This Life, I Will Save The Duke (20 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 43

“Ariel.”

At the familiar sound of Anna’s voice, Ariel opened her eyes as usual, then lifted the blanket slightly due to an odd sense of emptiness.

When Ariel discovered her clothes had been removed, she scrambled upright in bed—only for sharp pain to surge through her body. At that moment, last night’s memories finally drifted into her consciousness. She had clearly fallen asleep in his bedroom, yet he was nowhere to be seen.

Glancing at the wall clock, she realized it was already well past morning. As she stepped down from the bed to cross over to her own room, an even stronger wave of pain struck her than before.

“Ariel, may I come in?”

“Yes, come in. Wait! Only you—no one else.”

Pulling the blanket tightly around herself, she inadvertently revealed the bloodstained sheets. Anna, approaching from behind, quickly gathered the sheets and gave a faint smile—but that smile vanished instantly upon seeing Ariel’s condition: bloodshot eyes, a haggard face, and red marks around her neck. Anna was left speechless.

“How did you know I was here?”

“The Duke… gave me word.”

Anna picked up the scattered clothes—those Ariel had worn when crossing over—and nearly blurted out something harsh without meaning to. The nightgown, stained with blood like the sheets, was destined to quietly vanish into the hearth fire. No matter how kindly one looked at it, the situation had clearly not been gentle.

“Let’s hurry across. Ariel. Soaking in hot water should help you feel better.”

“Mm…”

After passing through the connecting door into her own bedroom, Ariel had to wait a little longer in her bed. The door she had locked earlier remained shut, so Anna hadn’t been able to run the bath in advance.

In the meantime, Ariel took a pill from a white container in the bottom drawer of her dressing table and swallowed it with water. It was the contraceptive she’d arranged with Anna after resolving to accept him. She knew it wasn’t good for her body—but she had no other choice.

“The bath’s ready. Let me help you.”

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