I Thought It Was the Monster Duke's Fake Sedative - Chapter 62

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 62
The attendant departed with a bewildered expression.
He clearly hadn’t understood a word of what Edward said.
But Rozendale would have.
She didn’t know the ring’s true nature either, but at least she understood what he meant.
The problematic ring was a masterwork the Previous Duke had spent more than a decade creating—a magical instrument capable of mimicking a Sacred Mark.
A contingency, should the day ever come when suspicion arose, to fabricate a false True Mate and prove Edward’s existence beyond doubt.
‘I’ve no idea where or how he obtained the materials for such a thing.’
The real problem was that the Previous Duke had died before completing it entirely.
As an incomplete work, its magical power remained somewhat unstable—the Sacred Mark might not manifest properly.
But if it succeeded, it would be devastatingly effective in reversing the situation.
Edward needed to stake his claim decisively, even if it meant enduring the tiresome spectacle of displaying Luciana to the nobility.
Rozendale, as expected, understood and had prepared the ring.
And Edward, rather than driving the nobles away, had gathered them in the Outdoor Hall.
The performance was a resounding success.
Fortunately, the ring’s unstable magical power aligned beautifully with Luciana.
As if it had been calibrated from the start.
‘The bastard proves useful after all—at times like this.’
He’d never imagined he’d end up seeking relics left behind by that man, much less stumbling upon some magical instrument that might be a byproduct of some experiment or other.
‘It’s finished.’
Edward returned to the present moment, gazing down at Luciana as he whispered.
“Shall we go, then?”
Squeeze.
He was just about to draw the curtains on the Balcony closed.
“Wait, please!”
Luciana’s face flushed crimson as she suddenly lifted her head.
Her dark eyes gleamed with sudden brightness, as if she’d never been embarrassed at all.
Edward froze in surprise.
Slap.
A small hand grasped his face with a crisp sound.
Everyone’s attention snapped back to Luciana at the unexpected gesture.
“Um…?”
“What are you trying to—”
The crowd murmured in confusion just as Edward began to ask why, when—
“…We exchanged rings just now!”
“……”
“There’s still one more thing we haven’t done!”
So saying, Luciana pulled Edward’s face toward hers, trembling with embarrassment.
And then—
“A kiss, please!”
Peck.
The hastily uttered words scattered against Edward’s lips as they met.
A tingling sensation flowed through the feather-soft contact between their mouths.
Her newly exposed shoulders and neck flushed crimson, but Luciana didn’t stop.
Truth be told, she’d felt a pang of disappointment when the priest ran off earlier.
She’d thought he meant to skip the ring exchange and every other ceremony besides.
But if he hadn’t meant to skip them at all, and was instead planning to display them publicly like this—
‘Then surely he’ll do the Oath Kiss as well?’
Not that she’d hoped for it out of mere expectation—
‘That’s not it at all.’
She’d hoped for it. Truly.
When she already knew how wonderful it felt to kiss Edward.
A wedding kiss felt something more special, somehow.
She hadn’t forgotten that this was, after all, merely a contract marriage.
But when else would she ever wear a Wedding Dress and exchange a kiss with a man like Edward?
There was a certain romance to the moment itself, and Edward—slipping on the ring—had been so genuinely tender.
So why shouldn’t she take a kiss or two?
‘And more besides.’
Why not do something more, while she was at it?
A plan she’d only just conceived, though it was.
‘If I’m going to pretend to be his true mate anyway…’
Why shouldn’t she help make that performance real?
Luciana shut her eyes tight and drew a deep breath.
‘Once. Don’t release too much at once.’
Then, recalling the passage she’d read in a book, she carefully let her Holy Power flow through their touching lips.
“…….”
Press.
As the Holy Power made contact, a tingle ran through them like static electricity.
Veins rose visibly across the back of Edward’s hand gripping the curtain.
“Hff….”
Luciana too let out an involuntary gasp at the sensation flowing between their lips—
But she forced her trembling hands to stay firm, refusing to let him go.
‘This isn’t just about the Sacred Mark.’
If Edward had prepared the stage for her, then she too wanted to contribute her strength and make it the greatest spectacle of all.
‘If they see me purifying Edward myself…’
It would be far more dramatic.
Because it would look as though she’d done it not with ordinary Holy Power, but with the strength of a true mate.
With that thought, Luciana moved more deliberately, pressing her lips deeper against his.
“…….”
Even though only their lips touched—no entangling of tongues—
The dizzy tension and excitement flowed along with the Holy Power threatening to overflow.
It seemed Edward had accumulated Impurity from not receiving Purification recently.
Mmm.
She felt the Holy Power being drawn away faster and more strongly than expected.
Luciana anxiously repeated the motion of pressing and withdrawing her lips.
She knew it would look more provocative, but each time their bare skin touched, controlling the Holy Power became harder.
‘Be careful. I have to be careful.’
She couldn’t afford to collapse bleeding from her nose again here of all places.
Sweat pooled in the palm of her hand.
‘Just a little more….’
The moment Luciana swallowed nervously and slowly raised her gaze—
‘Oh.’
Her eyes met Edward’s.
The flickering red light, as if only now grasping the situation, gazed intently at her.
The sudden kiss should have been unpleasant—
Whoosh.
Edward’s eyes curved into crescents in an instant.
His hand reached out and gently held her waist.
She felt Edward open his mouth, softly capturing her lower lip.
As if he longed to tangle his tongue with hers too, but she was too precious for such roughness.
“…….”
Perhaps it was only her imagination.
Still….
The tension that had been gnawing at her nape melted away like snow.
The belief that Edward would never harm her, no matter what happened here.
Or the certainty that he wouldn’t let anything hurt her—it crept warmly into Luciana’s chest.
‘Even if I faint bleeding from my nose…’
She felt sure Edward would handle it all without her having to worry.
Feeling that sudden sense of security, Luciana too found herself thinking without reservation.
‘I want to make this person comfortable too.’
I want to touch him more. And more.
Surely this person feels the same way I do….
Thump.
The moment she was certain Edward shared her thoughts—
Something like the wave she’d felt before traced concentric circles following the beat of her heart.
And then—
WHOOOOSH!
The Holy Power flowing from Luciana harmonized with the Sacred Mark of a true mate created on the back of his hand.
The Sacred Mark erupted in explosive golden light, scattering in all directions.
“Ahhhhhhh!”
Golden dust erupted in a brilliant spray, scattering like sparkles across the sky—a sight that truly took one’s breath away.
“…My goodness!”
“It’s real, it’s real—a true mate!”
Even the handful of nobles who had harbored doubts until the very end began to cry out in unbridled excitement.
“Long live the Purifier Duke Edward!”
“Long live the Duchess, our true mate!”
Their praise flowed without restraint, as though they had never doubted Edward for a moment.
The beautiful spectacle unfolding before their eyes made it impossible for anyone to feel otherwise.
There, amid the crowd shouting and cheering with such fervor,
Sepina descended below the wall, her face drained of all color as she turned away.
‘I can’t believe it…!’
It made no sense whatsoever.
If that experimental subject truly was his true mate, the Pope who had held the subject captive would have known it—he couldn’t have been ignorant of such a thing!
He had always said the Sacred Mark wasn’t ready, that he couldn’t perform the transplantation!
‘Father…’
The Pope must know something.
‘That experimental subject must have used some kind of deception!’
Sepina clenched her fists with absolute certainty.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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