Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jace, the Duchy’s butler, was one of the people who knew almost everything about the affairs between Astell and Bleon. The first thing Astell did after getting married and coming to the Duchy was to kick out the people who were working there. And instead of them, she filled the estate with her own people.

The butler was one of them. He was a middle-aged man whose hair had just started to turn gray, and he had worked for Astell since she was still the daughter of a Marquis. So he knew where the antidote was.

“Should I call the doctor?” the butler asked, worried about Astell.

“It’s all right.”

The headache was completely gone now, so he didn’t have to call the doctor.

“Understood. I shall be back in a while.”

The butler answered without changing his expression and went out immediately. After the butler left, I turned around and looked at Bleon, who met my gaze with a puzzled expression.

“Bleon.”

I called out his name. And I blurted out what I was thinking.

“From now on, I’m going to use my words as politely as possible to you. Up until now, I’ve only done it at official events, but now I’ll try to do it at any place. Of course, I’m not used to it yet, so I’ll make some mistakes, but I’ll try my best.”

“…Why?”

“You’ve come of age this year. So, as the Duke of Einer, now you have to lead the Duchy. I want to respect you like that in the future.”

Bleon had a gloomy expression on his face as if he wasn’t very happy with it.

“I like it when my wife calls me Bleon…”

“In the first place, not just anyone can call the Duke’s name recklessly. It’s not just me, it’s everyone else.”

“But you’re special… By the way… You know…”

Bleon hesitated, unable to speak.

“What is it? If you have something to say, say it.”

“…It’s hard.”

“What?”

“…Here……”

It was then that Bleon’s condition came into view. His eyes were red and he was breathing heavily.

“Ah…”

And in the place where my gaze stopped without realizing it, that place, where his blood was rushing to, revealed its presence under his pants.

“The butler will be here soon. Take the antidote and it will subside, so be patient.”

I said to him soothingly.

“…Do you hate me now? Is it because I’m ugly?”

Why is the conversation going that way again?

“It’s not because I hate you or because I can’t stand you. It’s the same thing when I said I won’t kiss you anymore. I don’t want to force you.”

“It’s not forced…”

“No. The reason you’re like this now is because of the drug I gave you. It is not your will.”

“…It’s really not that…”

‘Wow…’

He’s been really brainwashed like crazy.

I shook my head, tired of Bleon’s attitude. Then he suddenly winced and cried, then he grabbed my hands and brought them to his face.

“…I-I was wrong…”

“…What?”

I really don’t know why he’s asking me for forgiveness again, so I asked him.

“My wife looked at me and shook her head… I’ll listen to you… Please forgive me…”

Ah, I’ll have to keep a straight face in the future.

It’s not that I’m tired of Bleon, it’s just that the current situation was frustrating. But of course, he misunderstood.

“It’s not you, Bleon.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. And let’s take the medicine. If you drink it, those thoughts will surely disappear.”

To summarize, Bleon was addicted to mild drugs. Therefore, he would have easily responded to a weak stimulus even if he didn’t want to.

“And when the butler brings the antidote, don’t miss a day and drink it regularly. Drink it until the effect of the drug in your body completely disappears. Understand?”

I gave him a strong warning.

“If it doesn’t go away…?”

“Huh?”

“But what if this feeling doesn’t go away…?”

As Bleon said so, he had a confident face I had never seen before.

“That’s…”

I was at a loss for words.

But I don’t think that’s the case…

Since he was brainwashed and abused since he was young, and he was also sexually abused using mild drugs, it was natural for him to think that way.

However…

Ah, no. It’s not that. It’s because of the drug.

Obviously, Bleon wasn’t in control of his thoughts. That’s what I’ve concluded.

“It will disappear. Do you believe me?”

I then rushed to tell him to trust me. Bleon had an inquisitive gaze. Perhaps he was not convinced, but nonetheless nodded his head slightly.

“Yes… I trust my wife.”

“Yes. My husband is good.”

I stroked his hair that was as shiny as gold thread.

‘How is it so soft?’

His hair was so soft and silky that it felt so good that I kept stroking it without realizing it, and touched him. Then, remembering what his condition had just been, I hurriedly removed my hand from his head.

