Political Marriage (1)
Lestein remained silent for a moment before speaking. “I’m not sure if this will comfort you… but Lord Richard’s character doesn’t seem so bad. Just as he treats his wife with affection, I’m certain he will treat the princess with warmth as well.”
Lestein’s words only deepened Irene’s confusion. She shook her head in denial. “His true goal isn’t me—it’s the territory. Any kindness he shows from now on will be nothing but a lie. And once he gets what he wants, he’ll discard me without hesitation.” Irene’s voice trembled. “He’ll see me as nothing more than a tool to bear his children for the rest of my life.”
The candlelight in the room flickered violently. Tonight burned hotter than any other. Having resolved to make a grave confession to Dana, I devoted every ounce of my strength to pleasuring her so she would be thoroughly satisfied. It was my way of paying voluntary taxes, so to speak. The words I would soon speak would hurt her, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to live with myself unless I gave her everything I had.
I moved my hips with fierce intensity, as though I loved only Dana in this world, thrusting deep inside her without pause. When our passionate union finally ended, Dana rose from the bed and poured wine into two empty glasses on the table. I lay back with my arms folded behind my head, admiring her naked form from behind. The sight of her slender waist and round, firm hips brought a contented smile to my lips. No matter how many times I saw her, it was hard to believe such a beautiful woman was mine—enough to make me want to pinch my own cheek. Yet the pale traces of my release still trickled down her thighs, a vivid reminder that this was real. My back ached, but my mood was the best it had ever been. Soon, Dana would bear a child who looked just like me.
“You must be thirsty.” Dana brought the two glasses over, handing one to me while she sipped from the other and climbed back into bed to sit beside me. We drank and chatted lightly. When the right moment came, I gathered my courage. “Tomorrow afternoon, I’ll be going on a hunt with Princess Irene.”
“All right.” She nodded calmly. The next part was the important one. My nerves tightened, so I downed the red wine in my glass in one gulp. The alcohol gave me strength. “And tomorrow night… I won’t be coming back to this room. You’ll have to sleep alone.”
Dana, raised in a world overflowing with political marriages, would understand exactly what that meant without any explanation. “So you’ll have another wife.” She smiled bitterly. Though my words were a unilateral announcement, she didn’t get angry. Instead, she remained unexpectedly composed and strangely composed. Without responding to my statement, she changed the subject to something else. That was the end of any talk about her husband’s infidelity or Princess Irene. There was no need to convince her that this was politics, nor to reassure her that I loved only her.
But when the lights were out and we lay in bed, I soon heard the faint sound of sobbing. Dana had buried her face in the pillow, crying quietly while doing her best to muffle the sound. “If you don’t want this, I won’t do it,” I said, wrapping my arms around her. Her long hair and the pillow were damp with tears. “I don’t want to do anything that makes you unhappy.”
“You mustn’t. For the sake of our family, you have to share a bed with Princess Irene.” Dana looked me in the eye and spoke firmly through her tears. I stroked her hair. “I love only you.”
“I love you too, Hyunwoo,” Dana whispered, her eyes glistening. “The more concubines you take, the more time I’ll spend alone. That frightens me. I only feel safe when I’m with you.”
The word “safe” pierced my heart. Until she met me, she had lived her life on the run. Now that she finally had someone to trust, if that person spent his time with other women and paid her less attention, she would feel abandoned all over again. Dana wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. As if she didn’t want to trouble her husband any further with this matter, she quickly cut me off before I could speak. “But I’ll get used to being alone. If I do it every day, sleeping by myself won’t be so hard. Don’t worry about me. I won’t cry anymore.”
There was no soul in her words. She was simply parroting the sentences she had prepared in her mind for my sake. Seeing her suppress herself, endure, and sacrifice for me made my chest ache. “Dana……”
Being a lord was far too difficult. Was life in another world simply harder for an Earthling? One thing was certain—I didn’t want to make Dana sad. “I won’t leave you lonely.”
Love made the heart so fickle and confused. I didn’t think I could ever become a conqueror.
Morning sunlight streamed brightly into the bedroom. When the maids opened the windows, wood pigeons fluttered away. The three maids worked diligently from the very start of the day. They rolled up their sleeves, carried in a bathtub, and filled it with steaming hot water before scrubbing Irene’s body clean from head to toe. They shaved the hair under her arms with a razor, trimmed her fingernails and toenails, and even neatly shaped the hair on her mound into a pretty form. After the bath, they dressed her in provocative red undergarments—a luxurious gift sent early that morning by Lady Dana via a maid. There was no doubt that the lady was wholeheartedly supporting tonight’s consummation with the lord. Irene felt a small measure of relief knowing she hadn’t earned the lady’s dislike.
Next, she put on the dress Hyunwoo had given her and sat before the mirror for her hair to be styled. The maids chattered enviously, though their glances held a trace of jealousy, praising how beautiful the dress was. Irene paid no attention to their words. She felt only gloom at the thought of offering her virginity tonight to a man she did not want. As she stared fixedly into the mirror, a single tear rolled down her cheek.
“Oh dear, you mustn’t, Your Highness.” The maids hurried to fetch handkerchiefs, dabbing at her face so the makeup they had painstakingly applied wouldn’t be ruined. To calm her, the three maids chattered nonstop and lit a lavender-scented candle said to help with emotional stability. Its gentle fragrance soon filled the room.
“You’re far more beautiful than Lady Dana, Your Highness. Perhaps one day you’ll become the official wife and send her away.”
“Don’t worry too much. His Lordship will cherish and love you always.”
“Lanchester Castle may be smaller than the royal palace, but the scenery around it is lovely. I’d love to live here forever. It’s a wonderful place.”
Knock, knock. A sudden rap at the door silenced the maids, and they all turned to look at Irene. She quickly wiped away the remaining tears with a handkerchief and gave a slight nod. One maid rushed to open the door.
“Sorry to disturb you so early.” Hyunwoo’s voice made Irene whirl around, her heart pounding. She sprang to her feet. Hyunwoo closed the door behind him and stepped inside. Seeing Irene in the dress he had given her, he paused briefly, his gaze sweeping over her from head to toe, before breaking into a bright smile. “It suits you dazzlingly well.”
“Th-thank you.” Irene answered with a tense expression, feeling she ought to say something more in return. Simply thanking him seemed rude and insincere. But her mind went blank. “Ah… he’s even more handsome up close. How can a person be this attractive? I can’t think of a single thing to say……”
At seventeen, the heart of a sensitive adolescent girl was a complicated thing, shifting without warning. Hyunwoo was undeniably an unparalleled beauty. During her time in the royal court, Irene had seen countless handsome and accomplished nobles, yet even if she combined all their best features, none could compare to Hyunwoo alone. Handsome men existed everywhere, but the exotic, intellectual aura that emanated from Hyunwoo’s foreign features was truly captivating. He possessed a magnetic charm—or rather, a magical allure—that drew the hearts of all women.
“It feels as though his youth keeps tempting me. This man is young and handsome, and he throws my heart into turmoil.” If they had not met as hostage and captor, she might have fallen for him at first sight.