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Chapter 7
Kahinel also took off his shirt.
The first thing that caught my eye was his broad shoulders and well-defined deltoids.
Veins rose clearly along his right arm as he held his sword—so visible that even from a distance, they stood out sharply.
“Wow.”
When he slightly turned his body, his latissimus muscles and the sharply defined muscles beside them looked almost unreal, like sculpted marble brought to life.
‘As expected, the male lead is the male lead.’
I had already acknowledged it when I first met Kahinel, but I found myself admitting it all over again.
Even if he carried the label of a “crazy villain,” Kahinel was still the male lead of a romance novel.
“I’m going to close my eyes.”
Suddenly, Anna squeezed her eyes shut.
“Why are you doing that all of a sudden?”
How could she miss out on hot-bodied men like this?
Open your eyes. I mean it—open them.
But Anna stayed firm.
“How could I possibly look at the Duke’s bare body?”
“What does that matter? Good things are better when shared.”
“B-but still…!”
“It’s fine. Just look.”
It’s not even my man anyway.
After I gave Anna permission to peek, she slowly opened her eyes again. I also went back to enjoying the view.
“…Oh my.”
Our eyes met—me and Kahinel.
Anna noticed immediately and panicked, pushing me forward, telling me to go to him.
Is this really the right time to approach him?
“Now! Be bold and honest!”
Anna kept pushing me until, before I knew it, I was standing in the middle of the training grounds.
I knew this would happen.
This is definitely not the right timing.
“Are you following me even here now?”
“I’m a bit persistent, yes?”
“So my wife isn’t satisfied with just having meals with me.”
“Honestly… that might be true. But more importantly, am I somewhere I shouldn’t be?”
I’m the Duchess of Highrent.
That means I should be allowed here too, right?
I was about to argue back, but Kahinel’s expression was so cold that I stopped myself.
Ah, life as the weaker side is hard.
“Sorry for coming without permission.”
When I apologized meekly, Kahinel didn’t say anything further.
“So, what brings you here?”
“Hm. I came because I want something from you.”
His gaze turned cold.
“Are you suggesting we start having tea time together now?”
“Oh, that’s actually a good ide—”
“…”
“…but not right now.”
If I say, “Can I hug you?” what will happen to my future?
If tea time gets rejected, then physical contact would definitely get me killed—probability 1,010%.
‘Even if I changed my strategy to just charging in blindly, I still need to read the situation.’
I wasn’t trying to die for anything other than surviving.
‘What should I ask for?’
Since I already opened my mouth, I had to finish the sentence somehow.
Then I saw something.
Without thinking, I blurted it out.
I wasn’t fully “honest” yet, but I could at least be “bold.”
“That!”
At my shout, Kahinel frowned.
“That?”
“That handkerchief you just used to wipe your sweat. Can I have it?”
“…?”
“I want it. Please give it to me!”
Countless confused gazes landed on me.
“Ah!”
Anna groaned, holding the back of her neck like she was about to collapse.
Yes. I have… slightly strange tastes.
Please respect that.
* * *
“Hm.”
Sitting on my bed, I stared at the handkerchief placed in front of me.
I did manage to get it, but… what am I supposed to do with this?
“Should I say I changed my mind and return it?”
It’s not like I don’t already have handkerchiefs.
There was no need to keep someone else’s.
And honestly… it was soaked in Kahinel’s sweat. That was kind of disgusting.
“The more I think about it, the less I understand.”
Why did he even give it to me just because I asked?
Of course, he didn’t give it happily, but still—he accepted my request.
Should I call this tsundere behavior?
Or just “take it and get lost” energy?
“I don’t know. I’ll just return it later.”
Just as I was about to resolve the issue, Anna came in.
“Milady, should I prepare some fruit?”
“Yes, please.”
In this empire, fruit wasn’t commonly eaten as a proper food.
It was mostly used as decoration or for sour-sweet flavoring.
But Korea was different.
In Korea, fruit after meals was basically essential.
Even hospital meals came with fruit.
“Come to think of it, Kahinel’s taste is also pretty unusual.”
Apple-carrot juice—he only drank it in the morning.
“Honestly, he’s such a strange man.”
We had been eating together more regularly lately, so I thought things were improving…
But then, earlier—
“Are you suggesting we start having tea time together?”
A wife asking her husband for tea time shouldn’t be such a shocking thing, right?
…Well, maybe it was for him.
“He really needs to open up a little…”
It had already been three weeks.
Three months left until my death deadline.
“I guess he still doesn’t trust me.”
I burned every letter from Marquis Deil.
I even deliberately insulted him in front of Kahinel.
But it still wasn’t enough to convince him.
“Should I just do what Anna says and throw myself at him?”
No. That’s too dangerous.
There’s still that 1,010% chance of dying.
While trying to think properly for once, the curse hit me again.
“Ha… damn…”
I steadied my breathing.
My chest ached as if it would collapse, but I forced myself to endure it.
Sometimes the pain was unbearable; other times it was manageable.
Right now, it was bearable.
“Haah… Kahinel…”
Was it because I had relied on him too much?
My body seemed to crave his presence now.
Even when I could endure it, the pain kept wearing me down.
I crawled out of bed like a zombie.
I had to go to Kahinel right now… or at least sit outside his room.
“…Ah, the handkerchief.”
I grabbed it, planning to use it as an excuse if he got angry.
I stepped forward.
“…?”
And then—
The curse suddenly stopped.
“What?”
A moment ago I was in agony, but now I felt completely fine.
Confused, I realized something.
The handkerchief in my hand.
“…No way.”
That can’t be it.
It shouldn’t be.
“If it’s not this, then what is it?”
I brought it to my nose.
And—
“…”
Why does it smell… nice?
I had literally seen him wipe sweat with it, so why wasn’t it disgusting?
Instead of sweat, it carried Kahinel’s calm, cool natural scent.
Then everything clicked.
What I had discovered so far:
-
Being inside Kahinel’s influence zone reduces pain.
-
Smelling Kahinel’s scent reduces pain.
-
Physical contact with Kahinel reduces pain.
Number 3 still needed more testing, but it was the strongest so far.
And now this handkerchief alone was enough to suppress the curse.
Which meant—
Just his scent alone was enough to manage the curse when I was alone!
“I asked for this… and he actually gave it to me…”
This was unbelievable.
“This is like a miracle gift.”
Hehe.
I laughed.
A handkerchief soaked in Kahinel’s scent had basically become a portable painkiller.
When I couldn’t meet him or go to his room, this would keep me alive.
“I’m not returning it.”
Once given, it’s mine.
I carefully held it to my chest.
“From now on, you’re my number one treasure.”
Yes.
I didn’t expect myself to become this obsessed with someone’s sweat either.
