If You Wish For A Married Couple’s Duties - Chapter 73

“…What do you think you’re doing now?”

“Can’t you tell by looking?”

Dooha gritted her teeth while grabbing the Duke by the arm.

It was hard for her to support him and the weight of his armour by herself.

Also, her hand kept slipping due to the gauntlet’s smooth surface.

Nevertheless, Dooha didn’t give up.

Leonhart stared dazedly at the sight of her holding his arm, and immediately yelled.

“Are you out of your mind? Let me go! I barely managed to save you, so what the hell are you…”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

“…What?”

He had an absentminded look when Dooha shouted at him.

No matter how impertinent the escort was, he didn’t expect the escort to openly shout at the duke’s face.

“Whose sake did I come all the way here for—!”

Leonhart’s eyes were filled with questions at those words that blamed him.

In the first place, Leonhart wasn’t the subject that that person should be escorting.

It was the unconscious Daniel.

Whoosh—!

Just then, whether it’s by chance or necessity, a strong gust of wind blew in their direction.

As a result, the headscarf that was wrapped around Dooha’s face flew into the air.

When the escort’s bare face was finally revealed, Leonhart couldn’t help but doubt his own eyes.

Silver hair that fluttered around dangerously, amber coloured eyes that contained a glint of desperation, and the face that had always looked at him straight on was right before his eyes.

Clearly, that face should have been in the Esbaden Castle.

Astonishment dyed his blue eyes.

Dooha noticed his expression and realised that the transformation magic had been undone.

‘Oh well, it’s meaningless for me to hide my true identity now.’

Either way, the both of them would leave this world if she let her guard down even the slightest bit.

What’s the point of hiding her identity in a situation where she was about to die?

On the other hand, Leonhart stuttered, which was very much unlike him.

For the life of him, he couldn’t seem to understand what Dooha was doing here.

“Y—you, why are you—?”

[T/N: Leonhart’s ‘you’ after Dooha’s identity was revealed is typically used between married couples.]

“Didn’t I already tell you! I came all the way here for you!”

As Dooha tried to pull up the Duke’s arm, which kept sliding downwards, she yelled.

“Leaving without a word when you’re about to be killed by someone, you’re so selfish! Do you like being so petulant whenever someone tries to help you? Do you?!”

Those words were said under the sway of emotions, without a hint of logic, but that was sufficient.

It was because like her, Leonhart also wasn’t in a situation where he could have a rational conversation.

“Are you mad! Let go right this instant!”

“What let go! If I let go of you, you’d certainly die!”

“Let me go! Do you have a death wish?”

“You’re the one that wants to die! Hurry up and focus on coming up here!”

The married couple that finally faced each other didn’t share an emotional embrace, but instead had a shouting match while dangling from the edge of the cliff.

The faces of the knights who were witnessing this scene play out before their eyes vividly were filled with bewilderment.

“What’s the current situation?”

“Didn’t the Lord just say ‘you’.”

“Isn’t it strange for him to use ‘you’ to address Daniel’s escort?”

Just then, the duke, who was bickering while hanging from the edge of the cliff, shouted in a loud voice.

“Baron! Take the Madam away now! Do it now!”

Madam? That’s the Madam?

Like stone statues, the knights turned their gazes stiffly towards the back of the head of the person that’s holding the Duke’s arm.

“…Wait a minute, didn’t I see that hair colour before somewhere?”

“That can’t be.”

When the knights finally realised Dooha’s true identity, they shouted loudly.

“Du, Duchess—?”

The situation became even more ridiculous after saying it aloud.

What is the Duchess of Esbaden doing here?

Additionally, the duchess had clearly introduced herself as Daniel’s escort.

That meant that the Duchess was escorting Daniel.

‘That’s even more preposterous, isn’t it?’

Just as the knights’ minds became more and more complicated at this ridiculous situation.

“What are you all doing? Bring the Madam back!”

Baron, the sole one that came to his senses, let out a rebuke.

The knights belatedly tried to move in an orderly manner, but another hair-raising sound rang out once again.

Rumble—

In an instant, a crack spread towards Dooha’s location and the ground collapsed thereafter.

Eventually, the both of them fell downwards together in the midst of the collapsing rock.

“My Lord—! Madam—!”

Baron’s yell echoed beneath the precipice, but there wasn’t any response.

The rumbling of the collapsing ground, only calmed down after it swallowed the ducal couple.

Baron, as well as other knights who followed the duke, were rooted to the spot dazedly, unable to speak.

“How could this happen…”

Baron remained dazed for a moment, before looking around hurriedly.

He did so in order to locate the culprit that caused this ridiculous accident.

But the unknown wizard has already disappeared without a trace.

Despair was the only thing that remained on the collapsed cliff where they stood.

* * *

Ssssshhhh—

The sound of a violent current travelled to her ear.

The air that brushed against the tip of her nose was too cold.

Dooha opened her eyes at the vivid feeling of life that she detected through her entire body.

“Heugh—!”

She exhaled loudly with a deflating sound.

