Chapter 14 (1/2)

Chapter 14 The Ducal Couple (2)

Lucia gazed at the floating red flower petals on the water surface. Gradually, her face reflected the same red hue. The maids were softly pouring the bath water over Lucia’s shoulders; every time they splashed a bit of water, a fragrant aroma gently spread.

Lucia had never ordered anyone to prepare the bath like that. It was all the sneaky maids’ ideas. The purpose of this bath seemed so obvious that it made her embarrassed. However, it was more embarrassing because she really had such a purpose.

“Madam, how can your skin be so smooth?”

“Your skin is so silky even without applying oil.”

“A baby’s skin will not be able to compare to yours.”

The maids kept chattering without stop today. They seemed to be in a happy mood for the ducal couple’s first night together in Roam. Lucia listened to the maids’ flattery without much of a reaction. She also knew her own skin was very nice. But she didn’t feel particularly proud about it.

‘Regardless, men are only attracted by a pretty face and a glamourous body, not nice skin. He… probably thinks the same.’

Duke Taran of her dream had gone around spreading scandals with various women. Every time one greeted him at a party, he would have a different woman hanging on his arm. However, the point that connected all the females together was that they all had huge breasts.

Lucia snuck a quick glance at her own breasts and let out a small sigh. There was no way she could try and claim she had big breasts. At least she had a slim waist line that helped to accentuate her hips, so she didn’t look completely flat. Even so, she thought it wasn’t anything worth showing off. Her face wasn’t particularly pretty either.

In order to catch his eye, one had to have at least Sofia Lawrence’s level of beauty. Lucia recalled the events from the victory ball. A beauty like Sofia had been thrown away without a second thought.

All of Duke Taran’s flings were beauties that seemed like roses. Although he went around switching partners left and right, it did not tarnish his reputation. After his marriage, he had not made appearances with any woman other than his wife.

Inside her dream, the duke at least had a level of respect to his own wife. Therefore, she felt relieved because it meant that in this life she would be able to have the same level of respect from the duke.

After her bath, she entered her bedroom in her gown, but she was extremely startled. He was sitting by the table with some wine. He was about to take a sip, but instead he turned his attention to Lucia and slowly got up.

The maids, who had been waiting on the duke, became flustered as they watched the two of them and quickly escaped from the room. Tomorrow, the servants of the castle would all be gossiping about this: The duke couldn’t even wait for the duchess to finish her bath and had decided to wait in her room.

Lucia let out a heavy sigh. He had let her have a peaceful bath to ready her heart. But that did not reduce her fears. The first night they had shared had been too sudden and intense. She couldn’t claim that she hated the entire process, but it hurt a lot and was tiresome.

Even with those feelings, she could not look away from him. The memories of their first night were hazy, but they suddenly returned with extreme clarity. She walked closer to him like she was possessed.

He poured a glass of wine and lifted it to her as if asking if she wanted some. He wore a thin see-through linen shirt that showed off his muscles. Lucia gulped down thickly and nodded.

She sipped a small amount of wine. It had a bitter sour taste. She wasn’t particularly fond of the taste, but she chugged the whole glass clean and pushed it back to him.

“More?”

When she nodded, one side of his lips quirked up, and he refilled the wine glass while chuckling softly. After drinking, her body warmed up and her heart relaxed. He was admiring her flushed cheeks when she licked the wine residue from her lips. His eyes grew a degree darker.

He reached for her without warning. His hand supported the back of her head as he sucked on her red lips. Taking the wine glass from her hand, he gently placed it back on the table and wrapped his arm around her waist.

He lightly sucked on her lips to loosen her tense muscles, then used his tongue to deepen the kiss. He could taste the bittersweet flavor of the wine. He brushed his tongue against her gums and pulled away while maintaining eye contact with her. He wanted to see her tear stained eyes again.

