Duke and Duchess Reunion - Chapter 88

Chapter 88

Carlos held Aneta in his arms for a long time. As his expression finally relaxed, Aneta asked the question she had always wanted.

“How long has it been since I’ve been gone?”

Carlos furrowed his brow. Straining to recall the hazy memories, he gave a slightly delayed response.

“It’s been about three days.”

“Only three days?”

“That’s how I remember it. Why? Did time pass differently between here and there?”

“I think so. I was there for about eight days.”

Aneta counted the days based on the mornings she had experienced there. Since there were no nights but rather long days and twilights, the difference in time must not be significant.

“So, a day here is two days there.”

“I’m not sure how this happened, but after being manipulated by all these strange things, it’s not even surprising anymore.”

As soon as Aneta mentioned the strange phenomena, Carlos’s expression hardened. Just thinking about it seemed to make him furious, and his brow furrowed deeply in frustration.

But being angry also requires energy. Carlos felt a stabbing headache and let out a small groan.

“Ah.”

He unconsciously tried to muffle the sound, but there was no way Aneta, who was so close, wouldn’t hear it.

Quickly, Aneta pulled away from Carlos and examined his face.

“Carlos, are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Carlos denied it, but Aneta didn’t believe him.

“Fine? You look like you could collapse at any moment.”

His rough appearance was the least of the concerns. His bloodshot eyes, likely from sleeplessness, and his pale, drained complexion made it clear that he needed rest.

Aneta couldn’t even begin to fathom how much emotional strain Carlos had endured.

“I’m more upset about being away from you than anything else.”

“Don’t joke around in a situation like this.”

“Does it sound like a joke? I’m always sincere with you.”

With a gaunt face, Carlos managed to smile. Seeing that made Aneta’s heartache.

Even though her delay wasn’t intentional, guilt washed over her, making her feel that she should have come back sooner.

“Yeah, I know. How could I not? But right now, taking care of your health is the priority.”

Aneta swallowed a deep sigh and took Carlos’s hand.

“How long have you gone without sleep?”

“Can’t I just not answer?”

Carlos let his gaze drop, trying to avoid the question with silence, but that wouldn’t work.

“No, you can’t.”

“The truth is, I haven’t slept a wink since you disappeared.”

Once again, Carlos found himself blocked by Aneta’s firmness. He surrendered and confessed easily as if he hadn’t tried to avoid answering at all.

Aneta’s lips parted as she watched him admit it.

“What about eating?”

There was no way someone who hadn’t slept would have eaten properly.

As expected, Carlos averted his gaze slightly. Watching his wordless reaction, Aneta let out a sigh she had been holding back.

There was a reason why someone as strong as him was barely holding himself up. The fact that they were even having a coherent conversation was a miracle. A normal person would have collapsed long ago.

“It’s not like I ate nothing. I had to hold on until you got here.”

“What did you eat?”

“Water and an apple.”

Carlos tried to defend himself by saying he hadn’t forced himself to eat anything else, but it didn’t work.

Aneta sighed even deeper.

“This won’t do. It’ll be tough, but let’s go to my bedroom. You need to get some sleep there. We’ll worry about food after you’ve rested.”

She couldn’t let Carlos rest in Elena’s room, where shards of mirrors were scattered everywhere and there was no place to lie down.

Aneta wrapped her arm around Carlos’s shoulder to help him up from the cold, hard floor. Carlos struggled to hold himself upright.

It seemed Aneta realized that she couldn’t lift herself alone.

Supporting Carlos as he struggled to rise, Aneta carefully guided him out of Elena’s room.

The mansion was deathly quiet, and unlike Elena’s room, where the lights were still on, the rest of the house was shrouded in darkness.

‘They can’t have gone to bed already, can they?’

Looking at Carlos, Aneta recalled what Lei had said when they entered the mansion—that everyone should have been asleep by then.

‘Does that mean Lei put all the servants to sleep? Is that spell still in effect?’

Just as Aneta began to worry, Carlos spoke as if reading her mind.

“The servants are all asleep. The mansion was completely silent while you were gone, and I was the only one who could move. No one came to visit either.”

“It’s strange, though. No one came looking for us, even after three days? Especially since you’ve been away for more than a day, the Emperor would have started searching for you immediately. Otherwise, someone from the Duke’s residence would have been sent.”

“I think that’s probably another one of Lei’s tricks—to keep anyone from finding us.”

At this point, it was hard to believe that Lei’s underhanded tactics were anything noble at all.

