Chapter 7

Chapter 7

First Night (1)

Translated by iseuli

Edited by lili

There was no wedding procession(1), no guests to congratulate them, nor any blessings. They sat facing each other at a table, where Hugo Taran and Vivan Hesse signed their certificate of marriage.

She signed her full last name, 'Hesse', on the documents while writing down only the initial for her first name, 'Vivian.' That was the norm for marriage certificates. But for this marriage certificate, she signed her full name on top, and used the standard signing method just below.

Vivian. That was her name. She had lived as Vivian while she was with Count Matin for over five years. Following her divorce, she had lived the rest of her life as Lucia. But now, she would need to live the rest of her life as Vivian.

She had never thought that the name Vivian belonged to her. When she had lived by this name, she had felt nothing but agony and suffering. Lucia and Vivian felt like two different human beings. She was distressed whether the name written on the marriage certificate really belonged to her, or not.

She was frustrated that her fake shell as Vivian would be stuck for the rest of her life due to this marriage, but at the same time, she felt a sense of relief. On one hand, she felt a small hope that she would be able to break past her outer shell and escape to the outside world. On the other hand, Lucia could not see the lowest point of the dark hole she was about to fall into. Lucia could not express her feelings with one word.

Two men she had never seen before in her life stood as their witnesses; the process was simple and she was quickly promoted as the official Duke of Taran's wife. That was how their wedding ended.

Lucia didn't have any attachment toward things like weddings, but she was a little sad that the classic kiss upon marriage had been omitted. Following that first kiss, he had never made any sort of physical contact with her. She pretended to look somewhere else as she stole a glance at his lips.

His closed lips lied in a straight line, his stubborn nature seemingly reflected upon them. They weren't too thick; when his lips had pressed against hers, they felt very soft. He had sucked onto Lucia's lips as his tongue had entered her mouth...

"Tomorrow morning we'll leave for the North."

"Yes...Okay!"

When his mouth suddenly opened, Lucia jumped in shock. He watched her with strange eyes, so she quickly distracted herself by looking into another direction. She worried whether her face was flushed red at the moment.

'Aah, I must be crazy. What are you doing? Seriously.'

"If you wish to remain in the capital, that's fine."

Her racing heart suddenly died a little, and a cold wind blew past, howling into the distance. The ink on the marriage contract had yet to dry, but he was already thinking of separating as something trivial.

She realized he didn't see her as a woman. She didn't have any expectations of a warm and loving married life, but she couldn't help feeling bitter.

Her heart squeezed with pain. He was declaring that their marriage would never become something that would tie them together. Lucia, who had a little bit of hope at first, threw all that away.There wasn't even a bit of frustration in her heart at the moment.

"...I will follow you. But if Your Grace wishes that I remain here, I will do so."

She lowered her eyes to the floor and spoke in a soft voice, trying her best not to mix emotion into her words. She wasn't trying to defy him or anything. There were no benefits to staying here. She felt his gaze on her with her whole body.

Lucia hoped to live with the flow, calm and relaxed as much as possible. She didn't see him as a man who would physically abuse a woman, but there wasn't anything bad about being extra careful. She had already experienced how hopeless a woman would be against a man who was physically abusive.

"There's nothing fun over there, unlike the capital. You should make a firm decision so you don't regret."

"I'll be fine."

'I've never found anything enjoyable in the capital in the first place.'

Once their carriage took off, they didn't converse until they reached their destination. As soon as they arrived, he got off and shut himself into his oval office. Lucia was left alone at the front gate and only Jerome remained to show her around the estate.

"Greetings, Mistress. I am the current butler serving the Duke of Taran. Please call me Jerome."

He seemed to be around his 30s. She was familiar with this man, who had midnight blue eyes while sporting a neat and tidy overall presentation. He had once served her tea when she had visited the Duke. 'So he was the butler.' He seemed too young to be the Duke's head butler.

"Nice to meet you. The tea from last time was very delicious, Jerome."

Jerome watched Lucia strangely, but all traces of his feelings were quickly erased. He answered with an amiable and gentle tone instead.

"Thank you. Please speak without formalities, Mistress."

"I'm most comfortable speaking this way. Oh, if this isn't appropriate as the lady of the Duke's house, I will fix my bad habits."

"That's not the case. Mistress, whatever you say will be Taran's new rules. Will you dine first or rest? Would you like me to show you around the estate?"

She had heard something really unbelievable just now. But she was currently suffering from a bad headache and she couldn't dwell on the topic for too long. Lucia related what she wanted most at the moment.

