I Healed my Husband, the Leader of the Underworld

As I hesitated, Siegfried approached me and said,

 

“Yeah, I’ve been good.”

 

He whispered softly and pulled me into his arms. Then, he gently stroked my hair back and kissed my forehead.

 

When I flinched at his touch, he pulled me deeper into his arms, murmuring “It’s okay” in a soothing tone.

 

I had buried my face in his chest, taking in his scent, when he whispered in my ear again,

 

“So…”

 

There was an unusual playfulness in his voice.

 

“Did you have a good time meeting your beloved prince in your dreams?”( he is talking about her imaginary lover, the one  she lied about lol😂.)

 

My eyes widened in surprise. Annoyed, I punched his sturdy shoulder with all my might, but I ended up hurting my fist instead.

 

When our eyes met, he looked like a beast that had been playfully struck by a small animal and smiled charmingly.

 

Raising his fine eyebrows, he said, “That actually hurt quite a bit.”

 

“If this is your idea of comfort, then you really are not good at it.”

 

“Well…..”

 

He said, leaning in even closer.

 

“I’m good at other things, aren’t I? Like  kissing for example.”

 

My face flushed at the word whispered into my ear. It’s just because of the situation. Not because of him.

 

It tickled.

 

His breath, warming every delicate part of my ear, was sensual. His deep, husky voice lingering on the word “kiss” was sweet .

 

Noticing my red face, he asked,

 

“Are you mad?”

 

When I didn’t respond, he watched me closely. Then his voice, now even gentler, tickled my ear.

 

“Don’t be mad. I won’t tease you anymore.”

 

“…….”

 

“I won’t do it anymore , okay?”

 

Without saying anything, I chewed on my lower lip. At that moment, my body suddenly sank into the soft bed. When I opened my eyes, feeling a little dizzy, I found him positioned between my legs, looking down at me.

 

As my gaze wavered, he tried to reassured me, saying, “Shh, shh. It’s okay.”

 

Then, his fingers traced down my nose, tickling the tip of it before landing on my soft lips. My eyes closely followed his fingertips.

 

As he slowly moved his waist towards me, my body trembled in response. My anxious gaze quickly shifted to his face.

 

“I don’t think I heard an answer,” he said, curling one corner of his mouth into a crooked smile

 

“So, is it okay if I do it?” He teased, his voice sounding particularly heated.

 

I shook my head vigorously, and he said, “Alright,”’ as he lay down next to me.

 

When I turned my head, his large hand tenderly stroked my hair.

 

“You see, if you say it like that, I do listen to you.” He whispered.

 

I bit my lower lip hard enough to almost break the skin before shifting my gaze to trace the tips of his fingers.

 

“From now on, I won’t do anything until you say you want to do it.”

 

“……”

 

“Because you didn’t say anything.”

 

His hand, which had been moving more and more slowly, suddenly stooped.

 

“I could have taught you, you know…. “

 

His voice grew deeper and languid.

 

“…without you being scared.”

 

His hand began stroking my hair again.

 

“How to take me in. How to devour me.”

 

 

I could feel his breath on my ear.

 

The breath of a predator.

 

As I lowered my head, a sharp pain made my eyes widen.

 

Siegfried was slowly biting my ear.

 

Seizing the moment, his arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer. As his firm chest pressed against my back, a strange sensation spread through my body.

 

And as I exhaled all the breath I was holding in, my mind went blank.

 

Slowly, Siegfried tongue traced the shape of my ear. Then, he whispered into my now highly sensitive ear:

 

“I want to be swallowed by you.”

 

A small animal cannot consume a predator; It’s against the laws of nature. Of course there were many other reasons as well, and one of them was…..

 

“I thought I was going crazy today, thinking about you.”

 

Because it’s too big.

 

Predators were usually bigger than preys.

 

It’s too big; I mulled over those words as I stared ahead.

 

I felt like I was the one about to be devoured.

 

Not just devoured, but roughly and powerfully crushed and mangled.

 

“I felt like I was going to die.”

 

Just like he said, I felt like I was going to die.

 

Really

 

***

 

I wished he would leave.

 

I really hoped he was gone. I hoped he truly left.

 

Through the small gap of the slightly open door, I looked at the empty hallway. Siegfried Roam had really left the room. He was gone. Really. I breathed a sigh of relief and turned my head. And then I froze in place.

 

“……”

 

“……”

 

Our eyes met in the air. From the other corner of the hallway, a small head peeked out, scanning me. The gaze that met mine was at a low height.

 

Lancel.

 

He was neatly dressed, and his hair, slightly damp, indicated he had just bathed. The boy quickly looked around and approached me, handing me something. The cold touch of a glass bottle was transmitted through my palm.

 

But there was something else too.

 

Something rough.

 

My gaze met his green eyes. He looked at me with stern eyes, as if to tell you not to say anything. I silently took what he gave me and hid my hands behind my back. The texture of the thing inside my clenched fist seemed to be that of paper.

 

Lancel and I exchanged another brief glance.

 

Soon after, he greeted me politely, showing the courtesy one would show to the hostess of Roam. Then he turned around as if nothing had happened.

 

When I turned my head to watch him walking away, my shoulders shook.

