The Monster Duke Mistook Me for His Wife Chapter 135

Late at night, we arrived at the estate.

We came in quietly to avoid making a fuss, but somehow word had gotten out, and there were people gathered at the front gate.

Among them, the one who stood out the most was Giselle.

Her pale face showed just how much she had suffered emotionally.

“Miss Ria!”

Giselle ran over when she saw me.

“Dante—what happened to Dante?”

She grabbed my hand, her eyes darting around anxiously.

“My son… He came with you, right?”

Her trembling hand clutched mine as if clinging for dear life. Her eyes, so much like Dante’s, were full of desperation as she waited for my answer.

“Look over there.”

I turned and pointed somewhere, and Giselle’s gaze followed mine.

At that moment, tears welled up in her eyes, dry and brittle like fallen leaves.

“Mom!”

“Dante…!”

Dante leapt from Sarah’s arms and ran straight into Giselle’s embrace.

“Mom, I missed you.”

“I missed you too, so much.”

Holding the small body tightly, Giselle ran her trembling hands over Dante to make sure he was real.

She was overjoyed to have him back safe, but her face showed fear, as if this was just a dream that might vanish like a mirage.

“Dante, are you hurt anywhere? Are you in pain?”

“No. I’m not hurting anymore.”

His face, flushed with a pink hue, looked clearly healthy.

Even so, seeing Giselle still unable to hide her worry, I spoke.

“The darkness has vanished. So don’t worry.”

“Yeah, the monster is dead. Miss Ria saved me.”

Dante smiled brightly, then gently brushed the corner of Giselle’s eye with concern.

“But Mom, you look like you’re in pain.”

“No, not at all. I’m fine.”

“Really?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Relieved, Dante grinned wide.

‘She says she’s fine, but her breathing sounds strange.’

The rough, uneven breaths were those of someone who was hurt.

‘Didn’t they say Coma attacked Giselle after taking over Dante’s body?’

Nathan had done his best to heal her, but it must have reopened while she was struggling.

Still, seeing their happy faces, I felt reassured.

Just then, while I was watching the two of them fondly, a large shadow loomed over me.

“Grandfather?”

Terzhe had approached and was staring intensely at Dillian.

His red eyes were fixed on Dillian’s throat.

If someone saw, they might think he was furious—his face was that scary.

But I saw it.

Those eyes, ready to burst into tears at any moment.

It was obvious he was holding it in with all his might.

His slowly opening lips trembled.

“…The curse is broken.”

“Yes, as you can see.”

Unlike the overwhelmed Terzhe, Dillian remained calm.

Maybe that calm response triggered something—Terzhe turned to me with determined eyes.

“Ria. You’re the one who broke it, aren’t you?”

“No. It was something we all did together.”

As I was explaining how the curse had been broken, Terzhe suddenly pulled me into a hug.

“Ria!”

“Eek!”

Is this what it feels like to get hit by a car? My bones ached from crashing into his rock-hard body.

“You’re the treasure of our family. Thank you. Truly, thank you.”

I squirmed in his tight hug, and suddenly felt dampness on my shoulder.

“…Now I can rest easy.”

His breath trembled softly.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

I lifted my hand and patted Terzhe on the back.

“Rest? You have to live a long life.”

“…Right, I can’t go yet. I have to see you two get married and meet my bunny-like grandkids…!”

And then it happened.

Dillian’s hand suddenly slipped between us and pushed Terzhe away.

“You’re being inappropriate. Please let go. Can’t you see Miss Ria is struggling?”

“Oh, you rude brat. I thought your personality was ruined by the curse, but it turns out you were just born that way.”

“You know, people often say we’re like two peas in a pod.”

In other words, criticizing Dillian was the same as insulting himself.

“This punk. You’ve got no filter with your grandpa.”

Tsk. Terzhe clicked his tongue and glared, but he couldn’t hide the twitch of his smiling cheek.

“You too. Come here.”

Terzhe opened his arms to Dillian, who immediately backed away in disgust.

“I’ll pass.”

“Come on.”

“Go to Dante instead.”

Hearing his name, Dante peeked out from Giselle’s arms where he’d been cuddled.

“Grandpa!”

“Dante!”

Terzhe, who had been reaching for Dillian, quickly turned to Dante.

“Yes, my little pup.”

Freed from Terzhe’s muscles at last, I looked over at Giselle, who had approached me.

She looked like she had something to say.

“…Miss Ria. Does Dante remember what happened?”

“No. He doesn’t remember anything.”

Dante had no memory of being possessed by Coma.

To him, it was just a case of being kidnapped by a bad monster, and then Dillian and I swooped in like heroes to save him.

Isn’t that such a relief?

If he remembered all of it, he probably couldn’t smile like this.

“So you can rest easy.”

“Thank you. Really, thank you. I’ll repay this kindness for the rest of my life.”

