Aidan, who usually was teased by his aide for speaking too little, shook his head.
He noticed that the two hadn’t even introduced themselves to each other yet.
‘That side probably knows me.’
Aidan looked at Brody, pondering what to say.
Then he noticed that her eyes were red.
‘Was she…crying?’
Aidan’s conscience pricked him.
His memories were vague, but he had definitely spent the night with this woman.
He had sought her consent thoroughly, but looking at her acting shy around him, it was clear that her consent might not have been wholehearted.
He regretted his behavior but felt a little wronged.
‘I really can’t understand why I feel this way.’
He recalled her scent.
Fresh like grass but also calm and hefty like tree bark.
The lingering fragrance that he still felt had shaken his senses when he had buried his face in her embrace.
Although he had always been hesitant to get close to anyone, he had strangely wanted to approach her.
When he finally touched her, he felt his mind go wild from a sensation he had never experienced before.
He had never spent the night with a woman before.
Not because he had resisted, but because the desire itself had never been strong.
‘But I definitely wanted her. This woman…….’
Moreover, he couldn’t deny that he was quite satisfied.
From the process to the result, everything.
Deep and comfortable sleep, a refreshed body, a clear head without a headache.
As his condition improved, many things became clear.
Even during the moment when he was running around to catch this woman, a plan to seize the fortress that had troubled him for weeks came to mind.
‘What on earth happened, what did this woman do? If she did something, why?’
Perhaps she used some kind of aphrodisiac, but how? Body searches were thorough.
And if she approached because she coveted his Duke’s status, would she stand there so blankly?
Or did she want his body? No, if so, she wouldn’t cry like that, nor run away as she did yesterday.
This woman wants nothing from me.
So, the tea she served him seemed to be the only cause.
The reason for his headache disappearing and what happened last night.
Thanks to his clear head, for the first time since the war began, he felt hopeful.
To maintain this state, he needed this woman.
He thought he should treat her well.
“Are you cold?”
At Aidan’s sudden question, Brody nodded.
Then Aidan wrapped a long cloak made of thick black fur around her shoulders.
Whether it was originally worn by Aidan or not, when Brody wore it, it trailed along the floor.
But there was definitely a feeling of the bonechilling cold lifting.
“What’s your name?”
Why suddenly ask for a name?
Brody, who had no deep connection, stammered out a false name.
“Br……Briyo.”
Damn. Her wit and creativity were a mess. It was too similar to her real name.
“Bri, I see.”
Having what seemed like a conversation with the Duke for the first time, Brody finally looked straight into his eyes.
It was strange to look into his eyes, wide awake.
‘Why the Ice Wall Duke?’
He didn’t seem as cold or cruel as the rumors.
He looked scary when he frowned, but now without the vertical wrinkles on his forehead, he seemed gentle, though still with a curt expression.
As Brody stared at the Duke, he turned red and coughed awkwardly.
No one had ever looked at him so closely. People usually find it hard even to make eye contact.
But this captive woman faced him calmly and leisurely.
She felt a strange sensation again.
“Your Highness, it’s time for the meeting.”
The sudden notification from his aide broke the subtle atmosphere.
Aidan got up from in front of Brody with an awkward expression.
“I’ll be back. Trying to escape is impossible, so it’s best not to think about it.”
Brody’s big eyes widened further, blinking as she stared at Aidan.
She didn’t mean to say it so bluntly. Regretting her lack of eloquence, Aidan turned away.
[This is a time delimiter.]
While the Duke was away, Brody couldn’t leave, aimlessly waiting in the barracks.
Then she would serve tea when the Duke returned. That was her daily routine.
During other times, she nearly slept, overwhelmed by deep fatigue.
The Duke, engrossed in his work in the barracks, paid little attention to what the quiet Brody was doing.
With his headache gone, he seemed to be working at a breakneck pace, as if unshackled, completing his work and finalizing battle plans.
Eventually, the night returned.
‘What he wants is not just tea.’
Brody was sure. The same tea had failed when served ‘just as tea.’
So she had to serve tea with ‘Mesu.’
‘But if I put Mesu in…….’
The Duke, his eyes now clear, would pester her again.
‘It’s better not to create such a situation in the first place.’
Determined, Brody served the tea, putting in more Mesu than usual.
‘He doesn’t sleep with this much?’
The amount of Mesu Brody put in was almost lethal.
Just in case there were side effects, she planned to adjust it by putting an antidote in the tea the next day.
Aidan drank the tea Brody brought without suspicion.
And at the same time as emptying the cup, Aidan dropped the cup and slammed his face onto the desk.
‘Se……succeeded? No, but this much…… isn’t this fainting, not sleeping?’
Startled, Brody approached Aidan.
Luckily, Aidan was still breathing erratically.
Brody, groaning, helped Aidan to the bed.
But something was strange.
Brody grew apprehensive as Aidan’s breathing became abnormal.
She had a premonition that Aidan might actually die.
‘I……I must have put too much in!’
Brody hurriedly mixed the prepared antidote with water, held it in her mouth, and carefully poured it into Aidan’s mouth.
Since it was her first time doing this, and seeing someone on the verge of dying was disconcerting, she kept spilling the water elsewhere.
After several more attempts, Brody was finally able to confirm that Aidan’s breathing and pulse were returning to normal.
The pale Brody finally sighed in relief.
The next day, Aidan got up just fine. His face was fresh, and he didn’t even frown. And he said nothing special to Brody.
‘It……it worked! Just need to control the amount of Mesu!’
She cheered silently.
Once she found the right amount of Mesu, it was time to hand over the formula and antidote and ask to be released.
That night, she served tea with Mesu once again.
Aidan drank without doubt, and this time, with Brody’s support, he went to bed and fell into a comfortable sleep.
It seemed like the amount of Mesu was successfully adjusted.
Brody fell asleep with a proud smile, in a posture turned away from Aidan, who had fallen asleep in a good mood.
But the next morning.
Brody was able to face the grand duke with the fierce face again.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
