150 - Evil Husband (15th Anniversary Edition) Chapter 150
150
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Perhaps Cesare would laugh, Aileen thought. She half-expected him to twist his lips briefly, as he always did, and confirm that the dream story was nonsense.
But he said nothing.
Drip, drip, the sound of water droplets falling onto the surface echoed. Hot steam rose continuously from the bathtub filled with hot water. Her hair, damp with the humid air, clung to the nape of her neck.
Cesare slowly lowered his hand and brushed the hair away. Even though she was in hot water, a faint shiver ran over the skin touched by his hand.
The longer the silence stretched, the more anxious Aileen became. Unable to bear it any longer, she opened her mouth.
“Cesare…?”
Cesare tilted his head back for a moment, revealing his prominent Adam's apple. He kept his gaze on the ceiling for a while, then lowered his eyes again and looked directly at Aileen.
“Why do you think I wouldn’t?”
There was no hint of amusement in his crimson eyes. Aileen moved her lips to answer.
“The Cesare I know is….”
Not that kind of person, she wanted to say. But she couldn't continue. Aileen didn't know everything about Cesare. He was always an unknown entity.
When Aileen trailed off and closed her lips, Cesare gently pinched her cheek. The oppressive atmosphere dissolved softly like bubbles.
“You should wash up and go to sleep.”
Cesare began to wash Aileen again. Aileen surrendered her entire body to his hands. Even sensitive areas like her breasts, and the most intimate parts between her legs. Cesare's hands touched every part of her without exception.
She had been feeling embarrassed since she was held in his arms earlier. But just as her request to be put down had been ignored, her saying that she would wash herself was of no use at all.
He continued to attend to her, unconcerned by Aileen's discomfort. Aileen was washed all over by Cesare.
The bathing was just the beginning. After the bath, he wiped her dry with a large towel and dried her hair.
He also applied scented oil to her body and hair, and dressed her in a soft Night Robe. Then, he had Aileen lean against the headboard of the bed and fed her a late dinner, one bite at a time.
His actions, as if caring for a complete child, made her face flush repeatedly. She was so embarrassed that she could hardly open her mouth.
But when Cesare narrowed his eyes slightly and pressed her lips with a spoonful of food, her mouth would unknowingly open. Aileen had no choice but to accept whatever he fed her.
Born into the noble status of an imperial prince, and currently the Grand Duke of Traon, with only one person above him. In a position where being served was more than natural, Cesare was accustomed to tending to others.
To exaggerate a little, he seemed as accustomed to it as if he had washed and fed Aileen many times.
‘Stop thinking strange things….’
Aileen banished her fantasies. And after many twists and turns, she barely managed to finish her meal. While Cesare was clearing away the dishes and tidying up, Aileen writhed in embarrassment, clutching at the bedsheets with her hands. Of course, she didn't do it outwardly, but only made a fuss inwardly.
After tearing at the blanket to her heart's content, Aileen sighed without Cesare noticing.
‘Come to think of it, everyone must be worried.’
She had heard that the other knights, except for Senon, were far away today and had not yet arrived. They were also rushing over, but Aileen had been rescued and returned to the Grand Duke's Residence before they could.
She thought they would probably be very worried. Senon had even shed tears, and Sonio's eyes were red. Cesare had even said things that were hard to believe coming from his mouth.
The news of her safety would have been conveyed to the other knights, but she still felt sorry for causing them unnecessary concern.
Her thoughts turned to Ornella. When she had last seen her, she was completely unconscious. Her life would not be in danger, but she was worried that she might have aftereffects on her legs or arms. This was because she knew that Ornella had great pride in her appearance.
She was subtly concerned. Aileen decided that when she gave her the Headache remedy, she should also give her an ointment that was good for scars.
While she was thinking about this and that, Cesare, who had finished tidying up, returned to the bed. He hugged Aileen in his arms again.
Having been held in his arms all day, Aileen naturally wriggled into a comfortable position. He rubbed Aileen's face and whispered.
“The knights said they would come to pay their respects tomorrow. You don’t have to meet them if you’re tired.”
“No! I want to see them too.”
She had been thinking about them anyway, so she was happy to hear that they were coming. If she showed them that she was fine, the knights would feel much more at ease.
Aileen leaned her face against Cesare's chest. She could hear his heartbeat through the solid chest muscles. She was listening quietly to the sound of his steady heartbeat.
He stroked Aileen's neck with his hand. He touched the soft flesh and pressed along the smooth bones. It was too bland to be foreplay, and yet it was a rather lingering touch to be a simple expression of affection.
Her body, which had been gradually heating up since the bathroom, became even hotter with his touch. The mixture of fatigue and faint pleasure made her feel drowsy. It was when Aileen was languidly drooping, half-asleep.
“Don’t go to the temple in the future.”
The words fell out of nowhere without any warning. Aileen slowly raised her head and looked at Cesare. He had calm eyes and continued to speak slowly.
“Don’t look for God, and don’t pray.”
“…….”
“Even if it’s a shrine made of toys, don’t go near it.”
It was a strange thing to say. After all, Cesare didn't believe in God. It felt so strange to Aileen that he, an atheist, would make such a remark. It was as if….
‘As if God truly exists.’
As if he was trying to avoid God.
Even if Aileen was buried under the collapsed temple, Cesare would have dug through the piles of stones with his own hands rather than praying to God for Aileen's safety. That was what he had actually done, so Aileen couldn't help but ask.
“Why…?”
But Cesare didn't answer this time either. He simply stroked Aileen's neck quietly.
Her drooping mind slowly awakened. One question was etched in her mind.
What if the dream was real? What if it showed her an actual event, not an illusion?
The moment a sharp intuition cut through Aileen, her consciousness, which had been as hazy as a dream until just now, became chillingly clear.
“Why do you think I wouldn’t?”
“To be able to revive Aileen Elrod.”
Cesare's words in the dream and in reality flashed through her mind, followed by memories of the past, one after another.
“That’s why you’re my nightmare, Aileen.”
Cesare, who had called her his nightmare.
“The nightmare that you appear in. I made it myself.”
“How do you make a dream…?”
“By offering a few sacrifices.”
Cesare, who had said that he had offered sacrifices for the nightmare.
“It’s not because of me, is it? That Cesare… became like this….”
“Of course not.”
Cesare, who had denied that it was all because of her…….
The memories that had been neatly organized in compartments poured out all at once. Aileen stood motionless in the midst of the raging flood of memories.
“I used to have the same watch. It was a condemned prisoner’s keepsake.”
The many fragments of memories that she had not understood until now were pieced together. There were still gaps here and there, but enough to guess the original shape.
And the moment she came to a conclusion, Aileen stopped breathing.
Goosebumps rose all over her body. A huge emotion, resembling fear and despair, but one she had never felt in her life, pressed down on Aileen. Her vision turned black. She heard the hallucination of the ticking of the second hand of a clock in her ear.
Cesare, who noticed Aileen's change, immediately grabbed her face with his hands. Red eyes examined Aileen.
Aileen couldn't pretend to be calm in front of his gaze. Cesare was not clearly visible in her dizzy vision. She just looked at the only clear red eyes and opened her lips.
“That Cesare became like this….”
The words flowing out from within were as painful as spitting out a blade. Aileen asked him with bloodshot words.
“It’s because of me, isn’t it?”
