ᴛʜɪʀᴛᴇᴇɴᴛʜ.

She carefully placed her hand on her abdomen while staring outside the carriage. Every word that the Knight said is imprinted in her mind. How will she be able to forget it when he got her first? It was ecstatic. He handled her well and gently. It was her first time to experience something like that and she would like to experience more in the future. 

"What do you have in mind, Milady?" The Grand Duke asked and she was cut out from her reverie. He took note of her simple but little gestures. She has been fidgety since the first day of their trip. 

"I was thinking about the next place where we will stay." She chuckled softly and she stared at him when he reached for her hand and left kisses on the back of it. 

"I can help you feel comfortable with our travels, Milady." It was sexy and husky. His voice sent tingling feelings inside her and the gentleman saw her having goosebumps. 

They kissed before this incident happened and it is one of the reasons why she can't sleep at night. She felt like she fell under his spells. He is not leaving her mind even if she wants to. She is supposedly thinking about the Knight but when she made love with him, she wished it was the Grand Duke instead. She almost blurted the Grand Duke's name that night but she mentally thanked herself for keeping sane. She wants his hands all over her body and she can't admit it. It is killing her slowly. 

"I am fine, Milord. Are we about to arrive there yet?" She asked after pulling her hand away from his touches. 

It took them another hour to arrive at the village. He helped her get out of the carriage and the coachman immediately went down to bring their luggage inside the inn. The Grand Duke preferred this kind of lodging and she is fine with it. As long as she will not share a bedchamber with him, she will be fine. They didn't inform the villagers about their arrival, so it is given that they are busy with their daily errands. 

"Is there any vacant place for me and the Duchess and also for the coachman?" He asked the personnel behind the counter and their faces lightened up when they heard the Grand Duke. 

"Yes, Milord. How many chambers do you want to rent and for how many days and nights?" The personnel asked. 

"Two chambers for five days and four nights. The first chamber should be able to occupy two persons and I would like to ask some favors while we are staying in." He said and he pulled a small bag of gold coins from his surcoat. 

She didn't miss to hear that she will stay in the same chamber with him. She turned around and focused on watching the coachman bring their luggage inside the inn. She took a deep breath and a few more personnel started helping the coachman. The Grand Duke just rented the largest bedchamber that the personnel could offer. He instructed the coachman to take a rest first and then, they will proceed to the city after lunchtime. 

She doesn't know why she expected this. The moment they arrived at the bedchamber, she found herself under him and his kisses. He reached for the laces of her corset and untied it. She closed her eyes and gripped on his shoulders gently. She got a hungry wolf this time. She gave her best to keep him satiated and they reached the climax a few times before her body collapsed due to exhaustion. 

It was sweet. He was sweet. She looked so sweet when he didn't dare to take his eyes off her while doing the deed. She was able to call his name and she was not dreaming. He stared at her sleeping face while their naked bodies were covered with the blankets. He left a kiss on her forehead and pulled her closer. 

"Can you love me instead of the Knight?" He murmured. She stirred from her sleep and slowly opened her eyes to look at him. 

"Kazuma.." She mumbled before falling asleep once again. He was restless. He got up from the bed after an hour of staring at her sleeping figure. 

He put his clothes on and went out to talk to the personnel. Even though this travel is the Duchess' idea, he made sure she will not pull anything from her pockets for it. He thinks she deserves to be treated as the future Grand Duchess. He will make sure that she will be his spouse in the future. He may be selfish but he wants her and he will want her more soon. 

"Make sure to assist her once she asked for help, especially when she is dressing up. Did you buy the dress?" He asked the personnel and he quickly nodded. 

"I asked my wife to look for the finest silk dress that we can buy from the merchants." The personnel answered and he took a small bag of silver coins this time. 

"This is the payment for the dress. The remaining amount will be for the food she will ask to be prepared. Make sure it will be healthy and delicious." He gave the bag of coins to the personnel and before he walked back to their bedchamber, he said another thing. 

"Money is not a problem but I will make sure that you will be punished once you take advantage of our stay in this inn." His eyes were cold while saying those. 

The personnel immediately bowed his head and swore to earn his trust. So far, he is satisfied with the services they are giving but he will show no mercy if he finds out that they are taking advantage. He wants what is best for his beloved but it doesn't mean he will waste too much money for it. Everyone in the inn heard this, so it served as a warning for them. He will not repeat himself for it. He will never say the same thing twice.