Chapter 2
The mansion’s floors were covered with carpet, so no footsteps could be heard, even when a large man like the Grand Duke walked. She chased him frantically across the mansion.
The place where they stopped was a bedroom. It was probably prepared in a hurry, but it was decorated to be the perfect couple’s bedroom. The elegant blackwood furniture and overall dark aesthetic gave a very cozy feeling, and the weapons and armor hanging all over the walls seemed to indicate that this was his room.
“This is the room you and I will stay in.”
She noticed the terrible fatigue in his voice.
He swept his hands down his face.
“Your job is to do one thing. To be by my side when I sleep.”
She looked back at the Grand Duke in shock.
‘What is he talking about?’
‘Isn’t it natural for a couple to sleep together?’
He added more before she could speak.
“Most importantly, you need to stay awake.”
“You want me to stay awake? All night?”
“Yes, stay awake and watch me.”
‘You want me… to do what?’
He grabbed a sword off the wall and threw it at her. When she caught it and unsheathed it, the length and weight perfectly fit her physique.
He spoke in a gloomy tone.
“If the task is hard to handle, you can cut me. I won’t hold a grudge.”
“What…”
Before she could ask more, he called in the servants. He told them to lock the door of the mansion because he didn’t want visitors.
“Prepare a bath for my wife. Take her with you.”
She was guided to the bathroom by silent maids. The ridiculously luxurious room looked like a painting, but she was rushed to the bathtub behind the partition without being able to appreciate the beauty of the room.
The maids quickly removed her clothes, which were dirty from their journey, and poured hot water into the bathtub.
She looked out of the window, immersed in dizzyingly fragrant water. The sun was just setting. Beautiful colors stained the sky.
The confusion that continued to fog her mind did not go away. In fact, it had grown thicker.
She couldn’t understand what he meant about going to bed, asking her not to sleep while he’s sleeping, and how it was okay to cut him.
Perhaps it had something to do with his reason for bringing her here. She was a talented knight.
The maids gave her a new set of underwear and pajamas and left the room.
She went back to the bedroom, in awe of how soft her new clothes were.
***
The Grand Duke was already in the bedroom when she returned. Wearing only a dark robe, his body looked close to perfection.
As a woman, she was obviously amazed.
She didn’t say anything, noticing his exhaustion. He reached up and rang the bell next to his bed. The window curtains were closed meticulously.
After the fire was extinguished, the room’s only light came from a few candles around the bed.
The Grand Duke laid down on the bed as if collapsing, without even covering himself with a blanket.
“Don’t fall asleep. Ever. If you want to see the sun tomorrow morning.”
She nodded, even though she still had hundreds of questions about his situation. She pulled up a chair and sat next to him, with the sword in her arms.
The Great Duke fell asleep in a flash. Only his light breathing reassured her that he was sleeping, not dead.
She counted, in an effort to keep her tired eyes focused and awake.
How long had it been?
An hour?
Two hours?
Her body, tired from traveling, demanded sleep. She looked down at the man sleeping next to her in anguish.
Then suddenly, he opened his eyes.
***
He opened his eyelids slowly.
She called out to him in surprise.
“Your highness?”
The Grand Duke didn’t answer. He slowly got up and climbed out of bed.
He wandered around for a moment, and picked up a long sword hanging on the wall. His murky gaze scanned the room, saw her, and stopped.
‘No way…’
She instinctively unsheathed the sword she was holding. At the same time, he swung his sword at her.
Their swords met with a sharp clashing sound.
As they fought, she realized that the Grand Duke was out of his mind, probably sleepwalking. Nevertheless, he was very strong compared to her. Whenever their swords met, her arms trembled slightly and she was pushed back.
There was no chance of winning if she fought him head-on.
She called to him, narrowly avoiding a jab aimed at her head.
“Your highness, Duke Morte!”
But he was unresponsive. His sword made an eerie sound as she was pushed into a difficult place to defend. She thought something would happen to her if she kept fighting defensively.
She turned her body towards the bed so his sword would bounce off of it. As soon as he swung, she hit the back of his neck with the butt of her sword.
The Duke staggered, and then fell onto the bed.
‘Is he…?’
She took a short breath and examined the fallen man. Even when she poked him cautiously with the end of her sword, there was no movement.
She hurriedly moved away from bed and sat down under the window. The sleep that had been pressing down on her eyelids had long since gone away.
‘Is this why he told me to watch over him? But why would a sleeping person suddenly do this? Unless… they were possessed by a demon!’
She wanted to run away, but she had nowhere to run to.
She put her sword back into its sheath and held it tightly in her arms, so that she could pull it out at any moment. The sword in her trembling hands made a rattling sound.
‘Scary…’
Under the light of the candles, she crumpled her body to become as invisible as possible.
***
It was not until the birds chirped at dawn that the Grand Duke opened his eyes. As soon as he woke up, he looked around in a hurry. And when he found her huddling against the wall, he opened his eyes wide.
“You’re alive.”
She couldn’t help but snap back.
“Did you wish me to be dead?”
“No, it’s just… I’m surprised.”
When she saw him leave the bed, she staggered to her feet. Her overworked eyes stung, and she was shivering after sitting by the window in thin pajamas. That night had been harsher than the past few days’ journey.
Her body trembled from shock and fatigue.
The Grand Duke stared at her and adjusted his robe. Then he grabbed a blanket off the bed.
“Do you want this?”
As soon as he took a step towards her, she took a step back.
“…Thank you for your hard work. I’ll explain everything to you later, so please rest. You can eat as soon as you wake up.”
There were a lot of things she wanted to ask him, but she was too tired. She fell asleep as soon as her body hit the bed.
***
When she opened her eyes, the sun was already high in the sky. She felt refreshed, but very hungry.
She rang the bell. Old women, who appeared to be maids, came in with their heads bowed down.
“Are you up, Madame?”
They seemed to be very polite. She awkwardly asked for something to eat and water to wash up.
The Grand Duke had already left long ago.
She washed her face with cool water, which had petals floating in it, and brushed her hair with a golden comb.
When she was done, her meal came in. It consisted of something soft that looked like greasy meat, soft eggs, and pudding. All of it was food that was hard to obtain in her territory.
She ate as slowly as possible so that she didn’t look ravenous in front of the servants.
“I’m late to say hello, Madame. I’m Sumona, the head maid.”
“Hello, Sumona.”
“I will do my best to make you feel comfortable. If you have any questions or needs, please feel free to ask.”
Amarion hesitated for a moment. There was only one thing she was curious about.
“Ah… what’s wrong with him at night?”
The old woman shivered slightly at her words. She quickly managed her expression, but she failed to mask the tremor in her voice.
“Your highness, did he wake up last night?”
“Yes. What’s wrong with him?”
There was a stir among the maids. Sumona stopped their whispers with a fierce gaze. But she was curious about his story, so she asked again.
“What do you know?”
The old maid, who was wary of the question, answered carefully.
“Actually, we thought his highness didn’t wake up last night. If he did, we thought you would have been seriously injured.”
Amarion opened her eyes wide. Not only were her words incomprehensible, but also a little strange.
‘So, from the Grand Duke to the servants, everyone knew that I was going to suffer like this…?’
Sumona bowed deeply in front of Amarion, whose expression had darkened.
“Sorry, Madame. It is the deepest secret of the master… I couldn’t tell you in advance.”
“No. It’s okay… It’s not like anyone got hurt. I’m just curious about the cause.”