Fated Hearts: Reborn to be His Duchess

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Restless Night

Cassiel was lying perfectly still when Elysia climbed onto the bed.

Since they were husband and wife, sharing a bed had long since become unavoidable. Besides, after weeks of sleeping beside him, she had grown accustomed to his presence.

Without much thought, she settled comfortably onto the mattress, hanging her long dark hair off to one side.

Then, just as naturally, she rested her legs across his thighs.

A contented sigh escaped her.

Comfortable.

Very comfortable.

Had her hearing been sharper, she might have noticed the sudden change in Cassiel’s breathing.

Or the way his heartbeat abruptly accelerated.

Unfortunately for him, Elysia noticed nothing at all.

She simply adjusted her position and got comfortable.

No wonder Mother always liked lying this way, she thought.

When she was younger, she often saw her mother drape her legs across her father’s lap while chatting late into the night.

At the time, she hadn’t understood the appeal.

Now she did.

It was surprisingly relaxing.

Staring up at the gauzy bed curtains overhead, she began recounting her day as usual.

"My trip to Cloudmere Lane was quite successful today."

Cassiel listened silently.

"The only unpleasant part was running into Vaelen."

Her nose wrinkled.

"He really is impossible."

She proceeded to describe the entire jewelry shop incident in vivid detail.

Including the bidding war.

Including Vaelen’s arrogance.

And especially including the part where she tricked him into spending over a thousand crowns.

By the end, amusement sparkled in her voice.

"It was only a pair of bangles."

She shook her head.

"Thirty crowns at most. Fifty if someone was feeling particularly generous."

A pause.

"Two hundred? Three hundred? That’s madness."

Her expression turned genuinely puzzled.

"Money doesn’t grow on trees."

Beside her, Cassiel’s lips twitched.

The Crown Prince had spent a thousand crowns trying to win an argument.

And somehow managed to lose it anyway.

Remarkable.

Elysia sounded pleased with herself.

Cassiel found it difficult not to agree.

Eventually, her voice grew quieter.

The conversation drifted into comfortable silence.

After a while, she reached up and ran her fingers through her hair.

Mostly dry.

Good enough.

Satisfied, she shifted toward the inner side of the bed.

As she moved, her loose hair brushed across Cassiel’s cheek.

Soft.

Cool.

Faintly scented with jasmine.

For a brief moment, Cassiel forgot how to breathe.

Elysia, oblivious as ever, settled back down.

Then paused.

"...Is it warmer tonight?"

She frowned.

The room suddenly did feel rather hot.

Turning her head, she glanced toward Cassiel.

The Duke was covered by a thin brocade quilt.

Perhaps that was the problem.

The weather had already begun warming.

Too much heat could make a bedridden patient uncomfortable.

She sat up.

Without hesitation, she tugged the blanket downward.

"Wouldn’t want him getting heat rash," she murmured.

The quilt slipped to Cassiel’s waist.

And Elysia froze.

Her gaze dropped.

Then dropped a little further.

Silence filled the room.

A very long silence.

"..."

Cassiel immediately understood exactly what she was looking at.

Unfortunately.

Elysia blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Her brows slowly furrowed.

"What is that?"

Cassiel closed his eyes.

Of all the military academies in the kingdom...

Of all the tutors in Hartwell Manor...

Had nobody ever explained basic anatomy to this woman?

Elysia leaned forward slightly.

Curiosity overwhelmed caution.

"It’s... rather large."

Then she poked it with her finger.

Cassiel nearly stopped breathing.

Elysia poked it again.

Just to be certain.

The Duke spent years surviving battlefields, assassinations, and political conspiracies.

None of them had prepared him for this. It was a unique form of torment that made Cassiel feel particularly helpless.

Still unaware of the danger she was courting, Elysia pulled the blanket back slightly farther.

The moonlight spilling through the window illuminated more than enough.

A strangled gasp escaped her.

She shot backward as though she’d discovered a venomous serpent hiding beneath the covers.

Her face turned scarlet.

Every inch of exposed skin flushed red.

For several seconds, she sat frozen.

Unable to move.

Unable to think.

Unable to erase the image now permanently burned into her memory.

Eventually, she lay back down.

On the absolute opposite side of the bed.

As far from Cassiel as physically possible.

Her back remained rigid.

Her eyes stayed firmly shut.

And she looked very much like someone pretending to be asleep.

Cassiel almost laughed.

Almost.

Was it truly that shocking?

Every grown man possessed one.

Then again...

Perhaps nobody had ever explained such matters to her properly.

A thoughtful expression crossed his face.

When he recovered fully, someone should teach her.

No.

He would teach her himself.

—

That night, Elysia had a nightmare.

In it, she wandered happily through the marketplace.

Everything seemed perfectly normal.

Until she noticed the mushrooms.

They were enormous.

Towering.

Monstrous.

Every stall sold them.

Every basket overflowed with them.

The entire market had become a forest of horrifying oversized mushrooms.

Elysia turned and fled.

Only to trip over something.

She looked down.

Another mushroom.

Even bigger than the last.

She screamed.

The next morning, dark circles shadowed her eyes.

Miriam entered while carrying a comb.

"Your Grace, the vegetable supplier arrived early today."

Elysia grunted weakly.

Miriam brightened.

"He brought mushrooms too."

The maid clasped her hands together.

"They’re incredibly fresh. Some of them are huge! Should I tell the kitchen to prepare—"

"No!"

The response came so quickly that Miriam jumped.

She blinked.

"Why not?"

Elysia’s face darkened.

"I hate mushrooms."

Miriam looked genuinely confused.

"Since when?"

Elysia opened her mouth.

Then immediately closed it.

How exactly was she supposed to explain?

Fortunately, Bran’s voice suddenly called from outside.

"Your Grace!"

The interruption arrived like divine salvation.

Elysia practically leapt at the opportunity.

"Yes?"

"The palace has sent someone."

She paused.

"Who?"

Bran hesitated briefly before answering.

"His Highness the Crown Prince."

The smile vanished from Elysia’s face.

Bran continued.

"News reached the palace that His Grace briefly regained consciousness. His Majesty is concerned and sent the Crown Prince to visit."

Elysia fell silent.

In her previous life, this had happened as well.

When Cassiel first awakened...

Vaelen had come to Draevenor Manor.

Only this time, everything was different.

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