Chapter 16 (1/2)

Lucia ch 16 The Ducal Couple (4)

translated by: iseuli

edited by: lili; my friend Ms. Anonymous; and Mr. Anonymous who tried his best but gave up.

He grasped Lucia’s chin and intimately kissed her lips. Her lips parted slightly as he slid his warm tongue in. Their breath grew hectic as their kiss deepened. His technique was mind-numbing.

Lucia’s vision blurred from the rising heat inside her. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Hugo as their intense kissing went on. While seated, he hoisted Lucia up onto the table with ease, all while continuing to kiss her.

Within the quiet dining room, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of their lips and breaths. He swallowed her plum like lips while taking over the inside of her mouth. His kiss caused a stir throughout her whole body. Her weak arms that held onto his shoulders trembled.

After their enduring kiss ended, he lightly pecked her swollen lips. He trailed his pecks down to her neck while firmly taking hold of her breast beneath her clothes. He took this opportunity to separate her legs apart with his knee, but that caused Lucia great shock and she pushed him away with all her strength using both hands.

“You’re planning to do it he- here?”

He didn’t have such plans, but when Hugo saw how flustered she was, he wanted to continue teasing her.

“I can’t?”

“No!”

“Why not? If your reasoning is logical, I’ll let you go.”

“It’s not proper to do these sorts of things in a place where we di- dine!”

He momentarily stopped painting his kisses across her neck and laughed.

“How about somewhere else then? How does the hallway sound?”

“Never!”

“How about the garden? I want to try doing it outside.”

“Are you crazy?”

Upon a new found reaction from her, he tried his best to muffle his laughter and casually continued to question her.

“Why not?”

“People will see!”

“Will it be fine as long as nobody can see? Why don’t I send everyone in this castle out, then it will be fine to do it outside or in the hallway, right?”

“Uue…”

Her face was flushed red as she bit her lips. If nobody was there? It shouldn’t matter then. It wasn’t like it was her first time and she had done all sorts of things in the bedroom. What would it matter if the location was different?

She learned thoroughly in the past month that there were countless different ways of being intimate with one another. At first, she wanted to die because she felt so embarrassed, but she could now understand why people strove for sex with such passion. It didn’t mean that she was willing to roll in bed with any stranger, but they were a married couple. Whatever they did in their own time in the bedroom shouldn’t matter to anybody.

Hugo waited expectantly for her shocked expression. But when she actually seriously thought over the matter, it felt like she had punched him in the face.

She would always stir him in strange ways; no matter how much he tried to endure she would tickle his raging heat in unique ways. He wanted to throw aside his responsibilities and shut himself in alone with her and satisfy this sexual hunger to his heart’s desire.

The main problem was that her stamina could not hold a candle to his. Why was this woman so small? Why was she so frail? Why was she so weak? It felt like she would break if he tried to hold her any tighter. He would feel disgusted at himself if he actually hurt her.

She learned fast but she was innocent. He pleasured her with his various bedside skills, not once did she express dislike or disdain towards him. She was sometimes shocked or embarrassed, but she worked hard in her own way.

‘Good. Let’s try some things later tonight.’

As he fantasized about different things he could feel his lower half heating up and becoming firm.

“Anyway… I don’t want to do it here….”

The lady had spoken so it can’t be helped. He lightly kissed her lip and helped her to come down from the table. His lower half was screaming to be released but he endured. Time to time, he would be amazed at his own patience.

If it were any other of his past woman, he would not heed their opinions and take them right there. All those woman would reject him with their lips, but in truth they thought so otherwise.

He didn’t rape women, but at the same time he never took any of the past women’s opinions seriously. All the women only cared for his wealth or bodily pleasures.

At this moment however, Hugo was getting to know Lucia. When she said no, she truly meant it. What she hoped for was not simple bodily pleasures. He wished to respect her wishes.

Would his wife understand all of his deep thoughts? From the look of her innocent smile while coming down from the table, she probably had no idea.

“You’re going to take a walk today, right?”

Lucia made sure to take light walks after dinner. He decided to momentarily delay his piling responsibilities. He wished to be with her a little longer. He also needed to cool his heating body.

“Yes.”

“Let’s go together. Would I be intruding?”

“No, of course not! I would love it.”

Lucia rejoiced, responding instantly. It would be the first time walking with him. She brightly smiled without hiding any of her joy, he coughed lightly and slightly looked away. He had no idea she would become so happy.

***

The summer had yet to arrive so the evening had a cool gentle breeze. While Lucia walked alongside him, she snuck glances at him. He slowed down his pace to hers and it made her heart thump.

She couldn’t work up her courage to ask him to walk with her all this time, but she had wanted to do this for quite awhile. It was as if they were a real couple instead of a couple who was brought together through a contract.

“I’m planning to plant flowers through the garden this year. It’s my first time doing anything like this so it will probably look a little tacky.”

“Would it look tacky if we planted just flowers?”

“Of course. Properly designing a nice garden requires profound sense. A proper balance is necessary for a beautiful garden. It’s very difficult to recruit a talented gardener or designer. Most have already been hired by different families.”

“All I need to do is steal them.”

“That’s not so easy. Do you think if a different noble family offered Jerome a higher wage, he would gladly go over?”

“…fair enough.”

Lucia felt high spirited so she ended up chattering more than normal. He enjoyed listening to her voice and also felt quite happy. It wouldn’t be such a bad idea to walk together with her like this at times when he wasn’t so busy with work.

“It’s dark now so you can’t tell, but a nice shade casts down there so I enjoy my tea there every morning. I heard that the tree had been planted when this castle was built and it’s over a hundred years old.”

“Is that so…?”

Hugo admired the grand tree like it was the first time he saw it. He had grown up in this place but it was the first time he heard of it. There was never a moment that this tree required his attention.