“Do you enjoy alcohol?” (Hugo)

“…Only on special occasions.” (Lucia)

He chuckled in satisfaction and started kissing her once more. His mouth stimulated her in a sweet and gentle way, so that Lucia had to lean against him for support due to her weakening body.

He slid his hands beneath her disheveled gown. One hand stroked her hip, while the other one reached up and squeezed her breast. His touch sent shocking jolts throughout her body. His leg had snuck in between hers and was rubbing against her body. With his lips pressed against her neck, he let out a low whisper.

“You’re shaking.”

Upon his words, Lucia realized that she was trembling. The drunk feeling from earlier was already gone.

“Don’t be scared. It won’t hurt this time. If you remain so tense, you won’t be able to enjoy it and you might get hurt again.”

When her trembling continued, Hugo embraced her tightly with a rigid face. She was small and weak, but confident and steadfast. If a person like her feared him to such a degree, he had to be a heinous bad guy.

She was young and a virgin. He realized himself that their first night together had been rough. She would have felt nervous even if he had treated her gently, but he had treated her like all of his past one night stands. It must have been a strenuous experience for her.

She already had a long list of opinions of him, but now it would be one item longer. He was sure it wouldn’t be a positive trait either.

‘Damn it. I should have held myself back before.’ He regretted too late.

He didn’t want to force himself on her when she was trembling in fright. He wanted to enjoy a passionate night together with her. All his past lovers had been women who enjoyed being intimate. In Lucia’s case, it was her first time and he wasn’t sure how he should continue forward. For the first time he wanted to seduce a woman who didn’t know how to enjoy sex.

Hugo held her up and walked to their bed. She didn’t reject him, but her hands and arms were tense from nerves.

He laid her on the bed and lied down next to her. He embraced her hips and cuddled. His hand gently slid down her back, but he didn’t try to take his actions further.

A long while passed and Lucia was able to relax, but at the same time, she felt a little sad. It seemed like he wasn’t thinking of doing similar things as their first night together. He was probably here to put on a show for all the subordinates – that they were happy together. He was probably doing it for her sake.

The lady of the house’s position became crystallized once she obtained her husband’s love. If so, what was the meaning behind what had happened between them at Hugo’s personal study. If she hadn’t rejected him at that time, would that have changed anything? Too many complicated thoughts swam around in her mind.

“Are you sleeping?” (Hugo)

“…”

“Hey. Are you really sleeping? I’m not doing this to put you to sleep, you know.” (Hugo)

He rolled his body on top of her. Lucia’s eyes turned round with shock as she stared back at him. He seemed a little embarrassed and hesitant.

“Are you tired?” (Hugo)

“I’m fine, but… you’re probably tired by now. Upon your return, you’ve been busy with the meeting…”

“I’m fine. That’s not a problem… Anyway, I’m not tired at all.”

“…I see. Um…okay.”

The words, ‘Your stamina is amazing,’ almost left her mouth, but just then, he let out a heavy sigh. He had climbed on top of her, but all she did was stare back with a blank expression; he couldn’t help but feel frustrated. They had already been intimate with one another on their first night; his mysterious girl shouldn’t be ignorant of his intentions.

“I’m dying to be inside of you again.”

“…Huh?”

Lucia’s face flushed scarlet.

“I want to do it. How about you?”

“…”

“If you don’t want to, I won’t force you.”

His words were so sudden that Lucia didn’t know how to respond. He took her silence as rejection and heavily sighed with a lonely expression.

“Let me be honest. You may not like the idea, but I want you right now. Was our first night together that terrifying?”

“..I.I…”

Her throat felt tight. She wasn’t sure whether he was saying this jokingly or honestly. She wondered whether she was hearing his words correctly. She could see earnest desire behind his eyes. So he could look at others in that way, she thought. She was amazed, but at the same time, she wanted to be coy and push him away.

“…I thought you didn’t enjoy our first night together. Isn’t that why… you teased and laughed at me?”

