I Became The Wife Of The Cursed Grand Duke Chapter 66

Late at night, Kalian stood on the balcony and scanned the banquet hall slowly.

 

As Evelyn had said, the saint was nowhere to be seen, and the crown prince was drunkenly strolling around the banquet hall, pretending to be the center of attention.

 

The Duke of Parminion was nowhere to be seen.

 

No wonder. No matter how much they averted disaster, as far as the duke was concerned, they were strangers.

 

That didn’t bother him, though.

 

Though he would not grant them a private audience with him, the duke was gracious in his hospitality.

 

He lent them the use of an entire outbuilding and opened up the ballroom, which was never open to the public.

 

He even opened up his mother’s office to them.

 

‘At first, I thought the old man was making fun of me.’

 

For the first time, Kalian felt grateful to the duke for giving him a room with a mirrored wall.

 

It allowed him to fulfill his promise to her that he would let her see his face.

 

It also gave her a glimpse into her mother’s youthful tastes.

 

Kalian’s brow narrowed as he remembered that the duke often dined with Evelyn.

 

The duke was a man of business to the bone.

 

If it doesn’t make money, he won’t do it, even with a knife to his throat.

 

As evidenced by the ease with which he disowned his daughter after she failed to marry.

 

‘So why would a powerful merchant who only cares about money want to get close to her?’

 

He wanted Evelyn to tell him, but she was cautious and never spoke.

 

‘There must have been some sort of conversation between them.’

 

Suddenly curious, Kalian slowly stroked Evelyn’s back as she slept on the couch.

 

Her curled-up body looked sleepy, but her fingertips were warm.

 

It was time to get up.

 

They’d thrown a farewell banquet for them, and it would be a disservice to the hosts not to have their heroine attend.

 

But he couldn’t bring himself to wake her from her fitful slumber.

 

“You must be tired; you’ve given your healing power to a young life.”

 

Just as the more severe the injury, the greater the drain on the healer’s magic, so too is it dangerous to channel healing power into a near nothingness.

 

‘The Lady is assisting the Marquise of Saxony in childbirth…!’

 

The news that greeted him upon entering the gates of the castle made him angry.

 

He wondered if her depleted magic power would back up and cause internal injuries to the woman’s body, if she would bleed out or collapse.

 

How could there be no midwife in this huge duke’s castle to receive the child?

 

The longer he waited for her, the more anxiety-fueled anger rose to the top of his head.

 

“…Are you sick?”

 

But when he saw the exhausted look on her face, he didn’t feel like asking.

 

Most of the humans he knew were greedy and didn’t mind trampling on anyone for their own gain.

 

Kalian had seen such people in his life, and he found Evelyn’s pure, uncalculating actions to be refreshing.

 

But there was another reason that made the corners of his eyes flush red, as if he had heard the whispers of a demon.

 

A moment ago.

 

Evelyn’s gentle, deliberate stroking of his bangs had puzzled him terribly.

 

It had been…

 

It was ‘her’.

 

The movement of her fingers, the slight upturn of her little finger, the way she rubbed his temple and moved away, matched the one in his dream perfectly.

 

It wasn’t the first time he’d sensed traces of her in Evelyn.

 

Evelyn’s resemblance to her face had captivated him at first sight.

 

Aside from the unusual scent and similar scars, she’s becoming more and more like her, even in her behavior.

 

And he knows it.

 

Maybe it’s all an illusion, or so he wants to believe.

 

After all, if Evelyn were really ‘her’, she wouldn’t recognize herself.

 

‘To go to all this trouble to find proof that Evelyn is her.’

 

Suddenly, Kalian remembered Count Martin’s advice not to think of Evelyn as a substitute for ‘The Lady’.

 

He looked down at the sleeping woman and muttered to himself.

 

“I’m not going to live in the past anymore. It is the present that I must protect.”

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

After a long journey, the day finally arrived for her departure for Johansen, the vast north.

 

Early in the morning, maids packed her belongings and knights carried them to the carriage.

 

Meanwhile, Evelyn went on a short outing with her escort.

 

The first stop was Mrs. Allen’s shop.

 

She spent the rest of her stay there trying to get any clues about her mother, but nothing more came of it.

 

It seems that her mother and maternal grandfather had kept their identities a closely guarded secret.

 

‘If only I could visit the temple again.’

 

With a final goodbye to the lady, she headed straight for the Bernard Medical Center.

 

“Welcome, miss.”

 

Reah greeted her as she entered the office instead of the clinic.

