If I Disobey the Duke

The wind that hides in the tower (3)

Ivan greeted them as he stood with his back to the door. “Lord. Madam. Thank you for the great welcome.”

He had become much more pitiful than she had remembered him. The voluminous dirty blond hair was still there, but his figure was flimsy.

“Yes, that… How are you doing?”

It was an ambiguous greeting mixed with joy and guilt.

He was in training to be a better priest as Vlad ordered because of Lily’s weak body. It was natural that Lily, the main culprit of his current state, felt sorry.

Ivan wrinkled one of his eyes in a humorous way. “I heard the news that you knocked out Shylock Isles with one blow,” he said. “It’s a pity that I couldn’t see it with my two eyes!”

“…Me?”

“There are rumors that you flew up the stairs like a butterfly and beat him down… I will treat you.” Ivan came up behind the bed. Sitting on the chair, he glanced up at Vlad. “My lord. Will you be there for the whole treatment again? It’s good to go out this time… All right.”

Vlad frowned instead of answering. Somehow, it felt dangerous to say another word.

Lily was surprised every time he did so. She was not used to that attitude of her husband. During the early parts of their marriage, even when she was afraid of him, he had never done anything to her.

It was the first time she had properly seen his serious face when confronted with her father. Of course, even then, she was surprised by him jumping off the second floor, but her memories were quickly covered.

Lily tilted her head towards Vlad. “Why is it good for Vlad to leave instead of staying here?”

“Well, divine power is harmful to the lord’s body…”

“Ivan.” Vlad cut the priest’s words off like a guillotine blade.

But it was impossible to have him take back the words he already said. He sighed deeply and looked at Lily. “…Did you hear?”

Lily nodded. She stared at him with subdued eyes. “How far away do you have to be for it to cause a detrimental effect?”

There was no need to ask why and how fatal it was. There was no one who didn’t know that demonic and divine powers were opposites.

“Unless you are a high priest, it is not very lethal. Never mind.”

When Vlad answered indifferently, her breathing stopped abruptly. Her pulse accelerated sharply.

It can be fatal.

Everyone who knew Vlad never said such a word to anyone. Even though Lily was startled, he was quiet.

It was as if he had become a being who was not afraid of any threats and did not suffer any injuries. He acted like that

But it was harmful, even fatal. Those two words gripped her mind.

Her hair stood up all over her body. A tight tension gripped her heart. “Tell me honestly. Please.”

Lily had no intention of negotiating this time. Having read the determination in her eyes, Vlad murmured resignedly, “…I must at least leave outside completely to have no effect,” he bluntly confessed. Since she asked him to answer honestly, he had no choice but to do so.

Ivan has been a very high priest before. In fact, he felt uncomfortable with him just being nearby.

When he used divine power in earnest, he had to be quite far away to not be affected.

He had to be in an area where he couldn’t even hear what Ivan was talking about with his wife.

Ivan looked back at him and spoke softly, “Isn’t there one or two things you need to sort out right now? Anyway, whether the lord is here or not, my powers are always… Urgh!”

He grabbed Ivan’s back. Lily was startled for a moment and let out a small scream, and Vlad quickly released Ivan.

As he sat down by the bedside of her bed, she looked up at Vlad, pulling on her robe. It was as if arrows came out of her eyes and stabbed him.

Vlad sneakily avoided her eyes. “Didn’t you keep asking things whenever Ivan was with you?”

“…” Lily flinched. Instead of making excuses, she just smiled. In fact, she didn’t have much to refute. “This time, I will only receive treatment. Really.”

A look of disbelief stabbed Ivan in the back of the head. He was the problem, not his wife.

As if to drive him out, Lily strengthened her will. “I will only get treated if you go out, Vlad.”

He gritted his teeth, but his wife wouldn’t back down. After a tense silence, Vlad finally raised the white flag. He stroked his face once with one hand. “Don’t even think about talking nonsense, Ivan. It is the last warning.”

Even considering that they were close friends, it was a pretty eerie warning.

There was no mercy, like the attitude toward prisoners captured during a war.

Ivan got up from his chair and bowed toward Vlad. “I will take your orders, Lord. For real.”

“Come to Cadis as soon as you are finished.”

Vlad couldn’t take his feet off the door for a long time because he was nervous. In the end, it wasn’t until Lily put on her slippers and got out of bed that she was able to get him out completely.

Ivan alone realized that the condition of the lord had gotten worse than before, and he only hated it.

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