Chapter 26: The Changed Man

For Xavier, marriage was insanity.  

The previous dukes had attributed their deaths to events on the battlefield, so their wives, unaware of the curse of the Auguste family, mostly became widows and returned to their families early on. Of course, they were not afflicted by the curse.  

However, Xavier’s mother stayed in the Auguste household even after becoming a widow, raising her son well. But she eventually realized that the curse was hereditary and passed down to her son. Stricken with nervous exhaustion, she passed away early as well.  

For Xavier, his only hope was the Saintess. But after the last Saintess died, no new one had appeared for over a hundred years. He had lived a dry, emotionless life, assuming he too would eventually succumb to the curse and die alone on the battlefield, just like his father and ancestors.  

Then, suddenly, Yuria Graham appeared before him. A woman who had strangely caught his attention during the war.  

She had predicted not only the end of the war but also the appearance of the Saintess. And now, it turned out she herself was the Saintess.  

Melvin, noticing the deep and brooding look in Xavier’s eyes, rose from his seat.  

“By the way, I’ve heard rumors that the young lady likes you. They say she even went to the battlefield to see you. If that’s true, you have nothing to worry about.”  

“……”  

“Why are you acting like this? It’s so unlike you. The cold-blooded man who doesn’t care about anything?”  

Melvin smirked as he put on the robe draped over the sofa.  

“Well, I should get going. The temple won’t run without me, you know?”  

He had to announce the Saintess and the oracle.  

Leaving those words behind, Melvin put his black mask back on and exited the study. Even after he left, Xavier kept mulling over Melvin’s words.  

‘Convince the Saintess to marry you.’  

‘Why are you acting so unlike yourself? The cold-blooded man who doesn’t hesitate for anything?’  

Could she really save him from the curse that plagued his body?  

Deep in thought, Xavier finally made up his mind.  

“Rexton, are you outside?”  

“Yes.”  

“Tell the chief attendant to prepare the platinum carriage.”  

＊  

It was a peaceful afternoon.  

I was savoring the macarons Maya had brought while admiring the garden outside the window.  

My back no longer hurt or itched, and the golden star hadn’t appeared again since that day.  

‘Hehe, now that I’ve escaped the big bad villain, should I start choosing a vacation spot to relax? Maybe a food tour of the famous restaurants in the imperial capital? No, I should go shopping first!’  

Just thinking about it made me thrilled! These macarons were especially sweet today.  

“Ouch!”  

“Maya, are you okay?”  

Maya seemed to have pricked her finger on a rose thorn while arranging flowers in a vase.  

“Let me see your hand.”  

I urged Maya, who was sucking on her finger, to show me her hand quickly.  

‘It’s deeper than I thought.’  

I held Maya’s hand, thinking in my head, ‘I want to heal this.’  

Then, like other heroines, a small light would form at my fingertip, there’d be a ‘whoosh’ sound effect, and Maya’s wound would magically disappear, right?  

“What are you doing, Miss?”  

But nothing happened. Blood still welled up from Maya’s finger.  

“Shh, hold still for a moment.”  

Was I doing it wrong?  

I tried to recall how Rosetta used holy power in <The Men of Saintess Rosetta>.  

「When Rosetta kissed the Crown Prince on the lips, his headache vanished completely.」

That was the only line I could remember from the novel.  

Damn it. It required physical contact?  

I hesitated for a moment while holding Maya’s hand.  

‘What if she ends up hating me for doing something like this?’  

She may be clueless and chatty, but she’s kind and a good person.  

“Can’t do it, huh? Well, it’s not like it makes sense for you to be a saintess, Miss. The star on your back disappeared too, didn’t it? Shouldn’t you tell the master about the Duke? A man and a woman, naked in the same room, doing who-knows-what—it’s perfect for ruining your marriage prospects…”  

I take back what I said about her being a good person.  

“We didn’t do anything! We didn’t sleep together! Nothing happened! Maya, stop it already!”  

Frustrated, I grabbed Maya’s finger and sucked on it roughly.  

“Oh my, Miss, have you gone mad?”  

“Just stay still.”  

Why does her finger taste so salty?  

“Maya, did you wash your hands?”  

“Uh, no.”  

“……”  

Oh, for crying out loud.  

“Oh my goodness, Miss! It’s glowing golden!”  

“Huh?”  

Golden light burst from my back, and Maya’s wound healed smoothly.  

So this is how it works? What a flashy process, seriously.  

A Saintess who can’t even do remote healing, let alone area-wide healing—what an inefficient and utterly useless skill.  

“My finger’s really healed! You really are a saintess, Miss! Hooray!”  

“Tch, didn’t you say it wasn’t possible earlier?”  

“I take it back! I take it back! Having a saintess in our family is such an honor. Imagine how shocked people will be when they find out!”  

Right, the infamous villainess turns out to be a saintess. Even I find it funny; imagine how much others will laugh.  

Now, if things go according to the original story, Duke Xavier will fall for Rosetta. Even if I am the Saintess, I can just play the role occasionally and spend my time relaxing.  

But it’s been three days, and there’s no word from the Duke, who acted like he’d send a carriage immediately.  

Suddenly, the image of Xavier’s sculpted physique from that morning popped into my mind.  

‘Those lean, firm muscles were to die for.’  

His triceps and chest muscles looked solid enough to bounce a punch off, his abs seemed like they’d never get boring to touch all night, and especially that lethal pelvic line!  

‘Ugh, stop it. He’s a cake I can’t eat!’  

I wiped the drool from my mouth with my hand and spoke to Maya.  

