Chapter 6 (Part 2)

“N-no, that’s not it…”  

As the Duke interrogated her, Therese shook her head while gasping for breath. Seeing her unable to even hold herself up, Jeremy irritably brushed his bangs back.  

‘I didn’t realize her body was this weak.’  

And yet, she still managed to do so much.  

He wondered if that money-obsessed Baron Demori even knew how much his daughter was overworking herself.  

“If that’s not it!”  

His anger spiraled out of control, and the Duke’s voice resounded through the quiet night.  

“…If it’s not that, then what the hell…”  

Jeremy trailed off, regret filling his eyes. He hadn’t stayed by her side all night just to yell at her while she was sick.  

He had simply wanted to confirm that she would wake up safely.  

‘Why can’t I control my anger?’  

Everything about the situation frustrated him—learning that Therese had almost been poisoned, her mistaking the man in her room for someone else, and everything else in between.  

‘I keep getting these strange feelings.’  

Since some time ago, he had been plagued by a strong sense of déjà vu that made his head feel like it was splitting. Earlier, when he saw Therese’s pale face as she coughed up blood, it felt eerily familiar.  

‘It’s as if this has happened before.’  

But no matter how hard he tried to recall, there was no such memory, only dizziness.  

After composing himself, he spoke calmly.  

“Why did you hide the fact that you were unwell?”  

“…”  

“You’ve just taken an antidote, so there shouldn’t be any major issues, but don’t you think you’re taking too much medicine on a regular basis?”  

Jeremy’s sharp gaze landed somewhere, and Therese realized he was looking at the assortment of medicines on the bedside table.  

Painkillers, digestive aids, headache medicine.  

Fortunately, the suppressant she had hidden away wasn’t among them.  

‘…An antidote, huh.’  

While the poison she had consumed today might have been neutralized, the fundamental problem remained unresolved. The physician of the ducal family likely had no idea what her true condition was.  

As Therese raised her hand to wipe her face, the Duke questioned her again.  

“Why did you make me look like a fool?”  

“Your Grace, why do you keep yelling at me?”  

Her head already ached, and the Duke’s loud voice only made it worse.  

‘Even if I die like this, it wouldn’t matter to you.’  

Why was he shouting?  

Moreover, the Duke had no right to be angry.  

His mother had tried to poison her.  

As Therese sighed, he suddenly collapsed onto the floor beside her bed and reached out his hand toward her.  

“When did this start? Or rather, what exactly…”  

Jeremy’s state didn’t seem well either, even as he continued to pour out his frustration.  

His bloodshot eyes and unshaven jaw indicated that he hadn’t slept all night while staying by her side.  

Wearing only a loose white shirt and black pants, he leaned on his sword, which was planted on the floor. The veins bulging on the back of his hand gripping the sword made him look like a knight guarding her all night.  

Then, she noticed the right sleeve of his shirt was stained red.  

“Your Grace, you’re bleeding again.”  

Worried that the wound she thought had healed had reopened, she watched as he tried to hide his arm behind his back.  

“T-this is nothing.”  

As Therese, still lying down, reached out her hand, the Duke gently grabbed her wrist to stop her.  

“It’s just a little blood. Don’t worry about it.”  

Seeing his awkward excuse, Therese realized the blood was hers.  

‘It’s my blood on him.’  

Earlier, when she collapsed, she had dreamt of someone carrying her up the stairs. It seemed that wasn’t a dream.  

Though she was grateful, Therese couldn’t help but feel puzzled.  

‘Why would His Grace save me, even injuring himself in the process?’  

Duke Richard was only maintaining their marriage for the sake of the family’s reputation.  

There was no reason for him to go to such lengths.  

As Therese stared blankly at him, he brought a glass of water to her lips.  

“…”  

“Drinking plenty of water is good for detoxification, or so I’ve heard.”  

The Duke wiped away the drops of water that trickled down her chin and helped her lie back down.  

“You should sleep a bit more. It’s still a long way until dawn.”  

As he tucked the blanket over her, his clumsy but careful gesture made Therese’s heart race.  

‘No, that can’t be it.’  

