I Became The Wife Of The Cursed Grand Duke Chapter 83

‘But it’s a little dubious to call it pure sexual power…’

 

It was just then that he strained his eyes to observe him more closely.

 

“It’s a pity you’re thinking of leading the Matriarchate with such a mind.”

 

The grand duke’s blood-red eyes, which had been staring into space, slowly turned to him.

 

They glittered like a predator that had caught its prey.

 

“Focus on restoring the shroud before I cut out your insolent eyeballs.”

 

A cold sweat trickled down the back of my neck. Lanfidel’s hands, which had been funneling magic, clenched in frustration.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“The work is done, it’s completely reinforced!”

 

“Wow-!”

 

The cheers were short-lived, and the mages who had been channeling power from their respective positions collapsed here and there.

 

It was no wonder, after four days and four nights of neither eating nor sleeping, they had pushed their magic to the limit.

 

“Your Highness, how are you feeling?”

 

Tearing his gaze away from the mages sprawled across the floor like a sheet of paper, Kalian accepted the towel Benjamin offered him.

 

“I’m fine.”

 

Actually, he wasn’t fine.

 

Normally, it would have been normal for his body to begin to react in all sorts of strange ways to a runaway fever.

 

But a damp sweat, a little hunger, that’s all he felt uncomfortable with right now.

 

‘My body feels strange.’

 

A few days ago, in the underground fortress, Kalian had bound himself and handed the knife to Benjamin.

 

The idea was to summon the Aether by scenting it with his own blood.

 

After a moment’s hesitation, Benjamin swung the blade, but nothing happened to his body.

 

Later, when he was free of his bindings, he took the knife himself and slashed deeply across his body.

 

He summoned shadows with his bloodied arm and briefly tried teleportation magic, but nothing happened to his body.

 

He came to one conclusion.

 

“The aether is gone.”

 

He doesn’t know the details, but he’s certain that it’s the first time it’s happened since he’s been in his body.

 

And that fact disturbed Kalian deeply.

 

He had done everything in his power to ensure that he would not be a factor in the destruction of Babel, so it was only natural that he would be agitated by a situation beyond his control.

 

“Where has it gone?”

 

Even the restoration of the Tabernacle requires a multitude of abilities beyond words.

 

The scope is vast, and the Tabernacle is a concentration of Kalian’s spiritual energy, requiring careful control.

 

The spirits and minds of the unjustly disembodied were delicate. If handled roughly enough, they would explode and disappear.

 

With such overuse of his powers, it was no wonder that Aether could go mad at any moment.

 

However, he was still quiet. The good news was that he didn’t seem to have any problems using his powers.

 

‘It remains to be seen if he will remain as powerful as he is now.’

 

He wiped the sweat from his brow, having skillfully organized his thoughts.

 

“Doesn’t the grand duke get tired? I mean, he’s not a mere mortal, so he shouldn’t get tired from this.”

 

Lanfidel, who had been lying on the ground, barely breathing, suddenly lit up.

 

“She must be quite the holy woman, to be able to use all that power and still be okay, and even oh? Oh…”

 

“Get your filthy eyes away from me.”

 

“Chet!”

 

Though from a different source, he, too, had a tendency to look down on mages when it came to the subject of magic. Lanfidel pouted, sitting up.

 

He felt bad, but for now, satisfying his curiosity was a priority.

 

“So, have you figured out the final condition for destroying Babel?”

 

“Well, finding the Book of Seals is not as easy as I thought it would be.”

 

Helene, the first saint, and ancestor of the Lindbergh family, had written down the instructions for sealing the demon and hidden them somewhere.

 

She is said to have died at the same time she sealed Babel.

 

 

“Wanderer of darkness, pass over the waters, overturn the six pillars, and at last the boundary between darkness and light will welcome you.”

 

 

Helene left a hint as to where the Book of Seals was kept by carving these words into the entrance to Bellatra Dungeon.

 

Kalian dutifully answered the call of the holy woman, a descendant of Lindbergh, in hopes of gaining some small clue, but she knew nothing.

 

After a moment’s reflection, Lanfidel stood up, dusting off his soiled robes.

 

“Aye, we have a long way to go before we see the Awakened Purifier in this lifetime.”

 

Helene had said that everything would work itself out if she didn’t try to figure it out, but for now, with nothing to go on, it was grim.

 

There was too little to know.

 

“So, what do we do now?” Lanfidel asked gravely.

 

“I’ll be joining Viktor in the Irina Gorge as soon as I can.”

 

“My, you’re busy for a newlywed.”

 

Kalian, who was already feeling a sense of emptiness around him, let out a deep sigh.

