Chapter 14
“Y-Your Excellency!”
Before she knew it, she had let out a scream, calling out in panic. Rachel hurriedly tried to cover her mouth, but it was too late.
She said she’d seduce him openly, yet here she was, calling him “Your Excellency” when she should have been using his name with affection. As Rachel slightly narrowed her eyes in frustration, the gaze of Stefan, who had been looking out the window, turned toward her.
He must have just finished bathing; his silver hair, still damp, glistened dramatically under the moonlight. His crimson eyes, shining beneath his silver locks, looked like rubies offered by an angel descended to seduce Rachel.
“It seems I’m late, madam.”
“What?”
Stefan glanced at the wine glass in Rachel’s hand and continued speaking.
“It seems you grew tired of waiting and started without me.”
“…”
Only then did she recall the wine glass she held in her hand, her face flushing as she thrust it toward him.
“I heard wine is good for recovery from fatigue. Would Your Excellency like a glass?”
Her lips clamped shut again. She had said “Your Excellency” once more.
After making the same mistake twice, Rachel squeezed her eyes shut. She barely held herself back from slapping her own face in frustration.
At that moment, she felt something solid collide with her wine glass. Simultaneously, Stefan let out an awkward exclamation.
“Oh…”
“Oh my, Your Excellency…”
She opened her eyes only after everything had already happened.
The glass she had been holding was now empty, and the wine had stained Stefan’s shirt as if it had consumed it all.
Startled, Rachel fumbled with her words as she reached out to his shirt.
“I… I’m so sorry, Your Excellency. P-Please take off your shirt.”
Stefan, as if he had been waiting for this, quickly stripped off his shirt. As he moved, the rich scent of wine wafted over, adding to the allure.
His torso, covered with firm, sculpted muscles, was as detailed and beautiful as a masterpiece carved by a genius sculptor.
Rachel quickly averted her gaze, making an excuse to escape.
“I’ll bring more wine.”
“There’s no need for that, madam.”
Surprised by his unexpected response, Rachel turned back to him, only to find Stefan closing the distance between them, pulling her tightly against him.
She awkwardly stiffened in his embrace like a rigid log.
“There’s already plenty of wine.”
“What?”
Her questioning voice was swallowed up by Stefan’s lips. As if trying to confirm the type of wine that had passed through her mouth moments ago, he moved meticulously.
Caught off guard by the kiss, Rachel’s strength gave way, and she accidentally dropped the wine glass she had been holding.
The sound of shattering glass brought an end to the heated reunion. Stefan, who had been as hot as fire, pulled away from Rachel.
“Haa…”
A faint sigh escaped Rachel’s lips.
It was the kind of sigh one makes when unsure whether it’s from the lack of breath or from the regret of having left what seemed like an endless vortex of emotions.
But when Stefan glanced at the shattered wine glass on the floor, he unexpectedly scooped Rachel up into his arms. This was uncharacteristic of him.
“Y-Your Excellency.”
“There are glass shards, madam. I’ll carry you to the bed.”
“I’m f-fine, Your Excellency. P-Please put me down.”
As she wriggled to free herself from his hold, Stefan tightened his embrace and spoke calmly.
“The more you resist, the more we’ll only provoke each other further.”
As Rachel immediately understood the meaning behind his words and fell silent, Stefan began to move. The man, who was more than two handspans taller than her, took a stride forward, causing Rachel to wrap her arms around his neck in surprise. Their close contact felt surprisingly natural.
Stefan’s pace quickened, and the faster he moved, the more deeply Rachel buried her face into the nape of his neck. Her breath against him caused Stefan’s body to tense up even more.
To make matters worse, the deep slit in her slip left her bare leg fully exposed. He tried not to focus on it, but her pale leg kept catching his eye, and every time her smooth skin brushed against him, his thoughts were distracted.
When they finally reached the bed and Stefan set Rachel down, his hand slipped awkwardly. His lower body had stiffened in the meantime. Despite the spacious bed and soft blankets, Stefan’s large hand clumsily landed on Rachel’s soft mound.
Moreover, as he flustered, tried to withdraw his hand, it ended up squeezing her chest instead.
“Y-Your Excellency… ha…”
Rachel, who had repeatedly called him “Your Excellency” in a stiff tone earlier, now sounded as if her voice was a heated moan. Why that was, Stefan couldn’t quite understand.
