The Only Way to Break the Curse is Through Contact with You - Chapter 73

#73

“It won’t go away.”

I sighed softly as I pressed the corners of my eyes, which were red despite the compress. After Duke Feischer left the room, I cried for a long time, overwhelmed by conflicting emotions. I couldn’t exactly understand why I was crying. The image of Duke Feischer stammering an apology was overlaid with the desolate look on his face as he looked at me before passing out in Diart’s arms.

“I feel better after crying.”

As if I had been waiting for this moment, something that had been tightly knotted in my chest came undone. I realized that from now on, I would be able to see Duke Feischer with a little more ease.

“But not with this face, though.”

It wasn’t just because of my swollen eyes that I looked unattractive. I didn’t want to show this face to Diart, so I tried to avoid him, but it was in vain. Since we had been sharing the same bed lately, I couldn’t hide it, and I flipped the blanket over my neck, pretending to be asleep, and forced my eyes shut.

Just then, Diart, who had been away all day due to heavy work, returned. I could sense his approaching presence on the bed.

“Are you asleep?”

Even though his breath became closer as a shadow loomed over my head, I didn’t open my eyes. If he asked me, I couldn’t find the strength to explain emotions that even I couldn’t understand.

The gaze that had been fixed on me finally wavered. I heard the sound of clothes being taken off, followed by the sound of the door opening and closing. Thinking that he had gone to wash up, I let out a sigh and opened my eyes, only to quickly cover my mouth to stifle the scream that burst out.

“Why are you pretending to sleep?”

Diart, whom I thought had gone into the bathroom, was standing right in front of me, arms crossed, looking at me with a stern expression.

‘You sneaky bastard!’

Did he even make a sound to deceive me? Diart, who had been unabashedly staring at me, suddenly furrowed his brow. In an instant, he closed the distance between us, stooped down, and cupped my chin with his hand. I locked eyes with him, completely captured by his large hand.

“Did you cry?”

There was no point in shaking my head. Even if I did, he wouldn’t believe that I didn’t cry seeing my red eyes.

“What happened?”

Diart sat by the bedside, staring at me intently, and asked.

“I heard that you had tea with Duke Feischer earlier. Did you hear anything from that man?”

“That man?”

I knew he had a strong sense of self-reliance, but still, for him to speak so informally to his father-in-law. When I shot him a sharp look, Diart tilted his head.

“Why.”

“He’s my father. If you respect me, please show him some courtesy.”

“Weren’t you the one who disliked Duke Feischer?”

“Not anymore.”

I pushed away his hand that was gripping my chin and abruptly turned my head. Diart, who had been watching me silently, slid onto the bed. His arm reached out from behind my neck and pulled me towards him. I tried to resist, but it was futile. I ended up embracing him tightly in his arms.

“Then why did you cry?”

His voice became much softer. His hand that gently patted my back seemed affectionate. Despite that, when I tried to say something, he immediately corrected himself and called him Father, which was quite adorable, and I calmed down. It‘s definitely not because of his chest peeking through the undone buttons of his shirt.

“You don’t want to talk about it?”

“Yes.”

I didn’t even know why I was crying. Diart pulled me closer.

“If someone is bothering you, tell me.”

I wanted to answer that it was him who was bothering me. Despite his personality, Diart had a high body temperature. As I snuggled in his warm embrace and listened to his heartbeat, impure thoughts kept popping into my mind. Moreover, the warm energy emanating from my forehead, where his lips touched, spread all the way down to my toes. To avoid being caught for my rapid breathing, I took deep breaths inwardly.

“I think I need to go to the territory for a few days.”

“Why?”

“I found the Sau clan.”

What? I opened my eyes wide and looked at him, pushing aside the chest that kept drawing my gaze.

“Really?”

“Yes. On the day of the imperial banquet, I found the tribe’s hideout and met one of them.”

