🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 49……
Etisha stopped in front of the bed and looked back at Kayen. Kayen. Bed. Kayen. Bed. Kayen…
It felt like she was right back in the same situation as earlier. And then, suddenly, Kayen began unbuttoning his uniform.
“…?!”
First, he removed the cuffs from his sleeves, then undid the buttons of his jacket one by one. The black uniform with gold trim slipped slowly from his body.
Etisha quickly turned her head and fixed her eyes on the bed.
The sound of fabric rustling filled her ears. Kayen removed his uniform, revealing himself in black silk pajama bottoms.
Of course, it was only the bottoms — he wore nothing on top.
Right… the Duke always sleeps without a shirt…
Etisha didn’t dare look at him. Awkwardly, she climbed onto the bed, fumbling as she tried to pull the blanket over herself.
This is bad. How am I supposed to sleep like this?
Now her cheeks were naturally red — as if she’d been born that way.
Somehow, she managed to lie down and pull up the blanket. Kayen lay down beside her. Etisha didn’t dare shift around or even breathe too loudly; she simply lay there like a doll, staring at the ceiling.
“Good night.”
“Yes, Duke. Good night.”
They exchanged the usual pleasantries, but inside, she didn’t know what to do with herself.
She inched away, trying to put even a little distance between them.
If she curled up like a shrimp — yes, like a shrimp — maybe it would feel less awkward.
“…”
She successfully turned her body and closed her eyes. That should help, right?
No, it didn’t help at all.
Whether lying on her back or her side, the fact remained that Kayen — bare-chested — was lying right next to her. There was no way she could fall asleep knowing that. But she also couldn’t let it show that she was still awake.
Oh, please. I have to sleep. I have to sleep…
She started counting sheep in her head. One sheep. Two sheep. Three sheep. She reached fifty-five and was still wide awake.
Then a thought popped into her mind.
Is the Duke asleep?
The moment the thought came, she suddenly wanted to turn around and look.
I don’t hear anything… maybe he’s already asleep. If I turn around now, I could see his sleeping face.
She hesitated. Should she turn around or not?
She didn’t even know why she wanted to see his sleeping face in the first place.
But still, she wanted to look. Badly.
If I move, it’ll make noise. What if I wake him? Maybe I should just stay still…
While her head was overheating with these thoughts, a low voice filled the bedroom.
“…Miss Etisha. You can’t sleep?”
Etisha sucked in a breath. How had he known she was awake just from seeing her back?
The real reason was simple — her usual steady, even breathing was missing — but she had no way of knowing that.
“Ah, yes… Duke. I can’t seem to fall asleep.”
“It’s because Lady Larienne Heinz is still on your mind, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Lari—… what?”
No, actually, she’d completely forgotten about Larienne.
“I will punish Larienne Heinz. More than just a simple penalty — I’ll strip her of what she values most in life so she pays the most miserable price possible. So don’t worry about it.”
It sounded like he was trying to reassure her. Etisha hesitated, then slowly shook her head.
“No, it’s not because of Sister Larienne.”
“…Pardon?”
“It’s because you’re here, Duke… I mean, I usually fall asleep first, so seeing you here in the bedroom is a bit…”
She didn’t even know what she was trying to say. She just tried her best to find the right words.
That seeing him in the bedroom made her a little nervous?
A little excited?
A little embarrassed?
She couldn’t bring herself to say any of those things.
“You mean… it feels awkward?”
Kayen finished the sentence for her. Etisha quickly nodded.
“Yes, a little. It feels awkward.”
“I see. So it’s awkward.”
“…”
“Awkward…”
“…”
“…Shall I leave, then?”
“…Huh?”
“I’ll leave the bedroom. You should sleep comfortably.”
She heard him begin to sit up. Flustered, Etisha sat up too.
He was the master of this castle — and of this bedroom. Where exactly was he planning to go?
Besides, he worked late into the night on government matters every day. He must be tired.
“Please don’t go, Duke.”
Without thinking, she grabbed his arm.
“On second thought, I think it’s fine. Not awkward at all.”
“…Pardon?”
“I mean, it really doesn’t bother me.”
At those words, his gaze dimmed slightly.
“…I see. Of course, Miss Etisha wouldn’t be bothered.”
It felt strangely similar to earlier, when they had almost shared the vow’s kiss.
