Julian's voice was tender yet sorrowful. His eyes seemed to be filled with longing, sadness, and helplessness. I placed my hand over Julian's, which was holding my cheek.
I want to comfort this man.
I want to be comforted by this man.
Two conflicting emotions tickled my toes, then my knees, down to my navel, and through my entire body. Julian stroked my cheek with his thumb and said.
"My wife is already a precious friend and family member to me. Don't you think so too?"
I nodded obediently. We were clearly meant to meet. But now, I felt empty when I didn't see Julian, worried he might be disappointed in me, and didn't want to look foolish to him.
“To me, Julian, you are a friend and family.”
"As long as you don't betray me, I'll always be on your side. I'll gladly protect you."
I couldn't nod at those words. I had already betrayed Julian. But Julian, as if everything was okay, held my head and pulled me into his embrace.
“So don’t ever say that again.”
I leaned my cheek against Julian's chest and wiggled my head to look up at him.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a political marriage, so don’t worry about it.”
“...I’m really sorry about that.”
“It’s not the time to blame anyone now.”
“Still, I’m sorry.”
A short laugh was heard overhead.
“Do I need forgiveness because I am the Grand Duke?”
Hearing those words, I pulled myself out of Julian's embrace and slapped his shoulder hard enough to make a loud thud. It must have been quite a hard hit, but Julian showed no sign of pain, still grinning playfully, one corner of his mouth raised.
"You've become more playful, you know. You were much more polite when we first got married."
I rolled my eyes and retreated into his arms. Julian hugged me with one arm, burying his nose in my shoulder.
“It’s your fault, madam.”
"Don't blame me. Come to think of it, you were always playing pranks whenever you got the chance. You were a mischievous child, weren't you? I can only imagine how much Her Highness the Grand Duchess must have suffered."
Julian sighed at my nagging, but his face was filled with a smile. He seemed to find my words quite amusing. I wrapped my arms around his waist and swayed from side to side.
Instead of moving to my beat, Julian simply looked at me, wondering what this woman was doing. It was so funny that I laughed again.
I kissed Julian's cheek with a smile on my face. Julian placed his hand near my cheek, looking puzzled, while I nodded vigorously.
“I’ll see a doctor as soon as I get home.”
“Really?”
"Why would I lie? If it makes Julian feel better, then I'll do it."
Thankfully, Julian said he wouldn't ask any questions or investigate further. Since he promised, he would keep his word. He spoke with conviction.
“I’ll get you the best doctor.”
My trust in doctors had already been shattered, but somehow, a part of my heart swelled, and hope filled me. The hope that maybe this time would be different. No doctor had ever diagnosed my symptoms or found a cure, but the doctor Julian had saved might be different.
Maybe I can keep living.
At least I might be able to give birth to Julian's child. Perhaps, unlike my past life, I might hear him smiling and calling out to me.
“Thank you, Julian.”
I was truly grateful to Julian.
I even had the shameless thought that maybe it would be okay to tell him everything. Maybe he'd be willing to help me with this problem.
But it took courage to bring it up. We walked hand in hand through the small garden and sat down at the tea table set out for us. Soon, a maid placed a teacup in front of me. I stopped her as she turned to go back.
“Please bring me another teacup.”
At my words, the maid immediately glanced at Julian. But Julian remained focused on me, making no attempt to restrain himself. After the maid left, I spoke quickly, as if afraid of what Julian might say.
“You can just put it in front of me.”
As Julian opened his mouth, I interrupted him again.
“It’s because I feel lonely drinking alone.”
"Ma'am."
“Just once.”
"I am..."
While we were arguing, a teacup arrived. Even as the maid placed the teacup in front of Julian, I gazed at him longingly. After she left, I even clasped my hands together in longing.
Julian shook his head as he looked at me like that.
“I was going to say I don’t care.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. You didn’t even give me a chance to speak.”
I pouted as I poured tea into Julian's cup.
“My pride was hurt.”
"Pride?"
I nodded vigorously at Julian's question. That was fine, but when it came to explaining the reason, my mouth wouldn't open.
But Julian was incredibly patient, and even when I kept my mouth shut, he just stared at me without moving. In a fight like this, I was bound to lose.
