My Ex-Husband Clings Like a Leech - ✿ dusk blossoms ✿

Chapter 7 (Part 10)

Just as Therese thought she might faint from the sweetness of his breath, the Duke partially pulled away and whispered,

“You’re sweet and cool…”

His low voice sent a tight knot twisting in her lower abdomen. His words made her feel as though she were some kind of delectable candy.

“…Ha.”

The Duke’s large hand slid down her nape and firmly trailed along her back. Wherever his fingertips touched, it felt as if red flowers of heat and dizziness were blooming.

‘So this is what a real kiss feels like.’

Closing her eyes tightly, Therese surrendered herself to the desires pulling her in.

As their bodies intertwined and began to match temperatures, the Duke finally withdrew his lips. When their tongues parted, a thin string of saliva stretched between them.

Breathing heavily, he extended his thumb to wipe the saliva lingering on Therese’s lips.

“Thanks to you, I think my fever has gone down.”

Still dazed from the lingering excitement, Therese couldn’t find any words to respond.

Huff, huff.

As Therese caught her breath, the Duke tilted his head and spoke again.

“Did I mention how beautiful you look today?”

At his compliment, Therese glanced down at her outfit. She was wearing a plain shirt, brown pants, and a vest—nothing remarkable.

‘He’s calling me beautiful while I’m dressed like this shabby man?’

Perhaps the Duke had injured his head, not just his shoulder.

As if sensing her doubt, the Duke spoke again.

“The m*n of the Richard family do not lie.”

His hand gently caressed her flushed cheek and earlobe, his gaze filled with quiet intensity.

His touch against her already overheated skin made Therese feel as though steam was rising from the top of her head.

It was almost unbearable.

“Now it seems you’re the one with a fever.”

The Duke whispered in a tone far too seductive for someone who was supposed to be ill.

“I could be your fever reducer.”

He added.

Therese hurriedly shook her head and pulled away from his touch. If this continued, it wouldn’t end with just a kiss.

“No, I’m fine.”

The red glint in the Duke’s eyes sent a shiver down her spine.

‘If I don’t leave now, this will become truly dangerous.’

Not for herself, but for the Duke.

The red marks her hands had left on his neck and his slightly swollen lips were far too provocative.

Therese felt she could no longer control the fire burning inside her.

“Oh no, I just remembered! I left food on the hearth!”

Blurting out a clumsy excuse, Therese quickly got off the bed. She walked toward the hearth, where an empty pot sat, but her legs wobbled from the strain.

As she brushed her swollen lips with her fingers, a faint pain made her let out a small sigh.

‘What am I doing, leaving a patient behind?’

She had been completely captivated by his voice and ended up doing something absurd. A person couldn’t actually act as a fever reducer, after all.

The Duke’s gaze followed her rigid back as she stood by the hearth. His eyes glimmered lazily.

***

Three days later, the serene routine between Therese and the Duke came to an abrupt end.

‘His Majesty the Emperor is hosting a hunting competition soon.’

Victor had delivered an invitation to the Richard family. Unlike other invitations, one from the Emperor could not be ignored.

‘…In two weeks.’

Therese had hoped to continue caring for the Duke beyond the barrier until he fully recovered, but circumstances wouldn’t allow it.

Soon, the two boarded a carriage bound for Richard Castle. The air inside the moving carriage was heavy with silence, perhaps due to their complicated thoughts.

‘In a way, it might be a relief to return now.’

Therese thought as she secretly glanced at the Duke, who sat with his eyes closed, leaning deeply into the seat.

Being alone with him in such a confined space was extremely dangerous. It was becoming increasingly difficult to resist the allure of his presence.

‘He keeps kissing me, claiming his fever won’t go down.’

Over the past three days, he had repeatedly complained of his fever and begged for her help. His flushed face and desperate pleas left her no choice but to kiss him.

‘It was purely for treatment purposes.’

She tried to convince herself.

As she repeated this feeble excuse in her mind, Richard Castle came into view in the distance.

‘I wonder how long it’ll be before we return again.’

She thought, feeling a strange tightness in her chest.

Resting her head lightly against the window, she sighed.

At that moment, Jeremy, who had been pretending to sleep, opened his eyes.

‘Ha, I didn’t want to go back.’

If possible, he would’ve stayed in that secluded place with Therese for a very long time.

When he said it wasn’t so bad there, he hadn’t been lying.

For him, it had been paradise—where he could focus solely on her.

‘If it weren’t for this damn injury…’

Jeremy swore to Diana that he wouldn’t have been able to hold back that night.

Though two weeks had passed, his body still hadn’t healed properly.

‘…Ha.’

Jeremy appeared calm, but his mind was in turmoil. The fact that monsters had appeared within the capital was the biggest problem.

‘I’ll need to call Georges and discuss this.’

And then there was the hunting competition. It would require physical exertion, and it was uncertain how much he would recover in two weeks.

‘If only I could abandon everything and leave far away with you.’

Jeremy swallowed the words he could never say aloud.

But before avenging his father, Jeremy Richard could not give up on anything.

‘What a weak thought.’

Instead, he needed to focus on becoming stronger.

‘Because I must protect you.’

He could not allow the grim past to repeat itself.

The inspection of the carriage entering the barrier was rather strict. However, no one cast a suspicious glance at the carriage of Duke Richard, who had supposedly returned from a hot spring trip.

Upon arriving at Richard Castle and stepping out of the carriage, Sophia came running with open arms.

“Oh! Goddess Diana!”

Seeing Therese again, Sophia couldn’t even speak and simply burst into tears.

“Madam, you’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”

“Sophia, I just went on a hot spring trip.”

“But it’s the first time you’ve been away for so long.”

Sophia, who had raised Therese since she was a baby, seemed deeply unsettled by their brief separation.

“Still, I’m so relieved.”

After fussing for a while, Sophia’s cheeks suddenly flushed red.

“You say you were worried, but now you’re relieved?”

“Well, there’s a lot of talk about the two of you going around.”

“Sophia. I’ve been in the carriage for too long, and my head is spinning. Speak clearly so I can understand.”