Perhaps due to the aftereffects of the severe seizure, Therese asked a question she normally wouldn’t have.  

“Were you worried about me, Your Grace?”  

He carried her frail body to the bedroom, called for a physician to detoxify her, and stayed by her side all night.  

Such suspicion was reasonable.  

“Who said I was worried about you!”  

At Therese’s question, the Duke suddenly flared up.  

If it’s not true, it’s not true—why is he acting so childish?  

“I understand.”  

As Therese was about to close her eyes, she saw the Duke’s eyes burning with fury.  

“You’d better get this straight. I have no intention of divorcing you.”  

“……?”  

“And I have no intention of just standing by and watching you die.”  

Therese, frozen in place, met Jeremy’s gaze in the air.  

In his bloodshot black eyes, only Therese’s blue eyes shone vividly.  

“Not even death can take you away from me.”  

“…….”  

His voice, tinged with madness, seemed to echo through the quiet bedroom like a haunting refrain.  

It didn’t feel like a confession.  

Was he saying that once married, I should even become a ghost of the Richard family after death?  

Therese’s lips moved faintly at the Duke’s obsessive declaration.  

“Your Grace, humans are fragile beings. No one can overcome death.”  

Therese, who had already experienced death once, spoke calmly.  

She thought she was certainly going to die earlier when she coughed up blood.  

There had been moments when she thought, “Is this the end?” many times already.  

The Duke, who had practically lived on the battlefield, couldn’t possibly be unaware of this.  

Then why?  

The Duke, seeing her weary gaze, answered with a long sigh instead of words.  

“Alright, just close your eyes now. Madame, I’ll protect you, so you can rest assured and sleep.”  

When the Duke plopped down on the bed, the mattress tilted to one side.  

Therese, turning her back to the Duke, swallowed a rough sigh.  

‘For me to sleep peacefully, you’d have to leave…….’  

But Therese kept her mouth shut. She was too exhausted and couldn’t begin to sort out the current chaos.  

‘……I’ll protect you.’  

Therese’s heart trembled at his promise, something she had never heard in her life.  

‘What kind of face did you make when you saw me dying?’  

She directed the question toward the Duke’s broad back.  

It was a question she would never know the answer to.  

……Swoosh, swoosh.  

The Duke, sitting beside her, began habitually polishing his sword.  

The soft sound of the cloth brushing against the blade gradually eased Therese’s breathing.  

‘She’s fallen asleep again.’  

Turning slightly, Jeremy looked at Therese’s sleeping face and bit his lips hard.  

‘……Death.’  

Though it was a somewhat impulsive remark, he sincerely didn’t want to experience losing a family member in front of his eyes again.  

‘I know it well.’  

Human life was both incredibly tenacious and pathetically fleeting.  

He had walked indifferently over the bodies of comrades and enemies who collapsed and spat blood between swords and spears on the battlefield.  

“Yes. Everyone dies.”  

When he placed the long-polished sword next to the nightstand, the moonlight reflected off its spotless, sharp blade, giving it a bluish hue.  

It resembled the color of death.  

The faces of dying comrades were often tinged with a terrified blue hue.  

‘It’s not that I’m unafraid of death.’  

Rather, he feared not being able to protect what he needed to protect.  

“……I’ll overcome it.”  

Jeremy’s voice carried a resolute determination, as if brushing away the pale shadow of death lingering over the sleeping Therese.  

After finishing his sword maintenance, Jeremy dozed off.  

And for the first time in a long while, he dreamed of his childhood.  

He was hiding in a corner of the study to avoid his younger brother Gabriel.  

His brother stood at the entrance of the study, cupping his hands around his mouth to call out.  

‘Brother, brother! Where are you? Are we playing hide-and-seek now?’  

Gabriel was truly an annoying, childish kid.  

Jeremy would never play games like hide-and-seek, but Gabriel always sought him out like this.  

After sneaking out of etiquette classes, Gabriel would spend his time chasing after the big dog he raised or doodling aimlessly.  

While Jeremy was sweating as he swung his sword and reading books late into the night, Gabriel was completely different from him in every way.  

He lacked the qualities to become the heir of the ducal family.