The Only Way to Break the Curse is Through Contact with You - Chapter 86

#86

“Lily.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know what I gave up?”

“Southern Roman coast, Northern Kaimansar Hotel, and title of a diamond mine in the west.”

“You know it well.”

I must be crazy, I’m insane! How could I just brush it off like that, you idiot!

I buried my face in my hands and rolled my feet under the table. The hand that pushed away the tremendous documents Diart brought yesterday trembled with regret. How I wish I hadn’t wasted the chance to explore the diamond mine, sunbathe on the Roman coast, and enjoy elegant room service at the Kaimansar Hotel. When I woke up in the morning, it felt so empty…

“I should have just closed my eyes and accepted it. There was no need to refuse.”

But if I had forgiven him right after receiving it, I would have seemed too materialistic. I couldn’t leave that impression on Diart, so I quietly let go of the documents I had been holding, and his expression turned gloomy. His usually expectant expression was quite different, as if it were a blow to his expectations.

Should I have just accepted it? Well, he already knew that I liked money. But even so, I couldn’t instill that certainty in my mind.

I have my pride too! Maybe later, but in this situation, it was right not to accept.

‘If I had known this would happen, I would have forgiven you right away.’

After that day, Diart had apologized many times, so my anger had long since dissipated. In fact, when I think about the actions that Roeni did to Diart before the possession, his cold attitude was quite understandable.

How could he be kind to the woman he was forced to marry, and who even tried to secretly give him drugs? And to think that the situation I was in as soon as I possessed her was to pounce on him while he was sleeping, so he’s done enough. It was unfair to be rejected for things I didn’t even do, but since Diart didn’t know about the possession, perhaps it was a natural thing.

Still, the effort he made to make up for the injustice I’ve been feeling has taken longer than expected. His face, which came in every night without getting tired and asking for permission, was cute, and then he turned away, pretending to be fine when I refused, but the way his shoulders slump is adorable, so I pretend not to notice, and it’s already been a few days.

‘I’m really scared of the bean pod¹콩깍지 is a bean pod but it primarily describes how an infatuated person cannot see things objectively[/mfm], really.’

I sighed and rested my chin on my hand. Not only that, but Grand Duke Wheaton and Duke Feischer, who used to be on good terms, are still growling and fighting each other, and the servants are also a mess.

“Madam, please try this. The chef made a cake especially for you.”

Lily put the cake on the table. I looked at the cake with its cute decorations, which had obviously been painstakingly crafted. Recently, all the servants in the townhouse were watching me. There was one reason.

“Everyone is worried about you two.”

Apparently, there was money in the rumor mill about me and Diart’s divorce. It would have been okay up to that point, but it was unfortunate that the reason for the divorce mentioned was because of Diart’s lack of ability(?). Lily, who contributed greatly to him receiving such an embarrassing misunderstanding, said with a stern expression.

“I looked into it, and they say if you just make an effort, it’s possible to make significant progress.”

She gave me a look that seemed to tell me not to worry, and I sighed inwardly.

‘It’s not that, Lily.’

I’ve said it many times before to correct her misunderstanding, but Lily seemed to think that I was covering for Diart. Thanks to her, Diart was eating unnecessary supplements without knowing anything, and every time he did, I could only see the pitiful glances from people because of me.

I was already worried about how Diart would react when he found out about this later.

The servants and knights were all watching my every move, making it even harder for me to accept Diart’s apology. If I were to accept him now, it would seem like it’s because of that!

The more I dragged this out, the more difficult it became. It took too long to be resolved with just one apology from Diart, and the situation that started as a joke had grown bigger than expected, so there had to be some catalyst.

I’ve been pondering various things during this time, but I couldn’t come up with a good solution, and it was giving me a headache.

‘If only the diamond mine had been the catalyst, you idiot!’

Once again, I buried my face on the table gloomily, recalling the the diamond mine that I had missed out on. I could sense Lily’s uneasiness beside me, but I didn’t have the energy to pay attention to her at the moment. The person who was actually the most exhausted from this prolonged cold war was not Diart, but me.

