The Monster Duke Mistook Me for His Wife Chapter 138

“Long time no see.”

As I smiled and replied to his greeting, the breeze brushed against my cheek.

–Ria, I missed you.

“Me too.”

As I quietly chatted with Tippy, Dillian’s face turned grim.

“Miss Ria……”

Seeing me muttering alone into the air, maybe looking like I’d lost it, Dillian gripped my shoulder tightly.

“If you’re seeing something that isn’t really there…”

“Please don’t look at me like I’m crazy. Tippy came out to greet us.”

“You can see him?”

“He hasn’t taken a clear form, so I can’t see him exactly, but I can feel he’s here.”

–The curse is lifted, huh?

Curious about Dillian’s now-clear voice, Tippy circled around him and wrapped himself around his neck.

At the strange sensation he’d never felt before, Dillian frowned and shook his shoulder.

“Is this Tippy too?”

“Yes, he wrapped around your neck and got flung off.”

When I pointed to Tippy spinning in the air, Dillian rubbed the back of his neck and mumbled,

“Thought it was a bug.”

At those words, Tippy—who had been sulking—suddenly sprang upright.

–Wait here.

“Where are you going?”

The moment he finished speaking, Tippy’s presence vanished.

I shrugged at Dillian, who looked at me as if to ask what that was about.

“He said wait, then disappeared.”

“Let’s just go.”

Normally, we would’ve waited, but pressed for time, we started climbing the mountain.

He’ll show up again once we arrive. That thought had barely passed when a voice suddenly came from beside us.

“I said wait, and you left—surprised me.”

A lizard as white as snow wagged its tail and approached us.

“You couldn’t see me, so I borrowed a body.”

Tippy, who had jumped down from a rock, bumped into Dillian’s leg.

Just to be a little petty.

“Now you can hear my voice, right? You see me?”

“Yes.”

“Calling a spirit a bug—how mean!”

Tippy snorted, then climbed up my body and perched on my shoulder.

Dillian stroked his chin as he watched.

“But why a lizard? Isn’t that dangerous?”

“What do you mean…?”

Startled by Dillian’s ominous tone, Tippy hunched his shoulders.

“You’re a lizard. Nathan’s an owl.”

Dillian pointed between Tippy and Nathan, smiling slyly.

“A predator and prey—seems like you’re the perfect snack for Nathan.”

“You! What do you take me for! I don’t eat lizards! I only eat high-class meat!”

“I’m not a lizard—I’m a spirit!”

The two, offended for different reasons, snapped at Dillian.

Then, when their eyes met, they both gave sheepish smiles and greeted each other.

“Hi.”

“First time you’ve said hi while sane.”

“Yeah, sorry about before.”

Clearly still guilty about attacking us under the curse, Tippy bowed his head.

“It wasn’t your fault, so don’t bow.”

Nathan spread his wings and lightly tapped Tippy’s body, making Tippy flinch without meaning to.

“……”

“……”

An awkward breeze passed between them. As much as he pretended otherwise, he must’ve taken Dillian’s joke to heart.

Dillian chuckled at the weird tension between them.

“But you have pride, right? You wouldn’t eat him raw. Roast him first.”

Nathan flared up at Dillian, whose shoulders shook with laughter.

“Stop laughing! Shut that mouth of yours!”

While that went on, Tippy quietly moved to my other shoulder and asked,

“Ahem, more importantly… what are you holding?”

He looked curious about what I was holding so carefully in my arms.

When I pulled back the blanket and showed Arest, Tippy let out a low murmur.

“He’s been consumed by the curse.”

“Yeah.”

“Just like I was back then.”

Tippy’s eyes, gazing at Arest, flickered with sympathy and sorrow.

“So that’s why you came here? To heal him. Right?”

I nodded, meeting his eyes with a desperate gaze.

“All right. Let’s hurry.”

We picked up our pace and soon arrived at the place.

And we were overwhelmed by the sight before us.

Branches thick with leaves, stretching endlessly even when we looked up. Lush green leaves blooming on them.

We were left speechless by the enormous, mysterious majesty of the oak tree.

“So this is what it’s supposed to look like.”

A stunning contrast to its past state—withered, infested with bugs, oozing rot.

“We’re not just supposed to stand here, right? Is there a way to start?”

At Dillian’s words, I stepped boldly toward the tree.

“We have to go inside.”

“Go inside? How?”

“Like this!”

The moment Tippy jumped from my shoulder—

“Huh?”

The ground gave way, and my body dropped straight down.

“Kyahhh!”

I screamed and squeezed my eyes shut.

He should’ve warned us first!

