CH 32

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‘Follow my heart.’

The duke pondered at what the doctor said. His father did not live a long life due to the curse, and his mother, although alive, did not show much interest in her son. She went back to her motherland as soon as his father died. Therefore, Legion became a duke at a relatively young age compared to others.

As soon as he became a duke, a heavy sense of responsibility fell on his shoulders. He had to pay allegiance to the emperor and struggle to protect the duchy. He also suffered from a curse like his father, which was not considered for outsiders.

Because of this, he overcame numerous crises and hardships even while suffering. It was painful enough that he wanted to die, but he persevered with evil. With no one helping him, he survived and became an adult.

For him, having a feeling toward others was a luxury. However, the doctor told the duke to move by following his own heart. But the subject is a witch, the same race that gave him the curse!

‘I’ve come a long way.’

Even if the doctor told him to go with his feeling, Legion didn’t know what to do.

‘What do I want to do?’

The duke stood by the window and stared blankly at the moonlit garden, thinking of Luana. He saw her in the dungeon, crouching down and trembling in the cold. The only thing that wrapped her back was the blanket the butler brought her. Besides, she must have felt hungry. She loves eating. No wonder she couldn’t let go of eating even when the kingdom was invaded. Legion put his hand on his forehead.

Legion doesn’t know what to do. His hatred toward the witches was still burning in his body and mind. But on the other side of his mind, another thought was shaking him. In the end, he failed to torture Luana. Even though it did not go as planned, he felt pain in his chest.

He couldn’t say anything to the butler, who was weak in affection toward Luana. The doctor must have thought the same. The duke was upset by his own weakness. Nevertheless, he felt pathetic that he couldn’t give up his only weakness.

***

It was hard to tell the time while in the dungeon as there was no window or light. At first, she noticed the time whenever she felt hungry but soon gave up on calculating the time.

‘Why should I bother calculating the time?’

Luana had no reason to count the days. She sighed deeply as she pulled the blanket over her shoulder. If she died this way here, who would even mourn? There was no nanny who cared for her in the empire, although some of the people in the mansion became friends with her after she entered the duke’s mansion, but would they even cry? She shook her head immediately after the gloomy thought.

‘Didn’t they bring me a blanket and soup?’

She shouldn’t expect any more from such people. The duke may punish them because of her. She kept her mouth shut to the duke, but she didn’t think it would be difficult to notice as the duke had several hidden eyes.

The duke suffered excessive hardship from an early age, so he did not fully trust people. In the novel, it is said that the duke only believed in his butler and his doctor, but among them, the butler acted unexpectedly. She couldn’t predict the butler’s action.

Gurgle-

In the meantime, the ignorant stomach was still making a fuss for food.

‘I want to eat kimchi stew. Or even soybean paste stew. It tastes good with white rice!’

Thick meat and spicy soup in kimchi that melts after being boiled. Scoop the stew over warm white rice, then mix it. Woah! The taste was so good that it could not be described in words. The soybean paste stew was the same. Luana preferred to boil the soybean paste stew until it thickens and has a strong taste. She can scoop it and mix it over rice, and it’s guaranteed to be delicious.

Suddenly, she remembered the jars and pots at Jangdokdae* that she had left outside. Precious pastes are finally being completed over time. She thought she would be successful this time, and would be able to eat a delicious stew, but she got locked in the dungeon.

*TL/N: Jangdokdae (click the link to see the visual) is an outside space, most frequently a terrace, used to store or ferment food, like kimchi, pastes, grains, or soybeans.

Luana told Way about the pastes to the point of brainwashing him, just in case something happened to her. Seeing that the butler did not come back, maybe he’s in trouble, too. Then there will be no one to take care of the Jangdokdae.

‘I’m hungry.’

She wanted to eat rice with stew before she died. Or maybe a spicy stew. She got dizzy because she was starving. She had never starved even when she was in the kingdom and still could eat some steamed potatoes even when she lived in poverty.

The duke is a real jerk.

“A jerk.”

Luana said aloud.

“A villain being.”

