MHR 15

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Chapter 15

Damon walked across the front yard of the estate and approached the waiting carriage.

Through the window, he saw Clarissa leaning against it with her eyes closed.

“Millan.”

Millan, who was holding the reins, bowed his head.

“Yes, Master.”

“I’ll ride in the carriage, so you bring that child along on horseback and follow behind.”

At Damon’s order, Millan glanced at Miranda.

Fortunately, she didn’t look heavy enough to be a burden to carry on his horse.

“Understood, Master. Then what should I do with your horse?”

“Leave it in the old man Monde’s stable. I’ll tell him to ride it himself.”

“W-who? And go where?”

“There’s something. I’ll see you at the estate.”

Walking around the carriage, Damon took a seat beside Clarissa.

Even after the carriage began moving, Clarissa didn’t stir at all. When he glanced at her, she was fast asleep, completely unguarded.

‘Did she come all the way here because of the magic doll?’

His gaze fell on the box placed beside her. Opening the lid, he found a doll inside—a man with wheat-blond hair and blue-gray eyes.

“Valentine?”

Judging by the splendid imperial uniform it wore, it was clearly Valentine.

She had said she wanted a custom-made magic doll and had even placed a special order. So why had she made a Valentine doll instead?

Damon had assumed she wanted a doll that looked exactly like him to keep in her bedroom, so this left him speechless.

At that moment, Aileen’s words came to mind.

“Clarissa has been flirting with His Highness Valentine.”

“You don’t plan to keep living with a woman who cheats on you, do you?”

Back then, Damon hadn’t paid any attention to Aileen’s words.

After all, Aileen often fabricated lies to trap Clarissa.

But now, staring at a doll modeled so perfectly after Valentine’s hair and eye color, Damon found himself thinking.

It seemed there really might be something between Clarissa and Valentine.

‘How unpleasant!’

Still, there was no way the two of them had developed romantic feelings, as Aileen claimed.

Then… friendship? Whatever it was, if it interfered with his plans, he would have to stop it.

And he also needed to find out what Clarissa and Murray had talked about—and why her left ring finger was wrapped in a bandage.

Damon reached out and took Clarissa’s hand. He intended to read her memories through clairvoyance.

【That will be 3,800 won. Do you have a discount or membership card?】

Startled, Damon let go of her hand.

‘What was that just now?’

It was an unfamiliar place.

Filled with strange objects he had never seen before. And the man reflected in her eyes had black hair and black eyes—an appearance of a race that didn’t exist in this world.

“Is she dreaming?”

Damon reached for her hand again.

At that moment, Clarissa let out a soft groan and her body slumped forward—right into his chest.

“This is troublesome.”

Her breath against his neck was burning hot. Her body in his arms felt like a furnace.

“Mmm… Damon… so handsome. My favorite character…”

Muttering nonsense, Clarissa burrowed deeper into his embrace.

Damon, who already ran warm by nature, felt his chest grow even tighter.

Still, he couldn’t bring himself to push away Clarissa, who was clearly delirious with fever.

‘She can’t get sick right now.’

At the eve-of-engagement party for Crown Prince Valentine, he needed to appear affectionate with Clarissa.

That way, while Duke Rackton was at ease, Damon planned to retrieve the grimoire.

The magical tome that contained the sealed power of Count Rochen—the sacred relic his father had protected until his dying breath.

Once Damon obtained the grimoire, he would fully inherit the power of Rochen.

For that grand plan to succeed, Clarissa had to attend the engagement event healthy and play her role as Baroness Craig perfectly.

‘You told me to use you, Clarissa. That was the condition of our marriage.’

The only reason he was worried about her illness was because he feared she might not be able to attend the party.

It was deep into the night, and the carriage moved slowly. It would take quite a while to reach the Middletown estate.

“Annoying!”

In the end, Damon used magic to create an ice pack and placed it on her forehead. When that didn’t seem enough, he blew cold wind from his palm toward her.

