The Monster Duke Mistook Me for His Wife (Web Novel) - Chapter 58

Finally, the day dawned.

 

The morning of the founding festival, which is the flower of romance incidents and accidents occurs.

 

“Nathan. Wake up, it’s morning.”

 

I woke it up by tapping Nathan’s ass as it staggered from its sleep.

 

Closing its eyes, Nathan grinned.

 

“Ria, are you so excited?”

“Of course.”

 

It is my first festival since I came to this world .

 

In Wilhelm, I was busy hiding and making a living, so I had never participated in a festival.

 

It was the same in my previous life, I was so busy with my life that I had never seen the festival properly.

 

‘Whoo-hoo, but this time it’s different.’

 

For me, who is no different than a jobless, this founding festival was a very good opportunity.

 

“Nathan, at the festival, there are so many delicious things.”

 

Cotton candy, chicken skewers, twist potatoes, fruit juice!

 

As she folded her fingers and arranged the food one by one, Nathan’s eyes lit up.

 

“Let’s go now. I want to eat cotton candy!”

“I want the twist potatoes!”

 

We, who were in harmony, got up from our seats and started sewing our clothes, even though no one told us to .

 

“Ria-nim, the clothes, let me….”

“No! A dress is declined.”

“Then for the hair….”

“I’m just going to tie it up.”

 

I will go here and there, what if I wore dresses and hairpins?

 

I wore a few shirts and pants in my closet and tied my hair up.

 

And, thinking about the possibility that the Darkness might come upon me, I put a hooded robe around my shoulders.

 

Leaving behind Sera and Kira, who had quickly become sacks of barley* I went down the stairs with light steps.

*A Korean idiom similar with a fish out of water means a person who feels awkward or unhappy because they are in a situation that is not familiar or because they are different from the people around them. 

 

If I pass the main hall like this I will escape the Duchy…!

 

“Miss Ria. Where are you going?”

 

Dillian caught me before I did it.

 

As if he had just finished training, I could smell the wind and slight sweat on Dillian.

 

“Today is the opening ceremony of the foundation festival. I have to go take a look.”

“I’m going to eat sweet cotton candy.”

 

As Nathan and I showed our expectations with our twinkling eyes, Dillian shook his head saying he couldn’t stop us.

 

“Wait a minute. I will come and change clothes.”

 

Touching the thick pockets and imagining happy thoughts, I paused.

 

“Why…?”

“Let’s go together.”

“Did we make a promise?”

“Do married couples need an appointment to go out together?”

 

Dillian expressed as if asked ‘Why are you asking something obvious?’.

 

“We’re only engaged, aren’t we…?”

“Isn’t it the same as a married couple or a soon-to-be married couple?”

“As a matter of fact, it is….”

 

It’s weird. Why do I keep feeling dry?

 

I quickly grabbed Dillian’s arm as he climbed the stairs.

 

“Sir Dillian!”

“I know you don’t want to be away with me for even an hour, but I will be out soon so….”

 

No, that’s not it! I cut off his words in a never-ending delusion.

 

“That’s, sir Dillian. Today, I decided to go with May.”

 

A wide smile on his face cracked. In an instant, a hoarse voice escaped from his closed mouth.

 

“Not me, but miss May?”

 

Ugh, what should I do? He must have thought that I would go with him.

 

As I nodded while taking a hint from him, Dillian showed his disappointment without hiding.

 

“You’d be angry if I banned you from going out now, right?”

 

My mouth twitched at the sound of something sullen.

 

“… Didn’t you say we are on equal footing?”

 

Dillian patted his chin with an ‘oops’. I guess he didn’t know what he said would hold his ankles.

 

“Then getting rid of miss May…?”

“Don’t say anything scary.”

 

I grabbed Dillian’s hand and gently talked to appease him.

 

“I’ve promised her for a long time. And it’s been three weeks since I haven’t seen May.”

 

If this promise is canceled, May cannot stand still. She was so angry that she wanted to kill Dillian.

 

And Dillian wouldn’t let May like that.

 

It was obvious that I was going to be the one that got hurt in the whale fight*.

*It’s based on Korean proverbs ‘the shrimp gets its back broken in a whale fight’ that means powerless ones suffer when powerful ones fight.

 

“Instead, sir Dillian will go with me on the last day.”

“I don’t like being behind miss May.”

“Really? Even though there will be fireworks on the last day?”

 

The end of the founding festival is fireworks.

 

Love that blooms with a feast of beautiful lights that color the night sky.

 

It was an event not to be missed when it comes to romance.

 

“Let’s go see the fireworks. Intimately.”

 

I seized Dillian’s hand with both hands and comforted him by listing the merits of fireworks display by word.

 

Then a smile slowly began to form on his face.

 

I looked at the corners of his lips curved like a crescent moon and laughed together.

 

‘Sorry. It’s fake.’

 

The last day of this year’s founding festival is unfortunately canceled.

 

I said it clearly. The founding festival is the flower of romance, but at the same time, all accidents happen there.

 

The incident happened on the sixth day of the festival.

 

In the face of a counter-terrorism at the clock tower in the square flies, the festival is in the state of hell.

 

There is one day left, but the festival is canceled and the fireworks disappear into darkness forever.

 

“You have promised me.”

 

I nodded towards Dillian, who now habitually extended his fingers.

 

“Sure.”

 

I hung my pinky finger with him, hiding my insidious heart.

 

 

***

 

 

“Ria!”

“May!”

 

As soon as I got off the carriage, May ran towards me.

 

She grabbed my waist in an instant and spun around on the spot.

