Chapter 12

Raven black hair spread across the white bed and made the pale woman’s face stand out. Ezekiel stroked her face over and over again with his calloused hands.

“Don’t cry.”

After speaking, Ezekiel slowly moved his lips. His lips brushed her red eyes, then her cheeks, grazing her red lips and then stopped.

The man had cloudy eyes filled with lust. He stroked his wife’s round shoulders and lowered his gaze down to her neck. Her white and smooth curves were beautiful.

It was obviously his property, but unfortunately, he had only been able to look at it for almost a year. He leaned his head down without hesitation. As the distance between them grew closer, his wife looked all the more prettier. Ezekiel kissed her a few more times as if to prepare.

At his friendly touch, Herace recalled the past. At that time, it had just been a little over a year since she came to Serpence Castle. On the day when she first accepted Ezekiel’s heart, Herace expressed her sorrows and regrets to him, ones he had never known.

At that time, Ezekiel comforted her and kissed her gently. His warmth touched her lips, her eyes and nose, everywhere. But nevertheless, Herace fell ill for four days.

[“I’m sorry, Herace.”]

After seeing Herace in pain, Ezekiel cared for her everytime. But what do you do? What began as polite soon became savage. Herace’s sleepless nights only increased.

When she woke up, it was well past noon, she was embarrassed to see the faces of the maids including Anna. But even after that, Herace did not refuse to lie in bed with her husband. Rather, she secretly wanted to spend the night with her husband. As a noble lady who should be chaste, she felt guilty that she was okay with this, because the pleasure of knowing him for the first time was overflowing.

[“If you’re having a hard time doing something you haven’t done before, go to your husband’s bed like before. Go up there, and stay in a humble position. Got it?”]

But not anymore. This time was different from before in many ways. The secret of her earnest wait had disappeared. Instead, all that remained was fear and sorrow.

Herace’s eyes lost light as she faced the man who wanted to eat her. Herace bit her lip in agony. But if she was asked if there was only suffering, it wasn’t. The strange sensation was a definite pleasure. Herace was distressed by it. She truly looked like a lowly woman herself, and she was ashamed.

Herace made a sound without even hugging her husband’s neck because of her pressed wrists. Her head couldn’t think of anything, but her senses were clear, and her eyes kept flashing. Thus, Herace’s mind was rapidly falling apart.

Herace shook her head to escape the pleasure somehow. There was a single tear on her excited face.

“I said… Haah …… Don’t cry.”

Perhaps seeing her tears, Ezekiel reached out his hand. He clenched his teeth as he rubbed Herace’s face with his rough hand.

After a while, the man’s long sigh signaled the end. He lowered his hand and grabbed Herace’s cheek, giving her a deep kiss. Herace, who had exhausted all of her strength, relaxed her body without even blinking her eyes.

“…You’re too quiet.”

A shrill voice entered her ears. Ezekiel looked at her face. The corners of her eyes, tears clinging to her lashes, were a mess. Her blue eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, turning away from him.

Herace was like a small beast that had been hunted. But Ezekiel had no intention of letting Herace go. He then grabbed his wife’s shoulders again.

“Ah…”

Herace, who foresaw that it was not the end, groaned softly. She lifted her gaze and stared at the crumpled folds of the white fabric.

The wrinkled mat of her child with blue eyes came into view. As she stretched her hand out to reach it, the man took it back. Her slender fingers went towards the cloth but got entangled with her man’s hand.

The night hadn’t even begun yet.

**********

“You said Ezekiel didn’t come out of the room yesterday?”

“……Yes.”

“Why?”

The maid hesitated at Charlotte’s question. Charlotte raised an eyebrow at her maid, who stuttered as if she couldn’t answer.

“Are you d*mb? Answer right away!”

“Lady, you know, that’s probably… Ahh!”

The teacup in Charlotte’s hand moved aggressively. The maid, covered in hot tea, screamed and collapsed.

“Lady? Am I still a lady?”

Either way, Charlotte didn’t care. She threw the teacup on the floor right next to her maid. The precious teacup made by a craftsman broke with a sharp clanging sound.

“I-I was wrong… I’m sorry, M-Madam.”

Her poisonous green eyes subsided a little at the word “Madam”. Charlotte had been very particular on the word she refers to herself since she gave birth to Miguel.

“My son is the future Duke! But you call me a Lady! Does that make sense? I am the woman who gave birth to the Duke!”

