I Became The Wife Of The Cursed Grand Duke Chapter 54

A few days later.

 

The Duke of Parminion’s castle was bustling with greeters from the early morning hours.

 

Most of them were servants of the duke’s family, coming to show their faces to the Grand duke and the Saint who had brought miracles to the realm of Parminion.

 

The foyer was piled high with packages of gifts they had brought with them, and congratulations and prayers of thanksgiving were noisily exchanged throughout the castle.

 

Evelyn, unsurprisingly, did not go downstairs, but remained quietly in her room.

 

She was in no position to greet those who came to visit the grand duke and the saint.

 

But that didn’t mean no one came to visit her.

 

Evelyn looked at her companion across the table by the window, and she couldn’t hide her distress.

 

“The Duke has invited me to luncheon. He has sent a catalog, so please mark the items you want, and a maid will bring them to you in a moment, and…”

 

A catalog with sketches of dresses and other valuables was spread out on the table.

 

Scratching the back of his head, Benjamin spoke nervously.

 

“I’ve increased the escort a bit, I know it’s inconvenient, but His Highness was so adamant that I couldn’t stop him.”

 

Benjamin had been coming at the same time every day since he returned from the capital, watching her closely.

 

It was obvious that he was sent by Kalian, but she didn’t like it.

 

‘If you’re so worried, you should have come yourself.’

 

Evelyn had visited him many times since her encounter with the saint outside his bedroom.

 

But each time, she was stopped by the saint’s escort, who stood guard outside his bedroom.

 

“Those two are in the midst of a sacred ritual.”

 

This happened again and again, and she became very hesitant to visit him.

 

Of course, she knows Kalian is very busy attending to personal matters.

 

‘No matter how you slice it…’

 

She woke up after a week.

 

She had been prepared to die for the Grand Duke.

 

She hadn’t done it to gain his approval, but she owed him at least an explanation of what was going on.

 

The thought of him with a holy woman where he should be enough to keep her awake at night.

 

Moreover, the thought of what the two of them would do in the bedroom made her stomachache as if it would break.

 

“Well…”

 

Benjamin had finished his report and was about to leave when he saw Evelyn’s moist eyes and sunken expression and paused, then added apologetically.

 

“If you ever feel unwell, or have any problems, just let me know, and please bear with me if you’re uncomfortable about anything to do with the saint.”

 

“It’s okay, it was supposed to happen anyway.”

 

“Oh, I didn’t mean that…”

 

“Don’t worry, and you won’t have to come to me like this in the future, I’ll just tell the doctor if I’m sick.”

 

Three days until she left for the north.

 

She meant not to worry about it until then, but Benjamin looked at her uneasily, as if he had committed a great sin, and then left the room.

 

As soon as he was gone, Max and Dwayne entered the bedroom.

 

Dwayne was a big man, his arms full of colorful desserts that didn’t match his size.

 

“How are you feeling? Your complexion doesn’t look as good as it did yesterday, is there something bothering you?”

 

“No, I’m fine.”

 

Evelyn ducked her head slightly to hide her reddened eyes, but it was hard to escape their piercing gaze.

 

“I knew you’d be like this; I risked death to save everyone, and now I’m an afterthought! Ew, ugh! Why did I say something wrong, what the hell was my lord thinking…! No, no, no, no!”

 

Max, whose voice was filled with concern, had to turn around to stop Dwayne’s outburst.

 

In addition, the hallway in front of Evelyn’s bedroom was lined with flowers and treats from the knights.

 

That alone was a great comfort to Evelyn.

 

It was a remarkable improvement from her past, when she had been on the outskirts of their circle.

 

Still, somehow, she felt empty, like a gaping hole in the center of her chest.

 

Perhaps a view of the open landscape would make her feel better.

 

Evelyn sighed softly and headed for the window.

 

Stepping out onto the sunlit balcony, she gripped the railing and gazed out over the open-air banquet hall in the middle of the rose garden.

 

Seated erect at a circular table in the center of the room, Kalian sat across from her, a saint seated across from him, and a group of strangers seated around him.

 

Instead of his trademark black robes, he was dressed in garden-party attire, a finely tailored suit and tight cravat.

 

He looked strangely raw and yet so aristocratic; she thought to herself.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The night before, when she had confronted the saint in front of Kalian’s bedroom.

 

Evelyn had fled the room, white-faced, and as soon as she had returned, she had fallen into a deep sleep, as if escaping from reality.

