#8.

—

Rumble, crash!

Thunder and lightning came with the downpour.

Dominic, who had ridden through the pitch-black night in the rain, quickly dismounted when he reached the mansion’s entrance.

Due to his sudden late-night arrival, there was no one waiting outside for him.

“Oh! Your Grace!”

When he entered the corridor completely soaked, the servants and butler who finally saw him were startled, looking as though they had seen a ghost.

“Is my mother alright?”

As he removed his wet coat, Jeffrey promptly approached to take it and draped it over his arm.

Water dripped onto the carpet, and the duke’s hair was a mess from the rain.

“We expected you to arrive tomorrow morning.”

The butler could guess how madly the duke must have ridden without rest just by looking at his appearance.

“Bring me a warm drink.”

Dominic gave the brief command and strode toward the second floor, still dripping wet.

He quickly climbed the arched staircase with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and saw someone in the long corridor.

The person very gently closing Melissa’s door was his fake wife.

‘Ellin?’

Completely unaware of his presence on the second floor, she tiptoed toward the opposite end of the corridor from where he stood.

Dressed in a flowing indoor dress with bluish tints, she looked much more comfortable and natural now than on the day he left.

“……!”

He was about to call her when Ellin suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Dominic watched with puzzled eyes as she backed up without turning around and seriously stared at the wall.

Her behavior made little sense to him.

Ellin raised her arm to straighten a frame hanging on the wall.

She stepped back to look at it, then put her hand on her chin and moved to the side to examine it, her gaze quite serious.

“What exactly are you doing there?”

Hearing Dominic’s cold voice, Ellin jumped in shock and turned around.

“D-Duke!”

Her reaction mirrored exactly how the servants and Jeffrey had looked downstairs.

No, her expression suggested she had seen something even more shocking.

Dominic strode toward her as she stood frozen like a statue.

Looking at the wall, he saw several paintings his mother cherished.

“I-I was just passing by and noticed the frame looked crooked……”

While answering, Ellin seemed flustered about where to direct her gaze upon seeing his wet body.

Understandably so, since his thin white shirt clung to his body from the rain.

His firm chest and flat abdomen sculpted with muscles were clearly visible, making it more embarrassing than if he were completely n*ked.

“Is my mother alright?”

When Dominic turned to enter Melissa’s room, Ellin quickly blocked his way.

Just moments ago, her face had been flushed and she couldn’t even meet his eyes.

Dominic felt perplexed when Ellin boldly blocked his path.

“S-she just fell asleep. She was complaining about not being able to sleep, but finally managed with great, great, difficulty.”

Ellin emphasized the words ‘great difficulty’ while preventing him from entering Melissa’s room.

Seeing her, he gathered that Melissa’s condition wasn’t as serious as he had feared.

Understanding the situation, Dominic glanced once at Melissa’s firmly closed door and didn’t insist further.

Noticing the duke had given up, Ellin gently stepped back to make way for him.

Her gaze still couldn’t rest even for a moment on his shirt clinging to his body, wandering somewhere in the empty space.

“I’ll immediately instruct them to prepare bath water.”

“Please do.”

Ellin scurried down the stairs he had just climbed, as if glad to have found an excuse to escape from him.

Dominic watched her disappear as quickly as a flying squirrel.

Come to think of it, Jeffrey would already take care of preparing the bath without her having to worry about it.

His sudden appearance had clearly flustered Ellin.

* * *

“Whew.”

Having rushed downstairs, Ellin placed a hand on her chest and caught her breath when she saw the duke was no longer visible.

“What’s wrong with me?”

It was just the duke returning home.

She found it strange that her heart pounded so much just from encountering him in the corridor.

Was it because he suddenly returned when she had been mentally preparing herself for tomorrow?

The image of him soaked in rain flashed through her mind, sending a wave of heat to her face.

“I’m going crazy.”

She was fanning herself with her hand when a passing maid asked with concern:

“My lady, are you feeling unwell?”

Ellin straightened her posture in surprise.

“N-no, I’m fine.”

Then she straightened her back and headed toward Jeffrey.

* * *

Dominic entered the steaming hot bathtub.

The tense muscles from riding without rest relaxed in the warm water.

With his long arms draped over the golden bathtub that looked slightly small for his build, he quietly recalled the earlier situation.

Her face when she stepped back in shock upon seeing him, her determined gaze when stopping him at the door, and her softly closed lips.

Remembering that face, the impulse he had felt earlier revived.

Seeing her in that flowing sky-blue dress, he almost lowered his head to kiss her right there in the corridor.

He had been overwhelmed by relief and fatigue upon learning that Melissa was fine.

That must be why he had fallen prey to such an absurd impulse.

Though he tried to dismiss it as nothing significant, he couldn’t deny the changes in his heated body despite his cool mind.

Dominic couldn’t hide his bewilderment as blood rushed to one place, hardening his body.

He poured water over his head as if trying to clear his mind.

Perhaps from riding through the freezing rain for so long, his body temperature felt hotter than the warm water.

He had been resting his arms loosely on the bathtub, but now he sank deeper until completely submerged.

Meanwhile, Ellin’s heart pounded harder as she approached her room.

