My Favorite Smut Author Is My Husband! - Chapter 28
“What… Lily! Oh, if I’d known it was you, I wouldn’t have said that.”
Ashulin, who had been looking at the door with an irritated expression she had never seen before, immediately softened his face and changed his tone upon seeing her. The magical transformation calmed her simmering frustration just a bit, but Lily held firm.
“I heard you came home early, so I thought I’d stop by, but it seems you still have work left to do.”
“It’s no problem. If anything, I’m the one who should apologize—I didn’t even go out to greet you after your return.”
Regardless of his work, Lily had no intention of leaving. But when Ashulin, seemingly taking her presence as a request for apology, quickly set his tasks aside and looked around for a place for her to sit, she felt a bit disheartened.
The office was stark and barren, with only the chair Ashulin sat in to work, as he had even removed the sofa to avoid any temptation to lounge around while working.
“There doesn’t seem to be anywhere suitable to sit. Since it’s nearly sunset, would you like to take a walk in the garden, Lily?”
“…No.”
“Ah, you must be tired after being out. Then shall I have an early dinner prepared?”
“I don’t want that either.”
At this point, Ashulin sensed that something was amiss with Lily. She pursed her lips tightly and looked at him sharply, with a slightly exasperated expression on his face. Her gaze caught something.
“……?”
Turning her eyes slightly from Ashulin, she noticed a stack of papers he had just set aside. Among the ordinary, rustling sheets of paper, there was a smooth bundle of high-quality paper that clearly stood out. Just like when she had discovered an original copy of ‘K’s work in the Duke’s study, her instincts screamed that this must be the manuscript he was working on.
The assumption that he would write only during his downtime at home was mistaken. She hadn’t thought he’d be working on it at his office and bringing it back.
“Lily? Did something unpleasant happen while you were out?”
“…Do you know the bookstore with the yellow roof near the plaza by the Imperial Palace?”
“Yes, I’m familiar with it.”
Of course, he would know. Lily suppressed the biting remark that came to her mind and decided to give him one last chance.
“I visited that bookstore today.”
“I see.”
“……”
“……”
“…….”
“Did something unpleasant happen at that bookstore? Is there something I missed, Lily?”
The first attempt had failed. Mentioning the only bookstore that publishes ‘K’s novels was meant to give him a chance to confess, but perhaps it was too subtle. She decided to push a bit further.
“One of my favorite authors publishes exclusively through that bookstore. They just released a new work recently, but it seems they’re already working on their next one.”
“Hearing you have a favorite author makes me curious—and a bit jealous.”
The second attempt also failed. As Lily’s face began to show visible irritation, Ashulin froze, tense. He opened his mouth to say something more but quickly wondered if he should be offering his cheek to her when he saw her small frame stomping toward him with as much force as she could muster.
“Lily!”
However, as she moved closer, she veered slightly to reach for *those* papers, and he had to block her hand quickly.
“…Why? Am I not allowed to see them?”
“My apologies, Lily. These are confidential documents that His Highness the Imperial Prince asked me to keep in strict confidence. There’s really no need for you to concern yourself with them.”
It wasn’t entirely a lie. The Crown Prince, with his playful smile, had indeed entrusted him with these papers in strict secrecy. Though whether it was right to refer to them as “documents” was another question.
“…Ugh.”
Lily, unaware of Ashulin’s side of the story, suddenly felt her face and eyes heat up. With her already scrambled emotions, she couldn’t stop herself from responding in a childlike voice.
“I… I…”
“Lily?!”
Lily’s voice was choked with tears, a sense of injustice welling up within her.
Before their marriage, when she thought of Ashulin only as a reader and not an author, she had imagined that simply discussing author ‘K’s novels with him would bring her joy. Since they shared similar tastes and he was attractive, she thought that was enough—probably the best she could hope for as a noblewoman.
But once she began to suspect that he might actually *be* the author, her dreams had grown more colorful and wild, especially regarding their nights together. Since *he* was author K, she had high expectations of how skilled he would be in the bedroom.
And now…
“Lily, are you…crying? What’s the matter? Please, tell me,” Ashulin implored, gently wiping away her tears with such tender care, as though she were a fragile sugar doll. She found herself falling in love with him.
If someone were to ask her when it had happened, she wouldn’t be able to answer. Lily realized she had come to love Ashulin himself, beyond him being author ‘K’ or any expectations about their nights. She wanted to know everything about him. That was why she felt so hurt and why her tears were falling now.
“Don’t try to comfort me.”
“Lily.”
“You said this new book is…forceful…”
“Lily, please don’t cry. Tell me what I can do for you.”
The tears that had been welling up finally spilled over, streaming down her face as she found herself wrapped in his warm, comforting embrace. Her next words were muffled against his solid chest, where she murmured her thoughts, barely audible.
All she wanted was to stay in this embrace and feel his reassurance. She could have ignored his secret, played the role of the demure woman he wanted if he wished.
But Lily wanted too much for that.
Snap—
