108 - 112

< — Negotiation — > (3)

The Duke of Ramis opened the final document, fearing what the outcome might be this time. But then, he knit his brows and turned the page. The document contained information regarding his son's sexual preferences, something that he had never wanted to know.

During this time, the Taran Duke's Information Division had continued to search the red-light district for anything scoop-worthy that had to do with David. If David had a thing for abusing women, it would grow more and more extreme and they expected it to lead to an accident. During the investigation, they discovered that David had strangled a prostitute to death.

"That final document is my last resort."

The Duke of Ramis frowned. The information in the final document had the most insignificant value among the negotiating tools that the Duke of Taran had brought today. He could not understand what the Duke of Taran wanted to use these things for, when his son was already dead. Dirty laundry such as the death of a few prostitutes, was a messy topic for nobles to talk about in rumors. Nobles liked rumors, but they were silent about rumors that hurt their reputation.

"The place where the incident happened, was Princess' Katherine's break room. As Gong knows as well, His Majesty has strictly forbidden referring to the scene of the incident as the princess' break room."

The King's action proved to be effective and the public referred to the case as an incident that had happened within the palace. There were a lot more people that did not know that the incident had occurred in Princess Katherine's break room. The king blocked the possibility of his sister being involved in this incident. It was similar to what Hugo had done.

"In the event of today's negotiations breaking down, I will take that document to His Majesty. And I will inform him that two rumors will soon spread in the social circle, about Count Ramis' ugly sexual preferences and that Count Ramis harbored lecherous feelings towards Princess Katherine. The princess' break room happens to be the perfect place. I will ask His Majesty to choose between Ramis Gong and his sister." (Hugo)(1)

"Are you saying that you dare…to threaten His Majesty?" (Duke Ramis)

"I'm saying that presently, there is nothing I won't do." (Hugo)

The Duke of Ramis' hand holding the document trembled. After a long stretch of silence, the Duke of Ramis opened his mouth, looking very exhausted.

"What are you playing at."

"I have to save my sacrificed knight to protect my wife' honor."

"Impossible!"

The Duke of Ramis responded fiercely before Hugo finished speaking.

"Listen till the end. I will protect the Count of Ramis' honor."

'While you are alive.'

Hugo added inwardly. He wanted to quickly resolve this incident, and have it disappear from people's memories. He planned to put Roy away, where eyes couldn't reach him, only until the Duke of Ramis was dead, and around when the incident became faint in people's memories, then they could use the excuse that Roy was unjustly executed when the real culprit was someone else and quietly reinstate him.

To do that, he would have to re-negotiate with the king and the new Duke Ramis, but that would not be difficult.

Hugo spoke briefly about his plan to switch Roy with someone on death row. The Duke of Ramis looked at Hugo with a strange gaze, almost like that the one Kwiz had given. It was an expression that said, 'How did you come up with such an idea?'

For the Duke of Ramis, his family's honor was the most important thing to him. He had no energy to fight against the Duke of Taran. He had already grown too old. He was an old man that preferred to compromise rather than smacking heads.

Unless it wasn't an unjust situation where his son died an innocent death, he could close his eyes to his son's death if his honor could be protected.

"In addition, not even His Majesty knows that my wife is involved in this incident. I have only revealed this truth to Gong in order to get your cooperation. I do not want this to be spread outside for whatsoever reason. Gong will take this to your grave." (Hugo)

"…Alright. In return, please discard all the information you have about this youth association. And as for the youth association, I will deal with it myself." (Duke Ramis)

"Sounds good." (Hugo)

The negotiations had reached an agreement. Hugo took back one of the three documents, the one containing information regarding the truth of the incident involving his wife.

"Why are you going to this extent?"

"Just like Ramis Gong wants to protect your family, I want to protect my wife."

Because it seemed like he was saying 'you want to protect your superficially good-looking family, I want to protect my people', the Duke of Ramis blankly gazed at Hugo. But there was no trace of ridicule in those cold red eyes.

The Duke of Ramis was amazed every time he saw Hugo. He was the owner of the vast land called the North and as the Duke of Taran, he was very forthright. He didn't bother himself with petty tricks and always confidently did what he wanted to do. People were not displeased with him and accepted it 'because he is the Duke of Taran'.

It was a great talent as a politician to not cause jealousy in another's heart. And that was why whenever he saw his son who was the same age as the Duke of Taran, he always felt that his son fell short.

'It's my virtue that fell short. Who can I blame?'

Rather than blaming his son's shortcomings, he should have guided his son's good points and covered him magnanimously. The Duke of Ramis deeply felt his shortcomings as a father, and as the lord of a family.

* * *

While the secret deal between the Duke of Taran and the Duke of Ramis took place, the King pretended not to know, and the situation flowed like a stream of water.

Fabian search the entire nation and found a reasonable stand-in among the prisoners on death row. While being interrogated for his crimes, the man was beaten a lot so he was in a bad shape, but that made it even more believable. After all, if the knight who killed the Duke's eldest son was in a good shape at his execution, people would think it was strange.

The King passed down a brief statement. There was no detailed information about the truths of the case, just that Sir. Krotin had admitted his crimes and was to be executed. Since it was a case involving such a high ranked person, even though people did not know the specifics, they would only speculate amongst themselves.

Roy came out of the dungeon, wearing a sack-like hood and after walking while bound in ropes, he was substituted in the middle. The one heading to execution was the death row prisoner imitating Roy.

The carriage carrying Roy did not even have windows and ran straight to the gate.(2) He had to leave the capital as soon as possible without being seen by anyone. Hugo had already used his influence to make it so that Roy could pass through the gate without going through the identification process.

Lucia was still impatiently pacing up and down the receiving room. Publicly, it was time for Roy to be executed.

Hugo went to the palace and was officially meeting with the King and the Duke of Ramis. It was a formality to show that the two close forces of the King had no animosity with each other.

'Has he gone through the gate safely?'

Lucia felt regretful for not being able to give Roy her last farewells, but she could not take the risk of bringing a felon, who was known to be publicly executed, into the ducal residence.

When the door to the receiving room opened and Jerome came in, Lucia stopped her pacing around and lifted her head. Fabian was following right behind him and entered the room.

"Sir. Krotin…?" (Lucia)

"He left safely."

Lucia heaved a huge sigh of relief.

"I feel so sorry, I don't know what to do. Because of me, Sir. Krotin lost his honor as a knight and left for the north like he was being chased away."

Hugo sent Roy to the northern border. It was region where Roy used to delightfully stir up trouble. Meanwhile, Roy had cheerfully asked if he could kill all of them because his body had been growing itchy for a while.

Fabian could not sympathize with the Madam's sadness in the slightest, but when he thought that he would not see the guy for a long time, he had mixed feelings.

"Did you tell him that I was thankful and sorry, and that he should stay healthy?"

"Yes, I told him. But Sir. Krotin said that there was something he wanted to ask Milady…"

"What is it?"

That crazy bastard. Swallowing those words inside, Fabian said:

"He asked if Milady remembers all the noblewomen you meet at a party. Apparently, he was curious about that."

Roy said that with a very serious look on his face and asked Fabian to get the answer and let him know when he came to the north later. Fabian really could not understand that guy's state of mind.

Lucia burst into laughter.

"There's no way that's possible. I only act like I do."

"…Yes, I'll tell him that later."

Fabian replied with a sour look on his face, and Lucia laughed again.

'He's really a good person. He's being considerate of me till the end so that I won't feel sorry.'

Lucia's misunderstanding was growing bigger. And there was no one to correct it.

Translator's Corner:

[1] If you couldn't understand…well, he will make it seem like David was trying to do a lil something with Princess Katherine in her break room.

[2] Reminder: a [gate] is a magical device. I think a portal is the best way to describe it.

< — Negotiation — > (4)

"I am ashamed to face you."

Hugo asked his wife for forgiveness after dealing with everything. The terrible things that happened to her, and the even more horrifying things that could have happened, that he didn't even want to think about, the ringleader of the incident, they were all related to him.

The Count of Ramis and the Countess of Falcon, who were believed to have conspired together. Hugo didn't know exactly how the two of them had hit it off, but he knew that the two of them held ill feelings towards him. But because they couldn't dare to touch him, they targeted his wife.

Especially since the Countess of Falcon was involved, he really could not lift his head in front of his wife. It was an act committed by his ex-lover. It was the result of insufficient settlement and inability to deal with things neatly.

"You must have been disappointed with me."

Lucia wanted to comfort her husband, who has a bitter look on his face. She did not think that this incident was his fault. It was just an unexpected connection, like walking along the streets and unintentionally bumping into people and an accident happened.[1]

"I am not disappointed, Hugh. I won't be disappointed in you with just this."

"…"

Hugo took her hand, which was covering the back of his hand in an attempt to comfort him and kissed the back of her hand.

"I'm sorry."

"It is not your fault."

"You went through something you shouldn't have experienced."

"If it is something I have to go through because I am married to you, I can handle it."

"…You really."

Hugo was touched by her brightly shining clear heart and wondered if he was really qualified to be with her.

"I don't want you to feel sorry towards me due to this incident, but I have something to request."

"What is it?"

Hugo wanted to give her whatever she wanted, even if it was the whole world.

"I want to give the remaining family of my late maid enough compensation. My heart hurts because I was unable to protect her."

