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CHAPTER 64…………….
Etisha stood beside Cayenne and looked straight up at his face.
“I only thought that I wanted to be of help to you, Duke. But I’ve never comforted anyone before, so I don’t know how.”
“Is that so… If that’s your concern, then you need not worry.”
“Why not?”
“What I need right now is not comfort. What I need is the strength to overturn the situation.”
Cayenne held out his hand to Etisha. She naturally placed her hand over his.
“What has happened cannot be undone. In front of countless guests, it was said that the Duke of Wintel is not a legitimate child. From now on, that rumor will spread endlessly throughout society.”
“……”
“People will inevitably question my legitimacy as Duke of Wintel. Harsh words about my mother and father will circulate. So, Lady Etisha, if you truly wish to help me, then be my strength.”
“To be your strength… How?”
“Step into society under the name of the Duchess of Wintel.”
“……!”
“Of course, you need not force yourself. This was not part of our agreement, and there’s no reason for you to risk yourself by appearing in high society. If you dislike it, you may refuse.”
Etisha shook her head immediately. Refusal never even crossed her mind.
Until now, she had always received Cayenne’s help. But at this moment, she finally had the chance to help him.
To step into society as the Duchess of Wintel and protect Wintel’s honor. To help Cayenne and Lady Cyrilleze. That was what Etisha wanted more than anything.
“No, please entrust it to me. I’ll do my very best, whatever I can.”
“Lady Etisha, think carefully. You don’t have much time left…”
“That doesn’t matter. Precisely because I don’t have time, I want to give my all.”
“……”
“You are my benefactor, Duke. Please give me the chance to be yours in return.”
Etisha’s blue eyes shone with determination, her cheeks flushed.
Until yesterday, all Etisha thought about was marrying Cayenne and becoming his false wife. She hadn’t given much thought to life after that promise was fulfilled.
She only wished to keep her distance from Cayenne, and not to fall for him.
But if the Duke needs me, then I will no longer run away.
Today, Etisha had married Cayenne before all eyes. She had become his false wife and fulfilled their pact.
And at the end of that promise, a new path opened.
Just as she found a new life as she neared death, her relationship with Cayenne also changed as it neared its end.
A debut in high society. And not just any debut, but as the Duchess of Wintel.
To Etisha, it was a daunting and nerve-wracking challenge.
“If there’s something I don’t know, I’ll study and learn it. So that I can be your strength.”
Cayenne looked down at her in silence. For some reason, she seemed to shine like a jewel.
Radiant brilliance poured from her—captivating beauty that stole the gaze, warmth and light coexisting in her presence.
At that moment, Etisha softly smiled, lifting the corners of her lips. Cayenne nearly raised his hand to touch them.
“…Thank you, Lady Etisha.”
Suppressing the impulse, Cayenne hid his hand behind his back and murmured.
“No, I should change how I address you now.”
“…?”
“Wife.”
Cayenne smiled at her. A courteous yet, uncharacteristically, refreshing smile.
“Thank you, wife.”
Afterward, Etisha and Cayenne returned to Wintel Castle.
On the way back in the carriage, Cayenne apologized about something. But Etisha didn’t really understand what he meant.
It seemed he was apologizing for when he fetched her from the cabin last time—saying things about his mother and lover that she couldn’t follow.
In truth, she was too busy staring at Cayenne’s expression to listen properly.
Surprisingly, Cayenne smiled faintly at her the whole way back. Compared to the dark, grim look he had when leaving the castle, his expression now was astonishingly different.
Etisha couldn’t tear herself away from that shocking contrast and kept stealing glances at his smiling face.
The more she looked, the dizzier she felt.
If only he had smiled like this earlier when greeting the people of the domain… they all would have fallen for him.
One way or another, they finally returned to Wintel Castle.
Passing through the front gate, the servants were lined up waiting. They had returned later than expected, so everyone must have been waiting anxiously.
While Etisha stepped down from the carriage, the aide Valdefram quietly approached Cayenne and whispered.
“Your Grace. Everything went according to plan.”
“…You succeeded?”
