Dirty Heart - Chapter 26

“Ugh!”

Every time the carriage jolted, Lionel’s face turned paler and paler. From the moment they departed, he had been so severely motion sick that even watching him made others feel nauseous.

“Tsk. I said I could go alone, yet you insisted on coming along for no reason.”

“…Haah.”

Leaning his head against the window, looking as pale as a corpse, Lionel made Alex click his tongue in disapproval. He had put on all sorts of bravado about how exhausting the journey would be, yet he was the first to collapse.

Even if they hurried, it would take more than a week to reach Saint Agatha Orphanage. The long journey was obviously going to be too much for him, yet Lionel stubbornly insisted on coming along himself.

“Would you like some water?”

Sitting beside him, Courtney held out a bottle of water.

“Here, open up.”

“…Ah.”

Like a baby bird, he parted his lips to drink, but before he could manage it, he couldn’t hold it in again and stuck his head out the window.

“Ugh, ugh!”

Only after retching for quite a while did Lionel finally calm down. Then he suddenly leaned his body toward Courtney.

“Just stay like this for a moment….”

She clicked her tongue, thinking even a sunfish wouldn’t be this fragile, but she obediently did as he asked.

“I think I feel better when I smell you.”

“My smell?”

“The scent you always have. Soap.”

Watching Lionel rub his face against Courtney’s chest like a nursing infant, Alex made a gagging gesture.

He had been making a fuss about how troublesome she was, yet now Lionel looked exactly like a man deeply in love.

‘Isn’t he just a complete pervert when you think about it?’

It really was hard to understand. Lionel had always said Courtney was a bothersome woman. From Alex’s perspective, too, the young duke had never shown even a trace of sincerity toward her.

Even so, he couldn’t figure out why Lionel was so intent on keeping Courtney by his side. If Lionel weren’t his master, he would’ve already told Courtney the truth long ago.

“But Miss Courtney, are you sure it’s alright for you to come along?”

“Yes, well….”

At Alex’s question, Courtney replied awkwardly. To be honest, she felt uncomfortable around him. After all, she had once threatened him, unwillingly, for the sake of the Dirty Heart project.

‘He’s surprisingly easygoing.’

She found it strange that Alex was laughing it off, even though it wouldn’t be odd for him to be completely repulsed by her. Of course, she had no idea that the person who left the handkerchief when she fell asleep under the old tree was none other than Alex Lanchester.

“Since it’s your first time traveling this route, I thought I’d guide you. And I also want to see Liam as soon as possible.”

“As expected, you’re very kind.”

Ignoring Alex’s compliment, she turned her gaze out the window. In truth, there was another reason she insisted on coming along.

She hoped that after finding Liam, there might be a chance to escape together.

‘In the original story, there wasn’t even a part about going to find Liam….’

Things were definitely changing because of her intervention. The oak tree that died due to the nutritional supplement swapping incident, the deaths of the head maid and Vicky, and even herself becoming famous overnight.

But as if to trample that hope, she saw mounted soldiers trailing them beyond the carriage window. Realizing at once they were people sent by the Duke, she let out a quiet sigh. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy.

“Courtney. Stroke my head a bit.”

At the feeble voice, as if he were wasting away, Courtney looked down at Lionel in surprise. His lips had gone pale, making him look like a critically ill patient.

“Like this?”

Though she felt like punching him in the head, her hand naturally began to stroke his hair. Maybe the original owner’s settings were kicking in again, but honestly, he looked pitiful.

“How is it?”

“Much better.”

Lionel closed his eyes in satisfaction.

Meanwhile, Alex, who had been watching the whole scene, wore a gloomy expression. The woman he had a one-sided love for was taking such tender care of another man. Even though he already knew the two were lovers, seeing it with his own eyes made his chest ache.

‘I’d rather walk at this point.’

Turning his gaze away, Alex tried to soothe his aching insides.

