Whenever Richard insisted on sending a message through a servant, he couldn’t stand it and came looking for her. Was she saying that she was stupid after seeing this? Anthea shook her head repeatedly.
Anyway, it was good that he came in person, so he didn’t have to go through the trouble of going looking for her.
“Your Highness. I’m really tired, so I was about to sleep right now. Is that okay?”
“If that’s what my wife wants.”
“Yes, thank you. Then, good night, Your Highness?”
He nodded his head and greeted her lightly, but before he could finish speaking, his body lifted. It was something that had happened often recently, so he wasn’t surprised.
Richard, who had picked Anthea up, started walking briskly.
Anthea, who was held in his firm arms, spoke calmly.
“Your Highness, I can sleep in my room.”
“I saw you catch a cold a lot before. I can’t let my wife sleep curled up in the duke’s house.”
Anthea, who had been rolling around in the warm room until just a moment ago, immediately refuted.
“No. It’s not cold at all because of the fireplace.”
“It’s going to get cold starting today.”
Anthea was taken aback by Richard’s incomprehensible words.
“You’re not running out of firewood at the duke’s house, are you?”
“If you need it, let’s just say so.”
The shocking sight of the magic stone, which was more expensive than a truckload of firewood, being turned into powder and used as kindling was still vivid in her mind. Above all, what was the meaning of the neatly stacked wood logs next to the fireplace?
Without even a proper excuse, Richard took Anthea to the master bedroom. Anthea’s head was filled with questions at Richard’s reckless behavior.
‘Why? Why is someone who should normally be treated like a cow or a chicken acting like this?’
Even with Bianca’s appearance, she couldn’t understand why he came looking for Anthea.
Anthea was comfortable, even though her surroundings were passing by so quickly. Richard held Anthea securely and surprisingly without any shaking. However, Anthea was a duchess. Although they were a married couple, I have never heard or seen a duke, a high-ranking noble, carry a woman like this.
Even if Anthea was uncomfortable, the maids could help her, or if that didn’t work, they could ask the escorts.
‘What is this intimate behavior?’
When Anthea walked back and forth on her own feet, she arrived at the master bedroom in an instant, which felt quite far away.
As she entered, the warm air created by the blazing fireplace and magic stones enveloped her entire body.
Anthea, who felt a slight chill as she quickly passed through the hallway, let out a sigh without realizing it.
‘I thought that was consumable, but you’re using it with the fireplace. The duke’s house is different after all.’
Well, considering the magic stones that were abundant in the duke’s house, it wasn’t bad at all.
The royal family swept away all the best magic stones that could be used permanently, but these consumables could be used as much as they wanted. If we collected some of the remaining magic stones and sent them to the count’s house, wouldn’t they be perfect for use in the carriage during the winter?
Richard, who was staring intently at Anthea, who was lost in thought, assessing the value of the small magic stones, reached out his hand.
“Your nose is red.”
Richard noticed a small change in Anthea and didn’t ignore it. No matter how you looked at it, Richard was different from the original. His actions and reactions were too close to Anthea, both physically and emotionally.
Anthea openly retreated to the corner of the bed and covered herself with the blanket, creating distance. In the past, Anthea would have pretended to be weak and kind, imitating the smile of an angel. However, since the heroine Bianca had appeared, there was no reason to try to win Richard’s favor.
“It’s not that different from my room, but I just got cold because I moved it.”
“Thank goodness. It would be an excuse to cool down a little.”
If she hadn’t been looking straight at Richard, she would have doubted her ears. Even if it wasn’t a dirty meaning, Richard’s favor toward Anthea was clearly evident.
Anthea was confused by Richard’s remarks and actions that were not typical of him, who should be blunt.
‘What’s wrong with him? Why is he being so pushy?’
“Your Majesty. I’m really tired, so can I sleep first?”
“I’ll be happy to.”
As soon as he answered, Richard’s shirt fell to the floor as if by some kind of magic.
Did being able to unbutton buttons so quickly have something to do with his swordsmanship skills?
Anthea looked at Richard, who was approaching her with a thoughtless thought. His trained body was so impressive that it was hard to take her eyes off him, but what really caught Anthea’s attention was the scars that became more clearly visible as they got closer.
Duke Gwynted, who was more serious about subduing demons than anyone else and had the same level of skill. That was why he didn’t know that he had suffered so many wounds.
‘He looks very strong, but it seems that his life wasn’t easy.’
While he was surprised by the countless scars, Richard came right up to him. While he let his guard down for a moment, he felt the warm yet firm skin on his forehead and the bridge of his nose.
Richard, who had entered the bed in an instant, skillfully hugged Anthea.
As the hot body temperature and taut muscles touched his face, Anthea desperately threw her head back and made a calm request.
“Excuse me, Duke. I’m really tired and want to sleep on a soft pillow.”
When did he come in? It wasn’t the firm arms that supported Anthea’s neck.