Originally, her actions were astonishing. Although she did give birth to a son close to becoming the heir, she did not receive the noble surname Serpence. But to call herself a Madam…

The maid did nothing wrong, but she bowed her head. She was the cherished woman of the castle’s Master, and she was the woman who bore the Master’s son. No matter what status she was before, she was now a woman of power whose will had to be obeyed.

“If you make this mistake again, be prepared, I will cut off your tongue.”

Charlotte stood up, staring at the maid who nodded vigorously. Her destination, as she nervously moved her steps, was her son’s room right next door. When she opened the door leading to the next room, the three nannies and her maids who were taking care of Miguel bowed their heads as soon as they saw her.

Miguel’s large room was decorated with everything. The blue wallpaper had the symbol of Serpence engraved in gold, and the cradle made of silver had a mobile adorned with various jewels. They were pleasing just to look at.

“What about Miguel?”

“The young master just fell asleep.”

“Let me see.”

Charlotte walked closer to the cradle. Her son, now two months old, looked a little older than his age. It must have been because he was in her womb for a long time. Charlotte fluttered her fan, looked at her healthy son, and reached out her hand. One of the nannies tried to say something about her long nails and several colorful rings, but the nanny bowed her head as she was held back by the others.

“My son…”

Charlotte, who pressed his chubby cheeks, looked satisfied. This silver hair and golden eyes, by all accounts, her son had the blood of the Duke.

‘Yes, with this child…’

Before giving birth, he was strangely ominous, so she just wanted him out, but everything got better when she gave birth.

Ezekiel blatantly discriminated against the son of the Duchess when he intended to make her son Miguel, the heir. Charlotte smiled brightly as she recalled the day her son was held in the Duke’s arms and received a preliminary ceremony from the great knights.

“I need to hug my son.”

“But he just fell asleep…”

“Stop talking and do what you’re told!”

As Charlotte tried to hold the sleeping Miguel in her arms, two nannies approached her anxiously and helped. Charlotte, holding her son in her arms, looked at Miguel’s face and was overcome with joy.

What do you do when you are born noble? This is how you’d be treated. She had heard that the child born from the Duchess that day was locked in the corner of a room without being held by Ezekiel even though he was a boy. Charlotte couldn’t have felt better about it.

“My son, Miguel… he doesn’t have a problem, does he?”

“Yes. The young master is very healthy.”

This child was her strength. She can still see it. In the past, everyone who looked down on her and pointed at her now lowered their heads. Charlotte felt the weight of her child who had given everything to her while swaying Miguel back and forth. He was only two months old, but her son was quite heavy.

‘But still…’

Charlotte enjoyed a lot in the castle because of her son. Ezekiel gave her a lot of gold, several servants to look after her, and even a knight to escort her. But to Charlotte, this wasn’t good enough. She longed for one thing she didn’t have.

Honor. Charlotte wanted to be a Duchess, a noble. She wanted to be the rightful wife by Ezekiel’s side, and the noble mother of Miguel who would become a Duke. What do those in the castle think when they bow their head towards her? What good would it do even if she was served with all kinds of dishes and had all the things she wanted to buy? Whispers and rumors from behind her would still continue.

‘That position is mine.’

Ezekiel seemed unwilling to give her the title of Duchess, but even if he didn’t give it to her, she would take it for herself.

Of course, Ezekiel’s attitude towards the Duchess will take a while. He was being cruel to her, but he obviously saw his wife as a woman. Ezekiel was a man who looked only at the Duchess, even though Charlotte showed her bare skin.

Charlotte could see Ezekiel’s gaze at the Duchess, and admitted that his attention wouldn’t be on her for the meantime. She was resentful and angry, but what can she do? He was a man crazy about his wife.

[T/N: He’s crazy alright.]

But Charlotte did not believe that Ezekiel’s affection for his wife was permanent. Nothing changes as quickly and instantaneously as emotions. His affection became hate in an instant. But it’s still there. The man loved his wife but hated her for some unknown reason.

She didn’t know the reason for his ambivalence, but Charlotte noticed it faster than anyone else beside Ezekiel. And that was an opportunity for her.

Charlotte was quite confident in this. Discord. It was one of the skills she mastered in order to live. She intended to shift Ezekiel’s affection to herself and his hatred towards the Duchess.

‘I should clean up at this point. I will have my man. I have to spread rumors.’

The ring was just the beginning. Charlotte secretly bought off one of the people who entered Herace’s room after hearing about the Duke Serpence’s ring.