When Sioana opened her eyes in the morning, there wasn't a single spot on her body that wasn't covered in something.
"...Ah."
It seemed to be because her muscles were tense from the chase yesterday, plus she had laid a thin cloth on the hard floor.
A dazzling light seeped into the cave through the bushes. As she blinked from the glare, she saw the Duke's large hand wrapped around her waist.
'There you go again.'
She was about to forcefully push his hand away in anger, but her resolve softened when she saw the Duke's blood-stained shirt.
'Right, since he is a patient right now.'
After carefully pushing the Duke's hand away, she stepped out and put on the dress. Although no one was watching, she was in a hurry, and her hands kept fumbling.
'It would be a big problem if he saw it.'
It was something she did because the Duke wasn't feeling well last night, but she didn't really want to make it known.
She, having hurriedly finished getting dressed, was peering towards the entrance of the cave when she heard a sound. The Duke was frowning deeply, as if he had woken up.
"Are you awake? It doesn't look like anyone has arrived yet."
"It's dangerous, so come here."
When Shioana greeted him awkwardly, he spoke in a husky voice. To be honest, if she could avoid it, she didn't want to see his face this morning.
Because the Duke's breath still vibrated within her body, and the sensation of being held in his firm embrace was vivid.
'Besides, that side looks even more dangerous.'
Swallowing the words she wanted to say, Shioana sat beside him with her back turned. The Duke had been coughing violently since morning.
'It would be a real problem if he ended up dying like that.'
Didn't we even take off our clothes and hug each other to sleep at night just in case that happened?
"Don't worry. I won't die from something like this."
"Who, who said anyone is worried?"
Shioana looked serious at the Duke's words, which seemed like mind-reading.
'Viscount Conrad will be here soon."
She nodded silently at his words.
Although Viscount Conrad had a somewhat suspicious side, he tended to perform his assigned duties responsibly and well.
'It seems like he's not even sleeping.'
He was a ghost-like man who appeared wherever the Duke was.
Silence fell again, and Shioana ran her hand through her disheveled hair. Just then, he let out a light laugh from behind her, and Shioana wore a strange expression. On top of having bled profusely and having suffered from chills and fever all night, the Duke seemed to have gone berserk.
At her strange gaze, the Duke pointed somewhere and spoke.
"That's not it. Your head looks just like a bird's nest."
"..."
Shioana styled her hair with more force, but his mockery did not stop.
“It’s not there.”
Etienne felt truly devastated as he looked at her defenseless, pure white neck. He could not sleep a wink all night due to a problem more serious than the pain and high fever.
'What on earth is your true intention?'
She had discarded him like a worn-out shoe, and now she was confusing him. She, who had shown little interest in his status as a Duke or his wealth, was desperate last night.
Even though she was afraid of blood, she tried her best to tend to his wounds, and when he was cold, she hugged him.
'The voice that whispered it was a dream was sweet.'
When she was suffering from the fever, he had briefly mistaken it for a dream, but the warmth of Shioana's body touching his hand was real. The soft texture of her skin and her scent still lingered at the tip of his nose.
'She is a woman who has mastered the art of tormenting me.'
He was exhausted from staying up all night controlling his body's reaction to the woman he hated, but Shioana pretended that nothing had happened.
'After putting me in such pain like this.'
Shioana, who had been fumbling her way out to touch the back of her head, asked again.
"Uh, where is it?"
The Duke slowly rose to his feet, reached out, and very slowly stroked her hair. At the touch, small goosebumps instantly ran down Shioana's body.
"There's no need to go that far—"
Shioana, who was trying to break free from his grasp, was immediately caught in the Duke's hand. As she was held in his arms just like that, Shioana bit her lip.
"Why, why are you doing this?"
"Cedric warned me. That I should watch out for you."
It was dumbfounding to think who needed to be careful of whom right now. Shioana, unable to exert much strength due to the Duke's injury, twisted her body weakly.
"W-What are you talking about?"
"That's why we even wrote a separate contract."
"Your Excellency, let's talk about this."
"Tell me what you did to me all night."
"...?"
Shioana swore that this was the first time she had ever been misunderstood in such a preposterous way. All she had done was give the injured Duke a warm hug because he was trembling uncontrollably.
"Did you think I wouldn't know?"
