The Third Beginning
Click.
The butler, intending to announce the morning, closed the door again with a soft sound. However, in the bedroom thick with the scent of carnal heat, no one noticed.
As soon as Ezekiel opened his eyes, he pulled Olivia’s body into his embrace. On her slender, pale neck, the lip marks and teeth marks he had left behind remained vivid.
He had indulged in her to his heart’s content last night, yet as morning broke, his desire welled up with a satisfying fullness once more. And there was no reason to restrain it.
He pulled her fragile body close and lightly rubbed her stomach. Perhaps it was because she had been worn down by him so relentlessly, but there was hardly any flesh to be felt. As he pressed his hand firmly against her flat, thin waist, her body, which had been sleeping in exhaustion, trembled as if in a spasm. It didn’t matter that she was asleep, but he knew waking her would be more enjoyable, so he bit painfully into her collarbone.
“...Ugh.”
Finally, Olivia woke with a pained sound. A dazed look lingered in her beautiful turquoise eyes, but the moment they met Ezekiel’s, they twisted in revulsion.
Ezekiel chuckled, but inwardly, he felt a flicker of anxiety. This woman truly made him act in ways he couldn’t understand. Crushing and coercing someone who hated him should have been enjoyable in its own right, yet every time he saw the clear loathing in Olivia’s eyes, something hot surged within his chest.
“Am I terrible? Like a monster?”
“......”
“What can you do? Accept it. You are the possession of that monster.”
Olivia said nothing. Ezekiel’s anger flared, and he pressed down on her throat, glaring at her.
“Forever.”
“......”
Still, not a single word escaped her lips.
Three months had passed since he had captured her. In that time, Ezekiel had never heard a single word of hatred from her. Whether he inflicted pain or gave her pleasure, all she ever let out were short, stifled moans when she reached her breaking point... Every time that happened, Ezekiel was consumed by an unbearable rage. The doctor had said she seemed to have lost her voice from the shock, but he felt she was actively resisting him.
She was a woman who simply would not go according to his will. Even though she made his blood boil, he had no desire to break her completely and throw her away.
His desire knew no satisfaction, no matter how much he indulged it. He should have grown tired of her by now, having possessed her so much, but touching her skin and ravaging her from within never felt like enough.
“Please treat her with tenderness. If her heart opens, her mouth will naturally open as well.”
Even as he felt annoyed, wondering who would show such care to a mere toy, he recalled the doctor’s words and used a gentle hand to turn her cheek so she would look at him.
“What are you thinking about?”
Olivia closed her eyes. Well, it was a futile gesture anyway; it was useless to ask questions of a woman who couldn’t speak.
Ezekiel exercised his patience and pressed his lips against hers. There was no response to the kiss, but she was warm and sweet.
That was when it happened.
A commotion erupted outside the door. The butler’s voice rang out, loud enough to be heard through the thick oak door.
“You cannot go in!”
“If there’s nothing to hide, what reason is there for me not to enter!”
Bang—!
Simultaneous with Roella’s sharp voice, the door flew open as if it had been kicked.
Ezekiel, who had been fondling Olivia’s crotch and pushing his index finger into her vaginal opening, flinched. Seeing the two of them entangled, Roella froze for a moment, then lunged at Olivia like a madwoman.
“You lecherous bitch!!!”
“Roella!”
Ezekiel’s reaction was a beat too slow, not expecting Roella to cast aside even the barest shred of dignity. Roella grabbed Olivia’s hair with both hands and yanked it violently.
Olivia didn’t even scream; she was dragged along by the force of the pull and tumbled off the bed. Before she could even think to cover herself, Ezekiel grabbed Roella’s arm and twisted it.
“Aargh!”
“What the hell are you doing?”
He glared at Roella menacingly. Roella thrashed as if in a fit. He threw Roella aside as if she were trash, then lifted Olivia and sat her on the bed.
Roella watched the scene with a face full of shock. She hadn’t wanted to believe it—she couldn’t believe it. She had heard rumors that Ezekiel kept a mistress in his bedroom and treated her like a sugar-coated confection, but she hadn’t believed them.
But it was true. And it was Olivia, of all people. She shrieked, thrashing about.
“What are you doing! Our wedding is next week! Have you lost your mind, bewitched by that harlot?!”
Ezekiel pulled a sheet over Olivia’s body and replied.
“My private life is none of your concern, Roella.”
Having a mistress or two was not a problem. He had had them before, so Roella’s reaction felt unnecessary. But Roella, seemingly unaware that her makeup was melting, burst into a messy, hysterical cry.
“How can you call this a private life! I am going to be your wife! And besides, Olivia... how could it be anyone but Olivia...!”
“Take Via to a quiet place.”
Ignoring Roella’s ranting, Ezekiel handed Olivia over to the butler.
Seeing his attitude, Roella began to cry with an even more devastated expression. Ezekiel, feeling annoyed, put on his robe and spoke to her.
“The fake princess has already been dealt with as dead. There is no one to prove who that girl is, and no one to help her, so don’t worry about it. She’s just a toy.”
Ezekiel said as much, but Roella could not stop her weeping. He had had other mistresses before, and Roella hadn’t even thought of competing with such women. He was a man who was equally heartless to everyone, and whoever he dragged into his bed was, after all, just a plaything.
But Olivia was different. It wasn’t because she had been her rival.
Roella knew the look in his eyes when he gazed at Olivia. Perhaps she knew it better than anyone.
Because Roella herself had been gazing at him with the most intense longing. She watched every look, every gesture, every word he spoke, not missing a single thing.
That was the extent of the conversation Olivia heard from the hallway. In truth, there was no need to pay attention to anything more. It was not her concern.
Once the butler, who had taken her to another room, draped a robe over her shoulders, he said politely.
“Let us head to the annex. I will have them prepare a bath and a meal there.”
Olivia nodded and slowly followed him across the Schwaben Duchy.
‘Finally.’
This time, it was faster than she had expected.
The annex was kept clean and tidy. The butler had likely intended to move her here from the very beginning.
The hierarchy between Roella and Ezekiel was clear. Ezekiel was above, and Roella was below. From the start, Roella’s mother had been a woman trained by the Schwaben family to replace the Empress and sent to the Emperor’s side.
However, one could not completely ignore Roella, who was an Imperial Princess and the future Empress. Thus, Ezekiel had sent Olivia to the annex to soothe Roella’s heart.
It had been like this every time. This was the third time.
And this time, too, she had endured. Every night and every morning, she had suffered as the man she hated trampled her without mercy. All while waiting for the day she would come here.
Standing blankly in the living room of the small, beautiful annex, she waited for the butler to leave. As he exited, the butler locked the door to the living room.
It didn’t matter. She walked quickly to the fireplace in the living room. There were several small, pretty antiques placed there, mere ornaments.
She picked up a small jewelry box that she could hold in one hand. On the lid of the box, there were two long rows of small jewel buttons.
With this, she could start once more.