The Girl Who Was Forced by Her Stepsister to Marry the Cursed Duke - CH 10

Chapter 10: Healing Magic, Tears and Name

the duke panicking

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“More importantly, show me your wound! Ah! You’re bleeding! ……….. 【Light・Healing】!”

“Huh?!”

The way the duke grabbed my hand was gentler than I had expected. His hands were soft and cold because he was covered with the curse but his touch was gentle.

A puff of pale, bluish light illuminated the room, healing my injury in an instant. At the same time, the healing magic also cured the chaps that had been tormenting my fingers by stubbornly reappearing over and over again.

My skin became so smooth, just like a boiled egg. It was as if I was being reborn anew. Suddenly, a thought came to my mind.

When was the last time someone became so worried about me like this?

…. While I was pondering about it, suddenly my vision became blurred.

“?! I-If it… If it hurts so much to the point it will make you cry, you should’ve told me about it sooner!”

“N-No. You’re wrong. I’m… Fine…. I-…. I’m sorry…”

The moment my tear gland broke down, it was hard to stop the tears from flowing. Feeling desperate, I tried to smile but my facial muscle was rusty from not being used for so long. My smile didn’t come out naturally.

Rather, the duke looked even more in panic than me judging from the way his tentacles kept on shrinking and stretching out frantically. Some creatures that resembled spotted garden eel kept on appearing and disappearing from the duke’s head. It was as if those creatures were trying desperately to say things like「auau」 or something.

Huh? This is weird? This person… He’s cursed and his appearance does look repulsive but somehow he looks cute?

At the sight of the duke’s desperation, my stiff facial muscles finally relaxed. I could finally move it into the shape of a smile.

“……..I-I’m sorry… It’s… It’s been a while since… Someone… Treated me kindly like this… So… I’m very sorry.”

“Kind? 【Healing magic】is an elementary level magic that even a commoner who studies magic for a little bit could use it though?”

“Err… That.. I… I’m sorry…”

I couldn’t say anything bad regarding my family. Chills were running through my spine when I felt the necklace heating up a little.

“Umm… That’s not… I’m a 『green haired demon』so… I’m trying to avoid anything related to magic as much as possible…”

“…. I see… Nevertheless, why are you in my bedroom in the first place?”

It seemed the duke had decided he already knew enough and wouldn’t pry any further.

…. I’m saved.

“Y-Yes… About that… I’m here to clean the bedroom as per Bhadra-sama’s instruction…”

“Even though I had told Bhadra they don’t need to clean my room…..”

The duke took a glance at his own bedroom. His eyebrows, or the muscle where his eyebrows were supposed to be, were raising slightly.

“This is all your doing?”

The duke pointed his finger. I had removed all of the secretions coming from the duke’s body so we could finally see the beautiful wooden floor of this room. It was hard to believe that just a moment ago this floor used to be covered with piles of the curse’s fragments, which were slimy and wet to touch.

Judging from the shining pattern that resembled a magic circle, the floor must’ve been protected with magic to prevent it from getting moldy.

“Y-Yes…”

“Is that so…. Thank you very much.”

The duke slightly bowed his head to me.

“Huh?! No! I-I-I mean… For the duke to be bowing to someone like me is…”

“Maricle.”

“Y-yes?”

“…. My name is Maricle Lönnrot….Stop calling me ‘the duke’.”

“Ah-! Y-Yes!!”

The duke… No, Maricle-sama looked slightly embarrassed. He averted his gaze from me and mumbled.

“Why did you call Bhadra by his name and I, the master of this house, by my title?”

He complained in a quiet voice.

It was indeed discourteous for me to do so. Between the noble, it was normal for the head of the family to be referred as 『Lord Lönnrot』or 『the duke』but in a private space like their own family’s house, it was unusual to refer someone with their title.

Certainly, when you were in your own home,  it was common not to call your own family member with their public title like 『Imperial Guard Division Commander』or 『Xx Section Chief』and things like that. Even if someone were to have the same status, when they were in the private space like their home, they’d just refer to each other with things like 『master』or『sir』.

“Pardon my discourtesy!!”

And yet, even though I had made such a careless blunder, he still gently patted my head but then he sadly withdrew his hand, which was wet from the curse’s secretion. And then he turned his head away from me and said.

“From now on, I don’t mind you cleaning my room if you can be more careful in the future.

…….. Just which part of this man is 『extremely strict and fastidious』? Even though he’s actually much more delicate and sensitive in reality….

If I could use magic just like my sister, would I be able to lift his curse?

……. No, that’s impossible

In the first place, Maricle-sama was known as one of the most talented wizards in this country. There was no way a daughter of a low-rank count could find any solution to the curse that this top class wizard couldn’t solve himself.

At most, the things I can do for him are… Creating a somewhat comfortable living environment for him to live like this…

Once I became aware of this fact, I started to put more effort in cleaning, laundry and cooking.