***
The first thing Lily did with the young Damian was to take the child out into the garden.
After reviving Cedric, who was dying, at the age of 12, Lily’s first theory was that ‘people need to be exposed to sunlight regularly’.
“Come on, Your Highness. Come over here.”
Lilian took the young Damian to a small picnic area in the corner of the garden.
A mat was spread out in a place where sunlight and shade were properly harmonized.
Lilian deliberately chose a secret, hidden spot instead of a scenic open spot. It was to be considerate of Damian, an abused child.
“…!”
Indeed, Damian’s silent face brightened as if such delicate consideration had worked.
Lily asked affectionately.
“Do you like it?”
Young Damian hesitates a little.
Then he nodded. Lilian was proud.
“Come here.”
Lilian, who sat on the mat first, patted the seat next to her, and young Damian sat down next to her. Lilian opened the basket with a big smile.
“!”
There were a lot of sweets, including cookies and macarons, and cakes that looked sweet just by looking at them.
“Shall we take it out, Your Highness?”
Young Damian nodded with a flushed face.
“Let’s see, Your Highness, would you like to pick out the one you like the most?”
At Lilian’s invitation, young Damian looked carefully into the basket and soon picked out a cake with white cream topped with strawberries and carefully took it out.
“Yes, then me this time.”
The two of them took out snacks one by one and laid them out.
A sweet smell wafted out. Damian couldn’t touch it easily, even as his eyes twinkled.
He didn’t seem to feel that it’s his. Lilian lifted her fork and poked the strawberry whipped cream cake that Damian took out first.
“Your Highness, ‘ah’.”
Damian hesitated and opened his mouth. He was as cute as a baby bird. Lilian snorted and put the cake in his mouth.
“Is it delicious?”
Damian’s eyes widened and he nodded slowly.
“What would you like next? Take your pick.”
There are countless desserts lined up, and he can try one bite at a time.
In addition, there’s Lily, a friendly guardian who warmly takes care of him.
It was a treat that Damian had never experienced before.
Lilian waited patiently, not rushing the awkward child. Soon, young Damian hesitantly chose her macarons for his next snack, and Lilian fed Damian her macarons without a word.
“Is it delicious, Your Highness?”
After tasting the lemon macarons, Damian’s eyes sparkled like stars. Only then did Damian look a little like a child.
Lilian asked, kindly removing the crumbs from the side of Damian’s lips.
“Now, what would you like next?”
The two of them ate various desserts for a while.
As the fun time continued, it was evident that Damian’s face grew fatter and radiant.
His lips and cheeks also turned ruddy and after a while, Damian looked like a perfectly healthy child.
He’s not a person after all, so she wondered if the affectionate care he received was immediately reflected in his outward appearance.
Lilian didn’t show that she had noticed the change, just kissing the smooth glossy top of Damian’s head.
Damian looked up at Lilian. He started to smile little by little, but suddenly seemed surprised by such friendly skinship.
Before long, young Damian pursed his lips.
“You don’t hate touching me?”
“Yes, I don’t hate it.”
Lilian answered softly but firmly. Damian looked confused, as if dubious.
Lilian smiled, hiding the pain of her throbbing heart.
“There’s no way I wouldn’t like it. You are so cute.”
“…”
With a flushed face, Damian calmly lowered his eyes. It wasn’t empty talk, he was really cute. There’s even a fresh side to him that couldn’t be seen in the brazen adult Damian.
Young Damain used a fork to poke the last remaining strawberries in the strawberry cream cake. Lilian thought that Damian was acting out of embarrassment, but…
“…here.”
“Yes?”
The fork that took the strawberry approached Lilian’s lips.
“Your Highness…”
“Give you. I want to give.”
“For me?”
Damian nodded his head.
“Will you accept it?”
At the hesitant question, a smile spread across Lilian’s lips slowly but surely.
“Yes, I’m very happy.”
Lilian took the strawberry and ate it.
Young Damian stared at Lilian, who was eating the strawberry, expressionless but proud.
It was a tenacious gaze for a child, but Lilian didn’t notice.
***
And when Damian finally came home.
“Wife…what are you doing?”
“Yes?”
On the bed of the Grand Duchess was the person Damian loved the most and the person he least liked.
That means there’s Lilian and himself.
Flipping through the picture book, Lilian curiously looked back at Damian.
“I’m reading a picture book to His Highness before going to sleep…”
“If that’s the case, he’s already asleep.”
“Oh my, indeed. When did he fall asleep?”
Young Damian was sound asleep, propped against Lilian’s chest on the bed, nestled between her knees.
Seeing that peaceful appearance made Damian feel a sense of resentment rising from within. From the looks of it, it’s clear that the cunning thing took up all of Lily’s time when he was forced to leave.
