I Stole The Duke - Chapter 15

She’s a woman I’ll have to let go someday anyway. Feeling guilty about neglecting her is almost laughable.

‘Still… while she’s in my estate, she should at least be comfortable.’

Strictly speaking, Eliana was just another victim—sold off under her parents’ wishes.

‘There should never again be a woman who suffers or dies in the Duke’s estate.’

Michalis had resolved that until the day Eliana sought a divorce, he would at least fulfill the duty of protecting her.

Tap. Tap.

His gaze had remained fixed out the window, lost in thought, but the small sound echoed in the carriage, drawing his attention.

Clip-clop. Clip-clop.

Tap. Tap.

With every slight jolt of the carriage, a head gently bumped against the carriage wall.

Eliana, likely exhausted from the day’s activities, had fallen asleep, leaning against the wall. If the wheel were to hit even a small stone, it’d be painful for her.

Moving quietly, Michalis shifted to her side and gently guided her head onto his shoulder.

Given their considerable height difference, she ended up leaning more on his arm than shoulder.

“……”

It was a purely selfless gesture. He simply didn’t want her to wake with a sore head.

Or so he thought.

Now seated upright, Michalis found himself in trouble. They’d held hands all day, even danced a waltz.

‘This is insane.’

Was it the enclosed space of the carriage?

Her cheek and shoulder merely touched his arm, but a faint scent teased his senses, making it impossible to stay composed.

Like fresh cream made from milk and finely sifted sugar—the scent of her skin. His throat moved involuntarily.

‘Damn.’

Overwhelmed by a primal instinct rising from deep within, Michalis squeezed his eyes shut.

The gentle sway of her loose strands of hair, the soft curve of her collarbone—he tried not to look.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

Failure.

Shutting his eyes only made the sweet scent more intense, and with his short-sleeved shirt, every breath of hers against his arm was felt down to the hairs on his skin.

As if on cue, the hat Eliana had resting on her lap slid off, falling to the floor. Her skirt hem lifted just slightly, revealing a glimpse of pale thigh.

“Damn it.”

Michalis was going mad.

No matter how hard he tried to restrain himself, his lower instincts stirred, refusing to be ignored.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

His heart pounded so violently that his ears rang.

“……”

‘Get it together. She’s someone I must protect.’

Taking a deep breath to calm the storm in his chest, Michalis carefully used his index finger to pull down her skirt hem.

Exhale.

A sigh of relief escaped as he succeeded in this herculean task.

Michalis forced himself to stare out the window, eyes wide open. It helped… a little.

‘You disgusting bastard.’

He hurled mental curses at himself for the vile thoughts he’d momentarily entertained.

‘How could I even—’

Lost in self-reproach, Michalis suddenly realized something strange.

“…Ah.”

He stopped his inner tirade and looked at Eliana’s sleeping face.

Among all the lewd images that had flooded his mind a moment ago, none of them had been cruel.

‘As I thought…’

Even now, he didn’t feel the urge to strike her with a whip or choke her—none of the sadistic urges he feared.

If anything, the thought of this frail body bearing bruises made him feel angry.

“…Heh.”

A faint, hollow laugh escaped.

It had been a kind of trauma. All his life, he had avoided women’s touch, unwilling to confront what he believed was a monstrous side of himself.

He had convinced himself that, having inherited his father’s appearance and talents, he must have also inherited that cruel desire.

‘I’m not like my father.’

For 27 years, Michalis had lived as a “voluntary virgin.” Now, faced unexpectedly with his own arousal, he realized the truth.

‘Perfectly normal.’

The trauma that had weighed him down all his life turned out to be nothing. A strange mix of relief and emptiness surged through him.

‘Maybe…’

Steadying the whirlwind in his heart, Michalis looked at Eliana once again.

‘Maybe I don’t have to divorce her.’

As she slept peacefully against his arm, Eliana looked even more beautiful.

‘Maybe we could have… a normal marriage.’

For the first time, a small, quiet longing took root in Michalis’s heart.

Clatter.

The carriage, which had been running steadily, gave a gentle lurch before coming to a stop.

“Your Grace, we’ve arrived.”

Hearing Puelini’s voice from outside the driver’s seat, Michalis hesitated. Eliana was still fast asleep, her head resting gently on his arm.

Should he wake her?

Waiting a little longer didn’t seem like such a bad idea.

“You’ve done well. Dismissed for the day.”

“Yes, Your Grace! Understood.”

After confirming that Eliana was deeply asleep, Michalis sent Puelini off ahead.

Dusk was falling. He couldn’t wait forever, but he had about ten minutes of peace.

