TGDHC Chapter 114

Chapter 114 – Three Times a Day

After sending Enolius and the priest out of the room, Loic leaned his forehead against the door.

Going to meet Annette at the shopping district had been a sudden decision—an impulse, really.
Even after sending Tiern ahead, he couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling in his chest.

Eventually, he followed his instincts, took a carriage, and rushed to the lakeside.

Just as he was about to step out of the carriage after waiting for the crowd to thin, he saw Tiern approaching with Raphael.

“Where is the Grand Duchess?”

“She’s over there with Norton,” Tiern answered, turning his head.

Loic followed his gaze—and froze.

A strange man was standing beside Annette.

Loic quickly brushed past Tiern and hurried forward. The moment the man turned his head toward him, a chilling aura swept through Loic’s entire body.

“Annette!”

He shouted her name just as the man placed a hand on her shoulder.
A blinding white light flashed, filling his vision.

Loic sprinted toward her, but by the time the light faded, the man was gone.

He barely managed to catch Annette before she collapsed to the ground.

“Loic?”

For a brief second, she seemed to regain consciousness—but then fainted again.

As soon as they returned to the castle, Loic summoned the priest and Enolius.
He had planned to take more time before revealing Annette’s condition to a priest, but this wasn’t the moment to hesitate.

And what they told him was completely unexpected.

— “Once Her Grace regains her original holy power, her health will greatly improve.”

Since that day on the terrace, Loic had kissed Annette nearly every day.

Once he had tasted that sweetness, it became impossible to stop.
If she had shown even the slightest hint of discomfort, he would have stopped immediately.

But whenever she whispered softly that she was “hurting,” she would close her eyes shyly—and it was so unbearably lovely that he couldn’t resist.

Still, he had always tried to restrain himself, afraid his desire would tire her.

‘If being close to me can actually make Annette healthier…’

It felt like receiving all the birthday gifts he’d missed in his life at once.

But even so, he couldn’t feel only joy.

That presence earlier—it was clearly the dragon.

The same dragon he’d searched for seventeen years without success had now revealed itself…
Not to him, but to Annette.

‘What’s its intention?’

Was it simply curious about the woman beside him?
Or did it sense traces of its own magic within her?

He clenched his fist, trying to suppress his unease.

‘It’s fine. I’ll protect Annette.’

And maybe—just maybe—this was a good thing.
He had finally found a clue to breaking his curse.

‘I can undo it.’

Loic tightened his jaw, reassuring himself.

When I woke up, I felt a firm, burning warmth wrapped around me.

My whole body felt like it was melting into that heat.

A familiar, cool scent brushed the tip of my nose.

I lifted my head—and saw black eyes gazing down at me, gleaming softly.

“Loic?”

“You’re awake?”

Even in the dim light, his dark eyes glowed intensely.

“It’s still the middle of the night,” he said gently. “You can sleep a little longer.”

“I see…”

His low, soothing voice made me nod automatically—but something felt off.

“Loic.”

“Yes?”

“Why are you in my bed?”

He wasn’t just in my bed—he was holding me tightly, his strong arms wrapped around me completely.

The weight of him made it impossible to move.

“Because you’re so delicate,” Loic replied smoothly.

‘And that’s related to this how exactly?’ I gave him a look that clearly said, What kind of excuse is that?

He didn’t flinch.

“The priest examined you just now,” he continued calmly.

“The priest?”

‘Why is a priest involved all of a sudden?’

“I’ll explain it all later,” he said softly, brushing a few strands of hair away from my forehead.

“Anyway, the priest said… it would be best for your health if I keep close physical contact with you as often as possible.”

“…What?”

‘That sounds like something a scammer would say!’

This wasn’t some dark romance or adult story!

Before I could respond, Loic lightly touched my parted lips with his fingers.

“Good,” he murmured.

“What’s good?”

“You’ve always tried so hard to ease my pain,” he said, his voice warm as his face moved closer.

“I’ve felt guilty for only taking from you. But now… it seems I can help you in return. You can’t imagine how happy that makes me.”

His lazy, velvety tone made my ears burn.

“Now we can do this without holding back,” he added.

‘Do what without holding back?!’

And—hadn’t he already been doing plenty of that?!

I swallowed nervously, the sound loud in the quiet room.

“W-what do you mean by ‘without holding back’?”

“I think it would be best if we kissed at least three times a day,” he said seriously.

“Three times… a day?”

“Yes. You keep fainting—this is a serious issue. We must restore your strength as soon as possible.”

He said it with such calm conviction it was hard to argue.

“If that’s not enough,” he added matter-of-factly, “we can increase the number gradually.”

“But we’re supposed to…”

Divorce in a year, I was about to say—

Then suddenly I realized something.

‘It’s already been half a year since we married.’

Which meant our contract would end in another six months.

A strange, empty feeling crept over me.

‘Only half a year left…’

Seeing my quiet expression, Loic’s arms tightened around me.

“There’s no need to think about that now,” he said gently.

He kissed the corner of my eye—a soft, comforting gesture, as if he’d noticed my mood.

It oddly soothed my heart.

“For now, what matters most is your health.”

His hand cupped my cheek tenderly.

“May I kiss you?” he whispered.

‘We haven’t done it yet today, after all.’

His low voice made my heart flutter violently.

‘Don’t ask like that—how am I supposed to say no?’

I nodded slightly.

Loic tilted his head and brushed his lips against mine.

It was a soft, teasing kiss—like he was trying to comfort me.

I giggled quietly, and he sighed in relief, gently stroking the back of my head.

“Don’t worry about anything, Annette,” he whispered near my ear, his voice firm and steady.

“I’ll take care of everything.”

I didn’t know what he meant exactly, but his words somehow reassured me.

As his lips met mine again, his breath mingled with mine, and I closed my eyes.

Our lips parted slightly, his tongue brushing softly against mine.
Our breathing tangled, and a dizzying warmth spread through me—until every worry slowly faded away.

When I opened my eyes again, it was early morning.

Birds chirped noisily outside the window.

I turned to my side—Loic was gone.

Remembering the warmth of his arms from last night left me feeling strangely empty.
I hugged the blanket close to my chest.

His gentle comfort had helped me fall asleep easily, but now that I was fully awake, my anxiety returned in full force.

‘Is it because of what the dragon said?’

Everything it had said was strange and unsettling, but one line in particular stuck with me:

— “In the end, everything will unfold according to my will.”

In this world, dragons were always villains.
So if things went “according to his will,” that couldn’t be good.

‘What am I supposed to do now?’

Was I really meant to leave in six months, as planned?

I’d just gotten used to life in Blenheim…

Could I really start over somewhere else again from scratch?

‘And what about Loic?’

If I left, would he suffer from the pain of losing control again?

Could I really abandon him, knowing that?

And he wasn’t the only one I was worried about.

Marquis Freis would soon attempt a rebellion—and fail.

Would Raphael be executed, then?

What about Ferdinand? The Marchioness? Ladriel?

‘How much of this am I supposed to endure or change?’

My chest felt heavy and tight.

While I sat there lost in those thoughts, a knock came at the door.

“Loic?”

My handsome husband peeked his head in through the crack.

Just seeing his finely sculpted face made all my tangled worries ease a little.

“Why are you standing there? Come in.”

I lifted my eyebrows. Loic hesitated slightly.

“I thought you might be hungry,” he said awkwardly. “So I brought breakfast.”

“Perfect!”

I hadn’t had the energy to go down to the dining room anyway.

As he opened the door wider, a familiar spicy aroma drifted in.

“Wait… is that spicy tomato stew?” I asked, my voice trembling with excitement.