She could barely move a finger. Her voice was hoarse, making it difficult to speak. When she finally managed to lift her eyelids, she saw a thick blanket covering her up to her waist.
She was alone in the room. As Charlotte struggled to sit up, the door clicked open.
“Charlotte.”
“…Ri…”
“You don’t need to speak if it’s too much.”
Richard, now clean and neatly dressed, approached and set down a silver tray. It held a simple breakfast: bacon, scrambled eggs, a halved and lightly grilled tomato, and orange juice. Surprised to see only one serving, she looked up, and he immediately responded.
“I’ve already eaten.”
His hands gently placed the knife and fork in her hands. Though hungry, Charlotte shook her head, too weak to eat. A cool hand rested on her forehead. His face moved close, making her cheeks flush. The light filtering through the translucent curtains highlighted his light brown hair.
“Not hungry?”
“……”
“Are you in pain?”
His gaze drifted to her lower abdomen, reminding her of the previous night. The man who had driven her to unconsciousness with relentless force. The pleasure that had devoured her to the bone. Richard cupped her blushing cheeks, drawing his face closer.
“You don’t seem to be in pain.”
Unable to turn away, Charlotte nodded. As he briefly moved away, her back pressed against his firm chest instead of the hard headboard.
“Open your mouth.”
“What…?”
“Your mouth.”
Caught off guard, she opened her mouth, and a piece of tomato slipped in. Too surprised to chew, she felt his arm tighten slightly around her waist.
“If you want more of what we had last night, just say so.”
“……”
“I can give you other things too.”
His breath on her neck made her ears tingle. Startled, Charlotte quickly shook her head. As she chewed and swallowed, another bite of food followed.
***
Their early breakfast ended after she managed to eat a bit more than half. Although she had fainted during their encounter, there were no traces left from the night before except for the marks from his bites and kisses. She guessed he had cleaned everything himself, not wanting anyone else to see her bare body.
“Janice will have said you were sent on an errand early. You can go up through the kitchen.”
“And the person we saw last night…”
“You don’t need to worry. Nor about the coachman sitting in front now.”
His brief words left no room for doubt. He had arranged everything to avoid her being questioned about her whereabouts. Though it was strange that Janice had cooperated so willingly, Charlotte figured it was natural for subordinates to obey their superiors. This thought helped her set aside her worries.
She remembered seeing a pin the night before. Just as she hesitated to mention it, the carriage suddenly stopped. She peeked through the curtain and saw a boy. The coachman shouted at him.
“Carl, you little rascal! Jumping out like that, you could’ve caused an accident!”
“Ah! Sorry, sir. I’m late.”
“Do that again, and you’ll be in big trouble.”
“Yes! By the way…”
The boy, cheekily bowing his head, suddenly turned his gaze to the carriage. His eyes met Charlotte’s.
“Can I ride next to you, sir? We’re going the same way. I’ll get off midway, I promise. Please?”
“Where do you think you’re going! Get lost!”
A sense of déjà vu washed over her. It was strange. Though it was her first time seeing the boy, his face felt familiar. She was about to open the window for a better look when a hand reached from behind.
“Kyaa!”
Her vision went dark. Richard had covered her eyes with one hand and pulled the curtain shut with the other. As a bewildered Charlotte hesitated, she felt a sharp pain in her earlobe.
“Ow!”
She didn’t even notice the carriage starting to move again, as he followed by biting her neck.
“Ow, that hurts!”
Her high-pitched scream was futile. Richard turned her around and bent down. He had somehow undone her collar and left bite marks down to her collarbone.
The gentle lover from the morning was gone, replaced by a wild beast inside the carriage. Charlotte scratched his bony hands, trying to escape his grasp.
“Good. Struggle more.”
“……”
“I told you before it excites me more when you do.”
Because his little rabbit was too stupid to learn, right?
He whispered, holding her squirming body tight, biting her persistently as if marking her.
“Ugh… ah…”
She felt like she was being punished for no reason. It hurt and felt unfair, but she couldn’t resist. Eventually, Charlotte surrendered. Only when tears welled up in her large eyes did the sudden punishment end.
