He was so surprised that Yelena had to reach out and stop him from raising himself from the bed.
“Don’t get up. You’re a patient.”
“Wife, the…”
“It’s because there’s dust in my eyes.”
Yelena wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and gave a strange excuse.
Duke Mayhard looked at Yelena’s face for a while in panic before finally speaking.
“I didn’t mean to… say those words and make you cry. It’s been a long time, and in fact, it’s doesn’t really affect me anymore.”
“…”
“However, I just wanted to explain how I got the scars… and to let you know that the reason I prevented you from coming in here was not what you thought…”
“I understand. Thank you.”
Yelena interrupted her husband who showed signs of rambling.
It was refreshing and strange to see him so embarrassed just because she showed some tears.
Once again, Yelena picked up the towel she had dropped.
She fully soaked it in a basin of water and squeezed it firmly.
“…I couldn’t wipe your back. You need to lie down again.”
Whether it was because the aftereffect of Yelena’s tears still lingered, her husband obediently listened to her words.
Yelena took the freshly soaked towel to her husband’s wide back full of old scars.
A wet towel skimmed carefully over the old wounds.
“It must have hurt a lot.”
“It’s all right now.”
“It wouldn’t have been all right back then.”
Yelena wiped her husband’s back, stating the obvious.
Every time the towel wiped an area, Yelena’s gaze lingered a little longer.
She knew that wiping it like this wouldn’t make the scars lighter.
Still, Yelena’s eyes continued to move along with her hands as she hoped it would fade even just a little.
“Well, do you remember? Instead of sleeping with me, you promised to give me anything I wanted.”
“…I remember.”
“I want something.”
“… ”
“I… I want to call you by your name. Is that okay? Kaywhin.”
No answer came back–perhaps because it was an unexpected request–but Yelena continued and interpreted his silence as an affirmation.
Yelena pledged herself as her hand swept the scars that covered her husband’s back.
No matter what, she would make this man love her.
That’s how a warrior would be born, and by all means, save the world.
She would prove to everyone who treated this man so cruelly that they were wrong.
On this day, Yelena had one more reason to change the future.
Chapter 4 The first step is always filled with ambition.
Yelena’s last memory was of being in her husband’s bedroom until late at night.
But when she opened her eyes, she was lying on the bed in her room.
Yelena checked her watch as soon as she woke up.
It was later than usual.
The fact that the maid hadn’t come to wake her up so far meant that they had been given special instructions from her husband.
‘Did the fever go down?’
Yelena pulled the rope and asked the maid.
“Where’s the Duke?”
“He’s in his office.”
Common sense would suggest that he was working because his fever had gone down.
But she wasn’t at ease.
After cleaning her face, Yelena immediately headed straight to her husband’s office to see it with her own eyes.
“…wife?”
The Duke’s face was filled with questions at the sudden visit from his wife.
‘You’re fine.’
Fortunately, her husband appeared to be in good shape.
“It’s nothing. Well, you can go back to work.”
Yelena was relieved and immediately left the office.
Coincidently, she happened to see the butler passing through the hall.
“Ben.”
As he neared, Yelena called Ben and asked, “Do you have a minute?”
* * *
“I’m really sorry.”
Yelena blinked as she stared at the top of Ben’s round head.
Ben had quite a lot of hair considering his age.
‘No, that isn’t important.’
“…An apology all of a sudden?”
“I apologize for the disrespect I showed in the hallway in front of the master’s room yesterday.”
“Ah.”
He was referring to the incident where he ordered the knight to hold onto her.
Yelena waved her hand.
“It’s fine. I’m a very generous person, so you don’t have to bring up the past. More than that, I didn’t hold you back to hear your apology.”
“If there’s something you want to talk about…”
“Yesterday, the Duke.”
Yelena immediately raised the question she had in mind, “He didn’t catch a cold, did he?”
She took care of her husband and stayed by his side for quite a long time.
Throughout her stay, her husband’s whole body was boiling with heat, but that was all.
No other symptoms were found at all.
Not even a cough or anything else.
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