7 - 9

Chapter 7

First Night (1)

Translated by iseuli

Edited by lili

There was no wedding procession(1), no guests to congratulate them, nor any blessings. They sat facing each other at a table, where Hugo Taran and Vivan Hesse signed their certificate of marriage.

She signed her full last name, 'Hesse', on the documents while writing down only the initial for her first name, 'Vivian.' That was the norm for marriage certificates. But for this marriage certificate, she signed her full name on top, and used the standard signing method just below.

Vivian. That was her name. She had lived as Vivian while she was with Count Matin for over five years. Following her divorce, she had lived the rest of her life as Lucia. But now, she would need to live the rest of her life as Vivian.

She had never thought that the name Vivian belonged to her. When she had lived by this name, she had felt nothing but agony and suffering. Lucia and Vivian felt like two different human beings. She was distressed whether the name written on the marriage certificate really belonged to her, or not.

She was frustrated that her fake shell as Vivian would be stuck for the rest of her life due to this marriage, but at the same time, she felt a sense of relief. On one hand, she felt a small hope that she would be able to break past her outer shell and escape to the outside world. On the other hand, Lucia could not see the lowest point of the dark hole she was about to fall into. Lucia could not express her feelings with one word.

Two men she had never seen before in her life stood as their witnesses; the process was simple and she was quickly promoted as the official Duke of Taran's wife. That was how their wedding ended.

Lucia didn't have any attachment toward things like weddings, but she was a little sad that the classic kiss upon marriage had been omitted. Following that first kiss, he had never made any sort of physical contact with her. She pretended to look somewhere else as she stole a glance at his lips.

His closed lips lied in a straight line, his stubborn nature seemingly reflected upon them. They weren't too thick; when his lips had pressed against hers, they felt very soft. He had sucked onto Lucia's lips as his tongue had entered her mouth…

"Tomorrow morning we'll leave for the North."

"Yes…Okay!"

When his mouth suddenly opened, Lucia jumped in shock. He watched her with strange eyes, so she quickly distracted herself by looking into another direction. She worried whether her face was flushed red at the moment.

'Aah, I must be crazy. What are you doing? Seriously.'

"If you wish to remain in the capital, that's fine."

Her racing heart suddenly died a little, and a cold wind blew past, howling into the distance. The ink on the marriage contract had yet to dry, but he was already thinking of separating as something trivial.

She realized he didn't see her as a woman. She didn't have any expectations of a warm and loving married life, but she couldn't help feeling bitter.

Her heart squeezed with pain. He was declaring that their marriage would never become something that would tie them together. Lucia, who had a little bit of hope at first, threw all that away.There wasn't even a bit of frustration in her heart at the moment.

"…I will follow you. But if Your Grace wishes that I remain here, I will do so."

She lowered her eyes to the floor and spoke in a soft voice, trying her best not to mix emotion into her words. She wasn't trying to defy him or anything. There were no benefits to staying here. She felt his gaze on her with her whole body.

Lucia hoped to live with the flow, calm and relaxed as much as possible. She didn't see him as a man who would physically abuse a woman, but there wasn't anything bad about being extra careful. She had already experienced how hopeless a woman would be against a man who was physically abusive.

"There's nothing fun over there, unlike the capital. You should make a firm decision so you don't regret."

"I'll be fine."

'I've never found anything enjoyable in the capital in the first place.'

Once their carriage took off, they didn't converse until they reached their destination. As soon as they arrived, he got off and shut himself into his oval office. Lucia was left alone at the front gate and only Jerome remained to show her around the estate.

"Greetings, Mistress. I am the current butler serving the Duke of Taran. Please call me Jerome."

He seemed to be around his 30s. She was familiar with this man, who had midnight blue eyes while sporting a neat and tidy overall presentation. He had once served her tea when she had visited the Duke. 'So he was the butler.' He seemed too young to be the Duke's head butler.

"Nice to meet you. The tea from last time was very delicious, Jerome."

Jerome watched Lucia strangely, but all traces of his feelings were quickly erased. He answered with an amiable and gentle tone instead.

"Thank you. Please speak without formalities, Mistress."

"I'm most comfortable speaking this way. Oh, if this isn't appropriate as the lady of the Duke's house, I will fix my bad habits."

"That's not the case. Mistress, whatever you say will be Taran's new rules. Will you dine first or rest? Would you like me to show you around the estate?"

She had heard something really unbelievable just now. But she was currently suffering from a bad headache and she couldn't dwell on the topic for too long. Lucia related what she wanted most at the moment.

"I want to rest first."

"I'll show you the way to your bedroom."

Jerome escorted Lucia to her bedroom and introduced her to two middle-aged women.

"These will be your two maids who'll take care of your needs for your convenience."

Jerome quickly introduced their names and experience. The maids attended to her while she undressed. She wore her under dress to bed, while waiting for her painful headache to pass.

She fell into a deep sleep, then awoke from a voice after a long while. Thankfully, her head didn't ache anymore.

"Mistress, why don't you eat a little before returning to sleep?

Her maid asked her with a very careful tone. She did not know her Mistress' temper and she feared whether her Mistress would yell and hit her.

"Um… How long was I asleep?"

"You've been sleeping for about six hours now."

"…I've slept for a long time."

"We are preparing dinner right now."

"Has His Grace already eaten?"

"He will have a light meal at his oval office later. He frequently has his meals in the office when he has a lot of official business to look over."

In conclusion, it meant that Lucia ought to eat alone. On the day of Lucia's marriage, she sat all alone at a grand table full of delicious treats. She felt a little bit disappointed. Eating together wasn't such a hard thing to do. They lived in the same house after all.

She was a little sullen, but she quickly did her best to forget about the whole thing.

'Don't hope for anything. Let's not hope for anything at all.'

If she were to get disappointed due to every single small detail, her married life would soon become hell.

'I've obtained a comfortable home for myself and I won't have to worry for the rest of my life. Also, I've escaped from that man."

Those were the things she had originally wished for. But a human's desire was truly unending. She had only gotten married, but she had already planted some expectations in her heart.

"Jerome, about the maids who are attending to me…"

"Yes. Have they made a mistake of some sort?"

"That's not it. It seems they are the most experienced and oldest maids, is there a reason they need to be in charge of serving my trivial needs?"

Inside her dream, Lucia had once lived as a maid of a noble's family. Therefore, she understood the type of tasks a maid would be in charge of depending on their age and experience.

"I apologize, I did not explain to you ahead of time. Mistress, you will sleep here just for today. Tomorrow, we will leave for our territory. While we are moving from place to place, they will be attending to you. When we return to our territory, the maids who will serve you will be different."

"Oh, the other maids in this estate are based in the capital and they are unable to leave with us. Correct?"

"It is so."

"Then what will the maids be in charge of, once we return to our domain?"

"They will be given appropriate tasks depending on their age and experience."

"I understand. Thank you for your explanation."

"It's not a problem."

Following this event, Jerome judged Lucia would have no problem managing basic household affairs. If Lucia were to find out, she would have adamantly denied his claims.

Lucia got familiar with the Duke's mansion as a maid showed her around. The mansion was so huge, she could not tour the entire place. The mansion itself was huge, but the surrounding garden was many times more spacious.

"Has this mansion been with the Taran family for a long time?"

"No. The Taran family never had a mansion in the capital. This mansion was prepared several years ago."

"Is that so? Who was the original owner of this place? The mansion and the garden are so huge. They must have been a very prestigious noble family."

"Our Lord owned many mansions. He must have bought about 10 of them. This was the only mansion he kept, and the rest were destroyed.

"…Ah."

He had to be a far richer man than Lucia had originally thought.

The washroom was spacious and luxurious. The bath wasn't made of porcelain like usual bathtubs; they had built up a wall starting from the floor, making it into a spa. The maids didn't need to fill the tub manually; there was a heating water tank connected to this place, so hot water was only a turn of a faucet away.

She had heard of such washrooms before, but it was her first time seeing it in person. Usually, it was the servant's job to draw and drain the water. No matter how much effort they spent to heat the water and fill the tub, there wasn't a city-wide water system. Therefore, many people didn't go out of their way to spend their money to improve a facility to this level.

'I doubt he built this type of water system to make the servants' lives easier…'

As Lucia thought, this wasn't something the Duke had ordered. Jerome, who was in charge of the house facilities, had sought to create an efficient system. One of his only hobbies was to destroy and remodel parts of the house.

After her bath, she returned to her bedroom. The maids attended to Lucia with great care. They helped dry her hair and gave her a flower essence used to make the skin soft and smooth. This would be their first night together after their wedding.

'That person… He won't come to my room tonight.'

Lucia was sure of that. Tomorrow morning, they would be returning to his domain, therefore he would choose to have a good night of rest instead. There was no guarantee he would visit her bedroom at all, even after returning to the North. He didn't wish for a child in the first place. It was possible that he would never visit Lucia's bedroom in this lifetime.

'He already has a son.'

He went through a this marriage just for his son's sake. If Lucia were to bear a son, matters would get very complicated. Although his son had been legalized through the law, the direct child of the legal wife would hold more power.

