- Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Celia was agonizing over the wrapped cake she was giving to the maids. Even after distributing the cake among Celia’s maids and servants, there were only two pieces left.

It was intended for Celia, but because it was in two pieces, she had a different plan.

‘Do I want to take this and find Leonis?’

Two pieces of cake were nothing to Celia, who likes sweets, but it seemed like a good excuse to visit Leonis.

‘No. When was the last time you touched me! Why don’t you come looking for me? What about the curse?’

Celia had a sullen expression on her face as she finally made up her mind to pay a visit to Leonis.

At the same time, the original work would be in progress, and the three evil princes were plotting to aggravate Leonis on the subject of incompetence.

She wasn’t sure if she’d abandon Leonis and run away, but she knew she had to lift the curse for the sake of the future. Only then can the empire work well. If she makes a mistake, Leonis, the emperor, and the three princes will all die, and the empire will be destroyed!

In order for it to happen, she needed to build a relationship with Leonis.

‘Leonis must have married me because of his intentions, so if I seduce him, I’m sure he will fall for it….’

Celia left the remaining cake with the maid and asked her to prepare the tea. She expressed her desire to eat with the Duke.

The maids quickly prepared the tea. Then, Celia took them to the office where Leonis was working. She wondered if anyone would try to stop her, but no one dared to oppose the Duchess.

‘Have I read too much about the heroine being bullied by the maids?’

The head maid of Cardian was a charismatic middle-aged woman. Despite her sharp-looking appearance, she was worried that Celia would be scared of Leonis and run away from the Duchy.

If the maids serving Celia made a small mistake, they appeared to be severely chastised in a place where Celia couldn’t see.

Fortunately, the head maid realized Celia had a giving personality, and she now appears to be less so. A servant waiting outside the office knocked on the door. She heard a voice inside, asking what was going on.

“Madam is here.”

For a moment, It became quiet in the office. It was impossible to check inside because the door was closed, but it was clear that everyone in the room was looking at Leonis.

“….Tell her to come in.”

The servant opened the door when Leonis answered. Celia entered the office with a maid carrying a tea set.

The deputy, Peter, and his secretary bowed their heads to Celia. Celia fixed her gaze on Leonis, who stood in front of the desk. He was making his way out from behind it.

“Why did you come all the way here? If you called me, I would have come to you.”

It occurred to her whether that was what a man who had not shown his face for five days would say, but it was also the same that Celia didn’t visit him.

“I don’t want to disturb you. I bought a cake when I went out. But… I should have bought more.”

Celia looked at Peter and Leonis’ secretary, and they waved their hands.

“No! We’re about to leave because we’re done with our business.”

“Tha-That’s right.”

Leonis approached and stood beside Celia. She didn’t know what Leonis was thinking behind her back and questioned why they were acting this way.

Peter and Leonis’ secretary glanced over Celia’s shoulder and backed away hastily.

“Then I’m finished with the reports…..”

“I’ve got approval, so …”

Celia jerked her head back when she saw the two of them hurrying out of the office. Leonis had a stern expression on his face.

On one side of the office, the maid deftly laid out the tea set on a table. Two pieces of the cake Celia had bought were also placed on the table. Celia didn’t give any instructions, but the maid moved quickly when Leonis’ gaze fell.

“Please call me if you need anything.”

When the maid left the room, only Celia and Leonis were left in the office. The maid had already poured tea into the teacup, so all they had to do was sit down.

‘I can refill the teacup that I’ve drunk, but…..’

She didn’t know how to refill the tea. Celia approached the chair in front of the table. It was very natural for Leonis to follow and pull out the chair for her.

‘Oh?’

It was different from reading a novel and seeing the manners of pulling out the chair. Celia sat across from Leonis, giving him a few more points inside her head.

Leonis felt his heart pounding strangely and frowned.

‘What’s wrong with me?’

It was only Celia who came to see him. I’ve done more with her before, but it never got my heart pounding like this. When he glanced at Celia, she was staring at him.

“What… Do you have anything to say?”

Leonis raised the teacup, avoiding Celia’s gaze. As she watched him drink tea, Celia asked.

“When are we going to sleep together?”

“Heuk!”

Leonis spilled his cup of tea in shock but Celia deftly avoided it. He looked at Celia as he wiped his mouth.

“What do you mean……”

“No, I think I’m in good shape now, so I need to know when to get ready.”

Celia’s words were sincere. You have to send someone to tell me so that I can get my body and mind ready.

The reason she brought this up now was also to see Leonis’ reaction.

‘I don’t think you’ve changed your mind because I’m embarrassed.’

I don’t understand the reason why you are suddenly treating me like a stranger.

