Chapter 117: A Starving Beast
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 117: A Starving Beast
"Y-Your Grace."
Startled by Herdin's sudden appearance, Beatrice hurriedly tried to pull her hand back, but he caught her wrist in a tight grip.
Beatrice’s face contorted in pain.
"I asked you a question. What were you about to do to my wife?"
"I-It's a misunderstanding! I thought she was a girl from the brothels…"
"So in your eyes, my lady, I must be some lust-crazed bastard who brings whores into his host's home."
"Th-That's not what I meant…!"
At Herdin's blunt accusation, Beatrice looked as if she were on the verge of tears.
A wave of indignation washed over her. How could she have possibly imagined that the Duchess—rumored to have run off with another man—would be here of all places? In Nerha, in her own family’s annex, no less.
Scrambling for an excuse, Beatrice realized there was no way to talk her way out of this. Finally, she bowed her head, her voice thick with tears.
"…I am sorry. I spoke without thinking."
But Herdin showed no reaction, his silence making it clear that her apology was far from enough.
When Beatrice looked up at him with anxious eyes, he gestured toward Blair with a tilt of his chin.
"I believe your apology is directed at the wrong person."
"Pardon…?"
"You should apologize to my wife first. Not only did you dare insult the Duchess by calling her a whore, but you also tried to lay a hand on her."
Beatrice turned to Blair, her expression reluctant.
This was all that woman's fault. If she had just revealed her identity from the start, none of this would have happened.
Seeing the blatant displeasure on Beatrice’s face, Blair tried to intervene.
"Herdin, stop. The misunderstanding has been cleared up."
It wasn't that Blair felt any sympathy for Beatrice, but Herdin's actions put them in an awkward position. They were guests here; Beatrice was their host. She didn't want to make the scene any bigger than it already was.
But Herdin didn't seem to share her sentiment.
"Apologize. My wife seems deeply shaken by your rudeness."
Unable to withstand Herdin's fierce pressure, Beatrice finally bowed her head to Blair.
"…I apologize for my rudeness, Your Grace."
Herdin's expression remained cold, but he decided to leave it at that, finally averting his gaze from Beatrice.
"I don't know what business brought you here, but my wife and I require some private time. We can speak another time."
He gave Beatrice a curt dismissal, then lifted Blair into his arms and swept past her.
The moment they were out in the hallway, Blair grabbed his shoulders.
"Put me down. I can walk on my own."
"Why didn't you tell her you are the Duchess?" he demanded, his expression glacial. He clearly thought she had deliberately hidden her identity.
Though that wasn't entirely the case, Blair had no desire to explain herself. To declare herself the Duchess in front of him felt like admitting with her own mouth that she was still his wife.
She hated this predicament—hated that her safety was only guaranteed by her status as his wife. She didn't want to rely on him for anything.
"…I didn't want to," she said.
"Even if it meant being mistaken for a woman from the brothels?"
Blair didn't answer. Taking her silence as confirmation, the corner of Herdin's mouth twisted into a sneer.
So she would rather be seen as a common prostitute than as his wife. Her feelings were painfully transparent.
Ignoring Blair's pleas to be let down, Herdin carried her back to the bedroom and laid her on the bed.
Blair expected him to leave, but to her surprise, he climbed onto the bed after her.
Before a belated sense of dread could even register, Herdin was already leaning over her, trapping her. His hot breath brushed against her face, but the blue eyes staring down at her were freezing cold.
"What are you doing—"
"Then it shouldn't matter if I take you."
Herdin wrapped his arms around Blair's waist, blocking her escape.
In truth, his body had been screaming for her since last night. No—long before that. Even when she was gone, he had ravished her endlessly in his imagination. Now, with her real, physical presence right before him, the heat in his body flared uncontrollably. He wanted her with a primal, beast-like hunger.
If she hates being my wife so much she'd rather be mistaken for a whore, then I might as well treat her like one.
"Herd—mmph!"
Ruled by desire, Herdin crushed his mouth against hers, swallowing her protest. Her lips, which he had only tasted in his dreams during her absence, were far softer and sweeter than he had ever envisioned.
He bit and sucked at them like a starving beast. Blair struggled against his rough, inconsiderate kiss, but soon went limp, as if giving up.
