I Became The Wife Of The Cursed Grand Duke Chapter 141

Kalian swatted her arm away in displeasure, but Evelyn didn’t see it.

‘They were recognized in the name of the gods.’ Even as she thought that she couldn’t hide the trembling in her eyes.

But Evelyn managed to keep the emotion out of her expression. She couldn’t afford to sweat the small stuff now that she was leaving him.

 

It was Charlotte who broke the awkward silence.

 

She looked at the grand duke with a serene gaze, then tugged on Evelyn’s arm and smiled weakly.

“It’s getting windy, so we’d better get inside, my dear.”

 

Evelyn tried to maintain her calm demeanor, but her displeasure was evident beneath her sunken eyes.

 

In fact, Charlotte didn’t even greet the saint.

 

‘Perhaps she was worried that I would be uncomfortable.’

Evelyn was grateful for her consideration but worried that she might have caused a rift in their barely intact mother-daughter relationship.

 

“No, Mother. I just want to walk a bit more. It’s been a long time since the weather has been this nice.”

Evelyn looked at them with an unwavering smile.

 

“Well, have a good time, then.”

As Charlotte turned to leave, her expression remained grim.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Evelyn tilted her head at the light nibble at the nape of her neck.

“Yes, Kalian…”

She blinked in her sleep.

A pair of light green eyes, bright and brilliant as spring, peeked out from beneath fluttering white lashes and disappeared.

Kalian stared into them, then pressed his lips to hers, crushing her shivering body.

Evelyn frowned at the roughness of his touch through her smooth epidermis.

 

‘What does he mean, he’s going to take his lust out on me while he makes love to a new woman?’

 

By now, darkness had fallen outside the window.

The bedroom was lit by a single candle, and the only sound was the crackling of firewood.

He hadn’t kept his promise to return early.

 

‘She wasn’t exactly waiting for him, but that didn’t stop her from sighing bitterly.’

 

“Hah.”

Her whole body felt empty.

No sadness, no anger—nothing left. She closed her eyes.

 

Even when a hot tongue slipped past her parted lips and ravaged her insides.

When his large hands ran roughly over her body.

When his naked body slammed into hers with a groan that sounded like a sigh.

When he poured out his last, ragged breath and clutched her as tightly as he could.

 

“Evelyn.”

He called out to her, his voice as sweet as ever, but she didn’t answer, turning away from him.

Yet he didn’t let that stop him from saying what he wanted to say.

 

“I’m sorry I’m late. I had some business. We’ll go to the restaurant another time.”

With that, he patted Evelyn on the back and added,

“I think I need to go to the palace right now.”

 

“Why is the Imperial Palace suddenly…?”

Evelyn’s eyes slowly opened. Then a dark shadow fell over her.

Kalian stroked her hair, his face sadder than ever.

 

“His Majesty the Emperor is in critical condition.”

 

“What?”

She was familiar with the rumors of the Emperor’s fall—that he’d been assassinated.

But he hadn’t said much, so she’d assumed it was just a rumor. She couldn’t believe it was true.

 

“Just a moment, I’ll get ready. It won’t take long.”

 

Evelyn hid her surprise and hurried to her feet.

‘If the Emperor were to die, she, as the Grand Duchess, would be expected to attend the funeral.’

 

“No, you should get some more sleep. You don’t have to see me off.”

But Kalian gently pressed her shoulder.

 

Evelyn blinked slowly, not immediately understanding the meaning of his words.

“Shouldn’t I come with you?”

 

“…I’m going to the palace with Deborah.”

‘Oh.’ Evelyn gasped, at a loss for words. As if to soothe her, Kalian hastily excused himself.

 

“There’s work to be done with Deborah there, Evelyn.”

 

Evelyn stared at him wordlessly. ‘What to say at a time like this?’

 

Her throat felt tight, like something hot was caught in it.

But she swallowed all her emotions and pursed her lips awkwardly.

 

“Yes. If that’s what you want, I can’t help it. Be careful.”

