Chapter 104
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When consciousness briefly returned, someone was gently washing her body in the bathtub. Who could it be… Through her hazy, half-asleep consciousness, a man’s low voice penetrated.
“You’re awake.”
“…”
“Seeing how you can’t get your bearings from something like this, I suppose you really are weak.”
Psyche recognized the voice’s owner a beat late. It was Rezus. She wanted to push him away, asking what he was doing, but without strength to move even a finger or energy to make a sound, she had no choice but to quietly let him tend to her body.
“Psyche.”
Her head drooped down. Consciousness was slipping away again. With Rezus murmuring something by her ear as the last thing she heard, her eyes closed.
When she opened her eyes again, she was on the bed. Psyche immediately raised her upper body and examined herself. As if just finishing a shower, she was fresh from head to toe and her clothes had been changed.
‘I thought he’d never clean up after me again…’
She just blinked with a dazed expression, then furrowed her brows at a sudden memory.
‘Psyche, …Aren’t you….’
Just before losing consciousness again in the bathtub, Rezus had definitely said something, but she couldn’t remember exactly what it was.
What did he say then?
Was it words of persuasion to accept his proposal even now? Given that he gave her one more chance during their encounter, the possibility was high.
Psyche furrowed her brows while touching her lower lip.
‘What could his intentions be?’
After being lost in thought for a while, she soon shook her head. Since she hadn’t heard it properly, she couldn’t be certain he had made another proposal. One thing was clear though – Rezus was acting more lenient compared to the original work. While it was nice to be free from physical abuse because of this, she worried his provocations might not work later.
She sighed and clutched her forehead.
Just as no one had touched her when she’d been vomiting about twice a day, she had an intuition that the male leads wouldn’t do anything for the next few days either.
And that intuition was right on target.
For five days, Psyche couldn’t see even a hair of the male leads. Maids brought her meals, and sturdy knights blocked her every attempt to go outside.
She faced Rezus again exactly two days after that.
It was when she couldn’t sleep, frustrated by her inability to do anything while time kept flowing. Without a knock, the door opened and Rezus walked toward the bedroom with leisurely steps. Psyche hastily raised her upper body.
In the muted light, their gazes locked – Rezus, standing by the bed, and Psyche’s cautious stare. He studied her features deliberately, then his attention settled in one place. The low neckline of her nightgown revealed too much. When Psyche drew the covers up protectively, irritation crossing her face, his lips curved into a knowing smile as he began to speak.
“Had some emotional distress? I don’t know why you’ve gotten thinner. Your face should look better now that those bastards have disappeared from your sight.”
“…Get out.”
While glaring fiercely at Rezus, she observed him carefully. Judging by his outdoor attire and the strong smell of alcohol and wind, he seemed to have just entered the mansion. By the feel of it, he’d probably been outside during the week he hadn’t shown himself.
Perhaps… he had been moving to uncover Mates’s confidential information during that time.
Though it appeared he was only tormenting the hostage on the surface, both Mathes and Arje’s sides were thoroughly preparing for war behind the scenes.
Suddenly, anxiety swept over her like a tidal wave. What if the war breaks out earlier than in the original work? Given his more relaxed demeanor than usual, it seemed he had already uncovered the confidential information and then some.
“Do you really want me to leave?”
Her worries were cut short by the man’s voice.
“It doesn’t seem so.”
His voice sounded particularly close, then the bed sank heavily. It was because he pressed one knee firmly onto the bed while leaning his upper body forward.
“Be honest, Psyche.”
The wind’s scent, that distinctive fragrance both soft yet weighty, and the sharp smell of alcohol struck her nose. Soon, a low bass tone that made her nape tingle tickled her ear.
“Ask me to hold you.”
“…”
“Looking at your expression right now, that’s what it seems to be saying.”
Psyche bit down hard on her lower lip. Why? Why did she feel the urge to shatter that composure surrounding him? After quietly staring at him for a moment, she slowly parted her lips.
“The one who wiped my tears before… was you, wasn’t it?”
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