The Monster Duke Mistook Me for His Wife Chapter 126

Aina, who had been sitting leaning against the wall, stood up.

“Is it really you?”

“How did you know?”

I took off the rabbit mask I was wearing and revealed my face.

“…It really is you. How did you get here?”

“That’s what I want to ask. How did you get trapped? Were you caught while chasing a trace of darkness?”

“…Yeah. I fell into a trap.”

Aina mumbled with a flushed face, embarrassed about being imprisoned.

But the embarrassment didn’t last long. She grabbed the bars, brought her face close, and lowered her voice while glancing around.

“Ria, did you run into that thing on your way here?”

“That thing? The only one I ran into was that gatekeeper from earlier. Is there something else?”

“The shadow, the replica of darkness.”

I looked around, scanning the area.

‘There’s nothing here.’

All I could see was the fallen gatekeeper.

“The shadow I was chasing is different from the puppet-like others—it has its own will. Its mind is connected to the darkness.”

Aina didn’t let her guard down.

“It’s smart and cunning enough to set a trap and lure us here.”

Aina stretched her hand through the bars and pushed my arm.

“Ria, get out of here first. It’s dangerous here.”

“No. You’re coming with me.”

Aina is the Saint of this era. The weight of that title is never light.

If we lose the Saint to some evil scheme, chaos will surely follow.

“Aina. Your mission and mine aren’t all that different.”

Because it’s my duty to destroy the evil darkness and protect the empire.

Aina is definitely one of those I must protect.

“More than that, you’re my friend. If I were the one trapped like you, could you really leave me behind?”

“Of course not! I’d have to rescue you!”

Aina shook her head quickly, then bit her lip, realizing something.

“But if we get trapped like this again, it’ll be a disaster. That thing is after you.”

“We…? Wait, are you saying everyone got caught?”

Just then, a quiet voice came from not far away.

“Lady Harris, you’re here.”

“Kira. You’re still the same. Couldn’t you at least act a bit more surprised or relieved?”

“I was plenty surprised and relieved.”

I ran toward the direction of the voice.

And like Aina, he was also locked up.

“Mr. Harris?”

“Miss Ria, I’m glad you’re safe.”

“…You don’t look too good, though.”

“Ha ha, that’s true.”

Unlike Aina, who still had free limbs, Harris was bound in handcuffs and shackles.

“I caused a bit of a stir, and this is what happened.”

Reading my gaze, Harris gave an awkward smile.

“Miss Ria, I hate to ask, but could you help me?”

“…Lady Ria? Is that you?”

“Sir Fabian?”

The voice from the cell next to Harris belonged to Fabian.

And like Harris, he was bound hand and foot.

“Lady Ria! I’m so glad you’re safe.”

“Uh, yeah…”

What is this, a family reunion?

Fabian’s overly enthusiastic greeting felt awkward.

“Let’s talk once we’re out of here.”

I walked up to Aina and shook the bars.

‘It’s that same magic tool again.’

A magic item that completely blocked my divine power, like the shackles on me.

‘So she really was trapped just like I was.’

I fiddled with the tightly locked padlock.

‘I need a key…’

I took a step back from the cell and looked around. That’s when I spotted someone.

It was the gatekeeper that Kira had knocked out.

I ran over and searched his pockets. Gum, cigarettes, random junk—I threw them aside and frowned.

‘He has to have a key.’

I was even debating whether to take off his pants when Kira came over and stopped my hand.

“Lady Ria. I’ll handle the dirty stuff.”

Kira boldly grabbed the guard’s waist.

“What should I do? Strip him naked and toss him? Or maybe cut–”

“Ahem, ahem! No, it’s just that I can’t find the key.”

“If it’s the key, I have it right here.”

Kira held out her hand. I gawked at the keyring resting in her palm.

“Where did you get that?”

“I swiped it while knocking him out.”

Whoa. I let out a dry breath. No wonder I couldn’t find it no matter how much I searched.

Her confident expression almost made me laugh.

“You’ve got fast hands, Kira.”

“Assassi– I mean, it’s a basic maid skill.”

She quickly changed her words and played dumb, which finally made me burst into laughter.

“Nice job. Open Aina’s cell first.”

Thankfully, things started going smoothly.

Clack.

As soon as the cell door opened, Aina ran out and hugged me tightly.

“Ria, thank you!”

“Yeah, yeah. Save the thanks for later. Let’s get out of here first.”

We need to find the Holy Knights and get out together. But Aina’s actions went against what I had in mind.

“Sorry, Ria. I’m grateful you saved me, but I have to go rescue Lord Arrest.”

“Wait, Arrest is here?”

I was so shocked I grabbed Aina’s hand.

“I came to rescue Lord Arrest and walked into a trap. That thing used him as bait.”

