Thankfully. For Aslin, truly thankfully.

The awkward, sympathy-filled stares from everyone around her didn’t last as long as she feared.

The duke family’s physician, led in by the servants, had quickly arrived at her bedroom.

He gently removed the damp cloth Endymion had placed on her forehead and began a thorough examination, checking her temperature and overall condition, only to start tilting his head in confusion.

Seeing the doctor’s puzzled expression made Endymion uneasy. He approached the doctor to ask about her condition, but the doctor merely raised his hand to silence Endymion before leaning in to whisper.

At first, Endymion simply nodded in silent agreement, but partway through the doctor’s whispering, the physician added something with a mischievous smile. The moment those words hit him, Endymion’s reaction was startling. He shook his head fervently, as though he’d been struck by lightning.

Though her eyes were closed, Aslin could sense what was going on. She was just as baffled by Endymion’s reaction, yet the doctor’s next words, paired with his serene smile, quickly cleared up the confusion.

“Rest assured, there’s nothing wrong. It’s merely the aftereffect of something that happens quite commonly between married couples. No need to worry.”

At that, a silent scream of “Nooo!” echoed in Aslin’s heart as she instantly realized why Endymion had reacted the way he did.

Because, really, if such a thing had happened between them, she might feel embarrassed but not wronged. However, they hadn’t even properly held hands, and the only thing keeping her from falling asleep was the fluttering feeling caused by her husband’s solid presence beside her.

She wanted to leap up and confront the doctor for making such a presumptuous diagnosis, but…

‘Ugh…’

Despite feeling better after the fever had lessened, she knew that if she tried to stand up now, it would only lead to an even more embarrassing situation. So, she stayed in bed.

The doctor’s words brought visible relief to everyone else in the room, even leading the servants to nod approvingly, though Aslin missed their expressions. In any case, she was so shaken by the doctor’s comment that she had no time to notice their reactions.

At this point, Aslin’s mind had crossed a line from which there was no return.

Endymion, meanwhile, covered his face with his hand, as if to mask his unutterable embarrassment. Clearing his throat, he quickly gestured for someone who could remove the crowd from the room.

The person he called over, Katarina, appeared just as flustered as he was.

“Since I’ll be staying with Aslin alone, I think the rest of you should leave. We don’t need so many people tending to someone who needs rest, do we?”

Speaking in a soft, steady voice, Endymion dismissed the crowd, and Katarina, without hesitation, acknowledged his words with a slight bow before ushering the servants out of the room with a simple hand gesture.

Though, given that he was a fallen noble’s son brought to the duke’s house through a marriage deal, it was questionable whether they’d listen to him. To her surprise, however, the duke’s staff respected Endymion’s request and quietly exited.

It likely had something to do with the fact that Endymion had personally tended to Aslin, going so far as to prepare a cool cloth to place on her forehead.

His care had moved the loyal servants who had spent their lives watching over Aslin.

“Last night…how much…” Katarina muttered quietly to herself, her cheeks a bit flushed, as she left the room.

The creaking of the door’s hinge as she shut it was, fortunately, just loud enough to break Aslin’s concentration on Katarina’s words.

At long last, the silence Aslin had so desperately wanted returned to the room, leaving only her lying in bed and Endymion seated beside her, watching over her.

‘Sigh…’ Aslin let out a soft sigh, calming her pounding heart. This nightmare of a night, fraught with lingering emotions, finally drew to a close.

Compared to the stifling silence that had filled the room when it was packed with people a moment ago, the now-emptied bedroom felt far more breathable.

Last night, her heart had pounded wildly, and this morning, unable to sleep from the pressure of those pitying gazes staring at her so helplessly.

Aslin’s last conscious sensation before sleep was the feeling of tension slowly melting away from her body.

No, wait.

“It’s such a relief… that nothing serious happened…”

Endymion’s voice, filled with relief as he realized there was nothing truly alarming going on, was actually the last thing she noticed.

That voice, so sweet as she drifted off, was the final impression she had before sleep claimed her.

###

‘Sleep well.’

Sitting in the chair by the bed, I watched over the peacefully sleeping Aslin, waiting for the heat on my forehead to cool down.

All I had done was place a damp cloth on her head, and yet…

Despite everyone, including Katarina, leaving the room quite some time ago, the feverish sensation simmering at the top of my head had only now begun to fade.

There was a reason for that warmth. The culprit, of course, was the doctor, who’d said various things after examining Aslin.

At first, he had assured me that her body was simply overtaxed, likely due to lack of sleep, causing her metabolism to spike and her heart to race, but that she would recover naturally with rest. I was hugely relieved to hear she was safe.

“…If it were because of that, I’d be embarrassed but not dumbfounded.”