 

How many times have I been hugged and spinned by her? My stomach churned.

 

“May, I’m getting motion sickness….”

 

I slammed May on the shoulder and barely landed on the ground, then covered my mouth.

 

“That Dillian, isn’t he bullying you? Look how skinny you are!”

“Skinny, hasn’t she gained a lot of weight?”

“You shut up.”

 

May swung her elbow at the soft voice heard from behind.

 

The green eyes, which narrowly escaped May’s attack, skillfully bent.

 

“It’s been a while, didn’t you miss this oppa?”

*Oppa (오빠) in Korean is used when you are a woman and talking with an older male (related to you or not). 

“Schumann?”

 

One of the sub male protagonists of 〈Saint, Aina〉 and the current magic tower owner. And  also May’s older brother, Schumann Altran.

 

“Candy, can you call me oppa?”

“Stop that candy noise.”

“You should feel thankful for her calling you by proper name. Because she might call you a cotton candy head.”

“My sisters are so strong, I’m dying, I’m going to die.”

 

And for some reason, he treats me like a younger sister.

 

“Nathan, how are you? Looks like you must have eaten well too. Your skin is very plump.”

 

Nathan pecked Schumann on the head, as if it regained its appetite saying he was something good to eat.

 

“How come you sound the same every time I see you!”

“Ahaha, it’s amazing every time I see it. How the hell does an owl speak?”

 

Looking at him, I remembered the first day we met.

 

 

***

 

 

It was a year ago.

 

That day, it had been just a week since I picked up May.

 

Unable to leave May alone, who had not yet healed, I left her with Nathan and went down to the village for a while.

 

And there I met Schumann.

 

“Cotton candy?”

 

Pink hair resembling cotton candy, the first thing I’ve seen in my life.

 

My eyes kept getting drawn to the unusual hair color.

 

The man who felt my gaze looked straight at me and squinted his eyes.

 

I’m in trouble. Does he feel bad?

 

It was clearly rude to stare at someone.

 

I bowed my head towards the man who was hurriedly approaching me.

 

But the words flying over my head were far from my thoughts.

 

“It’s you.”

“What?”

“You take Mayme with you, right?”

 

If it was Mayme, it was the name of the patient I was treating.

 

At the time, it was rumored that May was a traitor. Even if I know that, I am not interested in the world.

 

‘How did he know?’

 

“Your face says ‘how did he know‘, but it’s not that great, it’s just I can feel Mayme’s energy from you.”

“….”

“So, where is Mayme?”

 

I kept my mouth shut.

 

If this person was the one who came to kill Mayme, I couldn’t even tell him more.

 

“Are you suspicious of me?”

 

He raised his eyebrows as he read the suspicion that appeared on my face.

 

“Who are you, why are you looking for Mayme? If you want to hear the answers you want, shouldn’t you introduce yourself first?”

 

He licked his lips as if he liked my snappy answer.

 

“Schumann Altran. I’m her brother.”

 

The moment I heard his name, I choked.

 

Schumann. It was the name of one of the main characters.

 

“Perhaps, the magic tower…?”

“Ekhem. Even in such a cute little village, you can recognize me. Being too famous is a problem.”

 

Schumann ruffled his hair and laughed.

 

“Do you want me to give you an autograph?”

 

Autograph, he is joking, right?

 

‘Crap. I’m screwed.’

 

In the original, there were two people I never, ever wanted to be involved with, especially I didn’t want to meet them.

 

It’s Dillian Sinaize and Schumann Altran, the magic tower owner.

 

These two people were like time bombs who didn’t know when to explode.

 

“Now, since I have introduced myself to you, you should also tell me. How’s May doing? What about the treatment?”

“She almost healed. Did you come to pick her up?”

“I meant to do that, but seeing you, I thought you might do a good job, so I’m just going now.”

 

Why? Take her now. Don’t tell me you would come again?

 

I looked into Schumann’s eyes with anxious eyes.

 

“Is in this time tomorrow okay?”

“Why did I….”

 

I quickly shook my head. Schumann, who burst into laughter at the intense movement, placed something on my hand.

 

I wondered what it was, it was a ruby the size of eggs.

 

“Tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay.”

“You’re a funny guy.”

 

… Yeah, I’m a snob. I have said I dislike it, but I fell for the ruby.

 

“All right, Candy. See you there tomorrow.”

“Candy?”

“Oh, you look like candy.”

 

What does it mean? Almost half a year has passed, but I still don’t understand the meaning of candy.

 

From that day on, I met Schumann at the same time and place every day and told him about May’s physical condition.

 

Until May gets up from the bed completely.

 

And from then on, Schumann’s nonsensical brother act began.

 

While unfolding the miraculous logic ‘if you’re my sister friend, you’re also my sister’.

 

 

***

 

 

There were times like that. As I recalled the past with a faint face, I woke up to the sound of the three of them fighting.

 

At the sight of Nathan and May siding and attacking Schumann, people murmured.

 

‘The owl speaks.’, ‘The owl bullies people.’, they were surprised to see Nathan.

 

There was no particular reason to hide when its identity was discovered by the Great Temple, but it was burdensome as attention was focused wherever it went.

 

“Stop fighting. Everyone is looking at you. It’s embarrassing.”

 

Then, belatedly realizing that this place was outdoors, Schumann began to pretend to be cool, tidying up his messy clothes.

 

“Did something happen?”

“… What the hell are you doing here?”

“It’s so sad. It’s been a while, I’ve come to see your face.”

 

Schumann rummaged through his arms and held out something. It was a bracelet with a subtle color that stood out like an opal.

 

“Come on, this is what you asked me for.”