Chapter 71
Feeling humiliated, Rachel raised her hand to push Stefan away, but it was easily caught by him. As she tried to back away, she ended up perched awkwardly on the desk.
Seeing this, Stefan drew even closer, a sneer tugging at his lips. He pinned Rachel’s hands onto the desk, pressing his body against hers.
“Please don’t do this. I’ll scream.”
“You came here on your own, and now you say…”
“It’s not like that, I told you—”
Before Rachel could finish, Stefan’s lips crashed onto hers. It was partly because her voice had risen, but mostly because his patience had completely run out.
Her blazing purple eyes were intensely provocative. The way Rachel clearly expressed her refusal only ignited a strange sense of competitiveness within him.
Stefan was filled with fury—toward Rita, who still tried to control him through weaknesses, and toward Rachel, who foolishly allowed herself to be used by Rita.
‘Even if I don’t retract the gift annulment despite being swayed by Rachel, Rita will understand something. No one can be my weakness anymore.’
Overcome with a burning desire, Stefan relentlessly pressed on. Rachel, suffocated by the heat of his invasive kiss, expressed her resistance with every part of her body, but it was no use.
The more she pushed him away, the more Stefan clung to her—like sticky mud that adheres more tightly the harder an animal struggles to escape.
As his large frame continued to press down on her small body, Rachel, unable to hold out, collapsed onto the desk.
The impact broke their kiss, and she managed to free her hands from Stefan’s grip.
“Stop it now.”
Lying on the desk, Rachel murmured in a low voice.
“If you go any further, I’ll never forgive you, Stefan.”
Her words made Stefan pause. He realized he had chosen the wrong target for his anger. Feeling a sudden wave of shame, he rubbed his face with his hands and muttered softly.
“…I’m sorry, Madam.”
Rachel said nothing. Only a subtle trembling betrayed her emotions. She seemed to be crying, unable to contain her despair.
Stefan, who had reached out a hand to help her up, pulled it back and tightly closed his eyes.
“I misunderstood for a moment. This… will never happen again. I’m truly sorry, Madam.”
“…”
“Susan’s issue is a matter for the Edmond family. So, please, do not worry or get involved.”
“…”
Rachel remained silent to everything he said. With a deep sigh, Stefan spoke with feigned indifference, intending to provoke her.
“It’s dark at night. I’ll escort you back to the duchy.”
Just as he expected, Rachel’s sharp voice responded.
“…That won’t be necessary.”
Sitting up on the desk, Rachel tidied her disheveled hair and dress. At some point, her eyes had returned to their usual blue.
Stefan, relieved by this, allowed himself a small smile, but Rachel shot him a glare as if she couldn’t believe his audacity.
“Make sure to return to the duchy tomorrow. Since this is the Edmond family’s issue, handle it there with Mother.”
“…Understood.”
When Stefan agreed, Rachel got down from the desk. Her legs wobbled slightly, as if all her strength had left her.
When he reached out an arm to support her, she coldly pushed him away.
“Mary is waiting outside. I don’t need any unnecessary help.”
Speaking firmly, Rachel bit down hard, determined not to show any weakness. Even though her legs felt weak and the world spun around her, she forced herself to walk steadily toward the door.
***
It was only natural for Mary to be startled when she saw her mistress stumbling out of the office after bringing fresh clothes for the busy duke.
“Madam, are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
Leaning on Mary, Rachel struggled to take each step. Watching her, Finn’s expression also grew grim.
“…Have a safe trip home, Duchess.”
“Thank you, Chief Aide.”
Seeming to understand the situation, Finn avoided eye contact, bowing his head and seeing her off with an uneasy demeanor.
As the carriage started moving, Mary, who had been stealing glances at Rachel, finally mustered the courage to speak.
“Madam, did things not go well with the Duke?”
“…He said he’ll return home tomorrow.”
“That’s a relief.”
“I’m going to close my eyes for a bit.”
“Yes, Madam.”
Leaning back against the carriage seat, I closed my eyes, trying to shake off the shock. My arms, which had been tense and rigid, still held onto the lingering tension, causing me to clench and unclench my fists.
