I Married the Mad Duke Who Killed My Husband - Chapter 6
“We signed our contract, so why are you having such lecherous thoughts alone?”
“……Honestly, you were aiming for it, weren’t you?”
“For what?”
I widened my eyes innocently while spreading out the games I had brought to the table.
He had been waiting for me with a tense look until I came in with my hands full of entertainment and snacks, wearing baggy pajamas that were not at all sexy for a wedding night.
“It was really funny that you were wearing a robe, though.”
“I had just finished bathing and put it on.”
He snapped irritably while extinguishing candles here and there except around the table. But his reddened earlobes made him far from threatening.
Remembering Cassion standing like a statue, awkwardly wearing his robe and unable to even sit on the bed, I let out another chuckle.
“You seem to be having a great time. Let’s see if you’ll still be laughing when we start the game.”
“I’ll probably enjoy it even more.”
He rubbed his reddened ears and picked up the cards first from the games laid out. Being a former mercenary, he should be skilled at simple gambling games. But I won’t be easy to beat either.
“Don’t get so surprised by my card skills that you miss an attack.”
“Ha! I could fight a dozen men while dealing with you.”
Just as Cassion attacked my ex-husband on the wedding night with the Marquis, there was an enemy raid during the night that the female lead and Cassion spent together in the latter part of the original story.
I wasn’t the female lead, and we were far from that point in time, but the fact remained that Cassion was a newly married Duke. That’s why Cassion agreed to my suggestion to prepare for a raid.
“But it’s no fun if we just play, so shall we make a wish bet? The winner gets one wish granted?”
“Fine. Don’t regret it, Asilia.”
He seemed to still hold the prejudice that I was a noble lady, despite seeing me drink all evening. But since the opponent’s carelessness is an excellent means of victory, I didn’t bother to say anything.
“Then I’ll start first.”
“Do as you please.”
I’ll show you my skills. Don’t regret it, Cassion.
***
Knock knock-
‘Your Grace, Madam. Breakfast is ready.’
“Damn it, I heard you! Stop rushing us!”
‘You’ve been saying you’re up and to wait since earlier. Even if it’s the morning after your wedding night, aren’t you running too late? Is the Madam alright?’
I covered my mouth and laughed as I heard the butler grumbling outside the door, unable to come in.
This round is my victory again.
“I’ve collected 10 wish tokens now, nice round number.”
“Damn it!”
He threw away the cards he had been clinging to until the end, unable to let go of his regrets. There was no ambush. That was very fortunate.
Because Cassion had gone mad after losing repeatedly to me.
Seeing Cassion with bloodshot eyes, insisting on one more round even as the butler called, I thought that if an ambush had come, this time he might have actually been stabbed.
“Let’s give up since we’re tired and hungry. I’ll go wash up and change clothes… Ah, no.”
I smiled brightly and jumped into Cassion’s bed, rolling around. I am tired after staying up all night.
“You bring my clothes. I’ll wash up in this bathroom since I’m lazy.”
“Why should I!”
“I’ll use one wish token.”
“Ha! To use it on something like this…”
“Oh my, I have so many wish tokens I don’t know where to use them~”
Cassion seemed properly heated up, stomping out of the room. The butler, seeing me sprawled out in exhaustion and Cassion leaving the room with a red face, seemed to have some misunderstanding as he approached me with a pitying expression.
“Madam, are you alright?”
“Of course. Could you draw some water in the bath for me? I’m tired and want to soak a bit.”
“Oh my, of course, Your Grace! Where are you going, Your Grace!”
“What!”
“You should carry her to the bathroom!”
“She said she’ll go herself!”
Watching Cassion shouting loudly as he probably went to find my clothes in my room, the butler clicked his tongue and looked at me with a regretful expression again. I can guess what misunderstanding he has, but that’s not it.
“It’s fine, I’ll go on my own.”
“I’m sorry, Madam. We’ll hire maids soon… I’ll have a word with His Grace too. It’s not that he doesn’t have feelings for you, he’s just shy.”
“Of course. I know Cassion is head over heels for me.”
I smiled slyly while trying to keep my eyes from closing.
“He was really passionate last night.”
The innocent butler’s face turns bright red. Everyone in this house is fun to tease, both the master and the butler.
