The Monster Duke Mistook Me for His Wife Chapter 114

Ria buried her face deeply at the touch patting her back. It had been a long time since she stopped crying, but she remained quietly nestled in Dillan’s embrace, merely fidgeting with her fingers.

“Have you stopped now?”

“……Yes.”

As she mumbled a response, she heard a low chuckle near her ear.

‘Aagh! Why did I cry there?! I should have smiled happily!’

And if she had to cry, couldn’t she have done it more prettily?

Because she had sobbed out all her tears and snot, Dillan’s shoulder was as damp as if a flood had passed through, and her swollen eyes were so puffy that they were only half-open, refusing to fully lift.

“Well then, shall we take a look? Look at me.”

“Look at what?”

Ria flinched and quickly pulled away from Dillan’s embrace.

Determined not to show him this face no matter what, she bowed her head deeply. But Dillan wasn’t about to give up so easily.

“Ria, show me your face.”

“No. Don’t look.”

“You’re being shy now, after all this?”

His voice was full of laughter, making Ria scrunch up her eyes in frustration.

“I am not!”

Muttering under her breath, she cautiously lifted her head—only to be startled by Dillan’s face suddenly right in front of hers. She quickly threw herself onto the floor.

Curled up with her face buried in her arms, Dillan let out a small chuckle at the sight.

‘She’s trying so hard to hide that it just makes me want to see her even more.’

Rather than forcibly lifting her head, Dillan reached out and gently smoothed down her messy hair.

“Do you really hate showing me that much?”

Yes. She hated it. She looked terrible, and she didn’t want him to see.

‘My face must be as swollen as a steamed bun.’

Scooting further away from Dillan, Ria answered.

“Yes.”

“You’re going to talk like this?”

“Yes.”

“While lying on the carpet?”

Ria nodded firmly. Seeing how adamant she was, Dillan raised his hands in surrender.

“Alright. I won’t look. But get up onto the bed. Your knees must hurt.”

No matter how expensive the carpet was, lying on it for too long would be rough and uncomfortable. He coaxed her sweetly, suggesting she lie somewhere soft and rest before they continued talking.

Dillan was an expert at winning Ria over. He knew exactly what to say to sway her, and the naive Ria inevitably fell for it.

“Fine. But you absolutely cannot look!”

Making sure to warn him first, Ria bolted onto the bed in an instant.

But who was Dillan? A born predator never missed an opening.

In a flash, Dillan caught her slender waist and pulled her into his embrace, capturing her face in his hands.

“Agh, I knew this would happen!”

“You’re so cute. Why do you keep running away?”

“What’s cute about this?!”

Agh, this scoundrel! Ria pouted her lips and flailed her arms.

She struggled to push away the face staring intently at her, but in Dillan’s eyes, even that was just adorable.

“Why are you so cute?”

Unable to suppress the overwhelming urge swelling in his chest, Dillan pressed a kiss to her puffy eyes.

The ticklish sensation made Ria shrink back.

“Did you hide macarons in your eyes?”

“Agh, seriously! Stop teasing me!”

Though she glared at him in exasperation, Dillan wasn’t joking.

And that was the problem.

The way he looked at her, as if he was overflowing with love, made Ria’s face burn bright red.

Dillan, holding his beloved in his arms, was completely enamored.

“I’m really your lover? Then and now?”

“……Yes.”

“Not Manus?”

“Absolutely not! Never! I was just being stupid and confused…….”

Ria couldn’t even finish her sentence.

Dillan had suddenly pressed his lips against hers.

Shocked, Ria tried to purse her lips, but Dillan didn’t let her.

“Ah…….”

A faint gasp escaped her, but even that was swallowed up.

As his hot breath filled her mouth, Ria trembled slightly before wrapping her arms around Dillan’s neck and slowly closing her eyes.

While Ria kept her eyes tightly shut, Dillan kept his wide open, staring at her.

As if he was about to devour her whole, his deep-set gaze darkened with desire.

Damn it. Hell.

Dillan cursed under his breath.

If he wasn’t careful, he’d lose control and completely consume her.

To hold himself back, Dillan tightened his arms around Ria, as if she might disappear.

In return, Ria trembled as she wrapped her arms around his back.

At that moment, his heart felt like it was about to explode.

“Ria.”

“Mm…….”

“Ria.”

Hearing her name in his sweet voice sent shivers down her spine.

Her face burned hot, and even her toes curled.

“S-Stop calling me that.”

“No. I’m going to keep calling you.”

Grinning mischievously, Dillan continued murmuring her name, kissing her face over and over.

He couldn’t stop smiling.

He had been jealous of Ria’s past lover, only to find out that it had been him all along.

‘I was Ria’s lover. No one else—just me.’

Both then and now, they were bound by fate. An undeniable, unbreakable fate.

How could he not be overjoyed?

His chest swelled with emotion, so much that he feared it might burst like an overfilled balloon.

At a glance, it seemed like Ria was clinging to Dillan, but in reality, it was the other way around.

Dillan, supporting her back, leaned into her completely.

At some point, her back met the soft mattress. But caught up in their kiss, Ria didn’t even notice.

They were lost in each other.

Her mind blared warning signals that things were about to go too far, but she couldn’t stop.

Surprisingly, it was Dillan who snapped back to his senses.

Because he had a strong feeling that if they continued, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself.

