Chapter 6 (Part 10)

Through the shower of flower petals, Duke Richard strode toward her, and Therese was too stunned to even blink.  

At first, she thought it might be a hallucination.  

She had been thinking about the Duke so much that perhaps the night had conjured up an illusion. But the fluttering red cloak amidst the flower rain was unmistakably Duke Richard’s.  

Nervously, Therese pressed herself further against the tree. The Duke, now standing before her, spoke.  

“So this is where you were.”  

“……”  

The Duke’s eyes, steeped in the night’s energy, looked down at her as he extended his hand. When Therese trembled in fear, the Duke withdrew his hand and spoke softly.  

“I thought we were closer now, but perhaps not. Are you still afraid of me?”  

The Duke wasn’t wrong when he said they had grown closer.  

Unlike before her regression, they had spent much more time together. They had shared tea, danced, taken shelter from the rain, and even cooked together.  

‘And that’s not all.’  

She had even nursed him back to health after an accident she had caused.  

‘I’m not avoiding you because I’m afraid of you.’  

It was quite the opposite.  

Being with him made her heart race and left her feeling unlike herself, which was what scared her.  

‘I need to stay grounded.’  

Especially when Duke Richard looked as breathtaking as he did tonight.  

Lifting her chin, Therese responded curtly.  

“What brings you here?”  

“Isn’t it obvious?”  

“What could possibly be obvious?”  

“To find my runaway wife and bring her back before my eyes.”  

‘So I can keep you where I can see you.’  

She had heard him say something similar before. Trying to mask her embarrassment, Therese struggled to maintain her composure.  

“I didn’t run away; I went to fix my makeup.”  

She held up her purse as proof, but in such a secluded garden, her excuse didn’t sound convincing.  

“With grass all over you and scratches on your wrist?”  

The Duke’s eyes scanned the scratch on her wrist and the leaves stuck to the hem of her dress.  

“It’s nothing.”  

Brushing off her dress, Therese avoided his gaze as much as possible.  

As if noticing her efforts, the Duke quickly changed the subject.  

“Don’t I still need your care?”  

When the Duke rubbed his healed arm, Therese bit her lip.  

‘I shouldn’t have done that.’  

Recalling the incident with Baroness Ferdian earlier, Therese replied coldly.  

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” 

“I have something to say.”  

“I don’t want to hear it.”  

There was no reason to share something as personal as his secret when they were about to divorce.  

However, Duke Richard, as always, didn’t stop speaking.  

“I cannot see any woman but you.”  

“……What are you saying!”  

At Therese’s shocked response, the Duke shrugged.  

“They all look the same. Like ghosts with their eyes, nose, and mouth blurred together.”  

“……”  

She never imagined he had such a secret.  

When Therese couldn’t find the words to respond, the Duke leaned one hand against the tree. From the side, it looked as if he were embracing her.  

“Didn’t I tell you? You’re the only one I see.”  

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”  

“You’re the only one for me.”  

Though it didn’t sound like a confession, Therese didn’t know how to respond to the Duke’s words that she was the only one he could see.  

So, she denied it outright.  

“That’s impossible.” 

But even as she said this, Therese thought his words might be true.  

“You’re free not to believe me, but it’s the truth.”  

“It has nothing to do with me.”  

“It does. Didn’t you ask me if there was someone else in my life? You fell asleep before I could answer that night, but I’ll tell you now—I only have you.”  

The Duke’s face held a subtle smile as he mentioned the night in the forest shelter. That night, when she had fallen asleep using his shoulder as a pillow, had felt different than usual.  

Just like now.  

“P-please stop.”  

Anyone watching would think the Duke was passionately confessing his love.  

Like a man begging her not to leave because she was the only one for him.  

‘No, that can’t be it.’  

There was no way the Duke had feelings for her.  

Therese stepped away from the tree and spoke dryly.  

“I should go back now.”  

“I prefer it here, where it’s just the two of us.”  

The Duke extended his arm and gently held her waist, making it impossible for her to move.  

