Chapter 11
“I’m hurting…”
Her whole body ached.
Helia could not endure the throbbing pain all over her body and closed her eyes again, which she had been trying to open. All she remembered from the night before was gritting her teeth and biting her lips, eventually ending up with tears streaming down her face.
Today was an exception to the usual habit of getting out of bed first. Her lips felt parched, and opening her eyes felt unusually burdensome.
Struggling to lift her eyelids, she found everything in darkness. Taking a deep breath, she propped herself up with a pale face.
“Ugh…”
She took a deep breath as her back throbbed.
Thunk.
A heavy, damp cloth fell from the bed onto the blanket. The light seeping through made her vision clearer.
“Oh…”
Helia sighed softly and furrowed her brow. The wet towel was as cold as if it had just been changed.
Just as she was about to curl up, trying to swallow her breath…
“Why are you so startled?”
A voice came from the direction of the door.
Helia slowly turned her head. Seeing her confused expression, Caligoapproached slowly.
The mask was broken. The human-like expression finally showed on his face.
It felt strange to see his true expression beneath the mask, unlike usual.
As Caligo approached, seemingly to fix the broken mask, Helia stiffened.
Surprised by Caligo’s approach, she had a sore throat from groaning all night, and her throat ached.
“Did you have a nightmare?”
The sound of the water glass being placed down seemed unusually loud.
“…No, it’s nothing.”
“Are you feeling any better?”
“Yea—”
Helia reflexively started to answer but then shut her mouth.
The aching body couldn’t bring forth that one word.
“I apologize for last night; I was excessive.”
“It’s okay. I’ll just go…”
As Helia turned to leave, Caligoreached out and grabbed her shoulder.
The moment his hot hand touched her, Helia sharply pushed his hand away.
Squeak!
A momentary sense of embarrassment flashed across Helia’s not fully composed face.
Caligo, who had frowned in displeasure, now faced her raw, unfiltered expression for the first time.
Thud.
A sound of her heart hitting the floor. Caligopaused for a moment due to the unsettling feeling.
“Do you dislike me that much?”
“…I’ll go.”
She avoided answering.
Caligonarrowed his eyes and watched her get up slowly.
“You don’t seem to be in a condition to move.”
“I can go…”
When she tried to put strength in her legs, her thighs trembled. She stopped moving.
“Look at that.”
Caligo put on white gloves he had at his waist.
He extended his arms to wrap around her waist and then gently picked her up.
Helia’s eyes widened in surprise. She looked at Caligo with wide eyes, astonished.
“What are you…”
“Does this help?”
Caligo spoke, recalling how she shuddered every time he touched her last night.
‘It was okay when it was on the blanket.’
Helia’s eyes remained wide open as she shifted her gaze.
His gloved hands did not touch her skin directly.
Of course, she could feel a slight warmth through the cloth, but it wasn’t unbearable.
“Is it okay if your hand doesn’t touch my skin directly?”
Helia bit her lower lip hard. It was uncomfortable, as if her vulnerabilities were exposed.
She turned her head away.
“I’ll bring the meal here.”
“I don’t really feel like eating.”
Caligo laid her back down on the bed. He sat on the edge, quietly observing Helia.
“Why do you keep trying to drive me away?”
“Because it’s a disturbance.”
“With only a year left, can’t we tolerate each other a bit more?”
Helia shifted her gaze to look at him as he spoke softly.
“We are already tolerating each other enough.”
Both Helia and Caligo were enduring each other. They had no doubt that the other was doing the same.
This was an unavoidable contract marriage. There were no fairy tale or novel-like stories.
The notion that love blossoms in a contract marriage was all a lie. The relationship between them was like a withered, early winter leaf.
“I don’t understand why you’re so cold towards me. It wasn’t like this in the beginning.”
Helia slowly lowered her eyelids at his self-deprecating words.
“You…”
Helia hesitated for a while, her lips moving but eventually kept them shut.
“I’m tired. I want to rest.”
With that announcement, her firmly closed lips seemed unlikely to open again.
“I’ll return to the capital in two days.”
“What about the meal?”
“He’s expected to arrive in the afternoon, so you can eat a little then. It’s okay.”
“Understood.”
Without adding any more words, Caligo got up from his seat and left the room.
Helia clenched her fists and hugged her knees. Her whole body was still hot.
She got up again around evening.
Helia dressed neatly. Her thighs still ached, and the sensitive areas throbbed, constantly irritating her, but she tried her best not to show it.
Showing weakness to someone was like giving them a chance to find fault with her.
Walking through the now warm, but still quiet mansion, she headed towards the reception room.
Inside the reception room was a man, looking around with interest.
Upon seeing Helia enter, he smiled.
The man, dressed in black with long orange hair tied up in a single knot, had a mischievous expression.
Although it might have been surprising that he entered and moved about confidently without anyone opening the reception room door for him, Helia seemed used to it, not even blinking an eye.
“Long time no see, Helia.”
“Don’t call me by my name so casually, Count Fenus.”
Helia replied sternly, with a hardened expression.
Seeing Helia bristle like a hedgehog with her spikes up, the man, with his eyes widened in amusement, wandered over on his long legs and plopped down on the sofa.
Dust flew from the sofa, which hadn’t been cleaned in quite a while. He frowned slightly and waved his hand.
“Then, Duchess Halos?”
“How is the matter I asked you about going?”
“I’m tracking it. I’ll handle it one by one and make sure it’s the biggest headline on the front page, so you can hear about it anywhere. Don’t worry.”
He answered with a casual tone, shrugging his shoulders.
“As mentioned, I’ll also entrust the management of the mansion to you during my absence.”
“Ah, you should be clear about it.”
The man called Count Fenus waved his hand dismissively at her. His fox-like, narrow eyes grew even more playful.
“‘Please take good care of the livestock hidden in the attic so they don’t die.’”
He got up from his seat and reached out to her. His gloved hand touched Helia’s cheek.
Helia flinched, her shoulder trembling.
It had been fine when Caligo’s gloved hand had touched her, but now, when Count Fenus touched her, a chill ran down her spine.
“Duchess Halos, how does it feel to have achieved the revenge you so desired?”
“…Don’t touch me. It’s creepy.”
Helia coldly brushed his hand away.
Even when she vigorously wiped her cheek with her sleeve due to the unpleasant feeling, he just laughed nonchalantly.
“It seems like just yesterday you were begging and groveling beneath those livestock on the floor, asking for your life, and now you’ve grown so beautifully…”
He laughed softly.
Count Fenus’s fingertips lightly brushed against the fabric around her neck.
The red and purple bruises on her otherwise white skin, hidden beneath the fabric, were now exposed. It was from the marks Caligo had left overnight.
“Since I have no intention of catering to your perverse tastes, stay away.”
“You seem to be getting along well with the Duke. Even leaving marks like this.”
His finger persistently rubbed the mark.
Helia tightened her grip on her clothing.
“Get lost.”
