The whole time…….
Nelia’s heart beat loudly at his confession. At the same time, she wanted to comfort the duke who was blaming himself.
“What do you want me to do?”
The duke slowly blinked at Nelia’s abrupt question. Then, he touched Nelia’s cheek with his fingertips.
“Will you hold my hand?”
Nelia glanced somewhere over the wall.
“As expected, you seem to be concerned about Zenu.”
Nelia changed her mind when Duke Hart dropped his gaze with raised hand.
‘Right, it’s not hard to hold hands.’
Nelia took Duke Hart’s hand first after gathering her courage. It definitely had been a long time since she felt this cool feeling.
The duke smiled lightly at Nelia’s hands over his. It wasn’t a weak smile like earlier.
He rubbed Nelia’s fingers that were tangled with him lightly. There was a somewhat sluggish sensation as he traced the skin really slowly.
The duke had a languid gaze. After that, he lowered his head and kissed Nelia’s lips.
Chup, chup, their lips touched and detached several times.
“As I expected…… this can’t do.”
After reciting it again, he stopped the exchange of light kisses that looked like a pair of birds hitting their beaks, and proceeded to kiss her deeply.
Nelia paused for a moment. This was because she was reminded about Zenuit despite the consuming kiss.
Duke Hart might have noticed Nelia wasn’t focusing on the kiss so he detached his lips from hers and kissed Nelia’s cheek pettily.
“Eyes on me.”
Nelia had no choice but to stop thinking about Zenuit because of the tickling kiss.
The duke gently pushed Nelia to lie on the bed. The bed rocked a bit.
Her mind instantly went blank at that exact moment.
***
When Nelia opened her eyes again, the surroundings were already dark.
‘……when did the progress go this far?’
She recalled the duke’s aura which was different from usual as she came to his room, but when she regained her senses, she was already lying in bed beside the duke.
The duke really had a lot of energy, he was rougher than usual…….
Nelia shook her head in denial as her nape became warm upon the reminiscent of what happened hours ago.
‘Above anything…… What excuse did he offer to Zenuit?’
Since she left the room for quite a while yesterday, and hasn’t been back for hours…….
Nelia covered her face with her hands out of shame. She could see the duke sleeping soundly through the gap between her fingers.
‘So I fell for this snake’s temptation again…….’
She wondered if the whole process was so sneaky, he attached their lips together and when he woke up, and when she woke up again, she was already lying in his bed.
Nelia tried to sneak back into her room when the duke wrapped his hands around her waist.
There was a glimpse of his silver eyes in the dark.
“Don’t go.”
“……Zenu must be sleeping by himself.”
The duke buried his face on Nelia’s neck.
“If you go back now, you might wake Zenu up.”
The murmuring voice behind her felt like a small vibration. Upon the whisper, Nelia thought it might happen sooner or later again.
At this point, it was hard to blame the Duke.
‘Ah…… I’m the problem.’
She used to fall for the temptation of the duke before in the past, but she felt like falling for it more easily lately.
It’s just that……. When she looked at the duke, her heart was itchy and her heart was pounding. As if something had gone wrong inside her.
Nelia laid down on the soft bed again and faced the duke.
The duke closed his half-opened eyes to see whether she was fully awake. Sleepiness was apparent in his eyes.
“Your Highness…….”
When Nelia called, he opened his closed eyes slowly with a listless face.
“You’re not controlling my mind, are you?”
The duke smiled lightly. He looked extremely handsome and felt as if his toes were retracted.
‘Woke up from sleep and laughed with a sleepy face, and the only person who is this handsome would be Duke Hart.’
While Nelia was thinking about such a trivial thing, the duke swept Nelia’s hair and opened his mouth.
“I got caught. I was manipulating Nelia’s mind so that she could only see me.”
That moment was so peaceful when they were talking about trivial things, but the peace quite reminded her of the curse.
Without that curse, this peaceful moment would be perfect……
“Your Highness.”
The duke replied with a sluggish smile.
“Yes?”
He seemed sleepy, but nonetheless was responding sincerely.
“The curse, I’m sure you’ll be able to solve it.”
“Just trust me.”
Nelia said in a confident voice, her eyes were twinkling. However, the duke didn’t say anything.
She thought her expression was quite stiff.
‘Have I upset him by bringing up the curse at such an early hour?’
Nelia was worried at that moment, and Duke Hart hugged her.
“How can you be so lovely?”
“…..”
The reason why there was no response was a harbinger of such an action.
The duke, who hugged him without a break, whispered softly to the top of his head.
“It’s a foul to look so lovely even at dawn. You make me wide awake.”
Nelia trashed about in the duke’s arms, thinking that she shouldn’t have thought about it.
“Yes, it’s my fault. Hurry up and go back to sleep now.”
The duke, however, had already been with his eyes wide open.
No, it’s more like about to devour her……
‘Hah…….’
Nelia thought she rolled the dice again today.
***
When she went back to her room in the morning, she saw Zenuit sitting on the bed, seemingly clean as if he had washed on his own.
Nelia became more embarrassed as he sat particularly neat today.
As Nelia walked quietly into the room, she could feel Zenuit’s eyes trailing her.
“You were in the room next door all night, weren’t you?”
“……What?”
Nelia stopped in an unnatural move as if she had been caught in a trap.
“I know everything, that you went into the duke’s room and didn’t come out at all yesterday.”
“……”
He already knew everything, why did he even ask?
Nelia felt heat crept up to her face.
Zenuit shook his head upon seeing it.
“Anyway, the duke looks like a drooling animal that wants to devour you whenever you land his eyes on you…….”
