The Monster Duke Mistook Me for His Wife Chapter 133

The body that had once been as solid as a fortress staggered.

“Dillian!”

This was a lie. A dream. It had to be a dream.

Why—why was there a thorn lodged in Lord Dillian’s heart?

Why was he coughing up blood?

“No, no. This can’t be happening!”

Thud—the large body crumpled to its knees.

His bowed head wavered precariously.

“Lord Dillian, please. Please, stay with me.”

Ria, holding his collapsing form, cried out in anguish.

“No. This can’t happen.”

Seeing Ria repeating the same desperate words in a panic, Coma spread his mouth wide in twisted joy.

“Ha, hahaha! Yes, Lysandro! I knew you would come. I knew it!”

“…….”

“Look, Ria. This is the greatest revenge I can give you. Once again, right before your eyes, this man’s life—ugh!”

Coma’s body shuddered violently as he spat blood, his head lowering slowly.

‘……When did a sword pierce me?’

Coma’s gaze shifted down to the sword driven into his heart, then slowly upward along the firm hand grasping the hilt.

What he saw was—

“Did you foresee this too?”

Lord Dillian, smiling cynically.

“H-How…….”

“Who knows? Perhaps the god you hate so much decided to side with me.”

Light burst forth from the sword impaled in Coma’s chest.

“This is—a holy sword……!”

The holy sword that had pierced his heart, combined with the holy power swirling within his body, tore through him.

“Aaaaagh!”

Writhing in agony as though being ripped apart, Coma twisted and rolled across the floor.

“It hurts! It hurts! Please, someone—urk!”

From his gaping mouth, a creature the size of a fist writhed its way out.

It was Coma’s true form.

[How could this happen! I’ve returned to this wretched form again!]

Screaming in despair, Coma desperately scanned his surroundings.

[A body! I need a body! Anyone’s will do!]

Anything—anything to survive!

[My body! It’s mine!]

Coma lunged toward the nearest living body.

Without even checking whose it was.

“To think the darkness that once drenched the empire in terror turned out to be nothing more than a pathetic worm. How disappointing.”

Like a bird snatching a worm, Aina seized Coma swiftly, gritting her teeth.

“They said you were dust from the beginning, but I didn’t expect you to be this pitiful.”

[Let me go! You filthy human! You disgusting human!]

Trapped in Aina’s hand, Coma twisted violently and bit at her.

[I hate humans! I wish they would all die!]

You, and you, and you!

Coma cursed viciously at every human in sight, spewing hatred.

Watching his wretched display, Lord Dillian bowed his head.

The messy noise in the world seemed to grow distant.

“Cough.”

Blood spilled from his mouth. His limit had been reached.

Losing balance, he collapsed into Ria’s arms.

A loud ringing echoed in his ears.

His eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

He wanted to close his eyes forever—right then.

But a trembling voice pierced through.

“Lord Dillian, can you hear me?”

“……Lady Ria.”

“Don’t let go! I’ll heal you right now.”

Ria, with trembling hands, fumbled over Dillian’s chest.

‘It’s okay. I can heal him.’

The situation was dire, but as long as his heart hadn’t stopped, there was still hope.

Ria swiftly unleashed her holy power, wrapping his wounds in light.

‘Quickly, before Dillian suffers any more…….’

She had healed many wounded before.

Even when Dillian had lost control and gone berserk, she had treated him.

This should have been nothing compared to that.

And yet—

“Why—why isn’t it working? It’s not supposed to be like this…….”

Why wouldn’t the bleeding stop?

Clenching her teeth, Ria stared at her blood-soaked hands.

She poured even more holy power into him, drawing life energy from around her.

But mockingly, as soon as the power touched Dillian, it shattered.

‘No, it can’t be… like that time…….’

The image of Lysandro dying a thousand years ago overlaid itself on Dillian.

[No matter how much holy power you use, it’s useless! He was doomed the moment he was pierced by my curse. Just like back then—he’ll die!]

Hahaha! Coma’s shrill laughter rang in her ears.

“No. No. This time will be different.”

Ria muttered like a madwoman as she tore her clothes.

“First, stop the bleeding…….”

“Lady Ria.”

At the faint call of her name, Ria gritted her teeth.

She knew this voice too well.

“Don’t call me.”

Not in that voice. Not like back then.

Tears welled up. Her blurred vision barely let her see Dillian’s face.

A warm hand brushed the tears from her cheek.

At the gentle touch, Ria burst into sobs.

“I’m glad. I’m glad I could hurt instead of you.”

‘I’m glad I could take the pain in your place.’

His breathing faltered.

Ria forgot about stopping the bleeding and simply stared at him blankly.

His pale, bloodless face smiled softly at her.

“I’m sorry. I always end up making you cry.”

“…….”

“I only ever wanted to see you smile, yet somehow, I keep making you cry.”

‘I wanted to see only your smiling face, yet every time, I end up making you weep.’

The overlapping voices crushed her heart.

“Stop.”

“Lady Ria.”

“Please. Don’t say another word.”

“Ria.”

“Please, don’t say anything!”

Don’t say you’re leaving me first. Not again.

“If you die twice in front of me, you’re the worst bastard ever.”

She wouldn’t let him apologize for dying.

