The Monster Duke Mistook Me for His Wife Chapter 110

Ria forcefully pushed Dillian away, and only then did he reluctantly nod.

“…Yes, that’s exactly when it happened.”

I knew it! Something felt off!

She recalled the moment when he had avoided her touch and stood there in a daze, as if he were a completely different person.

Turns out he wasn’t someone else—he had just regained his memories. That’s why he pushed me away.

And yet, completely oblivious, she had worried about whether he was hurt.

When in reality, she should have been worrying about whether or not he’d take her head off.

He lied to me for two whole months—going on about how he was ‘bound’ to me!

She had assumed he only remembered after they came to the capital.

Never in her wildest dreams did she think it had been that long.

“I told you before, didn’t I? That I was scared you’d hate me once you got your memories back.”

She had treated him like an unpredictable ticking time bomb—

When, in reality, the bomb had already been defused.

Ria let out a hollow laugh.

“You must’ve thought I was pathetic. I was the only fool who didn’t know anything.”

She had feared being hated by him, but wasn’t that laughable?

He had already known the truth all along.

“That’s not true, Ria—”

“Get out. I want to be alone.”

“Ria—”

His voice was low, pleading.

But Ria firmly shoved against his chest, stepping away and pointing at the door.

“I said get out. Right now.”

She crossed her arms tightly over her chest and turned her back on him before he could get another word in.

Her rejection was absolute.

The hand that had hesitated over her shoulder eventually fell away.

Then came the sound of the door closing, followed by a suffocating silence.

Ria stormed over to the bed and began mercilessly beating her pillow, as if it were Dillian himself.

“How much of a fool did you take me for?!”

The dull thumping of her fists continued for a long time.

“Dillian, you bastard!”

Not stopping until the soft pillow burst open, sending feathers flying into the air.

 

 

 

****

 

 

Chased out by Ria, Dillian returned to his room and lay on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Thinking of how Ria had rejected him so completely, he felt a suffocating weight pressing against his chest.

Or was it something else? Something… sharper?

Dillian frowned at the unfamiliar sensation.

“This is bad. Ria is terrifying when she’s angry.”

Nathan, who had snuck into Dillian’s room to avoid Ria’s wrath, shook his head.

“Yeah. She really is.”

If she had just exploded in fury or hit him, it would have been less frightening.

But the way she had calmly, coldly questioned him… that had been far worse.

Another first for Dillian.

He ran a hand down his face, frustration evident in his touch.

“How did Ria find out? Did you tell her?”

“Therze did. He figured it out while talking to her.”

I knew I shouldn’t have left them alone together.

He had only stepped away for a short while, and in that time, everything had fallen apart.

That was his mistake.

Therze wasn’t to blame—his grandfather hadn’t even known Dillian had lost his memory in the first place.

It was a complete failure. A blunder he had never made since becoming the head of Sinaize.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Dillian draped an arm over his eyes.

But no matter how hard he tried to block everything out, Ria’s face kept appearing in his mind.

The emptiness in her expression. The disappointment clouding her gaze.

The more he tried to erase it, the clearer it became—etched onto his eyelids like an unshakable mark.

I should have kept pretending until the end.

Everything had been going so smoothly, but he had stumbled at the final step.

He should have just said he regained his memory after arriving in the capital.

No—he had made a mistake from the very beginning.

“I should have just told her the truth when I first remembered and taken responsibility for it.”

“You idiot. You deserve to get beaten up.”

Nathan smacked Dillian’s forehead with a sigh.

“Ria, this guy is hopeless.”

“Why did you even bother hiding it? A lie that obvious was bound to be caught.”

“You didn’t say anything either.”

“Because she had already signed the engagement contract and believed she was ‘bound’ to you. If I had told her the truth then, what would’ve happened? Nothing but a complete disaster.”

Nathan had been waiting for Dillian to admit it himself.

It wasn’t his place to say it first—this was something that had to come from the person responsible.

That was basic respect.

“This time, you messed up. Actually—no, you always mess up.”

Correcting himself mid-sentence, Nathan smirked as Dillian let out a dry chuckle.

“Do you think she’ll forgive me if I go and grovel now?”

For Dillian Sinaize to say grovel—that showed just how cornered he felt.

They had just confirmed their feelings yesterday, and today, their relationship was on the verge of collapse.

“Just leave her alone for now. If she’s angry, you have to wait until she calms down.”

That was the best-case scenario.

But what if, after thinking it over, she decided to leave?

What if she never wanted to see him again?

What if she walked away, forever?

His thoughts spiraled downward, one after another, fueling his growing fear.

“Everything will be back to normal by tomorrow.”

Despite Nathan’s rare attempt at reassurance, Dillian found no comfort in it.

That night, for the first time in his life—

Dillian lay awake, restless with anxiety.

