In an instant, the Count and Countess’s true nature was exposed, and their faces turned bright red as if they were being strangled.
Eugene looked around carefully before continuing his reprimand.
“There must be a reason why I chose Helena over you. Do not dare to test my judgment. Unless you want to be branded like the cattle served at your tables.”
“Grand Duke!”
Unable to hold back, Christine burst out in anger, but Eugene calmly returned to Count Baron. He placed his hand on the Count’s shoulder, pressed down gently, and leaned slightly forward.
“Don’t trust my mother too much. Let me give you some advice for your own sake—when you don’t have much to offer, you should know when to bow your head if you want to survive long. Even when plowing fields, the impudent shoots are the first to be pulled out. Of course, one should know who the farmer is.”
There were only two men in Instantia who could refer to the wealthy Baron Count as insignificant or compare him to a mere weed.
The King and the Grand Duke of Evergale.
The Bohemian King was known for his generous disposition, but unfortunately, the man standing before the Count was the Grand Duke of Evergale.
And one whose mood was severely twisted at that.
“The mining rights negotiation scheduled for two days from now—consider it canceled.”
“Y-Your Grace! I made a mistake—”
“Do I look like someone who would reconsider my decision based on a belated apology? How could you distinguish who the farmer is with those eyes of yours?”
At this clear mockery, the Count’s face went blank with dismay.
Eugene removed his pressing hand and stepped back. Though he had only moved a single step, the crowded corridor cleared a path.
Eugene calmly walked away as if nothing had happened.
****
A sliver of a moon hung in the middle of the dark night.
Though it was quite late, Eugene opened the door without hesitation. Immediately, a small figure leaped out and threw herself into his arms as if she had been waiting.
Eugene let out a sigh mixed with a small laugh and placed his hand on Natasha’s back, stroking it gently.
“Why aren’t you asleep at this late hour?”
“My body must have known you would come here, Your Grace. Somehow, I wasn’t sleepy at all.”
Natasha raised her face from Eugene’s chest and met his eyes. His face, which she had not seen for several days, looked somewhat rougher than the last time she had seen him. Natasha’s eyebrows drooped.
“I’m upset.”
“What happened?”
“Your face is injured, Your Grace.”
Her smooth hand slowly traveled up his firm chest and finally came to rest cupping Eugene’s cheek.
The body temperature and amber scent that calmed his mind. These irresistible elements mixed with the serene night atmosphere. Eventually, Eugene pulled back the hand he had placed on Natasha’s back and relaxed his expression.
“It’s nothing for you to worry about.”
“That’s not something I can control. I worry about it more than my own body.”
“You really don’t need to be concerned. It’s just…”
Eugene’s words momentarily faltered. It was because he had never deeply thought about Helena’s departure, or rather, this willful behavior of hers. Like a sudden boil that appeared one day, he had only tried to ignore it.
Helena’s existence had to remain insignificant, as it had been until now. She shouldn’t trouble him. He had an obligation to live a normal life.
That was why he had sought out Natasha. Because Helena made him feel incomplete when he should always be fulfilled.
‘I have no choice but to fill the gap with a new piece.’
While he was caught in this brief conflict, Natasha squirmed. She pressed her cleavage further against him through the neckline and began to speak.
“I heard the Madam left because she wanted a divorce. Perhaps there was some discord between you…”
As soon as Natasha’s words trailed off, Eugene’s relaxed face suddenly hardened.
“Who told you that?”
“I-I misspoke. Please forget it.”
“I asked who spread such nonsense.”
“…..”
Despite Eugene’s insistence, Natasha kept her head down and wouldn’t open her mouth.
Left with no choice, Eugene moved the hand supporting her back to grip her arm and quietly pressed her.
“Natasha.”
His tone was much softer. Knowing that he had made an effort to moderate his manner, Natasha looked up again.
However, contrary to expectations, her face was calm. Though there were faint traces of being intimidated by Eugene’s forcefulness, she didn’t appear frightened.
Before Eugene could express his surprise, a clear voice emerged.
“Since I was the one who made the mistake, please promise not to punish that maid.”
Eugene’s eyes blinked slowly. It was because of a sense of déjà vu, as if a similar situation had occurred before. Of course, it wasn’t pleasant.
“You’re too soft, Natasha. People shouldn’t be so—”
[Madam Tara is my person. If you want to dismiss her, send me away first.]
The source of his déjà vu finally became clear in the form of a woman. He remembered blue eyes that remained rigid like a sharpened blade even with a pale face.
Madam Tara was still guarding her bedroom, yet her mistress had left.
To disperse the unwelcome image, Eugene ended his interrupted sentence with a deep sigh.
Quietly observing his reaction, Natasha gently tugged at his shirt collar to draw his attention.
“Are you promising me, Your Grace?”
Her innocent eyes curved downward even more than usual.
Eugene reluctantly nodded. At the same time, he tightened his grip on Natasha’s arm, indicating she should reveal who had told her.
Fortunately, Natasha wasn’t stubborn like Helena.
“It was Aida. Aida told me.”
At this forthright answer, Eugene’s brow furrowed. Understanding the meaning behind that wrinkle, Natasha secretly smiled to herself.