“What a nice tree. Our first time should be over there.”

“Say again?”

“I’ve decided our first time in this garden would be below that tree.”

“….”

Her jaws dropped open, it was too dark to see but her face is most probably flushed red. Her pale complexion was unique that it glowed red very easily. She sped up her walking pace to walk to escape him, this made his lips curl up. He held her wrist and led her under the tree that she spoke of just now.

While she fumbled along, he leaned her against the tree and drew close to her. He lightly nipped her earlobe and spoke in a hushed low voice.

“If you don’t stay still, I’ll really do it.”

He felt happy when she let him do as he pleased. Lucia could only escape after he kissed her to the point that all her breath was sucked out of her.

***

He could not serve the Ducal couple through the whole dinner so Jerome had stepped out of the dining room early on. That moment, a maid approached him.

“Sir Fabian is here. I’m not sure when His Grace would head to his office so I asked him to wait in the receiving room.”

“You’ve done well.”

He received the waiting Fabian with a light hug. Fabian had just come down from the capital. The Duke had overdone his hunting so he was left the job to sweet talk the Emperor with a grand bribe.

Would the Emperor feel pity for his people? Fabian could bet his neck that it would not be the case. It was a bet with his own self, but the bribe had been really extravagant. Fabian never bet his own neck on something that was not definite.

“Ugh, I’m exhausted. I want to hurry and report to His Grace so I can go to sleep. Has he finished dining?”

Fabian was not simply complaining, his face was riddled with dark circles and exhaustion.

“I shall report for you so you can just go to sleep. I’m not sure when His Grace will come down.”

“Why? Hasn’t he come down yet after seeing that I’m here?”

“The two of them are together at this moment so their conversations will probably take awhile.”

“The two of them? Who?”

Jerome tsked hearing his dull-headed brother’s words.

“Who else but Her Grace?”

“Her Grace? He had dinner with madam? Hoo. What’s this now?”

“His Grace have dinner with madam almost every night.”

“…”

Usually all you could see is bright intelligence from Fabian, but at this moment he looked nothing but dumb.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Since when?”

“Ever since His Grace had returned here.”

Fabian continued to ask whether this was real and Jerome continued to patiently answer that it was so. It wasn’t so surprising to see Fabian’s reaction. If Jerome had not seen with his own eyes, he would also have a hard time believing this.

“When did His Grace’s taste….. No, this isn’t a matter of taste. From your words, it’s not ‘just’ dinner that they share together every night.”

“Let’s stop here.”

“Wow. So it’s really true. For real. Oh my god. I can’t believe this. He had not shared the same bed more than thrice with one women, kek…”

Fabian felt a sharp pain all of a sudden on his stomach and bent over hugging his stomach. Jerome who had flew a punch at his brother gritted his teeth and spoke in a low voice.

“Shut your mouth. There are many ears here. What is this about thrice? How dare you spout such nonsense.”

“I’m speaking figuratively. I’m just exaggerating to express what a gre~at man he is. His life is every man’s romance.”

“Oh? Let me deliver your exact words to Alice.”

Once his wife’s name was mentioned, Fabian’s face paled.

“N..no. That’s not what I mean, that’s what others tell me. Don’t tell Alice strange things. While we’re on this topic, how dare you speak of your elder brother wife’s name directly?”

“Elder brother wife’s name? Don’t you mean sister-in-law?”

“You only become an adult after marriage. Therefore I’m your elder brother.”

They would fight over this whenever they met because the two were twin brothers.

“Hmm… I see. How ironic.”

Ever since the Duke took the position at 18, the two served as aids by his side so they knew every woman of the duke. The Duke never had to seduce women because the women endlessly chased after him for his power and wealth.

Though there were countless women, no female could capture the Duke’s heart. To the Duke, women were nothing but bedside partners. He would enjoy the women as he pleased, when they became clingy or annoying he threw them away without hesitation. Of course it was the two brother’s job to take care of the women who could not throw away their lingering attachments for the young duke.

“Nothing is set in stone yet. That woman also lasted over a year easily. He might just be enjoying the honeymoon phase of this. It’s most likely the case. Huuaaa. I need to sleep now. Please report that I will be here to meet him tomorrow morning.”

This time, it was different. Jerome didn’t go out of his way to explain. Time would explain everything.

The duke maintained a relationship with Countess for over a year, but the duke wasn’t meeting with just her through all that time. The duke had never focused on one female every single day like this.

***

The next day, Countess Corzan visited the estate. She was an elder lady with snowy white hair who was just a little taller and slimmer than Lucia. She was known as a beauty in her youth and had aged with beautiful grace.

“I greet Her Grace the Duchess. My name is Michelle.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, Madam Michelle. I hope I haven’t caused you too much trouble with this sudden request for your presence.”

Michelle’s eyebrows rose in surprise and then slightly furrowed. Honestly, Michelle’s mood hasn’t been the best since this request. Formally, they had inquired whether she could become a mentor for the Duke’s wife. However underneath at face value, this was not a request but the Duke’s one-sided command.

Michelle took much pride in her honor. The force to move her wasn’t power or riches. Even so, there was no way she could ignore the Duke’s orders because of her own selfish wishes.

Another problem was that her son was the duke’s vassal. She was the Taran Duke’s senior in age; she couldn’t generously gloss over this event by simply laughing it over. There were no benefits would she have stubbornly rejected his request purely to protect her pride so she decided to comply without complaint. But, this did not erase the fact that her pride had been badly trampled on. Strangely though, being welcomed in such a polite fashion by the duchess had erased all her frustrations that had remained in her heart.

“It’s my honor that I’ll be able to offer my wisdom to Your Grace.”