ILTDAMH | CHAPTER 22

Chapter 22

 “My lady, who did this to your face?”

That evening.

Worried the people of the Duke’s household might ask about her swollen cheek, Mercian skipped dinner, claiming she was tired.

She went to bed early, using fatigue as an excuse.

But despite lying down, her restless mind wouldn’t let her fall asleep.

Just as she was about to drift off, a man’s voice broke the silence:
“Who did this to your face, my lady?”

“…!”

Startled awake, Mercian tried to cry out, but Ruan quickly covered her mouth.

“Shh… It’s me, your husband. Don’t scream.”

Mercian’s eyes widened in surprise, but when she nodded, Ruan withdrew his hand.

“Ruan, you said you’d come in a few days, but you’re already here?”

“That was the plan, but things finished sooner than expected. So I came back early. But why is your face like this? Who dared to lay a hand on you?”

Examining Mercian’s swollen cheek with a cold expression, Ruan’s concern was clear.

Embarrassed to admit she’d been struck by Luciene, Mercian turned her face casually and said, “Ah, it’s just… something that happened.”

Ruan said softly, “Come on, my lady,” as she turned her face back towards him. Tell me what this ‘something’ is.”

“What?”

“I mean, tell me about whatever it was that made your face like this.”

Ruan’s serious expression as he mimicked her tone made Mersiann chuckle unintentionally.

“Ha, Ruan, don’t mimic me. Besides, it’s late, and you must be tired from your journey. How about we talk tomorrow? For now, get some sleep.”

Ruan sighed as he inspected her face closely, then glanced at the clock — past two in the morning.

“I see. It’s late, so sleep should come first. Shall we head to my bed, then?”

“My… your bed?”

This suddenly?

At this hour?

Mercian gave him a puzzled look, but Ruan looked at her as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Of course. Since I’m back after a long time, if we sleep separately, the servants will start suspecting things between us.”

Is that so?

Mercian nodded in agreement, and Ruan gently lifted her, heading straight toward the bathroom.

“R-Ruan, this is the bathroom…”

“It’s a shortcut to my room.”

Carrying her across the bathroom, Ruan carefully laid Mercian down on his bed with a serious look.

“What happened while I was away? You’ve lost weight. You feel lighter than before.”

Ah, isn’t that what I should be saying?

How hard did she have to work to lose more weight than when we went down to the saffron estate?

Ruan, it’s amazing you can walk and talk in that state.

Her eyes softened as she looked at him—leaner than ever, visibly worn.

“Ruan, get some sleep first, okay?”

 “……”

Without a word, Ruan fell asleep beside her almost immediately.

Mercian stared at him in disbelief.

What’s going on? 

Does this man have insomnia?

No way he took sleeping pills on the way here…

How did he fall asleep so fast?

And what happened at the estate to make him so thin?

He’s needlessly worrying me.

Mercian reached out carefully to touch the sleeping Ruan, then pulled her hand back to herself.

Am I worried about this man?

Mercian, get a grip.

We’re not really married!

In five months, he’ll no longer exist in this world—don’t forget that!

If you give your heart now, it’ll only hurt later.

After tucking the deeply sleeping Ruan in with the blanket, Mercian moved to the opposite side of the bed and tried to fall asleep.
.
.
.
“Oh my goodness! So, my lady, you were sleeping here all along? Master, welcome back!”

Charles, entering Ruan’s room, looked at Mercian sleeping peacefully in Ruan’s arms, eyes wide with surprise as he greeted him.

At Charles’s words, Ruan raised a finger gently to his lips, signalling for silence.

“Shh! Be quiet—my lady might wake up.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Go fetch Edward and Clea. And let the lady sleep a little longer before waking her.”

“Yes, sir.”

As Charles quietly slipped out of the room, Ruan looked down at Mercian, still peacefully asleep in his arms. 

His gaze softened with affection. 

Gently, he placed a tender kiss on her forehead.

“I’m home, my lady.”

.
.
.

“Did something happen at the tea gathering yesterday?”

Ruan asked carefully over his cup of tea, and Clea responded with cautious words.

“Yes, my lady tried to stop it, but the viscount’s daughter insisted on laying hands on you… and ended up fainting. The tea gathering ended before it even began. When the viscountess woke her, she was furious with my lady…”

“And then?”

“My lady told the viscountess that she should just cast her out of the family. The argument was loud enough to be heard from a distance.”

Following Clea’s words, Edward spoke up.

“When she said that, how did the viscountess respond?”

“She demanded proof of rebellion from my lady, but my lady insisted she knew nothing about it. The viscountess became enraged, and then…”

“And then?”

Edward hesitated, unable to finish.

“The viscount’s daughter declared that my lady was no longer connected to their house and left the duke’s estate in anger.”

“Alright, that’s enough for now. And what I asked you today is to be kept secret from my lady, understood?”

“Yes, sir!”

“By the way, why did her face end up like that?”

“Only the viscountess, her daughter, and my lady were present; we only heard the noise from outside, so we don’t know the details. But it seems that…”

At Clea’s words, Ruan’s gaze hardened.

“Someone dared to lay hands on my lady? I understand.”

After Edward and Clea left, Ruan rose, but a sudden sharp pain stabbed his chest.

He reached inside and pulled out a fragrant sachet, inhaling deeply.

“What a sight. Not a noble lady, but the great Ruan, smelling a sachet. You really are showing new sides of yourself before you die.”

Tablo’s voice echoed as he entered the study, and Ruan’s expression stiffened.

Waving a hand dismissively, Tablo added,
“I’m joking, just a boring friend, that’s all.”

Luan studied the pile of evidence scattered across his desk and asked,
“What on earth happened? Why is the evidence still here, untouched? Didn’t you tell my lady about this?”

