The Monster Duke Mistook Me for His Wife Chapter 117

Giselle… why is she here?

Shocked by her unexpected arrival, my breath caught when I noticed the small figure standing beside her.

Holding Giselle’s hand, Dante stood at her side, his face pale.

Ignoring the murmurs around him, Manus strode confidently toward Therze, basking in the attention.

But Dillan and I had no interest in Manus.

“Dillan, was Count Ustin originally on Rexter’s side?”

Dillan shook his head.

“Count Ustin never liked Rexter. As you know, the count is quite strict.”

Giselle, with her rigid morals, and Rexter, who lived recklessly, were complete opposites.

“They have been in contact more recently because of Dante, but nothing serious enough to raise concern.”

Dillan sighed, looking at Giselle with disappointment.

“I thought she was intelligent. Turns out she’s a fool.”

I couldn’t help but agree. What was Giselle thinking?

‘If Dante stays near someone cursed like Rexter, his condition will only worsen.’

Giselle adored her son more than anything—why would she bring him close to Rexter?

‘No… she wouldn’t do this if she knew.’

Dillan and I were the only ones who knew about Rexter’s curse and his ties to the darkness.

Giselle might not like me, but if I told her the truth, she would at least listen.

After all, she loved Dante deeply.

As soon as I decided to approach her, Dillan stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

His face was firm as he shook his head.

“If we leave things as they are, Dante will be in danger.”

“I know. But can you be sure this isn’t part of Manus’s scheme?”

…No, I couldn’t.

“Dante will naturally distance himself from Rexter. Count Ustin wouldn’t keep his sick child in this chaotic banquet for long—he’ll leave soon.”

Dillan was right. It was better to wait for Giselle to separate from Rexter and speak to her privately rather than cause a scene.

“Ria, do you remember what I said? Stay by my side.”

“I will.”

But it wouldn’t be easy.

As a duke returning home after three years, Dillan was bound to attract attention.

Sure enough, nobles constantly approached him, calling out to greet him and welcome him back.

I could follow him everywhere, but no matter where we went, Manus would be lurking nearby.

That fact alone irritated Dillan.

In the end, Dillan made a choice—Cassis.

“If the third prince tries to approach her, block him.”

“Duke, don’t you think you’re using me a bit too much?”

“Protecting your subjects is a ruler’s duty, is it not?”

Hearing the unspoken acknowledgment—I recognize you as the future emperor—Cassis cleared his throat.

“Alright, I understand.”

Once he had Cassis’s confirmation, Dillan turned to me.

“Don’t be alone. Not even for a moment.”

“I know, okay?”

After emphasizing his warning several times, Dillan finally disappeared into the crowd.

Cassis, watching the whole exchange, shook his head and chuckled.

“Never thought I’d see the day. I spent three years trying to win him over, and now…”

He turned to me, amusement in his voice.

“Thanks to you, he finally acknowledges me.”

This was a situation where any other crown prince might have been offended—being treated like a mere bodyguard.

But Cassis didn’t seem upset.

In fact, he smiled as if he was finally at ease.

“Your Highness, I’m sorry for making you watch over me instead of enjoying the banquet.”

“It’s fine. Honestly, I prefer this. I don’t really enjoy these kinds of events.”

Cassis waved off my concern.

“But you attend almost every party.”

From what I knew, he never missed a social gathering.

“That’s only because Manus is incredibly skilled at socializing. I had to attend to keep up with him. But I don’t actually like these loud, flashy places.”

Unlike Manus, Cassis’s maternal family wasn’t powerful. He had to build his influence by personally meeting and securing connections.

“I wonder why I’m even telling you all this.”

“You want me to support you?”

“Exactly.”

He playfully winked, but I could see the exhaustion hidden in his gaze.

I had struggled a lot too, but Cassis had clearly lived a difficult life as well.

‘Being born a crown prince must’ve made things even harder.’

He probably felt like he was constantly walking on thin ice.

The thought filled me with sympathy.

“Don’t worry. You’ll be emperor soon.”

That was fate. No matter how hard he tried, Manus could never become emperor.

“Aina said the same thing.”

“Did she? She has a good eye.”

“If you support me, then I’ll definitely become emperor.”

His words carried an unspoken meaning—I currently held the greatest power in Sinise.

“Somehow, I ended up in this position.”

“Well, you are Aina’s guardian angel. It’s no surprise you took over Sinise too.”

“…Are you teasing me?”

“Of course not. If I did, the Duke might punish me.”

That was definitely teasing.

Cassis shrugged, pretending innocence as I gave him a skeptical look.

“By the way, Manus has been bothering you, hasn’t he?”

“…Yes.”

Hearing my answer, Cassis rubbed his chin, his brows furrowing.

“I feel bad saying this, but Manus doesn’t usually like people like you.”

I frowned, and Cassis quickly clarified.

“What I mean is—Manus despises commoners. He thinks they’re worse than insects. The kind of person who orders executions over the smallest offenses. It’s strange that he’s showing interest in you.”

“That’s true. I also found it odd.”

