136 - Evil Husband (15th Anniversary Edition) Chapter 136
136
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[Morpheus, first dose. 15mg.
Odorless white crystal. Taste is bitter. Fever started immediately after administration. Not severe. Pleasant sense of elation.
Emetic prepared in case of emergency. Monitoring progress. No particular abnormalities after 15 minutes. Proceeding with the second dose immediately.]
[Second dose, 15mg.
Slightly stronger fever. Slight dizziness and nausea. Proceeding with the third dose after 15 minutes.]
[Third dose, 30mg. Doubled the dosage.
Severe heat sensation. Dizziness. Proceeding with the fourth dose after 15 minutes.]
[Fourth dose, 30mg. Fatigue. Dizziness. Hazy feeling. Abdominal pain??? also present. Sleepy. Very sleepy. Trying my best not to fall asleep…. Auditory hallucination? Having auditory hallucinations. Oh, it’s Cesare!]
Aileen felt like she was wandering in a dream. When she first took Morpheus, there wasn't a significant reaction. Although she had never taken opium, she knew what kind of effects it had. Therefore, she expected Morpheus to be similar to opium.
However, it was merely a vague theory, and experiencing it directly was completely different.
Aileen diligently recorded her condition in a notebook as she administered Morpheus in four doses. The neat handwriting gradually became squiggly like earthworms, and her clear mind gradually blurred.
By the fourth dose, she was practically half-asleep. Her head kept nodding involuntarily. Aileen scribbled the limp letters while nodding off, struggling to keep her eyelids open, but she was reaching her limit. That's when she heard Cesare's voice.
"So, it has come to this."
Since it was a narcotic analgesic, she assumed she was just hearing auditory hallucinations. Aileen, who was scribbling that she was also hearing auditory hallucinations in her notebook, looked up at the touch of a hand stroking her head.
"Everyone thinks the Grand Duchess is just docile. If they saw this stubbornness, they wouldn't say that, huh?"
Looking at the man in front of her, she moved her hand blankly. The thoughts in her head were written directly onto the notebook. 'It's Cesare,' Aileen scribbled, belatedly dropping the fountain pen she was holding.
Clatter, the fountain pen rolled across the desk. Staggering to her feet, Aileen smiled brightly and hugged Cesare.
She wanted to hug him tightly, but she didn't have the strength in her body, so it ended up being more of a collapse into his arms. Still, it was Cesare's embrace. Aileen happily called out to him.
"Cesare!"
Cesare's eyes widened slightly as he stared at Aileen with a blank expression. Soon, he hugged Aileen back.
Aileen buried her face in his chest and took a deep breath. Ever since she first met him as a child and was held in his arms, Aileen was happiest when she was hugging Cesare.
As always, she hugged him tightly and smelled his scent. It was a scent like a deep, dark forest. Today, there was a slight smell of burning mixed in. Aileen, who was rubbing her nose against his chest, raised her head and looked up at him with sparkling eyes.
A mysterious being that she had observed and studied by his side for a long time, but still had not been clearly identified. Even if she devoted her whole life to research, she would not be able to know everything about Cesare.
Aileen whispered to the red eyes she loved.
"Do you know? Cesare's eyes are the most beautiful in the world."
After uttering the shy confession, she felt an overwhelming wave of sleepiness. She had been dizzy and tired since earlier, so she couldn't bear it any longer. Just before falling asleep, Aileen didn't forget to say goodbye to Cesare.
"Good night……."
Then, she fell fast asleep. Cesare, who caught her limp body, let out a hollow laugh.
"You're good at running away too."
He held the sleeping Aileen in one arm and examined the notebook recording the results of the Morpheus administration with the other.
After counting the amount Aileen had taken, he also checked the emetic that had been prepared. Since she seemed to have simply fallen asleep, it seemed that the emetic would not be needed.
Since she was deeply asleep, he intended to let her sleep for now, and then make sure she never did such a thing again when she woke up.
Cesare sat on the sofa with Aileen in his arms. And he stared blankly at her sleeping face.
Aileen's breath, sleeping with her lips slightly parted, tickled his ears. The light of the sunset seeped through the curtains. The sound of birds outside flowed through the gap in the slightly open window. It was a peaceful moment.
Matching her slow breathing, Cesare slowed his own breathing as well. Then, he pulled Aileen a little deeper into his arms. Feeling her warm body temperature and smelling the subtle scent of fragrant oil, he felt a sense of languor. If he closed his eyes like this, he felt like he could sleep for a long time without any insomnia.
He slowly rubbed his nose against her sunset-colored hair. Just like Aileen had done earlier.
Until he turned back time, he thought he wouldn't want anything more. But greed was endless, and after achieving his wish, he began to desire even more.
Knowing it was impossible…….
Cesare slowly closed his eyelids. And he fell asleep with Aileen in his arms.
***
"Ugh……."
Aileen groaned with a pale face. She had fallen asleep while administering Morpheus. Cesare seemed to have come to the lab and fallen asleep with her on the sofa, but when she woke up, no one was by her side.
Wondering if she was mistaken because of Morpheus, Aileen immediately looked for a bucket. Then, she vomited violently. It was a side effect of a Morpheus overdose.
Aileen looked for her notebook with trembling hands. It was to record vomiting and headaches as symptoms. It seemed that the appropriate single dose should be set at 15mg.
Aileen, who was trying to find the notebook and record the symptoms, felt ashamed of her messy handwriting. Then, she was surprised to find the neat handwriting at the very bottom.
[Fifth dose, 0mg. No further administration will be performed.]
The elegant yet sharp handwriting was undoubtedly Cesare's. It wasn't a hallucination that he had come to the lab. He had hugged her, who was nodding off from the side effects of Morpheus, and put her to sleep on the sofa.
"Ah……."
Aileen momentarily forgot even the throbbing headache and nausea and sighed. She was trying to quickly get it done without Cesare knowing, but to think that he had seen her suffering from the side effects.
She felt like crawling under the lab desk and hiding.
But there was nothing she could do since it had already happened. She would explain the situation to him later, and for now, she had to solve the urgent situation first.
Barely managing to pull herself together, Aileen staggered and gathered the remaining Morpheus. After dividing it into 15mg doses and preparing 10 doses, she left the lab.
"Madam!"
Sonio was horrified to see Aileen with a gaunt face. He looked like he was about to lay Aileen down in the bedroom right away. Aileen hugged the bag containing Morpheus and said to Sonio.
"I'll be visiting Count Domenico's mansion for a while."
It was dark outside the window. Sonio did not respond immediately to the declaration that she would be going out in the middle of the night. The old butler simply looked at Aileen with eyes that seemed to have a lot to say. But he soon let out a long sigh.
"...The night air is still chilly. I'll get you a coat, so please wait a moment."
Aileen put on the coat that Sonio had brought. Only then did she realize that she was still wearing comfortable research clothes and an apron. Her tightly tied hair was also disheveled.
But there was no time to delay any longer. Aileen couldn't tidy herself up and headed straight to Count Domenico's mansion.
Count Domenico looked even more surprised than before at the midnight visit. Aileen showed him the bag she had brought to him as he stared blankly. Her voice, which was badly cracked and hoarse due to vomiting, came out.
"Count. I made a new painkiller. It's not a cure... but it will still make your wife a little more comfortable."
Count Domenico was speechless for a while. At some point, he distorted his face. Thick tears fell from the Count's eyes.