“...It seems like Her Highness Princess Abigail often had tea with Julian. I think she even had meals.”
After saying this, I felt even more embarrassed, so I hastily added.
"No, what! It's Julian's freedom, after all. Once we've set up this tea table, I'll have something to say later, right?"
Next time, I won't have to lose to Princess Abigail. I furtively watched Julian's expression, believing he'd take it playfully. However, Julian immediately stood up upon hearing my words.
“You, Julian?”
Was he angry? I felt compelled to apologize immediately, not letting my guard down. But Julian approached me and knelt down beside me. His eyes met mine, slightly lower than mine.
“As long as it’s okay with you, madam, I can take off the mask.”
I gasped in shock. Julian didn't even remove his mask on the bed. He always kept a long cloak covering part of his body, and he was very wary of it being disturbed.
“You don’t like being seen...”
“You?”
“Me?”
“Haven’t you always wanted to see me?”
Yes, it was. But it wasn't just out of curiosity.
"It's not that I'm curious. If you don't want to, I don't mind never seeing you again. I just want to be... intimate with you."
Julian nodded briefly at my words.
“I know my wife is like that too...”
Was Julian nervous, too? He trailed off, his eyes slightly downcast, then slowly raised them.
“It’s okay now.”
Those few words pierced my heart. How could someone be so lovable? I ran my fingertips over Julian's mask. Feeling its coldness, I felt a pang of pity. He must have had to wear that cold mask forever.
I removed the mask from the man kneeling before me. I placed it on my thigh and looked at his face.
I couldn't help but be a little surprised. It wasn't because his face was hideous. What covered Julian's cheek wasn't just a stone.
“It’s a magic stone.”
I responded with a light cry of admiration.
"Yes."
I placed my palm on Julian's cheek, which was covered in magic stones. Julian closed his eyes obediently. A cold, smooth sensation touched my hand. Rather than thinking it was ugly, I felt...
'It's beautiful. And dangerous.'
The glowing bluish magic stone was clearly a rare material. I'd never heard of Duchzan's face being covered in rare magic stones.
“I thought it was a stone. No, it was a stone.”
Even when Julian showed me his hand during our first meeting, it was clearly made of stone. At those words, Julian removed his cloak and his long gloves. The material covering his hand was, as I had once seen, stone.
“As time passes, the magic stone loses its luster.”
It was a blessing that he was a Grand Duke. Otherwise, he would have undoubtedly been dragged off to the black market.
The thought of that made me shudder, so I looked around and quickly put the mask back on Julian's face.
“Don’t show this to anyone from now on.”
“That’s so ugly...”
Julian was about to talk nonsense, so I cut him down with one stroke.
“Not at all. You’re so handsome that it seems like you’re wearing some kind of strange mask.”
Julian's eyes widened unusually at my words. I laughed, finding it amusing that his usually sharp eyes had become round. But he quickly suppressed his laughter and adopted a stern expression.
“Does His Majesty the Emperor know about this?”
"No."
“It’s better not to know. Absolutely not.”
Only the Emperor could dare to extract the rare magic stone from the Grand Duke's body. While the Emperor seemed to care for Julian in his own way, he was a cruel Emperor nonetheless. He even attempted to prevent Julian's marriage. Since the Emperor's true affection for Julian was unknown, it was best to keep it a secret.
I urged Julian to make a promise. Meanwhile, a thought occurred to me.
'Princess Abigail must also know this fact.'
This meant that Princess Abigail hadn't told her father, the Emperor. Her possessiveness toward Julian seemed even more intense than I'd imagined. The thought made me feel uncomfortable, so I shook my head.
"Ma'am?"
“It’s nothing. More than that... thank you for trusting me.”
I took Julian's hand and stood up from my chair. Julian followed suit. I watched my tea slowly cooling before smiling.
“Let’s go inside and drink tea together. What if someone sees my husband?”
“Who is there in such a quiet place?”
“No. Your handsome face will wear out.”
I grabbed Julian's hand and called the maid. I told her to move the tea table inside, then turned to Julian.