She suddenly felt a sense of freedom, as though someone had removed the heavy stone that was placed on her chest.

“Ugh.”

Dooha coughed repeatedly and sat up.

From her head to toe, there wasn’t any place that didn’t hurt.

“This is…”

She looked around slowly while trying her best to ignore the pain radiating from her chest.

If the sudden sound of water wasn’t enough, she wondered why her clothes were drenched, and the culprit turned out to be the rapids that were flowing right in front of her.

From the fact that she fell off the cliff and didn’t die, it seemed to be because of that rapid stream.

Of course, she desperately relied on the power of the winds the moment she fell.

And if it weren’t for the person that used his entire body to protect her when she fell, she wouldn’t be safe and sound, even if she borrowed the power of the winds…

At the memory that suddenly crossed her mind, Dooha’s eyes widened.

Dooha struggled to get up from her position and looked around urgently.

Because she wasn’t the only one that fell off the cliff.

Fortunately, Dooha managed to find the person that fell with her a short distance away.

Leonhart lay there, submerged in water from his waist downwards.

She clutched a leg and hobbled towards him.

“…Hey.”

Dooha tapped the duke’s pallid cheek in order to wake him up.

But he didn’t budge.

An ominous hunch caused Dooha to place her hand by the tip of his nose, and she couldn’t feel his breathing.

This can’t be happening.

Her face, which had remained composed even after realising that she had fallen off a cliff, slowly cracked.

“Hey, get a grip. I’m perfectly fine, so how did you end up like this!”

Dooha undid the armour protecting Leonhart’s body in a trembling voice.

Then, a wet body that only wore a thin tunic was revealed.

She could spot something like a dark stain spreading underneath the opaque cloth.

‘Blood?’

When Dooha realised the stain was actually blood, Dooha’s face turned even paler.

Dooha quickly placed her ear to his chest.

She couldn’t hear his strong heartbeat. 

‘Why?’

Her mind turned blank in an instant.

Throughout the entire journey here, she had imagined the duke dying or getting hurt countless times.

She was worried that that would actually occur, so she followed him here.

However, she couldn’t do anything at the sight of the duke’s body, which was cooling down before her eyes.

The duke is going to die? Really?

Dooha looked downwards at Leonhart, who was lying neatly like he was asleep.

For some reason, she found his face, which she had frequently seen after coming to the Empire, somewhat unfamiliar.

It was a face that she hadn’t seen for days after an argument over trifles.

In order to hide her identity, she rarely saw him after coming to Tochern Castle.

How odd.

The fact that she found this face unfamiliar because she hadn’t seen him for only a few days, and the face that she thought about risking her life.

No, it actually wasn’t anything strange.

Perhaps this was a matter of course.

Dooha clenched her fist.

The memories of her with him ever since she came to the Empire invaded her head like a storm.

“You’re the Duchess of Esbaden. In other words, you have the right to request for fairness when faced with unfair treatment.” 

“It’s quite amusing, listening to your words.” 

“I’m very grateful for you.”

“Since you’ve become my wife, you’ll be the only woman in my life.”

Perhaps he’d said that without meaning it.

Perhaps it was done out of excessive responsibility for his wife.

But that wasn’t the case for Dooha.

Her dislike for the Duke of Esbaden has long gone beyond a favourable impression and turned into an indescribable emotion.

As it was her first time feeling such emotions, she was belated in noticing them.

Even though she was dull, tears eventually fell from her honest eyes.

“Wake up! Hurry and wake up—!”

As Dooha shouted, she struck the duke in the chest with clenched fists.

“Didn’t you mention this? A knight is someone that’ll remain alive and defend, even if they’re riddled with scars.”

She burst into tears like a child.

“Didn’t you say that you’re the strongest—! Didn’t you say that the title of strongest is given to the one that remains standing for the longest—! But how can you do this!”

Like she was venting her anger, Dooha’s fists landed exactly on the middle of Leonhart’s chest.

“I, I’ll, you—!”

Just as her fist was about to land on Leonhart’s firm chest once again.

Dooha’s body fell forward as though someone had pulled her.

The warmth that enveloped her entire body caused her eyes to brighten.

She could feel a slow but powerful heartbeat from beneath her.

“…Despite the close brush with death, my wife is full of energy.”

A dry and cracked voice rang from overhead.

Dooha slowly lifted her head.

Those blue eyes, which were probably imprinted in her head from the moment they first met, shone down on her.

“But shouldn’t I be the one that’s angry?”

Dooha tried to move her lips.

She had to respond, but she was lost for words.

She could only feel the burning pain in her chest slowly disappearing.

At the sight of Dooha crying silently, Leonhart immediately held her tightly with both hands.

Although there were many things that he needed to investigate right away and quite a number he wanted to flare up about, it was fine.

With the warmth he thought he would lose within his arms.

“…Well, forget that.”

He lowered his eyes while inhaling the refreshing scent of Dooha, who was in his arms.

“Because you’re safe and sound.”

* * *