"I want to rest first."

"I'll show you the way to your bedroom."

Jerome escorted Lucia to her bedroom and introduced her to two middle-aged women.

"These will be your two maids who'll take care of your needs for your convenience."

Jerome quickly introduced their names and experience. The maids attended to her while she undressed. She wore her under dress to bed, while waiting for her painful headache to pass.

She fell into a deep sleep, then awoke from a voice after a long while. Thankfully, her head didn't ache anymore.

"Mistress, why don't you eat a little before returning to sleep?

Her maid asked her with a very careful tone. She did not know her Mistress' temper and she feared whether her Mistress would yell and hit her.

"Um... How long was I asleep?"

"You've been sleeping for about six hours now."

"...I've slept for a long time."

"We are preparing dinner right now."

"Has His Grace already eaten?"

"He will have a light meal at his oval office later. He frequently has his meals in the office when he has a lot of official business to look over."

In conclusion, it meant that Lucia ought to eat alone. On the day of Lucia's marriage, she sat all alone at a grand table full of delicious treats. She felt a little bit disappointed. Eating together wasn't such a hard thing to do. They lived in the same house after all.

She was a little sullen, but she quickly did her best to forget about the whole thing.

'Don't hope for anything. Let's not hope for anything at all.'

If she were to get disappointed due to every single small detail, her married life would soon become hell.

'I've obtained a comfortable home for myself and I won't have to worry for the rest of my life. Also, I've escaped from that man."

Those were the things she had originally wished for. But a human's desire was truly unending. She had only gotten married, but she had already planted some expectations in her heart.

"Jerome, about the maids who are attending to me..."

"Yes. Have they made a mistake of some sort?"

"That's not it. It seems they are the most experienced and oldest maids, is there a reason they need to be in charge of serving my trivial needs?"

Inside her dream, Lucia had once lived as a maid of a noble's family. Therefore, she understood the type of tasks a maid would be in charge of depending on their age and experience.

"I apologize, I did not explain to you ahead of time. Mistress, you will sleep here just for today. Tomorrow, we will leave for our territory. While we are moving from place to place, they will be attending to you. When we return to our territory, the maids who will serve you will be different."

"Oh, the other maids in this estate are based in the capital and they are unable to leave with us. Correct?"

"It is so."

"Then what will the maids be in charge of, once we return to our domain?"

"They will be given appropriate tasks depending on their age and experience."

"I understand. Thank you for your explanation."

"It's not a problem."

Following this event, Jerome judged Lucia would have no problem managing basic household affairs. If Lucia were to find out, she would have adamantly denied his claims.

Lucia got familiar with the Duke's mansion as a maid showed her around. The mansion was so huge, she could not tour the entire place. The mansion itself was huge, but the surrounding garden was many times more spacious.

"Has this mansion been with the Taran family for a long time?"

"No. The Taran family never had a mansion in the capital. This mansion was prepared several years ago."

"Is that so? Who was the original owner of this place? The mansion and the garden are so huge. They must have been a very prestigious noble family."

"Our Lord owned many mansions. He must have bought about 10 of them. This was the only mansion he kept, and the rest were destroyed.

"...Ah."

He had to be a far richer man than Lucia had originally thought.

The washroom was spacious and luxurious. The bath wasn't made of porcelain like usual bathtubs; they had built up a wall starting from the floor, making it into a spa. The maids didn't need to fill the tub manually; there was a heating water tank connected to this place, so hot water was only a turn of a faucet away.

She had heard of such washrooms before, but it was her first time seeing it in person. Usually, it was the servant's job to draw and drain the water. No matter how much effort they spent to heat the water and fill the tub, there wasn't a city-wide water system. Therefore, many people didn't go out of their way to spend their money to improve a facility to this level.

'I doubt he built this type of water system to make the servants' lives easier...'

As Lucia thought, this wasn't something the Duke had ordered. Jerome, who was in charge of the house facilities, had sought to create an efficient system. One of his only hobbies was to destroy and remodel parts of the house.

After her bath, she returned to her bedroom. The maids attended to Lucia with great care. They helped dry her hair and gave her a flower essence used to make the skin soft and smooth. This would be their first night together after their wedding.

'That person... He won't come to my room tonight.'

Lucia was sure of that. Tomorrow morning, they would be returning to his domain, therefore he would choose to have a good night of rest instead. There was no guarantee he would visit her bedroom at all, even after returning to the North. He didn't wish for a child in the first place. It was possible that he would never visit Lucia's bedroom in this lifetime.