Julian's face was beaming with a warm smile. The moment I saw that smile, the air around me no longer felt cold.
I want to comfort this man.
I want to be comforted by this man.
Two conflicting emotions tickled my toes, then my knees, down to my navel, and through my entire body. Julian stroked my cheek with his thumb and said.
"My wife is already a precious friend and family member to me. Don't you think so too?"
I nodded obediently. We were clearly meant to meet. But now, I felt empty when I didn't see Julian, worried he might be disappointed in me, and didn't want to look foolish to him.
“To me, Julian, you are a friend and family.”
"As long as you don't betray me, I'll always be on your side. I'll gladly protect you."
I couldn't nod at those words. I had already betrayed Julian. But Julian, as if everything was okay, held my head and pulled me into his embrace.
“So don’t ever say that again.”
I leaned my cheek against Julian's chest and wiggled my head to look up at him.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a political marriage, so don’t worry about it.”
“...I’m really sorry about that.”
“It’s not the time to blame anyone now.”
“Still, I’m sorry.”
A short laugh was heard overhead.
“Do I need forgiveness because I am the Grand Duke?”
Hearing those words, I pulled myself out of Julian's embrace and slapped his shoulder hard enough to make a loud thud. It must have been quite a hard hit, but Julian showed no sign of pain, still grinning playfully, one corner of his mouth raised.
"You've become more playful, you know. You were much more polite when we first got married."
I rolled my eyes and retreated into his arms. Julian hugged me with one arm, burying his nose in my shoulder.
“It’s your fault, madam.”
"Don't blame me. Come to think of it, you were always playing pranks whenever you got the chance. You were a mischievous child, weren't you? I can only imagine how much Her Highness the Grand Duchess must have suffered."
Julian sighed at my nagging, but his face was filled with a smile. He seemed to find my words quite amusing. I wrapped my arms around his waist and swayed from side to side.
Instead of moving to my beat, Julian simply looked at me, wondering what this woman was doing. It was so funny that I laughed again.
I kissed Julian's cheek with a smile on my face. Julian placed his hand near my cheek, looking puzzled, while I nodded vigorously.
“I’ll see a doctor as soon as I get home.”
“Really?”
"Why would I lie? If it makes Julian feel better, then I'll do it."
Thankfully, Julian said he wouldn't ask any questions or investigate further. Since he promised, he would keep his word. He spoke with conviction.
“I’ll get you the best doctor.”
My trust in doctors had already been shattered, but somehow, a part of my heart swelled, and hope filled me. The hope that maybe this time would be different. No doctor had ever diagnosed my symptoms or found a cure, but the doctor Julian had saved might be different.
Maybe I can keep living.
At least I might be able to give birth to Julian's child. Perhaps, unlike my past life, I might hear him smiling and calling out to me.
“Thank you, Julian.”
I was truly grateful to Julian.
I even had the shameless thought that maybe it would be okay to tell him everything. Maybe he'd be willing to help me with this problem.
But it took courage to bring it up. We walked hand in hand through the small garden and sat down at the tea table set out for us. Soon, a maid placed a teacup in front of me. I stopped her as she turned to go back.
“Please bring me another teacup.”
At my words, the maid immediately glanced at Julian. But Julian remained focused on me, making no attempt to restrain himself. After the maid left, I spoke quickly, as if afraid of what Julian might say.
“You can just put it in front of me.”
As Julian opened his mouth, I interrupted him again.
“It’s because I feel lonely drinking alone.”
"Ma'am."
“Just once.”
"I am..."
While we were arguing, a teacup arrived. Even as the maid placed the teacup in front of Julian, I gazed at him longingly. After she left, I even clasped my hands together in longing.
Julian shook his head as he looked at me like that.
“I was going to say I don’t care.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. You didn’t even give me a chance to speak.”
I pouted as I poured tea into Julian's cup.
“My pride was hurt.”
"Pride?"
I nodded vigorously at Julian's question. That was fine, but when it came to explaining the reason, my mouth wouldn't open.
But Julian was incredibly patient, and even when I kept my mouth shut, he just stared at me without moving. In a fight like this, I was bound to lose.