He would probably do everything in his power to prevent such a situation. He had stated that to her like it was a trivial matter, but those statements probably held a lot of weight to them. There was no way for her to prove that she was unable to bear children, so he would always suspect her.

The bedroom grew quiet once all the maids left. She laid herself onto the bed once more. However, she had been napping for so long, she didn't feel sleepy at all. She twisted and turned in the bed, lost in her own thoughts.

'It's better this way…'

She had promised never to love him. That promise would be easier to fulfill the more distance he put between them. They had only shared a short kiss and it had caused her heart to beat so fast; if they did anything more, then… Lucia's face gradually grew hotter and hotter. She quickly fanned herself with both hands, trying to blow all her thoughts away.

'Let's think about something else. Something else… What should I do now that I'm the Duke's wife…? What's there to do…?'

The first thing on her list that would benefit her husband would be to actively participate in the noble social gatherings. Count Matin had always placed all his efforts into getting Lucia to mingle with high society. But she could never achieve his expectations. She was always tired, and all she could do was stand still and count the time ticking by.

'Haa… Participating in the noble social parties. I have no confidence in this aspect…'

By hiding that fact, would it count as a breach of contract?

The Duke's original wife (in her dream) was very talented at making connections and mingling in those social events. She purchased all the latest and most expensive dresses, while accessorizing herself with all sorts of jewelry. The Duchess went all around town participating in social events with a charismatic poise. The noble women around her would all drown her with endless compliments.

'But behind her back, they would do nothing but criticize and badmouth her.'

The Duchess had no amazing background. She was nothing but a pitiful rock that had somehow rolled into this place. There was nothing pleasant about discovering a rock. She had nothing in common with the noble women of high society who had grown up with a silver spoon in their mouths.

Of course, nobody would be so blatantly rude to the Duchess' face.

Lucia had never gone out of her way to actively participate in the social parties of high society, but she had diligently participated every now and then. That was how she had come to know and see many things. She would stand a single step behind everyone, so she had many chances to observe others with objective eyes.

She had never been jealous of the Duchess' glamour. From time to time, it seemed like she was struggling. At first, the Duchess was humble, but as time passed by, she became drunk off her own high pedestal.

After her marriage with Count Matin came to an end, she distanced herself from these social parties. Then, Lucia worked as a maid for some nobles and she came to know of the Duke of Taran.

The Duchess had not changed all those years later. Her reputation had gotten much worse with time. When the truth of her marriage was revealed, all the noble women laughed and jeered at her, spreading the news far and wide. The Duchess had dug her own grave. She had made far too many enemies throughout the years.

'After that…'

She was not sure what happened to her afterward. Lucia had worked hard, saving money while working as a maid, in order to buy a small house for herself. She had led a quiet life after quitting her job. She had all the noisy and glamorous high society social parties behind her.

Very rarely, she would come across some gossip from her co-workers. Among all the gossip, there was information on the Duke of Taran, but the contents seemed a bit blurry.

'Why…did I marry him?'

Lucia frightened herself.

'Then… What would happen to the Duke's original wife…?'

She only thought of it now. She shocked herself as she realized her own selfishness.

'There is no helping it.'

Her guilty conscience didn't last long.

'If I had to mind everyone's worries and struggles, I wouldn't be able to survive in this dog eat dog world.'

Lucia jumped, realizing her selfish and cruel personality once more. However, it wasn't like she wanted to fix that personality into a kind one. She had learned that nice people would be stepped on the hard way.

After thinking of this and that, she didn't feel sleepy at all. If anything, she felt more awake. After flipping from side to side, she got up and turned on the lights in her bedroom.

'Let's look around the room.'

Everything in the bedroom was huge. Her bed, the sofa, all the furniture was this way. It was a creepy looking room and it seemed too cold and chilly for a female. If she had to stay in this place more than a single night, she would like to redecorate. Overall, there was a nice balance, but one thing threw the whole place off.

'What in the world… is that painting…?'

A giant avant garde painting was hung in the center of an empty white wall. She had no idea what this painting was trying to convey; it didn't fit with the bedroom at all.

It was one of the paintings Crown Prince Kwiz had sent. Hugo had cringed upon seeing the picture. When Jerome asked what he should do with the painting in a meek matter, he had answered like so:

'Hang it up.'

Lucia, who had no idea of the situation, wondered if it could be a famous painting. Her guess wasn't far off. The crown prince had always had a mischievous personality; he had made the effort to personally choose a painting that he especially liked for the Duke.

'A wine closet.'

There were dozens of wine bottles displayed according to class against the wall. Lucia examined all the wine bottles displayed behind the glass door. It was rare that a woman's bedroom would have a wine closet. Maybe there would be one in an aged woman's room.

Lucia didn't know about wines very well, but she remembered a particularly sweet luxury wine that perfectly suited her taste. It was the memory from her dream. Lucia jumped with joy when she discovered the same brand. She hesitated for a moment whether to take it out or not.

"This is a drink in celebration. I can at least reward myself this much."

It was a wedding with no blessings given, but she had the right to congratulate and bless herself.

Beside the wine closet, a small table for two was nicely set. There were also a few wine glasses and an opener in the wine closet, already there for her. The setting was just right. Lucia opened the cork and drank little by little while toasting her glass to the air.

"Delicious… Huh? Already empty?"

She had only drunk a few glasses, but the bottle was already empty. She felt she hadn't had enough, so she smacked her lips and stood up for more, but she was so dizzy that she sat herself back down.

"Ah… Why is it like this?"

She took a few deep breaths and tried to get up again. Her stomach felt hot and the walls kept spinning.

"Ah… I… must be drunk…"

Lucia barely made it to her bed while stumbling across the room. After a few breaths, she fell asleep. But even with the help of alcohol, she could not fully fall asleep. She woke up feeling very thirsty a little while later.

'So hot… And I'm so thirsty…'

It was the first time Lucia drank alcohol. The wine she had drunk had a low alcohol percentage, but for a first timer, it was pretty potent. Although the bedroom was chilly, her body felt like it was burning from the heat.

Lucia twisted and turned in bed until she decided to take off her pajamas. Anyway, she was the only one in the bedroom. This was her bedroom.

'I've succeeded. I don't have to marry him anymore. I've changed my future.'

The alcohol helped exaggerate the sense of freedom inside her heart. She became braver and took off her undergarments as well. Her whole body was burning hot and had a pink hue all over.

Lucia rolled around enjoying to cool feeling of the bed sheets against her skin. A short while later, she got up and struggled toward the table at the center of the room. There was a jug of water and a glass set on a silver tray there. She poured herself a glass and chugged it down to quench her thirst.

Click.

In the silent bedroom, the sound was like thunder. She turned her head half a beat late toward the sound. When she looked across the room, the door that was connected to the receiving room was already open. The moment she saw the person standing by the door, she dropped the glass of water that was in her hand and froze into a statue.

Hugo had just bathed and entered the bedroom in a robe. He paused as he saw the stark naked uninvited guest. A heavy, stifling silence fell upon the bedroom. He squinted and casually inspected her body up and down.

He was fatigued after working for several hours straight without rest, but he felt his head lighten instantly. At first he wondered, 'Who is this woman?' The next second, he remembered, 'Ah yes, I got married.' Then he figured that the woman had to be his wife.

She had a long slender neck and round shoulders, her smooth breasts displaying pink nipples looked sweet, and she had a slim waist, while her hips curved into a nice hour glass figure. The bedroom light was on, so he could see every detail of her body easily.

But to his regret, the place right below her belly button was hidden behind the table and he couldn't see it. He wondered whether he should order her to step to the side a bit. Those were his thoughts.

Ksh, shatter.

The sharp rupturing sound broke the peace of the room. She had frozen in place and the glass slipped out of her hands, instantly shattering against the marble floor. Lucia jumped and lowered her eyes. She tried to move, but he firmly demanded:

"Don't move!"

Lucia's body froze in place again. She didn't move a muscle and simply watched him walking closer to her. She unconsciously shrank away, but he continued to glare at her and she once again froze. When he reached her, he placed his hands against her back and her legs and swooped her up.

Kssh kassh, the sound of glass scraping against one another.

With every step, the glass shards would dig into his slippers and make a sharp sound. The few steps toward the bed felt like eternity.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

At his low voice, she realized she was sitting on the bed.

"N…o."

Lucia shook her head and quickly escaped from his hold. She promptly twisted the blanket around her body and hid her face under her pillow. The places he had held her felt hot and her mind was a complete blank.

He observed her with amused eyes, while she twisted herself into the blanket like a caterpillar and escaped to the furthest corner of the bed.

"You welcome me with your nude body and now you're pretending to be an innocent girl?"

She wanted to dig herself into a hole from embarrassment, but upon his mocking voice, she got a hold of her senses. He was too evil. He should have been apologizing, while asking whether he had scared her, but nope. Lucia popped her head out and shouted.

"You came in without any notice!"

"That was rude of me. In the future, I'll be sure to notify you from just outside the door."

Lucia wasn't sure whether he was making a joke or mocking her. However, her reaction just now was too over-exaggerated, and she felt awkward again. He was only worried that she would be hurt by the glass shards. If it weren't for him, she would have many pieces of glass stuck to her feet.