She wouldn’t let him say he was dying because of her.

“You won’t die. You won’t. Right?”

Ria kept asking, pushing him to answer, but Lord Dillian only smiled.

“Please—say something. Please?”

“I love you.”

The words slipped out between fading breaths, making Ria sob harder.

“I love you.”

He said it again and again.

Even if this was the end, he wanted her to know he loved her.

“Did it have to be this way?”

Her throat burned from swallowing her cries. Ria glared at him through her tears.

“Ria. Say it.”

Ria bit her lip.

She didn’t want to say it.

If she said it, it would really be the end.

But if not now, when?

She felt it—their time was almost up.

“I love you too…….”

Gods were cruel.

Even their second chance was being stolen away.

“I loved you then, I love you now, and I always will…….”

Ria smiled.

He had hoped his last sight of her would not be her crying face.

Looking at that messy, tear-streaked expression neither quite a smile nor a sob, Lord Dillian smiled.

As if saying: This alone is enough.

And then, slowly, his eyes closed.

[Such touching love. You’ll love each other even after death, is that it?!]

Ria gently caressed Dillian’s face.

But his closed eyelids never opened again.

[Is love really that great?! If you love so much, why didn’t you ever love me?! I love you — so why won’t you love me back?!]

“……I always wondered,” Ria murmured quietly, her voice drained of all emotion, cradling Dillian in her arms.

“I gave you all my love. But you never even realized it.”

Her voice was dry, lifeless, carrying no feeling.

“You were the very first one I gave a name to. Coma.”

Hearing that, Coma faltered.

“I cherished you more than anyone. I loved you.”

[Lies!]

“And the more I loved you, the more I hate you now.”

Her gaze at him was empty, devoid of all emotion.

Though her heart seethed with rage, the hotter it burned, the colder her mind became.

[Ria? Ria, why are you looking at me like that…….]

“I’ve thought about it, over and over,” Ria said, her blank eyes shifting back to caress Dillian’s cheek. “I wondered what death would hurt you the most. What would make you suffer, make you despair.”

Her hand froze against Dillian’s cold skin.

“Then I realized.  Being abandoned by me, dying alone and forgotten, that would be the death you feared most.”

You always craved my attention more than anything else.

[R-Ria.]

“I’ll never kill you.”

I won’t even watch you die.

I won’t give you a single glance.

No emotions.
No pity.
Nothing.

[Ria!]

Ignoring his desperate screams, Ria finally spoke again.

“Aina.”

[No! No, Ria! Look at me! You have to look at me! Not the saint — me! I’m the one who killed Lysandro—!]

“Kill him.”

Aina’s hands erupted with holy light.

[Aaaargh!]

Coma fell to the ground with a thud, staring at Ria’s retreating back.

[Ria…….]

Even in his pitiful last cry, Ria never once turned around.

Fsshh—

The crumbling dust scattered into the air.

The heavy shroud that had weighed down on them lifted.

The curse clouding Dillian’s heart and chest slowly faded away.

“The curse is broken.”

“Yeah. It’s over.”

At Nathan’s words, Ria numbly nodded.

Yes, it was over.

No more rampages. No more suffering. No more being treated like a monster.

Dillian was finally free from the curse.

But Dillian…… was—

“Uh—uhh—”

The sob she had been holding back finally burst forth.

She collapsed against the chest that no longer beat.

Panting, Ria stared at the blood-soaked shirt.

“It happened again.”

“Ria……”

“Dillian died because of me. Because I made a mistake. If I had ended it all before he got here… If I had finished it in time… he could’ve lived.”

“Ria……”

“It’s all my fault.”

If only I had been a little faster. If only I had pulled Coma out a little sooner…

But it was meaningless now.

What good were regrets? Dillian was already gone.

“How am I supposed to live now? If you just leave me like this…….”

Burying her face in Dillian’s chest, Ria wept.

Tears streamed down uncontrollably, soaking his unmoving heart.

One drop.
Two drops.

The falling tears seeped into him.

And finally, they reached him.

Flaaash—!

A sudden burst of light forced Ria to shut her eyes.

“That light……!”

Nathan gasped in astonishment at the golden light enveloping Dillian.

Fiiiii—

Countless butterflies — like none ever seen before — fluttered around Dillian, their wings shimmering with light.

“No way…….”

Ria fumbled desperately, searching Dillian’s vest.

When she pulled on a hidden chain from his pocket, something appeared.

‘This is… that pendant from before.’

The one they had once found at a street vendor’s stall, a gift Dillian had given her.

She remembered the child who had handed it over back then.

‘You’ll thank me someday.’

Yes, that’s what they said. That it would help her.

“Cough—”

At the sound of coughing beneath her, Ria’s head snapped downward.

“Lady Ria?”

“Lord Dillian…….”

She couldn’t believe it.

The eyes she thought would never look at her again were staring straight at her.

The red irises, like burning rubies, shone with life.

“This—this is a dream, right?”

“If it is, I hope I never wake up.”

The hand brushing the tears from her cheeks was warm.

“This isn’t a dream.”

Just as Dillian said, this was real.

Ria wrapped her arms around Dillian’s neck, pressing her forehead against his.

So warm.

It was a painfully sweet, vivid reality.