The Only Way to Break the Curse is Through Contact with You - Chapter 58

#58

“Children?”

Diart’s displeasure was suddenly gone, and he looked as if he had heard something unexpected. It seemed that he had never even thought about children. Diart, who had been silently looking down at me, nodded briefly.

“Make a fist.”

Diart obediently made a fist. His hand was large, so the fist looked a bit exaggerated, about the size of a baby’s head. Grabbing his wrist with both hands, I pressed my thumb firmly into the underside of his palm. A small bump popped up above his wrist.

“You will have four children.”

Diart’s expression turned puzzled as I showed him the yard sale trick I’d learned as a child from the old woman in the neighborhood.

“I guess I have to work hard.”

“For what?”

“To have four children.”

What is this man talking about?

Whatever he was thinking of, Diart looked pleased with himself. I quickly let go of his hand, feeling my cheeks flushing for no reason. 

Diart said, squeezing and unclenching the hand he had given me.

“How about dining out tonight?”

“Where?”

“Dromange.”

“Dromange… “

It was one of the hottest places in the empire where you had to wait at least six months to eat. I wanted to go there because it was highly praised as a place that once you tried, you would never forget its taste, but I had to give up because I heard that the reservations were heavily booked.

“You made a reservation there?”

“Do we need a reservation?”

I nodded after seeing his confident expression. Well, you are something.

* * *

There was a reason why it was famous. I enjoyed the best happiness I could feel in my mouth and picked up the orange mousse that came out as a dessert with a fork, savoring the satisfying fullness. The combination of sweet and sour oranges and cream cheese made me swoon.

Diart, who had been staring at me, pushed his portion of dessert towards me. I didn’t say no, because there was always a separate stomach for dessert. As he watched me pull the plate toward myself, he pulled something out of his arm and held it out.

“Take this, too.”

When I saw the document he opened and held out, my face became pale, unlike when I ate the sweet cream.

“Sign this.”

Diart kindly even offered me a pen, and I looked down at the divorce cancellation papers that had come back to me again and again, thrown away, torn up, and ignored.

“I’ve told you several times already, but I have no intention of revoking the divorce. This is not something that can be done just because the Duke insists on it.”

Diart tilted his head slightly. It meant he was not satisfied.

“A letter came saying that our fathers will be visiting soon. If we get their approval, it will be over.”

“It won’t be over. Neither Duke Feischer nor my father will approve. We may need the approval of our families, but it’s just a formality. The most important thing is the position of the parties involved. I’ve already received approval from the emperor, so if I want to divorce, I’ll eventually do it.”

Hmph. Diart, who had just let out a snort, leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed, as he sometimes did when he was dissatisfied with something. It meant there was no room for negotiation.

After silently watching me, Diart muttered quietly.

“I suppose I’d better get rid of the temple.”

…… I heard something scary. I tried to act calm and picked up my teacup.

“I don’t understand why you want to divorce me so badly.”

It seems perplexing that someone who expressed his desire to remain friends would insist on divorce, even to the point of being ready to die. There were many reasons why I wanted to divorce him, but the one that bothered me the most was one.

“Duke.”

“Diart.”

“I don’t know why you suddenly took an interest in me, but it’s probably a passing fancy. You didn’t care about me for over a decade.”

Diart’s destined partner had already been decided. Adelia McGregor. Even if he said he liked me for some reason now, he would eventually end up with the emerald-eyed female lead for some reason.

I worry that one day, Diart might find his match and I might end up following the original storyline. That was what scared me the most.

Perhaps, even the fact that he is showing interest in me like this could be the intervention of the original work system trying to put me back on track.

“I don’t think it’s just a passing fancy, since you’re looking pretty as you take a bite out of a cake that’s bigger than my fist.”

I shut my mouth in disbelief, and my cake-filled cheeks bulged out. Diart, who rested his elbows on the table and propped his chin on his hands, smirked.

Rather than hearing the words ‘pretty’ come out of Diart’s mouth, something that had been pressing down on me almost burst out at his affectionate gaze towards me. Trying to avoid him, I quickly blinked my eyes in an attempt to hide any signs of surprise.

“I could be wrong, but I don’t think you’re the same person I used to know.”

The unchewed cake went down with a gulp. As expected of Diart. He didn’t know exactly what it was, but he had an animalistic feeling. I hurriedly blinked my eyes in an attempt to hide any signs of surprise.

“In the past, you……”

Uncharacteristically, Diart furrowed his brow, choosing his words.

“You were annoying. But not anymore. It’s like I’m looking at a different woman. And I like it. To the point that I regret pushing you away.”

Diart’s words sounded like he was saying that the person he had developed feelings for was not the original Roeni from the original work, but myself. It made my heart feel soft and mushy.

“Right now, I almost want to beg you to annoy me a little.”

Diart added playfully. I looked down at the table and bit my lip, trying to suppress a smile.

“The woman who has been following you around all your life suddenly wants to break up, it probably just piqued your curiosity for a moment.”

“Roeni Wheaton.”

He called my name as if telling me to look at him directly. When I raised my head, Diart was staring at me with a serious expression.

“I’m not so foolish that I can’t distinguish between liking and curiosity.”

“But……”

“I told you I was thinking about you. This is the conclusion I reached after a long deliberation. I don’t want to lose you.”

* * *

I almost signed it. Diart had a way of captivating people. I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Until now, Diart had said he didn’t want to divorce, but it was the first time he directly expressed his liking towards me in words. He said he liked me because I wasn’t the real Roeni Wheaton.

I felt like I finally met someone who would truly like me, whether it was in my past life or through this possession, even though I had never received love in my entire life. It was a different feeling from Lily and the knights liking me.

“Are you crazy?”

I quickly grabbed my head.

“I need to get my shit together.”

Diart, huh. The Diart Wheaton made me tremble so much when I read the original work. It doesn’t make sense to have such concerns about someone like that.

As I shook my head, Lily entered the room with a perplexed expression.

“Madam, there’s a guest looking for you.”

“A guest? At this hour?”

Why are so many people coming to see me these days? Usually, guests would send a letter first, and it was customary to visit during daylight unless it was a special case.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Lady Adelia McGregor.”

As the unexpected name popped out, I quickly stood up and sat down. Why is she here?

“Lady Adelia McGregor?”

“Yes. I told her it was too late and it would be better to visit another time, but she insisted on seeing you.”

Lily couldn’t hide her displeasure and pursed her lips.

“Where is she now?”

I got up from the bed and walked quickly across the room, then abruptly stopped. Lily looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“Madam?”

“Lily.”

“Yes?”

“Go and bring the most dazzling dress from Madame Veronica’s collection. And it would be better to put my hair up again.”

Lily, who was nodding her head absentmindedly, suddenly nodded vigorously.

“I’ll prepare it right away!”