I Married the Mad Duke Who Killed My Husband - Chapter 90
“Cassion! Come in quickly.”
“Oh, it really is. How did you know?”
The man noticed first that someone was coming to the tent. But I was the first to guess that those footsteps belonged to Cassion.
Ignoring the surprised man, I pushed him out, telling him to leave now. He made an incredulous face but obediently left the tent.
Thud-
“Cassion?”
“…Sorry.”
Cassion, who had seemed downcast since entering, closed the tent flap with force, almost striking it, while giving the departing man a cold look. He put so much strength into it that the thick fabric made a sound like someone’s head being hit.
“Did something happen?”
“…It’s nothing. The First Prince did something foolish, and even though I knew it, I got angry.”
He placed a small box he had been carrying under his arm on the table and opened it with a fierce look. I suppose it’s okay for me to look?
“Oh my. This is…”
As soon as the box was opened, a foul odor emerged. And when I confirmed what was inside, I realized this smell was that of old blood.
“Don’t tell me they sent this pretending it’s my hair?”
“Yes. They even kindly wrote a letter saying that if we don’t surrender by tomorrow morning, the next might be a finger or another body part.”
The pink hair, which truly looked similar to mine, was cut and matted with blood. When I caught a glimpse of what seemed to be scalp tissue attached, I made an “ugh” sound, and Cassion quickly closed the box lid.
“Those bastards. It’s not even funny.”
Cassion usually doesn’t use such low language in front of me, being conscious of his birth and background. He seemed so angry that he didn’t even realize he had cursed.
“If you hadn’t come today, I might have rushed out and knelt down the moment I received this box, without even waiting until tomorrow, falling for this obvious trick.”
“You wouldn’t have. You’re smarter than that.”
“No, Asilia. I couldn’t have held out any longer.”
Cassion sat down heavily, covering his eyes with his hand, looking so pitiful that I quickly moved the box away and patted his back.
I had calmed him down completely before he left, but that First Prince…
“Actually, I don’t care if you can’t hold out and surrender. To be more blunt… I don’t really care whether the First Prince becomes Emperor or the Second Prince does.”
Cassion raised his head and met my gaze at my shocking declaration. But there was no dismay or disappointment in his eyes.
“From the beginning, my goal was simply to join hands with you to live like a human being, and I didn’t particularly admire His Highness the Second Prince.”
I already know well that his feelings for me won’t change even if I say such things. His tears from earlier were still vivid in my mind.
“It’s all for you. Because you want to make the Second Prince the Emperor. Whether we win or lose in the war, whoever becomes Emperor, it doesn’t matter to me. As long as you and I are safe.”
“Asilia…”
“If we’re happy, I won’t care about anything else.”
Quietly, I embraced his body, which seemed smaller than usual today, letting him rest his head on my shoulder. It’s strange how comforting it feels, even though nothing could be stiffer than this.
“But unfortunately, the only man I care about is a man who wants many things besides me.”
As I stroked his broad back to reassure him, his hands wrapped around my waist. The movement felt desperate rather than mischievous, which made me feel sorry for him.
“You need to make your friend, His Highness the Second Prince, the Crown Prince, and ensure the safety of the knights and servants of the duchy… Oh my, what should I do with such a caring man?”
Despite his cold appearance. I should have expected this from the moment I heard he had transferred his knights to the imperial palace to prevent them from hearing bad things.
But I like him this way, so tender and kind.
“No… No, Asil. Not anymore. You’re all I need now. I don’t need the war or my comrades. You’re my only reason. If anything were to happen to you…”
As if to completely deny it, Cassion rubbed his face against my neck like a child, and I quickly grabbed his face and stopped his mouth.
With my lips, of course. It was effective.
“There’s a confession I don’t like, you know.”
“…Mmm.”
You’re not out of it, are you, Cassion? You need to listen carefully.
“I can’t live without you! I really hate that phrase.”
“Mm… Huh?”
Cassion’s dazed eyes, which were subtly… no, almost instinctively trying to bring his lips to mine, suddenly regained their clarity. Yes, listen well.
“I generally like self-reliant people, whether they’re men or women. People who love but have their own life besides me. Mentally healthy people!”
“…Hmm…”
“Because that’s exactly the kind of woman I am. A woman who loves many people but can stand alone if anything happens! A woman who somehow overcomes and survives!”
Looking at Cassion’s face, I could clearly read what he was thinking. He was watching me with an ambiguous expression, seemingly wondering if he should immediately take back his desperate words, but then his eyes widened at my continued speech before breaking into a small smile.
“Do you understand? I’d be very sad without you, but I’d find a new life. I won’t die following you or spend my whole life in sorrow.”
“Oh my. Then I absolutely must not die.”
“That’s exactly the attitude I mean. And I, too, won’t die no matter what happens. I might get a little hurt, but I can overcome anything. That’s how it’s been until now, right?”
“But I don’t want you to get hurt either.”
…I probably don’t need to mention minor scrapes on my knees, right?
“For now… please bear with me. I still don’t have the confidence to live without you. But I also can’t stand seeing you with another man. I’ll try my best.”
“If you understand, then don’t look so down! You still haven’t heard my answer, have you?”
“That makes me nervous. I thought I already had your answer.”
“My answer can change anytime until we go outside, you know? Be careful.”
Finally, back to his usual expression, Cassion went to wash his hands and face at the basin set up in one corner of the tent when I gave him a push on the back.
While he changed into comfortable clothes, I quickly climbed onto the narrow, hard bed in the tent and lay down.
“Come here. I’ll let you use my arm as a pillow.”
“Asil. I don’t want to see your arm turn blue when I open my eyes.”
“You’ll only sleep for an hour or two anyway, right? Look at the time.”
“No. I’ll be your pillow instead.”
“I can’t let myself numb the arm. You’ll need to swing a sword tomorrow.”
We naturally settled onto the narrow bed, bickering as we tangled our arms and legs. Only after finding a strange yet stable position did we stop complaining about our posture. As we closed our eyes, I heard Cassion’s low laughter once more.
“I know my face is pretty, but don’t think about staring and get some sleep. You’re going to surrender at dawn, right?”
“My wife isn’t just pretty, she’s clever too.”
Well, isn’t it obvious? If the enemy still doesn’t know I escaped here, pretending to surrender for a surprise attack is the best option.
Even I, who don’t know the first thing about tactics, could predict what would happen next, so I snorted and, with my eyes still closed, reached out to find Cassion’s face and closed his eyes.
“Sleep, sleep. You’ll have plenty of days to look at my pretty face.”
“How many? Can I lie next to you and look at it for a lifetime?”
“That depends on you, doesn’t it? For now, the best thing is to sleep and wake me up before you secretly march out tomorrow morning, so remember that.”
“You must be tired.”
“Who? Me? Or you? Why don’t we just lie here and sleep until afternoon?”
I could feel his features twitching under my palm, trying to hold back laughter, which made my own lips curl up. Damn, we need to sleep.
“I want to see you trick the First Prince tomorrow…”
“Don’t even think about coming near there.”
“Who said anything about going there? Really… yawn.”
Now I’m really getting sleepy.
The First Prince is already at a disadvantage both in numbers and ability, and if he gets surprised attacked tomorrow… Well… It’s not overconfidence, but shouldn’t things end easily at this rate? At least, shouldn’t it be somewhat wrapped up by tomorrow?
“Good night, Cassion.”
When he returns victorious, I’ll definitely embrace him and shower him with kisses. Then we’ll return to the duchy and check on Lorang and the others.
Once everything is settled, we’ll also extract a hefty reward from His Highness the Second Prince while congratulating him…