‘How can mother and son be so disgustingly alike…?’
To my eyes, both Rita, who had sent me to seduce her son, and Stefan, who misunderstood that I had come to seduce him, seemed like the same kind of trash. I had thought Rita was the worst person, with Stefan following close behind—but now I wasn’t so sure.
‘What a vulgar person. I’d rather he truly were interested in men.’
I had almost suffered a terrible ordeal at Stefan’s hands—something I hadn’t even experienced in my past life. Coercion, even between a married couple, is unmistakably violence. It was, without a doubt, the most shocking thing that had ever happened to me.
‘From now on, I’ll never meddle in other people’s affairs.’
Since Stefan had said he would handle the Susan issue, I decided not to lose sleep over it.
I’d also tell Rita, who would likely be waiting up for me with open eyes, that her family’s problems should be solved by her family alone.
Susan would return safely to the duchy. After all, in my past life, no one in the Edmond family had died before me.
Having sorted out my thoughts, I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders. I reminded myself that the most important things to me now were sending Remington to the academy and preparing to escape the duchy.
***
As soon as Rachel’s carriage left the accessory shop, Finn rushed into the office. The room was a mess, with the desk in disarray and a travel bag spilled open on the floor.
“What kind of misunderstanding led you to treat the Duchess so poorly?”
Finn’s face was twisted, as if he had imagined something vile—perhaps a man who had struck a woman.
“Finn, stop imagining such nonsense.”
“Apologies, Your Grace.”
“Prepare a carriage for me.”
“Where do you intend to go at this hour?”
“…I need to go home.”
Unlike Stefan’s casual response, Finn’s face was filled with confusion.
“Then why didn’t you return with the Duchess…?”
“The Duchess said she didn’t want to go with me.”
“…You really didn’t hit her, right?”
“I must have lived in the garbage too long if even you think I’m trash…”
“I’ll be careful. I’ll bring the carriage around, so please come down quickly.”
After Finn, who had quickly bowed his head, left the office, Stefan began picking up the scattered belongings and packing them into a new bag.
Seeing that Rachel had thoughtfully packed extra clothes, toiletries, and even a razor, he couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
“Worried about her husband spending the night away, was she?”
To think he had misunderstood such a caring Rachel as one of Rita’s pawns. Meanwhile, the real pawns continued to live comfortably in the duchy.
“It’s time to root them out.”
With the hastily packed bag in hand, Stefan stepped outside, where Finn had already prepared a sturdy carriage.
“The ride won’t be the most comfortable, but I chose a strong carriage to get you back to the duchy as quickly as possible.”
“Well done, Finn. Let’s go.”
As Finn had predicted, they reached the duchy early. The light in Rachel’s bedroom was still on.
Stefan wanted to tell her personally that he had returned home as promised, but he couldn’t muster the courage.
After staring up at Rachel’s window for a long while, Stefan trudged toward his study.
‘…There will be another opportunity.’
Stefan decided to abandon his plan to use Marquis Eden to catch Rita.
Digging into their connections would take too long, and he couldn’t bear to watch Rachel remain anxious over Susan in the meantime.
He also needed to investigate what kind of bad blood existed between Rita and Rachel’s parents. Approaching the situation recklessly might only end up hurting Rachel even more.
‘I’ll need to send Bell back to Courtney.’
Since Leopold was adjusting well to managing the merchant guild, Stefan intended to have Bell look into the personal life of the late Count Burke.
If Rita held a grudge against Rachel’s parents, it must have been from a very long time ago.
‘Not just Courtney—I’ll have them scour the surrounding areas as well.’
The more he dug, the more endless Rita’s issues seemed.
It was enough to make him shudder, just thinking about how she had not only caused turmoil in the Edmond family but also extended her claws into the Burke family.
As all these thoughts crowded his mind, someone knocked cautiously on the study door.
“…Your Grace, I have something to tell you.”
If you liked my work and want to support me then you can visit my page for tips. As I can’t create Kofi because of the unavailability of Paypal in my country, I’ve made this tier which is being updated every week so that you won’t be charged again till you want to donate again by yourself or you can exit the tier after donating 🙂.
Happy Reading 🩷
