CH 4.2

He always started his morning with slaughter because of the curse, and everyone, even those closest to him, was accustomed to fear him. It was only natural that the smell of blood was ingrained on his body.

It is normal for him to kill monsters or people every day. He was especially feared by young girls and ladies, who trembled at the sight of him.

At the wedding, he used a terrible perfume to remove the smell of blood, but he had just come back from a bath. Celia would have noticed since he smelled of blood. 

“What are you doing….”

Celia was already drinking water after tilting the cup with Leonis’ hand. She couldn’t answer his question, swallowing the water with one gulp. It was an act that made his throat ache for quite some time.

“My hands are shaking…I’m sorry.”

As she said, Celia’s little hands were trembling. He had felt it when she grabbed his arm at the wedding. He thought it was simply because Celia hated this marriage.

[……Suspicious memory loss.]

He suddenly remembered the end of the report sent by the spies he planted in Marquis Montague’s house. Seeing Celia smiling brightly at him, he became convinced.

“Do you know who I am?”

“Didn’t you just tell me? My husband… It’s you, Lord.”  

Celia had already made up her mind that she would give him the name ‘nim’ because she was scared right now. It remains to be seen who will become the ‘nim’ later [1]. 

Leonis squinted, suspiciously looking at Celia.

“I’m hungry.”

She really wanted to tell him to fuck off because she can’t stand what he’s been doing. Since the wedding was performed throughout the day, she hasn’t eaten anything, and now that she’d woken up, she was starving. She couldn’t tell him to put up with it. She needed help.  

“I’ll get you some food.”

“I…”

At her hurried voice, Leonis’s brows rose. It seemed that no good words would come out if she was trying to ask him to bring something. 

Celia murmured as her cheeks turned red. 

“That, my hands are shaking….I’d like to have a servant or a maid. May I have it?”

There was a servant who had accompanied Leonis because he was the Duke Cardian. However, the maids for Celia were not ready. It was half impulsiveness that brought her in.

While he was hunting and chasing the monsters, he was convinced that Celia would either commit suicide or flee. It was Leonis who reflexively recalled his servant, but thinking about Celia enjoying the soup that his servant had prepared made him feel like his heart was turning upside down.

Even though he didn’t have any feelings for Celia yet. In any case, she was his wife, the Duchess Cardian. Conversely, he can wake the knights who were sleeping in the barracks and have them serve her…

‘There will be rumors. The crazy killer is obsessed with his wife.’

It would be great to wake a knight up to serve her, but that was what the aristocracy’s rumors were all about. Besides, Cardian didn’t want people under his command who fought for their lives to serve anyone. But he doesn’t want to be a servant.

“…….”

Leonis turned his back and left the barracks without making a conclusion. Celia stuck out her tongue while looking at his back.

She’d read in the novel that he was possessive, but she wasn’t Lily, so she wasn’t sure how he would react.

‘Will the servant come? If not….’

She wouldn’t have forced Leonis to prepare anything, but it appears that Leonis had directed someone, whether his servant or lieutenant, to prepare dinner for Celia. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have brought it so quickly. 

Leonis walked into the barracks’ entrance tent with a bowl of steaming soup in his hand. Celia felt sorry for him, but that was how a sick person would eat.

“Well, the other one—”

“Who am I supposed to wake up tonight?”

Leonis answered bluntly. It was fine to call a servant even in the middle of the night if he wanted to, but it was not a decent attitude.

He sat down beside Celia, holding the bowl of soup, and examined her reaction. He must have been loathsome and he expected to be pushed to the side…

“I’m hungry. Give me the food.”

It wasn’t that it didn’t smell like blood, but she was a Korean who enjoyed eating broth soup to cure a hangover. People can smell blood in their lives, what can you do?

By the way, most of the things that Leonis killed every day were monsters. If there was a shortage of demand, he would be assigned to death rows for prisoners in other regions.

It was supposed to be killing livestock, but the number had to be considerable. It was the same with wild animals, so he preferred monsters or humans, which could suppress the madness by killing one.

Leonis was surprised to realize that Celia’s expression had remained unchanged. Although he had an expressionless face, Celia also had a great poker face.

Of course, Celia was not deceived either. It was the first time she’d seen such a handsome man in person, and she was in the same room as him.

‘My heart will come out of my mouth.’

She had no intention of revealing the fact that her heart was shaking and pounding. He was the one who made the most of the opportunities of whatever was available.

I had no intention of showing any gaps to the male lead of the rated 19 novel. She’s not even the heroine.

“Is it hot?”

Celia glanced at the bowl and asked Leonis. Leonis frowned, wondering if he should blow it to cool it down. 

Notes: 

[1] Nim (님 ) can be roughly translated to “Mister” or “Madam” in English. In the second sentence, nim can also refer to “master”