Shioana turned her head at the Duke's accusing tone.
"Help as much as you can-."
She tried to get angry, but her words kept trailing off.
His blonde hair shone dazzlingly in the morning sunlight.
Even though he was merely wearing a blood-stained shirt, he was more attractive than any man in the banquet hall.
"It's that look again."
“What are you saying?”
"You said you didn't want to, but were you looking for an opportunity to seduce me? So, taking advantage of the fact that I was hurt..."
The Duke's ears turned slightly red as he buttoned his shirt with one hand, and Shioana, having been subjected to a ridiculous misunderstanding, jumped up from where she was sitting.
"I can explain. I think you saw me changing clothes earlier..."
She must have thought that she had attacked the unconscious Duke and done something.
"All I did was hold His Excellency all night because you were really cold."
"Are you going to insist to the very end that you have no ulterior motives toward me?"
"I truly have never harbored any ill will toward Your Excellency. I will soon be getting a new house, so we won't even be seeing each other's faces for a while."
His face froze for a moment at Shioana's words.
Etienne just wanted to torment her because he was annoyed by her behavior, which was always like a stray cat.
'I know very well that you didn't try to seduce me.'
Because it was he who couldn't shake off Shioana, even though he hated her terribly.
'Why do I feel so unpleasant?'
Finding a new house means moving out of his mansion.
The thought of Shioana starting a family with Raul made him feel disgusted. Etienne absolutely had no intention of letting that happen.
"Who said you could leave?"
Shioana calmly replied to his fierce voice.
"That doesn't require anyone's permission."
"Are you determined to meet Raul no matter what?"
Even with the rough voice that sounded like scraping metal, she did not look at the Duke.
'It must be a bad fate.'
She would not have met Duke Bernhard if she hadn't been nearly hit by a carriage on the street that day.
'If only that had happened, this painful situation wouldn't have occurred.' Shioana, having composed herself from her confusion, spoke as calmly as possible.
"I don't think I need to mention that either."
"Look straight at me."
He was a really strange man.
Why does he keep telling me to look at him?
She can vividly picture his face even with her eyes closed.
"Damn it! Open your eyes and look me straight in the eye!"
He grabbed Shioana's chin with his hand and shouted fiercely. Raising her head, she read the hatred and loathing in the Duke's bloodshot eyes.
"Why are you doing this to me when you hate me so much?"
Resigned, she let out a lonely voice. She knew that he was a different person from Etienne. And while she admitted that she had become conscious of the Duke, it was hard to bear being hated by him without reason.
"You won't be able to meet any other man besides me."
As he lowered his head as if to press his lips against hers and growled, Shioana bit her lip tightly to avoid the kiss.
"D-don't do this."
"...Why am I supposed to stop doing this?"
“Of course...”
The exact same situation as a while ago repeated itself.
"Then do you think I'm not qualified?"
"Your Excellency. I do not want to talk about this anymore..."
As Shioana tried to turn her head, he grabbed her cheeks with both hands and whispered in her ear.
"How about this? Even if I were your husband."
The Duke, having uttered such a stunned remark, immediately pressed his lips against Shioana's. It was not merely a simple kiss. His strong arms ensnared her, making it seem as though the Duke had trapped Shioana in his own world.
"D-don't do that..."
At Shioana's rejection escaping through her lips, he whispered even more roughly.
"I told you that I'm the only one for you."
Even though he had kindly confessed his feelings, Shioana still did not recognize him. Etienne, who had been roughly indulging in Shioana's lips, was filled with despair and rage.
'What am I to do with you?'
A chaotic emotional turmoil shook him to his core. The two, engulfed in the wet noise, barely managed to separate after a moment.
As he gasped for breath, Shioana raised her fist and struck his chest.
"Does that mean you still don't know who I am?"
"..."
She couldn't bring herself to answer.
'The kiss was very rough, but this is definitely Etienne.'
The moment the suspicions she had held since first meeting him in Urcheka became reality, Shioana strongly denied it.
'No! He is not Duke Bernhard.'
There was no way that Etienne, a truly affectionate lover, would use her or cause her pain.
'...But.'
Unfortunately, her body remembered Etienne's breath. As Shioana gasped for breath in the face of this unbelievable reality, he wore a satisfied expression.
"I am your one and only man."
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