Chapter 7 (Part 8)

As she prepared the medicine, she could feel the Duke’s persistent gaze on her back.  

‘Does he think I’m going to poison him?’  

Given his naturally suspicious nature, it wouldn’t be surprising.  

“Excuse me.”  

Sitting on the chair beside the bed, Therese supported the back of the Duke’s neck with one hand. As she brought the glass of water to his lips, he obediently drank, like a child.  

Watching his throat move as he swallowed, Therese picked up the medicine bottle next. But unlike before, the Duke didn’t open his mouth easily.  

‘I knew it was too good to be true.’  

Though it was bitter and unpleasant, he had to take it to recover. He had been asleep for so long that she hadn’t been able to give him much medicine.  

“You need to take this to feel less pain.”  

Her chest tightened with worry as the Duke, cradled in her arms, stared intently at her face.  

It was as though he was seeing her for the first time.  

His gaze was unnerving, but she couldn’t give up on getting him to take the medicine. Avoiding his eyes, she brought the bottle to his lips again.  

“…Ugh.”  

The Duke shook his head from side to side and let out a rough groan. Though his shoulder was immobilized with a splint, the pain must have been excruciating.  

As Therese hesitated, unsure of what to do, the groaning Duke turned onto his side and burrowed into her arms.  

His soft blonde hair tickled her stomach and thighs through her dress.  

Caught off guard by his sudden movement, Therese froze. For a moment, the Duke, clinging to her and rubbing his golden hair against her, seemed like a large dog.  

‘He’s doing this because he’s in pain. That’s all.’  

Forcing herself to remain calm, Therese tried to give him the medicine again. But as the Duke squirmed, the thick orange liquid dripped down his cheek.  

“…Oh dear.”  

Getting the Duke to take his medicine was proving to be no small task.  

“If you stay still, I’ll clean it up for you.”  

Flustered, Therese tried to wipe off the medicine. But with the Duke practically wrapped around her, she couldn’t get up. She had no choice but to scrape the medicine off with her finger.  

The Duke, now sitting upright, watched her every move intently. Feeling self-conscious under his strange gaze, Therese spoke.  

“If you could move aside for a moment, I’ll quickly prepare more.”  

She tried to push him away gently, but the Duke didn’t budge.  

Instead, he clung to her even more tightly, gripping her dress with his uninjured hand. His eyes were filled with unease, as though terrified she might abandon him.  

‘Yes. Anyone would show such vulnerability when they’re in pain.’  

Therese decided to interpret the Duke’s bewildering behavior that way.  

But then, her body stiffened completely.  

“…Ah.”  

The Duke was slowly licking the medicine off her finger.  

The sound of his tongue sucking on her finger filled the shabby room. Though it was just medicine, the sensation of his tongue wrapped around her finger sent a strange feeling through her.  

It was as if she were wandering through a dark forest with no light, or as if thousands of butterflies were fluttering inside her chest.  

“…Mmm.”  

Letting go of her finger, the Duke let out a satisfied hum.  

“Ah!”  

Therese quickly hid her hand behind her back and exhaled the breath she had been holding.  

Her finger, wet with his saliva, felt as though ants were crawling on it.  

She swore she had never realized her fingers could be so sensitive. Her heart raced as if she had kissed him, leaving her completely flustered.  

“W-what on earth…”  

She knew how ridiculous she must look, but her pounding heart made it impossible to form a coherent sentence.  

However, the Duke’s next words made her cheeks burn bright red.  

“You said taking the medicine would make the pain go away.”  

His calm demeanor showed no trace of the excitement she was feeling.  

Therese, who had brought a dry towel and medicine to the Duke’s bedside, glanced at him cautiously.  

“Um, by any chance…”  

What she was about to say was a sensitive matter, and she couldn’t help but tread carefully.  

It had been two days since the Duke had regained consciousness, but he had yet to call her by any title or name.  

‘He used to call me “Madame” so persistently it was annoying.’  

If he had something to say, he would meet her eyes or quietly hold her hand.  

‘And despite being so cautious, he hasn’t even asked where he is.’  

Though it seemed like he recognized her, she couldn’t be certain. The current Duke was highly suspicious.  

It was clear that the monster hadn’t just injured his shoulder but perhaps his head as well.  

‘Where did she go?!’  

If Therese left his side even for a moment, the Duke would grow restless.  

While she prepared meals in the kitchen or cleaned, he twisted and turned in bed so much that he nearly fell off several times.  

He would only sleep if he held her hand, and he refused to take medicine unless she fed it to him. He wouldn’t eat or sleep unless it was with her, behaving like a baby duck following its mother.  

Though injured, the Duke was far from being a baby duck.  

“…?”  

As Therese trailed off mid-sentence, the Duke raised his head and scanned her face thoroughly.  

