CH 6

“Fanny, what are you talking about?”

Black flames erupted around Duke Cassiar in response to Fanny’s shocking remarks.

“Oh, my goodness, you’re right! I was so content to contemplate within so I paused and came out.”

Fanny did not falter much, despite the fact that a normal person would be afraid and shivering.

Kyle’s face turned pale blue merely by looking the Duke in the eyes, but Fanny smiled sweetly and moved on.

I didn’t remember seeing Fanny for more than a second, but I had a feeling she wasn’t normal.

Doesn’t this feel more like I’m seeing an experienced boss at a new job?

“But I’m not alone in thinking this way. Isn’t this rumor constantly circulating because a handsome person avoids women? I was really concerned because I had been bringing the Duke in since he was a newborn baby.”

Fanny looked back at me, smiled, then exhaled a sigh of relaxation one after the other.

Fanny appeared to have raised the Duke of Cassiar since he was a kid.

I thought it was strange how the Duke was treated.

“Fanny, please stop being so obnoxious. Out of necessity, my marriage to Lady Alioth is simply a transitory union.”

“Yes, that’s right.  Marriages between noble families are common. Everyone begins by getting together at work. When you come to your senses after spending time together like this, then it is widely agreed that Lady is a sweetie.”

Fanny did not feel scared in the face of the enraged Duke of Cassiar, and she resumed her talk calmly.

I didn’t want to go down the path of becoming Duke Cassiar’s lover, but listening to Fanny’s remarks was nice and interesting, so I started listening to her without realizing it.

“What the hell is that?” 

The Duke’s question was more of an admonition to keep quiet.

Fanny, on the other hand, seemed unconcerned.

“It’s romance. The Duke isn’t very good at it.”

Pfft!

I took advantage of my carelessness and spit out the tea that I was holding in at Fanny’s straightforwardness.

Isn’t this the n-th year of regression, Fanny, do you know what I mean?

How could your speaking skills transcend dimensions?

When Duke Cassiar observed me drooling alone and covering my mouth with a handkerchief, his eyes became crimson.

I buried my laughter and stifled my breath since my only life was valuable.

“Fanny.”

“Oh my, what am I thinking? I forgot to hang the laundry. Therefore, I hope you two have a good time.”

Tiffany, likewise, pulled away from Duke Cassiar’s voice calling out to her, as if she felt threatened.

For a brief while, the place where Fanny had left was deafeningly silent.

Was it possible that Fanny treated the Duke more kindly than I thought? Despite having a cold expression on his face, the Duke did not harm her.

Maybe Duke Cassiar wasn’t as cold and ruthless as I thought he was.

Fanny would not have been able to treat the Duke so comfortably otherwise. Is that to say I could tease the Duke a little here?

My mouth was itching to let go of the good bait that Fanny had thrown.

I covered my mouth with my palm and smiled at Duke Cassiar, being mischievous.

“I had no clue the Duke was in such a precarious position.”

“That is an entirely false rumor.”

Duke Cassiar’s face was rather unpleasant, despite his calm demeanor, as it was a matter of great pride for a man.

It was a rare occurrence for me, who had been half-forced by the Duke of Cassiar, to see such a pleasant situation.

“There is no reason to believe otherwise.”

At the end of the statement, I laughed mischievously.

When was I going to make fun of the Duke of Cassiar again, if not now?

I forgot about my fear and softly scratched Duke Cassiar’s insides, having learned a lot about him.

Duke Cassiar, who was watching that day, had furrowed one of his brows.

You’re irritated, you’re irritated.

Duke Cassiar soon regained his composure, raising one corner of his mouth and smiling, satisfied with the slight break in his poker face.

“I can confirm the truth for you if you want to know.”

“What do you mean, confirmation?”

“It’s about being my people. There’s nothing you can’t show because you’re married, even if it’s just a formality. You appear to be quite interested.”

With one hand on his chin, Duke Cassiar emerged and made eye contact.

His golden eyes, like honey, twinkled gently.

I began to tease Duke Cassiar, but I seemed to have fallen into his trap.

“Would you like to have a look for yourself?”

The long fingers of Duke Cassiar stroked down my cheek.

I, who was hardened to his assertive behavior, noticed his lips twitching as I couldn’t contain my laughter.

It was so much fun that I was dying.

I tightened my teeth after a good teasing session.

Did you expect me to be thrashed that badly?

I grabbed the Duke of Cassair’s hand, which swept my cheeks, squinted my eyes, and chuckled, knowing what was about to happen.

“Now that you’ve mentioned it, shall we check it out?”

As he watched my bold act sweeping down his collar, Duke Cassiar’s eyes shook for a moment.

It was humiliating that he expected me to flush and take a step back.

I saw something strange with the winner’s smile on my face.

Shouldn’t the Duke have passed out by this point and had to sleep soundly?

The Duke of Cassiar fell asleep just by rubbing his shoulder against my shoulder during our first meeting.

