Chapter 57
“Ha… ha.”
The brief yet lingering kiss ended, and Gredy, who had been pressing against her small body, suddenly pulled away. Her body, still stirred by pleasure, trembled as it released an endless thirst.
“What’s so easy about this? Boring.”
Gredy detached his lips from Eliana’s neck and scoffed. Between the loosened edges of his robe, her thin pajamas were fully exposed. The warmth that had been pressing down on her body vanished in an instant.
Eliana’s face, lying on the sofa and opening herself to Gredy, flushed crimson with shame.
“Gredy?”
“You’re really amazing, I guess. Every time I see you, I promise myself to stay in control… but somehow I always end up on top of you.”
As if he found his own behavior ridiculous, Gredy flung the window wide open.
Even as the cold wind rushed in, her pleasure-stirred body did not calm down. The sight of her fair skin and the sound of her breath teased his ears.
Gredy muttered a low curse, ruffling his hair.
“…Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?”
Startled by the sudden chill, Eliana looked up at him with wide eyes.
By then, the desire that had surged toward her had vanished without a trace. Instead, his eyes reflected disgust directed at himself.
“Do you feel no shame at all in using your body to get what you want?”
Eliana’s eyes trembled at the sharp accusation.
Moments ago, it had been Gredy caressing her delicate skin, leaving marks across her body. He had pressed against her small frame as if he never wanted to let go. Yet now, all that returned to her was a harsh rebuke.
“……”
“So this is how you’ve always gotten what you wanted. Truly despicable.”
The criticism toward her was actually a reflection of his self-loathing. The “despicable” one was Eliana in Gredy’s eyes.
“……Did you… really make such a situation happen yourself?”
Eliana blinked. She couldn’t understand what he meant by such a “situation.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Though she tried not to, the shock of being rejected caused her voice to tremble. Her lost gaze wandered in fear. Gredy handed her a crumpled piece of pink paper from his pocket.
[To the Esteemed Duke,
I don’t think I need to explain who I am; you would know already. After all, I’m the only one in the empire who uses this special color of stationery.
Anyway, I hear that you’ve recently taken an interest in a certain… “special past” of the Duchess?
Confused?
You don’t need to be.
It really exists! What I’m curious about is whether the Duchess herself knows of it.
She seems to know everything else, but apparently not this.]**
The sender’s name wasn’t even included—a very careless letter. Yet at the sight of the crumpled paper, she felt she could guess who it came from.
“Lady Laola… why would she write to you?”
“That’s not the important part, is it?”
The crumpled letter from Laola, passed through Gredy’s hands, was inevitably wrinkled in Eliana’s as well. Her eyes kept returning to the part mentioning a “special past.”
She had long noticed that her life differed from that of others—after all, women her age hadn’t been married three times.
But she understood that the “special past” mentioned in Lady Laola’s letter referred to more than just her marriages.
“……”
“So you knew too?”
“……”
“I like indulging! I respect your tastes as well. That’s why I even called that damn knight, right?”
“……”
“The Viscount said you had something more than just your looks.”
His tone was fiery, emotions surging uncontrollably as Gredy’s chest heaved up and down repeatedly.
“……”
“Eliana Kreyber… is there anything else?”
“…No.”
Red flowers appeared like a mirage on the white snowfield.
Her own feelings no longer mattered. She had to give the answer he wanted. Only then would the whip he brought down on her stop. Only then would the people she cherished remain unharmed.
Habitually, Eliana hid her own emotions and gave Gredy the answer he wanted.
“You only keep lying, don’t you?”
Brushing his messy hair aside, Gredy turned without hesitation.
Unlike him, flawless as ever, Eliana was a mess as if she had just gone through a storm.
Thunk.
The door slammed loudly. Alone, Eliana curled herself up.
“At that moment, it hurt so much I thought I was seeing things.”
Her whisper echoed through the silent room. Eliana lowered her head between her knees.
It was the first time she had opened herself so completely.
The eyes filled with desire and lust were familiar. In front of such eyes, she had always been desperate to hide herself.
Though she had never wanted this kind of attention, persistent gazes had always followed her, regardless of her will.
Her ex-husbands had been the same.
Under the whip of the Marquis Neumann, she had often thought it might be better to experience love like ordinary couples. She realized the consequences of unfulfilled desire through Neumann’s abuse.
In Gredy’s gaze, she saw the same desire as Neumann’s—but unexpectedly, he coldly rejected her.
She thought giving him what he wanted would end it, but he refused. She had no idea what else to do.
Following Viscount Hoffman’s teachings had only tangled everything further.
The forest was shrouded in thick morning mist, unusually bustling for such an early hour.
The winter forest morning was cold and dark.
Nobles sipping tea peeked through the fog at the couple emerging, their shoulders trembling. Like children excited to find something to gnaw on, their eyes gleamed cruelly.
“They’re still so lovey-dovey.”
No one could look away as Gredy lowered Eliana from the horse he rode.
“They’re the Duke and Duchess, I see. The Duke has greeted the morning again today.”
Some men exchanged gold coins—likely a bet on Gredy Kreyber’s survival. Others frowned or watched curiously, intrigued by the unfolding scene.
“Seems the betting continues as always.”
“Such trivial wagers have long been a city pastime. Even the children in the slums bet on when the Duke might die.”
Not just the nobles—the entire capital buzzed with bets on Gredy’s death.
Everyone hoped for the downfall of the seductress’s third husband. Their interest in the newlyweds was rather extreme.
“Thank you.”
Gredy shrugged at Eliana’s gratitude, not forgetting to gently brush her cheek. The young ladies sighed at the couple’s affection.
“Not at all.”
In aristocratic society, escorting one’s partner was expected, but the Kreyber Duke and Duchess were special. They preferred holding hands over walking arm-in-arm.
“Sleeping next to a woman like that—there’s a problem with that, isn’t there?”
At the viscount’s words, the surrounding men all nodded. Huddling against the cold, they couldn’t take their eyes off Eliana.
“Rodin.”
At Gredy’s light call, Rodin silently approached.
“Isn’t that the Duchess’s former lover?”
Rodin took the reins from Gredy and led the horse out of the clearing.
“That man… was the Duchess’s lover?”
“They grew up practically under the same roof and watched over her since childhood.”
Hearing the whispers from all around, Eliana’s face hardened.
“Oh no… I forgot this important thing.”
Gredy lightly tapped the horsewhip against his palm. Eliana’s gaze fell on his playful hand. Her expression stiffened, but he continued teasing.
“Want to hold it? You like it, don’t you?”
“Stop it.”
“Can’t we even joke lightly as a married couple? My wife is so cold.”
Soft laughter drifted from the crowd, but Eliana could not laugh at Gredy’s jest.
Standing near Gredy, who wielded a whip as dark and terrifying as it was, she kept a step back.
“Welcome, Your Grace.”
Those smoking cigars lightly bowed to the Duke, all dressed in thick hunting attire.
Indeed, it was hunting season.