The energy that had been building up through contact with Diart had gradually started to wane. Occasionally, my limbs would feel numb. To make matters worse, I couldn’t tell if his claim that my resistance to contact was building was true or if it was because I had already gained too much satisfaction from Diart that I couldn’t feel the same energy as before, that I couldn’t feel the same energy even when I touched servants.

Even that did not go smoothly, as Diart would glare at me as if his eyes were on fire. Every time he did that, he would approach me with determination and extend his hand. I don’t know how many times I resisted the tempting hand that shook alluringly as if telling me to grab it.

Diart would look at me with eyes that seemed to say he wanted to hold me right away, but in reality, it was me who wanted to be held by him more than anyone else. But since it seemed insincere to make physical contact while still refusing his apology, I had to suppress my desires and endure.

These days, when I’m experiencing withdrawal symptoms from Diart, it was hard to resist the urge to confront him just by looking at his face. So I had to divert my gaze elsewhere.

‘Damn it. Who am I playing this game of tug-of-war for.’

I’m the one who’s most frustrated! In my attempt to torment Diart, I ended up being the one burned first. In the situation where it seemed like I had fallen for my own trick, I raised my head abruptly.

It can’t go on like this anymore. It’s not appropriate for me to suddenly go and apologize first. I need to find a way to create a catalyst and resolve this situation, returning to how things were before.

I pondered while eating cake aggressively. If I were to say now that it was all just a joke, it would be too ridiculous…

Should I just ask Diart for the diamond mine again right now? No, that would be too materialistic. It’s not like I don’t have money… Wait a moment. I paused as a thought suddenly came to mind.

‘What will happen to the buildings I invested in if Diart doesn’t rebel as originally planned?’

I dropped the fork I was holding and belatedly realized that my ambitious investment had turned into scraps of paper.

* * *

In an instant, my dream of becoming an overnight millionaire was shattered, and as I spent my gloomy days, unable to come up with a way to reconcile with Diart, the day of the imperial banquet had arrived.

Diart had casually mentioned it, which made me think it was just an ordinary banquet. But as it turned out, it was Crown Prince Jarvis’s birthday celebration. That’s why somehow, the look in Diart’s eyes when he asked me if I wanted to go with him seemed strange.

In the original story, Crown Prince Jarvis’s birthday celebration was the most important scene where the main characters’ story began. Now that Adelia had mysteriously disappeared, and with the original story completely twisted, I was curious about how the celebration would unfold. It kept me restless for days, even affecting my sleep.

I woke up in the morning and barely had time to catch my breath before Diart, who had been staring at me all this time, approached.

“Let’s go.”

Diart extended his hand, offering to escort me. I couldn’t see him wearing the gloves he always wore on formal occasions. As I alternated my gaze between his hand and his eyes, Diart quickly explained.

“I took them off because they felt suffocating.”

A man who had always worn gloves his whole life wouldn’t suddenly feel suffocated wearing them, but I pretended not to know and took his hand. As our hands touched, a familiar energy rushed through me. This sensation spread throughout my entire body, causing me to momentarily pause.

It felt refreshing and satisfying, like quenching a burning thirst with a cool beverage. But at the same time, I felt it was lacking. I’ve already experienced a stronger and more pleasant energy than this, I became impatient. I almost ran straight into Diart’s embrace, forgetting about the banquet and everything else.

‘Get a hold of yourself!’

I lifted my heavy foot, which had stopped in its tracks. When I did, I saw Diart’s expression, which had been scrutinizing me anxiously, soften. He slid his hand over mine, which was resting lightly on top of his, then interlaced his fingers with mine.

This is different from a typical escort, so I looked up at Diart, but he averted his gaze. I could have moved my hand away, but I pretended not to notice and stayed still. Then, his grip on my fingers tightened.

His hand, which had been holding onto mine tightly until we got into the carriage, let go regretfully. I turned my gaze outside the window, afraid that I might lose my mind and grab onto his hand.

I felt Diart’s intense gaze on me, and a subtle tension filled the carriage. Sweat broke out on the palm of my hand that had been held by him, and I wiped it off on the corner of my skirt. As if he were watching my every move, I became acutely aware of his presence.

* * *

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