It was a voice that seemed to come out from the inside of his throat.
Eun-woo sucked in a breath.
Then it meant that they had never seen each other since he went to the battlefield.
Eun-woo watched as the bluish moonlight flickered around his outline. His face was filled with anticipation she couldn't understand.
"You, no way…"
But soon after reading his clueless face, she swallowed a deep sigh.
Eun-woo looked up anxiously at the man who quickly changed his face with an expressionless face as if he had worn a mask. Yet his expression did not look veiled at all.
He said in a resigned voice.
"…. Let's stop going deep into it now. Your fingertips are turning blue."
He whispered coldly. However, his hand approached, and with a more delicate touch than usual, his large cloak was wrapped around her body. He said then as he rubbed his collar and gave it to her,
"You're weak. Even when you were young, you used to faint easily. So please don't go around too much. Don't lift heavy things, and make sure to use a parasol when you go outside. I told your maid beforehand, but she even pretended that she didn't hear it at first. Well, you've always hated being burdensome."
The reason Anit insisted on using a parasol was because of this person.
Eun-woo's chest trembled lightly. She bumped her hand against his as she tried to grab the hem of the coat he had opened. It was a big, and feverish hand.
As soon as she raised her head slightly, she made eye contact with him. For a moment, long, hard fingers were entangled with her hand. Their gazes were also intertwined.
Before she knew it, his head leaned down and the distance between her and his nose were narrowed. The sound of him breathing in and out cloud be heard faintly.
She felt she was out of breath like a person who had fallen into the water and was rescued. She felt dizzy as if she was spinning around the same spot.
Eun-woo closed her shaky eyelids.
As it was, his face came down further.
"Ta, Tashian…"
Eun-woo held his forearms carefully. At that moment, she felt his breath getting rough. He replied with a voice he had rested.
"What is it?"
Eun-woo confessed with a tearful face.
"I… can't walk."
••
Each time Tashian climbed the stairs at a slow pace, her slender legs clasped across his forearms and soared upwards.
Eun-woo was hugging him as calmly as possible with both hands around his neck. The hem of her two layers of clothes was crunching and was swept away by a rough carpet.
The moonlit mansion in the middle of the night was as quiet as deep water. At the same time, it was filled with all kinds of sounds.
The sound of water falling from somewhere, the ticking of an alarm clock, and the sound of the night from the backyard. It was so quiet that ironically, all the sounds flowed straight into their ears without any hindrance.
Of course, the most recognizable sound that Eun-woo could hear was the pulse of Tashian from his neck, while her arms wrapped around it.
A slightly fast and stable sound thumped her entire body against his chest.
With her head buried on his shoulder, Eun-woo wondered if she could hear his heart.
It's sure one will hear it if they were closer to his chest, so there was no way she couldn't hear it.
"… See? What did I say?"
He muttered as if he were scolding.
What did he say? He said, please don't go around, because I am sick.
Just before she slipped on the floor, he quickly grabbed her body. And he ignored her dissuading him and hugged her. How can't it be this embarrassing? If that situation had gone on for a little longer, then the strength from her legs would have been released.
I've realized once again how sickly Eleanor was, as a woman.
She murmured as she felt her body swaying in his arms.
"… I'm sorry. I suddenly got dizzy."
"I know. I think it was mild Anemia. Your face is pale."
"My face has always been pale…"
"That's true."
He moved quietly as if he were flowing water. It was a slowness that seemed to end the world. As if making a baby a baby who woke up in the middle of the night silent, his movements did not allow even a small shake to befall the woman in his arms. She felt like she was in a cradle.
In the midst of that, Eun-woo's eyes were softly closed. She couldn't help it even though she knew it wasn't polite. Eun-woo thought that she had to open her mouth in order to chase away her incoming sleep.
"Ta… Tashian."
"What's going on?"
"Do you have a chronic disease?"
"…"
They became surrounded in a tremendous silence. It was an embarrassing question even when she thought about it herself, so it was understandable.
However, Eun-woo decided to dig a little more with an iron plate expression on her face.
"Lord, no, Tashian. Think about it carefully. Do you perhaps have a family history that cannot be told to anyone, or a genetic disease over generations. Or… Hair loss that is caused by a cataclysmic inheritance. Or things like, only twins were born one after another among the former Duchess."
"…"
"As expected, there won't be any, right?"
He seemed to be wondering whether to answer this ridiculous question. It wasn't long before he muttered with a sigh.
"… I don't have any."
(TN: I wonder how it was so embarrassing for Tashian. ｡◕‿◕｡)
Then yes. There was no way that a man who could breathe while walking up the stairs with her in his arms could have a disease.
Eun-woo faintly sighed.
"Tashian, let me ask you one more thing. Are you a war hero?"
"…"
It was silent again. Eun-woo did not give in and kept asking questions.
"Is it possible that you are not a war hero? So it turns out that you intercepted someone's ball, or that the evil behavior was common among your allies because the punishment was too harsh. If you set up a ball, but your usual behavior is not good, the public sentiment toward you would be vicious …."
"…."
"That would be too much, right?"
She glanced at him slowly and blurted the end of her words. He completely ignored her and walked further.
Eun-woo opened her mouth again while rubbing her lips.
"Hey, Tashian! Probably, really just by any chance… ! If the Duke's state of affairs would be on an unusually verge of bankruptcy… There would be a lot of land that would be going to be confiscated by the imperial family… A mountain of debts to be paid for with luxury and debauchery… ."
"… What do you want to do now? Are you being sarcastic?"
