Sickly? Husband's Contractual Wife

Episode 70

What conversation is there to have?

What is he trying to say?

“Yeah, what are you trying to say?”

Typically, after an unintentional night spent between a man and a woman, what kind of conversation do they usually have?

…You would have to experience it to know.

Is it even possible to have a natural conversation in a situation like this?

Not lovers, not a proper couple, just two people who had a one-night stand thanks to the power of alcohol.

Usually, they would coolly part ways the next day.

Thinking it was enough since the night was enjoyable, deciding it’s sufficient.

They would each go their separate ways, and that would be it.

That’s how he and I were in that kind of relationship.

Just thinking of it as a one-night stand and not looking back.

“But the situation isn’t like that.”

Officially, he and I were considered a married couple, and even though our living conditions were different, fate dictated that we would inevitably run into each other within the mansion.

In other words, it was an incredibly uncomfortable situation.

“Now what should I do?”

Honestly, I felt like crying.

I couldn’t bring myself to face him again.

I couldn’t imagine how he would look at me with such disdain.

Just thinking about how much he might resent me for forcing him into spending the night after giving him alcohol made everything in front of me turn white.

Why did I unnecessarily bring the alcohol?!

And why did I force him to drink against his will?!

Why did I create such a situation?

“I wish he could just forget about it.”

That night, as if nothing had happened.

Just as an illusion created by moonlight, hoping to think of it as a dream.

Just as if nothing had happened, wishing it could be erased from his memory.

* * *

Last night was strange.

Everything, starting from the moment Selene appeared with bottles on both sides, urging her to drink.

Everything went awry.

“If you speak now, I can stop.”

Naturally, he expected a refusal.

If only he could truly let go, he wished for a splash of cold water on himself in a state almost like an animal.

“I don’t want to fall… I hate it.”

But with the answer that came in the next moment, all reason hid its traces.

That night, looking at her sleeping in his arms, he couldn’t sleep all night, feeling restless.

In such a small body.

In such a delicate body.

Selene, who breathed in various colors of breath, buried her face deeper into his chest.

“It’s cold…”

Holding Celeine, who spoke like that, tightly in his arms.

In that moment, overwhelming emotions that couldn’t be expressed in words flooded him as well.

When he woke up, the space beside him was empty.

He vividly remembered pulling something soft and warm into his arms in his sleep.

But waking up, there was no one.

Someone who should have been in his embrace.

The events of last night were all a dream, perhaps.

No, it couldn’t be a dream.

Even though he was drunk, the sensations that couldn’t be forgotten were vividly etched.

He swept his hand over the crumpled sheets.

There were marks as if they had been tightly grasped and then let go.

And…

“…”

His blue eyes looked down at the floor.

The roses and vine-patterned decorations that adorned the head of the bed were scattered on the floor, like the wreckage of a shipwreck.

He remembered why it broke.

Despite restraining himself, it was evidence that things didn’t go as planned.

Was I too harsh?

Even though it was the first time for both, the limits they had to endure were different.

He remembered Selene, who cried and groaned all night while holding onto him.

There were moments when he tried to stop, tried to break the interrupted connection.

But each time, in the end, he forgot everything else in the sweetness and softness Selene offered.

Just a little more, just a little more.

As a result, the day had already dawned.

That night, they had thought they were being honest with each other.

Even though they were drunk, he could guarantee that there was not a single moment of falsehood.

“Amoide, something’s strange, strange.”

Selene hung onto him, her voice trembling.

He had thought that the pleasure he provided her had brought her joy.

Seeing her like that, all reason flew out the window.

Even knowing it would be burdensome, he couldn’t help but persist.

So, he wanted to apologize.

He wanted to ask if there were any painful spots, if it wasn’t too difficult for her.

But when he saw her, she immediately started running away, leaving him momentarily flustered.

Chasing after her and catching her, she still refused to show her face.

What could it be?

What could be the reason for her trying to distance herself from him with such determination?

His long fingers tightly gripped her hair.