 

At her weak reply, Kalian spoke again, as if to drive a wedge.

“I say again, I don’t want a baby.”

 

Turning away from him, Evelyn curled into a ball on her back.

‘She didn’t want to hear him deny her. But he didn’t stop.’

 

“All I need is you. I know you’re disappointed in me, but soon everything will be back to normal.”

Hugging her slender body from behind, he added in a low, trembling voice,

 

“I like you, Evelyn.”

 

The hot breath that burst from his mouth dampened the nape of her neck.

“No. I don’t think liking you would express how I really feel.”

 

“…”

 

“I love you, without the slightest hint of falsehood.”

 

Evelyn felt her eardrums melt at the confession, and her foggy mind cleared.

‘She still loved him, but it was all moot now that they had a child. It’s just like he said—everything will go back to the way it should be: him in his place, her in hers. Soon. Soon she’d be back to her fierce, lonely life instead of her comfortable, cozy one.’

 

With her mind made up, Evelyn closed her eyes as she watched the man kiss her once more.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Three days had passed since the emperor’s death.

The blockade of the capital had been lifted, and while the funeral was underway, many things had changed in Johansen.

 

The most significant of these changes was the lifting of the veil of darkness.

Ostensibly, this was due to accidents, both large and small, that occurred under the curtain, but the soldiers at the checkpoint knew that wasn’t the whole story.

 

“They say it was lifted to prevent harm to the holy woman.”

“What kind of nonsense is that? Why would a veil attack a holy woman?”

“Why is that nonsense? Do you believe that the holy woman has regained her divine powers?”

“No, it’s because you have relatives in the north, or are married to a northerner. She’s a saint, and she’s related to the Grand Duke, so of course…”

“Shh.”

 

The carriage at the top of the pavilion passed through a formal inspection among the soldiers, each speculating on the reason.

 

Today was the last day of the moon.

It was the day when the wagons of the Parminion Top would provide Johansen with the goods they needed at low prices and buy up the byproducts of the beasts at high prices.

 

The Johansen people’s lives had been enriched by their trade with the Top.

They were hardly in a position to welcome with open arms the saint who was to descend from their ducal line.

 

A soldier, watching the carriage’s groomed snowy rear end, lamented in a hushed voice.

“If it weren’t for the Grand Duchess, we wouldn’t be living as well as we do.”

“Indeed. The heavens are indifferent.”

“I wonder if you’re not going to leave Johansen in the lurch at this point…”

 

Meanwhile, a huge carriage had left the checkpoint and was heading downhill.

Dull, dull, dull.

The slowly rolling wheels gradually picked up speed.

 

Such was the nature of misfortune. The situation had changed so rapidly without Evelyn having a chance to do anything about it.

In the midst of it all, she found herself hiding here, in the top carriage.

 

Buried in her packed luggage, Evelyn recalled the past few days.

As soon as Kalian had left for the palace with the holy woman, Evelyn had gone straight to Ines.

 

She opened her mouth to speak before Evelyn could say Moorish.

It was as if she had expected this.

“Are you sure you want to leave? There are still so many things I want to know.”

“Whether or not what I think is true… doesn’t matter now.”

“So much is going to happen in the future. Are you sure you won’t regret it?”

 

Having suffered a painful death in her last life, she vowed that this time would be different.

But no.

No matter how hard she tried, the events surrounding her ended up being similar.

Now all Evelyn could do was keep the child in her womb safe and nurture it.

 

“We all live with regrets.”

 

Ines had suggested breaking the tracking spell from the start.

But then a gate opened in the north, and tracking magic played a large part in Kalian’s rescue of Evelyn from the dungeon.

In the end, the benefits of tracking magic outweighed the negatives.

 

‘She never really felt uncomfortable with it.’

But the moment she realized she needed to get away from him, the sigils on her wrists began to feel like shackles.

 

She stared at her unmarked wrist.

 

“Miss, are you all right?”

The man who had rustled out of the opposite suitcase called out to her.