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Chapter 18
Ting. Ting-geureureu. Tiriling.
“…What is that sound?”
Zachary perked up his ears at the symphony of sounds he had never heard before in his life.
They were definitely sounds, but they were so soft and delicate that they calmed his mind instead. His body was beginning to relax.
‘Th-this is a whole new world!’
While Zachary was marveling inwardly, Yurita grinned and lightly tapped a glass bottle with her fingernail.
‘This is what you call tingles.’
Sounds from various objects that help calm the body and mind—commonly called “tingles.”
Inside Yurita’s bag were all sorts of objects for creating tingles: crinkling paper, pretty glass bottles filled with water, and more.
Yurita’s tingle performance continued for quite a while.
Even visibly, Zachary’s stiff body had softened. But he still hadn’t fallen asleep.
In a gentler voice than usual, Zachary said,
“I can tell you’re trying, but no matter what you do, I probably won’t be able to sleep.”
“Why?”
“The nightmares I have are something I’ll never escape for the rest of my life. To avoid having them, my body will resist sleep no matter what.”
“……”
He had spoken casually, but what he revealed was more personal than expected, and Yurita was secretly surprised.
She gently placed her hand over the corner of his eyes. Warmth spread through him.
Barely above a whisper, Zachary murmured,
“But it’s strange… Whenever I’m with you, I somehow feel at ease. It feels like all the nightmares are going away….”
Yurita’s hand froze.
When she withdrew it, she saw Zachary fast asleep. His breathing had become steady.
“…This guy says heart-stopping things sometimes.”
Yurita quietly gazed down at his sleeping face for a while.
‘He really is handsome.’
It was a different kind of handsome compared to Eustace, the male lead from the original story.
If Eustace looked like a large dog, then Zachary was more like… a black panther? A lion?
‘Though he definitely has the face of a delinquent.’
Chuckling softly, Yurita slowly rose from her seat. The smile faded from her lips, replaced by seriousness in her eyes.
‘I’m going to observe you more closely, Zachary. I’m going to find out what kind of person you really are.’
She decided she could no longer rely solely on information from the original story.
Which was the real him—the man rumored to have killed his father, or the one who treated his younger brother Theo kindly?
And if both were real…
Could she truly handle him?
‘I’ll find out whether you’re really a ship worth staying aboard. Until the day you assassinate the emperor a year from now.’
If she decided he wasn’t someone she should remain with, Yurita intended to leave him without hesitation.
No matter what it took.
To Yurita, living comfortably mattered more than staying with a suspicious husband.
‘But if he hasn’t completely become a villain yet…’
There might still be room to save this relationship.
And the original story event that could become that turning point was fast approaching.
After watching Zachary’s face one more time, Yurita closed the bedroom door and left.
Meanwhile, Zachary had sunk deeply into the soundest sleep he’d had in a very long time.
The next morning.
A beam of sunlight slipped through the curtains onto the rumpled bed sheets.
The windows were closed, but the faint chirping of sparrows perched on the sill could still be heard.
Zachary, who had been sleeping deeply, slowly opened his eyes.
His dazed expression lingered as if he were still caught in a dream, until suddenly realization dawned on him and his mouth fell open.
“Huhk.”
Making a strange noise, Zachary shot upright.
“This feels… weird.”
It truly was strange.
When he woke up, he actually felt… good!
Not only compared to the months he’d suffered from insomnia, but this was the best he had ever felt waking up in his entire life. His body felt light and his head refreshingly clear.
So this is the power of proper sleep?
Zachary touched the face reflected in the mirror, rubbing his skin.
His skin looked unusually smooth and radiant, soft as peach fuzz.
He felt absolutely fantastic.
So much so that even his usual delinquent-like features looked gentle as a lamb at this very moment.
“That woman definitely used magic on me.”
Muttering to himself, Zachary finally looked around.
“Where did she go?”
Yurita was nowhere to be seen.
Wearing only a loose shirt, Zachary headed downstairs.
“Toby.”
“Good morning, Master—huh?!”
Toby, who had been greeting him politely, jumped in shock when he saw Zachary’s face.
‘Master… his face is glowing!’
“Why are you so startled?”
“N-no reason. It seems you slept well.”
“Where did the duchess go?”
“Oh, milady went to a café in town for a while. She’ll probably return in the afternoon.”
“Where is it?”
“Pardon?”
“I asked where the café is.”
“Ah, she said she was going to Raelie on 52nd Street. Is something the matter?”
“I need to go there now. I have something to say to the duchess.”
“What? But if you suddenly appear, she might be startled.”
At those words, Zachary abruptly stopped in his tracks.
Awkwardly thinking things through for once, he finally spoke after a long pause.
“Would she get mad if I suddenly showed up?”
“With all due respect, judging by the personality I’ve seen from milady so far… it’s entirely possible.”
“……”
“Don’t follow me. I’ll kill you.”
As if recalling something, Zachary scratched his head, then ruffled his hair and collapsed heavily into a kitchen chair instead. He rested his hand on the table and started tapping his fingers.
“…Master, should I at least prepare breakfast?”
“No.”
Tap tap tap.
The sound of Zachary tapping the table continued for over ten minutes.
Eventually, the scraping sound of a chair rang out as he impatiently stood up.
“Ah, screw it. I’m just going.”
Internally, Toby smacked his forehead.
Still, for someone like Zachary, enduring ten minutes was already impressive.
“Hyah!”
The black horse Zachary rode began galloping toward town.
The clattering hoofbeats echoed past house windows as he neared 52nd Street.
Jingle—
The bell on the café door rang loudly, and the owner jumped in fright at the sudden appearance of the terrifying-looking duke.
After glancing around the café, Zachary turned sharply toward the owner.
“Eek!”
“Hey.”
“Y-yes, Duke Killerster!”
Apparently, the café owner already recognized Zachary’s face from the many rumors surrounding him.
“Have you seen Duchess Killerster?”
“Huh? Ah, if you mean the duchess, she left the café just a little while ago.”
“What? Where did she go?”
“I-I happened to overhear that she was heading to the park just ahead…”
Without another word, Zachary immediately left the café and headed toward the park.
The park was crowded with noble men and women enjoying picnics. But Yurita was nowhere to be found.
“Where the hell did she go?”
“Duke Killerster!”
At that moment, a familiar voice rang out. Zachary frowned and turned his head to see the emperor waving at him from the field, surrounded by palace servants and guards.
Emperor Rikerd was seated beside the empress in an open carriage.
Apparently, it was some sort of official royal outing.
When the emperor suddenly called out to Duke Killerster in front of everyone, all eyes turned toward Zachary.
With an indifferent expression, Zachary watched the imperial carriage approach.
“What a surprise to run into you here. Have you been well?”
“Your Majesty.”
“The weather is lovely today, isn’t it? Doesn’t it put you in a good mood?”
Zachary paused briefly before answering.
“I suppose it does.”
“Hm?”
Both the emperor and empress stared at each other in shock.
Zachary said he was in a good mood? Impossible.
Remarkably, after finally getting proper sleep, the refreshed Zachary was even capable of saying positive things.
“More importantly, there’s something I’d like to ask.”
“The duke… asking me? What is it?”
The emperor sounded amused.
“Have you seen Duchess Yurita Killerster anywhere in this park?”
At that question, both of the emperor’s eyebrows shot upward.
