cure chapter 3

Enoch Philip Dihart.

That pitifully staring man was the only character in Why Did the Duchess Roll in the Rose Garden? who didn’t roll in the garden. Instead, he wreaked havoc everywhere else. Touched him? Exile. Even near him? Banishment. And the ultimate scene-breaker. Just as the, shall we say, climactic moments of this rather adult novel heated up, he’d inevitably appear, disrupting everything. He’d earned himself quite the colorful array of nicknames.

‘Wait. I touched him earlier, didn’t I?’

So, was I about to be exiled or something? I seriously wondered if this was why the character Liana vanished without a trace after her initial appearances when…

“So. How was it?” Enoch spoke.

“Huh? What, what was?”

“……At this point, shouldn’t you seek professional help? How much did you drink to lose your memory entirely?”

Clicking his tongue disapprovingly, his brow furrowed as he propped his head up with a large hand.

“You said it was your wish to…ravish me. You certainly seemed to enjoy touching me. How did it feel?”

What? No. I have no such bizarre wish. As I internally screamed in silent protest, Enoch’s eyes curved into a languid smile.

“Well. Since you don’t seem to remember, perhaps you should try touching me again.”

“Yes! …I mean, no?”

True to his 19+ novel character, I was mesmerized by the alluring curve of his eyes. My hand reached out of its own accord, only to be swatted down by my other hand as I recoiled.

“You don’t like being touched.”

“True. But you seem to be an exception.”

“What?”

“I believe I mentioned it earlier.”

As I blinked, utterly lost in the direction of this conversation, Enoch began unbuttoning his shirt, already undone to his collarbone.

“Your touch…was rather pleasant.”

Click. Click.

My eyes darted around like seismic tremors as his shirt opened further. And at the same time, I remembered the comments about Enoch, the only character in the novel without any explicit scenes. Impotent. Asexual. And then… [You all are clueless. Enoch has…unique tastes. So unique the author keeps them hidden.]. The comment struck me like lightning. My hands started to tremble. Then, Enoch bared his chest.

“Here. Touch me again. I’d like to experience that feeling once more.”

The unusual request. The flushed skin around his eyes. The boldly displayed chest. And the fact that he was bare-chested but still wearing gloves. My mind processed the information, and an exclamation point appeared above my head.

‘So this is what they meant by unique tastes…?’

Thankfully, I managed to keep my thoughts internal this time. I gathered myself.

“Ha. Ha-ha. So, you enjoyed it. But, Your Majesty, I’m not feeling well today…. Could we perhaps do this another time?”

Perhaps he was a character who could be reasoned with. Enoch studied me carefully, then nodded.

“Your tremors seem worse than before, and now the muscles in your face are twitching as well. Your condition appears quite serious.” He buttoned his shirt back up as he continued. “Liana, there’s a renowned physician specializing in alcohol addiction treatment at the Imperial Palace. Shall I summon them?”

“Uh…. No. I’ll…I’ll take care of it myself. Ha-ha.”

I felt like I was being treated like a patient, but I needed to escape before this tyrant changed his mind and went on a rampage. I subtly rose to my feet.

“Then, may I take my leave…?”

“Yes. We can resume this later. You may go.”

No? I don’t want to resume anything with you, ever. I wondered if I should look for a stowaway ship the moment I left this place.

Enoch, arms crossed, looked down at me.

“Can you manage on your own?”

“Of course. I’m not a child. I’ll be going then.”

Forcing a trembling smile to reassure him, I turned to leave the room quickly. Hand on the doorknob, I froze.

“What’s wrong?”

“Uh…”

This was bad. Where was my house again…? Should I just go out and ask someone? I slowly turned back to Enoch.

“?”

“Um…do you know where my house is?”

“…….”

Silence followed my question. Enoch turned his head, a look of deep concern on his face.

“Oh dear…. Your condition is grave.”