The Monster Duke Mistook Me for His Wife – Chapter 146 – Side Story Chapter 3

Author: Asternkm

Natural, flowing touches and words that make your face burn just hearing them.

It’s real. It’s really Dillian.

Overcome with emotion, I threw my arms around Dillian’s neck.

His strong arms naturally wrapped around my waist.

“What the—! How did you get here? Weren’t you super busy?”

“I missed you so much, I finished everything quickly and rushed over.”

“You’re too much—!”

They say you get tongue-tied when you’re too happy… That was exactly me.

“You don’t like it?”

“What are you saying? I love it too much, that’s the problem!”

I missed him so much!

When I buried my face in the crook of his neck, his low chuckle rumbled through his chest.

“I’m happy too. Being welcomed like this makes up for the past month.”

“Sorry I left you alone.”

“Just saying it?”

I looked up and kissed his cheek.

Smooch.

One kiss, full of joy.

“And thank you for coming.”

Smooch.

A second kiss, filled with sweetness.

At my rare flurry of kisses, Dillian couldn’t stop smiling.

“I’m afraid that’s not enough to heal my wounded heart.”

He was trying to act pouty, but his expression didn’t match at all.

His twitching lips and lifted cheeks made me snort.

“Liar. You’re loving this.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Hugely obvious.”

“Ah, I can’t even lie in front of you, Miss Ria.”

Not that he was trying to hide it anyway—smooth talker.

“Well, since you’re cute, I’ll pretend to fall for it.”

When I finally pressed my lips firmly against his and pulled back, Dillian quickly moved in.

Our parted lips met again without a gap, exchanging breath and warmth.

“W-wait, we can’t do this here…”

“It’s fine. No one’s around.”

“I even locked the door,” he murmured, calming me as he pulled me in closer—

Just then—

“Ria?”

“Gah.”

It was Blackie.

His blinking eyes were full of curiosity.

Dillian had said no one could get in, but Blackie wasn’t exactly a “someone.”

Being more like a slime or a jelly creature, slipping through a door crack was no problem at all.

I quickly let go of Dillian’s neck and stepped back, but his arm still firmly held my waist.

“Who’s that?”

Tilting his head, Blackie finally noticed Dillian and his eyes widened.

“Oh! It’s that scary and super strong Sir Dillian!”

“You’re…”

Sir Dillian trailed off and stroked his chin.

“Black blob?”

“He used to be Blackie.”

“Nope! I’m Blackie now!”

With a hop, Blackie landed in front of Sir Dillian and gave a polite bow—something I’d taught him.

“I’m Blackie.”

“So polite.”

Sir Dillian’s rare compliment oddly made me feel proud, as if I were the one praised.

But only for a moment.

“So… what were you two doing just now?”

Blackie’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.

His sharp gaze landed right on Sir Dillian’s hand still wrapped around my waist.

Suddenly, a wave of unease hit me.

‘No way… Is it happening again? Like before—jealousy, resentment—and what if that incident repeats…?’

I quickly stepped in front of Sir Dillian and spoke urgently.

“Blackie, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but listen to me first.”

“M-me?! No, it’s nothing. I wasn’t thinking anything at all.”

Liar. Anyone would doubt that, the way he averted his eyes so obviously.

I reached out to soothe him, but paused.

“R-really! I wasn’t thinking weird things!”

Blackie cried desperately, eyes wide, his body trembling to prove his innocence.

“You…?”

I opened my mouth in surprise at the sudden change.

His snowy white body had turned a soft pink—an embarrassingly bashful color—and he began twisting like a pretzel.

“B-Blackie doesn’t know anything!”

He definitely knows too much…

His amber eyes darted between Sir Dillian and me, pretending not to look.

Noticing that, Sir Dillian casually wrapped his arm around my waist and kissed my cheek.

“Eeek!”

Blackie shrieked and puffed out angry breaths.

“Huff, huff.”

