IBDVW 10

Chapter 10

Even though I wanted to deny that it was about me, I couldn’t, because the maids in the bathtub were making me choose a flower petal.

“Do I have to choose from these?”

“Yes. You just need to pick the one you like, my lady.”

They said it was to give me the choice because if they chose, I might not like it.

To me, all the petals looked pretty much the same.

“I like the one at the far right.”

I chose a yellow petal—the color I liked—since I couldn’t know the names of all the flowers.

After I chose it, they sprinkled some perfume into the lukewarm water and let the petals float on top, as if blown by the wind.

“My lady, could you give me your left hand?”

“Why the left hand?”

Even without hearing the answer, I understood the situation just by turning my head.

They intended to trim my nails.

‘If I refuse here, I’ll just make things harder for myself.’

Resigned, I extended my left hand, and the waiting maid approached.

“Just lie still for a moment, and when you open your eyes, everything will be done.”

She then placed a long, pure white cloth over my eyes and tied it at the back.

‘Maybe I’ll sleep a little.’

With my vision blocked, I focused more on the sounds around me, but all I heard were the gentle splashes and movements of the water, which weren’t very engaging.

Perhaps that’s why, when I thought it would be fine to sleep like this, I quickly drifted off.

It was a peaceful nap.

When my heavy eyelids slowly lifted, sleep completely vanished.

Instead of the cloth covering my eyes, I saw a familiar ceiling.

‘Ah, I’m in bed.’

In that brief moment, I must have been moved from the bathroom to the bed.

‘If I sleep this much, I won’t be able to sleep at night. Well, I probably wouldn’t sleep well anyway.’

Being used to sleeping alone again, I somehow felt like I wouldn’t sleep well tonight.

‘Alright. Since it’s come to this, I’ll just go for it. Even on our wedding night, we only held hands. How different can it be for sleeping together?’

Fully alert, I half-sat up on the bed, did some light stretching, and then got up completely.

“The fragrance is really nice.”

Having stretched lightly, I went to the vase to take the flowers for the tea I had forgotten to make in the morning. The familiar, pleasant scent reached me.

‘Divorce—success. And I’ll beat the odds on my time limit.’

Yes. I’ll catch both rabbits. There’s nothing I can’t do.

Thanks to Cordelia’s teachings, I could now brew the tea by myself, and making the remedy was easy.

‘It tastes perfect too.’

Perhaps because it’s tea that helps prolong a limited life, it didn’t taste bad.

‘I hope it doesn’t rain; it would make me feel even better.’

I lifted my teacup and glanced out the window—rain was falling.

I had noticed the dark clouds early, and now it seemed this was why.

“I hope the rain stops by evening.”

I finished the last sip and looked out again, only to see rain pouring like someone was emptying a bucket.

Just when I felt a sigh coming, I heard a familiar sound:

Knock, knock.

‘Who could that be?’

Instinctively, I turned toward the door and listened carefully.

“Good, you’re awake, my lady!”

I saw a maid quietly opening the door and stepping inside.

“What is it?”

At this hour, unless I summoned her, there wasn’t much reason for her to come by herself.

“You need your regular check-up tonight, separate from sleeping arrangements.”

A regular check-up? Me?

Blinking in surprise, I realized she had already anticipated my reaction and hurriedly said I could let the person behind her come in.

“This person will assist with your check-up, my lady. Please call again if anything is needed.”

Wait. She’s just leaving me here with a doctor I’ve never met?

‘Don’t leave me alone with some unknown physician.’

In that awkward moment, all I could do was roll my eyes and flex my fingers nervously.

But the man in front of me spoke first.

“Shall we return to the bed then?”

I see.

Since I knew who he was and he knew he was the doctor, he seemed to skip formal introductions.

‘It’d be better if someone chatted with me. That would make this easier.’

In the past, whenever I went for an injection, I spent the whole time asking if this one would hurt more than the others. But today, that seemed unnecessary.

“I’ll perform a few examinations. Please lie still.”

I chose silence and remained lying down.

‘What’s going on?’

But as he went through the list of exams, the doctor began to show subtle signs of unease.

His brows furrowed, and he looked slightly flustered.

‘Could it be…’

A sudden thought flashed through my mind.

Had my limited time already begun even before I obtained the remedy?

“Do you feel any discomfort anywhere?”

“Not at all.”

“That’s possible. Symptoms vary from person to person.”

This felt like a scene I had seen too often.

‘Usually, someone nearby would start crying if told how long they had left, while another person would be furious, demanding a cure.’

Had I watched too many dramas? That line automatically ran through my head.

“Do I have a problem?” I asked with curiosity.

“You have a disease called Pandorami, which currently has no definitive cure, and is recognized in several countries.”