He fell asleep the moment I touched his cheek the other day.

The Duke of Cassiar, on the other hand, did not fall asleep today, despite numerous small and large contacts.

Even now, he looked energetic.

I leapt from my seat and put both hands over Duke Cassiar’s face.

Duke Cassiar’s eyes widened even more than they had previously.

“I had no idea you were so rushed.”

His tone was a little stiff when he spoke to me.

“Right now, that’s not what matters. Duke, you don’t fall asleep even if you touch my hand.”

For a brief moment, my voice grew louder in the hope that my abilities were only temporary.

The Duke of Cassiar, who had been lost in thought for a few moments, spoke up.

“Perhaps your power works better the more tired I am. When I fell asleep with your hands touching my cheek the night before, I stayed up all night.”

“However, you couldn’t sleep last night, did you?”

Because I was not at the Duke’s residence yesterday, the Duke of Cassiar was unable to sleep.

When my hand touched him, he should have fallen asleep immediately.

“I had a good night’s sleep the night before. I took sleeping medication to help me sleep.”

Duke Cassiar reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small glass bottle.

A clear liquid was contained in the bottle.

The Duke had most likely taken sleeping medication.

“You said sleeping medication didn’t work the other day.”

“Yesterday was successful. It was most likely due to your touch that the sleeping pills which did not work before, had an effect. Your hand touched me again yesterday, even if it was only for a brief moment.”

What a shame.

The spark of hope was quickly snuffed out.

Did that mean that if sleeping medicine came into contact with me, they’d start working again? Wasn’t that a viable option?

I rolled my head a little because I couldn’t put out the small ember of hope.

Even if I made contact with the Duke every day and rehabilitated him to the point where he could take the sleeping pills again, it would only be a temporary situation, as tolerance would naturally return over time.

“Perhaps I have truly lost my power!”

I made a strong case for the possibility of what-if.

I was more serious than the rest of you, but Duke Cassar was unfazed.

“You’ll have to try it again when I’m tired.”

“When do you get tired?”

“The usual. When it’s time to go to bed, just like everyone else.”

“Great. So let’s take a look tonight.”

For some reason, Duke Cassiar didn’t appear to be greedy.

“You’re not afraid, but you’re not too shy either, aren’t you supposed to be that vigilant in the first place?”

Did you mean when I provoked the Duke a while back?

“What exactly are you afraid of? If you touched my hand, the Duke would fall asleep.”

I poked Duke Cassiar’s arm playfully.

“What if the power doesn’t work as you said?”

I never imagined a situation where my power would be ineffective for Duke Cassiar.

In the first place, the only thing the Duke needs from me is ‘to make him sleep’.

“Duke, do you have bad intentions for me?”

I wrapped my arms around Duke Cassiar and I was on my guard against the Duke of Cassiar.

He looked at me with eyes that didn’t even deserve an answer.

No, you don’t have to be so serious.

“Aside from that, what are you asking for?”

Embarrassed, I grunted.

“Externally, you are the hostess of the Duke of Cassiar, even if this relationship is by contract. Not being watchful of anyone other than myself can be dangerous.”

Is it dangerous? Why?

“There are many times when I can’t see them.”

Was it true that the Duke of Cassiar ever had an enemy?

Duke Cassiar was a villain in the original work who gets in the way of Milter and Hassen’s relationship.

There was no mention of the darkness’s sworn enemies.

Perhaps it was just to scare me into being more cautious in my duties as Duchess.

“Anyway, you and I don’t have any issues, do we? It will continue to happen in the future if my power is effective.”

“I won’t stop you from seeing it with your own eyes. I’d rather sleep for another night.”

Duke Cassiar had been convinced of my strength, but he had lost faith in me.

Indeed, the fact that he has resumed his use of sleeping pills was proof that my power was working.

Still, because there was an ‘if,’ I decided to leave hope as a consolation.

“Can you fall asleep without me for a while with sleep medication, if the Duke is guessing?”

“Perhaps, if this is the case.”

“Give me three days before the wedding. Before entering the Duke’s residence, I’d like to spend some time with my family. Because of my work, I haven’t been able to think of taking care of my family, so I guess they will be worried all the time if it isn’t now.”

Will you say no if you only want to sleep comfortably for one day?

Perhaps three days was too much.

“Let’s do that. After that, you should choose the day you will enter the Duke’s residence.”

“The tea has gone cold. Drink it while it’s still warm to get the most benefit. Drink it right away.”

In a good mood, I picked up a teacup, thinking that I could go on a trip with my family, even if it was only for a short time.

The Duke of Cassiar, who was watching me, hummed it out and drank silently.

Where should we go on our vacation?

I wish there was a sea nearby.

It was a time when I was having difficulty remembering all of the places I wanted to visit.

Gasp!

Duke Cassiar inhaled deeply, and the teacup he was holding shattered on the floor.

His hands were covered in a dark red bloodstain.