Taking her stillness as consent, Herdin pushed up her chemise and began to caress her rounded belly. It was the first time he'd touched her bare skin, not just the fabric covering it.
His hand, stroking her stomach, gradually slid lower until it brushed against the thin material of her undergarments.
Herdin parted his lips from hers to gauge her reaction.
In that moment, he was met with Blair's completely indifferent eyes.
There was no longer any trace of the embarrassment or fluster that had once colored her reactions to their intimacy. Her lips were glistening and swollen, slick with his saliva, but the voice that emerged from them was dry and utterly devoid of passion.
"Once you are done, will you let me go?"
At her question, the blood in his veins seemed to turn to ice.
As a guest, he couldn't keep a whore in his host's home. And a whore could certainly never be the Duchess. She was willing to endure this, to become this, just to leave his side.
Her powerless words, laced with a raw sincerity, slashed through his lust like a blade.
After staring into her vacant eyes for a long moment, Herdin finally pulled away and stood up.
"…I will wash up. We will dine together after."
Leaving the room, he went straight to the bathroom. Only then did he take note of his own body, still burning with an agonizing need for her.
With a self-mocking sneer, Herdin shed his robe and stepped into the bath. The thick steam filled the room, but whether from the humid air or his own mind-numbing lust, the heat in his body refused to subside.
Swallowing a low groan, he finally took matters into his own hands.
The wet sounds of friction echoed in the steamy room as his breathing grew increasingly ragged. A strained, husky voice escaped from between his clenched teeth.
"Haah… Blair…"
Even now, the image of her face in his mind was beautiful. Miserably so.
* * *
When Blair woke from her nap, it was late afternoon.
The annex was much quieter than it had been that morning. Blair looked around, shaking off the last remnants of sleep. It didn't take long to survey the interior, which was luxurious but not particularly large.
Walking slowly through the annex, Blair realized that Herdin was gone.
She asked a maid waiting nearby.
"Where did my hus—no, where did His Grace go?"
"He has gone to inspect the harbor with the Lord of Nerha. There is a banquet at the mansion this evening, so he should return before then."
So I have some free time until evening.
After a moment's thought, Blair casually made a request.
"Could I pay a quick visit to the house where I was staying? I have a pet sable there, and I'd like to bring it back myself."
The maid looked troubled but didn't refuse outright.
"Please wait a moment."
She left to consult the knights and returned shortly with an answer.
"As soon as you are ready, we will escort you."
Blair was secretly surprised. Since Herdin had confined her before, she had assumed he would forbid her from leaving. She'd asked on a whim, never expecting them to agree so readily.
When Blair finished preparing and stepped outside, a carriage was waiting. Once she boarded, it headed straight for her destination.
Blair stared blankly out the window at the passing scenery of Nerha.
Even though freedom was just a step away, she knew she couldn't run now.
In this condition, they would catch me in no time.
Would she be able to escape after the baby was born? Or would Herdin fall in love with Miella before then? In this life, would she be able to calmly watch him love someone else while standing right beside him?
Lost in the cruel reality she could neither escape nor accept, she barely noticed the carriage had stopped.
Stepping out, Blair gazed up at the house.
She had slept here just last night, but after a single night away, the two months she’d spent here already felt like a distant memory.
Blair stopped the knights who were about to knock.
"He's a wild animal and will attack strangers. I'll go in and get him myself, so please wait out here."
"We will load your luggage in the meantime."
When Blair knocked, the door opened to reveal Anna, her eyes filled with deep worry.
"Anna, I'm sorry. May I come in for a moment?"
Glancing at the maids and knights standing behind Blair, Anna silently opened the door wider. The maids who entered with Blair went up to the second-floor room as she instructed.
Watching them go, Blair followed them up the stairs and spoke to Anna.
"I'll just grab Pippi and be right out."
Anna looked at Blair with concern but nodded.
Reaching the second floor, Blair passed her own room, where the maids were busily packing, and entered Pippi's room instead.
Pippi, who had been playing on the wooden toys inside, recognized Blair and scampered over.
"Ppi!"
And standing right beside Pippi…
"My Lady."
Mikhail was waiting.