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Chapter 30
Chapter 30 - The Monster Duke Mistook Me for His Wife
Translated by Arnlian
Edited by Arnlian
“Is there something wrong?”
I shook my head slowly at Dillian’s question.
‘There’s butterflies dancing in front of you.’
If I said that, Dillian, who can’t see the butterflies, won’t understand.
Dillian and the butterflies that hovering around me soon moved forward.
The figure seemed to ask me to follow, so I quickly followed the butterflies.
Of course, with Dillian’s hand tiiighly clasped.
“Unlike before, you seem very bold. Do you know the way?”
“It’s not like that, but I feel it’s this way.”
Intuition. And confidence.
‘Nathan is calling me.’
I only went straight looking at the butterflies.
Dillian pulled my hand to my straight-forward instinct that didn’t look side or back.
“Miss Ria. That room, is it alright if I don’t open it?”
“Yes. It’s not there. Definitely.”
I feel it. That is an empty room.
“Hurry up. This way.”
The butterflies sped up their wings. Being impatient, I let go of Dillian’s hand and ran.
“Miss Ria.”
I can’t afford to answer Dillian’s call.
Srrrk, the butterflies seeped into the door. I twisted the handle.
Bang! The door that opened roughly was dangling. Contrary to expectations, there was no one beyond the door.
“Haa. Haa.”
Why, there’s none? I’m sure the butterflies were pointing here.
An old altar, a broken stone statue, and a rusty candlestick and cup.
“Prayer room?”
It was a familiar place. It is a place I have often seen when I was an apprentice priest.
At that moment, zap! A flash flashed in front of my eyes.
The messy altar disappeared from nowhere, the ones I could see were a clean altar, a stone statue modeled after God, a candlestick and a golden cup.
And the pure white woman who kneels in front of it.
‘You said you loved me. You said you care about me more than anyone else.’
‘But why, why did you do that? Why didn’t you take me too!’
‘Once more, please give me one more chance. Please
’
Anger, resentment, despair. And deep sorrow.
Her feelings hit me. My heart throbbed as if someone were tearing it apart.
‘What the, why did I
’
Watching the scene in a daze with my face distorted in pain, I turned my head in surprise at the hand on my shoulder.
“Miss Ria. If you run like that all of sudden, it’s danger-.”
My chest was shaking and short of breath as if I had run 100 meters.
The breath did not come back.
“Miss Ria. Look at me. Breathe slowly. That’s right. Slowly.”
I drew my breath slowly along with Dillian.
Dillian’s eyes were full of worries.
Slowly Dillian held me in his arms and gently swept my back.
The warmth of his chest, the tender touch.
The throbbing pain died away.
How long has it been? I turned my head when I regained my breath.
I looked at the room again, but it was just an old prayer room.
“Are you all right now?”
“Yes. Earlier, I saw something weird
”
“What did you see?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know what exactly is that
”
When my head was confused by the phenomenon for the first time, my body was dragged back.
“Sshh.”
Dillian brings his hand to the corner of his mouth. He led me to hide behind the door, then I heard unfamiliar voices.
“Where the hell is the target?”
“Why must it be this castle! It’s so big that it’s hard for us to find it.”
A grumbling voice drew nearer.
“What’s this place?”
“It looks like a prayer room.”
As they put their heads in looking at the room and didn’t sense anything strange, they chattered again.
“By the way, what are those guys next to the captain?”
“The client sent them. Maybe they don’t trust us.”
The voice throwing out of discontent faded away again.
‘Wait for me.’
Dillian whispers to me and quietly approaches them behind.
After a while, ‘jab’ sound and scream was heard.
“Miss Ria, come here.”
As I went outside at Dillian’s call, I saw two men holding their stomach staggering.
Dillian asked the guy near him while pulling out the back of the guy’s head.
“So, where is Nathan?”
“We don’t know anything. I don’t have anything to tell you. Uuck!”
Looks like he is going to break his neck. A hand, full of tendons, crushed the man’s head violently.
“Sir Dillian.”
As I made a sign to him, Dillian pulled up the man’s head.
“Don’t you think you’re not going to die if you keep your mouth shut?”
“Uck.”
“Hmm, seems you don’t mean to tell me. Then how about this?”
I made eye contact with him and put up my fingers.
“I don’t know how much your client offered to you, but we’ll give you twice as much.”
“Do, do you think we’re going to slide with that?”
“Yup, absolutely.”
I smiled broadly.
Even if pretending not to, the weeping of truth flinched and kept swallowing saliva.
***
A bridge connecting the main castle to the east tower.