'He already has a son.'

He went through a this marriage just for his son's sake. If Lucia were to bear a son, matters would get very complicated. Although his son had been legalized through the law, the direct child of the legal wife would hold more power.

He would probably do everything in his power to prevent such a situation. He had stated that to her like it was a trivial matter, but those statements probably held a lot of weight to them. There was no way for her to prove that she was unable to bear children, so he would always suspect her.

The bedroom grew quiet once all the maids left. She laid herself onto the bed once more. However, she had been napping for so long, she didn't feel sleepy at all. She twisted and turned in the bed, lost in her own thoughts.

'It's better this way...'

She had promised never to love him. That promise would be easier to fulfill the more distance he put between them. They had only shared a short kiss and it had caused her heart to beat so fast; if they did anything more, then... Lucia's face gradually grew hotter and hotter. She quickly fanned herself with both hands, trying to blow all her thoughts away.

'Let's think about something else. Something else... What should I do now that I'm the Duke's wife...? What's there to do...?'

The first thing on her list that would benefit her husband would be to actively participate in the noble social gatherings. Count Matin had always placed all his efforts into getting Lucia to mingle with high society. But she could never achieve his expectations. She was always tired, and all she could do was stand still and count the time ticking by.

'Haa... Participating in the noble social parties. I have no confidence in this aspect...'

By hiding that fact, would it count as a breach of contract?

The Duke's original wife (in her dream) was very talented at making connections and mingling in those social events. She purchased all the latest and most expensive dresses, while accessorizing herself with all sorts of jewelry. The Duchess went all around town participating in social events with a charismatic poise. The noble women around her would all drown her with endless compliments.

'But behind her back, they would do nothing but criticize and badmouth her.'

The Duchess had no amazing background. She was nothing but a pitiful rock that had somehow rolled into this place. There was nothing pleasant about discovering a rock. She had nothing in common with the noble women of high society who had grown up with a silver spoon in their mouths.

Of course, nobody would be so blatantly rude to the Duchess' face.

Lucia had never gone out of her way to actively participate in the social parties of high society, but she had diligently participated every now and then. That was how she had come to know and see many things. She would stand a single step behind everyone, so she had many chances to observe others with objective eyes.

She had never been jealous of the Duchess' glamour. From time to time, it seemed like she was struggling. At first, the Duchess was humble, but as time passed by, she became drunk off her own high pedestal.

After her marriage with Count Matin came to an end, she distanced herself from these social parties. Then, Lucia worked as a maid for some nobles and she came to know of the Duke of Taran.

The Duchess had not changed all those years later. Her reputation had gotten much worse with time. When the truth of her marriage was revealed, all the noble women laughed and jeered at her, spreading the news far and wide. The Duchess had dug her own grave. She had made far too many enemies throughout the years.

'After that...'

She was not sure what happened to her afterward. Lucia had worked hard, saving money while working as a maid, in order to buy a small house for herself. She had led a quiet life after quitting her job. She had all the noisy and glamorous high society social parties behind her.

Very rarely, she would come across some gossip from her co-workers. Among all the gossip, there was information on the Duke of Taran, but the contents seemed a bit blurry.

'Why...did I marry him?'

Lucia frightened herself.

'Then... What would happen to the Duke's original wife...?'

She only thought of it now. She shocked herself as she realized her own selfishness.

'There is no helping it.'

Her guilty conscience didn't last long.

'If I had to mind everyone's worries and struggles, I wouldn't be able to survive in this dog eat dog world.'

Lucia jumped, realizing her selfish and cruel personality once more. However, it wasn't like she wanted to fix that personality into a kind one. She had learned that nice people would be stepped on the hard way.

After thinking of this and that, she didn't feel sleepy at all. If anything, she felt more awake. After flipping from side to side, she got up and turned on the lights in her bedroom.

'Let's look around the room.'

Everything in the bedroom was huge. Her bed, the sofa, all the furniture was this way. It was a creepy looking room and it seemed too cold and chilly for a female. If she had to stay in this place more than a single night, she would like to redecorate. Overall, there was a nice balance, but one thing threw the whole place off.

'What in the world... is that painting...?'

A giant avant garde painting was hung in the center of an empty white wall. She had no idea what this painting was trying to convey; it didn't fit with the bedroom at all.

It was one of the paintings Crown Prince Kwiz had sent. Hugo had cringed upon seeing the picture. When Jerome asked what he should do with the painting in a meek matter, he had answered like so:

'Hang it up.'

