The Secret Pages of the Grand Duke

While Deviang was spending quality time with his maternal uncle, Theodora was busy reading a novel he had kept since his teenage years.

Rustle.

The story began with a noble bringing a woman who owed him a debt to his mansion, hiring her as a maid. From there, the plot truly commenced. He relentlessly pressured and threatened the maid to repay her debt, eventually forcing her to obey his commands in exchange for writing it off. Though filled with despair, the maid had no choice but to comply for the sake of herself and her family. At first, he made her kiss his cheek every morning, but as the days went by, it escalated to deep kisses... and then, as expected of an erotic novel, the story plunged into explicit territory...

"Wow... this is incredibly scandalous."

Deviang's tastes were far more terrifying than she had ever imagined.

Her heart thudded wildly against her ribs the entire time she read. A strange, ticklish sensation pooled in her lower abdomen and between her thighs—a bizarre, unfamiliar feeling. It felt as though she had swallowed something warm, leaving her insides burning hot.

"My goodness... how could he read such a..."

Did he actually like this sort of thing? Subduing a helpless, resisting woman?

Well... compared to the depravities she had heard about other nobles committing, she supposed this was relatively mild.

"But if the beginning is already this explicit, what happens later on?"

She casually flipped through the remaining pages, skimming the text, when a shocking description caught her eye.

"Huh? He... he puts it there?"

The sheer shock of the scene drained the strength from her hands.

Thud.

The book slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor.

"No... how could anyone even imagine something so horrific?"

She could not comprehend why anyone would insert such a thing into an excretory organ. Was her husband truly an outrageous, absolute pervert?

But if he was such a pervert, why hadn't he touched her body? She had even given him permission! He put on such a gentlemanly act in front of her, yet behind closed doors, he indulged in filth like this. The memory of Deviang deliberately smoking a cigarette in front of her flashed through her mind, instantly dousing her heated excitement.

"Seriously... why won't he touch me?"

Thump, thump!

She kicked the innocent bed in frustration.

What was his reason?

At first, he had avoided their marriage bed under the guise of consideration for her. Honestly, she had been grateful back then. She had thought he respected and cherished her that much, which only made her fall deeper for him. Because of that, she had dropped more than enough hints to convey her feelings. Yet, he still refused to lay a finger on her.

"There's something going on. There has to be."

She had never voiced it to anyone, but she had secretly worried that he might be impotent. Of course, seeing him read a book like this proved he was anything but impotent—he was just a massive pervert. Goosebumps broke out on her skin as she recalled a scene she had glimpsed while flipping through the back pages, where the master pinned the maid onto a desk to do that.

"If he's this healthy, why isn't he doing anything?"

Flop!

She threw herself backward onto the bed.

When she had been with her sisters-in-law recently, they had been utterly shocked to learn that she and Deviang still hadn't spent their first night together. Besides... wasn't he the head of the Lion family? She had heard that members of the Lion bloodline possessed notoriously voracious libidos. Yet her husband, the very leader of that family, acted as if he had no connection to them at all, displaying absolutely zero sexual desire.

"There's clearly nothing wrong with him physically... Could it be a psychological issue?"

Since Deviang had suffered abuse in his childhood, she wondered if there was some deep-seated trauma she didn't know about.

"I don't know. I'll just take a nap."

With that, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Time passed, and the day of Mary Lion's wedding finally arrived.

"Your Grace. It is an honor to see you again."

A middle-aged, blonde couple greeted me. Both possessed refined features that suggested they had been quite handsome and beautiful in their youth. They were Agrippa's parents.

"Mr. Matthew—ah, I suppose I should call you my in-law now. It has been a while. How have you been?"

At my words, the couple chuckled warmly.

"We have been very well, thanks to you. This is all due to Your Grace's benevolence."

I waved my hand dismissively. "Thank you for saying so."

Agrippa was classified as an imperial citizen without a noble house. According to customary law, which only recognized a family as a 'house' if they held a title, he was essentially a commoner. Since we were bringing Agrippa into the Lion family as a matrilocal husband, it was only right that our family took full responsibility for his parents.