“I didn’t do it for a reward. Just your thanks is enough.”

“But still…”

“More importantly, how about taking better care of yourself?”

I know the Sinise family tends to be reckless, but it’s dangerous to be running around with a hole in your stomach.

I reached out and cupped Giselle’s cheek.

“Breathing is easier now, right?”

She stared at me in surprise, probably startled by the warmth of my touch.

“Take care of your health. If Mom’s sick, Dante will worry.”

“Yes, yes. I promise.”

Just then, while Giselle nodded with determination—

Dillian pulled my shoulder. Before I knew it, I was in his arms, blinking in confusion.

“Lord Dillian?”

“Count Eustine’s eyes don’t look right.”

“His… eyes?”

His wary voice made me tense. I peeked sideways to look.

‘Huh? They look fine?’

They were eyes filled with affection toward me.

If anything seemed off, maybe it was that he was trying a bit too hard?

“They’re the same kind of look Count Greta had.”

Like Bianca…?

I glanced at Bianca, who was smiling while watching Dante beside Terzhe.

‘She looks normal too?’

I tilted my head, and Dillian sighed like I was too naive for my own good.

“What if they try to marry off Dante to you?”

Wait—what did I just hear? Marry? Dante? To me?

“…Are you insane? That’s a joke, right?”

“I’m serious.”

“You’re insane, seriously!”

Disgusted by Dillian’s nonsense, I smacked his arm.

At that moment, Terzhe’s eyes widened.

“That’s right, good job! Keep hitting him, dear. More!”

Instead of stopping me, his loud cheering rang through the air.

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

After the loud, chaotic welcome, I returned to my room and collapsed onto the sofa.

“Ow, my joints…”

A groan slipped out of my mouth on its own.

I needed to wash my wrecked body, but I didn’t have the energy for it.

Nathan seemed just as tired, flopping down beside me and sprawling across the sofa.

“Home really is the most comfortable.”

“Move.”

Nathan, chuckling with squinted eyes, was soon yanked away by the collar and tossed onto the opposite sofa by Dillian.

“Wh-what?”

Blinking at how quickly their places had switched, Nathan finally realized what happened and exploded.

“Dillian! You brat!”

As always, Dillian ignored him and gently placed my head on his lap as he half-reclined on the sofa.

I rested my head there as if it were second nature and asked,

“Everyone got home safely, right?”

“They went with the Tower Master, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

Unlike us, who returned directly to the estate, Cassis, Aina, and the Holy Knights had gone back to the capital with Schumann.

I had worried whether he could manage all those people safely,

‘Tch, do you think I can’t handle something like that? You’re insulting my pride as the Tower Master.’

Muttering complaints and saying we’d see later, Schumann disappeared with the entire group as if to prove his point.

“We’ll head up too once things settle.”

I was worried about Arrest, who still hadn’t regained consciousness when we left.

‘He went to the High Temple, so that’s a relief, but still…’

I felt like I wouldn’t be able to rest until I saw him with my own eyes.

Shifting around in my uncomfortable position, something pressed into my side.

‘What’s this?’

I reached into my pocket and felt a thin string catch between my fingers. I pulled it out.

“Oh, right—the pendant!”

I sat up with a jolt, looking at the pendant in my hand.

“Dillian, have you been carrying this around all the time?”

“Of course not. I usually had it shoved in some corner.”

“What?! You shoved this precious thing in a corner?”

Nathan jumped up.

“That should be kept in a jewelry case at the very least!”

He seemed to recognize what the pendant was.

“Nathan, you know what this is?”

“How could I not? It was made by that person.”

I knew it. I nodded calmly.

“You’ve met him?”

“The day I went to buy your gift, I got it from the street vendor. I told you before, right? That I met a kid with sharp eyes.”

I remembered the bold kid who tried to overcharge me.

Even their gaze and words had felt unusual.

He was Obelus—the one god of the Empire and ruler of the world.

“When he gave me this, he said it would be something you’d need, Dillian.”

And just as he said, it helped Dillian at a critical moment.

“How far ahead did he see?”

Did he predict all this? That Dillian would be in life-threatening danger?

‘Maybe giving me this was his way of saying he forgave Dillian?’

Or maybe he believed I would pass the test and save Dillian’s soul.

Either way, we owed Obelus. A debt so great I could never repay it in a lifetime.

“So the kid I met that day was actually a god.”

“Yes. I didn’t realize it at the time, but…”

“That makes sense now.”

Dillian didn’t look all that surprised—maybe he’d already suspected something.

“You figured it out too?”

“Actually, I saw that kid again.”

“What?”

“When?”

Nathan, clearly hearing this for the first time, looked at Dillian in shock.

“He came to see me this morning.”

And he’d done it by climbing through the window without permission. A full-on break-in.