Let’s Make Saving a Habit - Chapter 103

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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 103
Duchess Papiope huddled against the cold, clad in nothing but a thin negligee.
Her entire body trembled violently; even clenching her teeth could not stop the chattering.
The tips of her fingers and toes had gone numb, prickling with that peculiar sensation of returning circulation.
Yet there was precious little the Duchess could do in this predicament.
She would need to wait considerably longer for her damp clothes to dry.
Had the attack struck anywhere but her Core—the very source of her abilities—she could have kindled a flame to warm herself.
Better still, she would never have found herself trapped in this cave, shivering uncontrollably.
But whom could she blame for how matters had unfolded?
The fault lay with herself alone, so consumed with finding Lucian that she had neglected all else.
She was deep in self-recrimination, her face buried against her knees, when it happened.
Thud—!
A dull sound reverberated through the cave as though someone had forced their way inside. The startled Duchess reached for her sword.
“Your Grace.”
That familiar voice, that calming presence—they steadied her racing heart.
Upon seeing Aiden, she wondered if her mind was conjuring illusions.
“Lord Aiden…?”
Even the Blue Knights who had been with her knew nothing of his disappearance.
He had not even participated in the monster subjugation.
How had he come to be here, and how could he possibly have known where to find her?
Unless her exhausted mind was fabricating this phantom, there was no explanation.
Whether she doubted the reality of the Aiden before her or accepted it as truth mattered little—he continued his steady approach.
“I have come to escort you, Your Grace.”
“Ah…”
Watching him draw near, the Duchess felt belated shame wash over her and instinctively drew inward.
She had only just realized she wore nothing but that thin negligee.
For one who had never revealed herself in such a state to any man, embarrassment was inevitable.
Aiden, now standing directly before her, unfastened his cloak and draped it across her shoulders.
“…I was deeply worried.”
His expression appeared composed, yet his eyes trembled faintly.
Ah, he had worried for me greatly.
The cloak retained the warmth of his body, radiating a comforting heat against her skin.
The sensation was too vivid, too real—she understood then that this was no phantom.
She hesitated briefly before drawing the cloak close, then lifted her gaze to meet his face, now so near.
Though the Duchess was tall for a woman, Aiden’s considerable height forced her to look upward.
“Lord Aiden, how did you find your way here?”
“I leaped down from the opposite cliff.”
“You know that is not what I was asking.”
Aiden reluctantly opened his mouth, as though the words displeased him.
“Tania told me.”
“Tania?”
“Yes. It appears she used her foresight ability urgently to discover this.”
“Ah… I see.”
Duchess Papiope felt a pang of guilt knowing that Tania had expended her ability because of her.
Aiden lowered his gaze upon seeing her darkened expression.
“…This is precisely why I didn’t want to tell you.”
Yet the Duchess, her mind consumed by other thoughts, did not hear his words.
In that moment, Lucian suddenly flashed across her consciousness.
“Oh, Lucian…! Do you know what happened to Lucian and the Red Knights?”
“The Prince and the Red Knights have reunited with the Golden Silver Mercenary Company and are returning safely. They should have arrived at the Duke’s Mansion by now.”
The tension drained from the Duchess’s body, and she began to collapse.
Aiden quickly steadied her as she faltered.
“Your Grace, are you alright?”
“I’m fine. The tension simply released.”
What a relief that Lucian was safe.
If the child had been hurt, how my heart would have shattered…
Since Aiden had come to rescue me as well, everything would soon return to its proper place.
Nestled in Aiden’s embrace, the Duchess took a shallow breath.
Now that she knew Lucian was safe, her thoughts drifted elsewhere.
Though unintended, the fact that she was pressed so closely against Aiden weighed heavily on her mind.
She forced strength into her legs and rose with his support, then naturally distanced herself from his touch.
She prayed he could not hear the frantic pounding of her heart.
She prayed he could not hear the frantic pounding of her heart.
“The monster attacked near my core, so my abilities won’t manifest immediately, but I’ll be fine after some rest.”
“Are you truly certain you’re alright?”
“I know my own body better than anyone. It’s not a serious wound.”
“You’re trembling.”
“That’s just… the cold…”
At her mention of cold, Aiden unhesitatingly removed his shirt.
Beneath his broad shoulders lay a sculpted chest, firm and defined.
His abdominal muscles, sharply delineated, seemed carved with meticulous precision.
The Duchess, lost in admiration without realizing it, felt her face flush belatedly.
“What… what are you doing…?”
“Please forgive the state of it.”
He then placed his shirt in her hands.
“I’ll keep my back turned. Please put it on. It will be far better than nothing.”
“And what of you?”
“I didn’t fall in the water, and my body temperature runs naturally high, so I’m fine.”
I’m not sure why I did it.
The Duchess spoke honestly what she instinctively desired, without hesitation or deliberation.
“Then, wouldn’t you hold me directly and share your warmth with me?”
For a moment, the flow of air itself seemed to halt.
Aiden’s eyes widening felt like an eternity to Duchess Papiope.
But then.
A burst—!
Aiden held her in his arms as she requested, sharing his warmth with her.
The skin pressed against his felt not merely warm, but scorching.
What was even more surprising was that his heart was beating just as fiercely as hers.
Despite his composed expression, he was actually forcing himself to appear indifferent.
It was far too endearing.
The Duchess could no longer restrain herself and rose onto her toes, claiming his lips.
Aiden’s body tensed at the sudden action, but only for a moment.
He bent his waist to allow her easy access to his lips and parted them, welcoming her invasion.
Pressed together without any space between them, they felt each other’s breath completely.
The stolen kiss tasted impossibly sweet, like biting into forbidden fruit.
She felt intoxicated by the sense of transgression.
The tingling sensation spreading through her mouth numbed her mind.
Aiden guided her gently, as if teaching an inexperienced intruder.
Her wildly racing heartbeat seemed to synchronize with his into a single throb.
After the kiss—brief yet endless—finally ended.
The Duchess leaned against Aiden’s chest, breathing heavily as she spoke softly.
“Aiden.”
“…Yes, Duchess.”
“Shall we get married soon?”
The moment was ripe, and their hearts were aligned.
Though it might seem abrupt, the Duchess was certain this was the right timing.
For six years, I’ve been playing the role of the children’s parent without actually being married to him or even courting him.
I thought it was time to stop pretending to be a fake father.
But there was no response from Aiden.
“…Aiden?”
The Duchess carefully lifted her head to look at him.
His face was contorted in anguish.
“Duchess, I… I cannot possibly accept that request.”
“Why? Aiden, you love me too, don’t you?”
His heart, racing so fast it seemed impossible it hadn’t burst, was proof of that even now.
Aiden grasped the Duchess’s shoulders with trembling hands.
It was a desperate touch that begged her to withdraw the proposal.
“I am not worthy of being your companion.”
The Duchess’s brow furrowed.
She couldn’t understand why he kept insisting he wasn’t worthy when she had already accepted him.
“So then, give me a reason I can accept—right now.”
“…You know nothing of my past, Duchess Papiope.”
“I’ve spent enough time with you to know what manner of person you are. Does the past truly matter?”
“It is not merely a question of character. Duchess Papiope, I…!”
Aiden paused to collect himself.
His lips opened and closed repeatedly, each movement betraying the weight of his inner turmoil.
Yet Aiden realized he had no way to explain his refusal of the Duchess’s offer unless he revealed everything.
So at last, he released a truth he had kept buried for so very long.
“I have a hidden child.”

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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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