Lucia, who had no idea of the situation, wondered if it could be a famous painting. Her guess wasn't far off. The crown prince had always had a mischievous personality; he had made the effort to personally choose a painting that he especially liked for the Duke.

'A wine closet.'

There were dozens of wine bottles displayed according to class against the wall. Lucia examined all the wine bottles displayed behind the glass door. It was rare that a woman's bedroom would have a wine closet. Maybe there would be one in an aged woman's room.

Lucia didn't know about wines very well, but she remembered a particularly sweet luxury wine that perfectly suited her taste. It was the memory from her dream. Lucia jumped with joy when she discovered the same brand. She hesitated for a moment whether to take it out or not.

"This is a drink in celebration. I can at least reward myself this much."

It was a wedding with no blessings given, but she had the right to congratulate and bless herself.

Beside the wine closet, a small table for two was nicely set. There were also a few wine glasses and an opener in the wine closet, already there for her. The setting was just right. Lucia opened the cork and drank little by little while toasting her glass to the air.

"Delicious... Huh? Already empty?"

She had only drunk a few glasses, but the bottle was already empty. She felt she hadn't had enough, so she smacked her lips and stood up for more, but she was so dizzy that she sat herself back down.

"Ah... Why is it like this?"

She took a few deep breaths and tried to get up again. Her stomach felt hot and the walls kept spinning.

"Ah... I... must be drunk..."

Lucia barely made it to her bed while stumbling across the room. After a few breaths, she fell asleep. But even with the help of alcohol, she could not fully fall asleep. She woke up feeling very thirsty a little while later.

'So hot... And I'm so thirsty...'

It was the first time Lucia drank alcohol. The wine she had drunk had a low alcohol percentage, but for a first timer, it was pretty potent. Although the bedroom was chilly, her body felt like it was burning from the heat.

Lucia twisted and turned in bed until she decided to take off her pajamas. Anyway, she was the only one in the bedroom. This was her bedroom.

'I've succeeded. I don't have to marry him anymore. I've changed my future.'

The alcohol helped exaggerate the sense of freedom inside her heart. She became braver and took off her undergarments as well. Her whole body was burning hot and had a pink hue all over.

Lucia rolled around enjoying to cool feeling of the bed sheets against her skin. A short while later, she got up and struggled toward the table at the center of the room. There was a jug of water and a glass set on a silver tray there. She poured herself a glass and chugged it down to quench her thirst.

Click.

In the silent bedroom, the sound was like thunder. She turned her head half a beat late toward the sound. When she looked across the room, the door that was connected to the receiving room was already open. The moment she saw the person standing by the door, she dropped the glass of water that was in her hand and froze into a statue.

Hugo had just bathed and entered the bedroom in a robe. He paused as he saw the stark naked uninvited guest. A heavy, stifling silence fell upon the bedroom. He squinted and casually inspected her body up and down.

He was fatigued after working for several hours straight without rest, but he felt his head lighten instantly. At first he wondered, 'Who is this woman?' The next second, he remembered, 'Ah yes, I got married.' Then he figured that the woman had to be his wife.

She had a long slender neck and round shoulders, her smooth breasts displaying pink nipples looked sweet, and she had a slim waist, while her hips curved into a nice hour glass figure. The bedroom light was on, so he could see every detail of her body easily.

But to his regret, the place right below her belly button was hidden behind the table and he couldn't see it. He wondered whether he should order her to step to the side a bit. Those were his thoughts.

Ksh, shatter.

The sharp rupturing sound broke the peace of the room. She had frozen in place and the glass slipped out of her hands, instantly shattering against the marble floor. Lucia jumped and lowered her eyes. She tried to move, but he firmly demanded:

"Don't move!"

Lucia's body froze in place again. She didn't move a muscle and simply watched him walking closer to her. She unconsciously shrank away, but he continued to glare at her and she once again froze. When he reached her, he placed his hands against her back and her legs and swooped her up.

Kssh kassh, the sound of glass scraping against one another.

With every step, the glass shards would dig into his slippers and make a sharp sound. The few steps toward the bed felt like eternity.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

At his low voice, she realized she was sitting on the bed.

"N...o."

Lucia shook her head and quickly escaped from his hold. She promptly twisted the blanket around her body and hid her face under her pillow. The places he had held her felt hot and her mind was a complete blank.

He observed her with amused eyes, while she twisted herself into the blanket like a caterpillar and escaped to the furthest corner of the bed.

"You welcome me with your nude body and now you're pretending to be an innocent girl?"