"If compensation will make you feel at ease then I will do so. But there is no reason for you to protect your servants. They are hired to protect you."

"You are right. Their work is to protect me. And at the same time, I think I should protect them. Sir. Krotin protect me, and you protected Sir. Krotin in my place, didn't you?"

Hugo thought that employees such as servants, were tools of convenience. He couldn't fully understand what she meant by comparing them with Roy but he roughly understood what she was trying to say.

"They have thoughts and feelings too. They are sad and distressed when they lose their family. The maid's remaining family will resent whoever killed their daughter or sister. Even they resent, there is nothing they can do. But there is no one who wants someone they don't even know to hate them and resent them."

Hugo also didn't find a situation where the rest of the maid's family resented and hated his wife, pleasing.

"Will they have no resentment if they are compensated?"

"How can money replace someone's life? Instead, if they are given heartfelt consolation and sufficient compensation, they will be comforted. When someone is comforted, they will be able to stitch up their wound soon. That is why, Hugh. Give them sincere compensation. Tell them that their late daughter or sister did not die in vain but met with an accident while undergoing an important task, that we are sorry to lose an excellent talent, and that we offer our condolences with enough compensation. If I could, I would like to personally meet the rest of her family but…"

"That can't happen."

"Yes, I know. That is why you will go in my place and be considerate of them."

"…Alright."

* * *

The unprecedented event, that is, the murder of the Duke's heir in the palace, came to an end with the execution of Knight Krotin. People whispered amongst themselves that many parts about the case were lacking, but that was all.

The King declared the end of the case, and the parties concerned, the two Dukes, Taran and Ramis, were silent. People were now looking for something new to talk about and were turning their attention away.

Now, all that was left was to wrap things up. Hugo called Fabian and ordered for the remaining things to be dealt with. In particular, he roughly took care of the things that were to be paid as a price to the King and handed the documents over to Fabian.

As Fabian roughly skimmed over the contents on the spot, his face paled and he trembled. He felt a lump in his throat and only after swallowing once was he able to ask the Duke:

"Your Grace, really…all of this…?"

The things on the document reached about 10% of the Taran family's assets that were revealed. More than 90% of the Taran family's assets were hidden and remained unrevealed. Argumentatively, it was not such a big part, but for Fabian, whose liver shrunk in the face of money, it was too much to bear. That crazy bastard's life is so expensive! Fabian was dazed.

"If you can buy a life with money, the price paid is cheap." (Hugo)

'It is just as you say. I know. But even if I know, it is still too generous. Hoh. The King is also very shameless. What does he think he even did, to take so much?' (Fabian)

Even though it wasn't even his money, Fabian seemed like he was burning with regret inside.

'I knew from the moment he gave the mine away as the Madam's dowry. Is it because master spends money so senselessly that to balance it out, we have a frugal Lady of the House?'

Without any change in expression, Fabian continued to grumble inside.

"How do we usually compensate for the death of a maid?" (Hugo)

"We hand the body over to the family, settle any unpaid salaries, pay for funeral expenses as well as some compensation." (Fabian)

"How much is the compensation?" (Hug)

"It is the equivalent of five years of that individual's annual salary that they have customarily received." (Fabian)

When a noble killed a commoner, they were not innocent under the law, but once they compensated with money, the case was practically over. With the exception of the capital city which had many nobles gathered in it, there were almost no opportunities for commoners to encounter nobility. The two classes had completely different places of residence and separate scopes of activity.

However, when a commoner voluntarily stepped into a aristocratic domain, that is, when they worked for and belonged to the royal palace or a noble family, they had to be prepared to die if they were unlucky. Despite that, many commoners competed fiercely to work for aristocrats due to the high pay. If you worked in a noble family for ten years, it was possible to support your entire family and buy a decent house.

Like most nations with a caste system, Xenon also established order with a noble-oriented law. Unless it was a case where an innocent commoner was killed by a noble while coincidentally crossing the road, when employees, such as servants or maids, were caught in the affairs of high-ranking people and died, they should be glad to even be returned with an intact corpse.

'The compensation is not that much.'

Hugo recalled the conversation he had had with his wife. He still could not understand his wife's excessive sympathy. But she had asked him to do it and it wasn't anything difficult, so there was no reason not to do so.

"Give the remaining family of the deceased maid, 50 years of compensation for the maid's service and send someone to offer condolences at the funeral. If someone among the remaining family needs it, provide them with a job."

"…"

Fabian momentarily forgot how to speak and vacantly stared at his lord. When Fabian did not reply, Hugo frowned slightly. Fabian was startled and quickly answered in affirmative, going to the extent of even nodding his head.

"What of the others, apart from the maid that were killed by Roy?"

"The royal family will compensate them."

It was a principle that those who worked in the palace were compensated by the royal family for accidents that occurred in the palace. From Kwiz's standpoint, he suffered no loss in this incident. Even if it was said that they had compensate the dead, they only had to pay them with some of the Countess of Falcon's assets, which had been used to replenish the national treasury.

The deceased Countess of Falcon was convicted with the felony of bringing poison into the Royal Palace and conspiring to assassinate the King. They executed her corpse, deprived her of her title, and took all of her possessions into the national treasury.*

"The royal family's compensation will not be that much either." (Hugo)

"That is quite likely." (Fabian)

"Treat them in a similar manner as well." (Hugo)

Since they all died to Roy who was trying to protect his wife, Hugo decided to neatly take care of everything.

Fabian's expression was strange as he came out of the Duke's office. He stood in front of the closed office door for a while, then he turned and looked at the door, thinking of the Duke who was sitting inside.

'So people can change.'

Fabian's way of looking at things was that people could never change. People had their own inborn temperament and the only time it could change was when they were children. He thought that even if they changed, their fundamentals couldn't be changed, and the person that formed as they grew older did not change until the day they died.

Something that could shake Fabian's distinctive personal view had happened under his very own eyes. He could not imagine ever hearing the words 'take care of the late maid's remaining family' from his lord.

The Duke that Fabian knew, rather than calling him a wicked person, he was someone that had no interest in his surroundings. He only did things as he pleased, and apart from the minimum amount of people he kept at his side out of need, he let the others run their course regardless of the turnout and left things to his subordinate's discretion.

Fabian thought that he was nothing more than a convenient tool for the Duke. Sometimes, that fact felt bitter, but still, he comforted himself that he was able to work for the Duke because his ability was recognized.

However, he was honestly moved upon seeing the way his lord had handled Roy's case this time. For the person who risked his life for his master, his master mobilized all his ability and saved him.

Fabian was a realist who thought that surviving was the best and sneered at nobles who clung to honor. Which is why he thought that there was no method more perfect than this to save Roy. Belief rose in his heart that even if he was in a situation to die for his lord, he would not be abandoned nor ignored. He felt relief that even if he died an unlucky death, he wouldn't have to worry about the rest of his family.

'But still, the price of that bastard's life should never be this much.'

Regardless, his way of thinking hadn't changed. Fabian still thought that the money leaving their hands was such a pity.

Translator's Corner:

[1] Yea…I did a literal translation here. Not sure what she's trying to say.

*T/N: They executed her corpse? Tf? And yes, I did double check.

T/N: In the chapter, the [] signifies a different language.

The area of the northern border that Roy returned to after a long time, was close to the village where he was born and grew up. He lost his parents to the invading barbarians when he was young and swore revenge. Because of his extraordinary strength and size, he was called the village hulk from an early age, so he grew up hearing that he would do great things.[1]

And so, he was conceited. He lunged at the barbarians to take revenge, but was caught and taken away.

Because the young boy seemed to have useful strength, the barbarians decided to raise him and use him as a slave; that's why they did not kill Roy. In order to remove malice from the stubborn Roy, they bound him up and whipped him for a month. Just when Roy thought that he was going to die like this, a certain boy secretly approached him and released him, saving his life.

The Roy, who escaped from that route, realized his shortcomings. He hid alone and lived by hunting down animals by himself. The experience taught him life's strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes, he killed one or two barbarians that strayed too far from their tribe and steadily built up his skills.

And then finally, he took revenge for his parents. He could not carry out a frontal attack on the tribal village because he was alone, but he lured a handful of people into the forest and killed them all in the span of a few days.

Although it was refreshing after getting his revenge, he didn't know what to do in the future. He just lived like a wild man, sometimes killing the barbarians that came at him, resolving food issues by hunting and practically spending his days in a lackadaisical manner.

Then, he met his lord. As soon as he saw him, he knew that the man was the benefactor that had helped him when he was a child. When he was asked, 'Do you want to come with me?', he followed along. He thought that he would have a chance to repay the favor if they were together.

"Tch. Just when I thought I repaid it, there's a debt again."

Roy grumbled as he lifted up his body, which was sprawled beneath a tree. Officially he was dead, which was probably why nobody bothered him and just left him alone.

As Roy wandered around near the border, he gradually drew farther away and entered the forest in the barbarian's region. For a few days now, he had not seen anyone. The feeling of being alone for the first time in a long time, was not bad.

The night of the forest came quickly. After roasting the rabbit that he had caught for dinner, Roy covered himself with a blanket next to the bonfire and went to bed.

