Chapter 3
My Black-Hearted Husband Won’t Divorce Me
A single drop of the tears Anna shed fell into the bathtub.
The small ripple it created was transmitted to me 그대로, and like a reflection of Anna’s heart, a fragile tremor spread gently through the water.
“At this rate, you’ll have goldfish eyes tomorrow morning.”
I tossed out a joke that wasn’t funny at all.
I didn’t want to ruin the mood by dwelling on the ugly scars scattered across my body, and more than anything, I didn’t want to make Anna cry.
Besides… they were scars I didn’t even know the origin of.
Sniffling, Anna continued with what she was doing.
Her touch was so careful that it made my chest ache for no reason.
“I wish other people would realize what a good person you are, milady.”
“Hmm… rather than that, I just wish people wouldn’t hate me.”
“They won’t. You’re trying to change now—to get along with others. Right?”
The moment I met Anna’s smile, I realized it.
Even if Anna didn’t know that Rishua’s soul had changed, she knew that Rishua herself had become a different person.
“Soon, everyone will understand your sincerity, milady. The Duke as well, of course. He’s your one and only husband.”
“I wonder about that.”
Kahinel may be my husband, but he’s practically a stranger.
No—he’s more like someone firmly on the other side.
The image of Kahinel treating me like a bug in the dining room earlier suddenly resurfaced.
“Are you cold? Should I add more hot water?”
“This is the North. It’s a bit cold.”
The weather, the people, my husband—
And my bleak future.
Cold.
They say even hatred can turn into affection over time.
The problem was, between Kahinel and me, there wasn’t even enough hatred for that.
Which meant the only emotions that defined our relationship were discomfort and contempt.
In a situation like this, I decided that pretending to be close to Kahinel would only backfire.
What’s something I can do to earn points naturally?
The answer was simpler than I expected.
I woke up early in the morning and wandered the hallway.
Soon, a maid appeared carrying Kahinel’s breakfast.
She looked startled when she ran into me, but quickly composed herself and bowed.
“Good morning, milady.”
“That’s my husband’s breakfast, right? Give it to me. I’ll take it.”
Kahinel always had breakfast in his room.
Which meant I was on my way to his bedroom.
I get to see his face again—and earn some points while I’m at it!
How great is that?
My steps felt light.
“What are you doing here this early?”
“I didn’t come to do anything special. I brought your breakfast. Would you like to eat first, or take a shower first?”
“Madam.”
“Yes? What is it?”
When I widened my eyes and reacted, Kahinel parted his lips, then closed them again.
It looked like he was about to curse at me but held it back.
Please let that be my imagination, dear husband.
I stood there holding the tray until he answered.
Perhaps realizing I wouldn’t budge, he gathered a change of clothes and headed for the bathroom.
“I’ll wash first.”
“Suit yourself.”
I’d been prepared to be kicked out, so thankfully there was no order to leave.
Humming softly, I set the table.
After placing the juice last, a simple but appetizing breakfast was complete.
“You say you don’t like sweet things, but for some reason you love apple-carrot juice.”
In romance novels, nine out of ten male leads are written as people who don’t like sweets.
Kahinel was the same.
He didn’t even eat fresh fruit much, but oddly enough, apple-carrot juice was his favorite.
And he always had to drink it in the morning.
“You’re really strange.”
I sat down and waited for Kahinel to finish his shower.
I wanted to exchange even a single word with him.
Just as I was about to glance toward the bathroom, wondering when he’d come out—
“…Ah.”
The pain of the curse slowly began to coil around me.
My breathing gradually broke apart, and it felt as if my body had been thrown into a pit of fire—burning pain engulfed me.
I desperately wanted to run into the bathroom and inhale Kahinel’s scent, but the last shred of my reason stopped me.
I needed to find something else that carried his scent.
Staggering, I made my way to the bed.
Thud.
The final bit of strength left my body, and I collapsed onto it.
“Sss… haa….”
As I took a deep breath, Kahinel’s lingering body scent soaked into the blankets rushed into me.
The pain vanished, and I slowly regained my senses.
At that moment, a chilling low voice stabbed into the back of my head.
“So this was your objective.”
Like a broken wooden doll, I turned my head.
Kahinel stood there with his arms crossed, looking down at me.
His eyes were filled with contempt—and reflected within them was me.