“Thank you for preparing. I’ll wash up quickly and come down to the dining room.”
“Not at all, Madam. Please come when you’re comfortable.”
Even though I was in baggy pajamas with a body clean of any marks, the butler flinched in surprise as I got off the bed. Then he quickly bowed to me and left the room.
“Oh, not bad.”
I entered Cassion’s bathroom, enjoying the leisure of a victor. Though I hadn’t seen him being particularly unclean before, I thought there might be nothing in the bathroom since he has a bit of a rogue image, but it was fully equipped with everything needed.
Rather, I like that there are no overly floral-scented products.
I washed my body with the fresh scent that I might have caught from him and entered the warm bathtub. Just as I was drifting off to sleep feeling languid, there was a thumping sound outside the door. Is he back already?
‘Asilia! I’ve brought your clothes, so get dressed yourself!’
“Yes, darling. Did you bring the underwear too?”
‘……Damn it!’
Seems he didn’t bring it. I guess he didn’t think that far. I laughed, making bubbling sounds while half-submerged in the water, as I heard the thumping sounds fading away again. He’s really just a bumbling fool with a dark exterior.
This time, the thumping sounds return faster than before.
‘……I brought them! Do you have no sense of shame? This… this…..’
“We’re married, aren’t we? Thank you, darling. If you don’t want to watch me change now, why don’t you go downstairs first?”
‘You’re something else.’
Although I wanted to stay in the water a bit longer, the butler had said breakfast was ready earlier, so it would be better to go down before it got cold. I shouldn’t tease Cassion any further either.
He’s already been wound up all night, if I keep teasing him all morning, he might explode.
I carefully left the bathroom wrapped in a towel, listening to the sound of him leaving the room. I can see neatly folded clothes on the bed.
“Pfft.”
Wondering where the underwear was, I rummaged through it and found it carefully hidden under the outer clothes as if someone might see it, which made me laugh. It’s not even sexy underwear. For someone who looks like he could undo a woman’s underwear with one hand, he’s quite the prude.
“The rumors seem a bit off.”
Besides the rumor of him being a bloodthirsty commoner-born duke, there were also rumors of him being a womanizer. It seems like a rumor attached to him for being a case of social climbing from some unknown background, but looking at him now, not at all. He just acts tough.
“It was funny during the card game yesterday too.”
Though he seemed not to care later when he was heated up from losing consecutively, at first he flinched even at the slightest touch of hands.
I kept chuckling while getting dressed, imagining him running here holding the underwear with just his fingertips, hiding it as if someone might see.
Though there probably weren’t many choices since new clothes hadn’t arrived yet, he seems to have brought what looked like the better ones among the shabby clothes.
The clothes were so shabby and simple that I didn’t need anyone’s help.
“I’m sorry I’m late… Oh my.”
Breakfast was a nourishing meal.
This time, I’m greeted by Cassion with a red face for a different reason, and the chef introduces the food with a confident expression.
“Madam! Even if it doesn’t go down easily in the morning, you must eat it all. You need to eat well to avoid getting sick.”
“Oh my… Thank you. I’ll eat well.”
I swallowed my saliva while pretending to smile shyly. As if it won’t go down easily. I’m starving after staying up all night, so this is perfect.
“Who eats… this kind of thing first thing in the morning!”
“Why not? They prepared it with care. You should eat well too, darling, if you don’t want to get sick.”
And from that day on, it’s said that a conflict began between the chef’s opinion that the Duke’s stamina was lacking and the butler’s opinion that the Madam seemed to be suffering too much because of the Duke.
Cassion seemed to have heard the rumors too, but he couldn’t defend himself either way and just gritted his teeth.
Even so, he couldn’t easily give up on the nightly games to prepare for ambushes, and on the fourth night when my eyes were bloodshot and dark under the eyes despite taking naps, making the butler’s side opinion prevail, an assassin finally arrived.
“Because of that bastard!”
And Cassion’s anger finally exploded.
Because by the time the assassin came, he had finally gotten the hang of the game and was about to beat me.
“Oh my. How unfortunate.”
But thanks to my tripping the assassin that Cassion had blocked, the table also fell over and the cards were ruined.
“But from tomorrow, we won’t have to do all-night gaming anymore, right?”
It was a night when I gained about thirty wish tokens. It was fun.
