If You Wish For A Married Couple’s Duties

Episode 45.
A Night Covered With Rashes

‘What funeral.
Aren’t I alive and well?’

Leonhart noticed Dooha’s unconvinced face and added an explanation.

“No matter how weak a monster is, it possesses toxicity that’s harmful to the human body.
Those that are frequently exposed to monsters will build immunity, but those that were exposed to them for the first time or those that come into contact with it will become severely ill.”

“Poison?”

“Yes, there’s no antidote to the monster’s poison.
All you can do is to hope that your body will hold out.
If the symptoms worsen, you’ll either lose your mind or die.”

“…Lose my mind, or die?”

Dooha repeated the duke’s words and left her impressions briefly.

“How scary.”

But that was it.

“But don’t worry.
I’m confident about being sturdy.
Even if I get sick, I don’t think I’ll lose my mind or die.”

Just as she was about to give her husband a smile, the head maid entered the room with several maids. 

They eagerly stuffed hot stones and hot water bottles into the bedsheets and the blanket.

The blanket’s interior became warm instantly, and Dooha rubbed her heavy eyes.

Although she pretended to be fine, she was probably tired as she went through a lot. 

At the sight of her rubbing her eyes, Leonhart gave the maids some other command again.

‘All of a sudden, I’m so sleepy.
I can’t hear anything that you’re saying…’

Dooha looked at the wide back of the duke, who has yet to take off his armour, and left her body to the rush of drowsiness. 

 

All she wanted to do right now was to sleep in this comfort and warmth.

To forget that her first outing was messed up by the appearance of a monster, and the daughter of a count that tried to kill her. 

 

* * *

”Someone like you isn’t going to be the chieftain.”’

“Did you think that you’ll become something, just because you’re good at archery and riding horses?”

“When you’re nothing but a little girl.”

A young Dooha gritted her teeth at the taunts of her older brothers.

“I’m going to be the chieftain! I’ll become an outstanding chieftain, just like Father!’

“Hmph, only sons can succeed Father’s position.
A daughter should just follow behind their mother.”

“Yeah, your job is to cook, embroider, and birth a baby.
Do you think that you’ll be able to go to war just because you can ride a horse and shoot an arrow?”

“Just you wait and see! I’ll be a much better warrior than Brothers!”

Seven years after she threatened the older brothers that mocked her, Dooha eventually rose to the final stage that would decide the chieftain’s successor. 

“I can’t watch a girl lead our Tribe of Wind.”

“I’m also against it.”

“Me too…”

If it hadn’t been for the tribe’s elders, who opposed that it definitely can’t be a girl at the very end, Dooha would’ve become the chieftain.

Not that selfish and greedy Nihir.

‘If it weren’t for that, my life might have changed.’

She could have lived freely, instead of dressing up in ridiculous dresses and forcing smiles at a lonely and foreign land. 

Freely.

“I’m truly grateful.”

Though she might not have met that blue-eyed man. 

‘That man?’

Who was that man?

Dooha seized her dim consciousness and rose to the surface.

Apart from gradually regaining awareness, the inside of her throat felt very stifled.

It was very hot.

* * *

“Wife.”

Leonhart held Dooha’s shoulder, who was breathing heavily.

It was because her tightly closed eyelids were slowly rising. 

“Have you come to your senses?”

“…Duke?”

“It seems that you’ve come to your senses.”

Dooha frowned and twisted her head.

It was already dark outside, and only the flame burning in the fireplace was gleaming scarlet. 

“…It’s hot.”

Dooha tried to push off the blanket that was wrapped around her.

But Leonhart stopped her.

“No.
You’re shaking right now.”

I can’t believe I’m shaking.
It’s so hot though.

Dooha shook her head irritably.

“It’s too hot.
Then, I should also take off my clothes.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Weren’t you the one that drank alcohol and tried to take off your pants?”

“…I guess you still have the energy to make fun of me.”

“I didn’t make fun of you.
I was just telling the truth.”

“I guess so.
Because you aren’t the type to say empty words.”

“Yeah, unlike a certain someone, I’ll say what I have to say properly.”

“…Your words seem to have barbs.”

“That’s right.”

Dooha stared at the duke, who was looking downwards at her, and continued. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“What do you mean?”

“About the fact that the woman that loves you will be going to the outing.”

At her words, Leonhart frowned like he had heard something terrible.

“What? A woman that does what to me?”

“Young Lady Pauline.
She seemed to love you more than her own life.
You wouldn’t hate that woman either.”

“What are you talking about…”

“Layla says that men wouldn’t even deal with women that they aren’t interested in.
If you had even allowed her to go boating, doesn’t that mean that you aren’t uninterested in Young Lady Pauline, right?”

Dooha continued grumblingly.

“If you liked her that much, you should’ve married that young lady immediately.
Why did you have to go through a political marriage with me…”

“I’m asking this just to be sure.”

Then, Leonhart cut her off.

“Are you jealous right now?”

“…Jealous?”

Dooha’s eyes widened at the word jealous, and the corners of her lips twitched.

“Why would I be jealous? Don’t say such weird things.”

“I’m not sure.
Aren’t you incapable of saying empty words?”

“……”

Dooha bit her lip like she was dumbfounded. 

After stammering for a long time, she changed the topic for no reason and grumbled.

“I’m dying from the heat, so why are you clinging so closely to me? Move away…”

She raised her arm to try and push her husband away.

But that didn’t happen.