“If you’ll listen to me, Madame.”
Anthea, wondering what kind of out-of-the-blue words were these, moved her body back slightly to increase the distance between them. It was only about two fists away, but when I opened my eyes, she could see Richard’s face instead of his chest.
Richard’s eyes, which were closely looking at Anthea, showed goodwill.
The two arms that supported my neck and waist were so strong that I couldn’t get away. However, they weren’t so strong that it hurt, so it wasn’t uncomfortable.
Richard’s behavior, which was so aggressive that it was like a bulldozer, was unexpected.
In the original, Richard would back off easily when Anthea asked.
In the real first night, Richard had immediately given in when Anthea refused. I thought it would be the same this time, so she was relieved. However, Richard suddenly came closer to her while she was off guard.
‘What could be the reason for the difference from the original?’
The variable that she could think of was Bianca. She had to clarify why she was getting entangled like this even though she had promised to wait for half a year.
“Your Highness. Is the reason you care about me related to Bianca?”
“If Madam thinks she’s related to me, how can she be so calm? You let her stay in the mansion, give her a room, and even keep sending her to me. Does Madam think it is okay for me to have that commoner as my mistress?”
Of course. The existence of the heroine was the surefire way to get a divorce high pass, even if her evil deeds are trivial. In the current situation, it was the most precious thing.
“Yes, it’s okay. Rather, I feel sorry for getting involved later.”
When she thought of the existence of the heroine, she smiled brighter than usual, with sincerity mixed in. At this, Richard’s face darkened.
“If the Duke has a lover, I can understand. No, you don’t have to worry about me.”
“Whew… As I said from the beginning, that commoner and I have no relationship, and it was the first time I saw her that day. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you to clear up this terrible misunderstanding.”
Seeing Richard actively explaining, it must have been a little later than expected.
“I see. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding.”
When Anthea apologized obediently, Richard seemed embarrassed and didn’t say anything for a moment.
Even on the day the three of them first met, she had clearly said that it was a misunderstanding, but Anthea continued to send Bianca to Richard under the pretext of running errands.
Anthea, who was still apologizing to Richard with a smile, seemed to be saying indirectly that she understood her husband’s affair, like a noblewoman.
Richard decided to make a definite conclusion this time.
“If the misunderstanding has been resolved, let’s send that commoner away.”
“That can’t be done.”
Sending Bianca away was not a good idea. If Richard had been careful about Anthea’s feelings and kept avoiding the heroine, it would have been a big deal. His feelings might not have matured now, but if he kept seeing Bianca, Richard would definitely fall for her too.
Anthea desperately looked Richard in the eye and pleaded.
“If the misunderstanding has been resolved, there is no reason to send her away.”
“There is no reason not to send her away.”
Anthea became anxious at Richard’s firm attitude. If she sent Bianca away now, it would be difficult if she lost contact with Richard.
“Bianca said she was really happy to be a maid at the duke’s house. She has a bright personality, so she is a good girl who is not afraid to go when the duke sends her on errands.”
“A child? That commoner must be older than the lady.”
In real age, Bianca was young, so she made a slip of the tongue. The age difference here was only about a year. Anthea smiled as if it was nothing.
“I think all the duke’s servants are like children that I have to take responsibility for. Once I think of someone as mine, I don’t let them go easily. So I won’t let Bianca go either.”
Anthea had no intention of taking responsibility for Bianca. She just made up a plausible story to keep Bianca close, and Richard sighed with a displeased face.
“I told you to leave the servants to your wife, so do as you wish.”
“Thank you, Duke.”
“But don’t misunderstand.”
“Of course.”
Anthea decided to pretend not to notice even if the two of them became closer in the future.
When Anthea realized that Richard had brought her to the master bedroom to clear up the misunderstanding, she fell asleep right away after the matter was resolved. As Richard slowly pulled her into his arms, Anthea turned around and turned her back as if the position was uncomfortable.
‘Why are you clinging to me when you and Bianca should be flirting. Oh, that’s right.
It was still a little early for flirting. ‘Aww, what a headache.’
Richard, who had pulled Anthea’s waist back and held her completely in his arms, finally whispered leisurely as if satisfied.
“Madam, I prepared some hwachae. Are you really not going to eat it?”
That hwachae.
Of course it tasted good. Just imagining the luxury of eating hwachae floating on ice in front of a warm fireplace made my mouth water. However, it wasn’t enough to overcome the Suma who had rushed in as the tension eased for the moment.
“Yes. I’ll eat it tomorrow.”
“Then what else do you want to eat? I think the food you had at dinner didn’t suit your taste at all.”
“It’s okay. I usually eat a little.”
Anthea, who was feeling sleepy, answered appropriately, but Richard kept talking to her to the point where she wondered if she was always this talkative.
“I heard that Count Leslie tasted all the food that the chef made.”
Anthea was startled by Richard’s sudden mention of Nathan.
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
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