Translator: Nox

Chapter 80

Her body felt warm, having just woken from sleep. Vanessa leaned her heated cheek against the Duke’s chest. The man’s skin, cooled after being damp, felt chillier than the sweltering air of the summer night. Before his perfume was reapplied, his skin carried a fresh, clean scent.

“I’m still sleepy. I haven’t finished writing yet, so I should get up…”

“Close your eyes for a bit. I’ll wake you when dinner is ready.”

As soon as they passed through the hallway, the door leading to the bedroom came into view. The bed was perfectly made. Every trace of what she had clumsily tried to tidy and hide in her shame had been wiped clean. Her lips went dry again. The maids must have seen every sign of the animalistic way they had coupled since morning…

Her body was lowered onto the sheets that smelled of cleanliness, and she leaned back softly. Even amidst her troubled thoughts, the man’s touch—supporting her head with a pillow and covering her with a duvet—was meticulous.

With a slightly flushed face, Vanessa looked up at the Duke as he straightened his body over her. He truly seemed intent on letting her rest. It was a departure from the nights of the past three days, where he had seduced her in every possible way and claimed her entire body.

As he walked toward the window, Vanessa impulsively spoke to his back.

“I had a dream a moment ago.”

Her low voice sounded foreign even to her own ears. The Duke, who had been drawing the curtains, turned his head at the sound. His deep, straight eyes gazed at her intently through the darkness.

The man walked over with a calm expression and sat on the edge of the bed. His touch as he brushed away the hair clinging to her sweaty forehead was detached, carrying no particular fervor.

“Was it a terrible nightmare?”

His following voice was also quite cool. Talking so peacefully like this almost gave her the illusion that the nonsensical dream she’d just had was still continuing.

Ahaha. The clear, high-pitched laughter of a child she had heard in the dream echoed in her ears like a hallucination. A field overflowing with white flower buds, sunlight pouring through the leaves like spots of light, Dahlia barking happily, a young child of about three or four running to catch a hat blown by the wind, and…

“Perhaps.”

A self-mocking smile flickered on her dry lips before vanishing. No matter how vivid and tangible it had felt, it was only a dream. She felt as though she had been caught up in some grand lingering sentiment and had let out a foolish complaint.

Especially in front of the man she had firmly vowed never to let her guard down around again… Vanessa resolutely gathered her thoughts.

“It was nothing. Just… something about a better time.”

“Tell me.”

“…Do you really want to hear it?”

When she looked at him as if asking if he were serious, one corner of his mouth curved upward. His eyes, which had been submerged in coldness, finally began to soften.

“Yes. I want to hear it.”

“Well, there were people.”

Vanessa paused for a moment before continuing.

“The place was likely a field in Linus Forest. In the distance, at the edge of the forest, I could see Mary and Mr. Ross. It was late spring, and the white wildflowers were in full bloom. The wind was blowing. I don’t know how many years had passed… but Dahlia was there with some small puppies. And…”

You were there, too. She barely managed to swallow the words she couldn’t bring herself to utter. The misery of realizing the reality finally washed over her like a slow wave.

Dreams faithfully reflect the desires of the dreamer. No matter how much one denies it on the surface, the heart cannot be deceived. In the end, the scenery she desired deep in her soul was that kind of life. Things the man before her could never give her.

“And?”

“That’s the end.”

Vanessa bit her lip hard. Droplets of blood welled up again on her wounded lip. Just before it could trickle down, he reached out and took hold of her head, slowly turning her toward him.

“……”

From the moment her eyes met his, a fierce, uncontrollable longing seethed from deep within her belly. Even now.

Her insides twisted with a loathsome sense of self-loathing. At times, her body and mind didn’t even feel like her own.

Some days, the mere smell of food made her stomach turn; on others, she craved sour, juicy fruits to the point of madness. Whenever that happened, she would close her eyes and count numbers backward. Exhaling slowly, she would grip her own arm and endure until the impulse subsided. She must not show any signs related to pregnancy in front of this man.

She slowly lowered her feverish eyelids, forcing her ragged breath to calm.

“I’m tired. I’m going to sleep now.”

“Vanessa.”

A strange warmth could be felt in the voice calling her name. He pressed his large hand over her wrist, which lay limp on the bed, as if trying to suppress a sudden surge of anxiety with the tangible sensation of her skin.

It didn’t hurt. However, there was a definite sense of pressure. And at times like this, a long encounter usually followed.

“……”

As he leaned his upper body down, a dark shadow fell over her face. Their noses brushed as he drew close, and then their lips rubbed together, becoming wet as they bit into one another. His tongue parted the opening and tangled with hers hungrily.

He was exceptionally forceful today. Every time she flinched or tried to withdraw, he pursued and ensnared her completely. It was as if he wouldn’t be satisfied until he wrung at least a single moan from her throat.

Just before the large hand that had gripped her waist slid up to seize her, there were two knocks on the bedroom door. It was the polite signal that dinner was ready in the dining room.

Vanessa’s eyes snapped open. The Duke also seemed to come to his senses only then. He slowly licked her lips, which were glistening with her saliva.

“I keep feeling a slight fever from you.”

“It’s probably… just a cold.”

“Even dogs don’t catch summer colds, Vanessa. And you have no symptoms other than the fever.”

“Then it must be because I’m tired. A lot has happened lately.”

“After dinner, call the doctor for an examination. Starting tomorrow, I’ll have the ducal physician stationed downstairs.”

“No! It’s fine!”

Vanessa raised her voice urgently and sat up. At her hypersensitive reaction, the man’s eyes narrowed slightly. She grabbed the Duke’s sleeve as he stood up to ring the bell.

His cold, sunken gaze followed her desperate reaction as if reflecting upon it.

“My constitution has always been like this. But doctors only ever tell me to take medicine… so.”

“……”

Did he find her suspicious? He likely did. Vanessa squeezed her brain for a thought. She had to find a topic to steer his mind away from this one. For example…

“How was the business you went out for today? Was it resolved well?”

At that moment, the line of the man’s mouth hardened slightly, as if she had touched upon a topic that should not be broached. Her heart sank at his coldly darkened complexion, but in the end, it was a good choice. At the very least, it seemed to have diverted his attention from the physician and her health.

“…Yes. I’ve reached a decision.”

“That’s a relief. You’ve been busy with it for a while.”

“I was driven like a beast. I extracted a high price for it, though.”

“You made the right choice, didn’t you?”

He stared at Vanessa in silence. Since not even a gas lamp was lit, the room was entirely submerged in darkness, making it so his features were barely visible.

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

“Nothing.”

His passionless voice sounded somewhat dry. His face, as he buried his lips against her fingers, looked surprisingly anxious.

“I was thinking about how I should persuade you for the remainder of our time.”

What he wanted was, in fact, clear. The right to monopolize each other’s bodies for a period. The very relationship the world called being lovers or a mistress.

Perhaps… she might have agreed to this relationship for a short while. Not because she loved herself less, but because she loved him that much more.

If only she could hide the child. If only her belly would never swell, so the Duke would never know his illegitimate child had been conceived. If only, even if he heard news of her raising a child in the future, he would never guess it was his own blood and simply forget.

“……”

The force pulling up her chin, which had dropped down, was strong. In the darkness, the Duke’s blue eyes glowed with a strange luster. Like a beast.

“Tell me you’ll extend the contract, Vanessa.”

“……”

“Tell me you’ll stay by my side, no matter what happens.”