Thinking back, Aina bit her lip.

‘Arrest should be at the temple. What’s he doing here?’

While I was still reeling, I felt another divine power.

‘That wasn’t Aina’s divine energy.’

Aina’s cell had a divine suppression spell. Divine power couldn’t possibly leak out of it.

Only a sacred being like a divine beast could break through that suppression and use divine power.

“Alright. Let’s go together.”

I handed the keys to Kira and gave her instructions.

“Kira, unlock all the cells and guard this door.”

“Huh? But—”

“I know it’s safer to all go together. But time’s short. Besides, Aina and I are naturally strong against darkness, so we’ll be okay.”

Honestly, I was more worried about Kira.

Maybe she sensed how I felt. Taking the keys, Kira looked at me with firm eyes.

“Leave it to me.”

“Thanks. I’m counting on you.”

I turned toward the direction of the divine energy and led Aina.

“This way.”

Arrest is in the basement of this prison.

 

 

****

 

 

 

We found a hidden door on one side of the underground prison and descended deep into the underground.

What greeted us was a steep staircase and pitch-black darkness.

The endless darkness spread out before us as if it were going to swallow us whole.

Aina swallowed dryly.

“We need a torch.”

“It’s okay. We don’t need one.”

As soon as I finished speaking, butterflies flapped their wings and lit up the dark underground.

“Amazing.”

“You can do it too, can’t you?”

When I tilted my head and asked, Aina shook her hand.

“Maybe if it were the temple, but here, which is practically the heart of darkness, it’s hard.”

Aina mumbled, gazing at the butterfly perched on her finger.

“There’s no way the great flow of the world would follow a mere human.”

Her eyes, which had been on the butterfly, turned to me.

“That’s how I knew you were special. I could see that the world loves you.”

At those words, I awkwardly scratched my neck.

‘Now that I think about it, I did receive the power just as it was.’

I thought I would lose all my power when I was reborn, but nothing about it had changed.

‘It must mean He still loves me.’

Obelus called it a trial, but it was a chance he had given me.

And I couldn’t let it slip away.

“Let’s go.”

With the butterflies pushing back the darkness, we ran.

The deeper we went, the thicker the sinister energy became. Amidst it, a faint divine power was desperately calling me.

And along with it, I could feel a swelling rage.

“…Arrest must be really mad.”

“Yeah. Lord Arrest hates dirty, grimy places.”

“Right. He hates dark places even more.”

This place was full of everything Arrest despised.

“He must be really frustrated, with how proud he is.”

We kept talking about Arrest.

“Of course. Proud? He won’t let it slide once he’s out. Even being locked up in a clean place would hurt his pride, but being treated like bait in a filthy one?”

“We’re totally going to get scolded later, right? It’s going to be bad. He’s terrifying when he’s angry.”

But as we talked, something felt off.

“His nagging lasts at least an hour. I should get earplugs ready.”

At that moment, I stopped walking.

“Ria?”

“How did you know?”

Aina, who had been walking ahead, turned back and blinked at me.

“Know what?”

“All of it. That Arrest hates dirty and grimy places, that he’s proud, that his nagging lasts at least an hour.”

“…I got close to him. That’s how I know.”

“Liar.”

I rejected her words immediately.

Arrest doesn’t like humans. Not even Saints or High Priests.

Even I, someone loved by God, took a long time to earn his trust.

And yet Aina managed to open his heart in such a short time?

‘If this were a novel world, I’d chalk it up to protagonist buffs.’

I did read this story as a novel with Aina as the main character, but this isn’t fiction.

‘I just thought it was a novel.’

This is a real, living world.

Obelus had shown me the world I was meant to return to. My home.

Then… did I see the future?

‘No. These events have already happened.’

I quietly looked down at her.

Because I was standing on a higher step, I could clearly see the look on her trembling face.

“Aina. What are you hiding?”

“…”

“You knew everything, didn’t you?”

She must have known it all.

That Cassis would be in danger. That Schumann would be cursed after touching that object.

That’s why she stopped it. And the story I knew had started to twist.

“You’ve come back, haven’t you?”

At that moment, Aina froze.

“You really came back. You were given a second chance. Right?”

At my certain words, Aina let out a resigned sigh.

“If I say yes… will you believe me?”

“Yeah. I believe you.”

Because I was reborn, too.

After going in circles so many times, I finally returned to this place.

“If I don’t believe you, who will?”

“Ria…!”

Aina threw her arms around me.

“You really are my angel!”

“Let’s not go as far as angel.”

Still, it felt nice. I reached out and hugged her back.

“You’ve been through a lot. It must’ve been hard doing it all alone.”

In your past life, and this one too.

I hugged her tightly, this girl who had to carry everything on her own.