Appeasing Adelia (2)
I smiled with satisfaction. Though I had taken Adelia as a concubine out of political necessity, now that she was my woman, I felt only the determination to cherish and love her for the rest of my life, exactly as I did Dana.
“I’ll confess properly this time. I want to take you as my second wife. Will you marry me?”
“This body of mine has already shouted hundreds of times that it wants to marry you.”
The moment the words left her lips, Adelia cupped my face in both hands and poured a passionate kiss over me. The kiss was deep, and it was long. And it only sharpened our hunger for each other.
The two of us, burning hot, lay on the bed and lavished fierce care on each other’s bodies. When the time finally came for us to become one, I stroked Adelia’s thigh and slipped my hand beneath her nightgown. I caught the panties already growing damp and drew them down to her ankles. Then I shed my own trousers and freed my hardened length.
Spreading her pure-white legs apart, I met her eyes just before I entered her.
“Adelia, give me a son who looks like me.”
“I will. Our son will become king. Hurry—hurry and give it to me. I want to feel you inside me right now, Hyunwoo.”
There was no more arousing phrase in the world than being asked for a son. When Adelia clung to me and spread her thighs even wider, a fresh rush of clear nectar flowed from her parted slit.
I sealed her lips with mine and drove my thick, dark-red shaft—veins bulging—into her without hesitation.
“Wh-what is this feeling…?!”
Adelia cried out, her face twisting sharply. The pain of losing her virginity must have been intense; she panted hard, blinking rapidly. A crimson stain slowly spread across the pure-white bedsheet.
To soothe her, I moved my hips with deliberate slowness while pressing repeated kisses to her forehead, her lips, her cheeks, and her ears. Little by little I sank deeper into the tight, wet grip of her inner walls.
I dressed again.
“I still need to brush my hair and change clothes, so go meet Father first.”
“Take your time.”
“I will.”
I gave Adelia one last kiss while she gazed at me with loving eyes, then left the room. I had crept in like a thief through the window, but that was no longer necessary. As if the Hildegart family were already mine, I squared my shoulders and strode down the corridor with open confidence.
Following the maid Adelia had assigned me, I arrived at Marquis Gregory’s study. I entered, offered him a respectful bow, and immediately brought up the main topic. He sat at his desk, ink-stained quill still in hand, and looked at me as though he could not understand what I was saying.
“You want me to refrain from announcing your engagement to my daughter? What exactly do you mean by that?”
I began with honeyed words.
“The Hildegart family is the most magnificent, honorable, and splendid house in our kingdom’s history. For someone of my lowly status to become part of it is an immense honor. I am so overjoyed I wonder whether the great virtue I accumulated in my previous life has returned as blessing in this one. However—”
The important part came now.
“I am a man with great ambitions. I have no desire to live like a spoiled child riding on the achievements my father-in-law has built. I want to stand on my own through constant effort and patience, without anyone’s help. I want to make the name Hyunwoo known to the world, to distinguish myself greatly in the wars for the kingdom, and to spread my fame across the land.”
I gestured theatrically to make the contradiction clear.
“Yet if the fact that an unknown man like me is engaged to Adelia spreads throughout the kingdom, my dream will be crushed beneath the great name of Hildegart and vanish like foam. Everyone will see me only as the son-in-law of the Hildegart family, never as Hyunwoo himself. My honor and pride will not permit that.”
Marquis Gregory stroked his chin.
“Honor and pride… So you wish to become a hero whose fame can rival our house. I understand the sentiment, yet how can I believe such words without any guarantee? If the engagement remains secret, you could suddenly change your mind and cast Adelia aside, could you not?”
If I parted from Adelia, it would also mean the Hildegart family would grow distant from Dana. Since they hoped to benefit from any crumbs that might fall from Dana’s side in the future, they would not want us to separate.
“To set my father-in-law’s mind at ease, I will give you a grandchild as soon as possible. And it will certainly be a son, so the Hildegart bloodline can continue.”
