The Only Way to Break the Curse is Through Contact with You - Chapter 45
#45
That spacious bed, which was suddenly burdensome, began to look attractive. If he knew I was a terminal patient and treated me well, wouldn’t he accept my strange behavior? Even if I touched his arm or held his hand while pretending to be asleep, he wouldn’t mind because my days are numbered.
I smirked wickedly at the thought, then quickly controlled my expression when I saw Lily raising her head.
“Are you surprised?”
“A little.”
I covered my mouth with my hand, feigning shock at the unexpected situation of being sentenced as a terminal patient. Seeing my frozen expression, Lily desperately tried to reassure me.
“Don’t worry too much, madam. Medical technology has advanced so much these days. We will surely find a treatment!”
“So… everyone acted strangely because they knew I had Puythan disease.”
“Although the master issued a gag order, everyone was worried about you, madam…”
Lily sensed my thoughts and hesitated for a moment while pretending to be lost in thought. I sat up, breaking the silence. Lily quickly stood up as well.
“I want to take a bath.”
“Then I’ll prepare warm water quickly.”
Wanting to be alone to gather my thoughts and using the sudden change as an excuse, Lily turned her body as if she wanted to do something for me. Instead of simply leaving the room, she opened another door inside the room, which made me gasp.
Contrary to expectations, not only was the bathroom connected by a single door, but all sides were made of transparent glass windows, revealing a panoramic view of a lush forest beyond. Instead of being amazed by the healing view, my immediate concern was the practicality of being visible from the outside.
“It can be seen from outside?”
Lily turned her head, her hand touching the running water with magical devices attached.
“I heard that magic has been cast to make it invisible from the outside. It just looks like a brick wall from the outside.”
“Really?”
Well, that’s a relief. Feeling at ease, I took off my clothes under Lily’s watchful eyes. Meanwhile, Lily poured lavender oil into the perfectly temperature-regulated bathtub and knelt down to lift her feet.
“I’ll do it alone today.”
“What? But…”
“I have things to think about. I want to be alone.”
As Lily made a sad expression, she worriedly looked at me and stood up.
“If you need anything, please call me right away.”
“Okay, I got it.”
With a face that looked like she was about to cry, Lily sniffled and left the bathroom. I sighed and slowly got into the bathtub, tiptoeing around the edge.
“Haah……”
Unlike the cold air made by magic, I felt sluggish as I soaked my body in warm water. Looking at the view outside the window, I felt like I was taking a bath in the middle of a forest. My muscles, which had been tense due to Diart’s sudden behavior, melted away. It would be perfect to have a glass of wine here.
I leaned my head against the bathtub and closed my eyes, but soon stood up straight.
‘Anyway, what should I do now.’
I didn’t expect to be misunderstood as having a terminal illness. It felt ironic because I was truly terminally ill before I possessed.
I had no losses in many ways. But after thinking about it for a while, it was problematic to try to use this as an excuse to touch Diart. It was not only perverted but also dangerous. I shook my head at the thought of lying on the same bed as Diart.
It had been several months since my possession, and I had not seen a man as handsome as Diart. In my past life, I used to prioritize looks and believed that one’s sincerity reflects on their face, but occasionally, this beauty makes it hard for me to stay calm and overlook even the character.
‘I shouldn’t act bewitched just like before.’
Besides, it would be terrible if we shared a bed and the curse manifested itself and I pounced on him uncontrollably.
As I vowed to myself in the carriage, I must be careful not to follow Roeni’s original route. If I interfere with the original love line, it will be my downfall. Thinking of Adelia, who had a split personality, I shuddered.
‘Anyway, I didn’t know that man had any sympathy for me.’
It seemed that the reason why he had been friendly lately was some kind of acknowledgment for someone facing death.
“I don’t know. Let’s just rest for a while.”
I scooped up some warm water and splashed it on my face, then closed my eyes.
* * *
When I got out of the water after soaking for a while, quite some time had passed. I put on the gown that Lily had prepared in advance and wiped my wet hair with a towel before leaving the bathroom. The room, with only a few candles lit, was dark but cozy.
“The sun has set.”
I turned my gaze from outside the window, which had sunk completely black, to the dressing table. I was so tired from bathing for so long that I felt drowsy. It seemed like they weren’t coming to find me even though dinner time had already passed. They must have decided to leave me alone like this.
Even the traditional notion that dinner should be enjoyed together as a family seems to be disregarded in the face of a terminal illness. Even the filthy-tempered Diart made sure to attend dinner regularly. It’s comfortable…
‘Wait.’
My steps came to a sudden halt. I had momentarily forgotten the fact that I shared this room with Diart. He had been using my room for work recently and even said he would be back before leaving. Besides, it wasn’t even dinner time.
An eerie feeling crept down my spine. It felt like I shouldn’t turn around.
“What are you doing, standing there?”
“Waah!”
Startled by the low voice from behind me, I jumped, my body twisting and tangling as my feet buckled.
At that moment, I felt a large hand wrapping around my waist, firmly lifting me up as if to prevent me from falling forward. As I reflexively turned my body, our breaths met at such a close distance that I could feel it. Diart’s golden eyes were gazing down at me.
Time seemed to stand still, and the surroundings grew silent. It felt like Diart and I were the only ones left in the world, just like earlier in the carriage.
A strange tension hung in the air. I unconsciously licked my lips, feeling the firm grip on my waist. In an instant, Diart’s narrowed eyes widened as he pushed me away, keeping a distance.
I pouted my lips at Diart’s reaction. I wonder if I looked that gross when I licked my lips. The energy that had been tingling from head to toe suddenly receded.
“You should probably put on some clothes.”
Diart turned his head and spoke. I nervously replied with a shaky “Yes,” and turned my back to him. Then, Diart asked from behind.
“Do you always walk around like that?”
“What do you mean?”
“Wandering around in your current state?”
I looked down at my attire. Under the robe that only covered up to my thighs, my bare legs were exposed, and the gap between the loosely tied front of the robe revealed my collarbone. Drops of water were falling from the still-wet violet hair stuck to the back of my neck.
Only now did I realize that I was facing Diart in a state almost equivalent to being half-naked, and my face instantly flushed with embarrassment. It was fortunate that the room was dimly lit. If it had been brighter, Diart would have seen my blushing face, which would have been even more embarrassing.
With a mix of confusion and embarrassment, I straightened my hunched shoulders and pretended to be nonchalant.
“For a moment, I forgot that this isn’t my room.”
Water dripping from my hair or not, I hurriedly walked towards the dressing room. I grabbed the nearest door handle and entered a small room with a couch and a coffee table.
“That’s the private living room.”
“………….”
The dressing room is over there. Diart pointed with his finger towards a certain room.
‘What kind of damn room has this many doors!’
Ignoring the tingling sensation that rose up to my neck, I hurriedly moved my feet without properly looking in the direction Diart pointed.
“Not there.”
Perhaps because I was in a hurry, I stumbled upon a box lying on the ground before Diart, who was grabbing me from behind, could finish his sentence.
“Ah!”
In the blink of an eye, I fell forward and knelt down with my knees bent. Even though there was a rug on the floor, the impact of falling caused a sharp pain in my knees. As I rubbed my sore knees, a hand suddenly reached out towards me. When I looked up to see whose hand it was, Diart was looking down at me.