My Contract Husband Demands a Divorce - Chapter 90

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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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“Shan. Shan! Please, wake up!”
She shook his shoulders, but he didn’t respond.
Leaning down, she pressed her ear to his chest.
She couldn’t hear a heartbeat.
Terror seized her. The thought of losing him struck a far deeper fear into her heart than when she had found him unconscious in the middle of that raging storm.
“No… No…!”
Muttering like a madwoman, she laid him flat on his back.
She pressed down on his chest, screaming at the top of her lungs.
“Someone help! Please, save him!”
The sound of rushing footsteps echoed down the hall.
Without checking to see who it was, she pinched his nose and began giving him mouth-to-mouth.
“Baroness? What happened?!”
“Call a doctor! Hurry!”
She shouted between chest compressions, then leaned down to breathe into him again.
Cold sweat drenched her entire body.
Her muscles screamed with exhaustion, but the sheer terror that he might die if she stopped kept her moving.
Just as the footsteps returned, Shan finally gasped for air.
All the strength drained from her limbs.
Collapsing onto her side, she reached out with a trembling hand to stroke his cheek.
He was alive.
Overwhelmed with relief, she buried her face against his chest.
It wasn’t until the guards arrived with a stretcher and spoke to her that she finally managed to move out of the way.
The Palace’s Chief Chamberlain rushed over to assess the situation.
Recognizing her, he immediately ordered the guards to move Shan to the Guest Quarters.
As she stumbled to her feet, the chamberlain called over a maid to support her.
Then, with a brief apology, he quickly disappeared.
A doctor stationed at the Palace required the Emperor’s explicit approval to treat anyone, so he had likely gone to obtain permission.
As soon as Shan was laid down in the room, Amarynthis began pressing around his body to check his injuries.
None of his ribs felt broken.
They could be fractured, but with Shan unconscious, there was no way to tell for sure.
“Why were you so foolish…? You should have jumped out of the way.”
Tears streamed down her face. Looking at his battered body, she finally understood the phrase ‘heartbreaking pain’ that she had only ever read about in books.
Consumed by guilt, she pressed her forehead against the back of his hand and wept.
Just then, a knock rattled the door.
Wiping her tears, she stood up. The royal physician bowed to her and immediately began examining Shan.
He started by treating the minor scrapes on his body.
“Fortunately, he possesses a sturdy constitution, so there are no major injuries.”
“His heart stopped.”
“I cannot pinpoint the exact cause for that. I can only assume the sudden shock triggered a temporary cardiac arrest.”
“So you mean there’s nothing seriously wrong with him?”
“Yes. You need not worry, Baroness. Though he bled quite a bit from his head, the wound itself isn’t deep. The bleeding has stopped, so he will be fine.”
“Phew… Thank you.”
“Think nothing of it, Baroness. I shall finish treating these abrasions and take my leave.”
After applying ointment to Shan’s wounds and finishing his treatments, the doctor left the room.
Amarynthis asked a servant to help move Shan into a carriage, and they returned to the Huniswald Mansion.
She settled him into bed and sat down on the edge of the mattress.
Then, she glared at him with a mix of resentment and relief.
Was her almost falling down the stairs really shocking enough to make his heart stop?
And yet, why did he never answer when she told him she liked him? Why did he always run away whenever she tried to get closer?
Fiddling with his limp hand, she eventually stood up.
To make him more comfortable, she removed his vest and unbuckled his belt.
That was when she noticed the Dagger of Grand Duke Yulisian, which he had carried around ever since slaying the Demonic Beast.
‘Did he like this dagger that much?’
The fact that Grand Duke Yulisian’s name was engraved on the hilt instead of Shan’s stayed with her.
Once he woke up, she decided she would gift him a similar dagger with his own name carved into it.
And she wasn’t going to let this incident slide.
She fully intended to win him over this time.
‘Let’s see just how long you can keep running from me.’
If there was one thing she had learned from him, it was sheer tenacity.
Steeling her resolve, she went to set the dagger aside when she heard something rattle inside the sheath.
Perhaps the impact from the fall on the stairs had been too great, or maybe it was already flawed, but the blade had snapped.
She considered throwing it away, but since it seemed to hold special meaning for Shan, she placed it on the nightstand instead.
Then, sitting on the floor, she leaned her upper body against the mattress and watched him.
As the adrenaline faded, a dull ache throbbed across her back.
She was bound to have a nasty bruise.
‘When Shan wakes up, I’ll make him apply the medicine.’
She held his hand and was just about to close her eyes.
Suddenly, his fingers twitched.
Opening her eyes, she leaned closer to study Shan’s face.
Beneath his closed eyelids, his pupils were darting back and forth rapidly.
‘Is he having a dream?’