Around when the darkness of the night had deepened, and the campfire had become smaller after burning all the wood, someone stealthily approached Roy, who was lying down in the darkness.[2]

The mysterious individual pulled out a dagger from their bosom. They carefully went up to Roy's side as he slept and brought down their dagger in the direction of his neck. No, they thought they did, but the mysterious individual's field of vision suddenly flipped over, and they collided with the ground, falling on their back.

Their hand, which was holding the knife, was strongly gripped at the wrist while another powerful grip was fixed to their neck. Unable to last long against the pressure on their neck, they lost consciousness.

When the mysterious individual, Kuya, regained consciousness, the day was already bright. Their body was tightly bound to a tree with their hands behind them, so they could not move. They rummaged through their memories of last night and looked around in a hurry but did not see anyone.

After a while, the sound of rustling could be heard as Roy showed up behind the bushes. On his back, he was carrying a fawn.

He began to disassemble the prey he caught. He indifferently cut its throat, drew out the blood, used a small dagger to skin it and chopped it into pieces at its joint; he was obviously familiar with dismantling a prey.

It was just the process of retrieving meat from an animal but Kuya trembled as if they were looking at the most terrible scene in the world and glared at the sight with a gaze full of spite. As they watched the bastard build a fire, roast the deer, and begin to eat, Kuya thought that he(Roy) ate very well even though he was ignorant.

After a fairly time-consuming meal, Roy curtly spoke to Kuya.

"Who are you?"

[Red Devil!]

As he calmly watched the woman, who was screaming at him with a venomous gaze, Roy said:

[It's been a while since I've heard those words.]

When Roy spoke her familiar tribal tongue, Kuya momentarily flinched before shouting again:

[Don't humiliate me, kill me!]

[What have I done that you're like this? You're the one who tried to kill someone sleeping.]

[You're my family's enemy!]

Roy thought that the woman who was stubbornly grinding her teeth was like a wildcat.

[But I didn't even do anything. Ah, was the deer I just ate your family by any chance? Sorry.]

The woman quivered with emotion and noisily shrieked that she would kill him.

Roy watched as the woman shrieked and writhed to the extent that her face had gone bright red. The petite woman was really energetic. She didn't seem that old. If he were to guess, she had just passed adulthood?

After being flooded with the sight of noblewomen acting graceful in the capital, it was quite fun to see a woman full of venomosity.

[Red Devil. You killed dozens of people in my village as well as my father and my brother. Will you say you don't know about what you did eight years ago?]

Hearing the words of the woman who was huffing as if she had lost her energy after screaming and raving, Roy searched his memory. Eight years ago, there was only one incident where he slaughtered dozens at mass.

[Your parents killed my parents. I was getting revenge too.]

The woman flinched. Then she went silent. After looking at the still woman who had her head bowed for a fairly long time, the bored Roy lay on his back and dozed off.*

Roy woke up from his nap, feeling the urge to pee and incoherently pulled himself together. As he pulled down his pants, he heard a sharp sound and turned his head. The place where Roy chose to pee was a couple of steps away from the woman. The woman was cursing with an expression that spoke disgust.

Roy scratched his head and went somewhere that wasn't visible in the bushes. When Roy returned after resolving his issue, the woman said:

[I acknowledge your fair revenge.]

[Heh. You're really straightforward. So you're not going to kill me now?]

[This and that are different. I have to take revenge for my family.]

[So you have to kill me?]

[Exactly. So you should kill me.]

Roy thought for a moment then he pulled out his dagger and approached the woman.

Kuya closed her eyes. But there was none of expected pain and the rope on her painfully bound hands came loose. Suddenly being able to freely move her body, Kuya was confused but she would never let go of an opportunity. She nimbly dove away and distanced herself from Roy.

[Do you think I won't kill you if you do this?]

[Do it. Since you acknowledge that my revenge was fair, then I also acknowledge you trying to kill me. However, I won't obediently die. If you're confident, go ahead.]

Kuya stared at Roy for a moment. She was a little confused. He didn't match the monstrous figure of the Red Devil that she had imprinted in her head from a young age. But he was the enemy of her parents and brother. Kuya renewed her determination, turned around and disappeared into the forest. Roy chuckled.

"What an aggressive woman."[3]

He didn't know why he let her leave alive. He had never left a source for future trouble alone before.

'Her smell's not bad.'

He wouldn't be bored for a while.

Translator's Corner:

[1] The word for 'hulk' used here is 'jangsa', which means a person of great strength. I couldn't think of another word for it.

[2] The raw says that they silenced their footsteps which I took to mean stealthily.

[3] Well, the word used for 'unyielding' here, can also mean aggressive.

*T/N: I was so taken aback by this, hahaha. Why take a nap right then??

ED: Why not, there was nothing really going on there at that moment, might as well enjoy a nap while a woman is watching over you =P

< — Everything is as it should be — > (1)

On the day of the King's royal birthday feast, the Queen showed up at an official occasion after a very long interval. Using the excuse of maternal stability, the Queen stayed indoors after the death of her brother, and rumors spread that perhaps the Queen had lost her child due to shock and was lying down at home in heartbreak.

However, the rumors were negated when the Queen appeared, calmly holding her bulging stomach that almost seemed mountainous. The noblewomen scrambled to approach Beth and gave her their greetings.

Lucia also approached Beth. The two of them hasn't met for a few months as well.

Lucia inwardly felt sorry towards the Queen. Her husband said that the Queen would not know that Roy had disguised himself as a dead man and escaped. She was much better off not knowing that, but seeing as the Queen was unaware of the exact details and suddenly lost her brother, she would be in pain because of the loss.

Lucia was even more sorry that she couldn't comfort the grieving heart of the Queen, who had to undergo this while she was pregnant.

"Have you been well, Your Royal Highness?"[1]

"Duchess, how have you been as well? It has been a long time."

Beth's voice was soft, unlike what Lucia feared, that the Queen would confront her sharply. Seeing the Duchess cautiously revealing an apologetic look, Beth smiled.

'What has this person done wrong?'

After losing her brother, Beth resented the Duchess for a while. It wasn't because she thought that the Duchess had done something wrong, but because it was just a time when she resented everyone involved.

Her father had come to see her as she was confined to bed in despair and he looked like he had aged ten years.[2] Seeing him, Beth thought that her father was also suffering from the pain of losing his son, but her father told her a slightly different story from what she had guessed.

"You should forget about it now, Your Royal Highness. That boy…he did something, that's why he ended up like that."

"What…Father. What in the world are you talking about?"

"I cannot tell you the exact details. Just know that that boy, David, did not die without blame. You are carrying a precious royal body within you. Don't be too distressed and pull yourself together.'

"Father."

After giving a long sigh, her father said:

"It seems your foolish father did not do well in acting as a father."

Beth saw the years from the dropped shoulders of her father as he turned around. In that moment, he was not her always strong and reassured father. As she continued to dwell on the words that her father left for her, Beth felt a little resentful of her late brother.

'How is it that until you die, you drive a nail into the hearts of the people left behind?'

Beth thought of her baby and tried to shake off her brother's death, little by little. Katherine, whom she thought she wasn't in a very fond relationship with, came to see her everyday and offered her a lot of comfort.

When she felt the first movements in the womb after refraining from external activities and focusing on her child, Beth shook off all the remaining negative sediments in her heart. Her heart as a mother, wished to convey only beautiful thoughts to her yet to be born child.

"I've gained quite some weight, haven't I? When you carry a child, your body changes like this." (Beth)

"Rather, you look more at ease." (Lucia)

"Indeed. These days, I feel at ease. My child is also having fun inside."

"When are you expecting?"

"There is about a month left. Now that I think about it, it's around time to hear the news from you, Duchess. I believe it's been two years since you've been married?"[3]

"…Yes."

Lucia smiled faintly and glanced at Beth's swollen belly.

'How does it feel to have another life growing inside of you?'

Lucia was curious about the feeling that she had never experienced in her dream and would probably never experience in reality. She had heard that as a baby grew, they would move and kick inside. How did that feel, too?

She heard that the pain of childbirth was terrible enough to die. There was also no small amount of women who had things go wrong after giving birth to a child. It was a life-risking experience for a woman to give birth to a child.

'Even then, it's fine. I think I can bear any pain.'

Lucia looked at her husband, who was standing some distance away, talking with the king and a few nobles. He had never once brought up the topic of a child.

'Does he still not want a child?'

Maybe it was because it was peak spring and the weather had gotten distinctly warmer. The rustling spring breeze wove into Lucia's heart, shaking it up.

She wanted to have a child. She wanted to lovingly carry his child and become their mother after giving birth. 'Should I take the infertility cure without telling him?' she had thought about this a few times. She knew that the two of them were still young and had a lot of time left. But Lucia felt that the days passing by were a pity.

"I heard that His Majesty is pushing for the marriage of the princesses remaining in the palace."

"I heard that too. Exactly how many princesses are still remaining in the palace?"

From being occupied with the thought of a child, Lucia's interest was instantly shifted as she concentrated on the topic of the clamoring noblewomen.

Hugo acted like he was listening to the person chattering at his side while he searched for his wife with his eyes. He didn't like the customary practice of men and women gathering separately to discuss.

He wanted to keep his wife by his side, but the problem was that nobody else was doing that. And his wife didn't like standing out.

Sometimes, he checked on her. It was something like a habit. If he couldn't spot her for a long time, he got needlessly nervous. He saw her gaze shift somewhere momentarily as she talked with the noblewomen.

