The Duchess and the Devil - Chapter 95.2

The Duchess slowly raised her head and looked at her husband.

– Why are you looking at me like that? – he asked.

– You are handsome. Especially your eyes.

Previously, when Judith was scared of Hannibal, the color red only caused panic. But now all the problems are behind us. And Derrick’s eyes were truly beautiful, like a sparkling ruby. Having said this, the Duchess blinked slowly.

“Actually…” Derrick began stroking his wife’s head, “on the day of the funeral, I wanted you to wake up in a coffin again.” I thought it would be a signal that you were still alive. But nothing happened. That’s why I was sure of your death.

The words faded into silence, and Judith sighed softly and fell asleep. Derrick did not close his eyes, just looking at his wife’s face. He understood that it would not be easy for the Duchess after his departure, but he never expected such a devastating blow. The bruises under her eyes became as dark as if mascara had been applied to this part, and her face became extremely thin, causing her cheekbones to stick out much more than usual.

Judith had previously been slender and thin, but now she looked gaunt. It seemed to Derrick that if he touched her even a little, the Duchess would break. Therefore, every movement was extremely careful.

When the Duke saw his wife in the banquet hall, he doubted for a moment. He knew well what Judith looked like, but he could not immediately recognize such a withered body. Among many, she looked the most fragile. The pale face and bruises under the eyes were so strange that Judith was about to faint. This scene made the demon’s mouth open in surprise.

The appearance of the Duchess was direct evidence that she had lived through hellish times. And the time has come to restore the consequences.

In the dream, Judith experienced all the emotions that she had experienced in recent days.

***

Every time she woke up, she was struck by a needle-sharp headache. This was due to terrible nightmares and memories of the past. The Duchess could not sleep peacefully, which is why her consciousness was in an eternal fog. However, today, surprisingly, there was no such terrible feeling.

Judith, who was lying on the bed, rubbed her eyes and shook her head as she began to remember what happened last night. Now she was lying on the bed alone. Derrick left while the Duchess was sleeping.

– I could say goodbye…

And although Derrick took care of her at night, now Duchess was sad, because he disappeared without saying anything. Trying to erase the negative thoughts, she stood up from the bed and stopped when she felt something strange in her neck. Raising her hand to her throat, Judith felt an unfamiliar necklace. She got out of bed and went to the mirror. It was a gift that Derrick had already given her. Hannibal once broke a beautiful ruby ​​necklace.

And only one person on the entire planet could do something like that. Judith smiled involuntarily, looking at herself in the mirror. Even though Derrick wasn’t there, his gift was with her. Returning to the bed, the Duchess saw a small tray and a piece of paper on the table. Opening the lid, she was surprised: on the plate were fresh fruits that had just been thoroughly washed. Judith unfolded the paper:

– I need to take care of work. Don’t take off the necklace,” it was engraved in neat handwriting.

The Duchess looked at the letter for a long time. It was proof that everything that happened was not her fantasy or hallucinations. This warm fact warmed the shackled heart. Looking at the fruit, Judith imagined how the demon himself had prepared it. This thought even gave her an appetite.

Taking a golden fork, she pricked a juicy peach. This was different from her usual hesitation before eating and her fear of spitting out what she had eaten. Taking a careful bite of the peach, Judith felt the juicy taste of the fruit. Gradually, the Duchess began to return to her usual state, getting rid of lack of sleep and an eating disorder.

No matter how much she could taste, her stomach still remained small in size. Therefore, Judith could not eat everything that was on the tray. However, more than a third was already missing. And even this was a huge achievement.

– But what are you going to do? – The Duchess put down her fork, still puzzled by Derrick’s message.

She couldn’t understand what a demon could do in the human world.

“We need to ask him about this later,” with these words Judith folded the note and put it in the locker.