“Lie down, Duke.”
“…”
“Go on.”
She reached out to tap his pillow… but stopped short, her hand hovering in the air. She didn’t dare touch it.
“…Very well.”
Kayen slowly lay back down.
Etisha followed suit, the two of them lying side by side, both staring up at the ceiling and blinking wide-eyed.
“But… you weren’t asleep either, Duke. Couldn’t you sleep?”
“Yes, a little. Something was on my mind.”
“What was on your mind…?”
“It’s nothing.”
“…What?”
“It’s nothing important.”
Etisha, suddenly curious, glanced over at him. At last, he reluctantly replied.
“It’s nothing significant. I was just thinking that, since we made our vows earlier, tonight might be… our wedding night.”
“W-What?!”
Her face turned bright red. She couldn’t possibly show him, so she yanked the blanket up over her head.
“I know. A useless thought.”
“…”
“Miss Etisha?”
“…”
“Are you asleep, Miss Etisha?”
Under the blanket, she was taking deep breaths.
Hearing the steady sound, Kayen assumed she’d fallen asleep. In truth, she was simply too flustered and excited to respond.
“Good night.”
He offered the casual farewell and closed his eyes. Etisha stayed hidden under the blanket, breathing hard for a long while before finally closing her eyes. Eventually, she drifted into a deep sleep.
“…”
And that night—
Etisha dreamed of kissing Kayen.
The sun rose over Wintel Castle. For once, the sky was perfectly clear, and the air was pleasantly warm. It felt lively and cheerful from the morning.
This afternoon, a banquet was scheduled — prepared by Lady Sirileze to welcome back Kayeles, the former Duke of Wintel.
The guest list was short: the former Duke and Duchess of Wintel, and the soon-to-be Duke and Duchess. Just two couples.
So Etisha began preparing for the banquet from the morning, as usual with the help of her maid, Marin.
“My lady, you look especially beautiful today. And your expression is so bright. Did something good happen?”
“Uh…? N-No, nothing.”
Etisha shook her head quickly.
Something good? As if.
If she could, she would erase the dream she’d had last night. A dream about… k-kissing Kayen. Just thinking about it made her squirm with embarrassment.
“Really? Nothing at all? You look different. Definitely different.”
“I said it’s nothing.”
“Hmmm… My lady, you might fool others, but you can’t fool me!”
Detective Squirrel Marin’s dark eyes gleamed. To escape her probing, Etisha made an excuse about going for a walk and slipped out of the bedroom.
Once outside, she realized she had nowhere in particular to go.
She wandered slowly along the outer grounds of the estate. It had been a spur-of-the-moment decision to avoid Marin’s interrogation, but the walk turned out to be refreshing and pleasant.
Marin’s pretty sharp… Maybe because she’s my maid, she knows me well. I’ll have to be more careful.
She raised a hand to rub her cheek. Was it really that obvious on her face?
She said my expression looked different…
What kind of expression was she even making?
If she’d known, she would have checked a mirror before leaving. She kept rubbing her cheeks as she walked.
Well… the dream was… It was pretty shocking.
Thinking about it made her feel suddenly warmer. She stopped rubbing her cheeks and began fanning herself with her hand.
The Duke’s lips… I mean… his lips…
The smooth image of Kayen’s lips came to mind. Perfectly shaped, with a beautiful color.
Would they feel soft if they touched? Or warm? Or…
Oh my god, I’m crazy. Crazy!
Flustered, she turned crimson, trying to chase the thoughts away, but the dream kept replaying in her mind.
In the dream, Kayen had given her the vow’s kiss. A dark chapel. Silent, with no one else there. Moonlight from the round ceiling window illuminating the pulpit… and Kayen pressing his lips to hers…
Kyaaa!
She screamed silently inside. Her heart was pounding so hard it hurt. And then—
“Tisha.”
Before she knew it, Larienne was standing in front of her.
“So? Did you think it over for a day? Realize your place yet? From now on, you just do as I say, like before. Otherwise, I’ll tell everyone about your Guama disease—”
Etisha walked right past her without a word. It was as if she didn’t even see her standing there.
Oh no… How am I supposed to look the Duke in the eye now? Am I in real trouble?
Her mind was too full of kisses to spare a single thought for Larienne.