At first, he didn't care, but after seeing her do it a few times, he wondered what she was looking at and followed her gaze. The queen stood where his wife was looking at.

'Is she still bothered about the things from a few months ago?'

He was worried that his wife had still not forgotten about the incident behind David's death.

But after looking more closely, he realized that she was not looking at the Queen but slightly lower, at the noticeably prominent stomach of the Queen.

Suddenly, it felt like a bang resounded through his ears.

Translator's Corner:

[1] I used 'Your Royal Highness' instead of 'Your Highness the Queen' as I've been using.

[2] Her father is Duke Ramis.

[3]Hear news: about time to hear news of Lucia's pregnancy.

***The next one is…twice as long ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°).

< — Everything is as it should be — > (1)

After finishing his bath, Hugo headed to his wife's bedroom while his mind continued to contemplate on the thing that had been on his mind since the party.

'Does she want a child…'

He could give her anything she wanted, even if he had to comb through the entire world, but there was one thing alone he couldn't give. A child. She could not have his child. No matter how many seeds he planted, it would never sprout in her womb.

His cursed blood could never grow without taking cursed measures.

He once thought that it was a fortunate thing. Because no matter how much he womanized, there wouldn't be any incident of a woman that he didn't remember, coming to find him with a pregnant, bulging stomach. The thought of a woman he only slept with a few times, giving birth to a trace of his disgusting blood and raising it, made him feel very dirty and full of dread.

If there were no constraints or specific conditions that had to be satisfied for impregnation, he would have probably killed every woman that appeared with his child.

When he became Duke after the death of his brother, and saw the things in his family's secret room, his hate for the blood flowing within him reached an extreme. He thought about cutting his arteries and pouring out all of his blood several times a day.

Hugo abrupted stopped in front of his wife's bedroom door.

'What about now?'

He felt a strange sense of incongruity. He looked down at both of his hands and clenched his fists.

The feeling of being alive. The sensation of breathing. These were sensations that he usually tried not to be conscious about, but there were times when he felt that his existence in the world was too revolting, and he couldn't bear it. And when that happened, he ran on his horse until he was dead tired and couldn't run any faster, or he spent a few days burning the midnight oil and throwing himself into work like crazy.

[You have changed.][1]

Upon remembering the words of the unpleasant old man, Hugo knit his brows.

'Have I changed?'

He wasn't conscious of it, so he didn't realize. But something had definitely changed. Hugo moved his gaze and quickly scanned the familiar sight of his wife's receiving room.

It was warm. It wasn't really because the room inside was heated up, but because of the feeling it gave. Every time Hugo passed by this receiving room to get to his wife's bedroom, he felt good. His heart throbbed at the thought of holding his wife's soft body and kissing her moist lips.

Her body temperature felt hot to the touch and his former self who could only distinguish between coldness, was doing childish things that filled him with emotions.[2]

Hugo looked at his hands again. The feeling of being alive was not as terrible as before. Rather he felt that it was fortunate that he was able to touch and feel her, because he was alive. In his life that had always been lonely, she was now with him.

He didn't know when it started but, he now thought about the future, and in the future he envisioned, she was always there.

In his mind, he drew a picture of his wife holding a child and smiling brightly at him, after a few years. A wholesome feeling floated to the surface of his mind, but it soon sank down heavily.

'I cannot give her a child.'

Should he tell her that she could not have a baby? Should he tell her about his dirty birth, or should he confide in her about his family's secret that he wanted to seal forever?

He hated the mere idea of that. It felt like he was being swarmed with an offensive smell. That part of him was a darkness that he never wanted to reveal to the woman he loved. He was afraid that she would look at him a little differently after hearing everything.

He didn't know what to do if she said that she wanted to have a child. Hugo opened the door to his wife's room, feeling gloomy unlike how he usually felt.

Almost at the same time Hugo entered the room, Lucia was also entering the bedroom after finishing her bath. Lucia held the towel wrapped around her wet hair and warned her husband who was standing some distance away.

"I have to dry my hair. Don't come here."

When she slept with her hair wet sometimes, she had to toil in the morning to arrange her disheveled hair. She was also embarrassed to look at the maid, who had to spray water on her hair in an attempt to tidy it up. When she had to go out, she couldn't manage it at all, so there were times when she had to wrap her hair up again in the morning.

She didn't have to completely dry it. It was enough to apply lotion that would make it settle down neatly after drying it moderately. But her husband did not even wait for that amount of time to pass.

Hugo calmly gazed at his wife, who was vigilantly fluffing her feathers like a small animal, then he took a step forward.

She had slowly moved to the dressing table and upon seeing him move, she was startled and raised her voice to say, 'I said, don't come'.

Seeing her expression as she repeated for him not to come and stepped backwards, Hugo gave a perverse grin.

'This is fun.'

The feeling that had sank down rose to the surface again. He was also excited.

Lucia felt spooked when she saw him look at her with his arms folded, grin, and then suddenly approach her faster. It was a feeling like she had suddenly become a feeble prey being pursued. So she turned around on the spot and ran away.

Lucia tried to get over the bed and was about to run to the other side, but she was caught by a strong hand just before reaching the bed. In that short moment, she felt the fear of being bitten on the neck by a wild beast.*

"Kyaa!"

His arms were firmly wrapped around her waist and his chest stuck to her back. He bit her earlobe and chuckled.

"Why are you screaming? Do you like this kind of thing?"

"No!"

He kissed her flushed neck and cupped her breast with his hand that had dug into her bathrobe. His other hand went between her legs, rubbing the area that had begun to get wet. Her body shuddered at the stimulation and he hugged her even tighter and whispered into her ear.

"My wife. Shall we play a little wildly today?"

"Hugh!"

Because she was already caught and lifted in his arms, Lucia's body was thrown onto the bed. Before Lucia could lift her body, he quickly climbed over her. Because she was trapped beneath his arms, Lucia couldn't look straight at his eyes, which were staring down at her. Her face burned like it was on fire.

Hugo grabbed the front of her bathrobe and spread it aside, revealing her breasts underneath. Her naked body was dyed red, looking as appetizing as a peach.**

"Your whole body is red. What is making you excited?"

"…Will you keep teasing me?"

Seeing her with reddened eyes that were as if she would cry, Hugo felt a certain stiffness at his waist. Half of it was a desire to put it in right now, and the other half, a desire to taste her extremely sweet body. This time, the latter won.

Hugo squeezed his leg between her closed knees and pried them open. Her amber eyes which were shaking in confusion became another stimulant for him. He grabbed her thighs with both hands, spread them apart and buried his head in the wetness between her legs. He kissed it and insert his tongue in the open gap.

"Ah!"

The delicate stimulation on her private part was electrifying. His wet tongue licked and explored while his lips rubbed against her skin as if kissing her there, as he sucked and bit it slightly.

"Ang!"

Lucia moaned and covered her face with both hands. Even if she twisted her body, he held her firmly from below the waist, so she couldn't even move. The sound of him lapping up the liquid flowing from her body was embarrassing.

It wasn't as hard as a finger, but the tip of a rather wet, soft flesh shallowly entered her vagina, withdrew and re-entered a little deeper.

Her body trembled intensely. The moment he sucked and suckled strongly, Lucia uttered a cry of pleasure and moved her waist restlessly.

Hugo licked her twitching entrance at length with his tongue, then he lifted his head. Her blurred eyes which were dropping because of her climax were erotic.

Hugo caught the face of his wife, who was turning her crimson face away and covering her lips with the back of her hand. He tried to meet her eyes, but she kept looking away.

"Vivian. Why do you keep avoiding my eyes?"

"…I'm embarrassed."

"What."

When Hugo asked a few times, Lucia hesitantly said in a small voice:

"…it's obscene…"

Hugo carefully thought about the meaning of her words then he grinned.

"Are you embarrassed because it feels good when I do it with my mouth?"

The sight of her giving him a reproachful look with her reddened face looked so cute that he couldn't help but laugh. He caught her face by the chin and rubbed her slightly parted lips with his thumb.

Lucia wrapped her tongue around the finger entering her mouth. Every time she licked his finger, her red tongue poked out a little.

She glanced up slightly at him and there was already no more laughter on his face. His eyes were filled with the desire of a hungry beast before its prey.

He removed his hand from her mouth and raised his upper body. He spread her legs that she kept closing and took a position. He grabbed both her calves with his hands and pulled her body downwards with his strength.

The moment Lucia shut her eyes, expecting what would follow, a hot rod instantly plunged into her.

"Aah!"

The sharp tingles disappeared after a very short moment, and a orgasmic sensation flitted across her spine. Just with him entering her, Lucia's body shook with an electrifying sense of pleasure. He grabbed her hips and pinned their lower abdomens tightly close to each other.

As her thighs went on top of his thighs, her butt naturally lifted in the air, and his member entered all the way to the hilt, filling her up. Lucia gasped for breath at the sense of pressure that took her breath away, while he stayed still for a moment, also taking in rough breaths.

"Your insides…are pulling me in."

As he watched her red face get even redder, Hugo moved his waist slightly.

"Hn…"

"Hha… so tight, seriously."

Her tender flesh was clinging to his penis, moving along with his movements and squeezing him tightly as he moved.