“Yes. He has been bound and confined in the underground prison.”
“I see. I’ll go soon.”
Valdefram bowed and withdrew.
Their voices were so low that Etisha couldn’t catch the details—but one word rang clear: underground prison.
Prison…? Could it be they captured Dieter?
As far as she knew, the only person linked to that word was Dieter.
But he used a Warptel stone to escape. How could they have caught him?
If they really had captured him, that was wonderful news indeed—the one who had caused both Lady Cyrilleze and Cayenne such grief.
“Wife.”
Just then, Cayenne called her.
Etisha, still unaccustomed to being called “wife,” didn’t realize he was speaking to her at first.
“Wife, I must step away for a while.”
Cayenne leaned close and whispered at her ear. Etisha startled and covered her ear with one hand.
“D-Duke.”
“…Did I startle you?”
His voice was so close, she could feel his breath.
If I turn my head, his lips might touch mine…
Etisha pressed her hand tightly over her ear. Her ears had flushed red, tickling with heat.
“I have some business to attend to. Please return to your chamber and rest.”
“Yes… Will it take long?”
“Most likely.”
Etisha nodded and slowly stepped back.
In any case, it would take some time to bathe and change out of the wedding dress.
“Take your time.”
“I’ll see you later.”
Cayenne bade her farewell and walked away with Valdefram.
Etisha gazed at his back for a moment before following the maids inside the castle.
Marin hurried to hold up her hem so she wouldn’t trip.
“My lady—ah, no, I must call you Madam now, right? Madam, what happened outside? You returned late and everyone was worried.”
“Sorry. Something came up.”
“Well, thank goodness you’re safe. But we must hurry. There’s so much to prepare!”
Marin exchanged glances with the other maids, who nodded solemnly, even the stern head maid, Gerta.
“Prepare…? Prepare what?”
Marin thumped her chest as if exasperated, then whispered with twinkling black eyes:
“Oh, Madam… you know, of course.”
“?”
“Your wedding night, of course!”
“!”
Wedding night?
So today really was the wedding night…
But…
Etisha was swept along to the dressing room, unable to say a word.
Her hair was unpinned, her wedding dress removed, and she sank into a warm bath with rose petals. Yet her mind remained hazy.
Even if it’s called a wedding night… surely nothing will happen?
It wasn’t truly a wedding night anyway.
Etisha submerged herself completely, while the maids busily worked fragrant oils into her pink hair.
Yes, surely nothing will happen…
She sighed. Bubbles rose on the bathwater’s surface.
Cold seeped from the stone walls.
The spiral staircase stretched endlessly downward, darker and darker until sight failed. Torches flickered faintly, threatening to die out.
The underground prison.
Valdefram, carrying a lamp, stopped before a wall. A few bricks jutted out irregularly.
“Please, Your Grace.”
This was the hidden secret prison.
Valdefram pressed the bricks in a certain order, and a passage opened. Cayenne walked in with a blank expression.
Pitch darkness.
Only Valdefram’s lamp flickered faintly, but Cayenne strode on unfazed, like a predator melting into shadows to stalk its prey.
At last.
At last, he would meet him—
the one he had devoted his life to finding for vengeance.
His biological parents, who had ruined his childhood.
His mother was already dead, waiting only in hell. But his father still lived, and must pay for his sins.
What Cayenne had told Etisha was only the tip of the iceberg. He had omitted and simplified much for her sake.
He stopped before the iron bars.
Deep within, a man chained to the wall stirred.
“Father.”
A low, cold voice pierced the dark. The black-haired man flinched.
“At last we meet. Have you been well?”
Cayenne opened the cell door. Valdefram tried to stop him, tense.
“Your Grace, it’s dangerous to go inside—”
But Cayenne ignored him, stepping into the blackness until both he and the prisoner vanished from Valdefram’s sight.
“……”
Cayenne slowly approached, seized the man’s chin, and tore away the eyepatch.
Black hair, black eyes.
A handsome man who looked barely in his mid-thirties.
Resembling Kylez, yet upon closer inspection, he looked far more like Cayenne himself.
“Father.”