"…I never thought you would come here."

She didn't wait there naked to seduce him. Lucia went the roundabout way to express those thoughts.

"This is my bedroom. Of course the owner would come here."

"…The butler told me to sleep here. He never told me it was your bedroom. Is it in your family's tradition for couples to share a bedroom?"

Hugo recalled a vague memory. Jerome had said something about the Mistress' room not being prepared yet, and he had just nodded along. The marriage had been too sudden, and they would stay here for only one night, so the butler had said he would let the Mistress stay in his bedroom.

Jerome was a perfectionist. If the preparations were not up to standard, it would be the same as not having any at all. He thought that since they were married, there would be no harm in sharing a bedroom for a night.

"There are no such traditions. It seems there was an error somewhere."

"Then… You're not misunderstanding me, right?"

Lucia worried whether he would view her as a vulgar woman, but in the first place, this man didn't even bother with such thoughts. He didn't view women that way. To him, there were only two types of women in this world. Women he wanted to sleep with and women he didn't want to sleep with. There was no meaning in judging whether the girl was vulgar or modest.

"Is it your hobby to sleep naked?"

She didn't look to be the type, and he found this new discovery amusing. Lucia's face flushed and she glared with arrogant eyes.

"No. I was feeling hot…"

Her answer didn't make any sense in this cold chilly room, but when his eyes fell to the empty bottle of wine by the wine closet, the corner of his mouth perked up.

"Did you drink wine?"

"…Yes."

She answered with a meek voice. If this was his bedroom, Lucia had taken out a bottle of wine without the owner's permission.

'Aah. Why did I do that?' For the first time after awakening from her dream, she imagined how good would it be if this moment was a dream.

"A drunk, naked woman waiting for me in my bedroom… This coincidence is too clever."

His entertained voice made Lucia feel upset. Her mood was ruined from his constant jeering. 'Do you think all the women in the world will be head over heels for you?' Lucia wanted to say this to his face, but suppressed her feelings and spoke reasonably.

"I've already told you. I didn't know this was your bedroom and I never thought you would come here. I don't know how many beauties have waited for Your Grace in the nude, but even if I did have such thoughts, I'm probably the only woman in this world who has the right to be in your bed. After I signed my name on the contract this morning, that is."

Once Lucia finished her words, she bit her tongue. She spoke such bold words. What if he was a male supremacist who didn't sit by quietly and watch a woman talk back to him? She was worried about his reaction.

When she had lived together with Count Matin, the only way she could answer was with a 'Yes' or 'No'. They held no other conversations that would stray outside of that boundary. She felt strange to her newfound personality that talked back and rebuked.

He watched her rebelling and chuckled quietly.

"I apologize if my thoughtless words made you feel upset. I'm sorry."

"…"

"Do I have to get on my knees?"

"Ah, no. I was just shocked… I never thought… you would have ever said 'sorry' in your life."

Again with that. He wanted to pry open all her thoughts of him one by one. He would go over each one and say, this is wrong so get rid of it.

"What kind of man am I in that head of yours? Are you saying this after listening to all the rumors?"

"There are no rumors that judge you. I base my thoughts and feelings on what I see and observe for myself. Rather than an apology, I thought you would command others."

"This is the first time to hear such a biting remark in person."

"What do you mean by biting remark? This is only my opinion. Don't denounce me like that."

Her expression was very serious and open. She had been that way since their first meeting. Her eyes were upright and honest, and it was the reason why he took the time to listen to her unreasonable offer; it was those eyes that had led to their current situation.

Hugo turned his body without much thought. At his action, her blanket jumped noisily. 'Hmmn', his eyebrows raised. He moved his body once more, and again her blanket ruffled.

'Is she scared I'll jump her?' The tiny animal in front of the savage predator was shivering in fear. A satiated predator would probably not look twice at this small animal. If he always had his fill, he wouldn't see the benefits to hunting down this small animal, but today this small animal increased his appetite. His mood was good, so he took hold of the blanket she used like a shield and pulled the round sushi-like figure.

"Kya!"

Lucia let out a short scream and rolled across the wide mattress. When she regained her senses, Lucia was defenseless and nude. He looked down at her as he trapped between his arms. Lucia held her breath. She was scared her body would brush against his hands, so she didn't move a single muscle.

"If you believe you're the only woman who has the right to sleep in my bed, why do you believe I won't visit you? This is our first night together after all."

Most probably, if they had separate bedrooms, he would not have gone to hers. If Lucia was sleeping on his bed, he would not touch a hair on her body, and sleep by her side.

The reason was simple. He simply didn't have any heart to do such things. She was very different than the girls he liked. He liked voluptuous beauties. In one word, he was immune to her. But even when he thought that way, he was curious about her thoughts. Ever since a long time ago, he kept wondering what in the world that woman was thinking. He wanted to know.

Lucia often took something simple and made it very complicated through her endless musings. This was not a marriage accompanied with affection. She was not an amazing and glamorous woman that men would covet. But most of all, there was his son.

He didn't wish for his wife's pregnancy. He would never believe that she couldn't bear children without proof. But she didn't want to bring up the topic of pregnancy. If she were to bring it up, it felt like he would leave the room without any hesitation. She didn't wish for him to leave. Although it was a contracted marriage, a wedding without even a first night seemed so miserable.

"Tomorrow… You said we would go to your territory…"

Although she didn't lie, it was the same, since she had hidden many facts from him. His gaze seemed to be interrogating her.

The fact that she was nude and defenseless kept growing bigger and bigger in her mind. She felt her body gradually growing hot. Lucia moved a little bit at a time while covering her breasts with her arms. This action had no use or meaning, but it was a reflexive action for any woman suffering from humiliation.

'What a refreshing reaction.'

He had always spent time with women that would throw themselves at him; it was interesting seeing someone so modest for once. There was no doubt this woman was a virgin. A very innocent virgin. The suspicion that she was purposely hiding and waiting here disappeared completely. But in another sense, he lost his interest.

Virgins were bothersome. They didn't know what to do with their body and it was no fun. They were his last resort when it came to fulfilling his sexual desires. A night with an experienced and skillful woman was more enjoyable. He enjoyed fruits that had ripened to the degree of falling off the trees.

What to do… She looked terrified. He had no intention of sleeping with a woman who didn't feel the same.

"If you don't want to, I won't."

"…But the first night… We're not allowed to refuse."

The first night was a right and an obligation. In fact, that had been stipulated by law. Since long ago, two noble families in war would come together in matrimony for peace, and there had been a time when that law was required.

At present, the borders of the different territories of the Kingdom were set, and it was rare to see such an event. The reason the law remained was because there could be a time when it would be needed in the future. If it could be proven that they had never spent their first night together, the marriage could be annulled. That was sometimes applied when one side of the party passed away due to some reason. Within several years,it had only been applied once or twice.

'To bring up the law. This princess is really clueless.'

"If this was not our first night, would you refuse?"

"…I will think about it after tonight."

He had flatly let out a response, but upon her reply, he burst into laughter. She looked pale with fear while shivering, but even so, she didn't disappoint him as she gave some daring responses. Was she truly clueless? Maybe she was doing it on purpose?

"Look here, Princess. If we start, it's impossible to stop midway. Are you determined that you won't regret?"

Lucia's first night in her dream glimmered. Count Matin had climbed on top of her with his heavy body and tried to enter her forcefully many times, but he could not get it up, and failed. He could not get over his own anger and had drunk himself silly until he passed out.

He snored all night, while she trembled in fear sleeping next to that husband no different than a stranger. There was no way her situation could get worse that that. Looking at things in such a perspective, she had nothing to fear.

"This isn't something you can settle with determination. I'm not trying to start a war with Your Grace."

He fell into silence for a moment and chuckled. Then suddenly, the mood turned a full 180 and she felt nervous once again. A chill ran down her spine and she was frozen into a statue. That person was a man; she had only realized such an obvious fact now.

A man who would never lose in strength, and under him was a naked woman. It wasn't a situation where she could resist. He lifted his body up and took off his outer gown. Lucia saw him and closed her eyes. When his hand brushed against her hips, she quickly held her breath.

(end)

Footnotes:

(1) wedding procession: Random fact, in Korea they call this walking down the 'Virgin Road.' Omg I took so long trying to figure this out. I was like… Virgin Rod? Wtf… what does that have to do with a wedding? It's literally the English word 'Virgin Road' written in Korean.

Lucia Ch8: First Night (2)

translated: iseuli

editor: lili

Lucia closed her eyes as if she was waiting for her execution while he watched her with calm eyes. He wondered whether he should gobble up this little rabbit at once, but then he changed his mind. He would probably end up losing his appetite midway. He decided to give this innocent princess a pleasant service to teach her a little bit about a man's body.

"Name."

Lucia, who had her eyes shut tight, slowly opened them again.

"…Huh?"

"I don't want to hear 'Your Grace,' in bed. Call my name instead."

"Your name…?"

"Don't tell me you don't know my name."

"It's not that. I know it. Umm… Hugh?"

When he didn't answer, Lucia inquired once again.