“Shall we go shopping downtown today?”  

“You’re going out?”  

“Yep.”  

I stretched and was just getting up from the chair by the window when—  

“Oh, Miss! Look over there!”  

“What is it?”  

Maya suddenly pointed outside, her voice high-pitched with excitement. I followed her gaze.  

Flash!  

The glare was blinding. What kind of lunatic attaches a reflector to a carriage—wait, what?  

“It’s a platinum carriage! I’ve never seen one in my life!”  

“What? Platinum?”  

Startled, I leaned out of the window.  

A massive platinum carriage was just entering through the gates. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who had sent it.  

“This is insane.”  

‘What kind of ridiculous extravagance is this in broad daylight? How much does that thing even cost?’  

—No, that’s not the point.  

Did Duke Xavier really come?  

“Looks like the Duke is here to take responsibility, Miss!”  

I slumped to the floor, clutching my head in frustration.  

“There’s no need for him to take responsibility! We didn’t even do anything! We didn’t even kiss; we just… brushed against each other a bit!”  

“Miss, you’re ruining your hair!”  

Maya tried to stop me, saying I should look pretty since he’s obviously here to propose.  

“Propose? No way! He probably just has something to ask. That’s why he’s here.”  

I tried to sound calm, but inside, I was panicking.  

Shouldn’t he be off frolicking with Rosetta? Why is he here?  

No, it must be Viscount Rexton. There’s no way the Duke came in person, right?  

But sadly, bad premonitions are rarely wrong.  

The house grew noisy downstairs. Of all times, my parents had to be out at a couple’s gathering when he decided to show up!  

I could hear the voices of the servants and the butler all the way up on the third floor where my room was.  

Thump, thump.  

Even though my brain was saying no, my instincts as a woman were screaming that something big was about to happen.  

I heard footsteps approaching the stairs.  

Thump, thump, thump.  

As the footsteps came closer and closer—  

“Maya, lock the door!”  

“Why?”  

“Just do it!”  

But Maya just stared at me with wide, fish-like eyes.  

Knock, knock.  

“It’s me, Xavier Auguste.”  

As expected, the Duke was standing at my door.  

“Ahhh!” 

Maya let out a half-hearted scream and rushed to open the door wide.  

‘…I’m screwed.’  

“As promised, I’ve come.”  

Standing in the doorway was a ridiculously handsome man with a perfectly sculpted body.  

Oh, please let this be a mirage. My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would leap out of my chest. It was as if I were seeing an illusion.  

“Miss, I’ll leave you two alone.”  

“Wait, Maya!”  

“I know when to take a hint, hohoho.”  

“……”  

Maya, equipped with her unnecessary and misguided sense of discretion, left the room. Xavier watched her leave, then fixed his gaze on me.  

“Why? Were you waiting for me? Right by the door?”  

“No, no!”  

I slowly backed away.  

“Or are you upset that I came late?”  

“Of course not! Why did you come without notice?”  

“I promised I’d come, didn’t I?”  

“But you should’ve let me know in advance!”  

So I could run away.  

“I’ll keep that in mind next time.”  

Why would you even think about next time? Just don’t come! Aren’t you supposed to be obsessed with Rosetta?! I wanted to scream that at him with all my heart.  

Unlike my nervous self, Xavier leisurely took a step closer.  

“You must have something to tell me, my lady.”  

“W-What is it?”  

“Rosetta is not the Saintess. The priest confirmed it.”  

“R-Really?”  

Feigning ignorance, I rolled my eyes.  

“Are you hiding something? Perhaps a star somewhere?”  

“A star? Haha, I have no idea what you mean.”  

“On your back.”  

I flinched. Did he… see it? While I was asleep?  

“Your Grace! Please, listen to me. I’ll heal you, but marriage should be with Rosetta—”  

“You must marry me.”  

“Pardon?”  

Even from a distance, I could see faint desire flickering in his teal eyes.  

“After seeing my other side, you can’t run away, my lady.”  

“Other side?”  

His eyes curved like crescent moons. Suddenly, I recalled eyes that resembled his.  

Could it be… the curse he mentioned…  

“Are you… Kiki?!”  

“That cat was me. Now you know my secret, so you’ve got one more reason you can’t escape.”  

‘Keep that secret to yourself!’  

The cold, battle-hardened Swordmaster. Who would believe this man was Xavier Auguste?  

His steps toward me were unhesitant.  

Cornered, I backed away further, trembling like a deer before a tiger. Clenching my fists under my chin, I watched as he leaned down slowly, locking eyes with me.  

“I can’t sleep at night without you.”  

The whisper tickled my ears, sending shivers down my spine.  

“Then perhaps you should take some medicine…”  

“No, I want you.”  

The man, who had shed his cold mask and now openly revealed his desire, seemed to sense the turmoil within me.  

“What do you say? Didn’t you say you liked me?”  

When did I ever?! I widened my eyes in protest.  

“T-That was just for a moment! Not anymore, absolutely not!”  

One corner of his mouth lifted into a sly smile. It was an attractive expression, but it wasn’t the one I wanted to see.  

“Doesn’t matter.”  

“……!”  

With a slight furrow of his handsome brows, he traced my soft lips with his fingers.  

“I can’t become human without you.”  

…Why are you doing this to me?  

I’m just a trivial young lady. Please, let me live a carefree life.  

But my desperate gaze didn’t seem to reach him.  

“You were the one who kissed me first, Yuria.”  

That was because you were a cute cat!  

“This time, may I? I can’t live with debts.”