 

 

* * *

 

 

After Evelyn’s first meeting with her godmother, she was still in a state of shock.

 

The identity of the demon summoned to the Great Duchy known as the Iron Castle.

 

The terrible and tragic events that had occurred in the Grand Duchy.

 

The horrific burns on her godmother’s body, and the tragic story of her godmother, who was forced to leave the empire unwillingly.

 

It was so much information that her brain felt paralyzed.

 

With so much on her mind, she couldn’t sleep.

 

Throughout the night, she buried her cheek in her pillow and stared blankly out the window.

 

Boom!

 

The blue tinted glass shook violently with the strong wind.

 

Evelyn cringed a little.

 

‘I wonder where Kalian is right now. I wish he could be here for me in times like this…’

 

She missed him.

 

Funnily enough, imagining him there made her feel a little drowsy as her inner anxiety dissipated and relief washed over her.

 

Evelyn’s eyes drifted shut, and she closed them involuntarily.

 

An unfamiliar sensation on her wrist made her open her eyes again.

 

She could see a jet-black shadow rising from her wrist and coiling around her body like a snake.

 

But she dismissed it as nothing and closed her eyes again.

 

She was tired.

 

Waking from her nap, she thought it was all just a dream.

 

As she drifted through her still muddled consciousness, finding it annoying to even dream.

 

“…….”

 

She felt someone tuck a stray strand of her disheveled hair behind her ear.

 

Evelyn opened her eyes again. She squinted at the figure lying next to her.

 

“Wow, that’s weird…”

 

Through her blurry vision, she could see Kalian’s face.

 

She was almost too scared to think about missing him, but he was there…

 

He was even smiling faintly, as if he found Evelyn’s words amusing.

 

“Come on, it’s a dream,” she said, convinced.

 

“Don’t laugh at me.”

 

“Now you’re going to take me in your hands and swing me around.”

 

“You’re not going to let me swing you around.”

 

His smile deepened as she retorted with a sarcastic tone.

 

Their eyes remained locked.

 

“You can’t lie to me and tell me you’re going to be a loving husband who only knows me.”

 

She wondered if he was the man who had said that.

 

Even in her sleep, Evelyn found the words a little condescending, so she poked her finger into his cheek.

 

His cool body and hard bones touched her slender fingertips.

 

It was incredible.

 

She could feel it.

 

She realized how much she had missed this man.

 

Relief washed over her as a large hand cupped her cheek.

 

Evelyn closed her eyes for a moment, intoxicated by the sensations he was giving her.

 

Then she said what she’d been meaning to say.

 

“I met my godmother.”

 

He sighed.

 

“You must have been very surprised.”

 

“It just broke my heart.”

 

“Why.”

 

“For how hard it must have been for you.”

 

Her heart throbbed.

 

Her eyes grew hot, and she instinctively dug into his arms.

 

“You may be so big now, but you were just a child then.”

 

He smelled of cold wind, but he was still warm near her heart.

 

“That’s why when I saw you, I wanted to comfort you with my whole body.”

 

‘I’m so glad I can comfort you, even in a dream.’

 

Evelyn added, reaching out with an arm that didn’t take much effort and patting the man on the back.

 

“It’s cozy.”

 

Evelyn basked in his warmth for a while, buried in his broad arms.

 

She wondered how much time had passed.

 

The dusky light of dawn was beginning to seep into the darkened bedroom.

 

After a long moment of silence, he whispered in a very small, low voice.

 

“I must go now,” he whispered, “I need to save my energy to travel through space again.”

 

Her heart responded first to the gentle touch on her tiny earlobe.

 

“Thanks for the consolation, but I’ll make it up to you when I get back.”

 

Reality returned to Evelyn’s playfulness as suddenly as an ice bath.

 

Evelyn’s eyes widened at the same time.

 

“Kal, are you sure you…”

 

His lips descended on hers, parted in surprise.

 

They lingered for a moment, rubbing against the surface in a playful kiss, then pulled away, as if they weren’t quite ready to part.

 

“Good night.”

 

She said nothing, just stared, and with a snap of his fingers, he slowly dispersed like smoke.

 

‘Don’t go, don’t go.’

 

“Kal, wait…!”

 

Evelyn reached out desperately, but she couldn’t get what she wanted.

 

His unmistakable shadow slipped through her fingers like sand.

 

If she knew this was going to happen, she would have hugged him harder. No, she’s asking if she can’t come with him.

 

In the silence, where even the shadows had disappeared.

 

“Please come back safely.”

 

Evelyn’s hands clenched in the air and she buried her face in the pillow. The pure white pillow quickly grew damp with worry and longing for him.