The snow that began to fall before someone knew it, wet Ria’s cheek.
If I cross this bridge, I can finally meet Nathan.
‘That owl isn’t here. It is locked up in the east tower.’
Just as she was relieving tension by pressing her cold fingertips, a large hand covered the back of Ria’s hand.
“I have contacted Harris, it will be fine.”
“Is it?”
“Yes. And if it is Nathan, surely it will pull the hair of the kidnappers while waiting for Miss Ria. Or scratching their faces or pecking at them with its pointed beak.”
“
 You seem to know it well?”
“No once or twice it got me.”
Dillian twisted his lips and laughed furiously. That laugh that isn’t laugh.
“I know because I have been through it the most. They won’t be able to touch it easily.”
His words began to warm the hand which had been stiff.
Ria felt a gentle pat on her hand and gave it strength.
“Thank you. I might be still crying if Sir Dillian is not here.”
“If you feel thankful, can you give me a prize then?”
“If it is something I can give you.”
“I promised.”
Dillian slowly raised his firm hands.
Dillian bent his eyes at the innocent eyes that knew nothing.
Does Ria know, that she just came into the beast’s mouth on her own foot?
‘Nathan, there came the day when you’re useful in my life.’
Dillian, who deceived Ria naturally, hid his insidious intentions and buried his lips on her hand.
Ria’s hand trembled at the warm and soft touch.
Dillian pressed his lips hard as if stamping on the back of Ria’s hand, and raised his eyes to meet her eyes.
“I will look forward to it. Wife.”
The red eyes bent seductively.
At that moment, there was a loud warning in Ria’s head.
Dillian took the lead before withdrawing.
“Well, then I will have to do something to be praised by Miss Ria.”
Baang!
Arriving at the destination, Dillian kicks the door without hesitation.
Then the corroded door snapped.
“Nathan
!”
But there was no one there.
“He definitely said it’s here
”
Behind Ria who is panicked, a mean voice teased her.
“Did you believe it will always be there the whole time? You’re naive, Miss.”
“You!”
“Because those guys didn’t come back, I moved the place just in case, I’m glad I did then.”
That scar on the face. He was the one who kidnapped Nathan using a strange magical tool.
“You bastxrd! What did you do to Nathan!”
Moses’s eyes flinched as the accent-like curse bursted as soon as she saw his face.
“
 I wonder who the owl resembles, so it resembled its owner.”
He clicked his tongue with a fed-up face. Ignored, as the heat that reached the top of Ria’s head, she shouted at him as if she were going to run.
“Shut up! Where’s Nathan?”
“Miss Ria, look over there.”
Dillian, who grabbed Ria’s waist when she was in the midst of excitement, motioned behind Moses.
Ria faltered back as the enemy began to gather one by one.
But behind her is a cold wall.
It was a beautifully set-up trap.
“Brother, why don’t you relax and drop your weapon?”
Dillian, who ignored Moses with an expression of ‘where is the dog barking?’ drew a sword.
“As expected, difficulties must be necessary to get Miss Ria’s prize.”
“
 How big is the prize that you want so this hardship comes?”
“It’s a good prize that I could die for.”
With a refreshing smile that did not fit the situation, Ria forgot the reality.
Clang, clang!
A sharp sound brought her straight to reality.
Ria chewed her lips during the fierce battle.
Dillian blocked Ria’s way, as if he would not allow any intrusion.
Consistent and firm.
However, it was impossible to prevent the enemy’s attack in a limited space at the same time even if it was Dillian.
“Sir Dillian!”
On the white shirt that slowly turned red, Ria screamed his name.
‘Get a hold of yourself. Do something!’
Ria, who came to her senses with a strong bite of the soft flesh in her mouth, looked around for something that could be used as a weapon.
But all that was in this room was paper scattered on the floor, bookshelves, and wooden chairs.
What am I supposed to do with this!
When she was angry with herself, a phrase from the original story hit her head.
[Aina manipulated the tree by raising the divine power inside her. Then a firm branch stretched out in all directions and overpowered the opponent.]
A technique that can only be used by those with high purity and divine power.
It was a technique that only Aina, the only Saintess, and the High Priests could use.
But, if you have so much divine power, isn’t it something you can imitate similarly?
‘If I can’t, I will use it as much as I can. Make it work even if it doesn’t work!”
Anything, I wanted to help Dillian even by the smallest force.
Ria rolled on the floor to avoid the assassin running toward her.
‘What I’m aiming for, the bookshelf!’
And as if possessed, she moved it along with the voice that rang in her head.
Divine amplification.
At that moment, there was an explosive force inside her.