“You want me to trust your word with a grandchild as collateral? A pheasant in place of a chicken, is that it? Am I to understand that if you do separate from Adelia, you will still leave the grandchild with me?”
I shook my head.
“That is not what I mean. I am saying that as long as you hold my child, our connection can never be completely severed. I intend to love and treasure my children with all my heart. I will never abandon a child who carries my blood.”
Marquis Gregory tapped his fingers on the desk, lost in thought.
“Is this way of thinking… a characteristic of the Kang family?”
“Characteristic? What do you mean, sir?”
“Do you truly not know? A concubine’s child is rarely acknowledged anywhere. That is why they are easy to discard. Only the children of the legal wife ever receive recognition from the family. And among them, the eldest son is valued most. Ah, I see. Let us suppose, as you claim, that the men of the Kang family possess the broad generosity to love even a concubine’s children. But that is merely the one-sided belief of your house. Is it not a contradiction according to the common sense of society? To speak plainly, my grandchild will be treated as a bastard!”
Marquis Gregory suddenly flared up. He must have been angry at the thought of his own grandchild being slighted. So I asked him directly.
“If you expect that outcome, why are you so determined to marry Adelia to me?”
“Because Adelia herself insisted on it with great force!”
The Marquis continued.
“If you truly believe you can endure the legal wife’s constant nagging to abandon a concubine’s child, then I will trust those words. That absurd claim that you can love every child equally. But I guarantee you—no man in this world can endure a legal wife’s tirade for even three seconds. Ten seconds and your hair will fall out. The moment Princess Dana begins her scolding, you will throw my grandchild away the very next day.”
I let out a sigh.
“Do you not trust me?”
“It is difficult to understand your belief that you will love and treasure a concubine’s child so dearly. A concubine’s child can be discarded at any time. If the world knows of your connection to our house, you might hesitate for the sake of honor, but if the world does not know, discarding the child is all too easy. You could simply drive my daughter Adelia and the grandchild back to their family home because you could no longer bear Princess Dana’s harassment. To prevent such a situation in advance, I believe the engagement between you and my daughter must be announced publicly. That way, if you ever do cast my daughter and grandchild aside, I will have sufficient justification to come for your head. Is that not so?”
Marquis Gregory bared his teeth fiercely and shrugged his shoulders.
“Announce your engagement to my daughter to the world and behave with dignity. I do not ask for much. It is enough that the world knows the Kang and Hildegart families are joined.”
“So in the end you still cannot trust me.”
“I have only known you for a few days.”
“I have only known you for a few days as well, Marquis. There is no obligation of loyalty between us. In that case, let us pretend the engagement with Adelia never happened. Farewell.”
When I turned my back, Marquis Gregory sighed this time.
“Do you have multiple lives?”
“Are you planning to kill me if I leave the mansion like this?”
“I cannot sit idly by and watch you become Marquis Espera’s adopted son.”
“Will your enemies be limited to Marquis Espera alone? You will have to fight the king as well.”
I turned around. From my breast I drew out the letter and laid it on the desk. It was the letter from King Mikelan promising to bestow a territory upon me.
For distinguished service rendered to the kingdom, I shall grant a suitable fief to Hyeonu Kang Richard. Let this letter serve as proof of my royal will.
— Mikelan, King of Ingibar —
“In the situation where both marquises and even His Majesty are stepping forward to claim Dana and me, I have no choice. If I must choose between the two marquises and His Majesty, it will of course be the king who rules this nation.”
“I expected the royal family would not simply sit and watch, but still…”
Marquis Gregory picked up the letter on the desk, read it carefully, then looked at me.
“So you asked me to keep the engagement to Adelia secret because you intend to accept His Majesty’s offer?”
He understood everything after reading only the letter. I was almost grateful; my severe expression softened considerably.
“I love Adelia, and therefore I consider the Hildegart family my ally. My only desire is to remain together with her for the rest of our lives.”
“Now at last I can believe your words.”
Marquis Gregory’s eyes sparkled with interest.