The Monster Duke Mistook Me for His Wife Chapter 115

Page 11. Shattering Like a Tidal Wave

A faint light seeped through the curtains. Tossing and turning in the blue dawn glow, I eventually woke up.

The moment I lifted my heavy eyelids, the first thing I saw was a handsome face. I blinked blankly.

‘When he’s asleep, he looks just like an angel…’

But the Dillan who tormented me all night was no angel—he was a devil.

Recalling the events of last night, I scrunched up my face.

“Not going all the way,” my foot!

Clenching my trembling fist, I swung it toward Dillan’s face before sighing and withdrawing at the last second, instead poking his cheek.

“You’re so annoying, I swear.”

After poking his cheek for a bit, I traced the curve of his eyebrows.

I recalled his persistent voice from last night, begging me to tell him more about the past.

Unlike me, who had regained memories of our time together in my past life, Dillan knew nothing—and that seemed to bother him.

But I truly didn’t mind.

‘As long as I remember, that’s enough.’

There were plenty of beautiful memories, but just as many painful and sorrowful ones.

It was fine if I carried those burdens alone.

The blue dawn faded, and in the distance, the sun began to rise.

“Nathan’s going to scold me.”

Spending the night out… I was already terrified of what he might say.

I needed to leave before it got any later.

As I sat up, a dull ache shot through my lower back, and I groaned.

“Ugh, my back hurts.”

I tapped my waist lightly and swung my legs over the bed—only for a hand to emerge from the blankets and pull me back by the waist.

“Ah!”

A sharp jolt of pain ran through me, making my eyes water. I turned to glare at the culprit, only to find Dillan smirking slyly, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

“You were trying to sneak away without me, weren’t you?”

“I was just going back to my room, thank you very much.”

Sneak away? The way he put it made it sound like I had stolen a night with him and was running off in secret.

“You should at least consider how I’d feel, waking up to an empty bed and being heartbroken.”

Dillan had an extraordinary talent for speaking absolute nonsense with complete sincerity.

And I had grown so used to it that I could brush it off without a second thought.

“I really have to go now. Nathan is probably furious.”

I could’ve sworn I heard his anguished cries echoing outside the room last night.

Firmly prying Dillan’s hand off, I got up. Reluctantly, he sat up as well, the blanket sliding down and revealing his toned upper body in all its glory.

Startled, I quickly lowered my head, my face burning.

Dillan casually swept my loose hair aside and pressed a kiss to the nape of my neck.

“You won’t be able to wear anything low-cut.”

“Why not?”

“You just can’t.”

He never did explain why.

How anticlimactic.

 

 

****

 

 

 

“Dillan, you… you bastard!”

Back in my room, I finally checked my neck in the mirror—and screamed.

He had bitten me so much that my skin was covered in blotchy marks.

Still touching my flushed neck, I froze as I saw Sera and Nathan reflected in the mirror.

Sera, her face as red as mine, quickly averted her gaze and pretended not to see anything, while Nathan looked like he was about to foam at the mouth.

I had just shown them something far too embarrassing, completely defenseless.

Covering my neck, I gritted my teeth.

‘I swear, I can’t live like this! Just wait until I see him again—I won’t let him off easy!’

I stomped around, swinging my fists at the air in frustration when—

Sera, who had been clearing her throat awkwardly, suddenly went pale and collapsed onto the floor.

“No! The special banquet dress I ordered for today—I can’t wear it now…!”

Sera clutched her head in despair.

Nathan, on the other hand, growled as he somehow produced a dagger from nowhere and clenched it between his teeth.

“That bastard Dillan… I’ll send him straight to hell.”

“Nathan!”

“Even if Lord Oberlus casts me aside! I refuse to forgive Dillan!”

His murderous aura was terrifying.

Panicked, I immediately grabbed Nathan and wrestled the dagger out of his mouth.

“Ria! Hand it back this instant!”

Nathan struggled in my grip, shouting curses at Dillan.

“I will not let that man go unpunished!”

“No way! Do you have any idea how long it took for us to reunite? You’re not making us part ways again!”

At those words, Nathan’s struggles suddenly stopped, as if frozen.

“…You’ve recovered all your memories?”

“Yeah. I remember everything now.”

“I see… You finally found them.”

Nathan spread his wings and gently stroked my cheek.

“It must have been frustrating all this time. You’ve worked hard.”

“I’ll take your comfort after everything’s over. We still need to deal with the darkness.”

Rexter and the third prince, who seemed deeply tied to the darkness, were still at the Grand Duke’s estate.

It was too soon to feel relieved.

“You’re right. But I have no doubt that you’ll succeed.”

“Yeah, I can do this.”

Confidence surged within me—I felt like I could accomplish anything.

While Nathan beamed proudly, I quickly shoved the dagger into a drawer.

Meanwhile, Sera, who had pulled a dress from the closet, looked like she was on the verge of tears.

