I Refuse To Be A Character In A Novel - Chapter 21

The duke walked casually towards her as if he didn’t really need an answer.

When Erna turned towards the owner of the voice, their eyes met.

His black eyes looked even darker under the loose silver-white hair strands that fluttered on his forehead as he moved.

Despite her negative feelings towards him, Erna couldn’t deny it.

The duke of Argentine was dazzlingly gorgeous.

He was already rumored to be handsome, but that simple word didn’t do justice to the man in front of her.

The strong jaw and sharp nose on his slightly tanned skin were perfectly harmonized, making a delicate yet manly face.

As he stood proudly with his wide shoulders and tall frame that seemed to have been hardened by long years of practice and battles, the duke gave off a strong presence.

A man with unparalleled magic abilities.

A cold blooded warrior who brought glory to the king and was titled the Hero of Cira.

The head of the Argentine family, one of the three dukedoms in the kingdom and the strongest one at that.

Rumors varied, but the contents were all the same.

The man who had everything.

And that man was…

Despite her racing heart, Erna managed to keep a calm expression.

Seeing him face to face brought all her submerged feelings back to the surface.

She couldn’t be distracted by his looks for long, because the more she looked at him, the more vivid her memories became.

Erna already knew who he was, and she had already decided that he was an unwelcome guest.

“Well, I was about to head to sleep.”

Thankfully her voice didn’t waver.

It took a great deal of courage for Erna to stay calm in his presence.

She couldn’t fully trust her fragmented memories that this man wouldn’t hurt her if she offended him, yet she didn’t want to act like the woman in her memories.

“… Is that so?”

Zachary halted his steps at a distance and carefully examined his wife.

Like thin glass that would shatter at the slightest touch, his wife looked vulnerable.

The thin red lips had gone parched and her skin looked pale.

She got a little thinner as well.

Similar to a flower that withered during fall, his wife lost all color to illness, yet her eyes shone brighter than ever.

Perhaps he never noticed it because there was hardly any eye contact with her.

Zachary stared into the bright purple eyes as if he was trying to figure something out.

Her gaze was subtly different from before.

Instead of fear or even the slight bashfulness she usually had, her purple irises were as calm as the sea.

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After a brief moment of looking into each other’s eyes, it was Zachary who broke the silence first.

“It has been quite a while.”

Zachary said with a soft smile.

His voice was not high but it contained a sense of dignity, as if he was addressing a stranger.

“… Yes, it has, your grace.”

Due to the height difference, the purple eyes looking up at him seemed a bit hostile, and the low tone didn’t conceal her displeasure.

“Are you angry?”

Zachary tilted his head in a somewhat innocent manner as he asked.

“Why? Is there something I should be angry about?”

Erna answered without delay.

Facing a person who was familiar yet unfamiliar, Zachary forgot his purpose of visiting.

The doctor said she’d get better soon anyway so it wasn’t of concern, but he had to know about her mana.

Yet it somehow escaped his mind as he looked into the calm purple eyes that held emotions he didn’t recognize.

“… You are angry.”

Like an adult appeasing a child, Zachary’s lips curled into a fine smile as he narrowed the distance between them.

Erna slightly raised her eyebrow in confusion.

“I wonder what had my wife in such a bad mood.”

Hearing him say so in a voice that didn’t sound curious in the least, Erna felt all the more annoyed realizing that he took her reaction as nothing more than a child’s grumbling.

Once he reached her, Zachary leaned his body onto the couch she was sitting on.

No matter how much she prepared herself, the pressure of the shadow that loomed over her felt too heavy, as such, Erna shrank her shoulders to avoid him with her eyes still stubbornly staring into his.

‘Sensitive huh…’

When he noticed the frown that formed on her forehead as he approached her, Zachary silently agreed with Dylan’s words.

Perhaps she didn’t want him to see her sick and unkempt.

Otherwise, there was no other reason for her to act like a cat ready to pounce on him.