"Or maybe Hugo…?"

His silence was uncomfortably long. 'Did I get his name wrong? His name was not Hugo?' She had seen him sign that name on their marriage certificate. Before she could grow more nervous, he answered with a hesitant voice.

"…The first one."

"The first one… Then, Hugh…?"

In that short moment, his body shook. She caught his scarlet marble-like eyes tremble. Lucia felt he had a special attachment to the name 'Hugh.' Could it be a nickname that somebody had used to call him? His mother? Or maybe… The woman he loved…?

Had he loved a woman before? He had a son. Who could be the child's mother? Had he loved that woman? Where was that woman now, why had they separated?

"Vivian."

As she wondered whether it would be alright to ask about that woman, she jumped upon hearing her unfamiliar name. He seemed to have noticed her oversensitive reaction, so she made up an excuse.

"Nobody… really calls my name…"

"It will happen very often from now on. Vivian."

"…"

His low voice quietly caressed her ears. Her unfamiliar name had come out very naturally from his lips.

"Vivian."

"…"

She had her mouth shut tight, and he watched her as he let out a laugh that seemed like a sigh.

"Darling, do you know you're quite stubborn?" (Hugo)

"…Since when have I ever been?" (Lucia)

"Just now." (Hugo)

"…Do you know you are very good at forcing your way?" ( Lucia)

"I don't force anything. Everything I say happens to be correct." (Hugo)

His shameless pride made her speechless. His face drew closer until she could feel his breath upon her lips. When his lips pressed down onto hers, she closed her eyes. He lightly kissed her tightly closed mouth a few times and then gently sucked on her lower lip. He pulled away for a moment.

"Open your lips."

He commanded in a low voice. She swallowed a hard breath from nerves; her throat hurt. Her face was tinted in a pink hue as she hesitated, but in the end, she let her lips fall apart a little. His eyes seemed to laugh for a moment. Soon, his lips firmly pressed against hers and a soft piece of flesh entered her mouth.

'Ah…'

His tongue smoothly ravaged the inside of her mouth. He slowly made his way around her teeth and the sides of her cheeks. She felt a jolting pleasure when his tongue met hers. As their lips parted the tiniest sliver, he spoke.

"You taste like wine."

Lucia felt her blush burning through her cheeks. He changed his position and locked lips once more. Just as he'd remarked, their kiss tasted like wine, dizzying her with rapture. Their tongues wrestled while their saliva mixed. He was focused on exploring the inside of her mouth through kissing. His tongue twisted and sucked on, then let go of her.

"Hu….."

A moan escaped from deep within her throat. The soft kiss gradually heated up. His gentle tongue suddenly pressed firmly inside her mouth, and when he continued to massage a sensitive spot, she unconsciously ended up firmly grasping the bed sheets. He kept making Lucia breathless until she reached limit. Then he parted his lips from hers, and after letting her catch her breath, he started once again.

Their kiss continued that way for many more rounds. Lucia's shoulders, which had been stiff from nerves, gradually relaxed. His kisses were sweet and soothing. When he parted from a particularly long kiss, Lucia lightly gasped for breath. With only this much, it felt like they had done more than enough already.

"The li-…light. It's too bright…"

"I like being able to see you well."

"But…"

Hugo kissed her eyes, which were on the brink of spilling out tears.

"Your body is very pretty. Let me see."

Her cheeks were rosy as she bit her lips; she looked adorable. It wasn't empty flattery; her body was truly very pretty. Her height was just right against his, and her nipples at the top of her round breasts had a pretty, flower-like pink hue. The line that connected her slim waist to her pelvis was beautiful. She was not voluptuous, but her body had a lot of charm.

He pecked her lips a few more times, and gradually moved his kisses to her cheek then to her ear. His moist lips kissed behind her ear then down her neck. Lucia blinked slowly as her sense of self became hazy. Whenever his lips brushed against her skin, she felt strange.

'Is this the wine's fragrance…?'

Her body's aroma was unique. It wasn't the pungent smell of perfume but her body's natural scent. At first, he thought it was just the smell of wine. But, this scent was a little different from wine. It was very faint and somewhat refreshingly sweet.

'The smell of an unripe… fruit…'

It was a natural scent. It was her unique scent. He realized for the first time that someone could smell so good. Hugo didn't rest as he continued to get drunk from her aroma, kissing her, and licking her. Whether his taste buds or sense of smell was making him feel drunk was unknown. Her skin was soft like silk. When he licked her skin, it was perfectly smooth and delectable.

It was not his usual style to be so gentle. However at the moment, he was enjoying himself very much. Whenever his lips pressed against her skin, she would tremble in the most lovely way. He took hold of her thin wrist and sucked onto the inner side.

The slight pain caused her to slightly recoil. Confirming the pink mark upon her skin, he kissed her other wrist. He laughed a bit as Lucia stared at him with confused eyes.

He traced his lips from her neck down to the vicinity of her breasts.

"Ah!"

A jolting pleasure from her breasts forced Lucia to let out a short moan. He took a mouthful and sucked on it. As if milk was coming out of her breasts, he licked her nipples meticulously.

"Hk!" (gasp)

He lightly bit her nipple and tickled it with his tongue. Lucia got breathless as he licked around the areola before sucking on it once more.

Her breasts were soft and tender. It was like consuming a mouthful of whip cream; he was worried they would melt in his mouth. She was quietly laying down in bed while grasping onto the sheets, but her body would tremble while her hips jolted up from time to time. Gradually, he felt his lower half starting to grow hot.

He let go of her breast, which was now wet with his saliva, and moved to caress the other one. He licked, sometimes lightly bit, swallowed, and from time to time sucked with great force. Whenever his tongue moved, a tingling sensation would travel up her spine, and she couldn't help but moan in pleasure.

After he teased her breasts to his content, his kisses traveled down to her abdomen. Lucia wondered where his lips would advance next; she was a little scared, but she felt anticipation at the same time. She was gripping onto the sheets so hard, the tips of her fingers turned pale white.

"Hah…"

His lips proceeded down to her lower abdomen and then to her inner thighs. They moved toward the places nobody else had touched before. His lips brushed against the deep portions of her inner thighs and began sucking. She felt a sting.

He kissed from her hips to her calves while making light lip smacking sounds. Upon hearing them, Lucia's face grew hot. His last kiss ended on her heels. When she snapped out of her dazed state, his lips had returned to her neck.

He took her breast in his hand and brought his other hand to her abdomen. He slowly let his hand brush down her abdomen and naturally slid it down to her inner thigh, pressing his fingers toward her inner thigh. Lucia was shocked and stared at him with wide eyes. At that moment, her gaze locked with his. His red eyes were filled with something hot and sensual.

He seemed to be observing her reactions, while exploring into her lower regions with a slight pressure. Her breaths became faster and her pumpkin orange eyes started to tremble. Watching her, he felt his body burn up.

"Ah!"

His long and firm finger slowly entered her. She yelped, not from pain but from surprise. When his finger slid out, she sighed in relief. But the next moment, he inserted his finger deeper into her.

"Uuh….."

He repeatedly moved his finger in and out of her, but it wasn't deep enough to hurt her. She had never let anything inside of her before, so the foreign object felt strange. As the stimulation continued, her lower region became slippery with moist juices, and the sound of wet noises grew increasingly louder. Her whole body was burning with heat and she felt her back shiver reflexively. A few more of his fingers pressed and rubbed against her.

A strange, indescribable sensation took over her body whenever his finger entered her. It was a bit ticklish, maybe a little naughty, but good. It seemed a little painful at the same time. Her breathing turned sharp, and she couldn't think of anything but the feelings that were brewing inside her chest.

"Ah…"

At that moment, a tingle surged up, flooding into her body and causing her muscles to spasm and her neck to jerk up as euphoria circulated through her entire body for a few seconds. The short moment of bliss passed and her senses dulled, while her body had no strength left in it. She enjoyed the feeling of his fingers smoothly combing through her hair.

"How was it? My innocent Princess."

"…But it's not the end yet."

She understood that sex would only end when the male ejaculated into the female. Though it was only a dream, no matter how crazy of a life Lucia had lived, she had been married once before. She had never experienced the entirety of the sexual process, but she had slept on the same bed as her husband for all those years.

Hugo's hands, that were stroking her hair, paused.

"So you know."

"I'm not stupid."

"You entered the palace at a young age and you lived all those years without a single maid. Who did you learn this from?"

"Oh… From a b-book…"

"A book… What a boring method of learning. What did the book say?"

"It said I would end up crying and screaming, but… I think it was all a lie."

Hugo had been smiling teasingly all this time, but upon her words, his expression stiffened at once. He let out a sad sigh while chuckling quietly. This woman was like a raw gemstone. She was naïve but truthful. In a way, she could be more dangerous than many of the skillful women in the world. Originally, when he had initiated sex, he had no intentions of going further than this.

"I should live up to your expectations then."

He was moderately relieved. His lower half had gotten very firm since awhile ago, and it was starting to hurt. His body had grown excited the moment his fingers grasped her bare body.

