Chapter 12 (Part 3)

The underground dungeon reeked of mold, and rats scurried noisily underfoot.  

Therese, crouched in a corner, stared blankly at the small window. Being half-underground, it offered no view of the sky, only gravel and weeds.  

“…Sigh.”  

She exhaled, the white mist of her breath dissipating quickly, much like her own situation.  

Soon, she would disappear, just like that.  

Her palm throbbed with a burning sensation, likely injured while swinging the dagger earlier. But she didn’t even have the will to tend to the wound.  

Creak.  

The door leading down to the dungeon opened, followed by a commotion, prompting Therese to cautiously lift her head.  

‘…What is going on?’  

Judging by the empty cells, it seemed there weren’t usually many prisoners here, yet tonight there was another besides herself.  

“Face forward and walk properly!”  

A prisoner, flanked by soldiers in front and behind, was being dragged toward her.  

“Stop staggering!”  

Though bound with ropes, the prisoner offered no resistance, yet the soldiers mercilessly struck his back and stomach.  

As the man, who didn’t even let out a groan, drew closer to the cell, Therese’s heart began to pound.  

The silhouette looked strangely familiar.  

‘It can’t be, right?’  

Hoping against hope, Therese opened her eyes wide. Moments later, under the torchlight, the bloodied figure of the man was revealed, and Therese’s eyes widened in shock.  

“…”  

Though he wore a mask, there was no mistaking who he was.  

‘Why is His Grace…?’  

And why had he been captured in the imperial palace, dressed as the Night Wolf?  

Especially now, when the Emperor was constantly looking for an excuse to target Duke Richard’s life.  

Therese, overwhelmed with anxiety, tried to compose herself as someone approached the cell.  

“This is a moment that will go down in the Empire’s history.”  

Felipe Morciani, his face brimming with excitement, peered into the cell.  

“To capture both the witch and the thief threatening the Empire’s peace in one night—this must surely be thanks to Diana’s blessing.”  

The Emperor had a sinister plan.  

By morning, the two would be executed under names other than those of the Duke and Duchess Richard.  

At present, the Duchess had no idea that the Night Wolf in the neighboring cell was her husband.  

Likewise, Duke Richard, disguised in men’s clothing and a mask, was unaware that his wife was just a few feet away.  

‘A husband and wife who don’t recognize each other…’  

The unintended irony of the situation filled Felipe with glee.  

“Make good use of the time you have left. This will be your last morning.”  

The Emperor, satisfied, glanced at Therese crouched in the corner and the Night Wolf lying motionless on the floor. The Duke appeared to be on the brink of death after a severe beating.  

Felipe felt no pity. This was punishment for the Duke’s audacity in defying his place.  

“Keep the area under strict surveillance throughout the night!”  

“As you command, Your Majesty!”  

The Emperor soon disappeared, and the iron door—the only entrance to the dungeon—was firmly locked.  

The smell of soot from the torches fixed to the walls filled the underground space.  

Therese, after surveying her surroundings, stood and approached the bars.  

“…Your Grace.”  

Her heart pounded painfully at the sight of the Duke, who looked as though he were already dead.  

She had tried so hard to prevent this, but in the end, she had failed.  

Life never seemed to go as planned, but this was beyond disastrous.  

“Your Grace.”  

She called out softly, barely above a whisper, afraid someone might overhear. But the Duke remained motionless.  

“Why are you here?”  

She had specifically instructed Sophia to deliver a message telling him to flee.

Therese, her eyes vacant, reached through the bars and tugged at the hem of his clothes.  

“…Your Grace.”  

His large body remained motionless, but Therese shook him harder.  

“Je… Jeremy.”  

At the sound of her voice, the Duke’s body twitched slightly before he finally raised his head. Twisting his wrist, he snapped the loose ropes in an instant. As he rubbed his wrist, the Duke slowly removed his mask.  

His sweat-soaked golden hair gleamed brightly, and his eyes were filled with Therese.  

Faced with the Duke she had longed for so desperately, Therese let out a short gasp.  

“…Ah.”  

“Do… do you know me?”  

The Duke’s rough voice left Therese visibly flustered.  

“Your Grace, don’t you recognize me?”  

Thinking he might have temporarily lost his memory from a blow to the head, Therese quickly checked her own appearance. Dressed in men’s clothing and disheveled from crying, she quickly removed her mask and stammered,  

“This… this is…”  

As she tried to fix her messy hair, the Duke, now standing, reached through the bars and grabbed her waist.  

“I could never fail to recognize you.”  

Despite the blood streaming from his wounds, the Duke made a joke, and Therese felt a surge of emotion welling up inside her.  

