Wicked Husband-Chapter 181 - 180

Being exposed in front of Cesare always made her self-conscious. But the fact that this wasn’t an intimate moment, just a bath, made it even more embarrassing.

She instinctively moved her arms to cover her chest, but Cesare caught her wrists.

Lowering his gaze, he examined her. He checked the front, then gently turned her around to inspect her back, ensuring she had no injuries.

Once satisfied, he led her to the bath. Without any warning, he lifted her up and placed her into the warm water.

Eileen sank into the heat of the bath and cautiously glanced at Cesare. He was rolling up his sleeves, preparing to wash her.

She muttered under her breath, "I really can do this myself...."

Cesare, mid-motion, turned to look at her. His face was unreadable, almost indifferent. But his gaze was obsessive, clinging to her.

After a moment of silence, he stepped forward and began washing her himself.

Eileen attempted to help, but Cesare shot her a sharp look, and she obediently lowered her hands.

His fingers brushed against her face as he wiped it clean. His touch was smooth, devoid of any sign of injury. Yet, Eileen remembered his hands covered in blood.

His wounds healed quickly, but she hated how carelessly he treated his own body. She wanted to scold him for it. But now was not the time.

Instead, she quietly observed him.

Cesare’s voice echoed in her mind.

"I was scared, Eileen."

"I wish for Eileen Elrod to be brought back to life."

The words from reality and the dream tangled together in her thoughts, refusing to fade.

She closed her eyes for a moment, then slowly opened them and spoke.

*

"My pocket watch has been acting strange."

Cesare’s hand paused.

Seeing she had his attention, Eileen continued, "I don’t know if I broke it, but it keeps stopping and starting again. I was thinking of getting it repaired. And..."

She hesitated.

Could she say this?

She wasn’t sure. But she couldn’t keep it inside.

"While I was trapped in the shrine... right when it collapsed, I passed out for a moment. And I had the strangest dream. You were in it, Cesare."

Drip.

A droplet of water fell from her wet hair, breaking the still surface of the bath.

Long fingers brushed against her lips. Then, those same fingers stroked her flushed cheek, warmed by the bathwater.

His voice was quiet as he asked, "What kind of dream?"

"It was completely ridiculous. Because in the dream, you were offering a sacrifice in front of the Grand Shrine."

Cesare despised nonsense. Eileen hesitated, studying his face.

But he only tilted his chin slightly, silently urging her to continue.

"You sacrificed ordinary men. Ten on one day, then a hundred the next...."

Saying it out loud, she realized how absurd it sounded. She grasped his hand, the one still touching her face, and pressed on.

"Then the flames on the altar turned gold, as if the god had descended. You made a wish, but it was so unbelievable..."

She trailed off, looking at Cesare.

His crimson eyes were eerily calm.

In a low, steady voice, he asked, "What was my wish?"

Eileen hesitated before letting out a small, self-conscious laugh.

"You wished to bring me back to life."

Eileen thought that maybe Cesare would laugh. Just a small twist of his lips, like he always did. She secretly hoped he would dismiss her dream as nonsense, reassuring her with his usual certainty.

But he said nothing. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Drip. Drip.

The sound of water droplets falling into the bath echoed in the silence. Steam rose from the hot water, filling the room with warmth and humidity. Her damp hair clung to the nape of her neck.

Cesare slowly reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear. Despite being submerged in the warm water, the skin he touched broke out in goosebumps.

The longer the silence stretched, the more anxious Eileen became. Unable to bear it any longer, she called out hesitantly.

"Cesare...?"

Cesare tilted his head back slightly, revealing the sharp curve of his throat. He stared at the ceiling for a moment before lowering his gaze back to her.

"Why do you think I wouldn’t do such a thing?"

There was no trace of amusement in his red eyes.

Eileen’s lips parted as if to answer.

"Because the Cesare I know would never..."

She wanted to say it. That the Cesare she knew wasn’t like that.

But she couldn’t finish the sentence.

Thinking that she knew everything about Cesare–that in itself was arrogant.

As she trailed off, struggling to find the right words, Cesare reached out and lightly pinched her cheek. The suffocating tension that had filled the air dissipated like bubbles.

"You need to finish bathing and get some rest."

Without further discussion, Cesare resumed washing her.

Eileen surrendered her entire body to his hands. He touched everything, from her chest to the most intimate parts between her legs.

She had already been embarrassed when he carried her around in public, so the idea of resisting now felt pointless. Just as he had ignored her request to be put down, he paid no mind to her attempts to wash herself.

In the end, Cesare meticulously cleaned every part of her body himself.

Even when she fidgeted in discomfort, he remained unbothered.

And that was just the beginning.

After the bath, he wrapped her in a large towel, dried her hair, and applied fragrant oils to her skin. He dressed her in soft sleepwear, then propped her up at the head of the bed and began feeding her dinner, spoonful by spoonful.

His attentiveness made her blush furiously.

She was so embarrassed that she struggled to open her mouth, but Cesare simply pressed the spoon gently against her lips, silently urging her to eat. She had no choice but to comply.

He was a prince by birth, now the Grand Duke of Traon, second only to the emperor. He had always been served by others yet he tended to her with the ease of someone who had done it many times before.

***