 

 

****

 

 

Dillian gritted his teeth, recalling Nathan’s confident words from the night before.

“Everything will be back to normal tomorrow.”

“You said it’d be fine.”

“Ahem… Looks like she’s still pretty mad.”

Nathan smacked his beak as if the answer to his mistake lay somewhere on his tongue, then slowly turned his head away from Dillian’s piercing glare.

Maybe I should pluck out all his feathers.

Dillian shot him a murderous look, but then—

His expression melted like snow.

“What… What now?”

Startled by the sudden shift, Nathan followed his gaze—

And there, strolling through the garden, was Ria.

This guy is hopeless in every sense of the word.

Nathan clicked his tongue, but Dillian paid no mind.

A faint look of relief crossed his face.

At least she seems to be in a good mood.

Leaning against the terrace railing, Dillian continued watching her, his gaze never wavering.

If it were up to him, he would have run straight to her side by now—

But that opportunity never came.

Because Therze was stuck to her like glue.

“And to think he used to be desperate to keep her away.”

“I knew this would happen. No matter how much he pushed her away at first, there was no way he wouldn’t end up liking our Ria.”

Nathan spread his wings triumphantly.

Dillian silently agreed.

After all, Ria was someone you couldn’t help but love.

He should have been glad they were getting along.

But seeing Ria with anyone but him was enough to gnaw at his patience.

And the one bearing the brunt of his jealousy, Therze, cracked his neck with a sigh.

“That brat’s been glaring at me so hard I might end up with holes in my face. So, you two haven’t made up yet?”

“…No.”

Ria’s vague response made Therze click his tongue in disapproval.

“Dillian’s the one who messed up. Why are you the one looking so down? You should be furious.”

“I was a little mad.”

She scratched the back of her neck awkwardly, but Therze shook his head, thumping his chest as if that wasn’t nearly enough.

“Child, you got tricked into a fraudulent marriage. You should be more than just ‘a little mad.’”

“A… fraudulent marriage?”

“Technically, a fraudulent engagement.”

Now that she thought about it, he was right.

The contract had stated that their engagement would last until Dillian regained his memories.

But hadn’t he already gotten them back before they even signed it?

That’s a blatant scam!

The anger that had simmered down overnight suddenly flared up again, and Ria pouted.

“I was going to make up with him today… but I’ve changed my mind.”

“That’s right! That brat needs to stew a little longer. Only then will he realize exactly what he did wrong.”

Therze, even more determined than she was, patted her head as if sealing the deal.

The warmth of his touch made her cheeks flush, but she quickly shook off the feeling.

Instead, she voiced the question that had been bothering her for a while.

“Grandfather, aren’t you angry with me?”

“Because you’re the reason Dillian lost his memory?”

“Yes.”

That morning, she had told him everything.

She had expected him to scold her—after all, she had literally bashed his grandson’s head open.

But instead of getting mad, he had taken her side.

“Losing his memory was unfortunate, sure. But you took care of him for a month, didn’t you? That’s compensation enough.”

If it weren’t for Ria, Dillian would have died.

From what Therze had heard, Dillian had been in terrible shape back then.

Had Ria not stepped in, he would have either frozen to death or bled out in Wilhelm’s deadly cold.

He may have lost his memory for a month, but in the end, he had survived—and even managed to complete the task assigned to him by the Crown Prince.

“So that’s that. You did what you had to, so there’s no need for guilt.”

If anything, he pitied her for getting tangled up with Dillian.

She’s too kind for her own good…

She was so kind that she had fallen straight into Dillian’s grasp.

Not only had she endured a month of his nonsense in Wilhelm, but she had followed him to the capital and remained by his side.

‘They may claim to be in love now, but I know that brat must have pulled some tricks at the start.’

Feeling Therze’s oddly intense gaze on her, Ria tilted her head in confusion.

‘What’s the point of power and wealth when you’re still an idiot?’

Unlike Dillian, Ria was polite to her elders, gentle, intelligent, and incredibly capable.

‘The more I think about it, the more unfair this seems.’

Having thoroughly judged his grandson, Therze placed his hands on Ria’s shoulders and spoke seriously.

“Child, if you ever want to leave him, just say the word. I’ll personally pry you away.”

“No. I have no intention of leaving him.”

Ria’s firm response made the corners of Therze’s lips twitch involuntarily.

He had genuinely been worried that she might run away.

Now, he could finally breathe easy.

“Ahem. Well, if there’s one thing that brat is good at, it’s choosing the right person.”

“Grandfather, you’re wonderful too. You have an incredible character, a noble heart—there’s nothing lacking in you.”

Ria, putting her hard-earned social skills to good use, smoothly flattered him.

But just as she was about to continue—

Rustle.

The bushes nearby shook unnaturally, producing an odd noise.