Under different circumstances, she would have greeted the morning without any issue. However, with her current condition, it was too much. Thanks to Cascus gently patting the blanket, her rhythmic breathing could be heard.

‘She must be very tired.’

As Atia fell asleep, Cascus, who used to receive massages from her during exercise and rest, decided to reciprocate.

[Dash] I’ll teach you a massage. Later, please do it for me too.

Whenever she exercised and rested, Atia used to loosen Cascus’s body.

[Dash] This is how you should do it. It helps the Marquis recover quickly and feel comfortable. Close your eyes and entrust your body to my hands.

Whenever Atia touched his body, Cascus felt a tingling sensation, making his body squirm. However, one thing was certain: it felt incredibly good.

The places where Atia’s touch grazed were definitely different. Whenever he received a massage on a day when her condition was good, the refreshing feeling lasted for several days.
When Cascus lifted the blanket, Atia’s pale and slender ankles were exposed. If squeezed with fingers, they seemed delicate, barely filling a handful.

Cascus tried to imitate what Atia had done.

[Dash] Try it like this. Press here firmly, then release a bit, and adjust the strength at the sunken area.

Recalling Atia’s instructions, he pressed and released her ankles and the soles of her feet with his fingers.

‘Her body felt much more comfortable this way.’

Atia’s feet were like a baby’s, small compared to his large hands.

Considering how big he had always been, he wondered how slowly she must have grown.

Cascus twisted his mouth, finding Atia’s adorable feet charming.

How can there be such a lovely woman?

Not only her face but even her bare feet were lovable.

With just a slight movement of his fingers, Cascus covered her entire foot.

Distinguishing between joints and flesh, adjusting the strength, her skin slightly reddened as if the circulation improved.

[Dash] Doing this indicates good blood circulation.

Perhaps due to Cascus’s efforts, Atia’s face, who had fallen asleep, looked noticeably relaxed.

Feeling proud of this sight, Cascus clenched and then opened his hands.

‘Easy. From now on, I should do it.’

Always being the receiver, he hadn’t known how good it felt to give.

He couldn’t tame everything she touched like Atia, but Cascus felt he must take responsibility for her, his wife, just like Atia.

Smooch.

Cascus gently kissed Atia’s cheek, who seemed to be in a comfortable sleep.

Shoaaaa.

Only the quiet sound of waves in the calm ship could be heard.

As promised, Cascus stayed by her side until she fell asleep.

Even after several hours had passed since she fell asleep.

On the deck, there were people who had fallen asleep due to exhaustion, those chatting, and others staring blankly at the sky.

No one here would forget what had happened on that island.

News reached Emperor Deluman that the ships had arrived at the palace, and he came to Owen’s room.

Owen was lying on a large bed, taking a rest.

“Ah, you’ve come.”

Owen said, slightly sitting up.

“Lie down. I apologize for coming during your rest.”

“It’s okay.”

“I heard you found the missing 4th fleet. What happened?”

“There was an incident in the middle.”

“An incident?”

“Yes.”

Worried that if he explained in detail what happened on the island, Deluman might consider him incompetent, Owen gave a vague explanation.

Deluman, looking at his son’s exhausted face, placed a hand on his shoulder and said, “I’m glad you’re safe.”

Owen looked at Deluman, who was worrying about him, then lowered his head deeply.

After hesitating, he opened his mouth.

“I have something to report. The Duchess is under a black magic spell.”

“What?”
“The symptoms clearly indicate black magic. It seems someone intentionally cast it.”

“Black magic?”

Deluman raised an eyebrow.

Emperor Deluman was ignorant about black magic. He was also unaware that his son had dabbled in it.

“How do you know that?”

“Well…”

Owen hesitated.

“I came across this information while gathering related information out of curiosity.”

Owen briefly explained and brushed it aside.

After thinking for a moment, Deluman spoke again.

“No, then… Wouldn’t it be a good thing?”

“It would be a loss for us if the Duchess dies.”

“Why?”

Owen lowered his voice.

“She seems to foresee the future. With that woman, we could easily achieve many things. She’s like a goose laying golden eggs.”

After listening to Owen’s story, Deluman’s expression darkened.

“So, in my judgment, it’s better to keep the Duchess alive for now.”

“Hmm…”

A ticking time bomb.

If she dies, they won’t obtain any more information.

Of course, from the palace’s perspective, it would be a good thing if the Duchess dies. If the weak Duchess dies, they could blame the Marquis for neglecting the Earl’s widow.

The palace intended to create an image of “an ugly husband who couldn’t protect his wife.”

‘She was chosen for her weak health, and now it seems she’s under a spell.’

Deluman swept his white beard and looked at the documents on Owen’s bedside table.

The documents were filled with details about the route business.

It meant that Owen considered this matter important.

“Isn’t the time bomb possibly untrue? And is foreseeing the future truly certain?”

“Yes, it’s certain. She was keeping track of not only Your Majesty’s diet but also her range of movement and the diseases she was suffering from.”

“!”

“She even gave advice. She seemed to know what would happen in the future. I was still skeptical, but this incident confirmed it.”

Deluman’s eyebrows twitched.

“Other factors might be involved. If it’s true that she’s under a time bomb spell, someone might be trying to use us to save their own life. Keeping a woman who knows a lot alive could be dangerous.”

Owen recalled Atia’s attire, her voice, their conversations, including their meeting at the reception hall.

“It seemed like she feared something other than death.”