She wanted to dig herself into a hole from embarrassment, but upon his mocking voice, she got a hold of her senses. He was too evil. He should have been apologizing, while asking whether he had scared her, but nope. Lucia popped her head out and shouted.

"You came in without any notice!"

"That was rude of me. In the future, I'll be sure to notify you from just outside the door."

Lucia wasn't sure whether he was making a joke or mocking her. However, her reaction just now was too over-exaggerated, and she felt awkward again. He was only worried that she would be hurt by the glass shards. If it weren't for him, she would have many pieces of glass stuck to her feet.

"...I never thought you would come here."

She didn't wait there naked to seduce him. Lucia went the roundabout way to express those thoughts.

"This is my bedroom. Of course the owner would come here."

"...The butler told me to sleep here. He never told me it was your bedroom. Is it in your family's tradition for couples to share a bedroom?"

Hugo recalled a vague memory. Jerome had said something about the Mistress' room not being prepared yet, and he had just nodded along. The marriage had been too sudden, and they would stay here for only one night, so the butler had said he would let the Mistress stay in his bedroom.

Jerome was a perfectionist. If the preparations were not up to standard, it would be the same as not having any at all. He thought that since they were married, there would be no harm in sharing a bedroom for a night.

"There are no such traditions. It seems there was an error somewhere."

"Then... You're not misunderstanding me, right?"

Lucia worried whether he would view her as a vulgar woman, but in the first place, this man didn't even bother with such thoughts. He didn't view women that way. To him, there were only two types of women in this world. Women he wanted to sleep with and women he didn't want to sleep with. There was no meaning in judging whether the girl was vulgar or modest.

"Is it your hobby to sleep naked?"

She didn't look to be the type, and he found this new discovery amusing. Lucia's face flushed and she glared with arrogant eyes.

"No. I was feeling hot..."

Her answer didn't make any sense in this cold chilly room, but when his eyes fell to the empty bottle of wine by the wine closet, the corner of his mouth perked up.

"Did you drink wine?"

"...Yes."

She answered with a meek voice. If this was his bedroom, Lucia had taken out a bottle of wine without the owner's permission.

'Aah. Why did I do that?' For the first time after awakening from her dream, she imagined how good would it be if this moment was a dream.

"A drunk, naked woman waiting for me in my bedroom... This coincidence is too clever."

His entertained voice made Lucia feel upset. Her mood was ruined from his constant jeering. 'Do you think all the women in the world will be head over heels for you?' Lucia wanted to say this to his face, but suppressed her feelings and spoke reasonably.

"I've already told you. I didn't know this was your bedroom and I never thought you would come here. I don't know how many beauties have waited for Your Grace in the nude, but even if I did have such thoughts, I'm probably the only woman in this world who has the right to be in your bed. After I signed my name on the contract this morning, that is."

Once Lucia finished her words, she bit her tongue. She spoke such bold words. What if he was a male supremacist who didn't sit by quietly and watch a woman talk back to him? She was worried about his reaction.

When she had lived together with Count Matin, the only way she could answer was with a 'Yes' or 'No'. They held no other conversations that would stray outside of that boundary. She felt strange to her newfound personality that talked back and rebuked.

He watched her rebelling and chuckled quietly.

"I apologize if my thoughtless words made you feel upset. I'm sorry."

"..."

"Do I have to get on my knees?"

"Ah, no. I was just shocked... I never thought... you would have ever said 'sorry' in your life."

Again with that. He wanted to pry open all her thoughts of him one by one. He would go over each one and say, this is wrong so get rid of it.

"What kind of man am I in that head of yours? Are you saying this after listening to all the rumors?"

"There are no rumors that judge you. I base my thoughts and feelings on what I see and observe for myself. Rather than an apology, I thought you would command others."

"This is the first time to hear such a biting remark in person."

"What do you mean by biting remark? This is only my opinion. Don't denounce me like that."

Her expression was very serious and open. She had been that way since their first meeting. Her eyes were upright and honest, and it was the reason why he took the time to listen to her unreasonable offer; it was those eyes that had led to their current situation.

Hugo turned his body without much thought. At his action, her blanket jumped noisily. 'Hmmn', his eyebrows raised. He moved his body once more, and again her blanket ruffled.

'Is she scared I'll jump her?' The tiny animal in front of the savage predator was shivering in fear. A satiated predator would probably not look twice at this small animal. If he always had his fill, he wouldn't see the benefits to hunting down this small animal, but today this small animal increased his appetite. His mood was good, so he took hold of the blanket she used like a shield and pulled the round sushi-like figure.