‘This kind of stimulation should be avoided for the time being.’

It seemed that it would be better to avoid even light physical contact until the effect of the drug disappeared. And just then, the butler arrived.

“Madam, I have returned,” said Jace.

“Come in.”

In his hand were several small bottles filled with red liquid.

“Here is the antidote.”

The butler came up to me and handed me the antidote. I got it and immediately took the lid off.

‘No, what’s this smell?’

The smell coming out of the bottle was worse than I thought, it was going to make me nauseous.

‘Will he be able to drink it well?’

I certainly thought of Bleon as a little brother or a child, not a man, since I’m worrying that Bleon might not be able to take his medicine. However, if it was the first time I had seen Bleon without knowing anything, I would not have thought of taking care of him this far.

It had only been a few months since he crossed the threshold of adulthood, but he’s grown up enough that he’s incredibly tall, and his frame was thick and strong to match it.

Astell had mentally abused Bleon, molding him to her liking, so Bleon had a well-built and muscular body comparable to any other swordsman.

That’s why when I first saw him before the memories flooded in, I was embarrassed and flustered because he felt like a fully grown man. But when Astell’s memories completely took over, Bleon was starting to feel more like a younger brother to me than a man.

“Bring me some candy.”

I ordered the butler to bring candy to feed Bleon.

“Yes. Understood.”

The butler left and I turned to Bleon.

“Let’s eat it later. It smells bad, so I think it would be better to eat the candy after drinking this.”

“How is it?”

Curiously, Bleon sniffed the bottle in my hand. I expected him to frown and be startled by the smell just like me. However, Bleon’s face was very calm with no change in expression.

“I think I can drink it…”

“Oh? Really?”

“Yes. I’ll just drink it. Instead…”

Bleon hesitated without speaking again. He looked at me for fear that it would bother me.

“Instead? You don’t need to be conscious of my reactions anymore. You can say whatever you want.”

I felt sorry for him again, so I encouraged him. Then, Bleon said in a hoarse voice, as if he had gained confidence because of my words.

“If I drink it well, please kiss me instead of giving me candy…”

“What?”

Why do you keep asking me to kiss you when I already said I won’t kiss you?!

However, if I refuse here again, it seemed that Bleon would feel intimidated once more. Now that I have to raise him confidently and brightly, I thought about it and found a solution.

“Alright. Then, drink it.”

As I handed the bottle, Bleon quickly drank the medicine. And he emptied it all at once and smiled very brightly and radiantly. It felt as if the sun was only following him and shining on him.

“I drank it all. Wife…!”

And as his face was about to approach me to receive the promised prize, I held his face with both hands. Then, in an instant, I kissed him briefly on the forehead and stepped back right away.

“End of kiss!”

I smiled softly. But then, Bleon immediately sulked, obviously showing that he didn’t like it.

“…Not there…”

“Then you should have told me. You just asked for a kiss. You didn’t say where.”

It was so much fun teasing him, so I smiled happily.

“Then I’ll say it again… I want to cover my wife’s soft lips with mine and put my tongue in your mouth and—mmph…!”

“Bleon…!”

When I asked him to say it clearly, he really went ahead and tried to explain everything he wanted to do and how he wanted to kiss me, so I quickly covered Bleon’s mouth with both hands.

“I-It’s already over…! And you don’t have to say all that!”

Isn’t he embarrassed?

I was already flushed just by his words, and I was stuttering.

“You w-won’t continue, right?”

Bleon nodded his head slightly at my words. I believed him and removed my hand from his lips.

“But I will tell you clearly from now on.”

“Right. Tell me clearly. But you don’t have to go into too much detail.”

Expressing himself clearly would be good for Bleon, since he had suffered emotional abuse and had low self-esteem.

“Alright. I will listen to my wife.”

Bleon, who listens very well, answered with a very eloquent smile.

“By the way. Wife…”

“Huh?”

“The antidote’s effect… When does it happen? It’s still hard…”

“Uh… It will probably take a few hours…”

“A few hours…? Haa…”

Bleon groaned and sighed.

“You have to be patient. We can’t keep living like this. Bleon.”

“I’m happy to live like this. If I stay beside my wife…”