I knew it.

I almost clapped my hands, thinking, “You speak just like a drama line!”

But I suppressed my excitement and put on the most bewildered expression I could manage.

“The reason you didn’t notice earlier is that the severity of symptoms varies by person.”

“……”

“There are strong and mild cases, and your symptoms are mild, which makes it hard to inform you this way…”

He trailed off.

“At most, six months. If unlucky, it could be just one month.”

If I truly hadn’t discovered the remedy and didn’t know about the time limit, I’d have said:

“That’s impossible. Are you saying I could die next month?”

Of course, my current role was to act as if I had just discovered I was terminal and the remedy wasn’t found. So I said it naturally.

“That’s only if you’re extremely unlucky.”

Boom!

‘Perfect timing.’

The moment the doctor mentioned three years, lightning flashed.

“Impossible. My life can’t be that meaningless. This can’t happen.”

I let the rain pour over me, covering my face with my hand like a dramatic actress, performing my tearful scene.

“Does anyone else know about my condition?”

“Not yet, just me…”

“Then don’t tell anyone. Please.”

I stopped the act and addressed the most important point.

“I’ll keep this to myself, so don’t tell anyone, not even the duke. Please.”

There was a reason for the emphasis. Revealing I was terminal here would put me at a disadvantage.

‘I haven’t done anything yet that would make him dislike me. If he finds out now, it’ll make things worse.’

They might prefer me to live comfortably in the duke’s house until my natural death instead of divorcing me.

“If that’s your wish… I’ll do as you ask.”

“Thank you.”

I found a handkerchief and wiped my tears, smiling.

‘No need to pity me so much.’

He looked at me with a mix of pity and sympathy, as if seeing someone about to die, making me feel oddly apologetic.

That tea on the table over there? That’s the remedy that will be discovered much later.

…I couldn’t say that, so I just smiled.

Exhausted from the emotional drain, I requested sweet desserts after dinner to celebrate.

It lifted my spirits.

“Shall we go, my lady?”

“Yes, let’s go.”

Feeling better, I realized how much time had passed.

It was nearly bedtime, as if someone had wound the clock in another person’s room.

Well, technically it was my husband’s room.

“The duke will come later due to unfinished work, so just wait comfortably.”

Going up the stairs to the room, I was told to wait.

‘While waiting, maybe I’ll check out the room.’

Opening the door, the room was dark and gloomy. Without the bars, it could have been a prison; it was just depressing.

‘The furniture is the same as mine.’

Except there was no wardrobe, like in my room.

‘The bed is equally soft.’

After surveying the room, I sat on the bed, staring at the door.

What should I do when he enters? Will I be able to sleep counting sheep? These thoughts floated around my head.

Click.

The door opened.

I raised my head, having been fiddling with my slippers, and saw him.

“…….”

“…….”

We were both speechless, choosing silence.

‘You said you’d be late due to work, so why are you wearing a robe?’

His damp, curly golden hair framed a stunning chest glimpsed through the robe.

Meanwhile, Adrian’s eyes seemed to say,

‘Why are you dressed like that…?’

I wasn’t wearing my usual pajamas, but a light pink negligee chosen by the maids.

“My lady, stay strong!”

“?”

“We’ve done our best!”

“……”

I grabbed Adrian’s sleeve as he tried to pass by.

Of course, it wasn’t his hand—I held his sleeve.

“You asked if I wanted it before, right?”

“……”

“What would you do if I said I want it now?”

Back in the carriage, I had asked.

‘If my answer changes now, what will you do?’

I held his gaze without looking away, waiting for an answer.

“If my lady doesn’t want it, I won’t do anything.”

“I want it.”

That day it rained, now the rain had stopped. The difference? I wanted to do it properly this time.

‘Maybe this is something Adrian would normally dislike.’

Perhaps that’s why I wanted to temporarily ignore the many listening ears today.

“You’ve been courteous so far.”

Honestly, he hadn’t exactly been.

I placed my hand over his arm past his sleeve and pulled him closer.

In an instant, our faces were inches apart.

“Being gentlemanly can wait until tomorrow. Today, I want you to do what I desire.”

As soon as I said that, Adrian pushed me onto the bed.

Before I could react, he pressed close to me, caught his breath for a moment, and kissed me.

“……!”

I thought it would just be a kiss, but his tongue tangled with mine.

How many times had we kissed? I saw Adrian trying to distance himself slightly.

“……?”

I, lying on the soft bed, pulled him close again, stroked his head with one hand, and said:

“Let’s do it again, Adrian.”

I saw his eyes widen when I called his name.

“This time, I’ll say your name.”

I do keep my promises.

“I feel it’s still not enough.”

The kiss wasn’t.