If I Disobey the Duke - Chapter 59

Why Did You Do That? (2)

After being silent for a moment, Vlad looked at her and turned around.

His back slowly grew smaller.

Now that I’ve confirmed what happened, is he just going to go? I have a lot to ask…

But he only poured water from a glass bottle on the table and came back to the bedside.

“…You must’ve been thirsty. You have been sick for three days.”

She was terribly afraid of him, and her throat was extremely dehydrated. She had been sweating profusely like she was stuck in a desert at noon, and her mouth was sticky and dry.

It wasn’t easy to get up, so Lily groaned helplessly.

Vlad took a small breath and finally came to the bed, one corner of the bed sinking heavily. “I’ll support you.”

Without hesitation, his hands slipped to her back.

Rock-hard arms carefully supported her spine and neck to keep her head from injury. He was cautious, as if touching thin ice.

An agonized groan escaped her.

The tip of the glass cup touched her mouth. As he slowly tilted the glass, water like raindrops touched her lips.

Suddenly, a rush of thirst burst in her body, and Lily tried to drink water violently.

“If you drink like that now, you will choke… wait a moment. Calm down.”

However, her throat was so dry that it was difficult to even swallow water, so it kept overflowing from her mouth.

In an instant, her mouth, chin, neck and chest were drenched. Vlad let out a small sigh and quickly moved the cup away.

He frowned slightly as he watched her. “…Open your mouth.”

Lily hesitated, and his large hand wrapped around her chin. While she was hesitating, he put the cup to his own mouth and quickly pressed his lips to hers.

“…”

She groaned reflexively as he passed the water to her.

The water has a hint of sweetness. The motions were repeated several times with sincerity and patience, as if feeding a baby bird.

In a rush to sate her thirst, Lily found herself dangling from his collar and chasing his mouth desperately.

“Haa…”

As he pulled away, she took a shaky breath. The corners of her mouth and the collar of her pajamas were all wet.

He wiped Lily’s lips with his thumb. “…Your fever broke only recently, so you should lie down.”

Lily simply nodded her head. Her body felt quite heavy.

As she was buried in bed again, she realized that it was difficult to even rest for a while.

Vlad sat down on the bed and turned his head. His cool side profile caught her eye.

His eyes were deep and his nose was sharp.  When he had a neat and tidy appearance, he exuded authority like a leader. Now, he looked like a rebellious man, thanks to his messy bangs and tightly closed lips.

As she regained her energy to think, Lily became uncomfortable again.

It was because the situation just before she collapsed came up all at once.

What should I say…

A low voice came from Vlad first. “Never kneel again.”

It was so random that Lily couldn’t understand what he was saying.

When Lily didn’t answer, he slowly turned his head to look at her.

He was suppressing the boiling emotions under his indifferent expression. “If you want to stop the death penalty, give an order and get a pardon. Because of such a worthless person…” Vlad closed his mouth and shut his eyes to calm himself. His long, dark eyelashes trembled as if he was thinking of something unpleasant. “Never do that no matter what  Even if that opponent is me. Do not get down on your knees, even if you’re slapped.”

“…”

“If the man in front of you is suspicious, order him to reveal himself. Don’t try to prove yourself to anyone, even if they are friends or family. Only you, my wife, can evaluate and judge yourself, Lily.”

Lily’s hands slowly relaxed. She threw her gaze somewhere on the spacious bed. “Do you really… think of me as your wife?”

He covered his face with one hand and looked at her gloomily.

She thought of herself a trinket. A sexual tool, basically.

“Like I said, I’ve never treated you that way.  How did you ever think of that…”

Thinking of how she had waited and accepted her situation, collapsing in disbelief…

Lily, not trusting his words at all, only fiddled with the blanket.

It seemed a little comforting to hear that. But the behavior she had seen was very contradictory.

“You only looked for me at night. Did you really not know how I felt…?” she asked in a small voice.

“I didn’t know. At all.”

How could he dare to think of Lily that way.

Vlad felt pathetic enough to want to chop his own head off with an axe.

Lily felt distant from him again.

Even for a person who was agitated, there was no change in expression.

Lily bit her lower lip. For some reason, she felt embarrassed, and her grip on the blanket loosened. “Then why did you cover my eyes? When I asked… you scolded me…”

“Didn’t I tell you? I don’t want you to do what other people told you to do.”

She finally turned her head towards him. “…Then, if I ask you now, will you answer me? Why did you hide your face?”

As if he expected the question, Vlad took a deep breath.

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