IBWMD 89

~Chapter 89~

“Gasp!”

Beth, who had been nervously trying to comfort me, swallowed hard—looking more tense than I was.

The head maid glanced at Beth, then bowed slightly to me.

“Sorry, but the maid must stay here.”

“I understand.”

I stepped into the Grand Duke’s room alone, feeling Beth’s worried gaze on my back.

The inside was pitch-black. The curtains were drawn, and not a single light was lit.

‘This is ridiculously dark.’

What was he, the child of darkness?

Well… in a way, yes.

The Grand Duke was a dragon’s descendant, dragons were like demons, and demons were associated with darkness…

The room felt endless, and even after walking for a while, I couldn’t see the Grand Duke anywhere.

I slowly adjusted my eyes to the darkness, trying to guess where he might be.

“……”

Then I heard it—a steady, even breathing, like someone asleep.

It was coming from the massive bed at the far end of the room.

Behind the thick curtains that hung around it, I could barely make out the shape of a man lying down.

I stopped in place without meaning to.

‘Why am I nervous about this?’

I took a deep breath, clenching and unclenching my fists, and finally forced my feet to move.

Step, step.

As I approached, I studied the figure.

‘Huh.’

He seemed oddly familiar.

‘Is it just because he’s big?’

Most of the men in Saint Portu were pretty large, but the Grand Duke looked massive even by those standards.

Even lying on his side, his shoulders looked like mountains.

‘No male lead or supporting lead would ever be allowed to have narrow shoulders.’

I kept up these silly thoughts just to relax as I neared the bed.

“……”

Even when I was right in front of him, the only thing I heard was his calm breathing.

‘How badly was he injured?’

Had he fallen asleep because he couldn’t stay awake?

I was just starting to relax when—

Rustle.

The shadow on the bed raised a hand.

I froze, startled, but then saw him beckon to me.

‘He’s awake… Is he telling me to come closer?’

“Your Grace, the Grand Duke of Silence?”

I stepped closer cautiously, and he gestured again for me to approach.

To get closer, I’d have to step inside the curtain.

I braced myself and slowly moved forward.

Through a small gap in the curtain, I could barely make out his upper body.

Swish.

Then, slowly, the curtain was pulled aside.

And…

‘…A dragon head?’

I froze.

The Grand Duke was wearing a mask.

A mask shaped like a dragon’s head.

It completely covered his head like a mascot costume, with only dark, hollow eyeholes.

It was impossible to even guess where his eyes were.

Combined with the pressure his presence radiated, it was the perfect image of the so-called “Monster Grand Duke.”

‘Is this… really his “concept”?’

For a moment, I remembered the dragon head from the dream where it swallowed Reyna, and I almost swung my fist.

‘He’s injured… isn’t it hard to breathe with that mask on?’

Was the Grand Duke always this dramatic in the original story? I didn’t think so…

Trying to push aside my confusion, I quickly grabbed my dress and bowed formally—something I hadn’t properly done since my coming-of-age ceremony.

“Have you been well, Your Grace?”

“……”

“I am Elaine Pascal, daughter of House Pascal.”

“……”

“I have come as your bride, under the Emperor’s orders.”

Even as I introduced myself as his bride, the Grand Duke said nothing. He just stared at me.

‘What is this?’

Was the dragon head and the silence part of his concept now?

A person says hello, you should at least respond…

Rustle.

The Grand Duke slowly sat up.

A strong scent of medicine filled the air.

‘Ah…’

My eyes moved to his upper body now visible outside the blanket.

I swallowed hard.

‘Wow…’

It felt wrong to think it, but his body was… beautiful.

Muscles sculpted like they’d been carved from stone, balanced and firm, with not an ounce of fat.

His arms and chest alone made it clear he was a seasoned soldier.

And the scars—large and small—etched across his body proved how many monsters he had fought.

But…

I noticed the bandages wrapped across his torso, and the black-red marks that peeked out from underneath them.

They looked almost like burn marks.

‘Did he get hit directly by monster poison?’

And at very close range.

The marks ran from his head down across his entire upper body.

‘This is… really bad.’

No wonder they called it a life-threatening injury.

‘He can’t ask the temple for help… their relationship is completely broken.’

Depending on the type, some monster toxins could be as corrosive as acid.

‘Did it splash onto his face too? Is that why he’s wearing the mask?’

Was it not a “concept,” but rather to spare me from seeing his injuries?

The same man who had let Reyna die and told me outright to leave because he despised me…

‘This is the Grand Duke of Silence?’

My heart wavered.

He looked… so sick.

So much so that I couldn’t even bring myself to think, “You hate me, so I hate you.”

‘…There’s no way I can bring this up now.’

I folded away all the words I had planned to say.

I couldn’t bear to talk about negotiations or divorce to a patient this gravely injured.

‘That would make me the worst kind of trash.’

No wonder Jeremy had told me not to say anything.

As I held my tongue, the Grand Duke simply stared at me, his gaze so intense it was hard to tell if it was kind or hostile.

“……”

I instinctively glanced down at myself.

The sparkling dress, the jewelry I never usually wore, the flawless, radiant skin Beth had carefully tended to…

I looked like a pampered, sheltered young lady from the capital.

Beth had prepared me like someone getting ready for battle makeup, but…

‘Now that I’m in front of an injured patient, this feels… embarrassing.’

He was lying there, badly hurt, while I was dressed up like this.

Realizing that made me think again about the mask covering his injured face.

‘He was a sub male lead in the original story… his face isn’t permanently ruined, right?’

Was that also why he wasn’t speaking? Had the poison damaged his vocal cords?

If this had been an event from the original story, he would’ve healed eventually, but…

‘But the original story changed the moment I came here.’

As my guilt deepened, the Grand Duke’s gaze lifted from my dress to my face.

His stare made my skin itch.

I felt like trash, all dolled up in front of him.

‘I can’t do this.’

I had to do something.

I took a breath and met his gaze directly.

“Your Grace.”

“……”

“If it’s alright with you…”

I carefully reached out my hand toward him.

He stared at my hand for a moment and then—

Grab.

Just before I could place it on his chest, he took hold of my wrist.

“……”

“……”

I had braced myself to be pushed away, but…

‘Huh?’

The hand holding my wrist was gentle, almost warm.

My heart skipped a beat.

I tried not to focus on the warmth as I spoke.

“You may not know, but I have holy power.”

“……”

“It’s not much, and my healing ability is weak, but…”

“……”

“May I help you?”

The confession I couldn’t make to Karl came out easily now.

Everyone in the estate already knew I had holy power, so there was no point hiding it.

My self-doubt lasted only a moment.

“If you don’t want me to, I won’t.”

“……”

“But if I can help, I want to.”

There was a pause… then the Grand Duke slowly moved my hand onto his chest.

Over the left side, where his heart would be.

It felt like permission.

I flinched slightly at the sensation in my palm.

His chest was firm, thick, full of solid muscle—

‘Wait a second…’

Without thinking, I gave his pectoral muscle a small squeeze.

And then I froze.

‘Why… does this feel familiar?’