I Became The Wife Of The Cursed Grand Duke

‘Well, I’m sure I’m not pretty enough yet, and I’ll be tired if I cause such a ruckus again…’

 

Yesterday, when she returned from her outing, she was assigned an escort.

 

She doesn’t know if it was because of her sneakiness, or because her affair with Erze had reached Kalian’s ears.

 

Evelyn hesitated for a moment, as if she deserved to be treated like a child at the water’s edge, then slowly opened her lips.

 “I met a friend of mine at the Count’s who worked as the physician’s assistant.” 

While Kalian was being held by the Empress, Evelyn had stopped by the apothecary she and Reah had visited yesterday.

 

But somehow, the shop had vanished. As if she had dreamed it.

 

Only the horn of Iblis in her hand proved that yesterday was no illusion.

 

‘Was she possessed by a ghost or some kind of perception-distorting spell?’

 

Either way, the idea that this wasn’t normal was unsettling, but what had happened to her since the moment she’d waded through the River of Death had been beyond the scope of common sense.

 

Evelyn had offered the herbs to Reah, hoping that she was mistaken, and she had gotten the information she needed.

 

But it didn’t seem like something the man in front of her would want to know, so she cut to the chase.

 “She says there’s a plague in the harbor of Litchev.” “So.” 

‘So what?’

 

Evelyn frowned at the unexpected answer.

“So,”

he continued in a rather poor tone.

 “I admire your courage in trying to do something, but it’s none of your business.” 

Evelyn was a little taken aback by the look of disapproval in his eyes, but she couldn’t back down.

 

She took a short, deep breath and opened her mouth.

 “Why? Am I not yet worthy to serve the grand duke?” “No, because you have other things to worry about.” 

Evelyn wondered if she had missed something, but no matter how much she thought about it, nothing could be more important.

 “If there’s something I should be concerned about, it’s…” 

He sighed heavily and swept his hand across his face, then spoke in a cold voice.

 “As we move from April to May, the Templars should stay as far north as possible.” “I know that. It’s when the demons that have been chilling in their caves to escape the bitter cold come out and breed.” “Then you know this as well. That slaying the demons and cleaning up the North is more important to me than a damn plague.” “Oh.” 

Embarrassment flashed across Evelyn’s face, and she realized she’d been short-sighted.

 

It would be unthinkable for the monarch to vacate the castle during the winter months, when the fiends that had been chilling in the caves would emerge in large numbers to breed and form colonies.

 

‘But I cannot allow the same fate to befall me as it did in my last life, and if it happens again, I will not be able to…’

 “Why don’t you answer me, do you have honey on your lips?” 

She wasn’t sure if he was being sarcastic or teasing, but he pressed for an answer.

 

Evelyn wants to say something, but her mind is suddenly blank and she don’t know what to say.

 “Well, the fact is…” 

Evelyn swallowed dryly and calmly collected her thoughts.

 

In her previous life, she had always been in trouble with the Empress, and she wanted to assassinate Kalian at every opportunity.

 

She even formed a group that openly turned against him after the empire suffered a great disaster because of his neglect.

 “Once the Guardian is gone, everything will be fine, and we won’t have to suffer the punishment of such a fiend!” 

Countless assassins were after his head, and enmity was everywhere.

 

And Evelyn, watching from the sidelines, knew how hard his life was.

 

Of course, contrary to what she thought, Kalian didn’t care about personal affairs, but she felt her blood run dry.

 

‘I have to convince him somehow.’

 

Aside from understanding him, she couldn’t stand by and watch him choose a future with such obvious consequences.

 

Swallowing the words she couldn’t bring herself to utter, she took another breath and opened her mouth.

 “I had a vision, and it wasn’t the usual plague.” 

Kalian’s face went cold at once.

 

Evelyn swallowed hard as she watched the man slowly rise to his feet and sit down at the desk in his office.

 “There will be a terrible, grotesque plague spreading, with people suffering from extreme thirst and high fevers eventually losing their minds and feeding on the flesh of others… to satisfy their hunger.” “And the gates open there?” 

Poof, her knee touched. Evelyn, flinching at the proximity, nodded, and Kalian’s eyes narrowed.

 “If that’s true, then the gods must hate Litchev pretty badly.” 

The words were spoken, but having experienced her foresight once, he knew they would not fall on deaf ears.

 

So let’s leave it at that. It’s not like there’s any other way.

 “That’s all I know.” “…….” “The choice is yours.” 

That was it.

 “Wait.” 

Tension hung in the air for a moment.

 

Evelyn took a step backward, but an arm as strong as bronze clamped around her back.

 

In one swift motion, her body was drawn between his wide-spread legs and snuggled into his arms.

 

Evelyn’s face went white at the sudden closeness.

 

She tried to jerk her head back in panic, but the grip around the nape of her neck prevented her from moving.

 

Their gazes locked together. It was as if a great sun was blazing before their eyes.

