I Married the Mad Duke Who Killed My Husband - Chapter 62
“Duchess, please sit here.”
“Asilia. Are you alright? Your body is trembling so much.”
After all the attackers were dealt with, Lorang finally emerged from the wardrobe, but no one looked at him.
Jenin hurriedly picked up the fallen chair for me to sit on, then rushed to get medical supplies.
Meanwhile, Cassion knelt in front of me and took my hand.
“I should have dealt with the last one myself… Damn it, your face is so badly swollen. Is your eardrum okay? Any other injuries?”
“…”
“Hm? Asilia. Please answer me.”
“…Cassion.”
“Yes. I’m here, Asil.”
I could feel my hands, no, my entire body trembling. I didn’t take my eyes off Cassion, who kept talking to me while firmly holding my shaking hands, transmitting his body heat.
Although he had something like a handkerchief wrapped around his forearm, he didn’t seem to be injured anywhere else.
“…I’m sorry for leaving you behind.”
No matter how rational the decision was, the person left behind might feel differently. Above all, I couldn’t bear it without apologizing.
But Cassion’s expression, who had come close to my feet and was listening intently, suddenly crumpled.
“What nonsense are you talking about? Thanks to you leaving that place, I was able to deal with those bastards easily.”
“Still, the fact is I ran away leaving you alone.”
“You can’t call that running away, Asil. Don’t think strange thoughts and tell me if you’re hurt anywhere. You look like you might collapse at any moment.”
“I’m just not used to this kind of fight, so the excitement hasn’t settled down. I’m not really hurt anywhere, and the trembling will subside soon.”
“Don’t believe what the Duchess is saying, Your Grace.”
Jenin, who had brought a basket filled with herbs and bandage scraps, interrupted our conversation. Cassion let go of my hand and moved aside.
Cassion bit his lip as he looked at my uncontrollably trembling hands.
The truth is, I did push myself a bit too hard.
I knew I didn’t have to deal with the last one myself, but it wasn’t just a momentary emotional action.
I didn’t want to keep owing Cassion alone anymore. He’s a war hero, but I thought we shouldn’t take it for granted that Cassion does everything.
I wanted to share the burden even like this, but the sensation of my first kill clung stickily to my fingertips.
“Duchess, is your hand hurting?”
“No…”
“What do you mean, no! Oh my, what’s this? It must have splattered when the clothes hanger rod broke. Please bear with it for a moment.”
As I was blankly recalling the sensation of the blade cutting through flesh while looking at my trembling hands, Jenin, who seemed to think I was looking at them because they hurt, examined them with me.
I unconsciously tried to hide both hands but was caught by Jenin. Looking closely, there were tiny wood splinters or slivers embedded.
“…Thank you for standing up for me, Duchess.”
Jenin whispers as she carefully removes the embedded pieces, applies crushed herbs, and wraps a bandage.
I turned my gaze from staring blankly into space to Jenin. Her blue eyes, now reaching out to treat my cheek, were wet with tears.
I could feel her hands trembling as well as she applied the herbs generously.
“It’s only natural. How could I just leave you, Jenin.”
“No. If you had just kept hiding, you would have been safe until the Duke arrived…”
But Jenin would have been raped and killed.
“I can’t live like that, Jenin.”
“Duchess…”
Tears finally rolled down Jenin’s cheeks. Seeing her trembling and crying, my own trembling began to subside.
How afraid I was that she might meet her death as in the original story and that I might have been the one to lead to it. But she survived.
“Don’t cry. Is it done now? Cassion’s arm…”
“What are you saying? We need to check your stomach too!”
“Stomach? Why the stom… Oh.”
For a moment, I turned to look at Cassion. I shouldn’t have done that. He stood with his arms crossed, fixing both Jenin and me with a terrifying expression that dared us to speak.
“Haha, Jenin. That… it’s nothing.”
“But you were kicked so hard!”
“So not only did you come out when you could have stayed hidden, but you were also kicked and slapped…”
As soon as Jenin finished speaking, Cassion’s gloomy muttering followed. I felt like cold sweat was about to run down my neck. I didn’t do anything wrong, so why does it feel like I’m being scolded?
“I said I’m fine! Ca-Cassion. You need treatment too! That arm was injured earlier today, right?!”