Nelia hurriedly covered Zenuit’s mouth.
“It’s not something you can say while being in such a child’s form……”
Zenuit took off Nelia’s hand, which was enclosed around his mouth.
“How old you think I am now, saying I can’t even speak that much!”
“I know that you are, in fact, old. But it’s kind of embarrassing to say that in such a way…….”
Regardless of the fact that he was actually a black dragon inside, it made her have a guilty conscience as an adult for having a beast in the form of a cute child saying that…… the duke wants to devour her.
“Then stop doing so!”
“What are you talking about!”
He crossed his arms and his legs, and she had no idea where he had seen such a gesture.
“You’re not even the official wife of the duke.”
Nelia felt a sting.
Zenuit continued with a strict look on his face as if he was disciplining someone.
“But, oh! People can spend the night together even without love……”
Nelia almost immediately got furious at Zenuit’s words.
“What do you mean ‘without love’…….”
“So you’re not even married, but you love each other?”
Nelia didn’t answer hastily.
She knew the duke likes her. However, if she were asked if she felt the same…….
“See, you’re not even in love. This is why things can’t be like this nowadays! Such things never happened during my time!”
“Which time are you talking about?”
“Thousands of years ago……”
Nelia rubbed her forehead.
“Zenuit, why are you nagging so much? Such a dragon is outdated.”
“It’s just…… I’m worried about you!”
“Are you even my parents?”
Zenuit was quiet for a moment.
Then he turned his head and murmured, ‘The world is going to ruin, gonna ruin’.
Nelia left Zenu just like that on his own and prepared for work. The weekend had passed and work was waiting for her again.
When she got out of the bathroom, Zenuit leaned to the window with the curtain pulled back.
Nelia asked while drying her wet hair.
“Zenuit, what are you looking at?”
“It’s been a long time since I saw a rainy sky.”
Rain?
Nelia hurriedly joined Zenuit and looked out the window. Indeed, the sky seemed gloomy with the appearance of dark clouds, and the light rain was wetting the floor.
Seeing Nelia’s face darkened, Zenuit said curiously.
“Do you not like it when it rains?”
“No…… There are people who are out of it when it rains.”
Nelia grew anxious. The duke couldn’t come to his senses whenever it rained as if he were drunk.
It would be such a good idea to take a day off today, but he said he had to attend an important meeting today.
‘The weather may bring effect to the curse……’
If she were to stay in close distance to him, he wouldn’t turn into a snake even if he weren’t taking the medicine, but when it rained like today, his condition could be worse and she wouldn’t know anymore.
“Will His Grace be out of it when the rain fall?”
“Yes…… I told you last time that the duke was cursed to be a snake, didn’t I?”
“You did.”
“If it rains, his condition may deteriorate, and he may turn into a snake. If people find out about it, His Grace will……”
Nelia sighed deeply at the overwhelming imagination just by thinking about it.
“Are you saying you were worried about it, at the very least?”
“What do you mean by ‘at the very least’? Are you saying that it’s others’ business?”
“No, I didn’t say that.”
Nellia tilted her head.
“What can Zenuit do about it……?”
“I can do anything. Although I can’t break His Grace’s curse, I still can keep him from returning for about a day or so.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Nellia hugged Zenuit.
“Zenuit, you’re the best!”
“Get away from me!”
When Nelia felt Zenuit pushed her away, she undone the hug. He might be embarrassed upon hearing the compliment because her cheeks grew red.
“Ehem, I will maintain His Grace’s human form for about a day for today.”
“Thank you, Zenuit!”
“Of course, but I’m not saying I will do this for free.”
The corner of Nelia’s mouth, which was turned upward, settled back into place.
‘That’s expected…….’
As the situation turned different, the flooding excitement died down.
“What do you want?”
“I’ll tell you about that later.”
What the hell is he asking for?
“For your information, I don’t have any money. I can’t do anything dangerous because I have responsibilities.”
“Who do you think I am? For asking such a thing!”
Nelia was more relieved to see Zenuit, who was jumping around.
As long as it’s not like that……
“Alright. If you will prevent His Grace from turning into a snake today, I’ll do what you want.”
***
By the time she arrived at the palace, it was raining even more.
The duke also failed to keep himself together. As if a bonfire that burnt just barely in the midst of rain.
Arriving at the office, the duke plopped on the chair.
The duke’s pale face seemed to be even paler than before.
Zenuit clicked his tongue upon seeing it.
[He’s sagged just because it’s raining a little.]
During my day, I didn’t even get to be treated like an adult. Zenuit murmured.
Nellia raised her head and stared at Janewitt. Of course, Nelia was the only one who could hear the dragon’s murmur. Nelia raised her head and looked at Zenuit.
Zenuit avoided her stare.
‘Latte series of that guy.’
Nelia had been dissatisfied with him for a while, but she didn’t say anything else because he decided to reduce the effect of the duke’s curse today.
[Yeah, Nelia. I think there’s a note on your desk.]
A note?
Nelia approached the desk upon hearing Zenuit’s words. There really was a note.
‘Who in the Imperial Palace…….’
It sounded like an embarrassing thing, even though it’s been a while since she came to work with the duke at the Imperial Palace, but no one has spoken to her ever.
She often saw the duke’s aide, but he was the type that was hard to get close to because he was too cold like Ton.
Besides, there weren’t many women in the Imperial Palace.
It was funny how, except for the duke, Carlos was the one who talked to her.
Nelia opened the note with such thoughts.
[Come to Star Palace this evening, west of the main palace.]
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