My Adopted Sister Rejected the Comatose Duke, So I Married Him and Became His Duchess Chapter 03

My Adopted Sister Rejected the Comatose Duke, So I Married Him and Became His Duchess Chapter 03

From that day on, I began paying close attention to everything Alexander’s spirit did.

Perhaps straying too far from his body would make it harder for his spirit to return.

Most of the time, he remained in the recovery chamber.

Only when the weather was fine would he drift out to the castle gardens.

The last time he had ventured so far away was to see Vivian.

Now that she had thoroughly disappointed him, he stayed obediently by my side.

Whenever I cared for Alexander, his spirit would stand nearby, talking to himself.

“Evelyn even knows that I enjoy listening to knightly epics. She must have made inquiries beforehand. But how does she not know that my favourite food is strong cheese?”

The following day, I asked the kitchen to send up an entire wheel of fine cheese with rye bread.

As time passed, I gradually became bolder.

Whenever I exercised his fingers, I would curl his hand into a fist and then straighten each finger again.

At first, his spirit protested furiously.

“Stop that! No one has ever dared handle my hands like this. Do you think I am some kind of puppet?”

Eventually, he became accustomed to it.

He would merely roll his eyes while secretly allowing the corners of his mouth to lift.

When the distinctive aroma of cheese filled the chamber, his eyes lit up.

“I have missed that smell terribly. I must wake up soon so I can share an entire table of cheese and figs with Evelyn.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the cord the physician used to monitor his pulse trembled faintly.

I cut off a small piece of cheese, placed it on the bread, and slowly savoured it.

“Thanks to you, Alexander, this is the first time I’ve ever tasted food like this. At the Gray estate, I was only allowed to eat the hard bread and spoiled apples Vivian left behind.”

His spirit went still.

By then, I had grown accustomed to the handsome yet motionless face lying on the bed.

I no longer saw him as an untouchable noble heir.

Instead, I spoke calmly about my past as though I were confiding in a friend.

“The Duchess took pity on me and rewarded me with a purse of gold. But when I lived at home, I had to wait on my parents and Vivian. When my grandparents became bedridden, I cared for them as well. Now that I only have you to look after, my life is much easier.”

His spirit drifted to my side and gazed at me for a long time without speaking.

That day, I told him everything.

I told him how Baron and Baroness Gray had mistreated me and how Vivian had taken my dresses and food for herself.

After finally voicing everything I had kept buried for so long, I felt an immense weight lift from my shoulders.

Alexander’s eyes, however, turned red.

“What were the Grays thinking? Why would they neglect such a wonderful daughter while spoiling a deceitful, wilful adopted child? Once I awaken, I will make certain Evelyn receives justice.”

His words comforted me.

However, justice could wait.

As long as those two estates were successfully transferred into my name, I would already be perfectly satisfied.

From that day forward, Alexander’s spirit and I became even closer.

I continued pretending that I was unaware of his presence, but I quietly fulfilled every wish he expressed.

He also remained constantly by my side, witnessing everything I did for him.

Four months later, I was exercising Alexander’s fingers as usual.

Suddenly, his index finger bent on its own.

His spirit froze.

“My body is beginning to respond to the outside world. Does that mean I will be able to return soon?”

Overjoyed, I immediately sent for the Duchess and the court physicians.

News of Alexander’s response quickly spread throughout the castle.

But the first person to arrive was not another physician.

It was Vivian.

She gave Alexander a disgusted glance before dragging me out of the chamber.

“I heard he’s about to wake up.”

When I did not answer, she raised her hand and struck me.

“Do you honestly think living in the castle for a few months makes you a member of House Windermere?”

Alexander’s spirit clenched his teeth in fury.

“Evelyn, why are you not fighting back? If she touches you again, I swear I will not let her get away with it!”

But his fist passed straight through Vivian’s shoulder, stirring nothing more than a gust of cold air.

Vivian pointed a finger at my face and warned me sharply.

“If Alexander truly awakens, you will leave immediately. I will tell him that I was the one who stayed beside his bed all these months. I am the woman he once loved. Even after he wakes, I will still be the only woman he chooses to marry.”