Hugo held his wife almost everyday, but it was a marvel how her insides always moved unpredictably, bringing him infinite pleasure whenever he held her.

The more he held her, the more addicted he became, and lately, when it was the night corresponding to the one-in-five-days rule, he had to spend the whole night fighting off his desperate desire.

The satisfaction of sharing his love with the woman he loved, gave him more emotional pleasure than physical pleasure. The extreme orgasm resulting from the two pleasures coming together and overflowing could not be expressed in any words. Once you tasted it, it was an amazing experience that you couldn't forget until you died. It was a feeling of satisfaction from sharing an emotional connection, not a vulgar impulsive pleasure.

He grabbed her butt and began to move slowly. As he moved along the smooth path made by the fluids of her body, he explored her insides deeply and thrust in and out of her repeatedly.

Her inner folds became bumpy, stroking his penis and stimulating him as he moved. A pleasured cry escaped from her parted lips and a stiffening, but exhilarating sensation crawled up his spine.

The most sensitive nerves in his body were all focused on the hot, slippery, pressuring, and squeezing sensations that his penis was currently feeling. The pleasure it was bringing was no less than the pleasure at the moment he came. He moved as slowly as possible, and tried to maintain his sense of the present.

Lucia looked up at him as her body shook slowly, in accordance with his unhurried movements and desire for her. His red eyes were clouded as if he was intoxicated and his brows were slightly furrowed. Upon seeing this sight, Lucia's body grew even hotter.

She abruptly had the thought of trying out what Katherine had taught her.

'What did she say again? When it's coming in, relax, when it's leaving, clench…'[3]

When she diligently manipulated her body according to what she had learned, the effect was immediate. He knit his brows and his hands on her butt gripped it tighter.

As she repeatedly relaxed and clenched a few times while watching his expression, he swallowed a moan and growled.

"Don't do that."

Lucia feigned ignorance as she gasped for breath.

"What do you mean…?"

"You're doing something you didn't do before."

Lucia was perplexed because his reaction was different from what she expected.

"…But they said a man would like it."

Hugo stopped moving and frowned.

"Who?"

"…"

"It's obvious. Those tea party women must have gathered together and said stuff like that."

Watching him as he clicked his tongue, Lucia felt kind of bad towards the innocent noblewomen.

"You don't like it? When I do this?"

She clenched her lower abdomen tightly again. He huffed, swallowing his breath and his red eyes that were looking at her sprang into a blaze.

"Don't excite me when you can't even handle it."

Hugo moved his hands from her butt to her ankles, lifted her ankles to his shoulders and then heavily rammed into her. Lucia's eyes smarted at the stimulation of his rigid crown piercing her deepest insides.

"Hk!"

"You can cry a little harder. Do you know how much I was holding back?"

He sped up and began to powerfully thrust into her. His desire-filled member filled up her insides and ravaged her.

"Ah! Anng!"

She could feel his excitement as he ruthlessly pounded into her, piercing, prodding and just scraping her down. Lucia's body shuddered as her sensitive insides were stimulated countless times.

She felt a slight ache when he reached deep inside and she shivered at the frictional pleasure from being roughly rubbed against inside. As he ravaged through her inner walls, he pulled back and quickly reentered, drilling into her.

As she listened to the sound of flesh slapping against flesh, her eyes heated up and the forming tears slid down her face.

"Ah! Hugh! Uuhk…"

Lucia screamed as she reached an intense climax. Her vision flickered repeatedly with the sensation of falling endlessly and at the same time, her entire body trembled as she was dazed with pleasure.

Her insides achingly squeezed his member and began to twitch and spasm. He slammed into her a few more times before spraying his semen into her womb.

The pressure of him holding her tightly, and the sound of him moaning in her ear gave her chills from head to toe. She wrapped herself around him with her arms and legs.

As the sound of two people gasping for breath mixed together, the time of the long and short climax flew by. As she fought for breath amidst sobs, Lucia thought that she should just bury what she had learnt from Katherine.

Translator's Corner:

[1] This is Philip, from when Hugo was in the north to subjugate barbarians. I'll look for the chapter or if you remember what chapter it was, do tell.

[2] I don't know what this sentence is trying to say so I translated literally. Here you go.

[3]I know this is an odd question to ask…but does this work? Like fr?

*T/N: So…dramatic.

**Have you guys ever had peaches before? How do they taste?

< — Everything is as it should be — > (2)

Because of the conversation she had with the noblewomen at the party today, Lucia looked back on her memories from the dream, that she had forgotten for several months. The dream memories that Lucia called another future, had already changed a lot in reality.

In order to sort out her jumbled childhood memories, Lucia sent someone to the village where she grew up and found out a few facts.

Rossa, whom she played around with when she was young, had grown up and was about to marry a neighborhood youth. And the more surprising fact was that the tree at the village entrance that they used to play around on, only had a stump left.

Apparently, many years ago, when Lucia was about five years old, the tree was struck by lightning and burnt hideously black, so it was chopped off. Since there was no tree to climb on in the first place, Lucia's accident when she was a child did not happen.

Lucia believed that the future had split from the moment the village tree was struck by lightning. There was a future that had changed but there was also a future that was still flowing the same way. This could be seen in the case of the King pushing for the marriages of the princesses.

Lucia had lightly asked a noblewoman, who was well-informed in high society rumors, about the news of the Countess of Matin.

[They divorced a few months ago, that is, earlier this year. I heard the Countess was going down to the west, where her family's home is.][1]

Lucia felt shocked out of her wits; it was as if she had been hit in the back of her head. The reason why Lucia got married to Count Matin wasn't because their conditions matched specifically, but because Lucia was the oldest princess in the palace.

Now that Lucia was gone, the oldest princess, although younger than Lucia, would marry Count Matin. It was a case where her terrible future was being shifted onto another person's head.

His arm, which was wrapped around her waist, tightened around her. He turned his body slightly to the side, meeting Lucia's eyes for a moment, then he kissed the corner of her eyes.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" (Hugo)

Hugo had been listening to her as she gave small sighs from time to time, unable to sleep. He thought she was worrying about a child, so he also couldn't sleep and was panicking. He knew he had to talk with her about the issue of a child, but he was deeply worried about what extent he had to talk about it.

"What about you?" (Lucia)

"You keep sighing beside me."

"Did I do that? I'll be quiet now. Go to sleep."

"What is it? Are you worried about something?"

'Does it have to do with a child?' The words hovered in his mouth.

"…Do you know that His Majesty plans to marry off the princesses of the late king?"

When Hugo heard the unrelated words coming out of her mouth, his tense nerves lost their energy.

"Mm, I've heard." (Hugo)

While she hesitated as if picking what to say, Hugo waited without urging her.

"Today, I heard that the Countess of Matin had gotten divorced."

"Matin?"

"You probably don't know it. It's not a family that people usually talk about."

"Were you close with her?"

"…I just know her a little bit."

Lucia was not the type to tell Hugo every little bit of gossip in the social circle. Which is why Hugo thought that she was quite close with the Countess, seeing as she had brought up someone else's private affairs.

Lucia lifted her head as she lay, leaning on his shoulder. She stretched out her hand and cupped his face. As she felt his skin and body temperature through her palm, she once again confirmed that this was not a dream.

Once in a while, Lucia grew afraid that everything would be a dream. The days she spent peacefully and happily in his shade seemed unreal.

"…What?"

Hugo took her hand off his face and kissed her palm. Then he gently stroked her forehead and swept a hand through her hair.

Lucia liked his affectionate touch. She took his big hand and rubbed her face against it. Because her spoiled act seemed somewhat sad, Hugo suddenly felt anxious.

"What's wrong?"

"Please do something to prevent Count Matin from marrying the princess of the late king."

Lucia couldn't just let it pass and act like she knew nothing. If one of her half-sisters whose face she had never even seen, were to take her place and experience everything she had seen in her dream, Lucia felt like she would feel guilty for a lifetime.

"I know how strange I sound right now. She's my half-sister whose name I don't even know, but I can't act like I cannot see the obvious misfortune ahead. I cannot let her marry that person. That man… beats his wife. And he does things even worse than that."

"Vivian."

Hugo tightly hugged her trembling figure.

"If I hadn't married you, I would…I would have probably married that person."

"Why makes you think that?"

As Lucia talked, her anger unconsciously rose as she recalled her memories in the dream and she couldn't control her heated emotions. When he hugged her tight and stroked her back, Lucia's boiling emotions slowly cooled down.

"It looks like you've talked with the Countess a lot."

"…"

"Okay. I will take care of it, so you just forget about it."

"…Really? You can…do it?"

Hugo was struck speechless by her question. She was asking him if he could do this mere thing? He could change the king if he wanted to.

"Of course. Your husband is very capable."

She gave a small laugh in his embrace. Only after, did Hugo give a sigh of relief. Her anxiety spread to him too, so he was tense.

He was annoyed at the Countess of Matin who babbled about the unpleasant details of her marriage to his wife, making her worry needlessly and he was even more annoyed at the bastard known as her husband.

Translator's Corner:

[1] This is the noblewoman speaking. She doesn't say Countess, I put countess for context.

< — Everything is as it should be — > (2)

Hugo soon held a detailed investigative report on the Count of Matin in his hands. The more he read, the more unpleasant the document became and as he flipped through the increasingly unpleasant document, he clicked his tongue.

