Chapter 52
52
'What did I do wrong?'
Gunther couldn't understand at all. He had only been honest with Maria because he didn't want to keep any secrets from her, but Maria sulked like a child and grumbled for days. Last night, a tragedy occurred where he couldn't even lay a finger on Maria's body. He should ask Stone about it. It had been a while since they had talked anyway. But he didn't even need to go to Stone, as a profound realization unfolded before his eyes.
"Solskjaer, what are those women gathered over there looking at?"
Gunther said, watching Maria and her group giggling in the hallway. Now that Ramona had joined them, there wasn't a day without laughter in the Imperial Palace. Well, that was a good thing for Maria.
"Aren't the warriors putting on a swordsmanship performance to celebrate the Great King and Maria's Royal Wedding?"
"That's right."
"It seems they are watching the practice."
Soon, Gunther and Solskjaer's gazes moved towards the yard. There, the most outstanding warriors from Helland were performing dazzling swordsmanship practice. They were mostly in their early twenties, young, fit, and handsome. Just then, Maria's excited voice flew and struck Gunther's ears.
"They all look handsome and healthy. They're in great shape, and above all, they seem brave."
"!?!"
"The future of Helland looks very bright."
He felt strangely unpleasant. No, it should be said, disgusting. He didn't like Maria looking at other men, calling them handsome and saying they were in good shape. It was proof that Maria's attention was even slightly lingering on someone else. Anyway, it wasn't like Maria said she liked them, but he felt inexplicably annoyed. Just then, words that further fueled Gunther's anger were heard.
"Still, they're not as good as our Solskjaer. They still look very young. Mature masculinity is definitely Solskjaer."
"Is the adjutant always the best to you?"
When Ero praised, Nora retorted fiercely.
"Of course. Where else would there be someone better than my man?"
"Well, if you have a lover, praising other men is a stupid thing to do. They must be a little lacking in the head."
"It's not that they're lacking in the head, it's that they have terrible sense. People like that are doomed to not be loved by their lovers."
Gunther slowly backed away. It seemed impossible to pass by that place. Instead, Solskjaer seemed pleased, his lips raised to his ears.
'Doomed to not be loved?'
A profound realization struck his mind. He didn't know why he was so clumsy and messed up in everything. That must be why Solskjaer said those words.
"Solskjaer, you're right."
"Yes?"
"What you said about the most difficult thing being a woman's heart."
He was only now realizing that to be loved by Maria, he had to be quick-witted. He was worried about how to soothe Maria's sulking heart. On closer inspection, he had been a bit foolish. He had openly praised the appearance of his ex-husband's mistress, so how upset must she have been? It was just a meaningless remark.
* * *
As night fell, Gunther approached Maria with a nervous face. He thought he should apologize. Even a small slip of the tongue could remain in the other person's mind as an unpleasant word.
"Maria, that woman is nothing compared to you."
At the sudden words, Maria sighed.
"I don't care at all."
It was all in the past, and objectively, Laurent was certainly an attractive woman in terms of appearance. It was only natural that Gunther saw her that way too.
"You were angry with me."
So who was it that turned their back on him and slept without letting him lay a finger on them?
"Not anymore."
Maria smiled brightly. There was no need to act so childishly. But one thing was certain.
"I think I like Gunther a lot."
"What?"
"That's why I reacted so sensitively to even trivial words. I was very surprised at myself too."
When she was Empress, she always endured and suppressed her anger. No, she didn't even have the time to be so childishly jealous. Before she could get angry with Henry, her affection for him had already faded.
"Say it again."
"Say what?"
Maria was puzzled by Gunther's flushed face.
"The part about liking me a lot."
"!"
Only then did Maria realize that Gunther was sensitively accepting even her casual words. That wouldn't only apply to Gunther. She was the same.
"I like you a lot, Gunther Paisley."
Even though he had heard the words before, his heart pounded as if he were hearing them for the first time. Had he finally become the man who possessed her body and soul? Now that he had achieved his goal, his heart was more overwhelmed than he had imagined. He wanted to give Maria the best compliment he could think of.
"I liked doing it with you the most."
In other words, he enjoyed having sex with Maria the most, and in his mind, it was the greatest compliment. But Maria looked at Gunther with a pale face.
