I Became The Wife Of The Cursed Grand Duke Chapter 94

“Hmm.”

 

Though he hadn’t said it out loud, he’d been slipping into the doubt that Evelyn was the real Purifier for some time now.

 

It was an assumption he hoped wasn’t true the more Evelyn grew inside him, so much so that at some point he’d consciously excluded the sentence entirely.

 

The problem was, he wasn’t alone in his thoughts.

 

Rumours had been circulating among the Templars that the prospective Grand Duchess was the true Purifier.

 

Kalian stubbornly denied it, determined to prove that she was not the Purifier at all costs.

 

No matter what, the Purifier who would seal Babel with him had to be a holy woman. Even if she wasn’t real.

 

“Evelyn must never know that she might be the real Purifier.”

 

Furthermore, if she knew the terms of the Babel’s sealing, she would surely be tempted to sacrifice herself for it.

 

Of course, the path to that conclusion must be unsettling for her, but so what?

 

“If I put my best foot forward in this relationship, she won’t be insecure or hurt.”

 

He has never regretted his decision. Not once.

 

So it would be the same this time.

 

Kalian shook his head, his face full of conviction.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Strange red clouds covered the sky. The training had begun in the early hours of the morning and continued until the sun had set and the world was plunged into darkness.

 

Tsk!

 

Evelyn snapped her fingers.

 

Damp sweat drenched her body, even in the midst of the blizzard.

 

“Ha, ha.”

 

She had long since shed her thick, hooded coat. Breathing was coming in ragged gasps from Evelyn’s lips.

 

But she didn’t feel tired or like giving up. As long as she could hone her powers and be of use to Kalian, she didn’t care about herself.

 

As her mind filled with such thoughts, a sphere of light, as clear as the blazing sun, finally appeared before her eyes.

 

Pajik!

 

An energy of a different dimension than the sound of the wind that had been echoing throughout the day bounced off her fingertips.

 

“Huh?”

 

Once again.

 

Zap!

 

“Uh!”

 

Pajik─!

 

A shiver ran through her body and her spine stiffened as a slightly darker sphere of light extended from her fingertips.

 

“That’s it…, that’s it, that’s it!”

 

Her shrieking exclamation brought Ines, who was working in the mansion, out of her office.

 

“Oh my God, I thought you were going to whine about how hard it was and call it a day!”

 

“It was hard, but that didn’t mean I was going to give up.”

 

“Of course not, I knew you could do it.”

 

Evelyn’s heart raced, and ironically, Kalian’s face was the first thing that came to mind.

 

Even as her breath rushed out of her lungs in what felt like several deep breaths.

 

“I think we should call it a day, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t train, because it doesn’t end when the sphere goes out. Don’t worry, once you get used to it, you won’t need to touch it.”

 

“Okay, thanks!”

 

“Come on, get out of here. There’s someone waiting for you outside the door.”

 

Evelyn’s eyes lit up like a star.

 

“I’ll be off then!”

 

“Okay, bye…”

 

Before she could finish saying goodbye, Evelyn had already disappeared from her sight.

 

 

* * *

 

 

She could see his backside leaning stiffly against the carriage in front of the darkened mansion.

 

‘It’s cold out, I’ll come in and wait, I don’t want him to catch a cold, I don’t want to worry about him.’

 

“Kal…”

 

Evelyn called after him and started to run, then cleared her throat again.

 

Then she flicked her finger to make sure the sphere was coming out right.

 

Gently, gently.

 

Stalking over to him, Evelyn launched the sphere over Kalian’s head.

 

Pow!

 

In an instant, his surroundings brightened, a brilliant light streaming down the crook of his brow.

 

His golden eyes, glowing softly, chased the orb, then turned to her.

 

He smiled softly, as if to say he’d had a hard time.

 

“Tough?”

 

Oddly enough, the fatigue of the day melted away at the sight of him. Evelyn held out her swollen finger to him.

 

“I think my finger is going to pop.”

 

“You’ve hurt it.”

 

“No, it’s not, but doesn’t it look like a sausage?”

 

His brow quirked up at her quizzical look. Up close, his eyes were filled with concern.

 

“You must be hungry to be talking about food.”

 

He pressed his lips lightly to her cold forehead, his cheeks as white as snow.

