His Duchess is a Ghost (Novel) - Chapter 34 (Patreon)

Days passed.

Alena did nothing but try to follow Zilal to retrieve her dagger while the duke remained unconscious.

But Zilal moved as though he was aware that someone was after the dagger.  He kept it hidden beneath his clothes almost all the time. The most infuriating thing was the fact that Zilal had swathed the dagger in black bandages, effectively barring Alena from making any direct contact with the weapon.

Zilal took meticulous precautions: when he bathed, the dagger was securely stowed under his garments; when he slept, it lay hidden under his pillow, always within reach.

For days, she did everything she could, but all her efforts were futile.

Now here she was again, stuck in the same room where the duke was sleeping.

The moon was shining bright as Alena sat by the window, looking up absentmindedly. Her luminous, ghostly form seemed to catch and reflect the moonlight, casting her in an ethereal light that made her appear as if she could be the moon's own avatar, should it ever choose to walk the earth.

As she gazed up at the lonesome moon, Alena wondered if it ever felt lonely or tired. Just existing right up there, alone for eternity.

“Have you ever thought to just… rest and disappear?” she whispered, asking the moon as if it could hear her. “If I were in your place… I don’t think I could ever handle it. I can’t even imagine how hard it must have been for you… The way you relentlessly and endlessly keep shining just to give light in all these darkness. The thought alone is overwhelming…”

Alena sighed, the corners of her mouth turning up into a wry smile as she realized she was conversing with the moon again. This was already the second time this happened since the duke fell unconscious. Was she starting to be lonely? Was she turning into some lonely ghost or something? No… this must just be… boredom, right?

Trying to distract herself, Alena moved. She felt like if this keeps on, she might actually lose her mind and that was something she could never let happen!

But just as she was about to leave the room in search of Zilal once again, a sound halted her in her tracks. Her attention snapped back to the duke's bed, where she noticed a subtle movement.

And then a low groan broke the silence.

Alena cautiously approached the bed, and upon seeing the duke's sweat-drenched brow, her eyes widened. He’s succumbing to a fever!

Despite the grave nature of his wound, which by all accounts should have been life-threatening, the duke had remained fever-free up until now. This resilience had led Alena to believe that his recovery was well underway, that his survival was all but assured.

But here he was now. Looking like the fever was killing him.

Having witnessed the harrowing toll such fevers could exact on the body, with even her own brother falling victim not too long ago, Alena could recognize the signs of severe illness even without the ability to physically touch the duke. The familiarity of the symptoms before her spurred a sudden urgency within her.

And before she realized it, she darted towards the door.

But just as her ghostly form passed through the door, she halted.

Her face, etched with urgent concern moments earlier, now mirrored shock and realization. What was she doing? Was she genuinely on the verge of seeking help for the duke? Her enemy? The very man she had vowed to kill?

Her hands clenched into fists as she rooted herself firmly on the floor. The sight of his face a while ago must've just reminded her of her brother's, therefore driving her to take immediate action, knowing that he needed to be attended to or else he could die.

But now that she was reminded that the man was none other than Duke Donovian, there was no need for her to go and ask for help. It's true that initially, she did not like how it all ended up like this. She wanted to be the one to take his life, not someone else. But eventually, she came to understand that it was she who made everything turn out this way to begin with. She was still the one who indirectly put the duke in this state.

If the duke were to die now, the responsibility would lie squarely with her. In a twisted sense, this would mean she had indeed been the one to end his life, fulfilling her objective, even though not in the way she had originally intended.

And so, Alena turned to face the duke's chambers once again, her expression steely. This was it... She would simply stand here and wait until the duke finally took his final breath.

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CHAPTER 35>>