Yet, as I sighed with relief, that infuriating doctor, his expression turning mischievous, had leaned in and, in a playful whisper, suggested that Aslin must have been so out of sorts because our, uh, marital relations had been so intense that the young lady couldn’t even keep her senses together.

His words hit like a lightning strike to the head, leaving me in shock and denial. Trying to shake it off, my head heated up even more.

Even when my mana core was damaged, I could keep up vigorous movements without feeling unwell. But for mere words to leave me in such a dazed state—how absurd!

Then again, given the circumstances, it’s understandable they’d jump to conclusions. The reactions from the duke’s staff who overheard the doctor’s words and nodded in satisfaction were only a small relief amidst the mess.

“Let’s just move on; nothing happened, after all…” I reminded myself of the simple truth that reliving the past wouldn’t make it disappear, hoping to calm my chaotic thoughts.

“Though, I must say… she’s truly beautiful when she’s so defenseless in her sleep.”

I took a moment to take in Aslin’s face, sleeping so peacefully on the bed.

Earlier this morning, her face had been flushed with fever and tension, barely able to hold her gaze steady as she breathed faintly.

But now, her sleeping face was serene, radiating a kind of beauty that brought peace to anyone watching.

Her gently closed eyes looked so soft, giving an impression of complete relaxation, and her lips, slightly curved, were so… tempting…

Smack!

Away with you, lecherous thoughts!

That little devil keeps popping up at the worst times.

The moment I saw Aslin, I mentally reprimanded myself for allowing such indecent thoughts to surface.

She’d been up all night, physically and mentally drained; the least I could do was help her rest peacefully. Yet, here I was, indulging in useless thoughts while watching her defenseless form.

Just as I was shaking my head in disapproval at my own foolishness—

—Was it because you’re an ill-fated star? Or maybe because you crawled through the backstreets to end up like this. Hopefully, it’s the former.

A voice, one I despised more than anything in this world, echoed in my mind, as if explaining the reasons for my behavior.

“…”

Grit-!

I clenched my teeth, trying desperately to hold back the fury that flared up, nearly spilling out as a growl.

Let it go. I had to let it go. There’s no reason to dwell on the curses spat by a dead man.

I should focus on the scene before me and protect the peace of the one sleeping—

—What did you expect from me? That I would treat you as my own child when I brought you into this household? How foolish.

—You are merely a replacement. Only necessary to fill the role my own child could not.

—I don’t care what name you used before, but you won’t need one anymore.

—Shadow… Shadow. No need for a proper name, I’ll just call you that.

Why did that repulsive voice ring so clearly in my head today?

Grit-!

I clenched my teeth again, forcing the rising anger in my chest back down.

Meeting those who became precious to me in the household of the Sword House was one thing. But my life wasn’t something I chose—it wasn’t like I wanted to be born.

My father tossed me aside, took me in on a whim, then forced roles on me that suited his tastes. Calling my feelings toward him anything remotely positive would be a lie.

Grit-!

Each time that disgusting voice crawled into my ears, I ground my teeth in an attempt to forget him.

That bastard. He was better off dead. If he weren’t, I’d have killed him myself.

My mind had been spiraling into a pit of anger and self-destruction, but—

“Mmm…”

Aslin’s faint murmur and the way she shifted slightly broke me out of my dark reverie in the most refreshing way.

She lay still for a moment but soon rolled slightly to her side, without throwing off the blanket, filling my view entirely as I sat beside her.

How should I put it?

A moment ago, I was spiraling down into negative, self-destructive thoughts, but now…

Seeing the gentle curve of Aslin’s lips as she slept—so soft, as if she was faintly smiling—made me forget all the anger that had clouded my mind. Her peacefully sleeping form felt like a warm light breaking through the gloom in my heart.

Truly, truly…

“If only she would have joined society instead of the military, she wouldn’t have earned the nickname ‘Sword Demon’…”

I murmured these thoughts out loud without realizing it.

“Mmm…”

Standing up, I stretched, hoping to shake off the mess in my head.

It’s not like this happens every day. Maybe, with time, I’ll get used to seeing Aslin’s cute sleeping face, and my heart will stop racing so much.

I reminded myself that humans are creatures of habit. Reassured by this simple truth, I focused on making sure Aslin could sleep a bit more comfortably, so I could peacefully close out this third day of my hostage life as the adopted son-in-law.

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“Aslin. What’s that in your hand?”

“They say if you drink a bit of alcohol, it helps you sleep….”

…Forget it.

Who was it? Who taught Aslin about drinking?

Whoever it is, if I catch them, they’re doing the Sword House’s signature sword training routine—14 basic forms, a thousand times over.