 

I was glad I didn’t let my guard down.

 

My head rose above the stairs to find a stern face peering into mine. I wiggled my fingers, playing with what I was holding. My gaze was still locked with the old woman.

 

The Head Maid.

 

The woman made no sound as she walked, nor did any of the maids following her. Perhaps that’s why I hadn’t noticed her before now.

 

Acting as if nothing had happened, I entered my room and slammed the door shut. It was a kind of signal to ward off anyone.

 

When no knock followed, I exhaled and turned around. My gaze lingered on the lock of the doorknob once more, but I didn’t take the risk of locking it. I couldn’t afford to look suspicious.

 

Finally, I opened my fist, feeling the ache in my fingers from clenching too tightly. My distorted reflection appeared on the surface of the transparent glass bottle, and there was indeed  a piece of paper next to it, folded multiple times.

 

After looking around to ensure no one was watching, I carefully unfolded the paper. And it read:

 

“Let’s go home.”

 

My heartbeat immediately quickened at those words. It felt like I had seen something I shouldn’t have. Blaming Bartholomew’s foolishness and the marquis’s recklessness, I quickly looked for the fireplace.

 

It wasn’t lit.

 

As my desperate eyes fell on the piece of paper I needed to dispose of, I noticed some text I hadn’t seen the first time around.

 

The handwriting was different from the one before.

 

“How many days has it been since I told you to be careful not to get caught, you fool?”

 

I chuckled at the reprimand, which was out of place given the situation. However, as I was about to crumple the paper, my eyes lazily fell on the next words written below.”

 

“I have Roam estate’s layout in my head”

 

My smile instantly vanished.

 

Freedom.

 

Freedom unknown to my husband. My gaze shifted to the clear sky outside the open balcony door. The sky was perfect, without a single cloud. I thought about the cool breeze that would envelop me. I thought about the marketplace, the hustle and bustle of people. The prospect of experiencing such a liberating moment made my heart race.

 

So, Lancel knows the layout of the Roam estate.

 

How did that little kid… memorized the structure of this intricate castle-like mansion, a place without even a single floor plan.

 

He knows it!

 

This could be the perfect way to go out without my husband knowing. And….

 

It could also serve as an emergency exit if things went wrong.

 

If Siegfried ever has a change of heart, I could escape through this.

 

I had thought about Siegfried’s potential change of heart, but I only vaguely explored my own feelings without delving deeper.

 

I was too scared.

 

The idea of ending up dead was so terrifying that I could only hold my breath. I just believed that if I could just leave this place, everything would be fine.

 

I wanted to leave. I dreamed of it, as a form of escapism.

 

But now….

 

I can really leave.

 

Whenever I actually want to…

 

Knock, knock, knock.

 

At the peak of my intense joy, a clear knock on the door shattered the silence, and I quickly crumpled the paper.

 

Knock, knock, knock, knock.

 

As the knocking sound grew faster, my hand holding the paper began to sweat. Without hesitation, I quickly hid the paper under the mattress and, just as I did, the door opened.

 

Human beings were really scary.

 

At that moment, I thought, ‘How presumptuous…’ when normally, I wouldn’t have been able to say anything. I wouldn’t have even thought about it.

 

As someone who was trying to survive, I suppressed any remaining villainous instincts ‘Milena’ had, but right this moment, something was pounding fiercely inside me.

 

The fact is that I had someone to protect.

 

That realization had changed things, reminding me that I couldn’t afford to be weak.

 

For my sake, and for Lancel’s sake, I couldn’t let them find this note.

 

“Madam.”

 

As the fleeting urge subsided and reason cooled my mind, I stared at the head maid standing before me with her hands clasped.

 

Then, our eyes met.

 

Strangely, one corner of her mouth twitched upward. Was it because old memories of the past came to mind?

 

[The water is too cold. Reheat it and bring it back.]

 

[…Then how about asking His Grace?]

 

[…….]

 

[Shall I tell him that the bathwater is too cold for you?]

 

A faint smirk appeared on her almost unchanging face.

 

[It seems you’re not desperate to get close to His Excellency. Are you saying you’ll get into bed with a dirty body?]

 

[Head maid!]

 

[Yes, Your Grace. I was thoughtless. As the precious jewel of Rochester, you should be spoken to with utmost respect, even with an dirty  body.]

 

The way she had pronounced “dirty body” was refined, but her tone was harsh.

 

[Seeing that you wish to go to bed, I was merely trying to be helpful… .]

 

My reminiscence was interrupted by the head maid’s s gaze, which shifted to the mattress beside me.

 

Her sharp eyes had probably noticed that the mattress was slightly more askew than usual.

 

Siegfried had heard words of regret from the Marquise yesterday. He even straightforwardly asked me if I wanted to leave this place.

 

Finally, he was in a better mood when he left the room just now.

 

However, the maids were Roam’s eyes.

 

Then, the head maid parted her lips to speak.

 

“His Grace has gone down to the dining hall. You should prepare yourself quickly. These girls will take care of the room….”

 

When she shifted her gaze and signaled to the other maids, I stepped forward and met her eyes directly.

 

“Who,”

 

I looked up at her rigid face and said sternly,

 

“Who told you to enter my room without my permission?”