Worried it might be a nightmare, she watched him closely, ready to wake him, when his eyes snapped open.
His expression was completely blank. Those deep maroon eyes focused entirely on her.
“Shan, are you awake?”
She gently brushed his hair back from his forehead.
His gaze followed her fingertips before returning to her face.
“Amarynthis.”
“You called me ‘Baroness’ earlier.”
“Are you still upset about that? I suppose throwing my body to catch you from that fall wasn’t enough to earn your forgiveness.”
“Of course it was.”
Hesitating for a moment, she squeezed his hand tightly.
“Thank you.”
“Think nothing of it.”
His eyes swept over her face and body, checking her thoroughly.
Then, locking eyes with her again, a soft smile graced his lips.
“I feel as though I’ve just had a very long dream.”
“In such a short time?”
Shan reached out and gently stroked her cheek.
Surprised by the unfamiliar intimacy, her face flushed, and she lowered her head, causing his gaze to darken with intensity.
“You’re blushing.”
“Are you teasing me again?”
“Of course not.”
His hand slid behind her neck, cupping the nape. Without a moment’s hesitation, he pulled her face close to his.
* * *
The moment Papilion returned from the Southern Region, he dragged his exhausted body straight to Tristan’s Residence.
“Oh, Phil! You’re back?”
“Yes.”
He trudged into the room and collapsed onto the sofa, and Tristan naturally slung an arm around his shoulders.
“You look absolutely spent. What happened to the traitor?”
“…It was Sir Dietrich.”
A heavy silence fell over the room.
As if to offer comfort, Tristan gave Papilion’s shoulder a couple of hearty slaps.
It worked.
The sharp sting of pain effectively distracted him from his grim thoughts, if only for a second.
Frowning, Papilion rubbed his sore shoulder and asked, “How is the Grand Duke?”
“The same. He still hasn’t regained consciousness.”
“…Sir Tristan.”
“What is it?”
“I heard something strange while I was in the Southern Region.”
“Oh? Something strange? From whom?”
“From Scheit Huniswald.”
“What did he say?”
“He claimed that he is His Grace.”
“Hahaha! What did I tell you!”
Tristan already knew.
To be precise, it was more accurate to say he had sensed it.
After Yulisian was ambushed, Papilion had brought him to Tristan’s house.
He had judged that the commander-in-chief’s residence would be far safer than the Grand Duke’s empty mansion.
Though his wounds healed quickly and Yulisian eventually opened his eyes, something was terribly wrong. He just stared blankly into space like a man without a soul.
If someone closed his eyelids for him, they stayed closed.
Papilion believed it was brain damage or the effect of some lingering poison.
Tristan, however, insisted that his soul had left his body.
It was an answer he had obtained after consulting the High Priest himself, but Papilion had refused to believe it.
But then, they encountered a completely reformed Scheit Huniswald.
Tristan had recognized him as Yulisian from the very beginning.
He had mentioned it to Papilion, but the advisor had brushed it off.
Yet, as time passed, Papilion found himself treating Scheit like Yulisian without even realizing it.
He didn’t object when Scheit spoke casually to him, and he naturally followed his orders.
And now, he had finally heard the truth directly from Scheit’s own mouth.
‘You might not believe me, Papilion, but I am Yulisian.’
‘You’re right. I don’t believe you.’
‘Just tell me if my body is alive or dead. I need to know so I can plan my next move.’
‘Did Prince Kildian order you to find out? To see whether the Grand Duke is dead or alive?’
‘Well, that’s not entirely wrong either.’
It was impossible to deny that Scheit carried the unmistakable aura of Grand Duke Yulisian.
That only made Papilion more cautious.
It could easily be a ploy by Prince Kildian to manipulate the Grand Duke’s subordinates for his own ends.
Because of that, he couldn’t reveal the truth.
‘He passed away.’
It was an answer meant, in part, to test Scheit Huniswald’s reaction.
But the man had remained perfectly calm.
‘I see. As I thought.’
He hadn’t asked where the body was, nor why they were hiding his death.
He had simply returned to the Capital with Amarynthis.
Papilion had felt uneasy throughout the entire journey back.
Wiping his weary face with both hands, he stood up.
“I need to see the Grand Duke. Is his condition still the same?”
“Yes. I checked on him just before you arrived, and nothing has changed.”
The two men left the room and walked down the hall toward the chamber where Yulisian’s body lay.
As they reached the door, Papilion noticed the faint sound of movement inside—something completely unusual.
Startled, Papilion threw the door wide open.
Yulisian was sitting up in bed, staring down at his own hands before lifting his head to look at them.
“You said I was dead. For a corpse, I seem remarkably intact.”
Though his joking tone was as sly and casual as ever, his face remained entirely devoid of a smile.

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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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