Actually, that wasn’t the only problem. Damian was nervous.
He’s been trying desperately to keep the fact that he’s a monster from being discovered. However, it’s impossible to expect such a high level of self-control from his still-young self.
He might get caught, she might…
Damian nervously bit his lip.
Other people with narcissism could have stepped forward and loved their younger selves more, but Damian was fatally lacking in narcissism and self-esteem.
Therefore, the only thing he felt towards his actual young self was displeasure and disgust.
A stain.
The thought that the stain might reveal his true nature to Lilian made him uneasy and unbearable.
He’d rather become one with that bastard of a soul fragment as soon as possible, but the problem was he didn’t know how.
It was then.
“…are you going to sleep here tonight?”
Lilian didn’t answer Damian’s sullen question and only smiled.
But Lilian tossed the young Damian, who was soundly asleep, from her arms, then covered him with the blanket and stood up.
Only then did Damian’s hardened expression loosen up a little.
“The place I should be is next to Your Highness.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Actually, both of you, but during the day, the young Highness and I stayed together.”
Lilian knew he needed her, even the adult Damian.
“Since I gave up my bedroom, I have to go to His Highness’ bedroom for the first time in a while. Right?”
“…there are times when I can’t tell whether you know it or not.”
Even though he grumbled, Damian believed it. The only thing she’s selfless about is herself and Lilian really gave up her bedroom, so that means moving to another room…
To Damian who thought so, Lilian said “hmm” and smiled.
“…what do you think?”
It’s the first time he’d seen that expression on Lily Islar. Damian froze.
Soon after, Lily burst into laughter as usual.
“I tried to do it like Your Highness, but it didn’t work out. I don’t know if it wasn’t funny…Your Highness? Why is your expression so scary…”
“…wife, come here.”
It was a hard voice. Damian recklessly dragged Lilian away.
“Your Highness?”
Damian clicked his tongue and hugged Lily.
“Oh.”
“Please excuse me.”
Damian strode toward his bedroom, holding Lilian with a somewhat terrifying look on his face.
The Grand Duke’s bedroom was similar to the delicately decorated Grand Duchess’ bedroom, but had a more solemn feel. However, Lilian didn’t have time to appreciate the nuances of the interior decoration.
“Your Highness!”
“I missed you.”
Damian sighed sweetly and bit Lilian’s lips. Lilian was accepting even in her flustered state. Damian, who was in a hurry, calmed down Lilian, who couldn’t keep up with his rhythm and it was only after they shared a gentle kiss that the blood in his head lessened.
Their lips parted, and Lilian murmured, looking blankly up at Damian.
“Your Highness, there are veins on your forehead…”
“Is it ugly?”
Damian asked as he pulled down the complicated chair. Lilian shook her head.
“No, it’s not…”
“That’s good. Actually, this is all because of wife’s request, and I would have been very disappointed if you said no.”
“Yes? Request…?”
In Lilian’s opinion, that was the word that didn’t suit her the most. But Damian, who seemed already half insane, didn’t care.
“Actually, I’m already very upset.”
“Why…?”
Lilian, who had no memory of making Damian upset, tilted her head.
Instead of confessing, ‘of course because you’re circling that cunning thing’, Damian just quietly smiled.
‘Why?’
Her husband’s smile was very beautiful but it gave Lilian goosebumps.
“Wife.”
“Yes, Your Highness…?”
Damian looked down on Lilian with wet, misty desire in his eyes.
“I don’t believe everything that crazy mirror says…”
He muttered, smacking his lips like a hungry beast.
“It said that you can recover if you stay like this. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Who knew. That the damned mirror would be of such great help to Damian’s life.
If Claude, who sent Zagreb, found out, he’d stomp the ground and go mad.
She looked up at him with a puzzled expression, but Lilian didn’t seem to have any intention of running away. Seeing that, Damian desperately consoled himself.
Lilian was his wife, no matter how much the fragments that fell from him monopolized Lilian’s time.
Damian was the only person in the world who could do such a thing.
“I’m looking forward to your recovery with all my heart and soul. You know?”
It was a sweet voice.
He wasn’t purely wishing for Lily’s recovery, but it was sufficiently implied that there’s another purpose.
“My patience is already in tatters from being tested too many times.”
“Your Highness…”
Lily’s face turned red. Damian grinned. The veins on his forehead and neck hadn’t fully subsided, and his face still looked somehow terrifying.
“So please recover quickly before I lose my temper, okay?”
Only she can do this to him.
This is his wife.
Damian was barely holding on to the leash of his possessive desire that was on the verge of bursting to the limit.
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