I shot up.
“K-Kahinel!”
“Did the Marquess order you to produce Hyrant blood?”
“P-produce what?”
“I wondered why you suddenly changed. So this was the filthy thought you were harboring.”
“That’s not it. You’ve misunderstood.”
“Then why did you come looking for me first thing in the morning, and why were you lying in my bed? Were you trying to seduce me?”
Kahinel let out a short laugh.
It was pure mockery.
But I wasn’t about to back down easily.
I really can’t stand being wronged.
“Why would I seduce you?”
Who would I even be doing that for?
All I want is to break the curse and exit the story immediately!
But Kahinel took my defense as further provocation and began pressing me instead.
“Then what is this?”
“W-why are you like this?”
“Isn’t this what you want?”
“No, I told you it’s not!”
“Then why won’t you meet my eyes?”
“That’s because—!”
Because your chest keeps showing through that open robe, that’s why!
Kahinel approached me with lazy steps, like a dangerous beast.
Like a dark-furred predator that had just come out of the water, its fur soaked and exuding a seductive, ominous aura.
“Why do you keep coming closer?!”
Every time Kahinel took a step forward, I stepped back.
After several tense exchanges, my escape route was completely blocked.
When the bed pressed against the back of my thighs, I sank down helplessly.
Kahinel didn’t stop his threatening, temptation-laced pressure.
“Did you want an heir?”
“I told you that’s not it.”
“I don’t know what scheme you and the Marquess are plotting, but—”
“……”
“There will never be a child born with both Hyrant and Dale blood.”
Has this man lived his whole life getting scammed or something?
Why does he trust people so little?
As if issuing a final warning, Kahinel growled,
“Even if a child were somehow born between us, that child would never become the heir of Hyrant.”
“Yes, I understand. So could you please step back now?”
We were so close I could feel his breath.
Water dripped from his wet black hair, his red eyes looked as though they were sizing me up to swallow me whole—
And through the open gap of his robe, his broad chest teased my vision.
Oh, dear God.
I swallowed hard and squeezed my eyes shut.
All I could think about was getting out of here as fast as possible.
I shoved Kahinel hard in the chest.
“Enjoy your breakfast!”
Then I ran like a madwoman all the way back to my room without looking back.
I slammed the door shut.
Bang!
Thump, thump, thump.
“Why is she like that now?”
I hadn’t even run that far, but my heart was pounding like I’d just sprinted 500 meters.
I took several deep breaths to calm myself.
As I gradually returned to normal, another question flashed through my mind.
Why did the pain come on gradually today?
Yesterday it was agh! painful.
Today it was more like… …agh! painful.
Was it because I was in Kahinel’s room?
It made sense.
Just being within his sphere of influence reduced the pain.
And Kahinel’s room was completely under his influence.
“Then what was that earlier?”
It was only a moment, but when I shoved Kahinel, my head rang sharply.
It didn’t hurt.
It felt more like a cool, piercing sensation—like I’d poured peppermint perfume over myself.
“Could it be related to Kahinel being the cure?”
There was never any mention in the original story that physical contact with Kahinel helped the curse.
So for now, this was nothing more than a hypothesis.
Still, one thing was certain—
That sensation didn’t feel harmful to me.
I came down to the dining room early to wait for Kahinel so we could have lunch together.
But thirty minutes passed, then an hour, and Kahinel still didn’t appear.
Is he still misunderstanding me because of this morning?
Just as that thought crossed my mind, Kahinel finally came down.
“Welcome.”
Of course, he didn’t respond to my greeting.
The moment Kahinel sat down with an expressionless face, Chef Hush served the food.
I’d skipped breakfast, so I was starving and ate without thinking.
In contrast, Kahinel moved slowly.
He looked like a child who wanted to keep playing but had been dragged to the table by his parents.
Once I was somewhat full, I cautiously tried talking to him.
“You must be really busy. Do you always eat lunch at this time?”
“…….”
“If I want to match my schedule to yours, I should probably have a light snack before lunch starting tomorrow.”
“Can’t you just eat quietly?”
His voice, sharp like a winter wind with no warmth, flew straight at me.
Kahinel glared at me with a frown.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I’ll keep quiet.”
I pressed my lips shut and gave an awkward smile, gesturing for him to continue eating.
…And then erased that smile two seconds later.
