“According to records, the founding Duke was a war hero. Originally a commoner, he rose to the position of a knight commander due to his exceptional swordsmanship.”

“Wow, that’s impressive.”

Nelia genuinely admired it.

It’s natural for everything to have a beginning, but rising from a commoner to a duke seemed quite remarkable.

“The founding Duke started as a knight and then rose to the position of a minister, eventually receiving the title of Duke for his merits.”

“So your family must have produced knights for generations.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

The current image of Duke Hart didn’t quite match.

The Duke had a more delicate and intellectual image than that of a robust knight.

“Can you wield a sword, Your Grace?”

“Huh? Well…”

Duke Hart hesitated in his response.

At his ambiguous answer, Nelia’s gaze sharply scrutinized him. He probably either couldn’t handle a sword at all or knew just the basics.

Noticing her thought from her expression, the Duke added,

“I don’t learn swordsmanship because there’s no need for it.”

“Why?”

“Not necessarily in swordsmanship but…”

Not necessarily in swordsmanship but…? The Duke hesitated.

“…at some point, the Dukes of the Hart family no longer needed to learn swordsmanship. They became involved in other national duties.”

Come to think of it, that makes sense.

If the founder had become a duke as a war hero, they would have continued producing knights, but at some point, they switched to administrative roles.

Moreover, the Duke was flawlessly performing the role of a senior statesman.

Is the Duke’s lineage so talented?

Just when Nelia thought the world was quite unfair, she realized quite a lot of time had passed.

“But Your Grace.”

“Yes?”

“Did you take any medicine?”

“Of course. We agreed to conduct another test in my serpent form, didn’t we?”

Nelia looked at her watch. An hour had already passed while they were talking.

“So why haven’t you transformed into a snake?”

The Duke seemed to realize that fact just then, looking somewhat surprised.

“Now that you mention it.”

While it was good news, Nelia was also uneasy. Why hadn’t the Duke transformed into a snake?

It’s almost like it’s my fault.

Nelia hoped the Duke didn’t think that way.

That thought felt like another shackle, causing her a vague sense of anxiety.

“Today… Your condition must be really good!”

“Well, it’s strange. I’ve never been influenced by my condition before.”

The Duke responded while stroking his chin.

“It’s strange.”

“…No! It’s a good thing.”

Nelia hastily stood up from her seat before the Duke could think it was her doing.

“Let’s end today’s test here.”

Yet the Duke didn’t stand up, merely staring at Nelia.

As if he had no intention of returning to his room.

“Your Grace…?”

“Nelia.”

At the soft call of her name, Nelia felt uneasy.

“I think the reason I haven’t transformed into a snake might be because of you…”

His gaze sharply scanned Nelia.

“What do you think?”

Nelia had thought the same but couldn’t easily admit it. A gloomy premonition told her that acknowledging it might forever bind her to the Duke.

“I… I don’t know.”

Nelia avoided the question by averting her eyes. Then, the Duke stood up.

“Then there’s nothing we can do.”

Leading Nelia by the arm, he headed toward the bed.

“The only choice is to spend another night together.”

Nelia immediately shook her head.

“No!”

There was no guarantee that the same unfortunate event wouldn’t happen again.

The Duke looked momentarily hurt.

“To reject me so decisively…”

But Nelia’s mind was made up. She couldn’t comply with his request.

It was just supposed to be sleep, yet they’d hastily spent their first night together. That led to talk of marriage.
This time too, he had only asked her to stay beside him, but she had no idea how this snakelike man would wheedle her.

“Do you really dislike it?”

“Yes.”

“Really…?”

“Yes.”

Nelia crossed her arms and sighed.

“Since I didn’t transform into a snake today, sleep alone. If I transform again… I’ll reconsider then.”

“Understood…”

Duke Hart stood up with a sullen face. Lately, when rejected, his expression deflated like this.

She was shaken again by his appearance, but Nelia pretended not to notice.

“Goodnight… Nelia.”

Duke Hart forced a weak smile and obediently left the room.

Only after the door closed did Nelia relax.

And quickly got ready for bed. She was too tired from not sleeping well yesterday.

After a quick wash, Nelia changed into pajamas. As she collapsed onto the bed, the springs wobbled.

The cozy bed tenderly enveloped her body.

Nelia slowly crawled and rested her head on the pillow, then tightly pulled the blanket over herself.

Perfect. She felt like she could fall asleep in under a minute.

As soon as she closed her eyes, her mind started to drift, as if being sucked into the cosmos.

And just when she was about to fall asleep.

Knock[Dash].

Someone knocked on the door, interrupting her sleep. One of Nelia’s eyebrows twitched.