It’s because her arm did not move.

“…What’s this, what’s going on?”

“You’re currently burning up due to the monster’s poison.
To the point that it’s hard for you to control your body.”

‘I’m sick? Me, who has never caught a cold in my entire life?’

Dooha’s eyes trembled.

“That can’t be true.”

“It’s the truth.”

“But I…”

Dooha tried to touch her own body, but failed again.

It was because not only did her arms not contain any strength, her entire body was also like that. 

Maybe it was because she was so flustered that her head started to become increasingly dizzy.

“W—Why would I…”

“Calm down, wife.”

Leonhart patted her arm awkwardly like he was trying to soothe a child.

“It’s hot, it’s hot.
It’s too…”

Once again feverish, Dooha began to speak gibberish. 

At that sight, Leonhart gritted his teeth. 

In fact, he thought that Dooha would be alright before she fell asleep. 

Just as she’d mentioned, she would be completely fine even if she ran around in the rain the entire day. 

But even Dooha, who was naturally endowed with health, was felled by the monster’s poison. 

Not only was there no antidote to the monster’s poison, healing magic wasn’t very effective against it. 

As such, even after undergoing healing magic, she suffered as her fever rose several times. 

Rashes bloomed glaringly on her white skin. 

As a result, even after the maids fell asleep, Leonhart could only stay by her side and wipe her body with a cold, damp towel. 

It was hard work trying to wipe her body without taking off her clothes, and without touching as much of her bare skin as possible.  

 

Then, it became an even harder task when his fingertips brushed against Dooha’s intimate parts.

That’s because his patience as a man was quickly reaching its limits. 

“Have you finally allowed the Duchess to enter your heart?”

At the news that the duke would be personally nursing the duchess, the head maid made an uncharacteristic remark, but he didn’t respond.

Is nursing a sick wife only possible when one has her in his heart? 

This was a husband’s duty to his wife.

Of course, even if that was the case, it didn’t mean that he didn’t have Dooha on his mind.

Though he was aware of it, he just didn’t want to admit it yet.

“…rsty.”

Leonhart, who had been diligently cooling his wife’s body, listened attentively to the words coming out of her mouth.

“What did you just say?”

“…thirsty.
I’m thirsty.”

“Wait a moment.”

Leonhart reached his arm towards the glass of water that was placed on the bedside table.

His arms, which were longer than others, have never been more useful than at this very moment.

He scooped up Dooha and brought the cup of water to her mouth.

However, the water had only moistened Dooha’s lips and didn’t flow down her throat.

It seemed to be difficult for her to drink water on her own.

At the sight of water flowing down, Leonhart soon took a sip of water and kept it in his mouth. 

Leonhart saw a stream of water flowing down, and soon took a sip of water in his mouth.

This much should be fine, so that she wouldn’t faint, right?

Without hesitation, he brought his lips to Dooha’s.

Gulp.

Along with a clear sound, Dooha’s neck started to flinch. 

Though it was just a sip of water, it was akin to sweet dew to Dooha, who was feverish. 

Dooha managed to unknowingly suck in the duke’s lips with all of her strength.

She pestered him persistently, as if she was unwilling to forgo even a single drop of water.

Then, tendons popped out on Leonhart’s hand, which was holding the glass of water.

Cracks formed on the fragile glass shortly afterwards with a mournful sound. 

As if he had come to his senses at that sound, Leonhart carefully removed Dooha. 

But it seemed that Dooha found it insufficient, and whined in his arms.

“Give me more, more…”

When he heard her words asking for more, Leonhart frowned and took another mouthful again.

The act that resembled a kiss but was actually a life-saving activity continued. 

After unhesitatingly gulping until her husband’s lips turned swollen, Dooha drooped down like she was satisfied. 

“Uhmm.”

As the sound of her groan flowed out, she burrowed into Leonhart’s arms.

Leonhart murmured lowly while looking at Dooha burrowing into his arms like a young bird.

“…I’ll have to acknowledge your knack for making someone go crazy.”

Instead of shaking off Dooha, who was peskily sticking to him, he tucked the wet hair that was sticking to her cheek behind her ear. 

The blue eyes that looked at Dooha weren’t as cold or ambiguous as they were before.

* * *

It was dazzling.

Dooha used her hands to cover her face. 

Unlike her vision, which was stinging due to the sunlight, her body felt light like she could fly. 

After coming to the Empire, she’d often felt stiff, but she felt strangely refreshed right now.

“Ah.”

When she turned in order to escape the sunlight, Dooha couldn’t help but utter a short exclamation.

It was due to the duke’s face that filled her vision.

As his face was directly facing the sunlight, it shone like a young god that appeared from some unknown myth.

Even the deep shade that was cast underneath his eyes couldn’t take away Leonhart’s beauty.

‘His eyelashes are quite long.’

Dooha inadvertently raised her hand to try to brush against his long eyelashes.

If the eyelids didn’t just open to reveal his blue eyes. 

“Do you like my eyelashes that much?”

“…I was wondering if you were still sleeping.”

Dooha hurriedly lowered her hand and a brazen smile appeared on her face.

Leonhart stared at her, before a corner of his lips rose. 

“As expected, you don’t have an aptitude for empty talk.
It’s quite obvious.”

“…What do you mean, out of the blue?”

“Well.”

When Dooha looked at him with an uncomprehending gaze, his eyes narrowed and deepened.

“It means that I’ll only go boating with you from now onwards.”