Monster Duke Mistook Me for His Wife Chapter 109

Ria, who had forgotten even how to breathe, slowly turned her creaking neck to look at Nathan, who had been silently listening.

“Is it true?”

Her eyes begged for an answer, and Nathan slowly nodded.

“Nathan knew too?!”

Ria’s pupils trembled with shock.

Her face, already pale, drained of all color until she looked as if she might collapse at any moment.

Overcome by the sheer weight of the revelation, Ria swayed unsteadily.

If Therze hadn’t reached out a hand toward her in alarm, she might have fallen forward.

“Child, are you alright? I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Therze, uncharacteristically flustered, hadn’t expected her to be so shaken.

He was genuinely concerned that her fragile body might shatter under the weight of the truth.

But Ria couldn’t even muster the strength to say she was fine—not even as an empty reassurance.

She simply couldn’t.

“Since when…? Since when did they know I was lying?”

Her thoughts spun in dizzying circles, leaving her no time to process them properly.

And then—

“Elder, His Highness and the Crown Prince have arrived.”

The news of Dillian’s return made Ria shoot up from her seat in an instant.

 

 

***

 

 

Ria’s footsteps were rough as she strode down the corridor, her face frozen in a hardened expression as she glared straight ahead.

“Ria, are you angry?”

Nathan, who had quickly caught up and was now perched on her shoulder, whispered cautiously.

“At you? Yeah, I am. You knew and didn’t tell me?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Forget it. What’s the point of bringing it up now?”

Ria replied stiffly.

Nathan carefully observed her expression, but her focus was locked solely on Dillian.

I guess I don’t really have the right to be angry at Dillian…

After all, she was the one who deceived him first.

Even if he had lied to her, she had no room to complain.

But no matter how much she told herself that, she couldn’t suppress the tangled emotions brewing inside her.

The fear of knowing he had uncovered the truth. The sting of betrayal upon realizing he had deceived her. And worst of all, the creeping doubt rising from within.

“Haa…”

Ria ran a rough hand through her hair.

He knew he lost his memory because of me, so why didn’t he say anything until now?

He knew everything, yet he still called her his wife and treated her with such warmth.

Wasn’t he angry? Didn’t he ever want to kill me?

Her thoughts were a tangled mess, and before she knew it, she had already arrived to face Dillian.

“His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived.”

At the gatekeeper’s announcement, Ria took a deep breath.

She barely managed to smooth out her expression before lowering her head in greeting.

“It’s been a while, Your Highness.”

“Miss Ria, have you been—”

Cassis, who had started to return the greeting with a smile, suddenly paused.

No matter how he looked at her, she did not seem well.

Even an outsider like Cassis could tell—there was no way Dillian wouldn’t notice.

“Ria, did something happen?”

Had Manus done something while he was away?

Dillian’s face hardened instantly as he stepped toward Ria.

But before he could reach her, she took a step back, as if avoiding him.

“…Ria?”

Her cold demeanor was nothing like this morning.

Startled, Dillian reached out his hand toward her—

Only for her to stop him.

Dillian stared at his empty hand, hovering in midair, dumbfounded.

Ignoring his reaction, Ria turned to Cassis and spoke.

“Forgive me, but I must excuse myself.”

“O-Oh, of course. Go ahead.”

Cassis quickly nodded, sensing that keeping her here any longer might only make things worse.

Did they have a fight?

The chilly tension between them was completely different from their sweet first meeting.

Cassis glanced sideways at Dillian, but it was clear he was just as confused.

“Dillian, we need to talk.”

With that, Ria turned and walked away.

Dillian hesitated for only a moment before hastily following her.

To think I’d live to see the Duke being completely dominated like this.

Cassis couldn’t tear his gaze away from their retreating figures—

Until, at the very edge of his vision, a familiar silhouette came into view.

Manus.

His half-brother stood at a distance, watching the departing pair with a wicked smile.

Even from afar, his violet eyes gleamed ominously.

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

The moment the door shut behind them, Dillian’s warm hand gently touched Ria’s shoulder.

Despite having pushed him away in front of Cassis, she now found herself trapped in his embrace.

She could feel his solid chest pressing against her back. His warmth was overwhelming, making Ria squeeze her eyes shut.

“Ria.”

His voice, low and filled with concern, softly called her name.

“Did something happen? Or… did I do something wrong?”

Though he tried to hide it, she could tell he was frustrated by her sudden change in attitude.

“…Dillian, is there anything you’ve been keeping from me?”

Ria placed a hand over the arms wrapped around her shoulders, her tone dry and devoid of emotion—her voice like brittle sandpaper.

“Keeping from you?”

“Your memory. You got it back, didn’t you?”

