The Duchess and the Devil

Judith woke up, feeling she woke up from the abyss of the night. She was no longer in the bathroom, where she lost her consciousness. Now the Duchess was lying in a large bed in the bedroom. The round moon in the sky turned into a ray of light and slid into the room.

«Are you awake?» Judith heard a voice from above, feeling someone running fingers through her hair. Derrick was sitting next to her on the bed and peering into his wife’s face.

He let out a sigh of relief, remembering the scene when his wife’s body went limp and lost her consciousness. A sharp pain in the muscles made itself felt. Judith felt pain when she tried to move. Wanting to say something, the girl coughed. Derrick immediately gave his wife a glass of water, prepared in advance, as if he was accustomed to this.

After drinking water, she was able to at least say a few words without experiencing a nagging pain and a sore throat:

«What time is it now?»

«Dawn. You should still sleep, » after each night, her husband took care of Judith. Sometimes he washed her, and sometimes, waking up at night, he gave her a glass of water or a peeled fruit.

Judith had never considered this behavior strange, but one question still tormented her – when does he sleep at all? When the girl got out of bed, Derrick was already awake. Of course, she understood that her husband helps her in every possible way, the Duchess wakes up at different times, and it is simply impossible to control it.

And one thought came to mind:

«Don’t you sleep?»

The devil often smoked cigars, explaining this as a long-standing habit. In this form, he too strongly resembled her deceased spouse, who loved them just as much. However, there was never such a relaxed and lazy atmosphere around him after that, rather on the contrary — only tension.

Judith swallowed when she saw him smoking a cigar. He looked at her and said:

«I don’t sleep.»

«Why?»

«Because I can’t sleep,» Judith’s eyes widened at such an unexpected and sudden answer, because she had never considered this reason.

«You mean you don’t sleep at all?»

«Yes. Devils don’t have such a thing as «sleep».»

The night when everything is painted in black tones, is the time of the devils. That’s when they are fully active. But there was no bright sun in their world, so the line between day and night was blurred. Only darkness remained.

Derrick burst out laughing, not knowing why Judith’s expression seemed so confused, because she simply could not know this, so such questions are normal and logical. He gently rubbed his fingers over Judith’s white cheeks.

«Go to sleep.»

«Why are you always trying to put me to bed?»

«My wife should have a good rest,» he slowly leaned towards her.

The moonlight enveloped his large body, causing his face to darken for a moment. The bright red pupils shone brightly. Judith shuddered. It seemed that she no longer saw Derrick, because only the devil himself remained.

«You know,» she said, calming herself down in this way. «You said that after that… Will your magic power return? Do you think you’ve recovered a little?»

Judith did not entertain strange thoughts and hopes, always realizing that their relationship was built only on mutual benefit: she would get an heir, and Derrick would restore power.

«It’s coming back, yes. But so far, this amount of power is too insignificant.»

«And how long will it take?»

«This body is just a vessel. And there are cracks in it. When the magic enters the body, it seeps through these cracks, disappearing without a trace, » but the girl did not let him finish.

«Then isn’t it all useless? The vessel will remain empty, no matter how much you fill it.»

«Not really…»

Choosing his words, the devil continued.

«The poison clogs up all the cracks. And then the vessel itself will begin to fill. And when this happens, Derrick will return to the state before receiving magic power.»

The girl tried to understand from these explanations when this would happen, but she could not compare the facts in any way. She also realized how she felt after Derrick’s death: is it the same as last time – relieved? Or in another way? Nothing had ever connected them before… Before the devil appeared in his body.

The new Derrick was not an object of hatred.

«You used to ask for a fee for every question. What has changed now?»

The cigar he had been smoking all this time finally met the ashtray. Derrick looked at the girl and her gold jewelry in the form of a topaz, which never lost its color, except during romance novels.

«I don’t know… Perhaps because I stayed in this human body for too long, even my instincts have become softer, » he shrugged, approaching her and burying his face in her neck. Derrick inhaled a wonderful aroma that immediately filled his lungs and was sweeter than tropical fruits. «But if it’s you, there is no end to this energy.»

He kissed Judith on the back of the head and slowly pulled away from his wife.

Judith watched Derrick’s smooth movements and noticed a faint smile on his lips, which made her shudder.

«Really?»

She couldn’t stop asking endless questions. But for some reason, the man’s reaction always seemed nice and very polite, even curious.

Judith couldn’t take her eyes off his lips, which curved into a smile again. Derrick’s laughter was hidden deep in her heart, which made it seem that it was beating harder than usual. Obviously, all because of the kindness that the Duchess did not see from her previous husband.

«Hmm…»

He touched Judith’s charming hair. Her silver curls, shining in the moonlight, were tangled between his fingers, which seemed to be floating on the waves.

«Although you are in Derrick’s body, you are so different from him…» she said.

Despite her appearance, Judith now had completely different feelings for her husband, not the same as before – in their previous married life. Sometimes she even thought that she was showing too much warmth to her new spouse.

«That’s why I continue to be interested in you.»

That is why she has always been so curious about the devil’s life and his personality. At such an innocent answer, Derrick froze for a moment, even his laughter stopped. A slight sense of tension hung between the people. The hand that had been stroking her hair all this time touched her cheek. Big hands wrapped around such tiny cheeks.

Unlike the cold room air, Derrick’s hands, like the Duchess’s skin, were extremely hot. Gradually, he came closer, until Judith realized that she could feel his breath. Only then did she notice that her heart was beating abnormally, at a breakneck speed.

Suddenly, they heard a knock, they froze in this position.

A crow sitting on the balcony railing wanted to get inside, declaring its presence in this way. Derrick sighed and got up, opening the window for Carmen, who quickly and with a whistling sound flew into the bedroom. The crow landed on the headboard of the bed.

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