Lewd.
It was a word she had never uttered in her life.
But at this moment, there was no word more appropriate and perfect than that one.
‘Oh my goodness, he’s licking my palm… licking it!’
She couldn’t believe the sensation she had just felt.
It was the first time in her life she had experienced such a lewd act. Her heart pounded as if it would break through her ribcage at any moment.
Lucas, who had been staring blankly at her, suddenly burst into laughter.
“Ahahaha!”
His deep yet clear laughter resonated beautifully through the night garden.
He bent over, clutching his stomach as he laughed.
The genuinely joyful sound of his laughter was quite pleasant to hear.
‘Why, why is he laughing?’
Grace looked at him with a bewildered face.
Lucas wiped the corner of his eye and then suddenly pulled her into his arms.
“Lewd, you say.”
Before she had a chance to react to the shock, she found herself wrapped in his wide embrace, her eyes wide open.
She was too stunned to even be bewildered.
“Oh… what are we to do, Grace?”
He whispered, holding the back of her head tightly.
“W-What do you mean?”
Feeling her heart pounding, Grace asked dazedly.
Lucas was so tall that her ear was at the level of his heart.
As she stayed still, she realized that the sound of a vigorously beating heart was not hers alone.
“A lewd man like this will soon be your husband…”
“……!”
The vibrations from his heart resonated in her ear, tickling her senses.
“…How will you handle it then?”
His deep and subtle voice languidly adhered to her round earlobe.
“I’m already looking forward to our first night together. Aren’t you, Grace?”
…Oh my god.
She couldn’t even imagine what would happen that night.
But the strange thing was, she wasn’t entirely scared.
Grace was confused by the peculiar sense of anticipation she felt.
* * *
Carol Lianne Adeia, 22 years old.
Until she lost her father at 20, she had lived a reasonably happy life.
She wasn’t rich, but she never went hungry, and her aging father, who had her late in life, doted on his daughter like a princess.
“My dear, sweet Carol! You will be loved no matter who you meet!”
She was the prettiest girl in the seaside village.
All the young men in the village liked her.
Among them, Logan, who owned three boats, was the best of them.
His tanned skin and strong physique reminded her of the young version of her father, as described by him.
She had naturally thought she would marry Logan.
At least, that was until she insisted on visiting the capital as a celebration of her coming of age.
“Hey, pretty lady. What’s your name?”
A young gentleman with curly light brown hair approached her while she was eagerly sightseeing in the capital.
Norman O’Ellin.
“…You come from such a small village? I thought you were a princess from a distant land.”
Unlike the men in her seaside village, he was elegant and refined.
When Norman’s fair fingers touched Carol Lianne’s cheek, she felt her heart pound wildly.
His graceful accent also seemed incredibly sweet and noble to the young Carol Lianne.
Norman fed Carol rare desserts she had never tasted before and adorned her neck and ears with dazzling jewels, whispering ‘fate’ in her ear.
The naive young woman thus delayed her return home, day by day, swayed by Norman’s whispers.
About ten days had passed like this.
When Carol, after drinking the sweet wine he brought, stood up in a daze, she realized she could no longer marry Logan.
‘I, I never intended to go this far…’
Wearing nothing, Carol pulled the blanket up over her body and looked at Norman lying next to her with a pale face.
Norman, waking up leisurely, smiled and pulled her head in for a kiss.
“My lovely Carol. Last night was the best. Stay with me now. I’ll make you a Marchioness.”
He whispered sweetly.
That was, what, two years ago?
“…What are you doing, Carol? You should listen.”
“M-Marquis. I don’t want to. Not today. I don’t feel well.”
“Carol, Carol, Carol… You said the same thing last time and refused me, didn’t you? What are you doing, planning to abandon your duties as a wife?”
Norman O’Ellin, smiling softly just as he did when they first met, tied Carol’s wrists.
Carol looked at Norman with tear-filled eyes.
She wanted to scream, to ask what kind of man locks up his wife in a cabin.
But she couldn’t muster the courage to defy him.
It had been two years since he forcibly kept her here, promising to take her with him once he inherited the title.
Since that night’s mistake, she had never been able to return home.