Eventually, he stopped walking and looked down at her. One of his thick eyebrows rose up with a light displeasure.
Eun-woo waved her hands hard while hugging his neck.
"No! No! It was never a question to be sarcastic or make you feel bad."
(TN: Once again, why does it feel like Eun-woo seemed VERY comfortable with Tashian? (◠‿◕) I am jealous….. ಥ‿ಥ)
"Then what are you doing now? Are you investigating?"
Eun-woo swallowed her saliva.
If I marry you, we will be beheaded together, so I could never say that I would do something to block my husband-to-be's candidacy in advance.
There were not many reasons to refuse the marriage that came into the hands of an aristocrat of Hellasium. It was when the gap between those who wanted to marry was too wide. When the behavior and rumors of a spouse were bad, or when the family was torn apart, or there was a family history and genetic disease that could be a stain on succession.
Eun-woo carefully thought about it.
Is Tashian Verk's status low?
He is the only Duke of the Empire.
What was his rumor and behavior?
He was a war hero revered by his people who brought victory to Hellasium twice.
Family money?
Didn't she check it with her own eyes? A person like him, that was such a rich man, she wondered how he could do this.
As expected, she had one last hope left. It was to find a terrible genetic disease in his family history.
Eun-woo glanced up to his head, at his chest and looked at him. Then, she made a teary face.
That was too much. This guy looks so healthy.
"Tashian, think really carefully. Is there really nothing? If you have a severe athlete's foot or dermatitis…"
"… Are you checking me for that right now?"
He spoke in a raspy voice. He stared down at her with a look of uncertainty as if undecided he should laugh or get angry.
"No… Just…"
If I marry you, I'll die.
"Before my Brother comes, shouldn't I just do a light research on the person whom he trusted?"
He took the step he had stopped again. Eun-woo wrapped his arm around his neck again. Half of the stairs to the third floor were still left. He opened his mouth with a sigh.
"…. I don't know what a war hero is, but I've never caused problems, lived without debt, and as for having chronic diseases or genetic diseases… I'm not sure. I don't remember suffering so far, so I don't have to visit a clinic."
It was a remark that turned her plan upside down.
Tashian, who spit out such words without a blink of an eye, looked down at her with an expression of what she was going to do now. He smiled bitterly and asked.
"Why? It wasn't the answer you expected?"
"… Why would I be disappointed when you say you're healthy?"
"Your face looks like you're going to die."
"Tashian!"
Eunwoo cried out earnestly. He started to chuckle. Then Eunwoo's entire body shook. She thought his playful, boyish laugh was so good to hear.
"Then it's my turn to ask a question."
He hugged her and turned around at the point where the direction in the middle of the stairs changed. Eun-woo was very nervous at the sudden disappearance of laughter.
However, the expected question was not heard. He was silently taking steps with an unexplainable expression on his mind.
With the stomping sound, they reached the hallway on the third floor. Only a few steps were left before her room. In front of him, he stood tall. Then, suddenly, he asked.
"Do you like men of high bloodline?"
Eun-woo opened her mouth. She didn't feel any emotion from him with the way he spoke. However, Eun-woo noticed that he was talking about his bloodline.
She straightened up enough to bounce out of his arms. But his body didn't even move weakly.
"What?"
"I asked if you prioritize a person's bloodline."
She's not choosing a stallion right now, but a lineage. But his face was quite serious. If someone who didn't know him looked at him right now, they would think he was nervous.
Eun-woo hesitated.
If I answer that it is important for me, I am going to disappoint the villain Tashian.
It was a specification to pretend to be with him and not anyone else. The moment she replied that it was not important, he might propose to her. She shouldn't give him hope in any way.
Eun-woo answered after much consideration.
"Well… ? If you think it's important to check one's bloodline, you can say yes, but even if you don't, it's not wrong, it's a subtle matter…? It can be seen that a good bloodline supports a person's character, but it is also a wrong mindset to judge everything about a person based on bloodline…?"
"… What the hell are you talking about?"
Tashian let out a smirk. Eun-woo made an excuse as if she couldn't hear him.
"In short, I don't know either?"
He eventually burst into laughter. When he laughed, her body shook again.
Eun-woo found herself who thought it was really good to see him smile. Her face blushed.
Oh, I'm sure he's out of his mind.
He opened his mouth as he moved again.
"You're the same as then. You were like that when we first met. I wondered if there was another girl like this."
He muttered quietly in a voice that seemed to be looking at a distant landscape. Her uncontrollably pounding heartbeat cooled in an instant.
"… At first, I couldn't just watch, so I started interfering, but when I came to my senses, my whole heart was focused on you."
Upon hearing that, Eun-woo's whole body stiffened.
The opponent he was talking about was Eleanor, not her. Eun-woo bowed her head deep in his arms because she didn't want to lift her face for him.
Where did my chest, which had been pounding like crazy before, go? And now I can only feel pain as if I was stabbed on my chest with dozens of needles.
She had never imagined that it would be so painful to have memories with other women flowing out of his mouth.
Then suddenly, her body sank.
"Oops!"
He put her on the floor while holding her up. Hard arms were still holding her shoulders. Eun-woo grabbed Tashian's iron core-like forearm inadvertently and tilted to stabilize her suddenly disorganized center.
"You're almost there."
Before I knew it, I was in front of my door.
Eun-woo closed her mouth and looked up at him. He had an indescribable look on his face.
"You don't want me to take you to bed, do you?"
There was only one case in which the Duke was in the Duchess' bedroom.
Eun-woo hurriedly shook off her hand, lowering the hand that held her arm.