“Normally, he’d mock me the moment he saw me. But today, he hasn’t even glanced at me—he’s only looking at you.”

Cassis muttered to himself.

“It feels like he’s a completely different person.”

A different person…

Something clicked in my mind.

A sudden theory formed, making my blood run cold.

“Your Highness, aside from this, have you noticed any other strange changes in the third prince?”

“He has been acting a little off.”

“When did it start?”

Hearing the serious tone in my voice, Cassis’s expression darkened as he searched his memory.

“Now that I think about it, it started around that time…”

As he continued, a chilling realization washed over me.

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

Dillan had warned Ria never to be alone.

But she didn’t listen.

“Ria, what exactly are you planning?”

Nathan, perched on her shoulder, asked in a worried tone.

“I’m trying to lure him in.”

Ria remained hidden in the shadows while subtly nodding in Sera’s direction, who was watching from a concealed spot.

Meanwhile, Cassis stood guard at the terrace entrance.

This was a trap.

And Ria was the bait.

‘I can’t believe I’m using the crown prince like this. A few months ago, I wouldn’t have even imagined it.’

Initially, Ria had planned to leave Cassis out of this, handling it with only Sera and Nathan.

But Cassis, remembering Dillan’s warnings, refused to let her go alone.

If something happened to her, he wouldn’t just lose his claim to the throne—he might lose his head.

“Dillan is going to be furious, isn’t he?”

“You ignored all his warnings and made yourself the bait. Of course, he’ll be furious.”

Ria knew it too.

What she was doing was reckless.

But if she didn’t act now, she wouldn’t get another chance.

That man would never reveal the truth in front of Dillan.

As her expression darkened, Nathan rubbed his head against her cheek, trying to comfort her.

“Don’t worry. You have me.”

“You really are reliable.”

Leaning against the terrace railing, Ria gazed up at the night sky.

The person she was waiting for was none other than the third prince, Manus.

‘Three months ago, Manus left the imperial palace for a while. His companion back then was Rexter Blent.’

“I don’t know where they went, but when Manus returned, something about him had changed.”

“That guy always used to pick fights with me, but after that, he started focusing on something else entirely.”

“I don’t know what it was, but it’s clear that he changed after joining hands with Rexter Blent.”

The moment she heard that, one thought came to mind—the darkness.

Manus changed three months ago.

And three months ago, the darkness awoke.

Was it just a coincidence?

At first, she thought Rexter, who had merged with the darkness, was controlling Manus.

After all, she couldn’t sense even the slightest trace of darkness from Manus.

But her instincts screamed that something was wrong with that theory.

And now, it was time to test a new one.

With a soft click, the terrace door opened.

No knock.

As expected, her guest was Manus.

“Ria.”

Turning around, Ria leaned her back against the railing.

The face looking at her was eerily similar to Lysandro’s.

“Were you waiting for me?”

“Yes.”

The moment she admitted it, Manus’s face lit up with excitement.

“So, you finally figured it out. That guy’s a fake, isn’t he?”

His voice trembled with emotion.

Nathan fluffed up his feathers aggressively in response.

“Ria.”

“I know.”

Now she was certain. Nathan’s reaction confirmed it.

“You think Dillan is the fake?”

“Of course! Ria, you’re being deceived by him. You’ve seen the curse deeply rooted in his heart—how can you not realize it?”

“Yes… That curse was the key.”

Now she understood why Manus, who wasn’t Lysandro, still knew about the promise.

Because the curse itself was him.

“Coma.”

It had been so long since she last said that name that it felt unfamiliar.

Even though she was the one who had given it to him.

She thought that if the day ever came when she had to say it again, she wouldn’t be able to hold back her emotions.

But unexpectedly, her voice was frighteningly calm.

“…Coma?”

For a brief moment, Manus’s face flickered with shock.

He quickly hid it behind his usual mask, but Ria had already seen it.

“Ria, you should say the name properly. Coma was the one who hurt you.”

Even under Ria’s cold gaze, Manus kept talking.

“My name in this life is Manus. And in my past life, I was Lysan—”

“Enough.”

She didn’t want to hear that name coming from his mouth.

He had used an impure method to learn about the promise.

How dare he…

Her clenched fists trembled with fury.

“If I were a fake, then how would I know about our promise?”

“You stole his memories.”

You stole our memories.

When Ria had made that promise with Lysandro, Coma had already been sealed.

But remnants of Coma had remained within Lysandro.

That remnant was the curse.

Lysandro had never been able to break the curse. That meant Coma had always been a part of him—merged with him from beginning to end.

Even though Coma was sealed, a part of him still existed within Lysandro.

Stealing memories must have been effortless.

“How long did you plan to pretend to be him?”

Ria’s icy gaze bore into him.

“Did you want to see me so badly that you even stooped to impersonating someone you hated?”

Perhaps this was the truth he never wanted revealed.

The shame he desperately wanted to keep buried.

Dragging it all to the surface and stabbing at it mercilessly, Ria watched as his smile slowly faded.

The perfectly crafted mask cracked away, revealing a cold expression underneath.

Finally, Manus sneered.

“So, you figured it all out.”