“I’ve been waiting for this day… Your Highness, why…!”

The dress spread out on the bed was an off-the-shoulder gown that revealed nearly my entire neckline.

I gulped.

“…Sera, does Dillan know about this dress?”

“No, dresses like these should be a surprise on the day of the event.”

“Any chance he might have seen it by accident?”

“That wouldn’t—oh! I did lay it out after we arrived at the estate to smooth out some wrinkles… He might have seen it then.”

Damn it. He did this on purpose!

Completely unaware, Sera wiped her tears and pulled out a second dress.

This one was a high-neck gown with minimal exposure.

Although my shoulders were still bare, the dress covered my neck and arms, giving it a much more elegant and composed feel.

I hesitated.

I could easily erase the marks on my neck with divine power.

But if I did, I’d have to wear that dress—the extravagant, revealing one.

And knowing Dillan, if he saw me in something so exposed, who knew what he’d do?

“We should just go for a seductive look!”

Still sniffling, Sera clasped her hands together and asked,

“Ria, can’t you erase it with divine power?”

“I-It’s weird… It won’t disappear.”

Sera’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. Nathan, on the other hand, gaped like a fish out of water.

I bit my tongue and tightly shut my eyes.

In the end, I had resorted to lying.

“Well, there’s no choice. I’ll do my best to make you look stunning.”

“You don’t have to overdo it.”

“Of course I do! The elder is today’s main figure, but this is also your official debut! We have to make a strong impression!”

Under Sera’s skilled hands, I was reborn.

The deep red gown, embroidered with delicate flowers and butterflies, exuded an air of sophistication and allure.

“It’s a shame you can’t wear the first dress, but this one suits you beautifully as well.”

After carefully combing my hair and letting it flow smoothly, Sera clapped her hands in admiration.

“You look absolutely stunning, Ria!”

“Of course! What doesn’t suit our Ria?”

Nathan, wearing a red bow tie to match my dress, chuckled warmly.

As I remained trapped in their never-ending stream of praise, a knock sounded at the door.

“His Highness must be here!”

Excitedly, Sera flung the door open.

“Your Highness, Ria has just finished getting ready!”

Since she was standing in the way, I couldn’t see Dillan at first. Rising from my seat, I stepped forward—

“Dillan, are you—”

Dillan went completely silent.

His dazed eyes, hazy as if enchanted, locked onto me.

Ignoring his stare, I took the chance to examine him instead.

His neatly slicked-back hair, the perfectly tailored black suit, and the red cufflinks glinting at his sleeves—

‘The gift I gave him.’

As I quietly observed him, Dillan finally managed to move his lips.

“…Ria.”

“Dillan.”

For a moment, I smiled softly, admiring how handsome he looked.

Then, without warning, I lunged at him like a predator hunting its prey and smacked him hard on the back.

“What did you do to my neck?!”

I hit him so hard that my hand stung—but it didn’t seem to faze him at all.

Instead, Dillan merely smiled, looking utterly delighted.

Leaning down, he whispered against my ear,

“Do you think I only left marks on your neck?”

“Shut up, will you?!”

I screeched and swung my hand toward his mouth, but he swiftly caught my wrist.

“You did this on purpose, didn’t you? Just to stop me from wearing that dress!”

I pointed accusingly at the gown lying pathetically on the bed.

Sera gasped in horror.

“Th-That’s…!”

She staggered as if the revelation had physically struck her.

Meanwhile, Dillan kept his eyes locked onto me, unfazed.

Sigh. Letting out a short breath, Dillan shook his head.

“Ria, when did you become so perceptive?”

“Y-You…!”

“I thought you’d erase them the moment you saw them. But surprisingly, you didn’t.”

As if merely looking at me was enough to satisfy him, Dillan’s lips curled into an amused smile.

“Sera! I’ll avenge you!”

Nathan suddenly shouted, spinning in circles on the carpet in search of something.

“Where’s my sword?!”

I knew this would happen. Good thing I hid it.

“Hmph! If I don’t have a sword, I’ll use my beak! Dillan, you scoundrel!”

Nathan charged at Dillan like a missile, aiming his sharp beak at his head.

But his attack was effortlessly blocked.

“I styled my hair to look good for Ria. Don’t mess it up.”

“Then I definitely have to ruin it!”

Nathan flailed wildly, but he was no match for Dillan.

“Father-in-law, that bow tie looks quite childish for your age.”

“What?! What did you say?!”

Nathan’s feathers puffed up in fury.

He seemed torn between being angry at the “father-in-law” title or being insulted about his fashion sense.

“What’s wrong with my bow tie?!”

So that’s what he’s upset about.

While Nathan flew to the mirror to inspect himself, Dillan extended his arm to me.

“With him taken care of, shall we go, my wife?”

With an exasperated but amused sigh, I placed my hand in his.

“Yes, let’s go.”

The banquet had begun.