Jeremy Richard was anxious.  

Seeing Therese uncomfortable in the ballroom irritated him, and the insolent gazes directed at her annoyed him even more.  

His chest tightened at the thought of Therese trying to run away from him again.  

‘What is it that I want?’  

This was the first time he had felt this way, so it was difficult to come to a clear conclusion. But one thing was certain—he couldn’t let Therese go.  

However, when he found her standing amidst the crape myrtle petals, all those thoughts vanished in an instant.  

‘……Ah.’  

He thought everything would be fine once he found her, but it wasn’t.  

Even after revealing a secret he had told no one, she still wouldn’t look at him.  

“It seems all the flowers have fallen just for you.”  

The Duke lifted his hand from the tree and began picking the petals from Therese’s hair one by one. When he brushed the petals off her shoulder, both of them tensed and shivered.  

“……Hah.”  

“I have no intention of letting you go anywhere.”  

The Duke’s voice was thick with emotion. Therese, who had been shaking her head vigorously, spoke in a trembling voice.  

“But my father and I……”  

“That doesn’t matter. You’re already part of the Richard family.”  

“You despise and loathe me, so why…….”  

Her voice choked as memories of her foolish love and the pain it caused overwhelmed her. Slowly, his face drew closer to her tear-streaked eyes.  

“I don’t hate you.”  

“We’ll only hurt each other.”  

Even if they started over, their ending wouldn’t change.  

After all, he was the Empire’s hero, Duke Richard.  

“You are my wife.”  

“Your Grace, please……”  

Therese lightly pushed against the Duke’s chest as he leaned closer, pleading with him.  

“I want to kiss you.”  

Their faces were so close that his soft blond hair brushed against her forehead. His warm breath made her heart race.  

“Stop joking around.”  

She had been fooled by his teasing so many times that she couldn’t tolerate it anymore.  

“Do you really think I’m joking?”  

His long fingers brushed past her ear and slid under her chin. Tilting her face upward, the Duke brought his lips close to her cheek.  

“I want your permission.”  

Hearing the slight tremor in his voice, Therese tightly shut her eyes.  

She wished this was all just a joke.  

‘A kiss with Jeremy Richard?’  

It was something she had never experienced before, and her face flushed red with heat.  

‘And I haven’t even had a drop of alcohol.’  

Whether it was the night breeze or his voice and gaze, she felt herself sinking deeper and deeper.  

‘Fine. This is a dream.’  

If it was a dream, it was one she never wanted to wake up from.  

When Therese gave a small nod, the Duke’s eyes glimmered with emotion.  

“Is that your permission?”  

“……Yes.”  

How many times was he going to ask? 

Unable to handle her pounding heart, Therese lowered her head.  

At her consent, the Duke placed both hands on her shoulders. His hands were warm and trembling slightly.  

Then, holding her close, he spun her gently as if they were dancing.  

In the blink of an eye, the Duke leaned against the tree, and Therese found herself nestled in his arms.  

“…….”  

Therese trembled, hyperaware of the large hands on her shoulders and waist. She couldn’t tell whether the loud heartbeat she heard was his or her own.  

‘I wish he’d just get it over with.’  

Her dry mouth and trembling body made her feel like a leaf caught in the wind.  

“Madame, are you cold?”  

“No, it’s not that.”  

She looked up to answer and accidentally met the Duke’s gaze.  

“……Ah.”  

His eyes now resembled those of a predator closing in on its prey. His gaze moved from her exposed shoulders to her chin and lips.  

The intensity in his eyes, filled with desire, made Therese tremble even more.  

Just as she was about to close her eyes out of sheer nervousness, he spoke.  

“Don’t close your eyes, Madame.”  

Jeremy tilted his head and whispered sweetly.  

“……Why?”  

When Therese asked, he responded firmly.  

“You should see clearly who it is you’re kissing.”  

His warm lips lightly brushed against her moist ones.  

It was a soft and ticklish kiss, like a gentle drizzle at dawn.