"Then, we shall head inside first to greet Lady Mary," they said, bowing before entering the bridal waiting room.

"Darling, were those two General Agrippa's parents?"

I nodded. "Yes, they are."

Theodora nodded in understanding. "I always thought General Agrippa was exceptionally handsome. He takes right after his parents."

Just then, Noel, a servant of our house, called out to me.

"Your Grace, the ceremony is about to begin."

"Understood. Theodora, I'll see you in a bit."

"Yes, see you at the altar."

I waved to Theodora and made my way to the bridal waiting room.

Mary stood there, clad in a pure white wedding dress. Although a white veil shrouded her face and hair, her petite height, slender frame, and overall demeanor left no doubt that it was indeed Mary.

"Brother? Is it time?"

I nodded. "Yes, it's starting soon. Let's get ready to go out."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

At my cue, the maids behind Mary gently lifted the train of her long gown to make it easier for her to walk.

"Here, your bouquet."

I handed her the flowers, and she took them with a bright smile.

"Congratulations on your wedding."

"Hehe, thanks, Brother."

I offered her my arm, and she linked hers with mine as we stood before the grand doors of the wedding hall.

"But Brother, I heard you and sister-in-law are on great terms now. Doesn't that mean you don't need those maids anymore?"

My expression stiffened slightly. "We only look close on the surface. And..."

Lately, there were times when I wondered if she truly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠loved me. I was only human, after all. When a woman as breathtakingly beautiful as her constantly tempted me, it was impossible not to harbor such thoughts.

But... once the war with Yohanes broke out, she would inevitably discover that I had traded Epirus, Egypt, and Joy to secure peace. When that happened... well, she would despise me. She would probably want to kill me. In the first place, I couldn't tell if her affection was genuine or merely a calculated performance.

"Once the war starts and she finds out I used Epirus, Egypt, and Joy as bargaining chips for a peace treaty, our relationship will fall apart."

"Oh, come on. Sister-in-law absolutely adores you, Brother."

"I don't know if she loves me, or if she just wants to secure the Grand Duchy for the child we might have."

Mary burst into laughter at my cynical remark.

"You really don't understand women at all, do you? I'm telling you, she truly loves you!"

I let out a heavy sigh at her naive optimism.

"Even if I give her the benefit of the doubt, do you think she'll still love me after finding out I traded away Epirus, Egypt, and Joy? If anything, her sense of betrayal will be as deep as whatever love she felt."

Furthermore, having read about her in the original novel, I had no idea how she would react. Because... she was a monster. No matter how much of an enemy someone was, only a monster could take such sadistic pleasure in tormenting others.

The grand doors of the wedding ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hall swung open.

♬~♪

To the grand, swelling wedding march, Mary and I began our walk down the red carpet.

Agrippa stood at the end of the aisle, clad in a pristine white ceremonial suit. He's my brother-in-law now, but I have to admit, he's a handsome bastard. With that thought, we reached the center of the hall, and Agrippa stepped forward to meet us. He bowed deeply to me and extended his hand.

I took Mary's hand and gently placed it in his.

Watching them walk forward hand-in-hand, a sudden wave of emotion welled up inside me.

Mother. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Mary is finally getting married.

Even during my own wedding, I hadn't felt this kind of profound emotion. Perhaps it was because she was the younger sister I cherished so dearly. I quietly stepped back and took my place on the bride's family side.

As Agrippa answered in a firm, resolute voice, the priest smiled and turned to Mary.

I quietly sat down in the family pew.

The priest nodded.

The two of them slid the rings onto each other's fingers.

♬~♪

Agrippa gently lifted Mary's veil.

"Oh... Mary is finally getting married..."

Octavia murmured, her eyes brimming with tears. I gently took her hand.

"Why are you crying? It's a happy day."

Nodding, she choked back a sob. "Yes... it is a happy day. Sniff..."

And as their lips met...

Clap, clap, clap!

A thunderous roar of applause filled the wedding hall.