Her father, who came looking for her, collapsed after a heated argument when she told him she couldn’t go back.
It was a heart attack.
Carol felt like her father’s death was entirely her fault.
Pretending to comfort her, Norman brought her to this isolated place.
Unable to go anywhere, she was completely trapped in Norman’s snare.
“But… When will I be allowed to leave this place? Norman—!”
Slap!
A sharp, stinging sound struck her cheek.
“I told you to call me Marquis, didn’t I? You need to be punished this time.”
Carol, who had collapsed onto the floor, burst into tears.
Norman clicked his tongue as he approached the crying Carol.
Then, with warm hands, he hugged and soothed her.
“Shh— Don’t cry, Carol. It pains me so much when you cry. See, when you cry, the baby cries too. Right? Just hold on a little longer, okay? My innocent, obedient Carol. I’ll get you and the baby out of here. Just endure for one more year.”
“M-Marquis… I want to get out of here. This place, it’s so cold and lonely.”
“Yes, yes, good girl. Tomorrow, I’ll tell Torres to bring lots of meat. And I’ll get you the bread and fresh juice you like. Ah, right, you wanted macarons, didn’t you?”
Pretending to comfort her, he undressed her.
Carol, knowing this affection was fake, had no choice but to cling to Norman.
The only things left for her now were her six-month-old baby and this man.
“Don’t worry, Carol. You have nothing to worry about.”
Carol looked at Norman, who was smiling cruelly, then closed her eyes.
The tears wouldn’t stop.
* * *
“Waaah—”
Norman’s coachman, Torres, comforted the crying baby as he quickly moved away from the cabin.
“Shhh, shhh… There, there, baby? Please, stop crying, okay?”
Torres, a young man who had never given birth to or raised a child, had no idea how to soothe and comfort a baby.
All he could do was walk aimlessly around the area, holding the baby.
The only fortunate thing was that the weather wasn’t cold, so he could hold and comfort the baby outside.
“Waaah— Uwaaah—!”
The baby cried desperately, unaware of Torres’s earnest pleas.
The baby, barely six months old, still looked too small, as if it hadn’t been eating well.
“Is the baby crying because it’s hungry? But what should such a small baby eat…?”
He had come too recklessly.
So neither Torres nor the baby’s mother had time to prepare anything.
Torres felt sorry for the crying baby, but there was only so much he could do.
That made Torres feel even more miserable.
‘…That bastard, worse than an animal.’
He thought of his master inside the small cabin.
He had entered into a servant contract that was no different from a slave contract because he had no money, but if he had any means, he would quit being the O’Ellin family’s coachman immediately.
No, if he could, he wanted to beat him to death with this riding crop that he was holding.
He was well aware of the arrogant and filthy conduct of the nobility, but among them, Norman O’Ellin was truly someone he couldn’t stand.
Marquis Kafrenn at least put on a modicum of dignity and pretended to be a respectable man, but his son, Norman O’Ellin… He was different.
Young, vigorous, and with a bad temper, he caused new trouble every year.
He especially liked women, and there were countless lives he had ruined.
However, if anyone spoke out or interfered, they would face unknown consequences, so they couldn’t act recklessly.
Because of this, Torres felt like he was forced to live every day immersed in a filthy sewer.
‘Ah… the most pitiful one is Carol.’
Torres glanced nervously beyond the cabin.
Inside, young and fragile Carol Lianne Adeia was likely being tormented by his master.
Two years ago, just after she had come of age, she had unfortunately caught Norman’s eye.
Strawberry blond hair, light sky-blue eyes, a round face with a gentle impression.
Norman had lured that lovely young lady and practically imprisoned her in this cabin, making her his secret lover.
Her old father, who used to protect her, had passed away, and Norman didn’t miss that opportunity.
“My poor Carol. Now you’re truly alone. Shh, don’t cry. Once I become the Marquis, I’ll make you my wife. So stay with me.”
He seduced her with sweet words.
“But if my father finds out about you, he won’t leave us alone, so let’s hide for a while. Don’t meet anyone recklessly. Understand?”
He isolated her in a remote place.
When she ended up pregnant, he left her alone, and Carol had no choice but to give birth to the child.
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