He held her hips with his hands. Her pale hips were tinged red from his hands' pressure just now. Fuck. He swallowed back his curses. His lower body felt numb. Why was this woman's skin so soft? He wanted to leave his marks all over her pure body.

"Put your legs like this."

He said in a low voice. Her long slender legs clumsily wrapped around his hips, bumping here and there through the process. His body temperature rose and his lower half panged from the constant stimulation. His body's reactions were to the extreme. He had thought she was not his type of woman at all.

'…It's been too long.'

He had abstained from sex for too long. From the time the topic of marriage was brought up, he had not had sex with another woman for over a month. He was currently pent up with sexual frustration. He had a very healthy body for a male. He had never gone over 10 days without the pleasures of a woman's body. Abstaining for over a month was a new record.

It wasn't that he wanted to honor his wife or anything. He had been too busy preparing for the return to his territory, and before he knew it, a month had passed.

He placed her tired arms around his shoulders.

"Hold onto me. Don't be nervous and relax your body."

Lucia hesitantly wrapped her arms around his shoulders, being careful as if she was touching something she shouldn't be. His muscles felt firm but flexible. He chuckled and smiled to compliment a job well done, making her heart start thumping loudly.

"If this isn't your first time, I promise it will be a blissful night."

Lucia suspected her hearing. He spoke with such a gentle smooth tone, but somehow she felt like he was teasing her.

"What if it's my f…first?"

Hugo had intended to tease her with these words, but her response was so innocent, it amused him as if he was listening to a joke.

"Probably, it will hurt a little bit."

He fiercely raised his upper body and centered himself against her, gradually adding his weight onto her. An aching pain shot from between Lucia's legs, and she furrowed her brows. 'If it's this much pain, it will be bearable.' Lucia gritted her teeth.

"…Relax. I haven't even started."

Even a half of half of his thing had not entered her yet. He had only slightly pushed the crown in, but her body was too tight and it didn't seem it would be able to stretch out further. The pleasure felt more like pain and it was very hard stopping himself from just thoughtlessly pushing himself into her.

"Uue… How to do this…?"

He lowered himself onto her and locked lips. He sucked on her small soft lips, taunting her with his tongue. He squeezed and massaged her breasts with his hand. Once he soothed her a little, her tense muscles relaxed. When he could feel some room to move again, he pushed himself forward a bit more. A sharp pain shot through her body and Lucia gripped onto his shoulders with greater strength, to the point her fingertips paled.

"Hha… Hha.."

Lucia's breaths became rough as if she was lacking air. He kept moving forward bit by bit without pause. He gradually filled her more and more, until he reached a thin wall(1) . Once he broke through that frail wall, he was able to slide himself in with ease.

"…!"

Severe pain. It felt like her body would split in two. How was this only 'a little bit of pain'? The pain from her lower body consumed her entire mind. Everything in front of her distorted, and her jaw trembled. She realized at this time that when the pain was too severe, one couldn't even scream. The pressure and the accompanying pain from his length inside of her was too much for her to handle. They were connected completely as his body pressed down onto her.

Even if she were to try and shake him off, his body was pressed firmly down onto her so that she couldn't even tremble. She shook her head from side to side as she tried to lessen the pain. When her lips touched his arm, she bit onto him.

He furrowed his brows from the sudden ache in his arm. He had been supporting his weight with his arms so he wouldn't have to put his full weight onto her, but she had bit his arm heavily. Her teeth were lodged onto his thick muscular arm, while tears welled up in her eyes as she glared at him with resentment.

He scowled, but his lips were smiling. Her struggling form seemed ridiculous yet cute at the same time. He didn't allow women to bite him as they wished, but he let her be. The pain was stimulating his pleasure at the moment. His mind was off in another place right now.

'This feels amazing…'

It felt out of this world inside of her. It wasn't just tight. There was a syrupy texture that squeezed down onto him.

'Is it because she's a virgin?'

But the last time he'd embraced a virgin, there hadn't been a single thing he found particularly pleasurable. He couldn't enjoy himself at all, and midway through, he had gone limp. But why was this woman different? His sexual desire hadn't calmed down at all, but burned with greater intensity. He was drenched in sweat.

After feeling and caressing her body, he very much appreciated her petite frame. Her body was small and her bones were thin. It seemed he would be able to easily break her bones if he squeezed too hard.

He went on carefully as if he was handling glass, fighting against his heart that wanted to rough up her body to his full desires. He had originally intended to make her feel good for a bit, but his kisses had continued without stop for too long. He had become fully absorbed in licking her skin, and he had gotten too worked up while caressing her naked body.

'This is not my fault,' Hugo thought. His young wife had blindly instigated him.

She had grown tired from biting him, so she let go of his arm and sniffled. Her pitiful crying form was adorable. Her face was directly stimulating his endless sexual desire. He started to doubt his conviction in the type of women he thought he liked before. He clamped his mouth shut while breathing deeply. He had never been this sexually aroused before.

His firm member was stiffening to its limit and she was squeezing him tightly. He felt very apologetic, but he couldn't endure any longer. Raising his body, he thrust his hips so that his length could be fully wrapped inside her.

"Hk…"

Lucia's body twitched from a new-found shocking sensation. He saw her red blood flowing out of the moist junction between her thighs as he pulled out. Her eyes, that were glaring at him coldly, gradually melted with warmth. He once again thrust deeply into her.

"Uck!"

She moaned out loud. She looked to be in pain, but her body twitched with pleasure. When he pulled out, she felt a burn from her inner walls, but once he pushed in again, her entrance swallowed him hungrily. Her soft inner walls continuously stimulated his shaft. He felt a surging sensation that was about to burst at the back of his neck.

"Ah! It hurts! Stop moving! Please!"

As Lucia cried and begged, he paused while inside of her. He had great willpower to stop in such a situation, but she wouldn't be amazed at this aspect at all.

"I've told you, once we start it will be impossible to stop midway."

As he suppressed his own urges, the veins on his arm bulged.

"It hurts. I feel like I'll die."

Upon her crying, he replied in a cold and collected tone.

"You won't die. Otherwise you wouldn't have been able to be born into this world."

She looked like she was suffering an injustice, making him want to tease her.

"Hasn't your fantasy been fulfilled? I've made you scream and cry."

She didn't give him permission to move, and upon his shameless answer, she continued to scream.

"Ah! Aah!"

Lucia had no knowledge of a man's body. He was too big and skillful. An aggressive, skillful woman would have been able to receive him well, but to Lucia, it was overwhelmingly painful. The smooth and relaxing kisses that had covered her body just a while ago seemed to be a lie. He cruelly thrust his hips without stop. Whenever he penetrated deep into her, her breath ceased and a speechless pain followed.

"Uuh! Please a…bit…slower!"

"I am…going slow."

He was not lying. He was currently holding back to the best of his abilities. If he didn't, she would have fainted from pain long ago. Even so, he hadn't intended for events to flow that way. He didn't want their first night to go like this, but his body spoke of different actions. Fuck. What were her insides made out of that they felt so good? It felt so damn good.

Blood flowed out from their point of union, staining the bed sheets. His sensitive sense of smell picked up the scent of blood. Half of his rationality was already gone. Wet sounds reverberated through the whole room as he kept thrusting vigorously.

"Ang! Ah! Hk!"

She screamed without minding the situation. Her face was pale and her eyes trembled. She looked to be in great pain.

She hung onto his shoulders tightly and her nails dug into his back, creating scratch marks. He really hated it when other people inflicted wounds to his body. Originally, he would have cast the woman aside and left her. However, he didn't have to slightest intention to leave at the moment.

When he saw her eyes well up with tears, his appetite for her intensified even more. He wanted to hang onto her and bury himself into this soft and petite woman so madly, and ravage her while licking her entire body.

'It hurts…'

It felt like a blazing fire was burning inside her. Her body moved up and down along with his strong thrusts. Everything was so different than what she'd imagined. She thought he would thrust a few times and that would be the end. This was painful, hot, and drawn-out.

The pain was there, but the it was at the back of her mind right now. She had long realized it wasn't the pain that was making her so tired; something was surging within her and she couldn't take it. His firm shaft sunk into her, thrusting in and sliding out. The terrible pain gradually dulled.

"Hha… Hha.."

Lucia's screaming lessened. Instead her rough breaths increased, flooding the room. Her eyes were still stained with tears, but they were filled with something warm. It wasn't due to pain but something different, which made her knit her brows.

It hurt. It definitely hurt, but… Something felt strange. From the tip of her toes to the top of her head, an overwhelming euphoric shock engulfed her body. She swallowed back her scream and let out a low breath.

"Your insides are shaking like crazy."

He firmly held onto her hips as he bore deeper into her. Her juices, mixed with bits of blood, flowed out from her down to her buttocks. As he continued to thrust, the viscous fluids created a constant moist slapping sound. Their point of connection had residual blood splattered here and there.

"Ah, hu…"

Her lips no longer let out cries of pain. Instead she mewled and moaned in pleasure. He slowly changed the direction of his thrusts as he penetrated deeper. He concentrated on her panting and groaning, and stubbornly hammered into her most sensitive spot.