In the Count's first marriage, he got divorced after five years; in his second marriage, the wife's family took action and invalidated the marriage in about a month. And his third marriage ended in a divorce, a few months ago. And it was just a month ago that the Count made a marriage proposal to the royal family for his fourth marriage. It was not an uncommon thing for an aristocrat to get divorced, but the Count was over the top.

His official children were three sons. There was the eldest son, who was born from his first wife, and the second son, who was an extramarital child, entered into the legal registry by his first wife. His first wife seemed to have used the legal registration as a condition to get divorced. The third son was born from his recently divorced wife and there were a few more illegitimate children that the Count did not retrieve.

It was written in the report that the Count likely had a problem with his male function, due to the fact that he was promiscuous when he was younger and had not had a child for nearly a decade.

Although the man was garbage, Hugo thought there was a high chance of Kwiz accepting the bastard's marriage proposal because he offered quite the dowry.

Kwiz only acknowledged his sister from the same mother, Katherine, as his blood relation. His brothers were opponents that he wanted to kill if possible, and his sisters were deadweights eating away at the royal palace budget. When he was Crown Prince, Kwiz greatly despised the way the previous king had crapped out children all over the place.

The late king placed kingship in sight and idly watched as the princes killed each other. Rather, he thought that his children's fierce power struggles increased his influence.

For a king like Kwiz who loathed his father's debauchery, he was the type to practice moderation with women. He had only three concubines and even that was due to the need to further his interests. It was unknown what means he used but there were no children between him and his concubines.

If Kwiz were to accept the Count of Matin's proposal and push ahead with marriage, the target would be Princess Cecil, who turned eighteen this year.

'How did my wife know that he would make a marriage proposal to the royal family?'

Hugo wondered for a moment, but he didn't linger on the thought for long. This was because another thought occupied its place. Just as his wife said, if she had stayed in the palace, the princess to marry this bastard would have been her. Princess Vivian would have become the wife of this garbage.

He felt like shit. It was something that didn't happen but the mere possibility that it might have happened made him burn with icy fury.

Hugo thought carefully about how to deal with his wife's request. It was quite cumbersome to retrieve a marriage proposal that had already been sent to the royal family. Asking the king would just create another chance for the king to make demands and he didn't know what the king would ask for.

Hugo called Fabian, gave him the report and ordered him:

"Get rid of this man. I don't want him in my sight."

"Should it be complicated or simple?"

"Simple."

"Yes, sir. But about the pendant you ordered me to find previously. I apologize. I have not found it yet."

Fabian was uneasy every time he came to the ducal residence to give a report because his lord had not mentioned the pendant all this while. There was no place he didn't ask his subordinates to comb through, but he didn't even get a single clue.

"Hm? Ah, you can stop looking for that."

Hugo had forgotten to mention that they didn't need to look for the pendant anymore. But he didn't feel sorry at all for the people who had been diligently looking for it. Not knowing the exact circumstances, Fabian was just glad that he wasn't reprimanded.

And about a week later, the Count of Matin died in a carriage-flipping accident.[1]

* * *

Hugo informed Lucia about the death of Count Matin. Of course, he didn't say that it happened under his orders.

"I looked into handling your request and learnt that he died in an accident."

His reaction was impassive as if it was an unknown stray dog that had died. Lucia understood. To him, the Count of Matin was really nothing, his existence was even worse than a stray dog.

"…An accident?" (Lucia)

Lucia couldn't believe it. How much had she cursed him in her dream? She pleaded and begged for his death, even if she was punished for it. Maybe her desperate curses were heard and caused him to meet a miserable end by decapitation, but he was a someone that seemed like he wouldn't die from something as fleeting as a carriage accident.

Hugo wrapped his arms around her absent-minded figure, as she had fallen into deep thought.

"Is it shocking that he died?" (Hugo)

"…Shocking? Yes, perhaps…" (Lucia)

"Why?"

"For it to be that trivial…I thought he was someone that wouldn't die even if you killed him."

Hugo thought that for the standards of his innocent wife, who had lived sheltered in the palace and married him immediately after, the Count's behavior was very shocking.

When the standard was the world which was overflowing with evil, someone like Count Matin was nothing but filth clinging to the soles of one's feet. But she didn't need to know stuff like that. It was enough for her to know someone like the Count of Matin as the standard for the peak of evil.

"He's already dead. Stop thinking about it. He cannot marry anyone now, let alone the princess."

"…I see."

Suddenly realized something, Lucia wondered aloud.

"Then what will happen to the Count's household…"

"He has a son, so his son will inherit his title."

"The divorced countess has a young son."

Since the Count of Matin was dead, the future where the Matin family was exterminated after being caught up in a plot of treason would change, and the future of Bruno fleeing to a foreign country would also change.

Lucia thought the precocious Bruno missed his mother a lot, even though he didn't say it. He was still a young child who needed his mother's embrace.

Count Matin's eldest son, who was to inherit the title, did not seem like he would care and attend to his younger brother. From what she saw in her dream, they were brothers who treated each other like strangers.

"If the Countess wants, I can arrange for her son to be taken to her parent's home."

Hugo pressed down the irritation deep in his heart and spoke kindly. He didn't like it when her attention was somewhere else. He wanted all of her attention to be on him.

He didn't tell her that the Countess might not want to take her son back with her. If the Countess remarried, her son would become a burden.

And if the Countess chose her son, she could not remarry for at least ten years, until her son became an adult. There were not many cases where a noblewoman sacrificed herself for her child. The Countess was more likely to think of her well-being first, before her son's.

"Really?" (Lucia)

Can you really do that? Seeing her sparkling eyes, Hugo chuckled. His wife tended to underestimate him too much.

There were few things in this world that he could not do. Even the role of an envoy that reaped people's lives was his. Only the divine ability of reviving the dead was never his.

"So forget about it now. And don't worry about these things anymore." (Hugo)

"Okay."

She smiled sweetly as if she was shaking everything off, and finding that so pretty, Hugo bit her tender cheeks. Startled by his action, Lucia stared at him then she wrapped her arm around his neck and hugged him.

"I'm really thankful, Hugh."

"If you're thankful then give me a gift."

Lucia burst into laughter then lifted her head and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"I love you. Is this not enough?"

He hugged her tightly and whispered into her ear:

"It's more than enough."[2]

Hugo couldn't believe how much happiness this small woman brought to him. He wished there was someone to tell him if it was really okay for this to keep on being this way. He felt uneasy because it seemed like his fate, which had only been cruel to him, was suddenly acting fickle.

Translator's Corner:

[1] His carriage flipped upside down and he died. Not sure how else to word this.

[2] Overflowing is the exact word used here but I tweaked it to make sense.

< — Peaceful day-to-day life — > (1)

The Queen gave birth to a baby girl. Hugo heard of the princess' birth while he was with the King. When Kwiz heard that a princess was born, he was greatly delighted.

"Hahaha! A princess?"

It was not a fake mask; Kwiz was truly delighted. Hugo had heard the King say in passing, several times, that he wanted a baby girl. Hugo just let it pass since it wasn't any of his concern but seeing Kwiz's vivid delight made him feel strange. Kwiz already had three sons, so Hugo didn't know why having one more child was making him so excited.

"Gong, isn't it time to hear news from you too?"[1]

"…Not yet."

"Think about it, a daughter that resembles the Duchess whom you treasure so much. Well, this King has to go see the Princess. A princess, huh. It's a princess."

The King cancelled the rest of his afternoon schedule, so Hugo was on the way home, earlier than usual. Inside of the carriage, Hugo gave a long sigh. News of the princess' birth would soon reach his wife.

The sight of his wife being unable to take her gaze off the Queen protruding stomach still floated in his mind.

[If someone knowing your secret will bring you pain, you don't need to tell anyone.]

Looking back on it, she showed unconditional understanding. She didn't ask for the exact reason why Hugo didn't want a child, she just accepted it.

[…But the secret could cause you pain.]

[If that happens, I'll cling to you for answers.][2]

His wife lied. No matter how much pain his secret caused her, she was the type to swallow it down alone, and never cling to him for an answer.

'I have to…tell her.'

When he got home, his wife was out. The tea party she said that she would be attending today was not yet over. After asking Jerome to notify him when his wife returned, he went into his office. Not long after, he heard that his wife had returned and went out to meet her.

"How come you're here?"

Lucia was happy as if she had received an unexpected gift. She smiled brightly and nestled into his arms.

"Was the tea party fun?"

"It was a little enjoyable."

Hugo wrapped an arm around her waist and they engaged in light banter as they went up to the second floor.

"Why are you back early today?"

Lucia entered the receiving room, following his lead, and sat down on the sofa.

"You will hear the news soon. A princess was born."

"Oh my, that's great. Princess Katherine mentioned quite a few times that she wanted the baby to be a girl."

And every time, Lucia answered Katherine with, 'it will be a beautiful princess.' Katherine thought she was just saying it out of courtesy, but Lucia already knew that a princess would be born.

"His Majesty was also happy."

Hugo grew quiet and the conversation went dead momentarily. Seeing him this way, Lucia could feel that there was something difficult for him to get out, and a worry emerged in her mind.

"Nothing happened to Damian, right?" (Lucia)

"…Why Damian, all of a sudden?" (Hugo)

"I think because we were talking about a newborn baby, my mind went to Damian."