His unexpectedly intense reaction made me hesitate and step back.

Sir Dillian, now seeing Blackie as a potential threat, pulled me closer as if to protect me.

Which only made Blackie more riled up. Shaking violently, he finally exploded—

“When are you two getting married?!”

“Marriage? Out of nowhere?”

Where did that come from?

Unbothered by my confusion, Blackie wiggled his body excitedly.

“Here comes the bride! Dun dun da-dun~ Dun dun da-dun~”

Singing a familiar melody, he pretended to stroke an invisible mustache.

“Do you, groom, swear to love the bride forever?”

Huff! He puffed up his body and imitated a deep voice.

“Yes! I swear!”

“Do you, bride, swear to love the groom forever?”

“Yes, I do~!”

He played the officiant, groom, and bride all on his own.

His acting was so good, I almost clapped.

“I saw it in a storybook! That’s how princes and princesses get married, right?”

“Well… yeah. You’re right. That is how they do it. But not yet. When the time is right…”

“Then when will the baby come? A baby that looks like Ria!”

Hack!

I choked on my own saliva at the pure, unfiltered question.

My face burned with embarrassment.

“Wh-what are you saying! You can’t just say stuff like that!”

“But Ria, they said if you love each other, a baby comes…”

“Ugh! Sir Dillian, say something!”

When I turned to him, Sir Dillian looked… off.

He stared at me dreamily, like he was in a trance.

“Sir Dillian?”

“A baby… one that looks like Ria…”

…He’s not in his right mind, is he?

Murmuring like he was possessed, he gently but firmly grabbed my shoulders.

“I hope it’s a girl. If she looks like you, she’ll be so beautiful I won’t be able to take my eyes off her.”

“Sir Dillian, snap out of it!”

No matter how much I shook or slapped his arms, he stayed in his blissful daze.

He’s completely gone.

He looked like he’d already seen not just our future child—but our future grandchildren too.

Even when I smacked him hard on the back, he just kept grinning.

“I like girls too!”

“I didn’t think I’d ever agree with you…”

Sir Dillian nodded seriously, as if they shared a deep understanding.

“I’ll be a big brother with Dante!” Blackie said with a hopeful gleam.

“Miss Ria, even this guy wants a daughter. What do you think? A daughter’s better, right?”

“Excuse me? That’s not something I can just choose!”

I pushed Sir Dillian’s face away as he clung to me.

“Still, I want a girl!”

“I like girls too.”

Worried as I was, the two of them got along suspiciously well.

Who would’ve guessed they’d team up over a nonexistent child?

*****

It became night.

Giselle, who had come running after hearing that Dillian had arrived late, Dante, who had excitedly hovered around him, and Whity, who had been deep in discussion, had all gone back.

*Whity is Blackie*

Only one was left,

No—one creature.

“Dillian, you scoundrel! You kick me out the moment you arrive?!”

“You said this place was paradise. I don’t see why you’re angry. Why not enjoy it?”

“It was paradise because you weren’t here! Now it’s worse than a nightmare!”

“If it’s a nightmare, I guess it can get worse.”

With the door between them, Nathan and Dillian were in a standoff.

“It’s only been a month! You said you’d be back in a week, and yet you couldn’t wait and ran here? You impatient fool! Do you think I’ll let you monopolize Ria again?!”

“So what if I do?”

Thunk. As Dillian firmly closed the door, Nathan, who got caught in it, yelped in shock.

“Ria! I’m dying, I’m dying!”

“Sir Dillian, that’s enough. He could really get hurt.”

As I grabbed the door to stop Dillian, he silently handed me a letter.

“What’s this… huh?”

I was wondering why such a busy man had come all the way out here, and here was the reason?

“Nathan, you started it.”

“How is that starting something? I was just stating facts!”

“Really?”

A cold smile spread across Dillian’s face.

“Dante, you said you wanted to play with Nathan, right? You can take him.”