'Why? Did I say something wrong again?'
"You must have done it a lot?"
At Maria's cold question, Gunther realized his mistake. That wasn't what he meant. It seemed she had heard it as him saying he had sex with countless women, but he was most satisfied with her. He would be less upset if he had actually done it. Gunther raised his hand towards Maria.
"I mean I like doing it with you more than this. And I have no intention of using anything other than you in the future."
Only then did Maria's stiff face begin to relax. Gunther threw in one more word as if driving a wedge into Maria.
"Solskjaer had women visiting him every night, but I was different."
"How were you different?"
"I pretended it was you."
He pointed to his hand and spoke passionately. Maria found Gunther's flustered expression so funny that she burst out laughing. It couldn't be said that it was a sin for a virile man to have relations with a woman, and even she had been married to Henry for ten years. Of course, it was rare after the first three years... So there was no need to make an issue of things that happened before their relationship was clearly defined. The important thing was from now on.
"How about the real Maria doing it?"
Maria tilted her head, slightly sticking out her red tongue.
"Huh?"
Gunther seemed mesmerized by Maria's suggestive expression, which he had never seen before. Soon, Maria's hand caressed his waist.
"Do you want it? It's the real Maria."
"How could I refuse?"
Their lips met, and Maria's hand searched for Gunther's hidden desires, delving into the deep darkness. And there, a ferocious beast was waiting for her hand.
"Gasp."
An unfamiliar sensation wrapped fiercely around her soft hand. But she wasn't afraid. The real Maria had come, so she had to caress and cherish it a lot. She stimulated Gunther's desires to gather in one place, and he responded greatly. Groans and heat intertwined between their overlapping lips. Maria cherished the violent beast as if taming it, sometimes treating it aggressively and harshly. Gunther trembled at the pleasure she offered. The things he had always imagined were now becoming a reality before his eyes. That alone doubled his excitement.
"How is it? Is the real Maria satisfying?"
"It's unbelievably good."
But it was a shame to end it there, so Gunther laid Maria down on the bed. It was because he wanted to reach his climax inside her. He plunged into Maria's body without foreplay.
"Ah... Ugh!"
Her body arched backward, and her thighs trembled. The pleasure that came after the intense pain sent shivers down her spine.
"Your body is better than your heart."
"I like your body more than your heart too."
The two became one and moved intensely. And they became certain. Their physical bond had become stronger. It didn't matter, though.
"Maria, I'm here. Do whatever you want."
"I'm going to make you cry. Beg me to stop."
"You said you liked my body."
Gunther moved as if releasing all the pent-up desires he had accumulated, and Maria moaned, writhed, and sobbed, overwhelmed by pleasure. Gunther intertwined his fingers with Maria's and pushed flexibly, as if matching the rhythm. But a strange thing happened.
The more they indulged in each other's bodies, the more they liked each other. It was natural for emotions to deepen even with a single kind word of comfort, but he didn't know that a sense of empathy could arise even while pursuing pleasure together in accordance with their instincts. It seemed that tonight's love would not end easily.
* * *
Nancy carefully watched the newly arrived maid. It had been a month since she had requested a replacement for Betty, who had left the Imperial Palace some time ago, and only now had a new maid arrived.
"What's your name?"
"Ramona Tail."
It was a relief. If she were too beautiful, she would catch Henry's eye, but Ramona, with her brown hair and extremely ordinary appearance, was not someone Nancy needed to be wary of.
"Madam Akman, here."
Ramona handed Nancy a small Scented Oil Bottle.
"What is this?"
"It's Scented Oil to seduce men."
"What?"
Nancy was taken aback by Ramona's audacity. A maid who had only been in the Imperial Palace for a month was openly flattering her. Moreover, Henry favored Laurent more, so the position of her maids in the Imperial Palace was not very solid. Did she know that and look down on her?
"Why are you giving this to me?"
She wasn't going to accept it just because she was being flattered. Having served nobles for a long time, she knew their psychology better than anyone, so everything didn't feel purely innocent.
"It's my sister's request."
"Sister?"
"Yes, my sister strongly urged me to give it to Madam Akman as a gift."
"Who is your sister? Does she know me?"
Nancy examined Ramona with a suspicious face.