CH 21.9

Lila struggled to open her eyes, hearing rough breathing. She couldn’t tell when she fell asleep, but the night was incredibly passionate.

‘Is it still night?’

Looking around the dimly lit room, Lila tried to figure out why she had woken up.

Lucas’ body, which was holding her, was as hot as a burning ember. His rough breathing made him look uneasy.

“Lucas…”

It hurt like a sore throat just to call his name. Lila hugged him first, holding onto his neck. Even roughly checking his body temperature with her hand, his current body temperature was not normal.

“Someone…”

She tried to ask if someone was there, but Lucas slowly raised his eyelids.

“…No one, don’t call anyone.”

His mint-colored eyes, moist with heat, shook uneasily before closing again.

“Lucas.”

Lila called out to him, afraid that something might happen if she fell asleep like this. But her voice was hoarse and barely audible.

But he immediately opened his eyes. His gaze was still as sharp as ever, as if he could sense her calling him, but it seemed different from before.

“Well, let’s eat this and go to sleep. Okay?”

Lila reached out her motionless arm and took out a secret pouch from her subspace ring.

She took out the medicine she had given him before and looked for water.

“Haah.”

Lucas, who pulled her back to lie down again, sat up and closed his eyes as he was handed the medicine. He put it in his mouth.

“You have to take it with water.”

Lila advised him, and Lucas belatedly found water. Seeing him swallow it easily, Lila felt a little relieved, but still worried.

“Don’t you need to go to the hospital or something? Hm, hm.”

As she spoke, her throat felt tight. Lucas took a mouthful of water and lightly lifted his head. He faced her and poured the water into her mouth.

As she swallowed the water, looking pretty with her cheeks puffed out, Lucas patted her lightly and gave her more water before lying down again.

Lila watched as he hugged her tightly and fell asleep quickly with her hazy eyes. She was worried about him, even as he fell asleep, and watched him for a long time before falling asleep herself without realizing it.

* * *

“You’re lying!”

As Lila exclaimed in surprise, Jessie placed the tray of food in her lap.

Seeing nothing but watery soup, Lila let out a small sigh. But there was something more pressing than food.

“It’s been days?”

Jessie asked, her voice cracking in surprise.

“Then you went into the room, and three nights passed.”

“……That’s impossible.”

Lila couldn’t believe it. How could that be possible?

“How long did you sleep for?”

Of course, Jessie, who didn’t know whether that sleep was that sleep or not, just blushed and didn’t answer.

“My lady, your throat is very sore, shall I bring you some honey tea?”

Lila felt her cheeks heat up unnecessarily at the concern in Jessie’s voice.

“Hmm, I’ll have some soup first.”

“Yes, madam.”

In truth, Jessie was as surprised as Lila. She’d seen the Duke take her in his arms and disappear countless times, but this was different.

When Lila didn’t call for her the next day, and the next, and the next, she grew worried and went to see her.

Vincent stopped her and told her that it was a very important secret.

She knew that the Duke was royalty, and that he was not to be trifled with in her position, but she was surprised to learn of the special rituals of the descendants of Lupus.

What she didn’t realize was that while it was called a ritual, it was actually an instinctual struggle.

Scooping up her soup, Lila glared at her arm, which refused to do her bidding.

Even though it was just holding a single spoon, her arm trembled.

“Hoo, hoo.”

Still, she was very hungry, so Lila gathered her strength and finished the soup.

“Can I get you some honey tea? They say if you suddenly eat something fatty, you’ll get sick, so just hold it in for today.”

“I have to hold it in for the rest of the day?”

Jessie’s words made Lila cringe. She was barely finished and staring at her empty bowl when there was a knock on the door.

“Then I’ll go make myself a cup of honey tea.”

When Jessie lifted the tray, the door opened first.

“Wife.”

Lucas, with a refreshing face in contrast to hers, came in with an anxious expression.

How could he be so chipper when she was dying?

“It’s unfair.”

He hurried over to her as she mumbled through pouting lips.

“You did give me the medicine, didn’t you, and I wasn’t dreaming?”

Lila crossed her arms and glared at Lucas, who had moved her to the Duchess’s chambers while she slept, and had come to her in the meantime, washed and groomed.

Her expression was that of an invisible person, and Lucas looked distraught.

“The pills, do you have any more?”

With a worried expression on her face, Lila couldn’t help but tuck in her pouting lips.

“Do you still have a fever?”

Despite his outward appearance, Lila suspected that he might still have a fever, so she placed her hand on his forehead and examined him closely.

Lucas, who found Lila’s concern endearing, leaned in closer to her.

“Are you worried about me right now?”

“My husband, of course I’m worried. Who else would be worried?”

“Kk, you’re absolutely right.”

Lucas said with a playful response. Lila also chuckled softly at his joke. Even her refreshing laughter made Lucas’ pupils dilate faintly.

He wanted to hear her laughter up close even more, and he felt satisfied as he examined the traces of red bite marks and marks through her nightgown.

Lila took out a pill from her secret pouch and handed it to Lucas after removing the paper attached to the plastic packaging.

“Was it also in that pouch?”

“Yes, I had a bad headache, so I kept it in my makeup box as an emergency pill. It also has a good effect on reducing fever. I gave it to you, but… Are you feeling better now?”

Lucas, who held Lila’s small hand to check his forehead again, replied with a hopeful expression.

“Yes… It was very effective.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Lila said with a bashful smile, and Lucas thought to himself as he watched her.

‘You’ll never know what this medicine you gave me means to me.’

He wasn’t sure yet. He needed to give it to Nick to check the ingredients.

He believed that if it had any effect on him, it would help him in some way, shape, or form with his estrus potion.

“Do you know that?”

“Know what?”

Lila replied, as she lay back on the bed with a lazy posture and Lucas kindly covered her with the blanket.

“That you saved me.”

Lucas said in a soothing tone as he pulled the covers over her as she lay back down on the bed in her languor.

And as he expected, her scent calmed him down. At the same time, it amplified it.

It cooled him down faster than the usual potion would have done.

Not only that, she gave him the medicine. As his future possibilities brightened, he felt like he was going crazy for everything about the woman he had engraved in his heart.

He could feel it himself. It was a feeling that was incomparable to when he thought he loved her before. With one breath from her, he felt like he could give everything.

He felt like he could fall into the abyss with one gesture from her, and tears would flow with one gesture from her. Even a glance from her could make him sigh.

In his intense gaze, Lila trembled without realizing it.

It was the same look he’d had when he’d lusted after her for days and nights. He’d wake up with a fever, and she’d be all over him. He’d take her in his mouth like she was dessert, licking and drinking her down.

Flushed, Lila looked away, and the slightest movement made Lucas’s eyes roll back in his head.

His jaw clenched. Her cobalt eyes widened in surprise.

“Ha… please don’t do that. It’s driving me crazy,”

The way she avoided his gaze was unbearable. In a gesture that seemed to reject him, he felt his heart drop to the floor in that short amount of time.

“Well…….”

Since Lila had been grabbed by the chin more than once, she could easily calm down. No, it seemed like it would become a habit. After grabbing her chin, he always gently stroked it with his thumb.

The gap, indeed, thrilled me, but more than that, I was curious.

“How much did you lose gambling?”

Satisfied with the dark blue gaze that returned to him, Lucas couldn’t help but chuckle at her next question.