Chapter 29
Lionel slowly opened his mouth.
“Olivia de Katana, you’re awake.”
“……”
“Eat, so you will recover quickly.”
Riv looked up at Lionel, the Duke of Sentoren, and her eyes widened.
Riv couldn’t immediately react when Lionel appeared. In fact, she couldn’t believe that Lionel was really in front of her. He spoke arrogantly.
“Your body is extremely weak. If you had been left unattended, you would have died.”
Lionel crossed his arms and watched her silently. Then he said one word.
“Eat.”
Riv stared intently at Lionel.
‘Lionel.’
The person she spent a passionate night with, but whom she had to remain vigilant against.
He would become the husband of Marianne, who would murder Riv. Even if it was true that he annulled his engagement with Marianne, there was nothing Riv could do right now.
Riv didn’t have the strength to refute Lionel’s words or avoid this situation. So Lionel’s presence was very uncomfortable.
‘I thought I would never see this man again.Why is this happening?’
Riv frowned and whispered.
“H-Help me up.”
“You don’t have the strength to get up?”
Lionel clicked his tongue and lifted her body, which had been strangely curled up on the bed.
Riv didn’t have any strength and her body leaned to one side.
Lionel placed a pillow behind her back and corrected her posture.
“You seem to be having a hard time moving your body. Can you eat? Can you lift a spoon?”
Lionel set down a tray of food in front of her. Riv gathered her strength and nodded her head.
“I’m tired.”
He sighed and sat down beside Riv.
“Open your mouth.”
As Riv opened her mouth slightly, he inserted a spoonful of soup into her mouth.
Riv felt the soup flowing over her tastebuds. The soup, which seemed to have been boiled with onions, had a sweet taste. Riv felt terribly hungry just from this one bite.
“Eat slowly.”
Riv licked her lips and swallowed repeatedly.
Lionel focused on feeding her soup with a concentrated expression.
“Eat, you have to finish this bowl.”
“……”
“For the time being, the doctor said you should only eat food that is easy to digest.”
She had been hungry for so long that Riv only processed Lionel’s behavior after she had finished eating what he fed her.
Riv stared at the Duke as he brought the spoon to her mouth.
‘Strange.’
Lionel’s current behavior seemed absurd.
Riv did not understand this man’s behavior at all. From her point of view, the man seemed crazy.
Lionel said, shoving the spoon halfway into her mouth.
“You know it isn’t poisoned, right? It’s almost empty. Finish the rest.”
The tone was commanding, and her actions had been decided.
Riv swallowed the soup, and fixed her eyes on Lionel. His overwhelming kindness felt foreign.
‘Why is he doing this for me? Why?’
Her questions continued.
‘Why would this man want me to be his wife?’
Even if Marianne and Lionel’s engagement were broken, why would he do this?
Riv was the adopted daughter of a fallen Count and she did not know who her biological father was.
Even if she had the title, which she certainly did not, Duke Sentoren had no need for a mere Count title.
Lionel seemed to have read her thoughts.
“You must have a lot of things you want to ask me.”
“Yes.”
Riv nodded her head once.
“Do you not understand what I am doing?”
“I do not.”
After Riv’s short answer, Lionel said, putting the spoon down on the tray.
“Madame Katana, it’s because you saved my life.”
Riv didn’t like to be called ‘Madame Katana’. Queen Selina had given her the nickname, and she didn’t want to be called that after she had left the palace.
“My name is Riv.”
“Marianne did call you that. But I heard your real name is Olivia.”
“It’s my nickname. I’m more comfortable with ‘Riv’.”
Riv replied, feeling a little bit powerful.
“A maid named Claudel explained everything to me a while ago. She said you broke up with Princess Marianne?”
“Yes.”
“Claudel said I was your prospective Duchess. Did I misunderstand something?”
“Misunderstand what?”
“That I’m going to be your Duchess.”
Lionel didn’t deny it.
Rather, he was waiting for Riv’s next words.
“What’s wrong with that? I want to marry you.”
Crazy.
The Duke of Sentoren must have gone crazy.
“Are you going to marry me just because I saved your life? It is also strange that the king approved the annulment of your engagement to Princess Marianne.”
Lionel moved the tray aside and moved closer to Riv.
His expression darkened.