Dillian, who had been resting his head against her neck, inhaling her scent, flinched.

Because she was in his arms, Ria could feel his body stiffen in response.

She broke free from his hold and turned to face him.

His eyes, which had widened slightly in surprise, soon settled back into eerie calmness.

Seeing that unwavering composure, Ria bit her lip.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It was for your sake.”

“Liar.”

She shook her head firmly.

For my sake?

No. This wasn’t consideration or kindness.

“If I get my memories back, you’ll run away. Then I should never remember.”

Just as she had hidden the truth to survive, Dillian had done the same to keep her by his side.

To prevent her from running. To keep her within reach.

“…You’re right. I’ll be honest.”

Dillian admitted it without hesitation.

There was no point in hiding it now.

The more he tried to conceal it, the more he would lose Ria’s trust.

“I knew you’d feel indebted to me. As long as I hadn’t regained my memory, you wouldn’t have left.”

Faced with his unfiltered confession, Ria clenched her lips together.

So that’s what he was aiming for all along.

The cunning man had used his own weakness as a weapon to keep her close.

And in the end, he got exactly what he wanted—Ria stayed by his side.

Yet, all this time, she had been anxiously watching him, dreading the moment he’d remember everything.

No wonder being with Dillian was both happy and unsettling.

But now, knowing that he had been fully aware the entire time—

Ria couldn’t stop her expression from hardening.

Her chest tightened, and an overwhelming urge to confront him bubbled up inside her.

I don’t even have the right to be angry about this…

After all, she was the one who had deceived him first.

And yet—

Aren’t I allowed to feel betrayed?

I confessed everything back in Wilhelm, and I even apologized. So what’s wrong with being upset?

Even if Dillian never believed her, the thought screamed in her head.

“How long were you planning to keep up the act?”

“Until you fully became mine.”

“…And if I never did?”

“Then I would have done it forever.”

Pretending to be a clueless fool meant nothing to him.

If it meant he could stay with her, he would’ve played the role for a lifetime.

Dillian’s lips curled into a deep, satisfied smile.

“I’m willing to do anything to have you.”

He stepped forward, his hand reaching out to softly caress her cheek.

There was a heavy possessiveness in his touch.

“You saw it, didn’t you? What I was willing to do to Manus. Killing someone is nothing to me—so why wouldn’t I be able to put on an act?”

His chillingly casual words should have terrified her.

But for some reason, they didn’t.

Instead, they reassured her.

Ria’s tense expression eased slightly without her even realizing it.

“…You weren’t trying to get revenge? Weren’t you angry?”

“Why would I waste time on that when I could be making myself look more attractive to you? And no, I wasn’t angry.”

“Really?”

“If I were angry, I wouldn’t have been following you around like a lovesick fool, begging for attention and affection.”

Seeing that her expression had softened, Dillian smoothly wrapped his arms around her waist.

He pulled her into his embrace and placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head before whispering.

“I’m sorry for lying. I should have told you yesterday, but I was too happy and lost my chance.”

“Really? You’re not just trying to talk your way out of this?”

“Of course not.”

As if proving his sincerity, Dillian guided her head to rest against his chest.

“Now that we’ve confirmed each other’s feelings, there’s no reason to hide anything anymore.”

His heartbeat pounded against her ear, steady and strong.

Hearing it for the first time, Ria’s face flushed.

His entire being was telling her—

I love you.

I adore you.

The powerful, irregular rhythm of his heart calmed her.

And in that moment, she realized—

I was afraid.

Afraid that even his love had been an act.

But now that she knew it wasn’t, her anger melted away.

Finally, Ria reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Then it’s fine. I forgive you for lying. You forgave me too, after all.”

“So that’s why you were so upset. You even pushed me away earlier.”

“More than being mad… I was just frustrated. I couldn’t tell what was real and what was a lie.”

Her voice grew smaller with embarrassment, making Dillian chuckle.

He kissed her forehead, his tone brimming with amusement.

“Don’t worry. From the beginning until now, my feelings have been completely genuine.”

I guess they really are like a married couple. Fighting one second, making up the next.

That was the thought running through her mind—

Until she suddenly remembered something.

“Wait… when exactly did your memories return?”

At her question, Dillian shut his mouth.

His reluctance to answer sent a sharp instinct through Ria, making her speak quickly.

“Was it after we came to the capital? Or… was it back in Wilhelm?”

Dillian remained silent, but Ria understood immediately.

It was Wilhelm. He remembered everything back there.

Memories of his odd behavior at the time flashed through her mind.

“Wait… was it that day in Tippy’s Forest? When you fell into the valley?”

Dillian said nothing.

“It was that day, wasn’t it?!”

That meant—

It had been two whole months.

Long before they even arrived in the capital.