The Monster Duke Mistook Me for His Wife Chapter 120

A divine illness—one that devours life from within.

This was no ordinary affliction.

It was something only a high priest could recognize, something that not even doctors or regular priests could diagnose.

“A divine illness…?”

Giselle murmured in disbelief, staring blankly at Ria.

“Yes. It happens when divine power runs rampant inside the body, consuming it from the inside out.”

“T-That’s impossible. Dante doesn’t have divine power! Divine power is something you’re born with!”

“That’s true. If Dante had been born with divine power, Dillan would have noticed it long before anyone else.”

Therze also shook his head, agreeing with her.

Ria continued, “You might not feel it, but right now, divine energy is filling this entire ballroom.”

To prove her point, she took Dillan’s hand.

“And it’s affecting Dillan. I’ve been shielding him with my own divine power the entire time so it wouldn’t harm him.”

That was why, even while arguing with Giselle, part of her mind had been focused on protecting Dillan.

“Count Justine…” Ria’s voice was firm. “Dante is the source of that divine power.”

Dillan, known for his resistance to divine energy, wouldn’t make such a claim lightly.

If he had sensed it, then there was no doubt.

Giselle’s lips trembled.

“T-That doesn’t make sense… How could this happen?”

Typically, divine power was innate—determined at birth.

Those born with it naturally knew how to circulate and control it, just like breathing.

But there were rare exceptions.

“Have you ever heard of late-blooming divine power?”

Giselle gasped. “Are you saying Dante is…?”

“Unlike those born with divine abilities, late-bloomers don’t know how to control their power. Most don’t even realize they have it.”

Instead, when their divine energy begins to awaken, it manifests as intense fevers.

Many mistake it for a bad cold or flu.

“You thought it was just a fever, didn’t you?”

“The doctor said it was a cold… Even the priests said it was nothing more than a passing illness…”

“Whoever those priests were, they need to be fired immediately.”

What kind of training had they received if they couldn’t recognize an awakened divine power?

“If any of them had helped Dante learn how to control his power, he wouldn’t be dying right now.”

Based on the timeline, his power had probably awakened three years ago.

If only he had met Dillan sooner—someone who could have sensed it immediately.

But fate had cruelly kept them apart.

“Bad luck.”

Ria clenched her teeth and reached out to Dante.

“Give him to me. I need to start treatment now.”

Three years.

Three years of uncontained divine power raging inside his tiny body.

It had torn him apart from the inside.

“If we don’t act immediately, it’s going to be too late.”

Already, his power was leaking out.

If it burst all at once, it would rip his fragile body apart.

And worse—

“If that happens, it won’t just be Dante who dies.”

The tear forming in the air would turn into a gaping hole.

And that hole would devour everything.

Ria’s eyes narrowed as she spotted the growing fracture in reality.

A violent howling sound echoed from the abyss beyond.

A chilling, unnatural darkness twisted at its edges.

“Kuhh!”

Dante’s body convulsed.

“Dante?! Dante!”

Giselle screamed, shaking him in terror.

Cracks began forming across his skin.

It was as if his body itself was shattering.

“No! No, no, no! DANTE!”

CRASH!

Windows burst into shards as Dante’s power surged.

The massive chandelier trembled violently, threatening to fall.

Panic erupted.

Screams filled the air as nobles ran for their lives.

Ria gritted her teeth.

“Damn you, Coma… You planned this from the beginning, didn’t you?”

Just like before—

Trying to drown the world in chaos.

“Giselle! NOW!”

Giselle barely reacted.

Her lips quivered as she stared at her son, her mind unraveling.

“My baby… My Dante… He’s going to die…”

A strong hand suddenly pulled Dante from her grasp.

It was Therze.

He swiftly carried the boy to Ria.

“Ria. Can you save him?”

“If I couldn’t, I wouldn’t be standing here.”

Ignoring Giselle, who collapsed to the floor in shock, Ria cradled Dante in her arms.

His condition was beyond critical.

“Even a high priest wouldn’t dare touch him.”

At this stage, only an Archbishop-level healer could stabilize him.

“That medicine… The third prince gave it to you, didn’t he?”

Giselle didn’t answer.

“You still don’t see it, do you? Who’s responsible for all of this?”