The beautifully flowing golden locks were tousled messily in his hands.

He had been contemplating the reason behind her actions all along.

“Could it be.”

At the end of a long and deep contemplation, one thought emerged.

“Did I do that poorly?”

A powerful shock ran through his body as if he had been struck in the back of his head.

Could it really be that?

If all the reactions Selene showed him were not pleasure but just pain.

And if it was an experience she didn’t want to remember.

He wanted to ask.

If it was really the case.

If so…

“What am I supposed to do?”

A bitter laugh caught in his throat.

Even if he knew that, what could he do?

All the worries were pointless.

When he recalled the mistakes he had made, apologizing and apologizing again, all that came out of him was laughter.

“My hand, it’s healed, but you keep pretending it hurts.”

Of course, he felt annoyed.

“And you lied that you gained strength at night.”

This made him angry.

“Also… you made a false confession.”

As he thought about it, he lay back with a sigh.

Thinking about it felt like something unbearable was welling up inside him.

He couldn’t even understand what that something was.

“Ha.”

A short breath escaped his parted lips.

Admitting that all the apologies and admissions of mistakes were lies, he almost wanted to plug his ears.

Why did it happen?

What bothered him so much?

He reached out and swept the spot where Selene had been lying.

The wrinkles on the sheet were still there, preserving her posture.

As he touched it, something cold and metallic met his hand.

Sparkle.

He picked up a small earring with a jewel that sparkled on the silver crescent moon.

It belonged to Selene.

* * *

“No matter how much I look, I can’t find it.”

Rona opened the jewelry box in front of the vanity and tilted her head.

“Huh? What’s missing?”

Rona held up the crescent-shaped earring.

“Ah….”

Seeing the earring in Rona’s hand brought back the sharp memories of that night, squeezing his chest deeply.

When he returned from his room to mine, there was only one earring; the other side was already missing.

Going back to his room to look for the remaining one was impossible due to my cramped quarters.

“I don’t know. Maybe I lost it while taking a walk.”

“Really? What a shame.”

“Can’t help it.”

“Did you try looking for it?”

“Where in the vast garden would I look? It’s just unnecessarily exhausting for everyone.”

I nodded nervously.

In fact, I knew exactly where it was, but I couldn’t admit it as it was.

“It was a perfect match for Madam’s name, right? You cherished it.”

“Yeah. It was a birthday present.”

It was a gift from my father on my fifteenth birthday, before the talented painter went completely downhill.

“Selene, look at this. Isn’t it beautiful? I bought it because it suits your name.”

I really liked that earring with tiny jewels like stars on the silver crescent moon.

“Although it’s not a very expensive piece of jewelry….”

Rona seemed more disappointed than I was.

Understandably, my jewelry box only contained very simple accessories.

Apart from the crescent-shaped earring, there was a single pearl necklace, a small necklace made of a thin gold chain, and an earring with a small ruby.

That was all.

I never felt a sense of lack.

I never wished for more.

What was inside was not entirely mine; they were just jewels Camilla handed over to maintain a certain appearance, to avoid looking too shabby.

“But still, I have this.”

I raised my hand and clinked it.

Upon doing so, a large diamond ring on the fourth finger of my left hand dazzled with a brilliant glow, overshadowing its owner.

The ring was more overwhelming than the one wearing it, radiating a captivating presence.

“Take it. Since you’re married, you should wear a ring.”

When Camilla first came to the mansion, she handed me a box containing this ring.

Upon opening it, I found a ring with a large diamond.

“It seems too extravagant for me.”

“Of course, it’s extravagant. But you are the one who will bear the heir. Since we accepted the marriage without a wedding, you need a proper gift to assert the legitimacy of this marriage.”

After arriving at the Duke’s estate, I carried this ring with me like a talisman.

It wasn’t because the ring was beautiful or exceptionally valuable. It was necessary to wear it to remind myself of my position.

The Duchess of Ifrit.

His wife.

 

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Translator Note:

Hello there! This is Sid. I hope you liked it<3

Next post will be released on February, 8.

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