<Chapter 32>

While his chest and abdomen were partially covered, the entire left side of his waist was layered with scales. They resembled a suit of armor.

Extending his long index finger, Temenos carefully traced the individual scales, one by one. Without hesitation, he sharpened his nail and tore a scale off.

A drop of blood dripped from where the scale had fallen, but only briefly. The wound quickly healed, and a new scale grew in its place.

As a child, he had once torn off the scales until his hands were bloodied, desperate to stop them from regrowing.

But by the next morning, the scales would always return, as if to remind him not to dream of freedom from the divine punishment inflicted upon him.

A memory from his childhood flashed through Temenos’s mind.

“These scales… I must rip them all off…”

The first person to attempt removing the scales from Temenos’ body had been his father.

Even though he knew they would grow back, his father relentlessly plucked them, doing so until Temenos’ body had grown too tough for an ordinary person to manage.

Temenos had believed that the fear in his father’s eyes had been directed at him—his very existence.

But he was wrong.

What his father feared was not Temenos himself but the revelation of a certain truth tied to his existence.

That truth became clear to Temenos on the day of his parents’ funeral, when he saw the scales sprouting from his father’s back.

At that moment, he also understood why his mother had killed his father and taken her own life: she had discovered the scales on her husband’s back too late.

Fortunately, his father had managed to keep the scales well-hidden. They were small and located in a place where they could be concealed without much effort.

But when Temenos was born—covered from head to toe in scales that couldn’t be hidden no matter how much he wrapped himself—

His father must have been terrified that his secret would be exposed. That was why he had cursed and mistreated his only son so harshly.

“You’re the monster. I’m not the monster.” 

‘Well, of course, he’d think that way,’ Temenos thought bitterly. ‘After all, he only had a few scales while I’ve got hundreds.’

Temenos ran a hand over his scales and wondered.

Inosensia, who could look at his scaled face and still say he was handsome without hesitation. Inosensia, who embraced his left forearm without flinching.

Would she look at the rest of his body with the same indifference?

‘If she really could……’

Would he be able to have a normal marital relationship like everyone else? Like what he’d seen in the book he had read yesterday?

“Shh, it’s okay. I know it’s your first time.”

“W-wait! Wait, Saintess. I’m not sure what you’re trying to do, but I’m certain we shouldn’t. Please, come down.”

“You don’t understand, do you? It’s fine. I know everything. You just need to lie still.”

“Ahem, ahem.”

Suddenly, an itch in his chest forced Temenos to cough. After a few fits, he glanced at the bottom drawer of his desk.

‘So that’s what a “marital relationship” entails… I only found out after reading that book.’

Could Inosensia, who was raised as a Saintess candidate in the Great Temple, possibly understand what happens on the “first night”? Especially when she’s lost her memory?

Even though her gaze on my body had been suggestive, and her touch unmistakably bold, she likely knew nothing beyond that.

If that is true…

‘Would I have to… teach her?’

Fortunately, there is still time before the wedding.

Convincing himself that it was to prevent any harm coming from her misunderstanding, Temenos opened the drawer, cautiously pulling out the book he had shoved inside.

*  *  *

Before she knew it, only one week remained until the wedding.

She had expected the frantic preparations to ease by now, but they hadn’t.

Her one solace was that her dress, shoes, gloves, and jewelry for both the ceremony and reception were finally complete. Not having to play the role of a mannequin anymore was a relief.

“Prospective Duchess, have you memorized everything?”

“Wait, just five more minutes, please.”

“Your time is up. If you fail this test, you’ll have to study longer.”

Argh…! Extra lessons?

Not even in school had she endured additional tutoring, and the idea stoked her competitive spirit.

‘If only the names weren’t so complicated, this wouldn’t be so hard.’

The test sheet Countess Orman had given her was filled with questions about how to respond to various nobles and situations.

‘If only there were a system window with a people dictionary… I could cheat.’

Unfortunately, the divine oracle window lacked such convenient features.

She had no choice but to rely entirely on her memory to pass Countess Orman’s test.

And it wasn’t just written tests she had to endure.

“Now, let’s have a teatime to practice etiquette,” Countess Orman said.

“…I’ll do my best.”

When had she been thankful that her only option was to become a duchess? It felt like a lifetime ago.

Both her body and mind were exhausted.

Although Countess Orman didn’t seem satisfied with either her written or practical performance, she begrudgingly gave her a passing score.

“There are many responsibilities you need to manage as the Prospective Duchess. After the wedding, I’ll visit you again when you have more time.”

…Can’t we just not meet again?

She wanted to drag David here to repeat what he had told her on their first day.

She didn’t care about authority as the duchess. All she wanted was to hide in her bedroom and live quietly.

“Don’t misunderstand me. What I mean is… His Grace, the Duke, is too focused on defending the North to attend social events. Therefore, the Duchess must take full responsibility for the region’s social affairs.”

The emphasis on “don’t misunderstand” was clear.

The “Monster Duke” had no interest in socializing, meaning she, as the duchess, would have to shoulder all the responsibilities of the northern social scene.

‘I’m happiest when I’m just lounging in bed.’

Why couldn’t I ever be happy?

She trudged toward the chapel, lamenting her fate.

‘Will there be people waiting for healing again today?’

If she treated people and received prayers like yesterday, her faith level would quickly reach its peak.

‘I hope a lot of people come today.’

But when she arrived at the chapel’s entrance, there were only two people waiting.

“Oh, it’s the Saintess!”

“What? Where? Where—! Wahahaha! We hit the jackpot!”

The two men, who had been healed by her before, exchanged high-fives.

“Um, what are you doing here? Did your wounds reopen?”

“What? No way! Even after grueling training, we’re as healthy as ever!”

“More importantly, Saintess, do you remember us?”

“Of course. I remember everyone I’ve healed.”

“Even with so many people, you remembered us!”

“I could die happy now…”

Please don’t. That would only cause trouble for me…

Sensing her discomfort, Monica stepped forward.

“The Prospective Duchess’s time is precious. If you don’t have a good reason to be here, move along.”

“We do have a reason!”

“Yes! Prospective Duchess, we have something to show you.”

“Show me? What is it?”

“We’ll take you there right now!”

“It’s not far, just behind the chapel.”

What could it be? A surprise gift?

“Alright, lead the way.”

Following them with anticipation, she listened to their explanation.

“We took shifts during our free time to wait here.”

“Why? Because you didn’t know when I’d come to the chapel?”

“Exactly!”

“And you showed up while we were here!”

They chattered happily, delighted to be the ones escorting her.

‘Wait, wasn’t the chapel’s rear building under repair?’

The repairs had seemed extensive, like rebuilding from scratch.

“Wow, the repairs are already done?”

Instead of a crumbling structure, a gleaming new building stood before her.

“We worked hard on it ourselves!”

“You’ve been so kind to us. We wanted to repay you, even in a small way, so we helped with the confessional repairs!”

“Wow… Really? Thank you! Please thank the others as well!”

“No, we’re the ones who should be grateful.”

“If you need anything else, just say the word. We’ll help with anything!”

She was deeply moved by their efforts to express their gratitude. Holding their hands, she repeatedly thanked them.

Then, from behind, a quiet murmur reached her ears.

“Oh no, this is bad. The one who does all the work while someone else reaps the rewards.”
 

<To be continued>

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