The Ruthless Circumstances of the Monstrous Duke - Chapter 15

There was no reaction even though one foot had intruded.

Marienne, clutching her shoes, carefully entered the room.

The dark room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Swallowing hard, she looked around.

I need to go back. This is insane. Run away, quickly!

A warning bell rang loudly in her head.

Woof! Woof! Woof woof!

“Oh my goodness!”

Startled by Luna’s barking, Marienne looked for the dog.

“Shh! Shush! Where are you? Shh, shh! Shh!”

Finally finding Luna, Marienne sat down on the floor, hugging the dog.

Her mouth was dry and her heart was racing madly.

Fortunately, the Duke was nowhere to be seen.

Finally feeling relieved, Marienne leaned back.

Feeling something soft, she looked up to see a bed large enough for three or four adults to lie on.

“Haa…”

As the tension eased, her vision blurred for a moment.

Luna tugged at Marienne’s sleeve, leading her to a cushion where five puppies lay.

Marienne’s tense face finally softened a little.

“So these are your babies. How cute.”

Luna picked up one particularly small puppy in its mouth and placed it on Marienne’s lap.

The puppy, thinner than its siblings, was breathing roughly.

You called me because you were worried about your baby. You recognized that I have the ability to heal your sick puppy.

Faced with such touching maternal love, she decided to set aside her worries about the trouble she might get into.

She breathed into the puppy’s mouth.

Surely the Duke would look favorably on this, since it was for his beloved dog’s puppy?

The healed puppy stretched out its short legs and fell into a deep sleep.

Marienne pressed her cheek against the adorable puppy, feeling happy for once. She stroked the admirable Luna.

“I’m sorry. I misunderstood you before. How scared and angry you must have been, almost losing such cute babies.”

Luna, after checking on the puppy’s breathing, wagged its tail and leaned into Marienne’s touch.

Thud, suddenly there was a sound of something hitting. Marienne’s hand, which had been stroking Luna, froze.

“Luna.”

A low man’s voice resonated softly. The sound of slippers dragging, followed by a trickle of water being poured into a glass, was heard in succession.

Luna, who had been in her arms, suddenly raised its head and ran to its master.

Marienne quietly put down the puppy and slid to the floor. Then, clutching her shoes, she looked for a place to hide.

But there was no suitable place in sight. Even if she wanted to escape through the window, the balcony was too far.

It was truly a room so vast that even a mouse might get lost trying to find its home.

Whine. Whine.

But of all times, the puppies started to stir, waking from their sleep.

Hearing the sound of the puppies, Luna quickly came running back.

With its master, who had become agitated by the scent, in tow.

Marienne frantically looked left and right before crawling to the head of the bed. Then she squeezed into the narrow gap between the wall and the bed, holding her breath.

Everything went dark before her eyes.

Thinking of all sorts of excuses and apologies, Marienne tightly shut her eyes.

The sound of slippers dragging grew closer and closer.

She felt ashamed, humiliated, and so scared she could almost cry.

Even when she was hit by the drunk tanner, she hadn’t been this frightened.

Should I get up and tell the truth?

While she felt her blood running cold, the furry puppies, following the scent, started filing into the narrow gap where Marienne was hiding.

Why are you doing this too? Go, go away.

Contrary to her wishes, Luna also pushed its snout into the narrow space and licked Marienne.

Soon after, a large black shadow fell over her head.

Marienne found herself surrounded by four puppies, their mother, and the dog’s owner.

A water droplet fell on the crown of her trembling head.

Again, plop, plop.

I’m done for.

Marienne, having given up, raised her head.

The shirtless Nigel was looking down at her with one hand against the wall. His hair was wet as if he had just bathed.

Marienne barely managed to stand up in the cramped space.

This led to an even more suffocating situation, trapped between the wall and him.

What should I do? I haven’t even sorted out last night’s incident yet…

“Ah… hello, Duke.”

“Are you drunk again?”

“…No.”

Her head naturally bowed down.

“Look up.”

She followed the order, but she was at a loss for where to look.

The man’s bare upper body was right in front of her nose. Moreover, the two dark protrusions were so blatant.

Embarrassed, she lowered her eyes, but this time the deeply carved muscle grooves and the dark shadow below his navel disturbed her mind.

She quickly raised her head. And thus encountered the Duke’s ashen eyes, blazing with anger and suspicion.

Frightened, she immediately lowered her eyes again. Once more, two red, even wet circles.

“What are you looking at? Like a little mouse.”

At the low, growling voice, Marienne’s mind went blank. She clutched her skirt with damp hands.

“I, I, well…”

“I asked you a question!”

At the booming shout, she blurted out whatever came to her mind.

“n*pples!”

A water droplet from the man’s hair fell onto her forehead.

An awkward silence descended like cold water.

Facing each other, the two were at a loss for words.

Nigel stepped back, incredulous at the word that had come from the woman’s mouth. Then, furrowing his brow, he ran his hand through his wet hair. She was a woman not even worth calling vulgar.

Marienne, scrambling out of the gap, put on her shoes that had fallen to the floor.

Yesterday it was drunken rambling, and today…

If only she could just disappear completely.

Only the oblivious Luna kept wagging its tail.

But then, the Duke’s gaze seemed to soften slightly as he held out his palm to the dog.

Marienne seized this momentary opportunity.

Shame could wait; survival came first.

“I’m sorry for entering your chambers without permission. But there was a good reason for it.”

“What reason.”

His gaze cooled instantly.

Luna, hurry and try to charm your master.

“I was looking at paintings in the gallery when Luna called me for help.”

“Ah… So you can speak with animals too?”

“Something like that.”

Nigel let out a hollow laugh as he put on his robe.

Usually he would walk around bare until dry, but this time he tightly closed his collar and tied the waist sash securely. Damn it, he cursed inwardly.

“So what did Luna say? To steal something valuable from the lord’s room?”

“That’s an unfounded assumption.”

Nigel spoke threateningly to her.

“How can I trust someone like you who was rolling around in the streets?”

“Duke!”

“Spies sent from various places have hidden in this room like you. Thanks to them, Louer’s executioner’s pockets have become quite full.”

His cold eyes scanned her from the top of her trembling head to her toes.

As if searching for something hidden in some pocket, deep cleavage, or even more secret place.

Marienne quickly grabbed the sleeping puppy from the cushion and held it out to him.

“The puppy was sick, so Luna called me! I obliged because of her admirable maternal instinct. I’m sorry for entering without permission. But please understand the circumstances since it was for Luna, whom you cherish.”

“Me? Why?”

At his sarcastic tone, Marienne bit her lip in irritation.

Nigel took out tobacco from a box on the side table and lit it with a candle.

The tobacco wrapped in dried herbs was always kept on hand wherever he stayed. It was to prepare for seizures or to calm his nerves when insomnia struck.

Sucking on the damp tobacco, Nigel looked at Marienne.

Through the smoke, he saw a woman backed into a corner.

Today, the bitter herb tasted unusually sweet.

Damn it. Just looking at that woman makes my blood boil.

“It’s the truth, please believe me.”

“Lies.”

With a face as if the sky was falling, Marienne raised her voice.

“What would make you believe me? Should I show you my naked body?”

Damn those quack herbalists.

This tobacco is useless. Far from calming my mind…

Marienne’s hand holding the puppy trembled with suppressed anger.