Whoever had found Dante had started giving him that medicine early on.

The medicine had suppressed his divine power, suffocating him.

Worse—it had blocked even the natural energy within his body, slowly killing him.

It was why even Ria hadn’t immediately realized what was wrong.

“That bastard Coma… How long has he been planning this?”

Pushing away her anger, Ria gently laid Dante down on the ballroom floor.

Shattered glass crunched beneath her knees as she placed a hand over his heart.

All around them, the ballroom was in chaos.

Screaming nobles.

Raging winds.

Shattered chandeliers swaying dangerously.

But the thing that really grated on her nerves—

Was Giselle’s ceaseless crying.

“My baby… My Dante… My precious child…!”

“He’s not going to die.”

Ria’s sharp words cut through her sobs.

“If you’ve already given up on your own son, then leave.”

Giselle gasped.

“You’re his mother. If you won’t even believe in his survival, who will?”

Ria took a deep breath and focused all her energy.

Then—

Glowing golden butterflies appeared, fluttering softly around her.

The ballroom fell silent.

Even the fleeing nobles stopped in their tracks, mesmerized.

Even Giselle, frozen in place, could only watch in shock.

The golden butterflies surrounded Dante, landing gently on his frail body.

They covered him, sealing the cracks in his skin—

Stopping his power from leaking out.

Only then did Ria finally close her eyes.

“Alright, let’s fix this mess.”

With precise concentration, she reached deep into Dante’s damaged soul—

And began the delicate process of weaving his shattered life force back together.

 

 

****

 

 

The treatment didn’t take long.

For an ordinary priest, this might have been a difficult task.

But for Ria, it was nothing.

“Ugh…”

Dante’s ragged breathing calmed, and his eyelids fluttered weakly.

“…Mom…”

Like most children, the first thing he did upon waking was call for his mother.

“Dante!”

Hearing her son’s faint voice, Giselle practically crawled across the floor to embrace him.

“I’m here, sweetheart. Are you okay now?”

“…Mhm. Mom, I don’t hurt anymore.”

“You don’t? Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, thank the gods. Thank you, thank you…”

Tears poured down Giselle’s face as she clutched Dante tightly.

“Mom, don’t cry.”

“I won’t, I won’t. My little Dante, you were so brave.”

Despite her words, she couldn’t stop crying.

Seeing this, Dante stretched out his small hand and gently wiped her tears.

“Mom, if you cry too much, your eyes will puff up like a fish.”

At that, Giselle let out a teary laugh.

Everyone around them sighed in relief.

Dante, after patting his mother’s face for a while, soon drifted back to sleep.

“The treatment is done, but if he ever feels sick again, bring him straight to me,” Ria warned.

She added firmly, “Don’t try to handle it on your own. If anything seems wrong, bring him immediately. Do you understand?”

“Y-Yes. Of course.”

As soon as Giselle responded, she suddenly dropped to her knees before Ria.

“I’m so sorry. And thank you… Thank you so much. I will spend my life repaying this debt… Lady Ria.”

Hearing the formal title, Ria flinched.

“Uh… There’s really no need for that.”

“But how could I address my savior so casually?”

“Just… call me Ria, like Lady Bianca does.”

Being addressed so respectfully by Giselle of all people sent a chill up her spine.

As Ria instinctively took a step back, she bumped into something firm.

Before she could escape, strong arms wrapped around her waist.

A low voice murmured against her ear.

“Why are you so reluctant? You’ll have to get used to it soon enough.”

“…Would you like it if I suddenly started calling you Your Highness?”

The playful glint in Dillan’s eyes disappeared in an instant.

“If that’s what you wish, go ahead. But be prepared for the consequences.”

“Ah. So now you understand how I feel?”

“…I see your point, Ria.”

Dillan admitted defeat almost immediately.

Ria beamed in triumph.

And watching this exchange with hawk-like eyes—

Was Therze.

The golden glow, the butterflies.

That overwhelming power, equal to that of an archbishop.

And Dillan, standing there unaffected by the divine energy that should have burned him.

“…Could it be…?”

Therze muttered to himself, deep in thought.

Just then, a soft weight landed on his shoulder.

“Looking for the child of fate, are you?”

“A talking owl…?”

Therze inhaled sharply, feeling a sudden tightness in his chest.