 

She was still reeling from the effects of the alcohol she’d consumed two days ago.

 

“Are the grand duke’s knights safe?”

 

Evelyn smiled inwardly at the question. They were unharmed.

 

They were even energized enough to gather their weapons as the feast drew to a close, when someone brought them an urgent message.

 

Evelyn’s eyes widened as she helped a staggering Reah to her feet.

 

“I’m surprised you asked about their well-being before mine.”

 

Reah blushed and waved her hand, leading Evelyn’s hand toward a corner of the barracks.

 

“What? Asking for their well-being? They’re not people, and if you ever get the chance, don’t mess with them!”

 

It was true. Evelyn knew what drunks they were.

 

If only she’d gotten down to the dinner table earlier, she could have stopped Reah from playing with them without fear.

 

As she swallows her laughter at the memory of that day, Reah stops, a grim look on her face.

 

The reality of what lay ahead of them seemed to sink in.

 

 

Reah giggled as she pulled out a box she’d hidden in the corner, and inside was a leather poncho that looked like she’d cut and sewn it herself.

 

“Oh my god, it’s so cute!”

 

“Don’t look too closely, it’s embarrassing.”

 

“No, I love it.”

 

Her heart sank unnecessarily at the sloppy stitching. It must have been a pain in the ass to sew that.

 

“But I’m sorry, what can I do? I didn’t bring anything…”

 

“What are you talking about? You’re my lifesaver, aren’t you? As long as you’re happy, that’s enough for me.”

 

“No such thing.”

 

Evelyn replied briefly, clasping her hands together, which were pricked here and there by the needles.

 

Slowly releasing her healing power to keep the light from spilling out, Evelyn pulled her into her arms.

 

“You’re well, too. Write.”

 

They held each other wordlessly for a few moments, exchanged a quick goodbye, and then parted.

 

Leon was waiting for her outside the barracks. His blue shirt, contrasting with his hair color, was rolled up to his forearms.

 

“It would have been nice to know something more about your mother.”

 

“I know, but I expected that. This isn’t her hometown.”

 

“And there was only so much time.”

 

Leon straightened up, leaning against a barracks post. Evelyn walked alongside him.

 

“Anyway, don’t be upset,” he said, “if I learn anything new after you’re gone, I’ll write to you, or I’ll come and tell you in person.”

 

Leon’s comfort did little to cheer Evelyn, for she knew he could not come to Johansen.

 

“I suppose you haven’t heard about the Dark Curtain.”

 

“What? Of course not.”

 

Evelyn smacked him on the chest with the box she was carrying. She thought he was playing a joke.

 

Clutching his chest like a mother, Leon grinned mischievously and took the box from her hand.

 

Then, with his face all playfulness, he asked a meaningful question.

 

“Have you ever heard of the unfortunate family history that the descendants of the House of Orpheus have suffered?”

 

She had heard that the first Guardian, after losing his wife, took his own life.

 

But that, too, came from Kalian’s mouth.

 

The North was so closed off that events within it rarely leaked out.

 

“No, I’ve never heard of that.”

 

She thought as she answered.

 

‘How could Leon, a royalty of another country, know something that even I don’t?’

 

Of course, in her previous life, she was a Grand Duchess in name only, and all she did was cleanse Kalian’s magical energy to the limit.

 

‘If you think about it, he might know more than I do.’

 

As she thought, Leon spoke up.

 

“I’ve heard that despite their immense wealth and fame over the millennia, the men of Orpheus often die young, either by accident or suicide.”

 

Evelyn swallowed hard. It was a rather heavy subject to hear without any mental preparation.

 

Seeing the puzzlement on her face, Leon lifted a shoulder.

 

“Well, I’ve heard the rumors,” he said, “that it was the Dark Curtain that brought their souls together.”

 

Evelyn breathed a sigh of relief.

 

“So it is.”

 

The rumor was obvious. No matter how cold-blooded Kalian was, there was no way he would use the soul of an ancestor who couldn’t bear the pain of life and sought redemption in death.

 

But that didn’t mean he’d blame Leon. Evelyn’s eyes narrowed, and she jokingly asked.

 

“Do you have any relatives up north?”

 

“No, I don’t.”

 

“Well, if you meant to make me laugh, you succeeded, because it took my mind off the sadness of leaving this place.”

 

Evelyn walked back to Parminion Castle with a smiling Leon.

 

As they began to see the grand duke’s knights in the distance, Leon stopped abruptly.