 

“Let’s eat dinner outside and then come in.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Is it that good?”

 

“Sure. It’s exciting enough to have a successful attack spell, but an unexpected date!”

 

She chuckled and walked in step with him, but then something occurred to her. Evelyn gently grabbed his arm.

 

“Hey, can I ask you a question?”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Soon, the carriage they were in stopped in front of a three-storey building on a busy street.

 

His escort led them inside, where they found themselves in an opulent restaurant. An employee standing at the door bowed to them as soon as he saw them and led them into a private room.

 

As soon as the staff member left and the door closed behind them, the gentle noise stopped. The room was completely enclosed, with no windows, but curiously, it didn’t feel stuffy at all.

 

But the cool air currents between them were enough to create tension in the room.

 

Evelyn fiddled with her ring out of habit, recalling their conversation in the carriage earlier.

 

 

“I’d like to know more about how you plan to seal the Babel.”

“Why do you suddenly want to know that?”

“That’s because… I want to help you.”

Kalian’s face fell, as if her words were new to him. Evelyn was unperturbed, her determination showing.

“You saved my life, and I want to help you achieve what you want, so tell me. Whatever it is that I can do.”

But the answer that came back was something she hadn’t even imagined.

“Just having you by my side is enough.”

His voice sounded so sweet, so close. For a moment, she wasn’t sure if it was really him in front of her.

But his next words confirmed that the man in front of her was no illusion.

“And the sealing of Babel is the work of the Saint and me. You need not concern yourself with it.”

Evelyn’s mouth tasted like she’d just chewed and swallowed a strong pill without water, with a clear line drawn in the sand.

“Don’t even care, how can you say that?”

‘Was her desperate effort to be helpful somehow invisible to him?’

“Well, I suppose that’s why you blame the saint for what happened in Litchev…”

 

 

Evelyn shut up the rest of the way, and no further conversation passed between them until they reached the restaurant.

 

While she was lost in thought, a meal for two began to fill the table.

 

He lowered his gaze to the steak, grilled to perfection, and suddenly the plate flashed before his eyes.

 

Kalian took her plate as if to offer to slice the steak for her.

 

He sliced the steak as if nothing had happened between them.

 

“Don’t you want anything from me?”

 

What kind of psychology was it that told her to mind her own business and then asked her what she needed?

 

Evelyn found herself wanting to slip in and out of his head if she could.

 

“Not really.”

 

She didn’t want to be blunt, but the words didn’t come out pretty when her stomach was already twisted in knots like her intestines.

 

But she immediately regretted it.

 

She was afraid that her sense of saintly entitlement would destroy the relationship she had built with him.

 

‘He even told me the truth about who he was.’

 

Sighing softly, Evelyn continued in a more open voice.

 

“I don’t really want anything, it’s just a habit I’ve had since I was a kid…”

 

She looked up with a start, and there he was, staring at her with the cutlery in both hands.

 

Evelyn shrugged mischievously. She didn’t want to disturb him with unnecessary pity.

 

“I don’t often think about wanting something, because I know it won’t be mine until I ask for it.”

 

Kalian frowned at that. As if to say, ‘I’m sorry.’

 

“Come to think of it, I’ve given you a lot, so give me anything. There’s nothing in Johansen you can’t get your hands on.”

 

Evelyn shook her head.

 

“If you’ve got anything, I’ve got a lot more. The ring, and the mine…”

 

When he asked if she would stay with him, she didn’t say anything.

 

But the next day, when Benedict brought her the papers for her share of the mine, she realised that there had never been a contract between them.

 

“They are not gifts, but things you deserve.”

 

He raised one eyebrow and held out the plate with the steaks lined up neatly in a row.

 

“So if you want anything, let me know.”

 

“How much can you give me?’”

 

“Well, I suppose I could give you anything you want, I’ve got a foot full of money.”

 

Evelyn laughed bitterly.

 

He was half right and half wrong. He could give her everything she wanted and nothing at the same time.

 

“Well, then…”

 

She shoved a tender steak into her mouth and said nonchalantly.

 

“I just need you to grant me one wish.”

 

‘“A wish?”

 

“Yes. But you have to grant it whenever, wherever, and whatever I want, with no strings attached.”