"Ah! Aah…"

Her insides squeezed and started to spasm. He saw that she was about to climax and plunged deeper into her.

"Hhk!"

Her body froze and she cried. Her entire body began to tremble. He was far from reaching his limit, but if he continued further, she would faint. He did not have the disgusting hobby of ramming into the body of an unconscious female. His breath was rough as he let himself finish. inside her body.

Shit, he slowed his breath and frowned. It was his first time cumming inside of a woman.

Lucia's body grew limp as something hot spilled into her body. She panted as her chest rose up and down.

'Is…it over…?'

Her thoughts didn't last long. She felt his large hand caress her forehead and just like that, she instantly fell asleep.

It felt like her body had melted into the blanket as fatigue washed over her. When she opened her eyes, a sliver of the morning sun was peeking through the curtains. The soft breathing from the man next to her gave her a strange feeling.

'That's right… I'm… married…'

She was thirsty, so she got up carefully, trying not to wake him.

"Uuh…"

A groan escaped her lips unknowingly. It felt like something was drumming on her body. She struggled out of the bed, and as soon as she put her feet on the floor, no strength gathered in her legs and she fell down. Thankfully, there was a rug on the floor and she didn't hurt her knees too badly.

Her body hurt like someone had beat her up all over. Every muscle in her body felt sore. Deep between her legs, a constant throbbing pain persisted. It didn't help that it felt like something was still inside of her. She hurt inside and out, just everywhere.

Lucia massaged her own shoulders and arms and discovered a strange mark there.

'What's this?'

A reddish purple bruise was stained there.

'How did I get bruised here? When did I bump into something?'

She pressed the bruise with her finger, but it didn't hurt. On her other arm, a similar bruise was there. She stared confused for a while and a memory from when he had painfully sucked on her wrists shot through her mind.

She carefully untied her robe and observed her chest. She discovered more similar bruise marks. Shocked, she quickly tied her robe again. Her face burned from embarrassment and she covered it with both hands.

'Aah. Oh my god. Oh my god. Just let me die. What to do?'

Embarrassment started flooding in like a tide. She was a pitiful child, whose heart beat wildly from just a kiss. In one night, a grand event had occurred.

'So this is what it is?'

She experienced sex for the first time in her life. The husband inside her dream, Count Matin, had been impotent. He would roughly rub against her lower body and in a few moments he would gasp wildly and that would be the end. It gave her goose bumps. She could not understand why people loved to do such a thing.

She understood why Hugo laughed, saying she had learned sex from something so boring. Something like yesterday night, she would never find in a book anywhere. It wasn't something meant to bear children; it was something more mysterious than simple pleasure. They had connected physically in the deepest level possible.

'How do people do this and… break up? How is a divorce possible?'

It was a conversation. A deep, heavy conversation that only two people could share.

It was odd. Before, he had seemed like a stranger, but this morning she felt a bit closer to him.

'Just a little… No, it hurt a lot, but…'

If he asked her to do it again with him, she wouldn't want to go out of her way to refuse. It hurt a lot, but that wasn't the whole experience. The feeling of his heavy body pressing down on her, the way he caressed her as he kissed her, his breath and the way his red eyes shook with heat… That sensation that had flooded into her body… Was that what people called pleasure…? As she went through her memories of last night, the inner side of her thighs began to heat up.

'Stop!! Stop thinking! Something else, something else, something else…'

Lucia shook her head left and right trying to shake off her thoughts.

'Did I ever dress myself back into my pajamas…?'

She had no memory of it happening. Had he dressed her? Had he ordered a maid to do it? She remembered she had sweated a lot, but her skin felt soft and fresh.

Lucia gazed at the bedroom door absentmindedly. That was a very wide and extravagant room. A high ceiling, marble pillars, the horrifyingly luxurious decorations…

'I might have… done something amazing.'

She wondered whether she had the skills and confidence to live on as the Duchess following her marriage. If she was being greedy for something beyond her reach, in the end she would be the one to suffer.

'I won't… regret.'

She decided she would not. She would bear whatever ending resulted from her actions. If she had to pay the price, she would do so. She decided she would not do something like cry. She wasn't sold off to this marriage. It was her own choice.

Lucia Ch 9

First Night (3)

Translated: iseuli

Edited: lili

Note: In the Korean raw when people are sharing verbal dialogue, it's very easy to differentiate who is who without extra explanations because one will talk in polite form while others do not (or they have their own style of talking). But this does not translate well because of many reasons. Thus, I include (name) after quotes to help you out. This portion is not part of the raw. It's just extra notes so readers will have a smoother experience.

Hugo, who was still lying in bed, slightly furrowed his brows and opened his eyes. His eyes were clear, as if he had been awake all along. He was sensitive to his surroundings and had been awake from the moment Lucia began struggling in bed.

'What in the world is she doing?'

After she had fallen off the bed with a thump, only silence followed. He threw off the blanket and got up. He moved his body lightly, unlike a person who had been asleep till recently. Getting up from bed, he walked around to her side.

She was sitting there in daze as she started frantically shaking her head from side to side. She grasped onto the mattress and struggled to stand up. Though not accustomed to personally helping others, he couldn't sit quietly and do nothing. He walked toward her with a slow pace, being careful not to scare her.

"Oh…"

Her pumpkin orange eyes opened wide as she viewed the empty bed and his upright figure.

"You have bad sleeping habits. How could you fall off such a wide bed?"

He had woken up just now, so his voice was lower than usual. Even so, he was handsome. Lucia, who was staring at him with dazed eyes, quickly snapped back to reality.

"That's… not it!"

His arms, that held her up, made her body heat rise, so Lucia tried to push him away with embarrassment. However, his body was as solid as a rock and wouldn't budge. She decided to quit fighting against him when she saw that any further efforts would be futile.

"Then do you sleepwalk?" (Hugo)

"I woke up to drink water and…" (Lucia)

Lucia felt a little shy for some reason, and looked at the floor while muttering the rest of her words in a low voice.

"Walking is… a bit difficult right now…"

He let out a soft sigh. Putting on the slippers that were under the bed, he moved his feet with light steps. When they reached the end of the rug, the sound of glass shattering under his feet could be heard.

'Ah… I broke a glass cup yesterday…'

She had forgotten all about it. If it weren't for him, she would have walked right into the floor strewn with glass pieces with her bare feet.

He easily carried Lucia up with one arm and stopped in front of the table. Pouring a glass of water, he handed her the cup.

"Don't break it this time."

"…Yes."

He never stopped teasing her. Tsk, she mumbled silent complaints to herself and obediently accepted the cup.

He wasn't just tall, he was also very strong. He was handling her easily as if she were a small child. He was supporting her buttocks and hips with only one arm, but she felt very well-balanced and at ease.

"Thank…you."

He took her empty cup and placed it on the table.

"Anything else?"

"…Huh?"

"Shall I take you to the bathroom?"

"No!!"

Lucia yelled while her face glowed red. Her gaze met his, and it felt like his red eyes were laughing at her. His black hair was usually styled neatly, but currently his hair was tossed in its natural form and it seemed amazing to her. Lucia raised her hand and combed his hair out of his face. His brows twitched slightly.

She was embarrassed of her impulsive action and his fierce stare felt burdensome. She followed his line of sight down and was startled with shock. Half her breasts were out in the open with her nipples peeking out a little. She had tied her robe carelessly before, but it had come undone. Her ears felt hot.

Lucia hurriedly held her robe and attempted to cover up. Unfortunately, her robe was caught between his arms and her body, and pulling at it didn't do anything to help cover herself up. Just then, his hand firmly grasped her breast.

"Hp…" (breath in)

Lucia gasped in alarm and quickly darted her eyes to him. His red eyes seemed to trap her and she couldn't move. He had been staring at her all this time, and she could feel his gaze turn heavier. She was scared, but she couldn't turn her eyes away from him.

As soon as he grasped her breast with a bit of strength, Lucia took a breath and moaned. He laid her on the table and took a mouthful of her breast.

"Ah!"

An electrifying sensation ran up her spine. His lips were sucking on her breast while his tongue stroked her nipple. He lightly nibbled on it, then dug his tongue in.

"Ah! Hk!"

Lucia gripped his shoulder while her body spasmed from the stimulation. The hard table supported her body as he pressed down onto her. Greedily seizing her breasts, he teasingly licked, bit, and sucked on them without pause. The sucking sound that escaped his lips flustered her, and her body burned up with heat.

The belt had long fallen to the floor while her robe laid completely undone on top of the table. The cold air brushed against her skin as her naked body was exposed to the open. He spread her legs by propping one of them up on his arm. His finger rubbed against her as he slowly made his way in.

"Uu…"

A burning pain made her cry out. She was still hurting from the aftereffects of taking in his huge length at once. Even so, after his finger pushed and pulled from inside, her juices started flowing out, causing an embarrassing sound to echo throughout the room. Thanks to that, his finger could glide in and out easily. However, she was still suffering from pain.

"Does it hurt?"

Lucia hurriedly nodded. She stared at him with a helpless and desperate crying look. It hurts. I don't want to do it. She sent this message to him with her eyes. But when his finger left and instead his hardened member prodded her, she paled completely white. When his length entered her tender insides, she started to cry.

