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~Chapter 23~
Rumble, crash!
Thunder and lightning were followed by a heavy downpour.
Dominic, drenched from the rain as he raced through the night, finally reached the estate entrance and quickly dismounted his horse.
It was late at night, and no one was waiting for him outside.
“My lord!”
As he entered the hallway, soaked to the bone, the servants and butler who saw him were stunned, as if a ghost had appeared.
“Is your mother all right?”
Jeffrey immediately came forward, taking Dominic’s wet coat and draping it over his arm.
Water dripped onto the carpet, and the Duke’s hair was soaked and disheveled.
“I thought you would arrive tomorrow morning.”
The butler could tell just from Dominic’s appearance how frantically he must have ridden without pause.
“Warm me some whiskey.”
Dominic gave a brief command and strode up to the second floor, still soaked.
As he ascended the long, arched staircase beneath the chandelier, he spotted someone in the hallway.
It was his fake wife, quietly closing the door to Melisa’s room.
Elin?
She didn’t seem to notice him at all, tiptoeing down the opposite side of the hallway.
Wearing a light, airy indoor dress with a blue tint, she looked far more relaxed and natural than on the day he left.
“……!”
Dominic moved to call her, but Elin suddenly froze mid-step.
Without turning her back, she stepped backward slightly and focused intently on the wall.
Dominic frowned, unable to understand her actions.
Elin raised her arm to adjust a crooked frame on the wall.
She stepped back to check it, touched her chin, then moved sideways to inspect it again. Her gaze was serious.
“What on earth is she doing?”
Hearing Dominic’s cold voice, Elin jumped and spun around.
“M-Mr. Duke!”
Her expression was even more shocked than the servants downstairs.
Dominic strode toward her, noticing she seemed frozen like a statue.
On the wall were several of Melisa’s cherished paintings.
“I-I thought the frame got crooked as I passed by……”
Elin’s gaze flickered awkwardly over Dominic, soaked in rain in a thin white shirt clinging to his body.
His firm chest and toned abs were clearly visible, making him seem more exposed than if he were nude.
“Is your mother all right?”
As Dominic turned toward Melisa’s room, Elin quickly blocked his path.
Until a moment ago, she had been blushing and avoiding his eyes. Now, boldly stopping him, she left him flustered.
“She just fell asleep. She said she couldn’t sleep and was uncomfortable, so—carefully—”
Elin emphasized “carefully,” preventing him from entering.
Seeing her calm but firm demeanor, Dominic realized Melisa wasn’t as bad as he had feared.
He glanced at her tightly closed door and refrained from insisting further.
Sensing his concession, Elin stepped aside gently, letting him pass.
Her gaze, however, never lingered on the wet shirt clinging to his body; it wandered elsewhere.
“I’ll have the bath prepared immediately.”
“Thank you.”
Elin hurried down the stairs, as if relieved to have an excuse to escape, while Dominic watched her darting figure disappear.
Of course, Jeffrey would have prepared the bath regardless, so Dominic’s sudden appearance had clearly flustered her.
Breathing a sigh of relief on the lower floor, Elin placed a hand on her chest.
“Why am I like this?”
It was just that the Duke had returned home, but her heart pounded as if she’d seen something extraordinary.
She had been prepared for him to arrive tomorrow, but his sudden return caught her off guard.
Thinking of him drenched in rain earlier, heat rose to her cheeks.
I’m insane.
She fanned herself with her hand, and a passing maid asked worriedly,
“Madam, are you feeling unwell?”
“N-No, I’m fine.”
She straightened her back and headed toward Jeffrey.
Dominic sank into the steaming bath.
His tense muscles relaxed in the warm water after riding nonstop.
He rested his long arms along the slightly small golden tub, recalling the scene from before: her face pale with shock as she backed away, the firm gaze that blocked his path at Melisa’s door, her soft, pressed lips.
Recalling her in the light blue dress in the hallway, he nearly bent down to kiss her.
Knowing Melisa was safe brought him a mix of relief and fatigue, which explained the irrational impulses he felt.
Despite trying to dismiss it as trivial, his body’s heated response betrayed him.