 

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

 

“I didn’t know the human body could be this fragile……”

Tippy’s restless muttering stirred me as consciousness slowly returned.

“Ria, you’re not dead, right?”

“…Don’t say such ominous things.”

Tippy, who had been walking all over my face just moments ago, leapt down to the ground joyfully.

“Thank goodness! You’re okay.”

I let out a breath of relief at the soft petals beneath me. Thanks to these flowers, we avoided any injuries from the fall.

“Next time, warn me first. I was so startled.”

As I tried to sit up, I flinched at the weight around my waist.

“Dillian…?”

I called his name, meaning for him to move his hand, but he didn’t respond.

I shook his shoulder and tapped his cheek, but he didn’t even twitch, and my unease grew.

“He’s been like that since earlier.”

“What? Then you should’ve woken him up instead of me! Dillian, wake up—ah!”

As I hurried to get up, the arms around my waist tightened.

Thud—falling back into his embrace, I heard a lazy breath in my ear.

“Miss Ria, when you move, it hurts. I think I’ll stay like this for a while.”

“He was pretending to be asleep the whole time.”

Tippy snorted at his calm attitude.

So, he did this on purpose? To fool me? I smacked his arm with my hand.

“I can’t believe you!”

“Yes, yes, I can’t live without you either, Miss Ria.”

What kind of nonsense is that—that’s not what I meant!

Dillian spouted nonsense and pulled me tighter into his arms.

Nathan sighed at the sight.

“Ria, Dillian. Know the time and place.”

“Yeah… This is… unbearable…”

Arest, awakened by the shock, gasped in agreement with Nathan.

“Get up. Right now.”

I smacked Dillian’s arm repeatedly and escaped his embrace, rushing over to Arest.

Thanks to the soft flowers that had protected him, he wasn’t injured.

“Arest, are you okay?”

“Finally… I can breathe again…”

Arest muttered with a much more relaxed expression.

This must be the right place. Seeing how much stronger he looked confirmed it.

“Is this the inside of the oak tree?”

Dillian approached and looked around curiously as he asked.

An endless stretch of land, blue sky, and a towering tree in the distance.

“Yes, we need to go there.”

We slowly walked toward the tree.

The closer we got, the more we were wrapped in a holy aura.

A completely different energy from when we had been tormented by the black thorns.

“So this is the real you.”

“Yeah. Thanks to you. The black thorns are gone, and it doesn’t hurt anymore. People come to see me again now.”

Tippy rubbed his head against my cheek and smiled.

“Thank you.”

“No, I should be the one thanking you. For holding back the darkness for such a long time.”

Nathan, who had been quietly listening to us, suddenly flapped his wings as if he understood now.

“There were thorns? Then you must’ve realized it the moment they were removed.”

“So that’s what it was? I wondered how you found me so quickly—now it makes sense.”

Yeah, no way that burst of light reached all the way to the capital.

“It was luck. I didn’t find you right when the seal broke. If we had met then, things would’ve been rough.”

“Then you should’ve protected him. Living around here, how did you not even realize the seal had broken?”

Arest, clearly regaining his strength, sharply criticized Nathan.

“Hah. And could you have noticed it? We’re not omniscient like Him, you know.”

Of course, Nathan wasn’t one to sit there and take it.

“I did know the seal broke before coming to the forest. Mika told me the test had begun.”

“You’ve always been slow, ever since the old days.”

“And you’re so quick that you got taken down by Coma?”

“That’s… because the believers didn’t do their job…!”

Dillian clicked his tongue at the bickering duo, looking exasperated.

“The idea that divine beasts are sages must be false. This is so childish, I can’t even listen.”

“Seriously.”

Honestly, this wasn’t much different from kids arguing.

“Enough fighting. Arest, you’re doing okay now, huh? Got all your strength back?”

“Hmph, I’ve always been strong—cough!”

He barely got the words out before a cough burst forth.

“Alright, enough. We’re here.”

A single tree stood alone in the middle of a clear lake.

Standing on the water, I turned back and said to Dillian,

“You probably won’t be able to follow.”

As I expected, Dillian’s foot sank into the water with a splash.

“I’ll be back after the treatment. Just wait.”

“I’ll be here.”

“Yes, I’ll be back soon.”

I hugged Arest and walked across the lake.

 

 

 

*****

 

 

 

“You’re not going with her, huh.”

Dillian looked at Tippy, who had settled beside him, with a puzzled expression.

He found it suspicious that the one he naturally assumed would follow was still by his side.

“If I go too, Ria won’t be able to focus. It’s an important moment—I shouldn’t get in the way.”

Of course, there was another reason, too.

Tippy twitched the corner of his mouth as he looked at Dillian, who was clearly suspicious of him.