"The boy is fine. Nothing will happen to him."

"It's alright if he's fine. Why do you get skittish when I bring Damian up?"

"What? Skittish?"

"You're the child's father, don't try to fight a battle of nerves with your son."[3]

"I'm not fighting a battle of nerves…Sigh. Yes, yes. I'm sorry that I'm small-minded."

Lucia laughed, cupped his face with both hands and gave him a light peck on the lips.

"It's fine even if you're small-minded. I love you."

"…Shouldn't you tell me I'm not small-minded?"

"Actually, there're sometimes when your small-mindedness…"

Lucia paused, sending him a strange gaze and seeing his sour face, she burst into laughter.

"…I think you've changed."

"What?"

The more time passed, the more Hugo was drawn to her. For a while, he gazed at his wife as she tilted her head at him.

No matter how one looked at it, his wife was smaller and weaker than him. However, on the contrary, he was in the weaker position and the one playing to his wife's mood. But the biggest problem was that, it didn't feel bad at all.

Hugo brought his head forward and gave her a short kiss. Her eyes widened into circles and her eyes curved beautifully as she smiled. Her smiling visage was so pretty that he couldn't help but kiss her a few more times.

Even as they talked about the newly born princess, his wife looked to be in a good mood. Her bright smile was the opposite of his worries and made his cheer up.

"Speaking of a baby." (Hugo)

"The newborn princess?" (Lucia)

"No. Our baby." (Hugo)

Lucia doubted her ears. She could not believe the expression, 'our baby' came from his mouth. Her heart thumped loudly. Lucia swallowed a nervous breath; her expression was glassy as if it would crack at the slightest touch.

"I told you a long time ago, that I have a secret I cannot tell anyone." (Hugo)

"…Yes." (Lucia)

"I still can't tell you everything about it. But I think you should know some of it."

And then Hugo went silent. It was Lucia's first time seeing him finding it hard to say something. Lucia was about to say, 'You don't have to say it'. And at that moment, he opened his mouth and began to speak in solemn tone.

"I cannot give you a child. The Taran family is a cursed family."

Translator's Corner:

[1] As explained before, get/hear news is about pregnancy.

[2] I previously translated this as I'll turn to you. In a way, they mean the same thing but this fits better, context wise.

[3] AKA, psychological warfare.

Lucia Chapter 111 [part 2]

< — Peaceful day-to-day life — > (1)

Edited by: ShadowDog

T/N: Conversations that take place in the past are italicized.

Hugo explained his family situation to Lucia by mixing in some proper truths with lies. Some parts were revealed, and some parts were hidden.

He revealed that his family couldn't be continued without relations between close relatives, but he changed it to cousin instead of half-sister. He said that in order for an unrelated woman to bear a child, they would have to eat a special herb instead blood.

Lucia's expression constantly changed as she listened to him and after sorting out her thoughts for a moment, she opened her mouth.

"You have to marry a female cousin to have a son. Otherwise, you have to take a special herb from the moment of purity. And the only person who knows what that special herb is, is the ducal physician, Sir. Philip."

"I know it sounds crazy."

"I don't mean I don't believe you. So then, Damian's mother was your cousin."

"…Basically."

Lucia was very confused but after thinking about it, it made sense. Despite the fact that there were many women around him, he had no illegitimate children and she could also understand why he was so unconcerned about birth control from their first night.

'Cousins…?'

Xenon's law forbid the marriage of blood relatives within the second cousin. However, there were quite a lot of countries that allowed marriage of cousins; in particular, royal families were tolerant of marriages between close relatives. The fact that he showed strong aversion to the intermarriage of cousins was strange. He didn't seem like the type to be so sensitive to moral discipline.

'Is it closer than a cousin…like marriage within the immediate family?'

Lucia stopped thinking about it in depth. She didn't want to start digging up things that he didn't say.

"Then, there must be a woman who was designated to marry you."

"She's dead. And there is no such woman in the Taran family anymore. The only people left of the Taran bloodline are Damian and I. Even if there was such a woman, I wouldn't marry to have a child. I thought my family bloodline would end with me. I told you. It is cursed. I wanted to end this cursed lineage."

As Lucia dealt with her complicated feelings, her senses were jolted to attention. He was strongly disillusioned with his family as well as himself. He seemed like he was made of steel but in actuality, he was wounded inside. The ache in Lucia's heart made her feel like she was going to cry.

"You are not a curse, Hugh. A child as lovely as Damian cannot be curse either. I am grateful for you being in this world. If you were not in this world, you wouldn't have met me and I, you. So please, love yourself as much as I love you."

Hugo placed his hands on the hands of his wife that were on his face and closed his eyes. Maybe he would not be able to love himself until the day he died. But at least, he wouldn't curse the fact that he was alive. Just like she said, he was able to meet her because he was alive.

"So that's why you said you don't want a child."

"It's not because I don't want a child with you."

"Yes, I understand."

Lucia replied, feeling numb.

"I would love to see your child if bearing one was possible."

Lucia's eyes took on a shine.

"You said you didn't like to have a child." (Lucia)

"I still don't like it. But your child is fine." (Hugo)

"Do you…does that mean that, if I was with our child, you would have happily accepted it?"

"Gladly. And I mean it."

"I believe you."

The fact that he was ready to be a father even though it was impossible for a child to be born between the two of them greatly touched Lucia's heart. He was a man that didn't like children but he said he would like her child. She could feel his deep love for her.

"Thank you, Hugh. I understand you. I am fine. Ah…then that means Damian cannot have a child either. I hope it doesn't hurt the kid."

"…You're thinking of the boy in the midst of this?"

"Of course. I am his mother, Hugh. You must tell Damian about this."

"I'll take care of it."

Lucia felt drained of all her energy. Even though she thought she had given up, she was still unable to let of her tiny lingering attachment. She didn't want to show him such a side of her. She tried to show him a bright smile.

But tears came to her eyes, due to a mixture of unavoidable sadness, and relief because everything was off her chest. Lucia tried to smile as she wiped away her tears. When she saw the immense pain in his eyes, her heart hurt as well.

"I'm sorry." (Hugo)

"Why are you apologizing to me?" (Lucia)

Hugo felt his heart ache and he hugged her.

"And here I was, trying not to cry. I think I'm so awfully weak." (Lucia)

"What are you talking about?" (Hugo)

Hugo sighed deeply.

"I have never seen any woman stronger than you." (Hugo)

Hugo silently held onto Lucia for a while as she cried. There was no difference from the time when he was frustrated by his own powerlessness as he watched his brother die. For the first time in his life, Hugo thought he wanted to cry.

* * *

Peaceful days flowed by quickly.

Lucia went to a bakery downtown in the city with the noblewomen who were at the tea party. After hearing the fuss of one noblewoman about how fantastic the cake tasted in a newly opened bakery, they were all enchanted to go with her and Lucia also joined them.

For a few days now, she had been strangely craving something sweet. Lucia ate two pieces of cake at the bakery and packed a few more pieces. On the way back home, the small flakes of snow fluttered outside her carriage window.

'It would be nice if it didn't turn into a shower of snow…'

When the snow piled up, it was difficult for carriages to move and accidents were also more frequent. Knowing that Hugo was coming back late today, she grew worried. He had become more busy as the chief of the King's new ambitiously formed central administrative structure. The days when he came back past midnight had dramatically increased. So Lucia often went to bed alone first.

She usually didn't talk about her husband's work outside, but a few days ago, she grumbled that she wanted him to quit. When Lucia said, 'Quit'. I don't have enough time to spend with you', the look in his eyes told her that he wanted her to say more. Lucia smiled gently as she recalled the sight of him grumbling alone after she feigned ignorance.

There were only ten days left before the year came to an end. Lucia was planning to wrap up her social activities for the year with the charity party tomorrow. The rest of the year would be spent mellowing out at home and then she would start the next year with the New Year party.

'Wow. The year is over already.'

Lucia looked back on the past year in the capital's high society where little events kept happening constantly. The biggest event of the year was no doubt, the birth of Princess Selena.

The young princess was growing up beautifully, being showered with the love and concern of the royal couple and her three elder brothers.

And the next event, was Katherine's marriage. Katherine accepted a suitor and got married within a few months. The marriage happened a year earlier than in the future Lucia had seen. Her marriage partner was a foreigner. He was an international business magnate that held titles in several countries as a Marquis of Xenon's ally.

Kwiz allowed the marriage and conferred a title on the condition that he would stay in Xenon for 1/3 of a year. A few days before her marriage, Katherine told Lucia this:

"I was envious because you looked happy, Duchess. So, I wanted to get married. Do you think I can have a happy marriage like yours, Duchess?"

"Of course. You will be happy. I am cheering for you, Sister." [1]

Katherine cast a surprised look at Lucia before beaming at her.

"Thank you, Vivian."

Katherine married and left the country, following her husband. She had been living in her husband's homeland and sent word that she would be coming back in the late spring next year.

The future that Lucia saw in her dream had changed a lot. Count Alvin, who would have become Katherine's husband, married Sofia. Marquis Dekhan who would have married Sofia, remained single after his wife, the Marquess, passed away.

Lucia no longer dwelled on her memory in the dream. Sometimes, when things happened in sync with her memory or there was a discrepancy, she thought about it momentarily and laughed to herself. She also felt that the memories of her dream, which used to be very clear, had become increasingly blurry.