Blood rushed to one place, making him increasingly aware of his own reaction.
He tried to regain composure by splashing water over his head.
After racing through the ice-cold rain, the hot water felt almost less intense than his own body heat.
He leaned deeper into the bath, fully submerged.
Meanwhile, Elin’s heart pounded as she approached the room.
“Madam.”
Servants stepped out, bowing respectfully.
“Where is the Duke?”
“He wishes to be alone, so we are leaving.”
Elin smiled faintly and nodded.
“I see.”
“When he comes out, just hand him a towel.”
“Understood.”
Watching the servants retreat, Elin felt her steps grow heavier.
In the bath… he must be completely undressed…
She imagined an inappropriate scene, shaking her head firmly.
Elin Nelson! Pull yourself together.
She suppressed her flustered thoughts and opened the door decisively.
I vowed to play the Duchess role properly for a year. I can’t let myself be so weak.
Unexpected situations like this one kept arising since her marriage.
I must appear natural in front of others. Passing him a towel is trivial, even if couples share a bath sometimes.
As she calmed herself, she heard the gentle splash of water.
She gripped the towel tightly, aware her nerves were real.
Surely he’s fully naked… there’s no way around it… I might faint if I see him.
“Ahem.”
Elin made a sound to alert him, placing the towel on a shelf beside the curtain for easy reach.
She opened the curtain and quickly left the bathroom.
Outside, she struggled with her nerves while Dominic strolled out casually in a loose robe, the towel she placed hanging around his neck.
His damp black hair looked decadently disheveled, adding to his allure.
With a warm cup of whiskey in hand, he walked across to sit opposite Elin on the sofa.
“The doctor says she’ll recover quickly with a bit more rest. No need to worry too much.”
“That’s a relief.”
Dominic answered lazily.
“And…”
Elin fidgeted at the sofa edge before speaking carefully, catching his curiosity.
“I went to see my sister. She’s much better than before, though she hasn’t fully adapted to the new hospital. Thank you for transferring her to the Royal Hospital.”
Dominic felt oddly unsettled. She didn’t need to thank him—it was part of the agreement and her due reward for agreeing to this marriage.
“I just kept my promise.”
He replied nonchalantly, but Elin’s trusting gaze remained.
“I may be inexperienced, but I will faithfully perform my role as Duchess for a year. Since you kept your promise, I will keep mine too.”
Her declaration, firm and sincere, unsettled him.
“I expect nothing less.”
He nodded briefly, his feelings complicated.
Elin’s words, promising to play her role dutifully, should have pleased him—but they didn’t entirely.
Taking a sip of whiskey, Dominic tried to understand his strange feelings.
Elin, meanwhile, spoke with genuine excitement:
“Oh! About our shared bedroom… for now, we’ll have to share a room. But I’ll sleep on the sofa. It’s bigger and more comfortable than my original bed.”
She tapped the sofa lightly with a smile.
“So you can sleep comfortably too. No need to use your office because of me.”
Dominic replied bluntly:
“Do as you like.”
Recalling his own earlier physical reaction, Dominic didn’t feel pleased that she offered first.
Elin widened her eyes as Dominic rose.
“I have to check some accounting books, so I’ll sleep in the office tonight.”
She nodded slowly but added a worried note:
“You’ve been riding in the rain and working late. It might not be good for your health…”
Her concern felt paradoxical—she firmly maintained boundaries about bedtime yet cared sincerely for him.
“I can handle myself. You don’t need to worry.”
Her immediate acknowledgment made Dominic feel an unexplainable flame rise within him.
Does she have a talent for driving a person insane quietly?
The room suddenly felt stifling, like a tropical night, and Dominic quickly left.
Alone on the sofa, Elin berated herself:
I’m not really his wife. Don’t cross the line, Elin.
She collapsed onto the sofa, frustrated and overwhelmed.
I wish there were a book on how much of the Duchess’s boundaries I should observe.
Her honest feelings for the Duke surfaced uncontrollably, yet the pressure to perform her role weighed heavily on her.
A fake marriage with the man she secretly loved was far more complicated than she had imagined.
