Chapter 7

Evelyn smiled brightly, hiding her ulterior motives, but Dyffrin pulled her hand away from his wrist as if she were a huge germ. 

“I told you not to touch me without permission.” 

Then Dyffrin stood up, seemingly intending to go up to his bedroom.

Evelyn followed him up to the second floor.

As Evelyn naturally entered his bedroom after him, Dyffrin suddenly stopped and grabbed Evelyn’s wrist to halt her.

“Why are you coming into my bedroom?”

“What do you mean, why? We made a bet, remember?”

At the mention of the bet, Dyffrin visibly furrowed his brow, recalling that day.

“If it’s about the massage, I don’t need it.”

Dyffrin pulled Evelyn out of the bedroom by her wrist and tried to close the door.

Thud!

Evelyn quickly blocked the door from closing.

“But we made a bet. If I win, you have to obediently receive a massage.”

“…”

“Are you going back on your word?”

At her resolute tone, Dyffrin finally relented and loosened his grip on the doorknob. Evelyn swung the door wide open and stepped inside.

‘Goodness, it’s not like I’m asking for a massage, but he’s making it so difficult even when I’m offering to give one.’

Dyffrin closed the door after Evelyn fully stepped inside, then stood with his arms crossed, observing her.

“Evelyn.”

“Yes?”

“Why do you care so much about my headaches?”

Hiding her true intention of securing future compensation, Evelyn calmly replied.

“It’s natural for a wife to worry about her husband.” 

“For something like that…”

Dyffrin seemed about to retort but then closed his mouth. 

Evelyn had a good idea of what he wanted to say. 

‘He probably wanted to say that my usual attitude is too indifferent.’

Over the past month, her actions had differed significantly from the original Evelyn. 

If she were like the original Evelyn, she would have waited anxiously for Dyffrin to come home and hovered around him when he did, but she hadn’t done that. 

There was simply too much to do in this neglected mansion, and she had a lot to learn in order to avoid Rykal’s criticism.

Not to mention, she had to diligently read books to familiarize herself with the basic etiquette and culture of this country. By the evenings, she was often too exhausted to do more than go to bed early.

Given her demanding daily routine, she had been unable to attend to Dyffrin for a while.

Evelyn didn’t hide this fact and spoke up.

“I’ve been too preoccupied to pay attention to you recently. Rykal has started entrusting me with household matters, and I’ve been doing my best to ensure you don’t have to worry about other affairs.”

“…”

Seeing Dyffrin’s doubtful expression, Evelyn smiled gently.

“What, are you perhaps feeling neglected since I haven’t been paying you much attention?”

“…Nonsense.”

Evelyn smiled brightly and guided Dyffrin to sit on the same chair from before. 

“Then you understand that I only want to help ease your headache out of concern for you?” 

Dyffrin didn’t respond, but Evelyn didn’t mind. She knew he did not seem inclined to say anything further.

Being the male protagonist of this world, he was keen and intelligent. He quickly noticed what was happening around him but preferred not to intervene unless absolutely necessary.

The household accounts were a prime example. 

He was aware that things were amiss, yet turned a blind eye, even knowing that Patricia was embezzling household funds. Unless it was a major issue, he preferred not to get involved.

Seemingly finding this verbal exchange tiring, as Evelyn had anticipated, Dyffrin relaxed his posture.

She placed her hands on his shoulders and slowly began moving her slender fingers.

The room fell silent as the massage progressed.

Evelyn broke the silence first. 

“By the way, what brought you back so early today?” 

Dyffrin belatedly answered. 

“Because of the plague.” 

‘Ah.’ 

The mention of the plague immediately brought to mind a chapter from the original story.

There was a plague spreading in the Colclough Empire for some time. 

Although it wasn’t highly fatal or extremely contagious, it posed a significant risk to the elderly and young children. The problem was that in the original, Evelyn contracted this plague.

Evelyn had gone for a walk and ended up helping a fallen elderly person, who turned out to be suffering from the plague. As a result, Evelyn herself caught the illness. 

While most adults only experienced it as lightly as a winter cold, Evelyn, being frail in constitution, fell quite ill. Unable to ignore Evelyn’s suffering, Dyffrin searched the empire for a cure.

But with the plague just starting to spread, there was no readily available remedy. Watching Evelyn wither away, Dyffrin grew frantic.

Just as Evelyn was on the brink of death, Dyffrin, fortunately, learned from a foreign merchant that a wild herb called Catton was effective against the plague. Luckily, Catton was as common as dandelions, so he was able to easily obtain it and administer it to Evelyn.

Thanks to Dyffrin’s efforts, Evelyn recovered.