***

As the sun set and darkness fell, the group arrived at a small village on the outskirts of the capital. But finding lodging wasn’t easy.

“I’m sorry, we’re fully booked today.”

“We don’t have any vacant rooms either.”

After going around several places while encouraging the unsteady Lionel, they finally managed to secure a place to stay. But there was another problem.

“It just so happens today is market day, so there’s only one room left.”

Two men in one room….

At the innkeeper’s words, a suggestive thought flashed through Courtney’s mind.

‘A threesome angle…?’

For a moment, madness flickered in her eyes as she imagined entangling herself with two men in a debauched scene.

“Alex can sleep in the stable.”

But Lionel’s cold remark shattered her lewd fantasy in an instant.

“What? The stable?”

Alex was briefly stunned, but soon nodded with a bitter smile. He looked as if he had already given up.

“Don’t worry about me, Miss Courtney. I’ll find a place to sleep on my own.”

“Why would Courtney worry about you?”

Even while on the verge of collapse, Lionel still took a jab at Alex and leaned even closer to Courtney.

“Courtney, let’s go in.”

“Sir Lanchester. Then I’ll see you in the morning.”

“There’s no need to greet someone like him. Just think of him as a shadow.”

She felt a bit sorry for Alex, who still served someone like that as his master, but she hurried to support Lionel. He looked like he might collapse at any moment.

“My goodness. Can you really sleep in a place like this?”

After going up to room 305, as written on the key, she checked the condition of the room and clicked her tongue.

You could tell it was a run-down inn from the entrance, but the inside was even worse.

Sagging cobwebs in places, mold blooming everywhere, and dust rising in clouds every time the carpet was stepped on. It almost made her think there was no difference between sleeping in the stable and sleeping here.

However, contrary to her concern, Lionel collapsed onto the bed. The old bed creaked as if it might break at any moment, but he didn’t move at all.

“Young Duke? Are you alright? You should wash up before sleeping.”

She called out to him carefully, but Lionel was asleep like someone who had fainted. After suffering from motion sickness all day, he seemed completely exhausted.

Well, it was better this way. Rather than having him pick at her for no reason, it was far better for him to stay quiet like a dead mouse.

“Ugh, it’s cold.”

After barely finishing a bath in the dilapidated bathroom, she came out shivering all over. Of all things, even the hot water didn’t come out properly, leaving her skin chilled.

Knock knock.

At that moment, she heard a knock on the door.

“Who is it?”

Thinking it might be Alex, she opened the door, but there was no one there. Feeling a little uneasy, she looked around and noticed red wine and snacks placed on the corridor floor.

“Did the innkeeper leave this?”

Seeing Lionel’s condition as unusual, she assumed it was specially prepared in hopes of a tip, and Courtney beamed as she picked them up. It wasn’t her money anyway, so she felt no burden.

“Ahh….”

Back in the room, she sat by the window and began to sip the red wine. The sharp alcohol sliding down her throat seemed to wash away her fatigue from the journey. The air in the room gradually grew warmer, making her feel oddly good.

“….”

Her gaze drifted to Lionel. The sleeping man’s face looked much softer than usual. Disheveled hair, long lashes, the broad chest rising and falling slightly with his breath.

“Wow, he really is handsome.”

Is it the alcohol? Pointless thoughts kept stirring in her head.

“What if you had truly loved Courtney?”

She even found herself thinking the insane thought that, if that were the case, she might have willingly given herself to him.

Taking another sip of the remaining wine, Courtney tried to steady her confused mind. But as time passed, her desire only grew stronger.

“Why is it so hot…?”

Something was wrong. Suddenly, her heart began to pound as if it would burst, and her cheeks and the back of her neck flushed red.

Even though she was only wearing a thin dress, heat surged through her entire body. She thought it was just the alcohol, but the intensity was gradually going beyond control.

“Ah, ngh!”

Before she knew it, an uncontrollable moan slipped from her lips.