Chapter 62

Shuan looked confused. He couldn’t look at me directly, and his gaze wavered like turbulent waves.

I grabbed his arm. Despite the solid muscles under my hand, Shuan’s body lacked resolve.

“Lord Eriant!”

When I urged him strongly, Shuan eventually nodded. There was no strength in that nod. He sighed and said in a voice laced with defeat,

“I knew.”

I let out a hollow laugh and pushed his arm away.

“I don’t need to ask how you knew.”

Knights brushed past us, chasing after the assassin. However, the assassin seemed to have disappeared into the darkness, and the knights shouted loudly as they searched for him.

I watched them for a moment before turning my gaze back to Shuan. He was sheathing his sword.

Amidst the chaos, I looked directly at Shuan and spoke.

“Do you still not know your sister?”

“I’m leaving now.“

“Your sister seemed to know you quite well, though.”

Even at my mocking words, Shuan couldn’t muster a single reply. His face was etched with guilt. He let out a painful sigh before turning to leave, only to come back to me once more.

“Your Grace, please help me.”

“You want me to help you again? Without any compensation?”

I looked at him with cold eyes.

Our contract was built on trust, and Shuan had shattered that trust. If we were to rebuild this relationship, it would have to be on Shuan’s terms, with him seeking my favor unconditionally. Shuan clenched his fists and bowed his head before me.

“I know this is shameless of me. But…“

“If you know it’s shameless, stay away from my wife.”

A low voice interrupted, cutting between Shuan and me. Shuan and I both turned our heads toward the direction of the voice. There, standing as if blending into the shadows, was a man.

“Julian.“

“Your Grace.”

We both called out to him, but Julian’s gaze was fixed on me. As he approached, Shuan instinctively stepped back.

“Thank you for saving my wife. Though, I don’t think I need to offer you a reward.”

I glanced at Julian, covering my mouth with my hand. He was drawing a clear line, being overly cautious of Shuan. For some reason, I felt a warm flush creeping up the back of my neck.

It must have been because of what happened the last time I saw Julian. As much as Julian was wary of Shuan, I was equally preoccupied with Julian.

Shuan had stepped back but didn’t seem ready to leave just yet.

“Your Grace, I know it’s presumptuous, but may I speak with the Grand Duchess for a moment?”

At his words, Julian looked directly at me. I hesitated, recalling the events that had led me here.

I had avoided Ari to gain Julian’s trust, which had brought me this far. Talking with Shuan wasn’t urgent. When I shook my head, Julian more firmly blocked Shuan.

“My wife says no.“

Julian’s broad back completely blocked my view of Shuan. I heard Shuan’s voice from behind, strained as though holding something back.

“I’ll visit again later. Please take care.”

Shuan left with the sound of retreating footsteps. Julian turned back to me. Perhaps because I was sitting in the wheelchair, he seemed much larger than usual.

As I tilted my head to look at him, he knelt on one knee before me. I cupped his cheeks with both of my hands. On one side, I felt his mask, and on the other, his firm skin.

“You chased away the bad guy for me,“ I said softly. Julian lowered his gaze, seemingly shy. I didn’t like how his eyes were cast down toward my knees. I lifted his face to meet my gaze directly. Julian then whispered quietly,

“Are you no longer upset?“

“…I wasn’t upset.“

“You told me not to think about coming to your room yesterday.”

I shot him a glare and protested,

“So you didn’t come at all?“

“Of course not. I’m afraid of you, after all. But if I had known this would happen, I would’ve stuck around.”

Julian placed his hand over mine. If I said his hand seemed trembling, would that all just be my imagination? I gently rubbed his cool cheek with my hand and smiled triumphantly.

“Praise me.“

“I need a reason to.“

“There is one. I think you’ll like it when you hear it.“

Julian’s pupils were fixed on me without the slightest tremble. I liked that he was completely focused on what I had to say.

He wasn’t particularly affectionate, but neither was he a cold-hearted man. How could someone who, despite being disappointed with me several times, still gave me chances be considered heartless?

