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Chapter 63
Gerald felt secretly triumphant when he saw Melissa’s expression change in an instant.
He had absolutely no desire to lose the current lady of the house.
She could suppress the Grand Duke’s overwhelming magic, did her work flawlessly, and even had a sincere heart that cared for the duchy!
‘Our Grand Duchess should be buried in the Luciano territory even after death!’
But Gerald knew.
Only he knew.
That the two were actually bound by a contract!
‘It makes no sense…!’
Why, how—
How could someone so perfect be only temporary?
Every time Gerald saw the once gloomy duchy regain its life, he agonized in silence.
‘This won’t do… She’s too perfect. This way, everyone will fall for her!’
And indeed, everyone had.
One day, while drinking with Vernon—
“If I could just live to see the two of them with a lovely child, I’d die without regrets…”
“We’re truly blessed that such a good lady came to us. It’s something to be thankful for.”
When Gerald saw Vernon smiling faintly like an old man on his deathbed, a heavy lump of guilt settled in his chest.
Keeping such a truth to himself was far more painful than he’d imagined.
The more people came to love her, the more he dreaded their disappointment when they learned the truth.
And when he realized, after Rachel’s departure, that the Duke and Duchess had noticeably grown distant, a chill ran down his spine.
He could suddenly see it—a future where they separated.
‘That must not happen. Even if it started as a contract, love can bloom! Once they fall for each other, why not just stay together forever?’
Who would oppose that? No one! Absolutely no one!
With such grand ambition in his heart, he said,
“I think… the two of them are going through a rough patch.”
“Pardon?!”
Gerald decided to take Melissa in as his assistant.
The innocent lamb blinked in surprise, lips trembling.
But only for a moment.
“…A rough patch?”
Regaining her composure, Melissa repeated incredulously,
“You mean, the madam and His Grace?”
“Exactly! Think about it. They barely talk these days, eat separately, and hardly ever smile.”
Gerald sighed dramatically, hands on his hips.
“If this keeps up, they might end up… past the point of no return!”
“Oh, surely not. They’re married, after all…”
Melissa trailed off, cautious.
That was when Gerald looked at her sharply and said,
“Melissa. Imagine if the two of them had a lovely child.”
“A… child?”
Melissa’s eyes widened.
“But the parents barely speak to each other. Can you imagine how lonely that child would feel, growing up watching them?”
As Gerald’s tone grew more impassioned, Melissa’s imagination ran wild.
A baby with the Duke’s dark hair and the madam’s blue eyes…
Chubby cheeks, rosy and smiling sweetly…
“At every mealtime, the poor thing eats alone and asks me, ‘Melissa, when will Mommy come home? Is Daddy still in the study?’ Oh, I—I can’t bear it!”
“Oh dear… what a poor baby…”
Tears welled in Melissa’s eyes.
“That’s why I need your help, Melissa.”
“My help?”
“Yes! We must help them grow close again!”
Of course, the truth was that the Duke and Duchess had never been as close as Melissa imagined.
But Melissa was already deeply moved, desperate to comfort the imaginary baby.
“You’re right. They’ve been so busy with work, they’ve drifted apart.”
“Exactly!”
Gerald raised both hands high.
“This is a mission for the future of our duchy!”
“All right, I’m in! Let’s do it, Sir Gerald!”
Their determined eyes met, sealing the start of a secret operation that no one else knew about.
That evening was no different from usual.
After finishing work in the study, I headed to the bath to wash up before bed.
Now that Rachel was gone, there was no longer any deep physical contact between us.
The kisses we shared were no more than a formality—a way to calm his magic.
Still, there were moments when his firm hand brushed against mine and memories flickered in my mind.
Each time, I forced the thoughts away and went to bed as if nothing had happened.
‘If only days like this could continue…’
That way, even when the original novel’s heroine appeared, I could step aside cleanly, without guilt.
Lost in thought, I entered the bath where Melissa was already waiting.
With familiar ease, she began to assist me, suddenly saying,
“My lady, how about using peony oil tonight?”
“Peony oil? All of a sudden?”
“Yes, the night air has been quite dry lately. It’s supposed to be good for the skin.”
‘Peony… I do like that scent.’
When I agreed, Melissa smiled brightly and brushed my hair aside.
Soon, a delicate fragrance filled the room—soft, sweet, and fresh like dawn, reminiscent of roses.
Her gentle hands glided smoothly across my skin, and my eyelids soon grew heavy.
After the bath, she handed me a neatly folded garment.
As I took it, my fingers brushed against the fabric—and I froze.
“…Is there no other one?”
It was a thin slip.
A silky, ivory-colored slip—modest in opacity, but far too deeply cut.
‘Isn’t this neckline a bit… dangerous?’
Lately, I’d preferred simple, conservative sleepwear, so this was troubling.
Melissa blinked innocently, then drooped her lips apologetically.
“I’m sorry, my lady… It’s just…”
“…”
“All your chemises are being washed…”
All of them? Today?
I stared in disbelief. Melissa looked close to tears.
“I’m really sorry. But I couldn’t possibly bring you something coarse.”
The fabric was soft and fine—too fine. It would cling to every curve uncomfortably.
I sighed, staring at the slip.
‘Well… just for tonight, I suppose.’
When I finally accepted it, Melissa’s face lit up like sunshine.
“Thank you, my lady! I’m sure it will look wonderful on you!”
Denok stared down at the messy diagrams sprawled across the paper, sighing deeply.
The tangled black lines represented the turmoil in his own mind.
‘Why did I say something so stupid…’
“Is that… the kind of style you prefer?”
The impulsive words echoed in his head again.
To be honest, helping Arbel had been half impulse.
When his wife had heard Arbel’s story and looked at him with those gentle, pitying eyes—
he’d spoken before he could stop himself.
His kind, compassionate wife—he could easily imagine her offering to help again.
And that magician, Arbel, might develop improper feelings under her kind gaze.
He couldn’t allow that warmth—her warmth—to be directed at anyone else.
‘That’s not acceptable. Never.’
Not as long as she was still his wife.
Unconsciously gripping his pen tighter, Denok’s gaze grew heavy.
He pictured Edith smiling softly by the window, bathed in sunlight.
That bright, peaceful face—so light, as if she might fly away at any moment.
As though one day, she might truly leave him behind.
A strange, unsettling emotion stirred violently in his chest, forcing him to confront a truth he’d long ignored.
The paper crumpled in his hand with a harsh rustle—
Knock, knock.
The quiet sound of someone rapping at the door broke the silence.
