I Became The Wife Of The Cursed Grand Duke Chapter 72

She could feel him suck in a short breath.

 

He took a deep breath to gather his thoughts before he spoke.

 

“How do you know he’s the god of death? Aether is not tangible.”

 

“Because he spoke to me.”

 

“What?”

 

“He even looked exactly like you, and if it weren’t for the different color of his eyes… I would have mistaken him for you.”

 

“The Aether took on my form and spoke to you.”

 

His breathing became a little deeper.

 

Evelyn instinctively flinched at the eerie low rumble.

 

Sensing her fright, he paused, cleared his throat, as if to control his anger, and spoke again.

 

“So, what’s his reason for appearing before you?”

 

Evelyn suddenly remembered Aether’s words, how Kalian had drained her of her power to save the woman she loved.

 

All this time, she had secretly wondered if the saint might be a past lover of Kalian’s.

 

A portrait hung in the manor’s conservatory.

 

The initials “D.Lindberg.” carved beneath it.

 

All of this pointed to the saint being the woman in the portrait.

 

But she wasn’t sure if she should say it. She had convinced herself that it was implicitly taboo to mention ‘her’.

 

Instead, unable to hide her embarrassment, she spilled the beans about Aether’s secret.

 

“He asked me to move in with him, and said he’d give me what I wanted.”

 

“Damn it, so…”

 

Slowly losing his composure, he grabbed her slender shoulders and spun her around.

 

“So, what did you say?”

 

Slightly frightened green eyes and darkened gold eyes tangled lazily in the air.

 

As the mysteriously hazel pupils fluttered to contain him, Kalian stared at her as still as a man frozen in time.

 

As if to signal the end of dawn, a ray of sunlight broke through the snow clouds, chasing away the darkness from her face.

 

The moment the sharp features were revealed, along with her snow-white skin, Kalian held his breath.

 

 

He remembered the scene when the veil had threatened to sweep across the continent, shrinking too rapidly to reach her.

 

It was a sight he had never seen before.

 

A thin veil that seemed to dissipate at any moment, tickling them like a breeze, enveloped them.

Then he began to swim, stroking Evelyn’s entire body in his arms, as if to caress her, or perhaps to penetrate her.

“Lord, lord, what is that thing doing?”

“It seems to be alive and breathing, like a beast that has met its waiting master… I don’t think it’s trying to do any harm.”

The knights, who had been speculating on the reason for this, fell silent in unison.

Shoot!

The veil that had been hovering over the slender woman’s body for a long time rippled like silk and washed away the blood on her face.

It was a strange feeling.

It felt like a newfound faith.

He wasn’t the only one who felt this way, and the woman who had wiped away the odor of blood seemed holy, like a goddess in control of the life force, inspiring reverence in everyone.

 

 

“…ian, Kalian?”

 

The gravelly voice pulled him out of his reverie.

 

He sucked in a steadying breath and looked at the woman calling him with uncharacteristically confused eyes.

 

Her eyes were bloodshot, as if she’d just woken up, but her pupils were as green as the land itself.

 

Her forehead beaded with sweat from the heat, her lips parted to call out to him, and her eyes that somehow exuded a sense of mystery and danger.

 

It was all enough to hold his gaze.

 

‘So, even that filthy, greedy fiend had been touched by her holiness?’

 

“…Dare.”

 

Swallowing back the rising anger, Kalian gritted his teeth and repeated.

 

“What else did the bastard say?”

 

An evil god who took human form and took what he wanted by mesmerizing a woman.

 

It’s not uncommon in the realm of the dead, but this is the real world.

 

As the god of death, he shouldn’t meddle in human affairs.

 

So, while he may have spoken in Kalian’s head, he never made his presence known to others.

 

The fact that such a creature had appeared before Evelyn’s eyes, humanized as it was, was something to be wary of, even for him.

 

“We must not hide anything. If we’re going to reinforce the shield, we need to know exactly what caused the crack.”

 

Of course, there was no way the creature parasitizing his body could have tampered with the crystals, as it had no power or reason to do so.

 

So, the cause must be Evelyn, and he must tell her…

 

“…tried to kiss me.”

 

“What?”

 

Speechless at the unexpected answer, Kalian stared at her blankly for a moment.

 

Evelyn was just as unhinged as he was, if not more so, at times like this.

 

Call it honesty.

 

Or should he say, unspoiled innocence.

 

He pressed a hand to the corners of his eyes as he pondered.

 

“Are you angry?”

 

Feeling the sting of his gaze, she slowly raised her head and locked eyes with him, then froze.