"Kya!"

Lucia let out a short scream and rolled across the wide mattress. When she regained her senses, Lucia was defenseless and nude. He looked down at her as he trapped between his arms. Lucia held her breath. She was scared her body would brush against his hands, so she didn't move a single muscle.

"If you believe you're the only woman who has the right to sleep in my bed, why do you believe I won't visit you? This is our first night together after all."

Most probably, if they had separate bedrooms, he would not have gone to hers. If Lucia was sleeping on his bed, he would not touch a hair on her body, and sleep by her side.

The reason was simple. He simply didn't have any heart to do such things. She was very different than the girls he liked. He liked voluptuous beauties. In one word, he was immune to her. But even when he thought that way, he was curious about her thoughts. Ever since a long time ago, he kept wondering what in the world that woman was thinking. He wanted to know.

Lucia often took something simple and made it very complicated through her endless musings. This was not a marriage accompanied with affection. She was not an amazing and glamorous woman that men would covet. But most of all, there was his son.

He didn't wish for his wife's pregnancy. He would never believe that she couldn't bear children without proof. But she didn't want to bring up the topic of pregnancy. If she were to bring it up, it felt like he would leave the room without any hesitation. She didn't wish for him to leave. Although it was a contracted marriage, a wedding without even a first night seemed so miserable.

"Tomorrow... You said we would go to your territory..."

Although she didn't lie, it was the same, since she had hidden many facts from him. His gaze seemed to be interrogating her.

The fact that she was nude and defenseless kept growing bigger and bigger in her mind. She felt her body gradually growing hot. Lucia moved a little bit at a time while covering her breasts with her arms. This action had no use or meaning, but it was a reflexive action for any woman suffering from humiliation.

'What a refreshing reaction.'

He had always spent time with women that would throw themselves at him; it was interesting seeing someone so modest for once. There was no doubt this woman was a virgin. A very innocent virgin. The suspicion that she was purposely hiding and waiting here disappeared completely. But in another sense, he lost his interest.

Virgins were bothersome. They didn't know what to do with their body and it was no fun. They were his last resort when it came to fulfilling his sexual desires. A night with an experienced and skillful woman was more enjoyable. He enjoyed fruits that had ripened to the degree of falling off the trees.

What to do... She looked terrified. He had no intention of sleeping with a woman who didn't feel the same.

"If you don't want to, I won't."

"...But the first night... We're not allowed to refuse."

The first night was a right and an obligation. In fact, that had been stipulated by law. Since long ago, two noble families in war would come together in matrimony for peace, and there had been a time when that law was required.

At present, the borders of the different territories of the Kingdom were set, and it was rare to see such an event. The reason the law remained was because there could be a time when it would be needed in the future. If it could be proven that they had never spent their first night together, the marriage could be annulled. That was sometimes applied when one side of the party passed away due to some reason. Within several years,it had only been applied once or twice.

'To bring up the law. This princess is really clueless.'

"If this was not our first night, would you refuse?"

"...I will think about it after tonight."

He had flatly let out a response, but upon her reply, he burst into laughter. She looked pale with fear while shivering, but even so, she didn't disappoint him as she gave some daring responses. Was she truly clueless? Maybe she was doing it on purpose?

"Look here, Princess. If we start, it's impossible to stop midway. Are you determined that you won't regret?"

Lucia's first night in her dream glimmered. Count Matin had climbed on top of her with his heavy body and tried to enter her forcefully many times, but he could not get it up, and failed. He could not get over his own anger and had drunk himself silly until he passed out.

He snored all night, while she trembled in fear sleeping next to that husband no different than a stranger. There was no way her situation could get worse that that. Looking at things in such a perspective, she had nothing to fear.

"This isn't something you can settle with determination. I'm not trying to start a war with Your Grace."

He fell into silence for a moment and chuckled. Then suddenly, the mood turned a full 180 and she felt nervous once again. A chill ran down her spine and she was frozen into a statue. That person was a man; she had only realized such an obvious fact now.

A man who would never lose in strength, and under him was a naked woman. It wasn't a situation where she could resist. He lifted his body up and took off his outer gown. Lucia saw him and closed her eyes. When his hand brushed against her hips, she quickly held her breath.

(end)

Footnotes:

(1) wedding procession: Random fact, in Korea they call this walking down the 'Virgin Road.' Omg I took so long trying to figure this out. I was like... Virgin Rod? Wtf... what does that have to do with a wedding? It's literally the English word 'Virgin Road' written in Korean.