"Ssh…"

He tried to calm her down while kissing her, but he pushed in deeper. Her insides were burning and painful.

"Uuck…"

It was a different pain from the time he had first entered her. Her insides were painful and the muscles all over her body were sore. Huge droplets of tears fell one after another from her eyes.

He put his strength behind his thrusts as he pushed into her on top of the table. Really… It felt too good. Her insides firmly wrapped around his member and stimulated him in all the right places. Feeling like he was tasting something sweet, he lightly licked her lips.

'She really…makes a person go crazy.'

Her tears, her expression, her sniffling cries, the screaming, her sweet body and skin, her innocent reactions, her insides that firmly hugged his erection… Everything about her caused him to become exponentially aroused. It was as if he had turned into a starved vampire who had caught the scent of blood. The demon inside him hissed to release his inner beast and rough her up until his sexual hunger was satisfied.

'I can't.'

If he acted on his inner demon, that frail woman would die. His young wife was frail and weak; with a little bit of strength, she could easily break. She was still too inexperienced to fully accept a man. It would be bad if he killed his wife the first night after marriage.

He lightly kissed Lucia, who was crying. He tangled his tongue inside her small mouth and thoroughly investigated. While doing so, he composed his sanity that was about to fly off into space. Their kiss continued until she looked to be out of breath.

His length was fully sheathed inside her. He slowly pulled out and Lucia groaned. She squeezed her eyes thinking it wasn't over yet. However, he simply helped Lucia dress and lifted her up once again. Lucia watched him with big eyes.

He laid her onto the bed. Lucia looked at him suspiciously while keeping very quiet.

"Are you regretting it?"

Lucia quickly shook her head from side to side.

"I won't touch you anymore, so go to sleep."

She relaxed, letting her tense muscles loosen. She was behaving so noticeably different, that he had to swallow back the bitter smile forming on his lips.

'So she's that kind of person.'

He let out a sigh. His circumstances were laughable and pitiful. His very stiff piece of wood was starting to hurt from pent up sexual frustration. It would take too long to let it cool down on its own, but he was irked that he would need to take care of it himself. He never had to masturbate as he'd never had a shortage of women; thus he never had to resort to such means.

He sighed, confused over how to go about this situation, while Lucia admired him. The room was brighter now, and she could see his face more clearly. It would be difficult to find someone else as handsome as him.

His sculpted face was well-balanced; his features perfectly harmonized with one another. He had a high bridge nose and sharp eyes. She could not find any flaws on him. Even so, people didn't refer to the Duke of Taran as 'charming'.

'Because…of his facial expressions…?'

He was always indifferent and cold. It was impossible to read his inner thoughts by observing his expressions. One would have a hard time guessing whether he was feeling good or bad.

He was well-known for his military prestige and frightful presence during war, making others fear him.

He got up and disappeared somewhere. She watched her handsome husband leave with a sad heart, without the slightest clue that he was going to the bathroom to take care of his rigid member.

'Why did he agree to marry me…?'

She had no idea. A lot had happened between them, but not enough to justify such a result. He would be able to find many women who would agree to the same terms as her. Back then, she had chosen the best path possible, but thinking back, it didn't add up perfectly. It would be correct for him to laugh at her like a joke and brush her off like a bug.

He returned from the bathroom with a foul temper. He was able to release the pent up sexual frustration, but he didn't feel satisfied at all. If anything, he felt awkward. He had just married; there was a perfect female in front of him, yet he had to resort to jerking himself off. He had decided to act like a gentleman because of her, but he couldn't help boiling with anger on the inside. He hid all his anger within his heart and returned to bed.

She didn't go back to sleep, simply rolling in bed. When her pumpkin orange eyes watched him, he couldn't help but feel annoyed. However from his expression alone, one would never know his true feelings. He seemed to be wearing a cold and unconcerned mask.

"You're not returning to sleep? If you don't sleep, you won't be able to gather any strength for later. In a few hours, we'll be leaving for the North, it won't be an easy ride."

"I will not become a hindrance to your daily affairs. Please do not worry."

Her voice was firm and strong, and he couldn't help but scan her body condition up and down.

"You can't walk."

Lucia looked defensive while pouting her lips. When he continued to stare at her face, she mouthed a silent 'What?'

"… You were thinking of doing it again, weren't you?"

She caught him off guard with that question, causing him to burst out laughing.

"So you're saying it's my fault you can't walk."

"…It is not like I cannot. It just feels… a bit weird…"

"I'll call for a doctor in the morning."

"Huh? I'm fine. I'm really fine."

Lucia was shocked and politely refused. How was she supposed to explain that embarrassing pain to another person? Although that person would be a doctor, she still didn't want to.

Lucia stood up to prove her perfect body condition, but her muscles were stiff and her lower body was shooting with pain. She let out a silent scream inside her heart, while beads of cold sweat formed on her forehead.

Tch. He clicked his tongue and smoothly helped her return to bed.

"If you're tired, clearly explain it to me. From my point of view, it will be impossible to leave today."

"I am really fine. Please do not feel you must change your schedule because of me."

"It will be a carriage ride of at least three or four days. There will be no villages or towns you can rest in on the way there. You'll need to spend all those days inside a carriage. Are you telling me you're fine with that?"

"Yes, I'm really fine."

"Don't be stubborn about stupid things."

One must take responsibility for one's words. It would be troublesome to shout out proud words, then make a lot of petty excuses later. He needed to understand her mentality clearly in order to plan for any changes, so he could minimize any sort of trouble that would emerge later on. Preventive measures would become impossible once problems were blindly left for the future because 'there's no helping it.'

There was no difference with women as well. They would say 'I'm fine, don't worry about me.' But later, they would tell him that wasn't what they'd meant. They would complain that he could not understand their feelings. Whenever that happened, he would break up with them on the spot. Anyone who hid and harbored complaints within their hearts would end up stabbing him in the back one day.

"I am not trying to be stubborn… I understand you have urgent business in the North. It is true that I am suffering a bit of discomfort, but I feel I must bear it for now."

A slight crack formed on his frosty expression. The urgent situation in his Dukedom. That was the excuse he'd given to settle the marriage in an informal matter. He hadn't shared explicit details on the matter, and anyone would conclude that the next step would be to hurry back as soon as possible.

Of course he couldn't explain, 'I settled the marriage this way because it would be too troublesome otherwise. There's nothing going on up North.' He tried to hide his embarrassment, so his voice sounded friendlier than usual.

"…It's not so urgent that problems would arise by being a few days late. I'll delay our travels to a later date."

Lucia observed him once more. The man was not as overbearing and cold as she had originally believed. He didn't ignore any of her words, and conversing with him didn't feel uncomfortable at all. The more she got to know him, the more she didn't understand. He wasn't such a bad person, but he wasn't a good person either. Whenever she settled on one, the next moment she would think a different way.

"Is it okay… to ask you one more thing?"

"No. Go back to sleep."

"When the urgent business in the North is settled, will you return to the capital?"

That woman was really… He glared at her with cold eyes, but she didn't seem scared or meek at all. She was like that from the beginning; she didn't have any hesitation when dealing with him. She was quiet, but she expressed everything she needed to. It would be fine to ignore her if he was so annoyed, but he felt strange that he didn't mind answering all her questions.

"There will be many things to do. I haven't made any plans to return to the capital any time soon."

He had told the Crown Prince he would be back in two years, but there was no explicit date set up. It would be fine to extend the deadline as much as he wanted.

"Will that be okay? I mean… did the Crown Prince gladly agree to your request?"

That was a question he didn't expect. Hugo met her gaze with interested eyes. It was true that he sided with the Crown Prince, but he didn't do anything for him personally. There was nobody who could give a concrete confirmation that it was definitely so. It was a sensitive topic. Was this woman interested in power? He stored that information with interest.

"He didn't gladly agree."

Kwiz had tried to tie Hugo down with both threats and bribes. But he hadn't felt tempted at all. He had formed a perfect administration system in the North, so even if he wasn't there, the Dukedom would be fine in the long term. However, there was a need to make his presence as the Duke known.

"I see that… you stick with any decisions you make until the end."

Lucia had grasped that one tendency of his. Once he made a decision, he would promptly advance forward. It only took a month for them to hold an informal marriage. Without a pause, everything had happened so fast. Before she realized, she was already signing her name on the marriage certificate.

"Have you ever had a time when you regretted a decision you have made?"

His silence felt painful.

"…If the question was too personal then…"

"Never. I have no attachments to anything of the past. It's useless to hold onto something that's impossible to change."

It was so. She felt a chilling tug at her heart.

'Once he throws me away, he will never look back. Whether it's his work, human relations, or girls.'

He was a strong and arrogant man. He had been that way inside her dream, as well. He had always been confident and received people's praise as something matter-of-factly. Many yearned for him. It wasn't easy to approach him, and the most people could do was sneak glances at him from afar. It might be that Lucia liked that man far more than what she'd imagined.

It was amazing that he was within her reach. She had become his wife. It was unbelievable that she was his woman now.

'Such bright eyes.'