‘Of course, his behavior didn’t change much even after that.’ 

His concern for the ailing Evelyn was only fleeting, and he actually ended up emotionally and physically drained from the effort of helping her recover.

So this chapter was merely the first trigger for Dyffrin to consider divorcing Evelyn.

Recalling the plague-related events from the original, Evelyn heard Dyffrin’s voice. 

“I’ll be returning home earlier for a while. Guidelines have come down from the imperial palace to limit outings.”

Evelyn knew from the original story that the treatment for this plague was actually quite simple, but since others were unaware of this, she had to be cautious.

‘Well… that’s not the important thing right now.’ 

The important thing was that Dyffrin would be coming home earlier from now on, which was a great opportunity for her.

An opportunity to help reduce his headaches. She needed to start actively intervening, as she had to significantly alleviate his headaches within 2 years.

A few light massages wouldn’t magically cure his headaches. Of course, physical contact provided temporary relief, but for a lasting effect, it was necessary to frequently provide warmth, like melting ice. 

“Then let’s have dinner together every day.”

Evelyn spoke cheerfully. However, Dyffrin’s shoulders visibly stiffened.

Observing him, Evelyn thought to herself, 

‘I don’t like this either, you jerk.’

The reason she suggested having dinner together was merely to create situations where she could give him massages, just like now.

Unaware of her ulterior motive, Dyffrin remained silent.

“It’s a promise.”

She spoke arbitrarily, but seeing that Dyffrin did not outright refuse, she concluded it was fine.

Evelyn discreetly glanced down at him.

She intended to check his expression, but his crown of hair caught her attention first.

Under the light, his blond hair shimmered beautifully. Unconsciously, Evelyn gently stroked his hair. 

The short strands shimmered softly over her fingers. 

“How beautiful.”

Evelyn murmured softly without thinking, but Dyffrin heard her and quickly turned around. His furrowed brows were filled with displeasure.

Evelyn hurriedly explained.

“Your hair color shining under the light is so beautiful.” 

“…”

Dyffrin still had a scowl on his face.

‘Ah, right… this man dislikes compliments.’ 

Evelyn remembered another one of Dyffrin’s traits – he disliked compliments as much as physical contact.

Having grown up in a strict environment, he was reluctant to praise, in a way.

It’s not that he felt embarrassed by compliments, he simply disliked them intensely.

‘But Dyffrin’s stern face is like dessert to me.’

Evelyn didn’t suppress her mischievous impulse. 

Since the massage was over, she suddenly reached out and cupped his cheeks.

“Your good looks aren’t limited to just your hair, your face is stunningly beautiful as well.”

Dyffrin furrowed his brows as if he had just been insulted. 

Knowing that if she kept holding on, Dyffrin would soon knock her hand away, Evelyn gently released her grip on his face.

She expected him to tell her not to touch him so freely or question her actions, but Dyffrin simply observed her in silence.

‘…Why is he acting this way?’

When she tilted her head in confusion, Dyffrin quietly murmured.

“You’re not like your usual self.” 

Evelyn wondered if she had gone too far with her teasing.

But she thought it was actually for the better. She needed to dispel his suspicions a little more at this point.

“Dyffrin.”

Evelyn called him with a somewhat serious expression.

“I’m trying my best right now.”

“…”

“You said you hated seeing me cry, so I’m trying to smile more, and I’m trying to get closer to you through playful antics.”

As Evelyn’s usually vibrant expression turned a little somber, Dyffrin’s eyes widened slightly.

It was a subtle change in expression, but she could sense it immediately. 

‘Oh… that’s unexpected.’

It seemed he had some affection for the female lead, his wife, after all

Since she had already started this, Evelyn decided to push a little further.

“But… if you dislike it, I’ll act as I did before.”

Even as she spoke, she felt quite nervous.

She had made a bold statement.

She didn’t have the confidence to act like the original Evelyn, but she had thrown out those words hoping to gain the upper hand later on.

‘Please, Dyffrin.’

‘Just say that you like my current self!’

Dyffrin moved his lips slightly.

“I…”

‘I?’

Evelyn listened intently to his words.

“I don’t care what you’re like. It’s not something I can control anyway.”

Though his answer was ambiguous, Evelyn found it satisfying enough.

Seeming a bit embarrassed by his own words, Dyffrin cleared his throat.

With a slight smile, Evelyn met Dyffrin’s gaze with a calm expression. 

“Thank you for saying that.” 

Dyffrin, who had been staring at her, looked away.

“There’s no need to thank me. As I said, it’s not like I can control your actions.”

 As he continued to mumble, Evelyn smiled brightly at him. 

“Okay, I understand.”