“Mm… have we arrived? Ah?!”

Eliana, who had dozed off without realizing it, stirred awake. The moment she came to, she was startled.

“Why am I…?”

Realizing she had been leaning on Michalis’s arm, Eliana quickly straightened up, flustered.

“Your posture looked uncomfortable, so I took the liberty.”

“I see.”

There it was again—that excessive sense of responsibility that confused people’s hearts.

‘I told myself I wouldn’t misunderstand anymore.’

Eliana’s expression stiffened as she faced Michalis at an uncomfortably close distance.

“Thank you for everything today, Your Grace.”

‘Your Grace?’

It was clearly a word of gratitude, and yet…

Was it the loss of warmth from where her head had rested? Or the fact that she reverted to formal address?

They were soon to be husband and wife. It was fine if she kept calling him “Michalis.”

“You may still call me by name.”

“No. The outing is over now.”

Her face had turned cold—that was when Michalis truly noticed it.

“Let’s go back to how things were.”

Michalis felt a wave of confusion wash over him at Eliana’s sudden distance.

‘Did I mess up on the way back?’

There were too many possible mistakes to pinpoint the exact one.

“Did I offend you somehow?”

“No.”

Her firm response came immediately.

“You’ve been very kind.”

“……”

He couldn’t make sense of anything.

Michalis watched her for a moment, then finally forced his lips open.

“I’ll escort you to your room.”

The next morning.

Michalis greeted Eliana with unexpected gladness when she visited his office. Three days in a row—her visits no longer felt strange.

“Are you going riding?”

Noticing her riding attire, Michalis asked casually.

“No, I just needed the pants.”

“What brings you here today?”

“Could I request a guard?”

“Understood.”

Without further questioning, Michalis pulled the bell cord to summon a servant and instructed them to call Puelini.

“Please wait here for a moment.”

“All right.”

“……”

After such a curt exchange, an awkward silence settled between them.

Michalis flipped a page of a document.

His eyes were on the paper, but his mind was entirely on Eliana, sitting on the sofa. The words on the page failed to register.

What required pants? Why did she need an escort?

He burned with curiosity but refrained from asking, not wanting to make her feel suffocated.

‘Damn it, I can’t focus at all.’

His gaze wandered to the small mirror newly placed on his desk.

Not a single hair was out of place. He’d shaved cleanly—no stubble or marks. Surely good enough to hear “handsome” again.

“Ahem, ahem.”

The most awkward of coughs escaped him. Though his eyes remained on the document, he felt her gaze briefly touch him.

“……”

That was it.

Not even one full second of eye contact!

‘What is going on?’

What had he done so wrong yesterday?

Michalis still had no answers. But one thing was certain: something had definitely gone off track.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

A solid knock echoed through the room.

“Your Grace. Puelini, reporting.”

“Come in.”

Suppressing the turmoil within him, Michalis responded with his usual calm and composed voice.

“You summoned me, Your Grace?”

“Sir Puelini, I assign you to Lady Eliana’s personal escort today.”

“Yes, Your Grace!”

“It’s nice to see you again, Sir Carlyle.”

Eliana rose from the sofa and approached Puelini with a polite smile.

“You may call me Puelini, my lady—no need for formality.”

“Alright, then. I’ll be in your care today, Sir Puelini.”

Eliana smiled brightly as she addressed him. At first, his imposing size had been intimidating, but she’d since come to rely on him as one of the most reliable escorts.

“I will serve you with my utmost dedication.”

“Thank you for arranging this, Your Grace.”

Eliana gave a proper bow of gratitude to Michalis, then turned to leave without hesitation.

“I’ll now carry out my duty, Your Grace.”

With that, the door shut firmly behind Puelini and Eliana.

“……”

Michalis stared at the now-closed door, frozen for a few seconds.

‘Puelini… Sir Puelini?’

She had no problem calling Puelini by name, with not the slightest hesitation.

‘Your Grace. Your Grace. Your Grace…’

“Damn it.”

The document in his hand crumpled under his tightening grip. Over something as trivial as a title… why did it bother him so much?

The desire to show up for work voluntarily—this was known as the “Fairy Effect.”

That’s what everyone called it.

Soldiers, soldiers, soldiers, soldiers, knights, knights.

Then one day, a silver-haired future Duchess suddenly appeared, like magic, in a sea of black-clad men in the duke’s estate. Her presence was a blessing to all.

She had become the idol of everyone, the miracle who made even the laziest want to come to work.

“Gasp!”

To catch even a glimpse of her from afar was considered incredible luck for the day. So, when the fairy appeared in the training grounds, everyone froze on the spot.

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