“Of course I did—I explained everything kindly, but she refused to hear it.”

“She refused?”

“Yes, I even went so far as to disguise myself, deliberately helped the viscount’s daughter hold the tea gathering, and kindly showed your lady where the evidence was hidden. But she rejected my offer—without a single second’s hesitation.”

“She rejected it? Why?”

“I don’t know the exact reason. She told me not to interfere because she would hold the tea gathering herself. Just to be safe, I even avoided showing up on the day of the event. When I came by, I saw she had even put protective magic on your chambers and the study.”

Ruan muttered as he scanned the documents scattered across his desk.

“So, she held onto the evidence, got slapped in the face for it, and was cast out of her house?”

“What?”

Ignoring Tablo’s reaction, Ruan tossed the papers into the trash bin and said,
“No, never mind. By the way, have you tracked down what happened to those women?”

Rumours had been swirling recently about women disappearing from the outskirts of the capital.

A mysterious nobleman, travelling in an unmarked carriage and offering exorbitant gold, was said to be taking women away—yet oddly, more women vanished than ever returned.

Those who came back were said to have simply spent a night away and were sent home, but no one knew more than that.

Hearing this, Ruan suspected the crown prince might be involved and had Tablo quietly investigate.

Tablo’s face darkened as he answered seriously.

“You were right. All the women who never returned were killed by the crown prince. Their bodies were disposed of by Lord Hook and his servants.”

“Then find out where those bodies are buried. And we need to keep a closer eye on both the crown prince and that viscount’s daughter.”

“I’ve already started looking into it. And it turns out the crown prince didn’t approach the viscount’s house by chance.”

“?”

“The viscount’s daughter was also courting the crown prince. The reason she dressed so beautifully at your wedding was to meet him. When the crown prince mentioned your alleged rebellion, the viscount’s daughter must have seen it as her chance and took his hand.”

“So the crown prince didn’t seduce the viscount’s daughter to claim the crown princess’s position—rather, it was the viscount’s daughter who…”

“So, she volunteered to do it herself—to become the crown princess.”

“Well, that’s it. Seems like their desires aligned perfectly.”

“So what do you plan to do now? You’ve managed to turn the crown prince’s attention toward your supposed rebellion, but he’ll see through it soon enough. He’ll realise all the evidence you planted is fake.”

“Before that, we need to find the bodies of those women the crown prince hid. If Prince Harmon’s plan succeeds this time, the crown prince will be furious and try to eliminate him.”

“By the way, I heard you’d be back the day after tomorrow, but you came earlier than expected.”

“The job wrapped up quicker than I thought. But Tablo, how long do you plan to stay here? Isn’t it time you went back home?”

Wait—he asked me to watch over my wife before, and now that he’s back, he’s kicking me out?

Tablo shot Ruan a look of disbelief.

“You’re saying I’m no longer needed, and you’re sending me away? I guarded your lady while you were gone. Even if you can’t say thanks, isn’t this a bit harsh?”

“Enough noise. Get out right now!”

“Hah! You really are a cold friend. Oh, and one more thing—did you know the lady is preparing to leave the duke’s estate?”

Preparing to leave?

At Tablo’s words, Ruan raised his head.

“What do you mean? Leave where?”

“I’m not sure exactly, but while you were away, I noticed she sometimes went out. I followed her—don’t get me wrong, I was just protecting her.”

“Cut to the chase!”

“She has been looking at residences. Looks like she’s looking for a place in the countryside.”

“A house in the countryside?”

“Yeah. From what I gathered, she’s searching for somewhere she can live alone.”

Could it be she’s looking for a home because she’s been cast out of the viscount’s house?

No, that can’t be—it was only yesterday she was told to leave. It wouldn’t make sense for her to be house-hunting before that.

“Ruan? Did you know about this?”

“Well… I knew something, but I didn’t expect she’d start preparing so soon.”

Watching Ruan’s stiff expression, Tablo carefully said,
“I don’t know for sure, but maybe she refused to hand over the evidence because she’s planning to leave the estate soon and doesn’t want to get involved in your or the crown prince’s affairs.”

“Probably. Like you said, she’ll be gone in five months. And whatever she does after that isn’t really our concern, is it?”

“Maybe so, but your face says otherwise. Could it be… you’ve developed feelings for her?”

Ruan, normally indifferent to others, had always been fiercely protective when it came to Mercian.

That lingering concern never left Tablo’s mind.

If Ruan truly cared for Mercian, perhaps a miracle might save him from his impending fate…

“Enough nonsense. Just get out of the estate already!”

Seeing Ruan’s cold expression, Tablo finally stood, convinced he’d just said something foolish.

“Fine. What could I expect from someone as heartless as you? I’d already packed to leave today anyway. I’ll be off, then. Tell the lady I’m sorry I couldn’t say goodbye.”

Muttering, Tablo left the study.

Ruan rose from his seat, walked over to the display case, grabbed the strongest liquor, poured a glass, and downed it in a single gulp.

He felt as though his throat were on fire from the intense alcohol’s stinging burn.

He knew the truth.

After he died, Mercian would leave the duke’s estate.

He hadn’t known exactly where she would go—just not back to the viscount’s house.

He had even arranged for her to receive ample operating funds, hoping she’d take enough money with her when she left.

So why did his chest ache so fiercely?

Pulling the fragrant sachet from his chest again, Ruan inhaled deeply.

A flicker of fear crossed his mind—had his curse begun to manifest?

He rolled up his sleeve and examined his wrist. 

A few faint red veins crept upward toward his heart, but it didn’t seem enough to cause the pain he felt.

Yet still, standing motionless, Ruan kept smelling the sachet, over and over, as if his heart itself were convulsing in agony.