Flustered, I jumped up and pulled Cassion. He maintained his stern gaze at me as he allowed himself to be led to the chair.
Quickly unwrapping the cloth around his arm revealed a wound that hadn’t been treated at all, as expected. It seemed only minimal hemostasis had been done, as I bit my lip at the sight of the gaping wound with pressed blood clots.
“I’ll… go get some water.”
Before Jenin could stop me, I ran to the kitchen to fetch water. After looking around and grabbing a clean cloth, I returned to find Jenin standing next to the chair, examining Cassion’s wound.
“…”
It felt strange. They looked too good together.
The female lead Jenin treating and caring for the male lead Cassion’s wound. It’s almost the same situation as in the early part of the original story. The situation where Cassion fell in love.
Their voices, exchanging brief conversations, sounded muffled as if underwater. My insides twisted. Why?
“…chess… Duchess! Duchess!”
“Ah.”
“What’s wrong? You must have pushed yourself too hard. Just leave it to me and go to bed…”
“I’m fine, don’t worry about it.”
“…?”
Before I knew it, I answered Jenin in a sharp tone and set down the basin of water between them with a thud.
As I wedged myself between them, Jenin stepped back a couple of paces with wide eyes.
“…Bear with it even if it stings.”
I bowed my head low as I dabbed with a cloth soaked in water, trying to clean off the blood clots and dirt with minimal friction.
What was that just now? Why did I speak to Jenin like that? I’m so embarrassed.
“It’s done. Now… um.”
Now I just need to apply the herbs and wrap the bandage again. Should I step aside and let Jenin do it?
But the basket touched my fingertips. As I turned around, she asked with a gentle smile.
“Shall I do it if it’s too hard for you?”
“…No, I’ll do it.”
“These herbs are good for wounds. You should use these.”
“Okay. …I’m sorry about earlier, Jenin. I was a bit, sensitive.”
“There’s no need to apologize for that, Duchess! I’m not bothered at all!”
“No, I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that.”
“Duchess, please don’t. I really am fine. After going through all this, wouldn’t anyone’s nerves be on edge? Besides, you’re the savior of my life.”
“…The same goes for you, Jenin.”
I quickly turned away from her to focus on treating Cassion’s arm, hiding my face wet with embarrassment.
Even in this situation, I felt even more embarrassed by my action of snatching the basket instead of asking her, who would be more skilled than me. But I didn’t want to see them together again.
My heart was so turbulent that it even overshadowed the sticky emotion of my first kill. I hate that sensation of suddenly becoming unlike myself.
“Just do it roughly, Asil. It’s a wound that would heal even if left alone.”
His words made my emotions surge even more. In front of him, who was trying not to leave even a word of worry for me, I was doing the clumsy treatment because of mere petty jealousy. Feeling too sorry for him, my voice came out sharp unintentionally.
“Stop talking nonsense and stay still.”
“…I’m sorry I didn’t come a little earlier.”
Cassion tried to lightly touch my swollen and burning cheek with his other hand that wasn’t being treated but ended up just brushing my hair back. I see a familiar emotion in his red eyes looking at me.
It’s the same as my eyes. Confused eyes mixed with self-loathing, regret, and pity.
“You came just in time. Thank you.”
“No. I should have come before those bastards. To let you get hurt like this…”
“Stop talking nonsense, I said.”
I tightened the bandage firmly to shut him up, but he didn’t even groan. Now with both arms free, he hugged my waist and buried his face in my chest like a baby.
“I thought I was going crazy worrying about you. I’m sorry, Asil.”
“What are you sorry for? It’s all because I ran away alone. I’m the one who’s sorry, Cassion.”
“Both of you, please stop. I think I put the Duchess in danger by bringing her to my house. I’m truly sorry.”
His figure nestling into my arms looks so fragile that it’s hard to believe he’s the war hero who cut down dozens of the Empress’s knights. As I gently stroke his disheveled hair, which shows how hurriedly he came, Lorang, who had been standing silently in the corner like a rock, perhaps embarrassed for having hidden alone, chimes in.
“Why is the atmosphere like this? It’s not an apology party, and from what I can see, none of you did anything wrong! Hahaha!”
“…”
“…”
“…”
It was a spectacular mood changer.
