The Only Way to Break the Curse is Through Contact with You - Chapter 31
Diart suddenly raised his head. Come to think of it, he had been unusually quiet, and Roeni, who had been reading a book muttering to herself, had fallen asleep.
Diart leaned back on the sofa with his head resting on it and shifted his gaze to the book she was holding. Quite some time had passed, but the book hadn’t turned many pages.
Actually, it didn’t matter whether Roeni finished reading that book or not. After all, it was a book he had already read. But what bothered him was her meeting with the Crown Prince, so using a feeble excuse, he kept her by his side.
Although he thought it didn’t matter who she met outside or why, he couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable for no reason whenever he thought about it in the past few days.
Diart put down the pen he was holding and leaned back deeply in his chair. As his gaze tilted upward, a ceiling with a splendid pattern came into his view.
‘Since when?’
* * *
The expression on Roeni’s face as she approached him and spoke to him about how she knew he was investigating gerastone was not the timid and submissive Roeni that Diart had known.
It seemed as though she knew the exact uses and values of gerastone, as though she had known them for a long time. She also seemed to have noticed that he had used his influence to export rooftan from the Midas Duchy.
Was this the same Roeni Wheaton that he knew?
There was not a single trace of the obsession and longing that had always been in her eyes when she looked at him with a confident gaze, as if she knew everything he wanted. It felt like he was looking at a different woman.
No matter how uninterested he was in her, it was a face that he had grown tired of seeing since childhood. Her facial expressions and tone of voice were different from those of the Roeni he knew.
He had thought that something had changed since the night she had sneaked into his room, but she was definitely not the person he knew these days.
He looked at her face, which suddenly felt unfamiliar, wondering what the reason could be. At that moment, Roeni suddenly got up, saying that she had something urgent to attend to. He wondered how urgent it could be for her to drop her teacup and rush out like that, but he soon heard that she had collapsed from illness.
As a woman who always craved his attention, she had often acted out of line. So he thought she might be up to something again this time. But seeing the maidservant’s desperate face as she was running around and Gordon’s concern, who came to see her several times a day, it seemed that she was really going through a difficult time.
Whether Roeni Wheaton was sick or not didn’t matter to him. She was just a bothersome and annoying presence to him.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Diart, who had been thinking while tapping the desk with his pen in a rhythmic manner, stood up from his seat. Lambert, who was reporting on the security issues within the territory, looked up with a puzzled expression.
“Why are you standing up?”
“Just taking a break.”
“Yes? Did I really hear Your Excellency say ‘take a break’? If I’m not mistaken, I should check if there are two suns rising tomorrow.”
Lambert, who had been mumbling, spoke firmly.
“But not today. Just listen to my report first and then take a break. Did you forget that you gave me half a day off? You need to hear the rest of the report quickly so I can leave.”
Diart walked past Lambert without even acknowledging his words and walked across his office. Ignoring the voices calling out to him, he opened the door and coincidentally ran into Gordon, who was about to enter with a tray in his hands.
“Where are you going, my lord?”
Diart didn’t answer Gordon’s question. He assumed, from the direction of his master’s steps, that he was going to the east study. He had to work hard not to look surprised when he passed the east study and stopped in front of Roeni’s door.
Having observed his master’s composed nature and the couple’s unfavorable relationship for a long time, he never even thought that he would be concerned about Roeni’s illness.
And it was also surprising to know that he knew where Roeni’s room was in the first place. It had been several years since they got married, but Diart had never once visited her room.
“Shall I announce your visit?”
As a skilled butler, Gordon asked, concealing his surprise. Diart, who had been silent for a moment, shook his head and grabbed the doorknob. Understanding his master’s intention, Gordon quietly stepped back.
Diart slowly opened the door and entered the room, and the distinct smell of herbs tickled his nose.
‘She must be really sick.’
He thought absentmindedly as he looked around the room. He entered the room without knocking, but no one came out. Instead, Roeni’s maid, who always accompanied her, was sitting on the floor, seemingly exhausted from washing towels, and dozing off.
Diart passed by her and headed towards the bed with determined steps. Roeni had her eyes tightly closed, seemingly asleep. Her face was drenched in sweat, and even the bedsheet was damp.
Roeni moaned weakly, her brows furrowed and her voice strained.
“Ha…uh…”
Diart silently watched Roeni, who continued to moan. Even Gordon had been worried, saying that even the doctors couldn’t find the cause.
Roeni truly looked as if she could pass away at any moment. Her already pale skin was incredibly pale, and at the same time, flushed with fever. Unable to withstand the pain, tears streamed down her cheeks.
Diart wondered what would happen if Roeni were to die like this. The woman who had annoyed him so much would disappear from this world.
Although they were about to divorce in a little while, it was different from her completely disappearing from this world. It meant that she would completely vanish from his life.
He thought it would feel refreshing, as if a burden had been lifted, but it wasn’t the case. Unexpectedly, he found himself hoping that Roeni wouldn’t die.
‘Is it because I won’t be able to obtain information about gerastone if she dies like this?’
No, even if it weren’t for Roeni, he would eventually find a way to obtain that information. In fact, he was getting closer to it. Of course, it would be less troublesome if he could get the information from Roeni, but it was only a matter of time.
Then why?
Diart turned away, intending to avert his gaze from Roeni, but her feeble voice stopped him in his tracks.
“Why…”
The hoarse voice clung to his footsteps. Diart turned his head back towards the bed.
“Of all things… ugh… damn it… I can’t… huff… breathe… gasp…”
Roeni, struggling to utter her words, suddenly burst into tears. It wasn’t the reflexive tears that came from pain, but rather a sorrowful cry filled with resentment.
“Just barely… sob… not going to die… sob… this time… golden spoon…”
Roeni seemed to be fighting against something, as if she were resentful of something.
“I want to live… I want to live…”
Her voice was incredibly earnest. She had always clung to him desperately, but this was different.
His attention was drawn to her trembling hands, which were unable to properly grasp the edge of the blanket. Diart unconsciously reached out his hand towards her.
When his fingers touched the back of her hand, Roeni flinched as if she had touched something cold. Then, she suddenly grabbed his hand with a strength that seemed to come out of nowhere. Just as Diart was about to pull his hand away with a frown on his face,
“Haa…”
Roeni’s brows, which had been contorted in pain just moments ago, relaxed. Her face became noticeably more comfortable, as if she had never been in pain. Even her irregular and hot breaths became steady. Her dry and pale lips regained their color.
“It feels good…”
The voice that had been unpleasant to hear just moments ago now sounded moist, as if it were coated with dew. Diart looked at Roeni’s face, which even had a faint smile on it, with a sense of relief.
If you disregard her sweaty, sticky hair and the traces of suffering on her face, it appears as if she is having a pleasant dream.
Diart looked down at the hand that she was still holding. He always hated the feeling of her hand touching his body, but today it wasn’t so bad.
At that moment, the small hand intertwined with his fingers and held on firmly. He wondered if she had woken up, but that wasn’t the case.
‘I’ve been here for so long.’
As Diart tried to pull his hand out, Roeni grabbed onto him. She had an unexpected burst of strength and seemed desperate.
Diart looked at her hand for a moment before forcefully pulling it away. The hand that had been holding him helplessly fell weakly onto the bed.
As if searching for something, Roeni frowned and gestured with her hand toward the empty space. Soon, she started breathing evenly, unlike before, as if she had fallen into a deep sleep.
Diart clenched and unclenched the hand that Roeni just held, then turned his back.