After walking for a while by the pond, I entered the mansion hall and encountered Kishian...
It seemed like he was going out to look for me.
He was walking towards the entrance of the mansion, holding a coat in his hand.
When he came face to face with me, his steps stopped abruptly.
"... Wife."
There was some tension in his voice as he called me.
While Kishian froze, I examined his eyes.
'It's been purified this time too.'
Even after purifying Gert's pollution, I still couldn't believe deep down that I had such power.
But there seemed to be no doubt that I had purifying powers, as even Kishian had returned in perfect condition after making contact with me yesterday.
'I purified him.'
I felt relieved. He seemed to have been properly treated, so he wouldn't be ruined like the other contaminated ones.
As I was about to pass by Kishian with relief, his outstretched arm quietly blocked my path.
"Where have you been?"
"I went to the pond."
"Until this time? It must have been cold."
I saw him clutching the coat in his hand tightly.
I guess that was something he had brought to give to me.
I shook my head and replied.
"It wasn't that cold. Anyway, can I go back to the bedroom?"
"Let's go in together. Into our bedroom."
He insisted on emphasizing the word 'we'.
It was a roundabout way of suggesting that we stop using separate rooms and go back to sleeping in the same bed.
Since I didn't have a choice in the first place, I just nodded and moved on.
I felt Kishian following me a few steps behind me.
He didn't say anything until we reached the bedroom we shared.
I also didn't feel the need to open my mouth, so there was only a heavy silence in my surroundings.
It wasn't until I reached the bedroom and undressed to wash myself that his mouth opened.
"I told you to warm up the water in advance. I thought you'd need to warm up your body when you get back."
"Ah... thank you."
I finished taking off my clothes and headed to the bathroom.
At times like this, Kishian would sometimes suggest that we wash together first, but this time he didn't say anything.
He was looking at me with furtive glances, as if he were embarrassed.
I ignored that gaze and entered the bathroom, soaking my body in the prepared bath water.
It didn't feel that cold outside, but as soon as I got into the warm water, my whole body melted away.
The water felt good, but it was also uncomfortable to face Kishian, so I just stayed in it for a long time.
After the water had cooled to lukewarm, I dried myself and put on my slippers before leaving the bathroom.
Meanwhile, Kishian was wearing a bathrobe, as if he had just washed up in a different bathroom.
He was messily wandering around the room when he found me and stopped moving.
Golden eyes scanned my body for a moment, but it was only for a moment.
He quickly averted his gaze as if he had committed a crime.
"Are you going to rest now?"
"Yes. I should rest. There's nothing else to do in the bedroom."
I lay down on the bed, thinking to myself that it was a useless question.
After that, I took a book out of the drawer next to the bed.
It was a novel I had been reading little by little before going to Baron Valdek's residence.
As I was reading again, picking up where I had left off before, I felt him carefully sit down next to me.
It was a time when I was trying to concentrate on my road book without paying any attention to him
"What happened yesterday..."
"You don't have to tell me again."
I cut him off abruptly.
"I already know that you don't trust me."
"..."
"There's no need to remind me."
The responses flowed out more quickly than usual.
It was because I was afraid that he would spit out sharp words again.
I quickly tried to cut off the conversation and focus on my book again, but he wouldn't let me.
"As I said yesterday, I was infected by a demon in the Baronial domain of Valdek."
"..."
"I wasn't in my right mind because of the pollution, so..."
His words, which had been paused for a moment, continued with a long sigh.
"I think I said a lot of things I shouldn't have said yesterday."
I tried to concentrate on the letters, but I just couldn't.
I read the same lines over and over again because the words didn't catch my eye.
I answered him, half-giving up on reading the book.
"Was there something you couldn't say?"
"..."
"But it probably wasn't a lie."
Kishian's mouth, which seemed to be about to say something more, was tightly shut at those words.
Yes, the harsh words he uttered might not have been a lie.
Although he may have unintentionally revealed it because of the pollution, the distrust towards me must have been deeply rooted in his heart for a long time.
We both knew that fact.
But now, do you want to deny it?
Kishian grabbed my shoulder, his gaze hardening impatiently.
"No, everything I said yesterday was... "
He probably intended to tell such an obvious lie that he didn't mean it.
But his words did not continue.
That was the reason I let out a groan of pain through my teeth the moment he grabbed my shoulder.
"...wife?"
"It's nothing. My shoulder just hurts a little."
He quickly let go of my shoulder, which he had been holding, and asked.
"Does it hurt?"
"I had a slight bruise yesterday."
"Yesterday..."
"When you held me."
Last night, Kishian, who was not in his right mind, held me all night.
Very roughly, as if pouring out his anger.
My shoulder was injured at that time.
He acted roughly as if he was punishing me, and when he grabbed my shoulder, he put even more force into his grip.
That's why there was still a dark bruise on that part.
"..."
He immediately reached out his hand.
After that, he pulled down the hem of my clothes to examine my shoulders, and then he froze in place.
His gaze lingered for a long time on the ugly scar left on my white, round shoulder.
"This... I did yesterday..."
I thought it was a truly novel reaction.
Didn't you know that when you grabbed my shoulder and started swearing at me, this would happen?
"I... just..."
"Let's stop talking. I put some medicine on it, so the marks won't last long."
I pulled up the hem of my clothes to block his gaze from my hideously stained skin.
I opened my mouth before he could start talking nonsense again.
"I went to Elvin and asked him if I was going to get the medicine. I asked if things were ready."
"..."
"They said it was prepared without fail."
I had told Elvin to prepare some herbs to deal with Albrecht quietly.
Now that everything was ready, all that remained was execution.
The problem was Kishian.
"Everything is ready, but we need your cooperation to execute the plan properly."
Kishian, who had been frozen in a daze until then, seemed quite surprised and only then came to his senses and looked at my face.
I looked into his eyes and waited for an answer.
Will this man, who distrusts me, really cooperate?
A few days ago, I would have believed without much concern that Kishian would somehow cooperate with me.
But now that I know his true feelings, I can't be sure.
After a moment of silence, Kishian asked me.
"What cooperation is needed?"
"I want you to drink the poison. In front of Albrecht. That way I can fool him."
"Are you telling me to pretend to drink?"
"No."
As I shook my head, the golden gaze wavered slightly.
As expected, I felt bitter again at his distrust and continued to speak.
"You really have to drink it."
You won't be able to fool Albrecht with half-assed imitations.
Only when he sees Kishian drink the poison with his own eyes will he feel relieved that his mission is over, and he will fall into the final trap I have prepared.
Of course, all of this would only be possible if Kishian cooperates with me, but well...
I waited for Kishian's answer with my expectations lowered.
Anticipating the words of rejection that would soon spill out from those tightly shut lips.
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