Hugo thought to himself while watching her pumpkin colored eyes gazing back. Her eyes sparkled with desire, awe, and fear. Usually, the women who desired him had no such emotions. The many women who tried to seduce him desired his wealth and authority. He hadn't seen a woman whose eyes were so clear.

Was she so different because she had grown up in such unique circumstances? If she had grown up like normal royalty, surrounded by servants, she wouldn't have been any different than the others. This was probably only possible because she had grown up believing she was of common birth.

His theory of life was that the world couldn't change. Someday, her clear eyes would be polluted by this world's greed. She could only remain so innocent until now, because she hadn't experienced the true world yet. She was just a late bloomer.

She didn't seem dull-headed, so at least she wouldn't be annoying in the future. In addition, her body didn't just feel good, it felt amazing. He was perfectly satisfied with those results, although it was a rushed marriage.

"It seems you'll go to sleep only after I leave."

"How about Your Grace? You are not sleeping anymore?"

"I wake up around this time everyday."

"This…early?"

Count Matin had only woken up when the sun was up high – mid day. She suspected he hadn't lived to see such a thing as the morning throughout his life. But in his defense, it was not because Count Matin was particularly lazy or anything. It was common practice for nobles to go to sleep far past midnight and wake up late in the morning. The reason being, nobles frequented various balls, social parties, and dinners late into the night.

"I told you not to call me 'Your Grace' in bed."

"…Yes. But it is… not so easy. It doesn't feel right…"

Other women were always impatient to call him by name. But this woman was not so easy. Although he was sitting close to her, she didn't place one finger on his body. After a night of heat, women would cuddle and cling onto him like a piece of gum.

'Was yesterday unpleasant? Maybe it was a bad idea trying to touch her just now?'

She was different from other women. Other women didn't cry from pain like her. For the first time since he was born, he started to suspect his own self-pride.

"Vivian."

He never kept questions inside his heart, but facing such clear eyes staring back at him, he couldn't muster up the courage to ask, 'How did you feel about our first night together?' It might be that he was scared of what might come out of the girl's mouth. In her case, she would not reply 'it was nice' for the sake of the man's pride.

"…Rather than my name, practice not getting shocked hearing your own name. Maybe it's just that you don't like it when I call your name?"

"…I'm uncomfortable… with the name…"

"I have to call you by something."

"There are many ways to call me."

"Many ways? What other ways… My wife? Honey? Darling? My love? Cutie?"

Lucia's face glowed bright red. How did he speak such words so naturally?

"Choose."

When she remained frozen with her mouth shut tight, he tilted his head.

"Do you hate the common ways to be addressed? What about my sunshine or my soul mate?

"My name! Please just call me by my name."

"Mm. I think that's the best too, Vivian."

Lucia became sulky seeing his sneaky smile. As expected of a player. She had no expectations that he would remain faithful to her because he was married. Inside her dream, although he had no public girlfriends after marriage, he would have had many girls to play around with hidden somewhere.

"Let's stop here. Go back to sleep."

"But…"

"Vivian!"

Lucia's eyes grew wide, then giggled the next moment. What to do? He mumbled to himself while watching her with gentle eyes as she laughed.

"How many hours do you usually sleep?"

"About three to four hours."

"Everyday?"

"There are times when I can sleep for only one or two hours, too."

In shock, Lucia's mouth gaped wide open. Being a Duke was not an easy job that anyone could handle. It was only possible for someone as hardworking as this person.

"…I'm sorry. That will be impossible for me. I might die sleeping only three to four hours a day."

"…Did I ever ask you to do the same?"

"Your Grace… Hugh… How can the Duke's wife sleep while her husband is working…?"

It was confusing whether he was laughing from amusement or from being at a loss for words.

"I appreciate your sentiment, but there's no need. Just close that mouth of yours and sleep."

His hand covered Lucia's eyes. His huge hand covered most of her face. He wasn't particularly fond of talking with women, but he didn't find conversing with her annoying. Actually, she had a very nice voice. She didn't have the typical fake and high-pitched nasal voice but a clear and gentle, soothing one.

"I'm sorry for annoying you."

"…"

He didn't feel annoyed. But he didn't bother to deny her statement.

Within the darkness, Lucia blinked a few times and soon returned to sleep. He watched her breathe in a slow and relaxed rhythm, and quietly chuckled.

He watched her sleep peacefully for a short while before he got up. He walked around the bed to her side and bent down, then lightly kissed her cheeks as her breath tickled his cheek. He gently sucked on her soft lower lip and separated with a lick. When he straightened up, his expression looked very complicated.

***

Jerome and three maids were on standby in the receiving room. There was no way they would disturb the newlywed couple in their own bedroom. Following the death of the last generation's Duchess, this golden rule had been ignored. However, since the appearance of a new Duchess, it had been reinstated.

When Hugo finished his bath, the three maids moved swiftly to aid him. They patted down the remnant water on his body, while taking off his robe to help him into his regular clothes. They discovered a round bite mark on their Lord's arm and red scratch marks on his shoulder, however nobody spoke of them, and promptly hid them underneath his clothes.

The three maids moved like they were a single entity with perfect harmony. The youngest of the three siblings was 17. Their parents had passed away due to an epidemic from the slums and the siblings were the only ones to survive through the ordeal.

The three had become orphans and had lost their voices due to the epidemic. Jerome had taken them under his wing and had educated them personally. The three were smart and loyal. Many years had passed, and they currently excelled at their job to the point that Jerome didn't need to look out for them at all.

"All the preparations to leave are complete. Would you like to do the final inspections one last time?"

"I'm pushing our trip to tomorrow."

"Yes, Your Grace. The palace maids came for a visit late last night. When we informed them that you were sleeping, they said they would return this morning."

Kwiz was quite stubborn. He hadn't given up at all. He would most likely continue to pester him with letters, asking for him to return to the capital. It was also a talent to pester him to the highest degree possible without causing an annoyance.

"The next time they visit, let them stay the night. I should visit the palace today."

Since there was time, he should visit and pacify him a bit. The battles within the inner palace for the title of the next Emperor were fierce. The Crown Prince was everyone's target due to his title alone. The Crown Prince at this time had no power to suppress anyone; he was simply a huge flashy target for everyone. Although the situation was intense, Kwiz had yielded to the Duke's decision of returning to the North.

"While I'm away, call for a doctor."

Up until this day, the Duke had never called for a doctor once. The person with the most free time was the Duke's family doctor. Thus, everyone was able to understand why the doctor needed to be called.

"Is the Duchess ill?"

"No. Don't call the doctor yet. When our Princess wakes up, ask if she requires a doctor. Follow her decision."

The Duke didn't forget any detail of last night.

"Be sure to call for a female doctor."

"…Yes, Your Grace."

A female doctor? Jerome's brain spun dizzily. He decided he would try to decipher his Lord's hidden message later. Where in the world would he be able to find a female doctor? He decided he had to carry out an investigation for the best female doctors ahead of time.

"Your Grace, this is Fabian."

Hugo furrowed his brows once he heard the voice from outside the door. It was too early for Fabian to show up. If it was anything so urgent that he would show up, it was never good news. Once Fabian received permission to enter, he observed courtesy to the Duke and passed an envelope.

"An urgent message has arrived from the North."

Hugo's expression darkened as he read the message. It seemed he jinxed it. Things had turned out for the worse in his territory for real. That had resulted from the long absence of the Duke.

If the owner didn't properly discipline his subjects, whether they be animals or humans, they would eventually forget their standing. The barbarians were very faithful to this logic. They wouldn't dare act out of line, as long as they were properly kept in check with fear.

"Haven't I been pretty generous when they weren't thinking of annoying me?"

His low growl caused a chilling atmosphere. Jerome and Fabian kept their mouths shut and attended to their Lord with cautious eyes. They understood he didn't ask that question waiting for an answer.

"Fabian. Inform throughout our Northern territory that I will grace them with my presence. I should make my rounds with everyone since it's on the way."

"But, Your Grace, then…"

"It doesn't matter. I'm looking forward to seeing how much they can struggle. It will make me very happy to see them burning with fighting spirit. That way, stepping on them will be amusing."

"Yes, Your Grace."

Fabian gave a short and firm response.

"Jerome. I'll depart soon. You remain here and escort the Duchess home. Don't feel you must rush home."

"Yes, Your Grace."

Jerome followed behind the Duke, who was already leaving the mansion. Hugo left one last message before saddling onto his horse.

"This is the Taran's Lady of the House. Give all your respects to her."

"We will follow your commands, Your Grace."

He kicked his horse and raced into the distance. The knights who were on standby followed behind him. Jerome stood still, watching the Duke until he couldn't be seen anymore. Before he opened the door to the mansion, he turned once more toward the direction that the Duke had disappeared.

"…The Taran's Lady of the House."

The Duke hadn't said any great words. 'Give all your respects to her'. He had conveyed words that were so obvious. But those obvious words spoke volumes by the mere fact that they were spoken by Hugo, the Duke of Taran himself. The Duke wasn't someone who looked after others. He didn't even bother to keep the appearance of doing so.

'Am I reading too deeply into something he casually said?'

Only the future could tell.