If they were from the Sau clan, they might know about Ursula’s bloodline and the curse. I also wanted to meet them and talk about it.

“I just bought a gerastone mine from the Harris Company. I plan to take a look around there together.”

Upon reflecting, I realized that there would soon be a war with the principality. Thanks to my early knowledge of the gerastone, we could arm ourselves with weapons in advance, so the damage would be less than in the original story, but still, war was a frightening thing. Diart, of course, and the knights that I’ve gotten to know over time would also participate. Although it was stated in the original story that Diart returned unscathed, I couldn’t guarantee the lives or deaths of the nameless knights.

“Won’t you come with me?”

Diart, who never wanted to be separated from me even for a moment since the kidnapping incident, had an unsatisfied expression when I was left alone for a few days. Although I also wanted to meet the Sau clan, there were more pressing matters at hand. The reason I wanted to meet them was to ask if the curse could be completely neutralized only through the Wheaton family. Now that I acknowledged my feelings for Diart, it didn’t matter if I didn’t ask right away. I would have plenty of opportunities to interact with him in the future.

As I faced Diart’s gaze, which was silently observing me, impure thoughts surged in me. I coughed and lowered my head.

Having hinted several times that he wanted to go together, Diart finally stepped back when I shook my head firmly.

“Don’t cry while I’m gone.”

Diart gently rubbed the swollen area around his eyes with his thumb and kissed it. A ticklish sensation made my shoulders tremble involuntarily.

‘Should I pounce on him?’

He was tempting me persistently, oblivious to the person who had been enduring difficulties since earlier.

Wouldn’t it be better if I took the initiative first? I inwardly shook my head at the insidious temptation whispered in my ear. Even if I didn’t know (?), Diart was experiencing it for the first time, and I should be considerate. I needed to create a memorable experience in a more plausible and romantic atmosphere, rather than doing it impulsively.

I stepped back like a grownup and wrapped my arms around Diart, thinking to myself.

‘By the way, so when should I tell him about the curse?’

* * *

After seeing off Diart, who was leaving for the estate early in the morning, I stretched out and yawned refreshingly in my room.

“I’m finally free!”

Since I had been confined to my room under the pretext of still being unwell, now that Diart was not here, it was an opportunity for me to go out. I quickly called for Lily, dressed up, and went out for a walk. I should enjoy this moment, whether the servants tell Diart later or not.

I left the townhouse excitedly, wondering if I was the same person who had captured the flirtatious atmosphere from last night. I stopped by Rocco’s Bakery, where the smooth and savory cream and fresh strawberries went so well together that it felt like my stuffy stomach was relieved as I ate cake and felt the wind outside.

Unlike Lily, who was eating vigorously across from me, Milto, who came out with me, looked uncomfortable and looked around.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

Milto flinched at my question, awkwardly smiled, and then lowered his head. He seemed to have something to say but didn’t seem to want to say it.

Then I saw familiar faces. They were the noblewomen who followed me during the hunting competition and constantly flattered me. When our eyes met, they were visibly startled and didn’t know what to do.

“Why are they acting like that?”

I frowned as I watched them, seemingly unable to do anything. After the noblewomen curtseyed and greeted me, they quickly hurried away. I felt a sense of unease as they disappeared in an instant.

I wondered why the people who couldn’t seem to take their eyes off me just at the hunting grounds would change their attitude overnight. But then I shrugged my shoulders. They were people who didn’t really matter anyway, so I’ll just think about it later.

“Do you think there’s a way to get to the palace?”

I was worried not only about Leticia but also about Jarvis’ condition, but I was frustrated because I didn’t hear any news. Even if I’m a duchess, I couldn’t freely enter and leave the palace. I sighed, complaining about how there seemed to be no solution, and Milto’s expression seemed strange.

That face suddenly overlapped with the image of the noblewomen, who were unable to look me in the eye, and the silent Leticia.

There must have been something that happened between the imperial court and Diart, that much was clear.