There is no way that the male lead of the tragedy novel suddenly had a problem there… Leonis had to be free of the curse to some extent in order to lift it, which necessitated sex with the Montague bloodline.

Their blood was mixed with the blood of the goddess, despite the Montague family’s efforts to keep it hidden. The Montague family was founded by a young man who was associated with the goddess who descended on the earth.

However, the young man betrayed the goddess, and because of that, the sons of the Montague family did not have the power of the goddess. The Montague family kept the past of betraying the goddess hidden because it was not an honorable act.

That’s why Arthur Montague didn’t know much. It was Lily’s task to discover what was written in a few lines deep inside the family’s history.

For that reason, Leonis was not dominated by the curse for four days after he had sex with Lily. Celia is also of Montague’s blood, so her relationship with him would have the same effect, which Celia was aiming for.

‘Whether we live together or not, the curse must be lifted! That makes my life easier!’

Leonis seemed to be imagining things in the other direction. His face was clearly flushed when he looked at Celia.

Celia knew that Leonis’ curse would be softened by touching her, but Leonis did not mention it. From his point of view, it would seem that Celia had simply made up her mind and insisted on annexation.

‘No, it’s not.’

She was personally curious about having sex with Leonis. At the most, she was possessed by a rated 19 romance fantasy novel! Although the novel was devastating, she remembered that there was no scene where Leonis caused Lily to suffer.

‘I don’t remember the scene clearly, though.’

Now that Lily and her have become sisters, it would have been uncomfortable if such a scene came to mind vividly.

“That sounds like you want to talk to me?”

Leonis, whose heart had barely calmed, asked. As he locked his gaze on Celia, she swallowed her dry saliva.

“Yes, well…. I’m married, I’m curious…..”

“Curious?”

Celia’s words reminded Leonis of her memory loss. A woman who took her ex-fiancé’s letter and even ingested poison will not be interested in a relationship out of curiosity. Even if he’s her husband.

Leonis determined that the situation was not bad. It wasn’t that he didn’t feel indebted to Celia, but it was good to forget the memories of her ex. Especially if it’s a man who betrayed her.

It was Leonis who made her give up, and it was the Emperor who made Fabian betray her, but Leonis thought it would be different if it were him.

Even if she had left the empire and fled to the continent with a boat, he would not have lost the woman he loved. If he lacked strength, he would have resisted until the very end.

But he wasn’t the one who was taken away by others. Unless he took it away…….

“Could you handle me with curiosity?”

What are you talking about?

She knew Leonis’ words were not exaggerated because she had read the original, but Leonis himself had no idea! So he was a little bit of a confident person.

Leonis was confident in everything he did, but this didn’t take place in the original. Celia couldn’t understand where Leonis’ change came from.

“I have to try and see if I can handle it or not.”

A strange smile appeared on Leonis’ lips when Celia said that she didn’t want to lose.

“Is that so? There’s no use crying and begging later. I won’t let you out of the bedroom.”

Just try it! With that feeling, Celia stretched her back confidently.

✦ ✦ ✦

She said that, but she was nervous Leonis would ask her to go straight to the bedroom. However, the first thing Leonis did was call a priest.

The priest, who had visited Celia last time, seemed to be surprised by her speedy recovery.

“If this is the case, it seems that there will be no problem in returning to daily activities. Still, it is better to avoid stimulant food or excessive travel, but you have recovered a lot.”

In response to the priest’s joyful voice, Celia confidently puffed up her chest. Leonis thought it was funny.

“Right. Are you saying I am fully recovered?”

“It’s hard to say fully recovered, but… You can do your daily activities as usual.”

Her body was expected to recover in two or three weeks at the earliest, but she recovered to a certain level in five days. It was absolutely surprising, but Celia agreed. She had noticed that her body was recovering.

‘Because the blood of the goddess is flowing.’

Even the priests didn’t notice because the blood was so thin, and it had been a long time. However, it was still a goddess’s mixed blood, so it seemed to have a strong ability to recover stamina. It was fortunate for Celia, who possessed this body.

Leonis also seemed to be quite satisfied. The priest simply appeared to assume that his treatment was effective.

Celia, on the other hand, was preoccupied with something else. If the priests were capable of suppressing Leonis’ curse even with a small divine power that the priests were unaware of, then the divine power would have a significant effect.

But she erased that thought soon. If that was possible, Leonis’ curse should have disappeared without passing it down to him. Leonis’ father killed himself after failing to break the curse.

‘Isn’t that the story of how great the goddess’ power is?’

Even though she herself did not even notice its power. While contemplating this, Celia turned her head and met Leonis’ gaze. He looked at Celia with a strange smile.

On the surface, it was an attractive smile, but Celia broke out in a cold sweat as she remembered the shining eyes of a beast in front of its prey.