 

And then she dreamed.

 

She dreamed of Kalian, who had cautiously opened the door to her room, holding her close and soothing her as she slept.

 

“[How are you feeling? You seem to be running a bit of a fever].”

 

Her heart began to pound uncontrollably as she recognized the familiar voice.

 

‘Ah, I miss you even in my dreams.’

 

As tears welled up in her eyes, a large hand reached out to comfort her, caressing her face affectionately.

 

“[You must be very upset that you didn’t come looking for me].”

 

And because of that, her true feelings, which she would never have revealed except in a dream, spilled out.

 

“[I tried to find you, but… how was I supposed to get in there, I saw her come out of your bedchamber.]”

 

Evelyn knew that the saint was vital to Kalian’s mission, how important it was to him to destroy the demon.

 

“[So, I had no choice but to turn away, in case she found it distasteful that we were so close…]”

 

She whimpered and tugged at the hem of his robe, and his arms came out naturally, wrapping around her small back and pulling her close to him.

 

Evelyn almost craved the embrace, and her pent-up emotions melted away in an instant.

 

The brief but intense kiss seemed real.

 

Even though she knew it was a dream, the sensations were all too naked, raw, and stimulating.

 

When he pulled away, he pressed his lips against Evelyn’s forehead and whispered.

 

“[Don’t think anything of it, nothing will change between us just because a saint has appeared.]”

 

“[…….]”

 

“[I’ll be back. You can rest for the night.]”

 

After he left, Evelyn woke up immediately.

 

There was no warmth on the white sheets, confirming that she had dreamed, but her mind was clear.

 

She realized that, as the man in her dream had said, there was no reason to be shaken by the appearance of a saint.

 

It was a relationship that would end when they both got what they wanted. It was in the contract.

 

‘I must not allow my feelings for him to grow any stronger now that a being has appeared to help him awaken…’

 

Even knowing that.

 

Whenever she thinks of him, emotions run through her and the corners of her eyes tingle. 

 

Evelyn found herself thinking about him more and more, and it worried her.

 

* * *

 

At that moment, Kalian was holding a luncheon in an open-air banquet hall with the leading lords of the neighboring estates.

 

It was an important part of his schedule to tour the estates on behalf of the emperor and make his presence known to the lords.

 

Of course, this was not a job for Kalian.

 

The crown prince, the next in line to the throne, was supposed to be present, but as expected, he didn’t turn a hair.

 

‘I’ll be lucky if he’s not playing dirty tricks with the duke’s maid.’

 

Sighing inwardly, Kalian dined with them, gathering information and keeping a watchful eye on the political currents within the Empire.

 

Unless he planned to wipe out the Empire by force, it couldn’t hurt to know what was going on.

 

“Have you heard the news, Count Lawrence, nay, William, and the knights who escorted the prisoner with him were all poisoned overnight?”

 

“William is still claiming his innocence, I hear, and has submitted a threatening letter as evidence, but who could have done this?”

 

“The Imperial Guard is investigating, so I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough.”

 

Under pressure, the other party is bound to show up one way or another.

 

If he’s right, his first target will be the Temple.

 

If the Empress has the temple’s back, he’s certain he’ll be able to uncover something.

 

Despite his confidence, he felt strangely uneasy.

 

Perhaps it was because the woman’s face had looked so pitiful a few days ago.

 

The feverish forehead and reddened eyes, the full lashes and shadowy nose beneath them, the small nose, the pursed lips.

 

He remembered how she’d burst into tears as soon as she saw him, and his heart throbbed like a sharp dagger in his chest.

 

But…

 

‘I must not show weakness.’

 

A sense of guilt and duty etched into his bones.

 

It became a great wall that stood in his way every time he tried to take a step toward Evelyn.

 

* * *

 

Evelyn, meanwhile, was still leaning against the railing, staring back at Kalian.

 

She was eating and drinking, but her lack of concentration in the conversation was quite different from her usual behavior.

 

‘He seems to have a lot on his mind…’

 

Smart.

 

Just when she thought she looked pitiful without speed, someone knocked on Evelyn’s door.

 

“Yes, come in.”

 

Evelyn answered lightly, remembering that the Duke of Parminion had invited her to luncheon.

 

The only other person who should be in her bedroom right now was Reah, who would be helping her with her grooming.

 

But the person who opened the door was not one she expected.