“It is as you say. His Majesty did not readily agree to the annulment.”
“Then what did you do?”
Riv was very thirsty. Lionel replied coolly.
“I made a deal. Well, perhaps closer to intimidation than a deal?”
“And that worked?”
Riv was bewildered. The king was greedy. The engagement between the Duke of Sentoren and Princess Marianne, which had gone on for ten years due to the king’s insistence, could not have been easily broken by a single threat from the Duke.
In order for the Duke of Sentoren’s threat to work, it had to be something critical to the king.
If this situation changed, would Riv’s future be different?
‘I am destined to die’
She was belatedly reminded of her destiny. She had forgotten, but she returned to the past.
The real Riv Katana would die in winter, this year.
She lived again, but she would not be able to escape her death on that day.
‘Then why?’
She should have been happy to leave the palace, but her thoughts were too complicated.
Riv cleared her mind. She had to focus on Lionel for now.
“Your Grace, Duke of Sentoren, how did you threaten His Majesty?”
It seemed that Lionel had a plethora of information that he used to threaten the king with.
Riv, who was about to say something, held her head as an immense headache rushed in.
“That’s enough.”
Lionel grabbed Riv and tried to lay her back.
“D-Duke.”
Riv wanted to reject his touch, but her body wouldn’t listen.
“Lionel, not Duke. I told you to call me by my name.”
“…..”
Riv groaned from the headache.
“You can ask me anything later. For now, rest.”
Lionel summoned the maids. They laid Riv down and touched her forehead.
“I think she needs to rest.”
“And the female doctor?”
“She will be here soon.”
After a while, the female doctor checked on Riv.
Riv sat up, took the tea and medicine prescribed to her, and fell asleep. The female doctor asked the maids a few questions, then left.
Claudel laid Riv down and was about to leave when she sensed a presence behind her.
Leaning against the wall, Lionel’s gaze was fixed on Riv.
“Duke, Miss Katana’s condition has improved.”
Lionel cautiously approached and observed Riv.
Riv’s breathing was calm.
Her fever seemed to have gone down compared to earlier. Lionel put his finger under Riv’s nose. He could feel her inhaling and exhaling through her nostrils.
He was only satisfied after confirming that she was breathing.
“Madame Katana asked me to call her Riv.”
“Then can we call her Miss Riv? She seemed to be uncomfortable with titles like ‘Prospective Madame’ or ‘Lady Katana’. Oh, you haven’t explained the situation to her, have you?”
“She’s still sick, there’s no way I could have explained the situation.”
At Lionel’s blunt words, Claudel sighed.
“She must have been very surprised when she woke up. Now that Miss Riv has woken, there are a lot of things we must prepare for her.”
“What do you need?”
“Everything.”
Lionel couldn’t understand what this fuss was about. Claudel shook her head at the man’s cluelessness and began to list the things Riv needed.
“The things Miss Riv brought from the palace were of no use at all. From her undergarments, to shoes and jewelry.”
“Ah.”
“So we have to prepare new clothes, undergarments, shoes, jewelry, cosmetics, everything.”
Lionel’s darkened eyes rested on Riv’s pale face.
Madame Katana’s bare face looked somewhat unstable and anxious.
“Miss Katana barely had any luggage.”
“Yes.”
“There were no useful things, but don’t throw them away. They could be things she cherishes.”
“Alright.”
But the things that Riv brought from the palace were also trash in Lionel’s eyes. Lionel, who recalled her meager possessions, shook his head.
“Order everything Riv needs regardless of the price. The highest quality, worthy of the dignity of a prospective Duchess.”
“Yes.”
Claudel listed out the things Riv needed in her mind.
The things she needed right away were undergarments, pajamas, and everyday clothes. There were also a few other things they had to buy, such as fancier dresses, shoes, cosmetics, and accessories.
Designers who were secretly contacted by the Duke of Sentoren moved quickly and came the next day.
The Duke of Sentoren’s head maid reserved and ordered the most expensive dresses and were brought to the dressing room.
Jewelers had also been requested and secretly visited the Sentoren mansion.
In fact, the Duke’s mansion was secured, with no unauthorized visitors allowed on the premises.
Thankfully, there was no word from the royal family.
Only vague rumors within social circles of the royal capital spread, but no one knew the real story.
However, these rumors spread faster than the wind.