Perhaps thanks to the ice pack and cool breeze, Clarissa’s furrowed brow gradually smoothed out.

“Damon is totally my type. I’m crazy for sexy villains.”

Clarissa mumbled with a smile.

For a moment, Damon wondered if she was pretending to be asleep, but it didn’t seem that way.

‘Looks like I’m appearing in her strange dream as well.’

Though irritated, Damon continued to blow cool air toward her with his hand.

Several hours later, the carriage finally stopped in front of the Middletown estate.

“Gosling. You were still awake. Escort Madam inside.”

After giving the order to the butler who had come out to greet them, Damon headed straight inside.

“Have a peaceful night.”

“I need to go out again.”

With that, Damon disappeared.

“Going out again at this hour…?”

Muttering to himself, Gosling opened the carriage door to help Clarissa down.

At that moment, a blast of freezing cold air poured out from inside the carriage.

“Ugh! What on earth—Madam! Madam!”

Clarissa, who had been sleeping peacefully, opened her eyes.

“Gosling? We’re already home? Ah, I slept well.”

“You slept well… in such a freezing carriage?”

“Freezing? What are you talking about? It’s so warm.”

Her forehead and neck were damp with sweat, as if her fever had broken.

Wiping it away with a handkerchief, Clarissa stepped out of the carriage.

“Wow, I feel great. I thought I was getting sick, but my body feels so light.”

Humming cheerfully, she went inside.

Watching her, the butler tilted his head in confusion.

“She looks healthier than when she left. Did something good happen?”

Back in my room, I wanted to wash up with warm water.

“Miranda, could you prepare my bath? Make the water warmer than usual.”

Even though my fever was gone, my hands and face felt strangely cold.

“Yes, Madam.”

While Miranda prepared the bath, I rested briefly.

Then—

Tap, tap.

A sound came from the window.

When I looked, a pigeon was perched on the terrace railing.

“Why is a pigeon awake at this hour?”

I opened the door to the terrace, and the pigeon fluttered over to me.

[I’ve been waiting forever. Coo. I’m exhausted.]

[You were waiting for me?]

[Take this. Coo.]

The pigeon stuck out its leg.

“A carrier pigeon? Who would send one to me? Oh!”

Tied to its leg was a letter stamped with the imperial eagle seal.

“Looks like Valentine sent it.”

No wonder the pigeon seemed unusually dignified.

The letter read:

I will forgive your rudeness. Recover quickly.

After reading it, I smiled.

The coachman must have done his job well. Valentine had likely heard everything—including Aileen’s insults and Damon’s behavior.

“Good.”

Now the magical sword was practically in my hands.

[Good job. It’s too late to go back now, so sleep here and return to the palace in the morning.]

[Just give me food and water. I’m tired. Coo.]

The pigeon flew into my room and settled on the sofa cushion.

“Looks like I’ll be hosting a royal pigeon tonight.”

Still, I felt happy. Everything seemed to be going my way.

The day of Valentine and Aileen’s engagement eve party arrived.

The ceremony would be held at the palace the next day, so there was no real need for a party beforehand.

But Duke Rackton insisted on hosting one anyway.

It was likely to flaunt his power, gather loyal followers, and perhaps even receive gifts and bribes to make up for losses from the failed salt trade.

I opened the window and smiled at the gloomy sky.

“Looks like it might rain.”

Miranda nodded.

“More like a storm.”

Preparing for rain, I handed her my coat.

“Bring yours too. Otherwise, you’ll end up soaked like a drowned rat.”

The coat was tightly woven to repel rain—though it could get uncomfortably hot. Luckily, the weather was cool today.

“I’ll go get mine, then.”

“I’ll wait in the lobby.”

As we left the bedroom, Miranda hesitated.

“Madam… shouldn’t you wear the necklace Master gave you? It was his first gift since your marriage.”

“Was it a necklace?”