Upon returning home, Lucia retired to bed early. Maybe it was due to riding in the carriage for a long time, but she found herself extremely tired.

Translator's Corner:

[1] She calls her 'Unni', hence why Katherine was surprised. Unni basically means 'big sis'.

Lucia Chapter 112 [part 1]

< — Peaceful day-to-day life — > (2)

"…vian!!"

Lucia's eyes flashed open at the strong roar that shook her senses. She breathed heavily as air surged into her lungs as if her breathing was suddenly unblocked. Her eyes shook with urgency as they swept through her surroundings.

A strong force was on Lucia's back, lifting her upper body and holding onto her shoulders. A large hand stroked her forehead that was soaked with cold sweat.

"…Hugh?"

He held her to his sturdy chest with his strong arms and gently patted her back as their heartbeats drummed against each other. Then he repeatedly whispered in her ear that it was okay.

It was only then that Lucia realized that she was trembling like she had gotten a cold. The dark bedroom and his embrace made her come to.

'Ah. This is reality.'

The despair where she was falling down a bottomless floor was a dream. That was a dream and this was reality. Her trembling slowly settled down, and her sweat-soaked nightgown cooled, bringing down her temperature.

"Did you have a nightmare? I shook you a few times, but couldn't wake you up."

"…Yes. It was a scary dream."

It was the first time that the dream of the future which she saw when she was twelve, came back again as a dream. It was a memory of the night when the Count Matin household was exterminated. The terribly long time she spent hiding alone in a dark secret space, holding her breath and trembling. She didn't know why she suddenly had such a nightmare.

Her trembling had settled down to some extent but upon seeing how anxious and restless she was, like a rabbit that was caught in a trap and survived, Hugo had grave look in his eyes.

"Should I call a doctor?"

"No. I was just…a little…shocked."

"Do I get you water?"

Lucia nodded her head but when Hugo tried to stand up, she was startled and clung tightly to him.

"Ah, no. I'm fine. Just…stay…like this…"

"…I won't go, so relax. You have to change your clothes. If you stay like this, you'll catch a cold. I'll call the maid. Is that okay?"

"…Yes."

Hugo pulled the rope to call the maid and asked her to get a few things he needed. He fed Lucia a cup of lukewarm water, wiped her sweaty body with a warm towel, and then changed her into a dry nightwear. His touch was unhurried, gentle and careful, like a parent looking after a little child.

Lucia was filled with happiness. If this moment was a dream, she didn't want to wake up forever. Fortunately, this was reality, but the fact that it couldn't last forever because it was reality, was sad.

With her body completely left up to him, Lucia followed along as he lay her body down on the bed. She rested her head on his shoulders and his arms around her waist and back were reassuring.

He gently kissed her forehead, eyes and lips before moving away. His hands, which were slowly sweeping up and down her back, gave her silent comfort. Gradually, she drifted off to sleep.

***

It wasn't very often that she felt his temperature when she woke up in the morning. When Lucia opened her eyes, she gazed at his handsome side profile, mesmerized. She moved her body, tilted her head and kissed his chin. She smiled faintly when she saw him open his eyes. He returned the smile and tightened his arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her towards him then he kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Did you sleep well?"(Hugo)

"Yes, what of you? You were up at dawn because of me."(Lucia)

"I slept well enough to make up for it. Why did you need me in the morning?"

"What…?"

"You said I should stay back in the morning."

"Ah…that…"

Lucia thought she only said that to herself, but it must have slipped out of her mouth.

"I must have been sleep talking. You didn't have to worry about it."

"I also need to arrange for you to see the doctor."

"See the doctor for what?"

"Last night, you didn't sense me lying down at all, you were fast asleep. You were also restless and awake at dawn. Plus, I think your body temperature is hot."

Lucia thought he was making a mountain out of a molehill, but eventually, she couldn't stop him from calling a doctor. The doctor meticulously asked about this and that, examined her, and then said that there was nothing wrong. Lucia gave her husband a side-eye as if saying 'see what I mean'.

"The tiredness and craving for sweet things that you mentioned are common symptoms that women often have before their menstruation start. Will your period not be coming soon? Have you ever experienced such menstrual symptoms before?"

The doctor who was newly hired two months ago, did not know about Lucia's amenorrhea yet. After sending the doctor out, Lucia wondered about the symptoms that she had never experienced before.

Now that she thought about it, after her menstruation started again in her dream, she seemed to have always kept sweet snacks around her house. Lucia had to postpone her thinking because her husband was coming onto her. After taking away the hand that kept trying to dig inside her chest area, Lucia asked him.

"Aren't you busy?"

"Nope."

"Well then, I would like to try playing around in bed."[1]

"Hmm."

When Hugo's hand burrowed between her thighs, Lucia was startled and swatted away his hand.

"Not that! Lying in bed, drinking tea, having breakfast. I want to lazy around like that. With you."

"Doesn't sound bad. Let's do one round first."

"You won't end at one! I want to drink tea! I want to have breakfast! In bed!"

When Lucia stubbornly refused, Hugo removed his hand that was persistently groping her body as a sign of surrender.

"All right. Ask them to bring the tea you want to drink so much."

Lucia laughed contentedly and pulled the rope to call the maid. Hugo propped his chin and flatly looked at his wife who looked as excited as a child going on a picnic. He looked full of dissatisfaction as if his tasty candy had been taken away.

Hugo thought his wife was still like a innocent child.

Most aristocrat's lifestyles involved gathering at feasts or meetings late at night, falling asleep at dawn and waking up late in the mornings. For them, it was a daily routine to take a simple leisurely breakfast in bed and drink tea. But that routine did not apply to the ducal couple of Taran.

Lucia's social activities were mostly at daytime, in the afternoon, and she came home late at sunset. Hugo also returned home in the evening when he was not particularly busy. Hugo's wakeup time was around dawn and Lucia was the type to wake up early in the morning.

Due to this, they had no chance to have a lazy breakfast, late in the morning. It was something everyone did daily, but Lucia never had the chance to, so she wanted to try it.

A mild tea fragrance filled the bedroom. Lucia took a sip of the tea and savored its fragrance as she watched the maids move around busily in preparation. She leaned on him comfortably, with a cushion on her back as she sipped the tea, and with her wishes fulfilled, she was in a very good mood.

"Will you be late today?"

"The same as usual. You?"

"The charity party I'm going to today is ending in the evening."

"So you only have the charity party in your itinerary today?"

"I have one tea party before that."

A simple picnic table with a simple breakfast was placed onto the bed. It was a typical breakfast with freshly squeezed honey, pancakes, and two cups of milk.

"The milk in the right cup was brought by the milk supplying merchant, he said that it is a new product with a new processing method. There is a difference in price, but more people are looking for it because it has more flavor than the previous one."

Lucia picked up the right cup of milk. When she took a sip, her mouth was overwhelmed with flavor.

"Try some of this. It's delicious."

Hugo glanced at the cup of milk held out by Lucia then he lowered his head and licked her lips with his tongue while sucking on them. Then as if nothing had happened, he lifted his head and shrugged his shoulders.

"It tastes like milk."(Hugo)

Lucia stared at him with her face blazing red, then she quickly looked around. The servants tactfully dodged her eyes and acted like they didn't see anything.

It wasn't that the servants of the ducal residence were acting like they weren't surprised at their master couple's generous display of affection, rather, they had truly reached the stage where they weren't surprised anymore. Lucia couldn't say anything because there were a lot of eyes around, so she tried to let it pass over with a casual attitude.

"What…do you think? Will it be better to change it?"

"Do what you want. You're the only child who drinks milk in this house anyways."

"…child?"

"Child."

He replied amidst chuckles and she gave him a sidelong scowl, speechless. He was acting grumpy because of her refusal to do it earlier.

He called her a child? Was that something that someone who was repeatedly stroking her waist and thighs should say? In the eyes of others, the two of them only seemed to be sitting together snugly on the bed, but where others couldn't see, his hand refused to stay still.

Lucia grabbed his hand which was groping under the blanket, took it off, then she looked at him and shrugged.

"You said I'm a child."

Hugo's eyes narrowed and he buried his head in her neck.

"Uwa!"

Hugo lightly suppressed her flailing figure and bit one side of her neck before sucking and licking it. It smarted but was also ticklish and tingling. Lucia shrunk her body with a groan but when he let her go, she came to her senses.

At some point, it was only the two of them left and all the servants had already disappeared quickly. Not only that, the servants that were quick on the uptake had put the picnic table at the bottom of the bed as if the two of them were about to having a good time.

Lucia's face flushed bright red. Even with Lucia's gaze condemning his atrocity, Hugo was satisfied to see the dark red mark left strongly on her neck.

"Why are you like this! Seriously!"

He impassively watched her fists pounding his chest then he effortlessly caught her wrists, lifted them up, swallowed her panting lips and pushed her down in one swift motion.

His wife struggled, refusing to give up and he licked her ears to tease her.

"Don't do that!"(Lucia)

"No."

Hugo was amused as she looked up to meet his eyes, looking like she was about to get angry. The playful atmosphere became heated in less than no time.

Translator's Corner:

[1] The word she used can mean fooling around, playing around, wasting time, etc. Bad choice of words imo lol.

*Fluffffffffffffffffff.