As she spoke, she began to get excited. Now that Luana is locked up, the duke must be eating bad meals again.

‘It was a pity he had to lose weight again, but it was on you. Yeah, who told you to put me in the dungeon?’

“It’s on you.”

Luana, who said so, looked around for a moment.

‘No one’s listening, right?’

“You’re like an anemone!”

After saying what she wanted to say, she smiled with pride. But then, there was a shadow right in front of her. She raised her head in the same situation that happened a while ago. And standing in front of her, she saw the duke with his arms folded!

‘Why do you always come here when I’m swearing!’

This is unfair! He could come another time! Luana pouted her lips and glared at the duke. Then suddenly, she remembered what happened when he came alone. She closed her eyes unconsciously as he approached her quietly at one point.

It may have led to a dangerous scene like in many movies and cartoons, but nothing happened when she closed her eyes! Thinking about it now, it was very embarrassing, but it was already in the past. Luana decided to put a bold face.

“Who is like an anemone?”

‘You!’

But she couldn’t say it out loud as her life was in his hand.

“Uhh, I’m not sure.”

Luana clasped her hands together and racked her brain desperately.

“It’s obviously not Sir Legion.”

“Hmm.”

Of course, the duke didn’t seem to believe that.

‘But what do you want to do if I said it was not you?’

Luana was confident that she could deny it even if the duke asked again.

“Yeah, let’s say that’s true.”

The duke answered while staring at Luana. Her body shuddered at the gaze that seemed to measure something. In that situation, her stomach growled.

Gurgle-

Whoever hears it will think it thunders. Luana tried desperately to rub her stomach in, but it wasn’t easy.

“Are you hungry?”

“Of course I’m hungry.”

All she ate after she was imprisoned was the soup Way made, but she couldn’t help but feel hungry. Even now, everything comes to mind whenever she closes her eyes.

“Again?”

He asked again, but Luana didn’t know what he meant, so she only looked at the duke.

“Where are you feeling uncomfortable other than feeling hungry?”

It’s a dungeon, so everything’s uncomfortable.

‘What’s the point of asking that?’

Luana was dumbfounded and couldn’t even answer. And in the meantime, the duke seemed to have figured out many things.

“You must be cold.”

‘Of course, it’s cold!’

Luana desperately held back her twitching lips to say something. After that, the duke asked a few more questions and went back. She doesn’t know what the hell is going on.

“It’s the duke’s order.”

Looking at the items that the butler brought back, it became even more difficult to understand the duke’s thoughts. He gave her a duvet, a much better blanket than she has now, and a proper meal on the tray. Things that didn’t fit in the dungeon entered.

“What’s all this?”

Luana was dumbfounded and asked the butler, but he honestly didn’t know either.

“I just do what the Duke tells me to do.”

‘So why did the duke make you do this?’

It was a mystery. Luana reached out and touched the fluffy new blanket. It was a luxury item unsuitable for a dirty dungeon, but now was not the time to think about it.

It doesn’t matter whether it suits or not. Luana rolled the new blanket and saw the food on the tray. Hot stew, fluffy soft bread, and fresh juice. The delicious filled her hungry stomach. As she ate, she started to have other thoughts.

‘Oh! Perhaps…?’

Perhaps this is her last meal? Luana looked gravely at the already emptied plate.

‘Is it…? Or maybe it’s not?’

Her stomach was full, but her heart grew more anxious. She felt like the duke would come down to kill her anytime or maybe tomorrow.

‘Perhaps I shouldn’t have eaten that?’

No, She couldn’t help but eat it because she was hungry. Luana decided to prepare for the upcoming future. A few more days passed, and the duke did not come to see her even if she had prepared herself. As a result, Luana becomes lazier.

Luana was rolling on her new bed and stared blankly at the ceiling. She stretched her hand to the side and grabbed the well-baked bread. She ate it while dreaming about peaceful days. Her bug friends were sometimes found in the corner, but she got braver as time passed.

The only problem was that she didn’t know why the duke was doing this.

‘Are you feeling sorry?’

That was all she could think of.