“My lady.”

Servants exiting the room bowed respectfully to her.

“The duke?”

“He said he wanted to be alone, so we’re leaving.”

Ellin smiled slightly and nodded once at their words.

“I see.”

“Just hand him a towel when he comes out of the bath.”

“Alright.”

She watched them naturally disappear down the corridor, but her steps toward the room grew heavier.

‘In the bathtub. That means he’s completely n*ked……’

A suggestive scene flashed through her mind, but she shook her head firmly as if to banish it.

‘Ellin Nilson! Get a grip.’

She shook off the embarrassing fantasy and entered the room in one swift motion.

She had resolved to properly play the role of duchess for a year. How could she be in such a weak mental state?

After getting married, there were many things she hadn’t anticipated.

Like today’s situation, for instance.

‘I need to act natural in front of others. Couples even bathe together sometimes, so handing over a towel is nothing.’

While she was calming herself, she heard water splashing from the bathtub.

Behind the screen, Ellin gripped the towel in her hand tightly. She couldn’t deny feeling nervous.

‘Surely he won’t come out completely n*ked… What nonsense. Of course he’ll be n*ked. This won’t work. I might faint if I see him.’

“Ahem, ahem.”

Ellin made her presence known loud enough for him to hear, and placed the towel visibly on the shelf beside the screen.

Then she quickly slipped out of the bathroom after opening the curtain.

While Ellin was struggling alone outside the bathroom, Dominic emerged with a very relaxed expression, loosely wearing a robe.

Fortunately, the towel she had left was draped around his neck.

His black hair, damp and disheveled over his forehead after bathing, looked somewhat decadent and dissolute.

Dominic, holding the warm glass of alcohol Jeffrey had brought, walked over and sat across from Ellin on the sofa.

“The physician said she’ll recover quickly with just a little rest. You don’t need to worry too much.”

“I see. That’s a relief.”

Dominic answered with a languid expression.

“And……”

When Ellin carefully began speaking while fidgeting with the edge of the sofa, Dominic looked at her with curious eyes, wondering what she was about to say.

“I visited my brother and his condition has improved a lot. Though he doesn’t seem fully adjusted to the new hospital yet. Thank you so much for moving him to the Royal Hospital.”

When Ellin sincerely expressed her gratitude, Dominic felt strange.

She didn’t need to thank him for that.

It was part of their agreement, a rightful compensation she deserved for agreeing to this marriage.

He couldn’t understand why she was so grateful.

“I merely kept my promise.”

Though Dominic answered indifferently, Ellin spoke with eyes full of trust.

“Though inadequate, I’ll faithfully fulfill my role as duchess for a year. Since you kept your promise, I’ll definitely keep mine too.”

Dominic felt odd watching her declare her resolution before him.

“I appreciate that.”

He nodded briefly as he spoke.

That statement about faithfully playing the role of fake wife should have sounded welcome, but why did it feel somewhat unpleasant?

He pondered deeply while taking a sip of his drink, but couldn’t figure it out.

While he was momentarily confused, Ellin continued with genuinely sparkling eyes.

“Oh! About our sleeping arrangements. We have to share a room for a while, don’t we?”

Ellin adjusted her posture as if about to say something important.

Dominic’s throat suddenly felt parched, so he downed the remaining whiskey in one gulp.

What was she going to say now?

“No matter how large the bed is, I think you’ll be uncomfortable. So I’ll sleep on the sofa from now on. The sofa is much larger and better than my original bed anyway.”

Ellin lightly patted the sofa and smiled brightly.

“So please sleep comfortably from now on. Don’t sleep in your office because of me.”

Dominic responded curtly to her words.

“Whatever suits you.”

Dominic recalled his body’s reaction in the bathtub earlier with a sour expression.

Seeing her propose this first, almost as if she knew about it, left him feeling rather displeased.

When Dominic stood up, Ellin looked up at him with round eyes.

“I need to review some overdue accounting ledgers. I’ll sleep in my office tonight.”

She nodded slowly in understanding, but spoke with concern.

“You rode in the rain for a long time. Working until this late at night doesn’t seem good for your health……”

Her expression and tone were one of genuine concern, like someone worried about their family member.

She clearly maintained boundaries regarding their sleeping arrangements while reminding them of their relationship, but now her concern for him felt contradictory.

“I’ll take care of my own body, so you don’t need to worry about me.”

Ellin immediately realized she had overstepped at his cold response.

“……Yes.”

Seeing her acknowledge it so promptly, an inexplicable fire suddenly flared inside Dominic.

Did she have a talent for quietly driving people crazy?

He suddenly felt the air in the room grow muggy like a tropical night and quickly left.

Left alone in the room, Ellin thought the duke had become angry because of her thoughtless interference.

“You’re not even his real wife. Don’t cross the line, Ellin.”

After scolding herself, she collapsed onto the sofa where she sat.

“I wish there was a book that explained exactly where a duchess should draw the line.”

She felt awkward about her genuine feelings toward the duke that kept surfacing unexpectedly.

Yet the pressure to make this marriage work weighed heavily on her.

A fake marriage to someone she had secretly loved wasn’t as simple as her resolution made it seem.

* * *