To drive the point home, she began to murmur in a delicate voice.
“Actually, lately I’ve noticed some of the jewelry you gave me has been disappearing… No matter how pitiful someone might seem, bad habits—whether of hands or lips—shouldn’t be overlooked… It’s my fault. Please forgive me, Your Grace.”
“Raise your head, Natasha. It’s not your fault.”
Eugene gently lifted Natasha’s chin. Her hidden intentions became even clearer.
Aida would not be seen in the mansion from tomorrow. Whether she could find employment elsewhere without a letter of recommendation was uncertain, but it was no longer her concern.
‘A maid with a loose tongue should be discarded after one use for safety.’
As she erased Aida’s name from her mind, Natasha gently released the fabric she had been holding.
‘A man should be set free until he seeks you out himself.’
Though she hadn’t been pulling at it, when Natasha’s hand fell away, Eugene’s face showed a hint of dismay.
Looking at him with satisfaction, Natasha completely withdrew from his embrace.
“I’m sorry for keeping such a busy person for too long. You should go now, Your Grace.”
After stepping back a few paces, she gracefully bent her knee and then straightened it again as she curtseyed.
“And please drop by whenever you think of me. I’ll always be waiting for you here.”
****
A ray of sunlight gently tickled her nostrils. The light pouring through the white lace curtains carried the languor of a weekend afternoon.
Helena slowly blinked her eyes and wiggled her legs. Between the sounds of clean sheets rustling, she felt the arm around her waist tighten.
She didn’t need to turn around to recognize the sensation pressing drowsily against her back. A heavy yet irresistibly appealing scent lingered warmly on her skin along with the presence of the man she loved.
She could feel the slight roughness of stubble that would have grown overnight against her nape. Helena burst into soft laughter as if it tickled her.
“What time is it, Eugene?”
“I’ll chase Madam Tara away when she comes, so sleep more.”
Eugene answered with a deep breath. Then he slowly moved the knee he had inserted between Helena’s thighs.
The sensation of rubbing against each other with only a thin negligee between them felt strange. Helena unconsciously flinched. Her red silk-like hair, which he had swept aside, burned even brighter in the morning sunlight.
Although waking up like this was normal for newlyweds, she couldn’t help feeling peculiar every time. He was a man who always made her tense and impatient with his mere touch.
“Mmm…”
Helena aimlessly shifted her body, trying to hide her yearning response. Then the feeling of skin that seemed inseparable disappeared.
As she thought the air felt cold without his warm body temperature, a voice that made her shoulders tremble soon filled the empty space.
“Good morning.”
Eugene said as he pressed his lips against her bare back, having lifted her negligee. The vibration of his voice, along with his hot breath, transmitted directly through their touching skin.
“Eugene…!”
Unable to bear the tingling sensation, Helena twisted her body. The air suddenly became sultry.
She tried to remove the large hand wrapped around her waist like shackles, but her wrist was immediately caught, and she was pulled in even deeper.
“Stay just like that.”
Small wet sounds repeatedly overcame her feeble struggles. The lips that devoured each vertebra as they moved up her spine were very hot, moist, and lovely.
The act, like branding her as his own, contained overwhelming love. Helena couldn’t help but smile because it felt so intensely good.
The smacking sounds of kisses dominated the air for quite some time before stopping at her lower back. By then, the embracing weight had become even heavier. Helena let out a small, gasping breath.
“You’re heavy, Eugene.”
At that moment, the pressure became too much to bear.
“I’m heavy?”
Eugene’s voice was terrifyingly grim. The sweet baritone from earlier had completely vanished. It was only chilling enough to raise goosebumps on the skin where it touched.
“If you couldn’t handle me, you should never have dared to set foot in Evergale in the first place.”
The happy morning began to shatter in an instant.
Being swallowed alive.
Crushed.
Mashed.
She couldn’t breathe.
There was nothing she could do except scrape her blocked vocal cords in search of a breath. A very drowsy voice barely came out.
“Save me, save, save me, Eugene…!”
It was a nightmare.
“Did you wish for me to love you even in your dreams? Disgusting.”
It was a nightmare that had swallowed reality as well.
‘No, no.’
You who speak such words don’t know.
“No!”
Helena burst out a breath and suddenly opened her eyes.
Her chest rose and fell dramatically in time with her panting breaths. When she brought her hand to her forehead, it slipped because of the cold sweat that had formed.
Helena wiped away the sweat with the back of her hand and looked around. The inn she had stayed at on her way back to Praeterita. The small room was the same as before she fell asleep.
The half-open door of the cheap wooden wardrobe, the rough texture of the blanket, the stained wallpaper, the empty space.
A room where she was alone, just as when she had entered it.
-Stay just like that.
‘I’m always the only one who stays the same.’
Even though she had kept the window tightly closed, the empty place beside her felt cold. Even though no one had ever sat there for long, even though it wasn’t the first time. It just felt chilly.
Helena curled her body without getting up and closed her eyes again.
If only the dream, the dream…
‘I’m not lonely.’
Would continue. If only he would embrace her, even wearing the guise of a nightmare.
She needed warmth, even if it was a lie.