“But how did you get out of there? The miracle wouldn’t have let you go so easily.”

“I made a gamble.”

“A gamble? What do you mean?”

“Exactly that. I had to find the miracle’s true form within the time he gave me.”

Carlos, who had been walking slowly, came to a halt at Aneta’s words.

“The miracle had a true form?”

His shocked gaze shifted to the necklace hanging around Aneta’s neck. Following his gaze, Aneta nodded, looking at the necklace still hanging from her neck.

“Yes. This necklace was just a tool, something the miracle used to maintain a connection with me.”

“That explains why you could use those abilities.”

Aneta explained to Carlos what had happened during her time there. When she told him about the gamble, he opened his mouth as if at a loss for words, then finally managed to speak.

“That was reckless, Aneta.”

“But it’s how I was able to come back.”

“I can’t deny that.”

Carlos knew there must have been a good reason for Aneta to make such a choice. Instead of adding unnecessary words, Carlos expressed what he had wanted to say for a long time.

“Thank you, Aneta, for coming back to me.”

“The miracle told me that I would regret coming back for a man I might part ways with at any moment.”

“…”

“But for me, you’re not someone who can be described with such words. So, there’s no regret. I returned because I couldn’t let you go, so don’t thank me.”

Aneta shrugged at Carlos, who was staring at her in awe. Then, to shake off the awkwardness, she urged him forward as they had stopped in place.

“Come on, let’s keep going.”

Carlos let himself be gently led by Aneta’s guiding hand.

“You’ll never have any regrets. I’ll make sure to be even better.”

“How much better can you get?”

“The way I’ve always been with you is never an act. The depth of my sincerity is something no one can measure. So, there’s no end to how much better I can be. I promise.”

“I believe you.”

After their brief conversation, the two continued walking diligently.

When they arrived at Aneta’s bedroom, she led Carlos inside. As soon as he sat on the bed, Carlos grabbed her wrist.

“Stay with me. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep without you.”

“…Alright.”

Aneta lay down next to him as he asked. The bed was large, but Carlos pulled her tightly into his arms as if he didn’t want to let her go.

Instead of complaining, Aneta gently soothed his chest.

With his anxiety fading away, Carlos fell asleep almost immediately, as if the sleepless nights had never happened.

Even in his sleep, his arms didn’t loosen their grip around Aneta.

Aneta watched over him throughout the night, relying on the small lamp she had left by his bedside.
As dawn approached, the angle of the light filtering into the room shifted gradually. Aneta wanted to draw the curtains to block the light, but she knew leaving his embrace would disturb his rest.

When morning finally came, the sunlight made its way to the bed. Even though Carlos was lying with his back to the window, the light pouring in through the open curtains didn’t wake him.

Aneta quietly watched Carlos, bathed in light. It reminded her of when he had stood by the window, glowing just like this after returning from his journey.

Back then, Aneta had thought of him as a light she could never grasp. But now she realizes something.

He wasn’t the light—he was her breath.

No matter how brilliant the light before her, she could never let go of her breath.

“I love you, Carlos.”

Aneta confessed her love in a soft voice. He, still asleep, buried his head in her shoulder and couldn’t hear her, but Aneta whispered once more.

“I love you.”

As the saying goes, true words are simple. No other words could express her profound feelings more than these.

***

It was about two hours later that Isabel came to the bedroom. Remembering that she had fainted in a strange place, she was confused to find that five days had passed since she last woke up.

However, Aneta had sent her back because of Carlos, and she could only gather the servants to explain everything after he woke up.

There was nothing to hide. Aneta casually announced what had happened to her and the loss of her glory.

Isabel and the servants were more concerned about what Aneta had gone through than the fact that the Marquis’ house was no longer a family of glory.

It was because Aneta had mentioned Elena. Knowing how deeply Aneta missed her, they sighed in sympathy. But more than their sympathy, they were relieved and joyful that Aneta had returned to her rightful world.

Aneta granted the servants a day off for the unnecessary troubles they had faced. There was no need to worry about meals; the kitchen staff were given alternating shifts, ensuring that everything ran smoothly.

Aneta requested soup for Carlos, asking the chef to keep it light, as something too heavy might upset his stomach.

However, despite the care that both Aneta and the chef had put into the meal, Carlos could only eat half of it before putting down the spoon.

Just then, someone rushed in with a pale face, bearing orders from Russell and the butler Linden of the Duke of Baltimor.

“The Duke of Baltimor and the Marquis of Adenauer. His Majesty has summoned the heads of the families of glory.”