 

“No, but if Aether hadn’t done it, I probably wouldn’t have gotten away with it.”

 

Her voice began to tremble as she continued, as if she thought something was wrong.

 

“Aether is darkness, too, so I figured that if I used the power, I used to extinguish Morse, I’d be able to break free of the unconsciousness, which is why I stayed as close as I could… and didn’t push him away as he approached.”

 

“Ha.”

 

The woman who spoke like that was beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that he couldn’t believe it himself.

 

That’s why he felt a rush of lust at the innocence with which she spoke.

 

He can’t condone what the goddamn evil bastard did, but at the same time, he can understand why it happened.

 

Had he lost his mind.

 

His venomous eyes softened slightly at the absurdity of his thoughts.

 

Then a look of relief appeared in her terrified eyes.

 

“That’s all, I just wanted to see you again as soon as possible, that’s all.”

 

Kalian was at a loss for words at such an honest answer.

 

He’d missed her, what more could he say, he just wanted her back safely.

 

“Did I… do something wrong?”

 

With a low sigh, Kalian could do nothing but sigh against the arm that held her.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“If you did something wrong, you’ll be punished.”

 

There was much to do that would keep him busy for a while, and Kalian stayed in the bedroom for a long time afterward.

 

It was a rough and tumultuous time of torment, until his body burned hotter than he’d ever known it to be, and his dry breath escaped his parched lips.

 

For some reason, he was uncharacteristically ruthless, indulging her.

 

She could still feel her heart beating out of control, her nerves tightening, her lips pressing softly against his, the feel of their hot bodies and bare legs.

 

How he had suffered.

 

It wasn’t until he was half-dazed and unable to make out her words that he let out a sob of condensed heat.

 

In the cool northern air, their bodies rubbed against each other in the afterglow of their lovemaking, carving warmth into each other’s flesh.

 

Squeezing every last drop from her, he thrust inside her, lingering inside her until her heartbeat slowed, and then he pulled out.

 

He tidied her up as she collapsed in a heap, then tucked the covers over her carefully.

 

“I’ll be away from the castle for a few days. I have to meet with the archmage upon my return, so you can rest easy for now.”

 

There was a sense of impatience and realism in the way he stood up and started to dress, unlike when they’d made love.

 

Yes, that was the man.

 

A man who could hold the vast North in his hands and still sacrifice himself for the peace of a continent, not for personal glory.

 

She didn’t mind; it had become so; his bluntness no longer shocked her.

 

Leaving her alone and pouting about where he’s going is the kind of ticklish emotion reserved for those who love each other.

 

“More sleep.”

 

The way he turned and walked away was familiar.

 

She stared after him with her eyes, unable to let go, and then closed and opened them, feeling refreshed as if she had slept for hours.

 

Evelyn regretted that she hadn’t gotten the words out to say goodbye, but it wasn’t like he needed them anyway.

 

She doesn’t need to tell him to come back, he’ll come back.

 

He’s here to stay, at least for a while.

 

The storm had swept through, and she was alone, her gaze fixed on the snowy window.

 

A tap.

 

“Ma’am, I’m coming in.”

 

The voice was familiar. Evelyn flinched instinctively at the unexpected presence.

 

So much for experience.

 

The hired hands of the Grand Duchy should feel no remorse for her, at least not yet.

 

Even knowing that, the memory of the past, of their cold stares, made her instinctively tense.

 

She shook herself out of her confusion and stood up, and when she finally answered the call to come in, a group of hired men burst through the door.

 

As she froze like a cornered mouse, the oldest of the dogs, a woman, bit all of the hired hands that came with her.

 

Helen Riktor, the head maid, is a rather sharp-looking woman with wire-rimmed glasses.

 

“I apologize for the unexpected intrusion, my lady. I’m Helen Riktor, your handmaiden. I will do my best to serve you.”

 

“Of course. Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Riktor.”

 

“The two of you will be staying together for the time being while the mistress’s bedroom is being refurbished. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask. Just let me know how many maids you need, and I’ll do my best to accommodate you. Also, if you’re uncomfortable with being addressed as Mistress, I can be reached at…”

 

It was the other woman who was speaking, and for some reason Evelyn felt like she was about to choke, so she cut her off at the right moment.

 

“No, it’s fine, and one maid is enough for me.”

 

Mrs. Riktor pushed up her glasses, cocked her head once, and then continued.

 

“Um, and since meals will be brought up to your bedroom for each meal, I was wondering if you have any particular preferences, anything you shouldn’t eat.”

 

Evelyn felt a little dizzy from the baptism of questions that came without a moment to breathe.

 

“My, what do I like?”