“Am I still your ideal type?”  

“…Right now…”  

“Do you still love me?”  

“Didn’t I tell you to escape? You said you’d listen to whatever I said!”  

Holding back tears, Therese questioned him sharply.  

“Of course. If you told me to die right now, I’d obey.”  

The Duke gently brushed her lips with his calloused thumb.  

“But I can’t allow you to get hurt.”  

Therese had resolved to endure, even if she had to divorce him and meet another man. She had planned to wait silently for the day she could return to him, enduring the passage of time.  

Even if she never returned to his side, it would be enough just to exist under the same sky.  

“I’ve always regretted leaving you behind that day.”  

He should have taken her hand by force and led her out of this place.  

“Everything I thought I was doing for your sake has always gone wrong.”  

The choices he made, believing that Therese would be happier without him, had all ended in failure, and this time was no different.  

“I don’t want to regret anything anymore.”  

His hand trembled as he stroked her cheek. Therese, struggling to hold back her tears, spoke with difficulty.  

“I didn’t want you to get hurt.”  

That was why she had come to the imperial palace, but seeing him in such pain now left her at a loss.  

“I wanted to protect you…”  

As Therese began to ramble, Jeremy pressed himself closer to the bars.  

“I’m reassured to hear that you’re protecting me.”  

“That’s not what I mean!”  

Frustrated by the Duke’s inappropriate responses, Therese raised her voice.  

“I’m glad I can hear you angry at me.”  

“That’s not it! What are you doing here?”  

“I couldn’t think of any other way to see you right away.”  

“Why would you do this for someone like me…”  

The entire empire had been abuzz with rumors that Therese, the Emperor’s mistress, was carrying an illegitimate child.  

If she had been in Duke Richard’s position, she wouldn’t have been able to forgive herself either.  

“Don’t lower your head. You are the only woman I cherish and respect.”  

The Duke tilted her chin up and whispered tenderly. But the more he acted as if nothing was wrong, the more Therese’s heart shrank.  

On the night the Duke had clung to her, crying, Therese had coldly abandoned him.  

Surely, he must have been deeply hurt by her betrayal. So why did Jeremy Richard continue to act so foolishly?  

“Your Grace, don’t you find someone like me disgusting?”  

When Therese raised her head, her blue eyes were bloodshot with tears.  

“Please don’t say such things. As long as I can stay by your side, I’ll endure anything.”  

“I betrayed you and hurt you.”  

Through the bars, the two embraced tightly, their breaths growing warmer.  

“The pain you give me is nothing but bliss. So don’t worry about it.”  

Realizing that no words could change Jeremy’s mind, Therese grew desperate.  

Even if her actions were for his sake, it didn’t erase the wrongs she had committed.  

She didn’t deserve to receive such kind gazes. Hardening her resolve, Therese spoke in a cold tone.  

“Then what about carrying the Emperor’s child?”  

At her question, the Duke replied softly, without the slightest hesitation.  

“If it’s your child, I’ll raise them with care.”  

When the Duke declared he would even accept the Emperor’s illegitimate child, Therese felt utterly defeated.  

“Why do you keep doing this for someone like me?”  

“Didn’t I tell you before?”  

At the Duke’s whisper, Therese’s mind drifted back to a day in the past.  

‘For someone like me, there’s no room for a new love.’  

As he had confessed, thick tears had rolled down his long lashes. His confession and tears had felt so surreal that she had struggled to believe them.  

“I’ve loved you for so long that I can’t even remember when it began.”  

Perhaps their fates had been sealed the moment Jeremy saved Therese in the carriage.  

“I… I truly didn’t know.”  

“It’s all my fault for being so inadequate.”  

The Duke’s trembling voice and the tension in his arms as he held her waist were genuine.  

“So please, don’t push me away anymore.”  

Listening to him, it felt as though they weren’t in a prison at all. But the cold touch of the iron bars against her cheek brought Therese back to reality, and she couldn’t hold back her tears.  

“…Your Grace.”  

At her call, Jeremy met her gaze.  

“Speak. I’m listening.”  

If this truly was their last dawn together, as the Emperor had said, she couldn’t afford to leave any regrets behind.  

So Therese gathered her courage.  

Looking up at Jeremy, who had captured her heart from the first moment she saw him, she whispered,  

“I… I love you.”  

Her confession spilled from her lips in an instant. But it was nothing like the countless times she had written it in her diary or repeated it silently in her mind.  

Feeling as though she wanted to crawl into a hole, Therese tried to turn her head, but the Duke firmly held her in place.  

“You truly have a talent for driving me mad.”  

Jeremy, gripping her chin tightly, leaned in and kissed her through the bars.