LTP 21

Chapter 21

“Yes? Right now?”

“okay.”

“You suddenly want to hold my hand?”

“I’m already sure, but wouldn’t it be better for you to confirm it in front of your doctor?”

A black glove fell onto the table.

Cassian’s boyish hands were large for a boy, with straight, straight fingers.

“I was trying to hide this fact for a while because I thought you would be embarrassed.”

“…….”

“But you told me to be honest.”

“Did I…?”

Damia hesitated and stepped back.

“That’s right. He even threatened to distance himself from me if I didn’t tell him why.”

“I didn’t mean to. I just, um….”

Cassian’s red eyes finally came to life.

When he stared at me, I felt like I had encountered a beast at a dead end.

“Come here, Damia.”

“Ugh.”

“You’re not going to listen to a request from someone with a limited time? You’re more ruthless than you look.”

He strode towards her and extended his hand to Damia.

“I’m a gentleman, so I won’t make any unreasonable demands of you.”

A true gentleman would not call himself a gentleman… … .

“But holding hands before marriage isn’t a big deal, right?”

Damia bit her lips and glared at the Duke’s hand.

The two had already shaken hands not long ago.

Even then, Damia was the first to extend her hand.

This was because Cassian, who promised to give her not only an engagement but also money in return for the cure, seemed like a very satisfactory business partner.

‘Why do I keep feeling self-conscious today?’

I could have just held his hand as casually as last time, but my heart kept pounding.

“Quick.”

“You’re a little princess….”

“Damia.”

Cassian glanced at the elderly doctor.

He also had a keen eye for detail, but it seemed strange that his fiancée was so disgusted.

“I understand. As you know, I like you so much, Little Duke… I was so nervous that I hesitated a bit.”

Damia shook the boy’s hand, making an excuse that was likely conscious of the attending physician.

I was so embarrassed that I could barely hold on to the tips of my fingers.

“Oh, wait a minute…!”

But soon, he gave his entire hand to Cassian, who had only raised an eyebrow once.

Could this be the aftereffects of a heart that has stopped?

The little peacock’s hands were surprisingly cold.

It was so cold and embarrassing that I wanted to quickly pull my hand away.

But Cassian seemed to have no intention of letting her go.

“…….”

It was close enough that I could count Cassian’s eyelashes.

As always, it was a perfect face.

‘Why is my heart pounding?’

Damia desperately tried to think of something else to cool her flushed cheeks.

“…uh?”

At that moment, a low gasp escaped Cassian.

“Why, why? You were mistaken, weren’t you?”

He didn’t answer and turned his gaze to the attending physician.

A kind-looking old man approached holding an examination tool.

‘No, right?’

I was dizzy from the situation I had never imagined, not even in my dreams, let alone in my past life.

“Your Majesty, my heart is really beating….”

The old man stammered with a moved face, but eventually couldn’t finish.

But Damia could clearly see what was to follow.

Because Cassian was smiling as if he’d known it would happen. It was a smile filled with satisfaction after a long wait.

‘Really? What on earth does the dragon’s curse have to do with me!’

At that moment, Cassian pulled Damia’s hand towards him.

Although they were only two years apart in age, Damia, who was smaller and thinner than her peers, was half-buried in the Duke’s arms.

“See, I was right.”

“That’s ridiculous….”

“Similar.”

The boy whispered in Damia’s ear.

Damia tilted her head at that unexpected remark.

“Similar? What is it?”

Cassian stared at Damia for a while without answering.

He smelled of clean grass and earth. Had he spent some time in the forest before coming to meet Damia?

Maybe it was because of the scent, but I couldn’t move even though I wanted to avoid eye contact.

“It feels similar to when I took the medicine you gave me.”

It wasn’t painful at all, but Cassian’s hand tightened as he held Damia.

Even his shoulders were shaking faintly.

“That can’t be true… This is ridiculous.”

“What does that matter? What matters is that it’s not my fault.”

His red eyes sparkled, unlike those of the indifferent Duke.

From her tightly closed lips, as if trying to hold back laughter, pure joy was felt, and from her red eyes, which had finally come to life after a long time, a faint obsession was felt.

What? Wait a minute. Obsession?

‘Oh, that won’t do. Seriously, truly, absolutely not.’

This was an unexpected situation that was absolutely not in Damia’s plans.

* * *

Damia was so embarrassed that her face turned bright red and she ran home.

Even though I kept fanning myself in the carriage, I couldn’t calm down.

‘I’m quite serious about this temporary engagement.’

Cassian seemed to never want to be apart from Damia for even a moment.

However, perhaps because he decided that it was more important to discipline the excited attending physician, he eventually let Damia go.

‘What good is it if the limited time comes true!’

Damia tried to calm her wavering heart, but the thought of the Duke’s face kept ringing in her ears.

‘I was suspicious of you at first. Of course, I still don’t completely trust you.’

With only the two men present, Cassian calmly revealed the reason he had been keeping the secret.

“After watching you closely, I’m convinced that this was an unexpected phenomenon, even for you. If you had any ulterior motives, you would have immediately tried to exploit it.”

‘And?’

‘Well, even if there were other intentions, I still acknowledged that I was the one who needed the other person.’

It was a smile that seemed to indicate that he was already confident in his ability to perfectly control the variable called her.

“You’re late getting home, miss.”

“Wow!”

Damia was so startled that she screamed.

In the darkness, the butler’s eyes were shining.

“what’s the matter?”

“The count went to bed early, so I waited for the young lady instead.”

“You usually don’t care whether I come in or not.”

“You misunderstood, Miss. I was just busy building the mansion without a maid.”

Although the words were affectionate, there was a thorn embedded in them.

“I just received a letter from you, miss. Your friend has been contacting me frequently lately.”

“Friend? I only have one person I can call a friend… Oh, did you get a reply from Arsene already?”

Damia’s expression brightened significantly.

“I could have passed it on to Romi… Well, thanks anyway.”

Damia held out her hand, but the butler slowly shook his head.

“Isn’t it the same as if the little duke brought Romi?”

“Why is that?”

“If Romi finds out, it might reach the Duke’s ears. That’s why I wanted to deliver it to you personally.”

The butler’s voice became quiet.

“I can’t let unnecessary misunderstandings ruin your relationship.”

“Misunderstanding?”

“Would your noble young duke be pleased to hear that his fiancée is associating with a commoner boy?”

Damia’s eyes crinkled with displeasure.

“The little duke isn’t that closed-minded.”

“well.”

“Arsene and I are just close friends.”

“Yes, yes, I understand.”

The butler smiled sinisterly and handed Damia a letter.

“But… why is the mansion so quiet?”

Damia, who was receiving the letter, looked around.

It wasn’t a noisy mansion to begin with, but today it was unusually quiet, as if everyone had fallen asleep.

“We did a thorough cleaning today. Since there weren’t many employees, everyone must have been tired and went to bed early.”

“What about Romi? She must have gone to town on my behalf.”

“He said he was going to meet a friend while he was out, but he hasn’t come back yet.”

“You haven’t come in yet?”

“I couldn’t scold him because he was cute, but he really likes to play.”

The butler’s smooth smile grated on Damia’s nerves.

“You look tired. Please go in and rest.”

Even though there was nothing objectively suspicious, I kept having unnecessary suspicions.