“...It seems like Her Highness Princess Abigail often had tea with Julian. I think she even had meals.”
After saying this, I felt even more embarrassed, so I hastily added.
"No, what! It's Julian's freedom, after all. Once we've set up this tea table, I'll have something to say later, right?"
Next time, I won't have to lose to Princess Abigail. I furtively watched Julian's expression, believing he'd take it playfully. However, Julian immediately stood up upon hearing my words.
“You, Julian?”
Was he angry? I felt compelled to apologize immediately, not letting my guard down. But Julian approached me and knelt down beside me. His eyes met mine, slightly lower than mine.
“As long as it’s okay with you, madam, I can take off the mask.”
I gasped in shock. Julian didn't even remove his mask on the bed. He always kept a long cloak covering part of his body, and he was very wary of it being disturbed.
“You don’t like being seen...”
“You?”
“Me?”
“Haven’t you always wanted to see me?”
Yes, it was. But it wasn't just out of curiosity.
"It's not that I'm curious. If you don't want to, I don't mind never seeing you again. I just want to be... intimate with you."
Julian nodded briefly at my words.
“I know my wife is like that too...”
Was Julian nervous, too? He trailed off, his eyes slightly downcast, then slowly raised them.
“It’s okay now.”
Those few words pierced my heart. How could someone be so lovable? I ran my fingertips over Julian's mask. Feeling its coldness, I felt a pang of pity. He must have had to wear that cold mask forever.
I removed the mask from the man kneeling before me. I placed it on my thigh and looked at his face.
I couldn't help but be a little surprised. It wasn't because his face was hideous. What covered Julian's cheek wasn't just a stone.
“It’s a magic stone.”
I responded with a light cry of admiration.
"Yes."
I placed my palm on Julian's cheek, which was covered in magic stones. Julian closed his eyes obediently. A cold, smooth sensation touched my hand. Rather than thinking it was ugly, I felt...
'It's beautiful. And dangerous.'
The glowing bluish magic stone was clearly a rare material. I'd never heard of Duchzan's face being covered in rare magic stones.
“I thought it was a stone. No, it was a stone.”
Even when Julian showed me his hand during our first meeting, it was clearly made of stone. At those words, Julian removed his cloak and his long gloves. The material covering his hand was, as I had once seen, stone.
“As time passes, the magic stone loses its luster.”
It was a blessing that he was a Grand Duke. Otherwise, he would have undoubtedly been dragged off to the black market.
The thought of that made me shudder, so I looked around and quickly put the mask back on Julian's face.
“Don’t show this to anyone from now on.”
“That’s so ugly...”
Julian was about to talk nonsense, so I cut him down with one stroke.
“Not at all. You’re so handsome that it seems like you’re wearing some kind of strange mask.”
Julian's eyes widened unusually at my words. I laughed, finding it amusing that his usually sharp eyes had become round. But he quickly suppressed his laughter and adopted a stern expression.
“Does His Majesty the Emperor know about this?”
"No."
“It’s better not to know. Absolutely not.”
Only the Emperor could dare to extract the rare magic stone from the Grand Duke's body. While the Emperor seemed to care for Julian in his own way, he was a cruel Emperor nonetheless. He even attempted to prevent Julian's marriage. Since the Emperor's true affection for Julian was unknown, it was best to keep it a secret.
I urged Julian to make a promise. Meanwhile, a thought occurred to me.
'Princess Abigail must also know this fact.'
This meant that Princess Abigail hadn't told her father, the Emperor. Her possessiveness toward Julian seemed even more intense than I'd imagined. The thought made me feel uncomfortable, so I shook my head.
"Ma'am?"
“It’s nothing. More than that... thank you for trusting me.”
I took Julian's hand and stood up from my chair. Julian followed suit. I watched my tea slowly cooling before smiling.
“Let’s go inside and drink tea together. What if someone sees my husband?”
“Who is there in such a quiet place?”
“No. Your handsome face will wear out.”
I grabbed Julian's hand and called the maid. I told her to move the tea table inside, then turned to Julian.
Julian's face was beaming with a warm smile. The moment I saw that smile, the air around me no longer felt cold.
Comments
Post a Comment