We're Married, After All - Chapter 54
In the end, that was how it ended. When I woke up, I was in the bedroom, and my body had already been cleaned. Danel was nowhere to be seen.
It wasn’t until two evenings later that I saw my husband again. The moment he appeared with his usual expressionless face, I instinctively knew: Danel had once again erased everything that had happened.
But this time, I didn’t make a fuss. To be precise, I had lost the will to fight.
Even as the evening’s tasks came to an end, I couldn’t say anything. The image of Danel crying so desperately lingered in my mind, refusing to fade.
Ah, I did visit Petios again the next day. This time, with the same caregiver present. Surely, Danel must have been informed. But, as always, he pretended not to know. His consistent indifference had grown so monotonous that even I lost interest in pushing the matter.
After that, I found myself lacking motivation for everything. I reduced my outings to the bare minimum and returned to Lapezia Castle as soon as work was done. For nearly a month, I lived in this lethargic state.
Of course, it wasn’t entirely because of Danel. My body was getting heavier, and riding in carriages had become increasingly burdensome.
During that time, my belly had grown noticeably larger. My weight increased, and my back ached more frequently. Without outer garments, it was obvious that I was pregnant. Even the head maid, who helped me dress, appeared visibly anxious.
Perhaps Danel had warned everyone in advance, but no one dared to mention my pregnancy. Instead, everyone in the castle tiptoed around me, as if they thought I was mentally unwell and refusing to acknowledge it.
Naturally, that was the most disappointing part. The more my belly swelled, the more I realized how far Danel would go to avoid addressing the issue.
Yet, I didn’t feel the urge to confront him. Under normal circumstances, I might have said something—just a word—but I had no desire to now.
Danel had been right. I was acting strangely only toward him. I didn’t want to see him cry again, so I even gave up questioning him. The only resistance I could muster was holding out a little longer when he offered to pleasure me.
Today was no different. Once again, I had a brief struggle before allowing Danel between my legs. A futile gesture, considering I would inevitably surrender to the pleasure and fall asleep. And, as expected, I ended up gasping and succumbing.
But today, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
Danel’s face was buried between my thighs. I had climaxed twice in succession and was now so drained from the overwhelming sensations that I was half-asleep.
At times like this, it struck me how much Danel and Petios were alike. That man had been like this, too.
Petios had been perceptive. Whenever he sensed I was losing interest in him, he would do whatever it took to arouse himself. He didn’t care if it left him bedridden for a week. He would desperately try to give me pleasure, as if it were the only way he could hold onto me.
Petios…
A man who had been losing vitality day by day, in stark contrast to the child growing inside me.
Since that first visit, I have gone to see Petios twice more. His condition was worsening with each visit. My feelings about it were complicated. I hadn’t wished for him to be well, but neither had I wanted him to waste away like this.
So, after running away, all he’s done is wait for death?
I wrapped my legs around Danel’s neck and closed my eyes entirely.
Danel, noticing my expression, slowly withdrew his tongue. It seemed he had decided to put me to sleep.
Yet, as Danel cleaned my body, I realized something didn’t quite add up. Petios was not the kind of man who would make bold decisions. That was why I hadn’t believed the story about him abandoning everything and running away due to a terminal illness. Petios wasn’t capable of such resolute choices.
Nor was he someone who would go to great lengths to hide a serious illness. Petios was accustomed to being treated as an invalid. If he were sick, he would have played the part, perhaps even using his illness as an excuse to delay the wedding—just as he had delayed it for ten years already.
“Mmh…”
Danel softly kissed me. His slow, gentle movements with his tongue were meant to lull me into sleep.
I still couldn’t understand him. Danel seemed oddly pleased with our current situation, with the state of tension and mistrust between us. It was the exact opposite of me, who had lost all motivation.
…Thinking about it, his behavior wasn’t the only thing I couldn’t understand.
Why had Danel helped Petios?
I didn’t know my husband well, but I knew my former fiancé. If Petios had chosen to run, it meant he had a plan in mind—a selfish and highly personal one, no doubt.
Danel knew Petios well, too. Surely, he would have realized this. I wondered what Danel had thought when he discovered Petios’s plan.
This man, who had watched me for over a decade and systematically erased Petios, what conclusion had he reached?
“…”
Sleep fled in an instant. A chill began spreading from my shoulder, where Danel held me, down my entire arm.
It doesn’t make sense for Petios to have come to Lamprey Castle with Danel’s help. But… if Petios had been brought there by force…
Without realizing it, I clutched the blanket tightly. Changing just one assumption seemed to make all the pieces fall into place, even the things Baroness Rodio had told me.
“Lord Veloce wanted to hide his condition from others, especially you. But sometimes… under the influence of drugs, he acted contrary to that desire.”
Petios wasn’t a fool. When cornered, his vision narrowed, and sometimes he did irrational things.
Just as Danel had been so focused on my pregnancy that he missed the fact I was thinking of something entirely different.
If Danel deceived Petios to marry me… and Petios realized it only later…
My grip on the blanket tightened.
I didn’t trust Danel, but I believed he wouldn’t stoop to something so monstrous. Surely, the devout priest he had once been couldn’t have committed such an act.
But…
Could I be wrong?
I took a deep breath. My deliberation was short-lived.
Tomorrow, when Danel leaves the castle, I will go to see Petios. Alone. Without anyone knowing.