By then, the carriage had smoothly stopped at the back door of Seoren Hall. Richard, gently touching the clear bite marks, adjusted her clothes. Then he stepped out of the carriage first and, pretending to be the kind gentleman, extended his hand to her. Bitterly, Charlotte tried to ignore him and step out, but a sharp pain in her lower abdomen made her stumble.
“You never listen, do you?”
Clicking his tongue, he skillfully caught her by the waist and helped her down. As she set foot on the ground and looked up to thank him, he bent down and lightly kissed her forehead.
“Make sure to rest all day today.”
“…Yes.”
“Don’t overexert yourself, and if possible, stay in your room.”
“Understood.”
Only after promising repeatedly could she turn and walk away.
As she quietly opened the kitchen door, she was relieved to find it empty, the early dawn just beginning to break. Carefully tiptoeing up the servants’ stairs, she felt a moment of relief upon reaching her room without encountering anyone.
“…Charlotte.”
She froze as soon as she silently closed the door. Someone was in her room.
“Where were you last night?”
Charlotte turned slowly, stiff with fear.
“…Finn?”
She couldn’t understand why he was there. It was completely unexpected. Her voice shook with confusion.
“What are you doing here?”
“…The door was open.”
With his eyes lowered, Finn bit his lower lip as if wanting to say something but hesitated. Charlotte didn’t notice, her heart still racing. Once she calmed down a bit, she spoke more steadily.
“You shouldn’t just come in. It’s someone else’s room.”
“I’m sorry. But more importantly…”
“Leave.”
Finn looked like he had more to say, but Charlotte didn’t give him a chance.
“Please, just go.”
She knew what he wanted to ask: where she had been last night. She couldn’t tell him, and she didn’t want to. Finn was a good kid, but that was all. It felt like an invasion of her privacy.
“Charlotte…”
“Please, just leave. I’m sorry I broke my promise.”
She knew she was at fault for that. She should have told him she couldn’t come, even through Anna. But she was too overwhelmed to do so.
After a few seconds of silent eye contact, Finn lowered his head and stood up. Despite his tense expression, he complied without resistance.
“Thank you.”
“One more thing.”
Just as she was about to close the door, Finn blocked it with his hand and asked abruptly, “Charlotte, if you knew someone was doing something immoral, what would you do?”
“…I’d tell them to stop.”
“What if it’s too late for advice?”
“Then…”
Charlotte took a moment to gather her thoughts before responding.
“Then I’d leave them be. It’s their own issue.”
“……”
“Is that all?”
She had no more to say and was too tired to continue. The lack of sleep from the previous night had left her exhausted. She closed the door.
***
Despite feeling uneasy, time passed quickly without giving her a chance to dwell on it.
The day after returning to Seoren Hall, Richard left for Corlen Island upon receiving a telegram about a friend’s sudden death. The remaining staff were busy preparing for an outdoor banquet, taking advantage of the improved weather. The men moved tables and chairs outside and decorated the walls, while the women arranged the table settings and handled kitchen duties. Charlotte was busy helping out.
“Charlotte, what are you fiddling with?”
“Ah, nothing. I was just thinking… should we put three or four of these flowers here?”
To catch her breath, Charlotte had taken something from her pocket and was toying with it, but she quickly hid it and changed the subject. Anna, who was too busy to stay curious for long, nodded.
“Yes, focus on the red ones to make it vibrant. Each table should have three vases.”
“Got it.”
“Make sure to remove any stray leaves. The Countess doesn’t like imperfections.”
“Understood.”
Charlotte used special scissors to trim the small branches and thorns from the delivered flowers.
For a supposedly casual event, it seemed quite lavish to Charlotte. There were a variety of foods, from canapés topped with cheese and bruschetta with tomato salsa to a whole roasted pig. The tables were decorated with sugar sculptures and flowers in glass vases. At the center was an ice sculpture of a swan.
As the uniformed staff hurried around, Charlotte focused on arranging the last vase of flowers.
Clang.
“…Ah!”
“I’m so sorry!”
A servant carrying a heavy chair bumped into her, causing the vase she was holding to shatter on the floor. Before she could even process the mess, the servant rushed off at someone’s call. As she bent down to pick up the broken pieces and flowers, a shadow fell over her. She froze when she saw the shoes in front of her.
🍉🍉🍉