 

Evelyn clutched the hem of his robe like a lifeline and let out a shaky breath.

 

Then she finally saw the scar on his left cheek. It looked like a long scratch from something.

 

For a moment she was mesmerized by his handsome face, then she snapped out of it.

 

Oh, he wants me to heal him.

 

Her heart tingled, knowing her usefulness but expecting other emotions.

 

On the one hand, she was glad to be able to help him in this way, to be able to stay by his side in this way.

 “Well, if you’ll excuse me.” 

Evelyn released the healing power she had been channeling.

 

Then Kalian, who had been staring down at her, leaned down and bit her lips.

 

As if mere skin-to-skin contact wasn’t enough.

 “Ha…” 

Their lips touched, and his tongue slid into the open mouth with familiarity.

 

It was softer than ever as it slid in, sweeping across the inner skin.

 

Her heart began to beat so hard that even the slow intrusion left her breathless.

 

She could feel every flick of his tongue, and she thought her whole body would melt from the gentle movement.

 

Her thighs spasmed, gripping the hem of his robe, and she could feel his smile between their parted lips.

 

It was so low she wanted to bite her tongue out, but she didn’t have the heart to hurt him.

 

The thought didn’t last long.

 “Mmm…” 

His hand slid down Evelyn’s spine, gently caressing somewhere between her trim waist and the line of her pelvis.

 

As if to ask if she had time to think about anything else.

 

Or maybe it was a gesture of leaning into her, and Evelyn absentmindedly hugged the small of his back.

 

It was warm and soft.

 

It reminded her of the times they’d whispered

“I love you”

and held each other’s eyes.

 

He could feel her heartbeat against his chest, a ragged beat that must have been hers.

 

His head tilted, his lips pressed together, his tongue probing deeper.

 

Their breathing through each other’s noses and mouths grew ragged. The swirling blood flow seemed to pound against his head.

 “Hmph, ugh!” 

The suffocating pressure forced Evelyn to twist her head and part her lips, letting out a gulp of air that filled her chin.

 “Ha, ha…” 

Evelyn moaned, leaning her forehead against his shoulder.

 

Taking that moan as his cue, Kalian buried his face in the nape of her neck, and Evelyn wrapped her arms around his fiercely thrusting head.

 “Hmmm.” 

Hot lips gently caressed the pulsing spot, then sucked deeply.

 

Toes curled at the stimulating sensation as he pulled her even harder against him.

 “Mmm, now, wait!” 

Evelyn frowned at the sudden sensation. Kalian cleared his throat, his breathing ragged.

 “Why? Is it uncomfortable?” “Oh, no, no, it’s not that.” “I think you should be used to it by now.” “It’s not that, it’s just that it’s been bothering me so much since earlier…” 

Muttering in a low voice, Evelyn shoved him in the shoulder and stormed out of the office.

 

Evelyn returned to him as he stood frozen in place at his desk, his face flushed with embarrassment.

 

She cleared her throat and placed something from a yellow envelope in his palm.

 

His brow furrowed as he looked down at the object, a purple cone with tiny roots growing out of it.

 “What is this?” “A herb.” “Herbs?” “Yes, it’s the herb the Countess used to cast the curse, and it’s what I smelled in the grand duke’s hair…” 

Her green eyes touched his jet-black hair.

 

Kalian knew. The teacup the Empress had thrown at him had a faint musk to it.

 

But it was nothing like the herbs in front of him.

 

With his developed senses, it was impossible for him not to recognize the foul odor coming from himself.

 

His dark eyebrows arched in disbelief.

 “Where did you get the herbs?” “An apothecary in the back alleys of Adelheim.” 

She bit her lower lip. Embarrassment was evident on her face.

 “Well, it’s gone in a day, and I’m pretty sure it was only yesterday…” “It was there, and it’s gone?” “Yes, I know it’s hard to believe.” 

Nothing in the world is hard to believe. If there was, he’d seen it all before.

 

A shop that existed yesterday and disappeared today was not on the strange axis.

 

But the fact that a mysterious apothecary appears before her the day before he’s supposed to spill the beans to the Empress lends a little more weight to the theory that the Countess they’re looking for might be the Empress herself.

 

In his world, there are no such things as unexpected coincidences.

 

But he wasn’t sure if he should tell her this unconfirmed fact.

 

Worry, worry, worry.

 

‘There is no way she could be the Empress’s spy, so what am I worried about?’

 

When the pensive Kalian made no reply, Evelyn took a step toward him and lifted his hand clutching the herb to eye level.

 “Horn of Iblis. It’s an ancient elixir that can only be obtained on the continent of Nora, and it’s hard to come by.” 

Kalian stared at Evelyn as if he could see through her words.

 

She continued in a flat tone.

 “Furthermore, when combined with black magic, it produces a variety of effects, and prolonged exposure to such a refined drug is said to cause a separation of soul and body, leading to death.” 

That’s troubling.

 

Kalian found the grave reaction oddly disturbing.