Just as I was about to start chatting to Julian, a knight approached us and saluted sharply. Even in the darkness, I could see the cold sweat trickling down his face. It seemed to be because Julian was kneeling kindly before me.

Only then did I notice people inside the banquet hall packed together, watching us. Behind the knight, I could see Louis and Nife standing with their hands clasped together, unable to approach us.

As soon as I saw them, I clammed up like someone who had lost their voice, but Julian seemed unfazed. A man who had lived his whole life under the eyes of others was different, after all.

Julian stood up and asked the knight,

“What is it?”

Still drenched in sweat, the knight carried out his duty, albeit nervously.

“W-We just wanted to confirm whether Her Grace the Grand Duchess saw the assassin’s face.”

The knight stammered as if Julian scared him terribly. Knowing how gentle Julian was, I didn’t like seeing him so frightened. I asked sharply,

“So you didn’t catch him?”

“N-No, we didn’t.”

“With all the knights here, you couldn’t catch a single assassin? Don’t you feel ashamed as members of the Royal Knights?“

“We have no excuses.”

I clicked my tongue deliberately and recalled the assassin’s appearance.

“I couldn’t see much since they covered everything except their eyes. I can cooperate if you need a sketch based on the eye shape. Judging by the silhouette, a woman used the Royal Knights’ swordsmanship. She’s likely still among the Royal Knights or someone who left the order.“

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

Without responding to the knight, I tugged at Julian’s arm. Julian naturally moved behind me and began pushing my wheelchair. Anna offered to do it instead, but Julian said it was fine. I felt the breeze play with my hair and laughed.

“Did you know? Your strides are so long that the wheelchair goes too fast.“

“I’ll push you more slowly.“

“No, I mean it’s fun. Can’t you go even faster?“

“It’s dangerous.”

I snorted. The wheelchair smoothly entered my tent. Anna quickly pulled back the blankets to help me lie down. I covered my legs with the blanket and propped myself up.

“Julian, sit here.”

Instead of urging him to sit on the bed, I tapped the chair beside it. Julian obediently sat down like a well-behaved duke. I clasped his hands in mine and looked into his eyes.

“Julian, do you know what I just did?“

“You faced the assassin dangerously.”

I lightly slapped the back of his hand.

“Before that!”

Julian shook his head, showing no sign of pain from the slap. He didn’t know.

“When I entered the banquet hall, Lady Eriant, the daughter of the Marquis, was there.“

“The woman you sang praises about for her beauty?“

“Yes, her.”

Remembering Julian’s earlier just made me laugh again. Hadn’t he once joked that I was more beautiful than Ari Eriant? How ridiculous that had been! Julian had a funny side to him, after all. But that wasn’t important right now.

“She signaled for me to follow her.”

As soon as he heard that, Julian frowned. However, after a moment of thought, his expression softened. Still, he asked incredulously,

“You did?“

“Yes, your wife did. But I didn’t follow her.“

“Impossible.”

Julian let out a disbelieving laugh. Watching him, I suddenly felt sad. It made me realize just how much distrust I had built between us all this time and how grateful I was to him for protecting me despite that. A heavy feeling settled in my chest.

“To be honest, at first, I wanted to follow her. But at that moment, I thought of you. If I followed her and met the assassin, you would be heartbroken… Thinking that, I turned back.”

After finishing, I awkwardly added,

“Well, I ended up meeting the assassin anyway, though. I didn’t expect Lady Eriant to be so thorough.”

I gently rubbed the back of Julian’s hand, which I had slapped earlier while gauging his reaction. Julian listened to my story quietly, as he always did. But this time, I could feel his focus more intensely than ever.

“So? I did well, right? This makes up for things, doesn’t it?”

I asked proudly, and Julian smiled. He lowered his head and kissed my hand. His warm breath slowly spread from his lips to my hand.

Even though it was just a touch, I felt a ticklish sensation all the way to my toes. Part of me wanted to pull my hand away quickly, while another wanted to stay in his kiss forever.

Julian lifted his gaze to meet mine and whispered,

“You did well, Duchess.”

Our eyes locked, our breaths mingling in the close distance between us.

TL NOTE: A more advanced chapter of this story is already up on the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories.