Sickly? Husband's Contractual Wife

Episode 24

None of the maids paid me any mind, even if only subconsciously. However, Emma’s attitude was more than just ignoring.

There was almost hatred… or jealousy?

It wasn’t a nice feeling for me either way.

“Is your hand feeling alright now?”

“…Ah.”

I made a gesture with my hand as if to show him.

“Any slight movement causes excruciating pain.”

Indeed, such was the case. The agony had lessened somewhat from the start, yet it still lingered.

“Something seemed to just pass by.”

His eyes narrowed as he peered over my shoulder.

“Just now?”

“A pile of dust or something.”

“What?”

To meet his eyes, I swiveled my head around.

A big, black fur ball was rolling—no, making its way rapidly across—one section of the garden, as he had said.

“That’s Noir.”

I made some changes to what he had said.

“It has legs if you look closely. It’s a feline.”

The dark figure ran in every direction while I was politely providing an explanation.

The legs were moving so quickly that they were almost unnoticeable.

“It’s pretty fast.”

“It’s agile for its size.”

“You seem quite proud of it?”

“It’s an accomplishment to be pleased about. To be undetected in a house of this size…”

I put my palm over my lips and stopped talking.

“Undetected?”

“Uh, well, Amoide.”

<Is Amoide truly in danger from the cat?>

<I don’t know that for a fact. It’s only a safety measure in case something goes wrong.>

Raymond said that the cat posed no immediate danger to his health.

<Still, it’s not exactly a helpful beast either.>

But it’s hard to chase it away.

I was anxious as I surreptitiously prepared Noir’s meals for him.

I put it up high where it would be out of sight.

But he was aware of it. Undercover, I saw his reaction. Amoide, apparently sensing my stare, spun around to face me.

“What?”

“It was completely in the dark. A loving adoptive family will soon take it. Don’t try to get rid of it till then, okay?”

Despite my pleading, he remained silent.

I waited for his response with bated breath.

“Are you going to chase it away?”

“If I tell you to do that, will you?”

“What?”

His inquiry seemed peculiar. As I pondered his meaning, he continued.

“Will you listen to me if I advise you to get rid of it?”

His icy stare was directed squarely at me. I was paralyzed and unable to move.

“If you insist…”

“Was it something you could give up so easily?”

“…”

I was speechless for a while and just gazed at him.

“Did you only speak those words? Because it helps someone? You shouldn’t have spoken those words in the first place if you’re just gonna give it up like that.”

Thump.

It was as if an unseen knife had pierced my chest.

Amoide always managed to render me unable to make a retort. In a number of ways, he made me feel really ashamed.

“No!”

I made an embarrassingly loud noise.

“I am willing to shoulder the blame for Noir.”

Meow.

The black cat, perhaps in response to my remarks, came to rest at my feet.

Noir began, as it usually does, to press its face on my clothes. The white lace quickly became soiled.

“Noir, you’ll soil my garments.”

I made some attempts to dodge it here and there, but I ended up with ash all over my clothes.

“It’s going to be a nuisance to the people doing laundry.”

“Why would you worry about that?”

I was at a loss for words when Amoide inquired as to the meaning of my mutterings.

“Well…”

That’s why; I’ve been there, done that.

I’ve tried soaking the soiled garment in water and then stomping on it with my bare feet, as well as rubbing it vigorously with my hands.

Having clean, comfortable clothing to wear might be challenging at times; I get that.

Therefore, I worry about it subconsciously.

“It’s their duty to do that. These people are compensated for their efforts. What’s the big deal if your clothes get dirty?”

It was as though he had heard a peculiar sound. He stared at me in a way that suggested he didn’t really grasp what I was saying.

‘It’s because the housekeepers pick on me.’

They didn’t pick on me explicitly, but I overheard them griping to Rona about how much laundry they have to do.

The circumstances were really unjust. The clothing I laid out was nothing compared to what Camilla had worn.

Camilla’s elaborate gowns were so fragile that it took a team to launder them.

Delicate embellishments like lace and frills, textiles that readily rip, and jewelry sewn directly into the cloth.

“I worry.”

My reply was quite evasive.

‘Why do you keep pressing me for an answer?’

I met Noir’s eyes, trying to escape the daggers he appeared to aim at me.

After rubbing against my clothes for some time, Noir switched to pressing against Amoide’s leg.

“Noir, don’t!”

Out of surprise, I yelled and yanked the cat away from him quickly.

“Don’t let the cat touch you.”

I swiftly responded to his perplexed look.

“It’s unclean. An illness might easily infect you.”

“But your touch was perfect.”

“Well, that’s because it’s me.”

“That’s a heartbreaking thought.”

He grasped my meaning and laughed at it as if it were absurd.

“Do not approach the cat. What if it nicks you? It’s probably a good idea to be cautious with its fur.”

“Is your concern for me warranted? Thank you so much for being so generous.” A rather sarcastic tone could be detected from Amoide’s voice.

“Then whose worry should I be concerned with?”

In a fit of rage, I yelled. He stared at me with a deadly serious expression for a few seconds.

“You.”

“Yes?”

“Stay put.”

His voice was low, yet it was unsettling.

“What’s up?”

Is he still mad at me? Why has his behavior changed so drastically?

As I tried to make sense of the rapid shift in temperature and humidity, I became aware of a peculiar sensation.

A ticklish feeling.

My shoulder was touched by a chilly, slimy object.

“Hold on a sec.”

Icy and dangerous…

It’s also in motion.

“Uh? Uh…”

“I warned you to stay put.”

He dropped his voice even further. And yet, it was no longer frightening.

Because there was something more terrifying touching my shoulder.

I couldn’t bring myself to stoop down and have a peek.

When I peered down, I saw something far worse than I had anticipated.

“…”

When I bent over, I saw a reptile’s bright eyes directly in the middle of my forehead.

The vertically dilated pupils of its eye were fixed on me.

A tongue was flicked in my direction. The two prongs of its tongue rubbed up against my face.

The diamond-shaped skull of the reptile with green scales stood out clearly.

Its tongue flicked in and out of the middle of its pointed skull. Its pointed teeth were visible to me as well.

‘Mom!’

I let out a muffled yell.

When did this start?

The snake’s green scales blended in nearly perfectly with the surrounding grass.

Half of its body was curled around the ivy on the fence, as though it had just come down the wall.

The last portion was thrown over my shoulders. In a moment, everything had changed.

“Uh… ah… ugh…”

“Don’t be scared.”

It’s easier to say than to accomplish!

On the inside, I was yelling. It was impossible to overlook the fact that having a real, breathing snake touch my skin was a horrifying experience.

“Fear is communicated to them through their skin. They’ll see you and think, ‘Oh, prey!’”

Wow, that’s terrifying!

Why are you wasting my time with this nonsense?

Inwardly, I let out a scream.

His soothing tone simply made me more anxious.

Every muscle in my body was shaking. My heart was making such a loud thumping noise in my chest.

He came up to me. The snake’s hiss at him came out.

Even closer he got to me. It felt like my heart was going to explode.

When I did, I saw something out of the ordinary and looked down.

The snake reared up, then descended gently.

“Hold on a sec.”

Where did it intend to go?

“Kyaa, ahh!”

The snake had managed to work its way into the creases of my garment.

“Ah, Amoide…”

“Selene.”

In the space of a single second, he had moved from several paces away to so close that our noses were practically touching.

The air from his lungs drifted over my forehead.

“Don’t move.”

His hand went straight for the space between my breasts.

“What the heck are you doing…?!

What was going on, anyway? The slithering of the snake and the sensation of his hand penetrating my breasts were simultaneous sensations.

There wasn’t a lot of time to deliberate.

“Stay put.”

He cautioned in a hushed tone. Without his warning, I was already completely crazy.

“I told you to be quiet.”

His other hand was firmly on my shoulder.

The hand that had gotten under my garments snatched the snake by the head in an instant.

“Ugh…ah.”

I made a peculiar noise with my mouth.

The incident was so out of the ordinary that I had to laugh at it.

A snake had gotten into my clothing and was being held by a hand, the two of them twisted together and writhing…

“What, what should we do?”

After getting its head hooked, the snake quickly wrapped around his arm.

As the snake’s tail whipped inside my garment, I was acutely aware of the feeling.

Simultaneously, I felt the firm hold of his hand on the snake. In contrast to his burning hand, the snake was icy cold.