It was as if he were trying to figure out what she was thinking.  

His suspicious reaction made Therese finally speak.  

“Do you recognize me?”  

At her question, the Duke’s expression shifted oddly. Deep wrinkles formed on his forehead, and his eyes narrowed.  

‘What is this? Is he struggling because he doesn’t know who I am?’  

Therese’s heart sank.  

What if the Duke had truly lost his memory due to his severe injuries?  

‘Amnesia…?’  

She had occasionally encountered such cases in the bazaars. A man returning from war who couldn’t recognize his wife and children, or a woman hit by a carriage who forgot her parents.  

‘I hope that’s not the case.’  

Her mouth went dry with anxiety. Lost memories could sometimes return naturally, but in other cases, they were never recovered.  

Good heavens! That would be a truly troublesome situation.  

Jeremy Richard wasn’t just any ordinary man—he was the Duke of Richard.  

“…”  

Imagining the worst-case scenario made her so uneasy she could hardly stand still.  

As Therese nervously flicked the edge of her fingernail, the Duke reached out.  

“You’ll hurt yourself.”  

His large hand softly brushed over the back of hers before gripping her fingers firmly.  

“…?”  

Therese stared blankly at him as he suddenly interlocked their fingers.  

In a low voice, he whispered, 

“What do you want?”  

His unexpected question threw Therese into a state of confusion. She had only been worried that he might have lost his memory, and now he was asking her what she wanted.  

Unable to comprehend, she stammered, 

“W-what do you mean…?”  

Meanwhile, their fingers intertwined more tightly, and his strength pulled her to sit on the edge of the bed.  

Leaning slightly against her, the Duke asked, 

“Should I pretend I don’t remember you?”  

“…Ah.”  

Therese let out a soft gasp at his whispered words, and Jeremy pressed his head more firmly against her waist.  

Though he had said so, there was no way he could forget her.  

From the moment he regained consciousness in the shabby house, all of Jeremy Richard’s senses had been attuned to Therese.  

The memories he thought had been erased overlapped with the present, intensifying his longing for her.  

The sound of her approaching footsteps, the scent that lingered as she drew near, the warmth of her hand brushing his hair, and even the tone of her scolding voice.  

There wasn’t a single thing about her that wasn’t precious.  

To be alive, to see Therese like this, to hear her voice and hold her hand—it felt like an undeserved blessing.  

So much so that he doubted if he even deserved it.  

Yet, amidst all these overwhelming emotions, one thing was certain.  

‘I won’t let you go.’  

Jeremy Richard had no intention of repeating the mistakes of the past.  

‘I want to start anew with you.’  

This desperate desire even dulled the excruciating pain.  

But it wasn’t a simple matter.  

The rift between Therese and Jeremy ran too deep, and it wasn’t something that could be resolved with a few words.  

‘I know that well.’  

Still, Jeremy found it hard to contain the emotions overflowing within him.  

He had realized he loved Therese.  

And as much as he had come to understand his love, Jeremy grew cautious. He couldn’t hurt her again or risk being misunderstood.  

That’s why he held back his words and gazed at her endlessly.  

As if trying to make up for all the times he hadn’t truly looked at her.  

But now, she misunderstood, thinking he had lost his memory.  

‘Perhaps you’re trying to avoid this wretched connection altogether?’  

Therese hadn’t removed the mask he wore, nor had she once addressed him by any title.  

She acted as if their relationship would end as soon as his treatment was complete.  

Jeremy grew anxious but couldn’t complain.  

He was a sinner now.  

Just because he had survived didn’t mean his past wrongs were erased.  

Because of that, Jeremy waited silently.  

For Therese to recognize him first.  

For her to take his hand.  

‘Only then will I have a reason to approach you.’  

Releasing their interlocked fingers, he wrapped his arm around her waist and spoke.  

“No matter how injured I am, could I fail to recognize what’s mine?”  

His slow voice startled Therese.  

“…Your Grace.”  

“So now you’ll call me that.”  

“If you remember, then that’s all that matters.”  

Therese’s trembling body quaked like an earthquake under Jeremy’s touch.  

Feeling the vibrations through his palm, he parted his crimson lips slightly.  

The trembling was undeniable proof that both of them were alive.  

His voice, unable to contain the surging emotions in his chest, grew softer.  

“I hope I recover quickly.”  

Jeremy, exhaling warm breaths, let his unfiltered desire slip through.  

“Your Grace, are you there?!”  

At that moment, someone knocked on the door, shattering the tense atmosphere between them.  

“J-just a moment!”  

Therese sprang up and hurried toward the door in a fluster.  

Jeremy, clutching a strand of her silver hair she had left behind, smirked.  

“She’s like a squirrel.”  

Jeremy Richard let out a long sigh as he looked down at his still-injured shoulder and arm.