‘No, not yet. There’s still so much I need to hear from her.’

Letting out a low groan, Dillan slowly released Ria.

“Haah…….”

Trying to calm himself down, he let out a shaky breath before pressing several quick kisses against her lips.

Smooch, smooch.

The soft, playful sounds made Ria cover her face.

“Since you’ve calmed down, shall we talk?”

Calmed down? His crazed eyes told a different story!

Drained of all her strength, Ria lifted a trembling hand and pointed at the sword lying on the floor.

“That sword you tossed aside. It’s a holy sword.”

If Therze found out that the holy sword was treated like that, he’d probably faint.

Ria gazed at the sword with a distant look.

“A holy sword? That would normally be incompatible with me.”

“Usually, yes. But this one is an exception. I forged it in my past life and gifted it to you.”

Nestled in Dillan’s embrace, Ria told him everything she had seen in her dreams.

That he was the reincarnation of Emperor Lysandro.

That he had been her lover.

And that the holy sword responded only to him.

“That’s how I realized it was you, Dillan.”

That must be why the sword had returned to the Sinise family.

It was telling her to recognize him sooner.

“You weren’t a descendant. You were him.”

Ria reached out and tightly clasped Dillan’s hands.

“I’m sorry I took so long to realize it.”

Dillan shook his head.

“I should be the one apologizing.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t remember anything.”

While Ria had struggled to uncover the truth, he had remained completely unaware.

If only he had remembered, she wouldn’t have been confused or suffered so much.

Until he met Ria, Dillan had never believed in things like past lives and reincarnation.

But right now, he bitterly regretted not having his past memories.

“It’s okay.”

Even without those memories, they could start over in this life.

As long as Dillan was by her side, Ria didn’t mind if the past stayed forgotten.

“But if your memories do come back and you hide them again, I won’t forgive you.”

She warned him sternly, and he nodded.

“Ria, then tell me—who is Manus?”

Could it be that Manus not only had a face so similar that it confused Ria but also possessed memories?

Ria wondered the same thing.

It wasn’t as if Manus had fabricated the face he had lived with all his life as the third prince.

“Has there ever been a marriage between the imperial family and the Sinise family?”

“Yes, there has.”

As expected.

“The reason Manus resembles your past self so much is probably because he’s a descendant.”

She had heard of distant descendants being born with an uncanny resemblance to their ancestors.

“So, it wasn’t you—it was the third prince who was your descendant.”

How could her reasoning have been so off? The realization that all her guesses had been wrong filled her with embarrassment.

“But how does Manus know about the promise?”

If he was just a descendant, then how did he know about it?

“Maybe it has something to do with the darkness. The fact that he’s been with Rexter is suspicious too…”

Most of all, darkness had always been obsessed with Ria. The unsettling possessiveness Manus had shown toward her was eerily similar to that of the darkness.

‘But unlike Rexter, he didn’t have any sinister energy.’

If anything, he felt warm and kind.

That was why she kept getting confused.

There was definitely a connection, but it was just out of reach, nagging at her senses.

“By the way, I happen to know a few of Manus’s weaknesses.”

Pulling herself closer to Dillan, Ria whispered to him as if sharing a secret.

“If we beat him to a pulp using those, don’t you think something will come out?”

“That’s a great idea.”

“In that case, let’s go take care of it right now.”

Fueled with determination, Ria started to rise, but a strong arm pulled her back.

Before she knew it, she was lying on the bed again, blinking in confusion.

“Huh?”

“We reunited after a thousand years, and you’re just going to leave like this?”

Dillan smiled sweetly.

But his touch was anything but sweet.

“Wait, we already had our emotional reunion, didn’t we?”

“Oh no, I’m still not satisfied. What should we do?”

“This isn’t the time for this! We need to deal with Manus—ah…!”

Her protest was cut short when he suddenly nipped at her neck.

The unexpected sensation made Ria gasp before she quickly clamped a hand over her mouth in shock.

“You do know that calling another man’s name while in bed is a serious offense, right?”

“W-What…? Don’t you understand what’s more important right now?”

“Of course. Confirming our love is far more important.”

With a playful glint in his eyes, Dillan pressed a soft kiss to her cheek, coaxing her.

“I won’t take it all the way.”

“A-All the way…?”

With a seductive smile, Dillan leaned into her ear and whispered,

“You already know.”

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

“Nathan, aren’t you going to Ria?”

“I can’t go right now.”

Sera looked at him curiously as Nathan turned his gaze toward Dillan’s room.

Reading the meaning behind his eyes, Sera wrapped her arms around him.

“You’re allowing it?”

“It’s not something I have the power to allow or forbid.”

He already knew.

Nathan had known better than anyone that Ria and Dillan would end up together.

Ever since the day they first met.

Even knowing that, he had tried to stop it—simply because he had selfishly wished for Ria to stay by his side just a little longer.

“She’s all grown up now. I should let her go.”

“You’re a wonderful adult, Nathan.”

“Of course. Unlike that sneaky bastard Dillan, I don’t play dirty.”

Nathan shrugged proudly, but then, as if suddenly uneasy, he asked in a hesitant voice,

“……They won’t get into any trouble the moment I take my eyes off them, will they?”

His resolve to let Ria go wavered in an instant.

“Should I go check on them?”

“Go where?”

Sera let out a laugh and hugged him tightly, making sure he couldn’t fly off.