When he hastily removed his hand from her chest, the bud hidden within her slip was revealed, standing tall as if it had just bloomed.
“…I’m sorry, madam.”
As Stefan slowly straightened up, Rachel’s arms followed, wrapping around his head and neck.
“Sh-Stefan…”
Perhaps it was because she called him by his name, or maybe it was the sweet scent of her body, but Stefan felt dizzy.
Taking advantage of the moment, Rachel slipped her slender fingers into Stefan’s hair, gently stimulating his scalp. Whether her intention was to relax him or to provoke him, he couldn’t tell.
Stefan’s throat felt parched. As he swallowed dryly, he caught sight of Rachel’s slip, stained a deep red.
“Madam, it would be best for you to change your clothes.”
“…”
“And I should go bathe again.”
“Oh…”
Rachel’s hands dropped away from him. It seemed like he saw a brief flicker of discomfort pass across her face.
Stefan assumed that Rachel was blaming herself for ruining the wedding night.
‘Don’t blame yourself. This was all part of my plan…’
He had intended to tease her just enough before leaving. He knew how shameful it was for a bride to not consummate the marriage on her wedding night.
As expected, she was inexperienced. Unable to handle the situation soberly, she even clumsily tried to use alcohol as an excuse.
So he had deliberately bumped into her wine glass, then shaken her with a deep kiss, and aroused her body with touches disguised as accidents.
He had planned to say something cold to her next, telling her to sleep alone in the wide bed tonight.
But before he could speak, Rachel’s moist lips moved first.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’ll be able to attend to you tonight, Your Excellency.”
“…”
“I drank some wine to calm my nerves about the wedding night, but I think I overdid it. I feel like I’m going to be sick any moment… Ugh.”
Clamping her hand over her mouth, Rachel hurriedly bolted into the bathroom. Stefan watched her in disbelief.
A hollow laugh escaped him. It wasn’t Rachel left alone in the wide bed—it was Stefan himself.
‘This is absolutely ridiculous…’
In this situation, it wasn’t him rejecting the wedding night, but Rachel.
Unable to believe what was happening, Stefan clenched his fist and rose from the bed.
Standing outside the bathroom door, Stefan closed his eyes tightly as he spoke over the sounds of Rachel retching.
“I’ll be going now.”
“I’m truly sorry, Your Excellency. Ugh…”
“Take care of yourself, madam.”
No further reply came, just the loud sounds of her retching.
As Stefan slowly turned to leave and was about to open the door, the bathroom door clicked open.
“Y-Your Excellency…”
At Rachel’s desperate call, Stefan turned around, his expression calm.
“What’s the matter?”
“I’m sorry, but could you call someone?”
It was natural to summon a servant to the bedroom to tend to Rachel, but doing so would publicly announce that the Duke and Duchess had not consummated their marriage on the first night. As a result, Stefan would undoubtedly be rumored to be the unfortunate man who failed on his wedding night. He thought it might be better for him to stay in the bedroom and take care of his wife himself.
“If you’re in such bad shape, perhaps I should…”
“Please call a maid. I don’t want to show you any more of this unseemly state.”
Rachel, barely holding onto the bathroom door, looked as though she might collapse at any moment. Her slumped shoulders and limp limbs hinted at just how serious her condition was.
“…I’ll send a maid in right away.”
“Thank you. And I’m sorry, Your Excellency.”
Stefan opened the door and spoke quietly but swiftly to the maids who had been standing guard outside.
“Go in and assist the Duchess. It seems she drank wine on an empty stomach and isn’t feeling well.”
“Oh… yes, Your Grace.”
As one maid quickly entered the bedroom, the other glanced at the Duke’s disheveled shirt and cautiously asked,
“Shall I prepare a bath for you, Your Grace?”
“…Is Bell still at the mansion?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Tell him I’ll be waiting for him in the study.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
The fact that Bell was still at the mansion meant that not much time had passed since Stefan had entered the marital bedroom.
“I need to find out who is truly my mother’s pawn. Investigate thoroughly, whether it’s Rachel Burke or Hazel Lewin.”
Just minutes ago, Stefan had spoken those words.
But now, having been driven out by Rachel, who was supposedly his mother’s pawn, what would Bell think when he saw him?
Mocking himself, Stefan slowly made his way to the study. His unusually sluggish steps made him look like a defeated soldier.
This first night was Stefan’s undeniable defeat.
