Trapped in a Secret Room With the Magnificent Duke - Chapter 32
He didn’t answer her question. Reyna tried to pull away slightly from Kadrion’s arm to see his expression.
His face looked troubled, almost on the verge of tears. Panicked, Reyna quickly blinked and cupped his cheeks in her hands.
“…Kadrion? Why are you acting like this?”
Kadrion rubbed his cheek against her hands and said,
“…It’s nothing.”
“That doesn’t look like nothing.”
At Reyna’s insistence, Kadrion’s throat bobbed as he swallowed hard.
“Will you tell me why you’re acting this way?”
Kadrion’s eyes flickered with hesitation as he looked at Reyna. Sensing that this was the right moment to talk, Reyna began,
“I’ve been feeling like you’ve been avoiding me lately.”
Kadrion’s eyes grew even more troubled at her words.
“I don’t know why, but… let’s try to talk it out. If it’s something like boredom or…”
Before Reyna could finish, Kadrion shook his head vigorously and exclaimed,
“No! It’s not that at all!”
The mere mention of boredom almost made Reyna burst into tears. Fortunately, Kadrion strongly denied it. Sensing her emotions, Kadrion softened his gaze and added,
“My indifferent attitude must have made you anxious. I’m sorry.”
Kadrion’s apology eased the lump in Reyna’s chest, which had been simmering over his attitude.
“Then, will you tell me why you’ve been avoiding me?”
Reyna gently caressed his cheeks and asked. Kadrion, deep in thought, furrowed his brow for a moment before speaking.
“I thoughtI betrayed you, Reina.”
“What…?”
Reyna’s eyes widened in surprise as Kadrion hurriedly continued,
“Until just a moment ago, I thought I did. But it wasn’t true. Thankfully…”
Reyna struggled to understand Kadrion’s words. Noticing her confusion, Kadrion began to explain calmly,
“Do you remember the night when the monsoon started?”
The first thing that came to Reyna’s mind was the thunder, lightning, and the stormy dawn.
Why does that moment come to mind? It felt so vivid, but it must have been a dream.
“While you were asleep… I filled Reyna, or the person who looked like another woman because of Diego’s magic, with my seed.”
“Ah…”
Reyna’s mouth slightly opened.
‘That incident wasn’t a dream after all.’
At first, Reyna thought Kadrion had returned. But the next day, he was nowhere to be found in the residence. So, she assumed she had dreamt it.
It wasn’t until a few days later when Kadrion returned with the people he left with that she began to doubt the dream.
As Reyna reflected on the memory, Kadrion continued speaking.
“I want to make it clear. The room was our bedroom, and naturally, I thought the woman lying on the bed was you. But…”
Kadrion’s face twisted in anguish as he continued.
“…I realized that the woman I had slept with wasn’t you, but another woman.”
Kadrion’s expression was one of deep discomfort, as if he didn’t want to utter the words. He looked into Reyna’s eyes.
“So I ran away…”
Despair was evident in Kadrion’s eyes. It seemed he felt guilty for being with another woman, even after learning it was Reyna’s body. Reyna didn’t know how to respond and merely looked at him, speechless.
“Did you come to hate me because of my cowardice?”
Kadrion cautiously pulled her closer, looking at her with a desperate expression.
“Reyna…”
It was a look she had seen before—one that seemed to plead not to be abandoned.
“Indeed, it was a cowardly act.”
At Reyna’s words, Kadrion’s eyes fell in a sorrowful manner. Yet, his grip on her hand tightened, as if to prevent her from pulling away. No, or he was trying to keep her from running away.
“But you did well.”
Kadrion’s eyes widened in surprise as it welled up with tears.
“…What do you mean?”
“You once told me that you’d rather die than to have s-x with someone you don’t love.”
“….”
Kadrion’s masculine throat bobbed as he recalled her words. It seemed he remembered what he had said to her.
“Since you didn’t die, you did well.”
Reyna gently stroked Kadrion’s cheek to soothe him.
“Leaving Diego and me behind by dying first would be unfair.”
She slowly pressed her lips to his, then pulled away, giving him a warm smile.
“So you need to live long and healthy. You’ll need to teach Diego magic after all…”
Reyna listed a few reasons why Kadrion needed to stay healthy. Kadrion, who had been watching her silently, moved his lips several times before asking.
“So… do you forgive me?”