“Laugh? I did? I admit, I teased you. But it was because you were cute. I’m not such a pitiful guy to laugh at women in bed.”

He seemed determined to get his intentions and excuses across to her. At the word ‘cute’ Lucia’s face glowed pink.

“…The next morning… you stopped midway…”

That day, Lucia had been the one who wanted to stop, but she slyly pushed the blame onto him. However, he currently felt a sense of urgency, so he didn’t notice such fine details.

“Hey, you, woman. If I continued that day I would have caused you to become bed-bound for several days. I endured for your sake”

“…I was in a lot of pain.”

Lucia mumbled while sulking. At her words, Hugo wasn’t able to respond.

“I kept bleeding… and the bloody discharge wouldn’t stop, so I had to rest for two whole days.”

Anna had diagnosed that Lucia hadn’t suffered any serious injuries, but her words ‘bloody discharge’ gave out a strongly different nuance. Men understood that women could bleed after their first intercourse, but the fine details were a blur. She wasn’t acting that way just because she wanted to see a reaction from him. The complaint had just come out unknowingly.

Her words affected him greatly. He breathed in and out like he was in great despair, causing his mood to shift.

After a passionate night, all his past lovers would turn aggressive and try to win him over with a fiercer heart. The girls would not be able to look away from his lower body and appreciate him. There was never a case where they would appeal all the sufferings like her. Thus, he had no idea how to go about mending the situation.

His wife’s body was very frail, so he stamped into his mind that she ought to be treated tenderly.

“…How about now. Are you okay?”

“…Yes.”

He let out a relieved sigh. After managing to cross over the high castle walls, he found himself in front of another wall.

“Is that why you don’t want to?”

This man really wanted her. Lucia became a little dumbfounded. He could seduce any woman to sleep with him. If all he needed was a woman’s body, then he wouldn’t be hanging onto her every word like that and trying to explain himself. He could also force himself on her. However, he looked like he would back away if she requested it of him.

“Vivian. I’ll be sure to keep the promise that I made you on our first night together. As long as it’s not your first time, I’ll make sure it becomes a thrilling experience for you.”

Hugo began to gently coax her. All that took up his mind at this moment was how he could embrace the intelligent woman before him.

“I can’t believe you. Last time, you lied to me.”

Her rejection was firm and he couldn’t help but feel helpless.

“Lied? I told you that it would hurt if it was your first time.”

“You said it would hurt just a little. It hurt a lot.”

“Give me a chance to redeem myself. Do you intend to never sleep with me again?”

Although he was requesting nothing but physical intimacy, she felt like a stunning beauty who was being courted. It hadn’t been all bad at that time. She had felt a little bit of joy. She giggled and spoke.

“I’ll decide after today.”

Hugo spaced out for a moment and softly burst into laughter. Her jokes worked well on him. From time to time, she would say something and he would always laugh. Perhaps, her acknowledgement was what gave him such joy.

“You really keep a person hanging.”

It was a first in his entire life- clinging to a woman like this.

He raised his upper body, spread her legs, and propped himself against her. His lower half, that was throbbing with heat, slid closer to Lucia. Lucia’s cheeks gradually flushed.

She had just finished her bath, so she hadn’t had the chance to wear anything underneath her gown. He hadn’t taken off his pants yet, and a giant mound about to explode out could be seen.

The way he quickly threw off his clothes to the floor displayed his urgency. He untied her robe without hesitation, revealing her smooth white skin. That was the exact image in his imagination that had continuously kept him up at night. Her smooth neckline and delicate collarbone, her silky and sweet breasts that tasted like whipped cream, and her slim waistline.

While he was busy admiring her body from head to toe, she was also doing the same. Their first night had been too hectic and she couldn’t properly observe his body. He had broad shoulders and chest, and muscular arms that were twice the thickness or hers. She couldn’t pick out a single flaw; he looked like a war god. He had a manly air that made women stare with awe.