Chapter 187
Eugenie stared in stunned silence at the silver-haired man struggling to breathe on the bed.
None of her husbands were exactly easy to deal with during s*x, but Magnus Napier had always made her especially tense.
A refined blue-blood noble. An old rival who had never once let himself appear disheveled.
A man who, even after she had stripped him bare, had somehow never lost his composure—save for loosening his tie.
And now, that same man had dark shadows under his eyes, gritting his teeth as he fought for breath.
The shock settled in quietly.
More than anything, above the few undone buttons at his collar, she could see skin stained a deep gray. His chest stiffened unnaturally with each breath. It was obvious even breathing had become difficult.
While Eugenie stood there, frozen, Cassius stepped closer and whispered,
“I managed to slow the progression a bit with what I had… but I can’t do much more.”
“……”
“Unless you intervene, Lady.”
“…Right.”
She had even reversed Tristan’s time, fixing Napier’s condition should be nothing in comparison.
But before she sent the others out, Eugenie grabbed Alfred and spoke in a low voice.
“Alfred. This might sound sudden, but the southern strait is in danger.”
“…What do you mean?”
“It’s just a guess, but Carter—”
With conflict already breaking out in Ravenic, it was only a matter of time before pirates in the south began to move. As she explained what she had learned from Alokes’ memories, Alfred’s usually easygoing expression twisted into something fierce.
“That bastard…!”
No wonder, out of all of them, he had always seemed the most insidious.
Being an illegitimate child of the imperial family was outrageous enough, but using people’s lives to manipulate both him and Troys like pieces on a board? It was utterly despicable.
‘Is he insane? And he thinks he should be emperor?’
Alfred swallowed the curses that rose to his tongue, reminding himself who stood in front of him, and forced his expression back under control.
“…Got it. Thanks for telling me, Eugenie. I’ll check in with my homeland.”
“Yeah…”
“And don’t worry. Pirates are nothing.”
Handling them was second nature to him.
The only thing he truly feared… was the safety of the girl who had once stood on the shore, trembling with guilt, barely holding herself together.
Before leaving, Alfred clasped her hand firmly.
“No matter what happens, I’ll protect you.”
From the moment he made his contract with Theodora Norton, that vow had never wavered. It was why he hadn’t hesitated to put a bullet through Crown Prince Tristan’s heart.
‘Anyone who tries to threaten you… I won’t hesitate.’
Even if that anyone turned out to be Carter Livingston himself who claims to love Eugenie.
* * *
After the two husbands left the room.
Eugenie sat down beside Napier and, without much gentleness, began unbuttoning his shirt. As the fabric parted from his collar downward, the muscles that should have been smooth and well-defined gradually came into view.
Now marred by patches of gray, roughened skin, like a hardened shell dotted with tiny pits. At that moment, his pale green eyes, clouded with pain, slowly came into focus.
“…Norton?”
“Yeah. It’s me.”
“What are you—ugh.”
Even in his dazed state, Magnus grabbed her wrist, trying to stop her from undressing him.
In the end, instead of confessing his feelings like he had once hoped, everything had been exposed in the most pathetic way possible.
He wanted to push her away—but his stiffening limbs wouldn’t obey him. They struggled lightly, glaring fiercely at one another.
“…Where did you learn… to strip a patient without permission…?”
“Are you serious right now? Talking about manners?”
Eugenie snapped, then ignored his nonsense entirely and continued unbuttoning his shirt without hesitation.
“Idiot…!”
So this long-time rival turns out he was just book-smart and otherwise a complete fool. He should’ve taken off his shirt and asked for help ages ago.
Instead, he clung to his pointless pride…
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