The Villain's Terminally Ill Wife

Chapter 31

When I came to, it was pitch dark around me. If it weren’t for the moonlight streaming in through the window, I wouldn’t have been able to see anything in the dark.

I gathered my senses and sat up. A strange ceiling, a strange room. Only after scanning the surroundings once more did I remember that I had fallen asleep in a room at the Starlight Hotel.

I lifted my right hand to my forehead. It was slightly warm. The heat from my body hadn’t fully dissipated after a deep sleep. I still felt groggy, probably because the fatigue hadn’t fully worn off.

It seemed that the carriage ride had been too much for me.

Well, considering that I had previously coughed up blood and collapsed after a long carriage journey…

It was a relief that this time, all I did was sleep. If I couldn’t manage my health and collapsed here, it might affect the trial coming up soon.

Even though I trusted that Richard could handle it without me, there was a significant difference between me being there and not.

After all, this upcoming trial was about me, the former heir of Duke Tristan’s household, reclaiming what was rightfully mine from my father.

What would be the point if I weren’t there?

That’s why I needed to prioritize my health. I had asked for the carriage to move at the slowest speed, but even that seemed too much for my body.

Yet, it was already night.

When I laid down, I had intended to just take a short nap, but it seemed I had unintentionally fallen into a deep sleep.

Thinking about how Richard must have felt, coming into the room and seeing me passed out as soon as he entered, made me feel a bit embarrassed.

But at least the good thing was that neither Richard nor I saw each other as romantic interests.

If we did, sharing a room might have been awkward. In fact, if that had been the case, we would have done whatever we could to avoid sharing a room in the first place. No matter how difficult it was to find a room, money could solve that problem.

Thankfully, there was no need for such concerns.

After finishing my thoughts, I turned my head to check the other bed next to mine.

Richard was sleeping in it. His upright posture while sleeping made him seem a bit too disciplined, but at least it was better than looking disheveled.

Sitting on my bed, I quietly observed him.

So, Richard looks pretty peaceful when he’s sleeping.

Given his determined nature, I found it hard to imagine him sleeping soundly.

It wasn’t that I expected him to have bad sleeping habits, but seeing him sleep so quietly was somehow fascinating.

He always seemed to be working tirelessly, like he never slept, but apparently, he was human after all.

With things so calm, I could finally notice his facial features. Usually, it was too intimidating to stare at him, so unless we were talking, I never had the chance to observe him up close. Now was my chance.

A straight forehead, dark eyebrows, firmly closed eyelids, a sharp nose, and tightly closed lips.

Not a single flaw in his facial structure. Even when examining each feature individually, he was undeniably handsome. But the way everything came together in perfect harmony made it hard to look away.

And his body?

Years of sword training had given him a strong and well-built physique.

Spending time with him, it was impossible not to notice his good looks and muscular build.

But that wasn’t all.

When he escorted me, his arms felt incredibly solid and reliable. Surely, the rest of his body was the same. How long must he have trained to achieve that? He always seemed to be working, yet somehow, he had time to train with the sword.

I laughed at myself for letting my thoughts wander that far.

It felt inappropriate to be scrutinizing a sleeping man so closely.

Then I noticed that his blanket seemed a bit short.

Even though the weather was mild, the night air was still chilly, and if he wasn’t properly covered, he might catch a cold. …Though, the thought of Richard, of all people, catching a cold was hard to imagine, but still, he was human, so he wasn’t immune to the cold.

After a moment of hesitation, I got up and approached him. I leaned over and gently grasped the blanket covering him. I intended to pull it up slightly to cover him properly.

But just then, it happened.

Suddenly, someone grabbed my wrist and yanked me down.

“Ah!”

I squeezed my eyes shut and screamed as the sensation of suddenly being flipped upside down overwhelmed me.

Luckily, I landed on the bed, so there was no pain.

Cautiously, I opened my eyes to see who had grabbed me.

The moonlight streaming through the window illuminated the person above me. Richard was there, looking down at me with a frown. I glanced down and saw that he was gripping my wrist.

He must have mistaken me for an assassin and reacted instinctively.

“What’s going on?”

His voice was rough, much different from his usual tone.

Looking up at him from below felt intimidating, and I stammered as I tried to speak.

“It’s me, Richard.”

I wanted to make sure he knew it was me.

“I know that, Diarna. But what were you trying to do in the middle of the night?”

Even after realizing it was me, his voice remained tense. It seemed he didn’t like people touching him, even if they meant no harm.

“I was just trying to pull the blanket over you.”

“The blanket?”

He furrowed an eyebrow, and I nodded.

“Yes, I was just worried you might catch a cold…”

I looked genuinely apologetic as I explained, and Richard glanced at my wrist in his hand and at the blanket that had fallen to the floor.

Finally, he relaxed his grip and let go of my wrist, getting off me.

I sat up in bed, rubbing my wrist where he had grabbed me.

His large hand had gripped my wrist tightly, and it still felt sore.

If it hurt this much from a simple grab, my father must have been in quite a bit of pain when Richard had grabbed his wrist that time. The thought was oddly satisfying.

“Does it hurt?”

I turned to look at him. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, looking at me.

In the dim light of the night, his blue eyes were the only thing that stood out clearly.

Feeling awkward under his gaze, I averted my eyes, trying not to meet his.

“No, it’s just a little sore. I’ll be fine by morning.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Yeah, and I’m sorry for disturbing your sleep.”

“It’s fine. And if your wrist still hurts, let me know. If you don’t feel comfortable telling me, you can tell Olivier instead.”

“Got it. Now, let’s go back to sleep. I’ll try to sleep too.”

Feeling embarrassed in the middle of the night, I quickly returned to my bed. I pulled the blanket over me and turned away from Richard, not wanting to face him.

I could still sense his presence behind me, as if my awareness of him had heightened.

“Goodnight.”

I once again showed my intent to sleep as I closed my eyes toward him.

There was no response from his side. I didn’t hear the sound of him lying down again either.

Unable to fall asleep myself, I lay there in the darkness with my eyes closed for a long time.

After a while, I heard rustling from behind me.

I was curious about what he was doing, but I didn’t have the courage to turn around and check.

I held my breath and stayed still for some time until I heard the sound of him slowly walking out. Finally, the door closed, and he was gone.

I lifted my head to check and stared at the firmly shut door, wondering if he had really left.

Richard was nowhere to be seen, confirming he had truly left the room.

Feeling a strange sense of relief, I collapsed back onto the bed.

We were only sharing the same room. There wouldn’t be any interaction between us, and what had just happened was an exception, unlikely to repeat.

When I first entered the room, I was sure that it wouldn’t be a problem.

After all, I knew better than anyone that Richard wasn’t the type of person to take an interest in me just because we were sharing a room.

But now, there was an issue.

The problem was that, for some reason, I had started becoming conscious of him.

Was it because I was aware of him as a man? No, that didn’t seem to be it.

It was simply the fact that he was in the same room that was stirring up confusion in my mind.

Was it just discomfort from sharing a room with someone else?

That could very well be the case.

Even if it was only for a few days, I had rarely shared a room with anyone, and on top of that, my roommate was Richard, who was technically my husband in name and the person I was allied with. That alone could be making me uncomfortable.

If that were the case, I would have to endure this discomfort for the next five days.

With a quiet sigh of resignation at the discomfort that lay ahead, I pulled the blanket up to my chin.

It felt like I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep.

And, just as I expected, I lay in bed counting sheep for hours until the early dawn, when I finally drifted off into the world of dreams.