Chapter 21. The Count's Pure Love
The Count's Pure Love
When Rachel opened her eyes after being kidnapped, she found herself inside a shabby hut reeking of mold.
Bound hand and foot with rough ropes, she gasped for breath as she frantically scanned her surroundings.
"Heh heh heh... Must be that noble blood. Skin as smooth as milk."
A filthy bandit leered at her with greedy eyes.
Rachel's radiant figure stood out starkly in the dingy hut, and the man seemed momentarily entranced before his restraint snapped. He lunged forward, tearing her dress apart with rough hands.
"Kyaaah! What are you doing?! Let go!"
Her dress was ripped away, leaving her in nothing but her undergarments. Her ample breasts strained against the black silk corset, rising and falling with each panicked breath, while the garter belt left her pale thighs completely exposed.
The bandit snickered as his calloused hands roamed over her smooth shoulders, collarbone, and thighs.
"Ah! Stop! Don't touch me!"
Rachel screamed, but there was no one in the forest hut to help her. Just as his fingers brushed against her chest and began sliding toward her inner thighs, he suddenly froze.
He hesitated, then reluctantly withdrew his hand and slumped into a chair.
"Damn it... I want more, but I can't. If I go any further, I'll lose my head."
Grumbling, he rubbed the bulge in his pants and waited.
Creak.
The old door swung open, and a woman exuding an alluring aura stepped inside. With heavy makeup and clad in leather, she radiated an otherworldly charm that marked her as anything but human.
[Succubus Bella]
"Oh my, why is she half-naked? Didn't I tell you not to touch her?"
Bella's icy tone made the bandit flinch. She strode toward him and seized his bulging crotch in a crushing grip.
"Ghk!"
He groaned in pain, but the sight of the seductive woman before him made his breath quicken. Bella smirked at his reaction before flicking him away in disgust.
"You really think you could handle me? If I had my way with you, that thing would rot right off."
The bandit recoiled at the eerie lust radiating from her eyes. Snatching the pouch of gold coins she tossed at him, he scrambled out of the hut like a frightened animal.
Left alone with Rachel, Bella burst into laughter at the noblewoman's desperate threats.
"You... do you know who I am?! Count Lucian and House Richard won't let this slide! If you release me now, I'll pretend this never happened!"
"Ahahaha! How naïve. The Count is exactly why you were kidnapped, little lady."
"W-What?"
"Even that monster has a weakness. My master was so delighted when he found out, he sent me straight here."
"And that weakness... is you."
Rachel's mind went blank.
She was the Count's weakness?
All this time, she had believed herself insignificant to Lucian—his cold demeanor, his scandalous affairs with other women. Yet now, the thought that she could be the reason he was in danger sent a chill down her spine.
Even in captivity, her concern shifted from her own safety to his.
THUD!
The hut door shattered as Count Lucian stormed in.
"Ugh, how did he find us so fast?! I wasn't ready—"
Bella barely had time to panic before Lucian hurled the Holy Sword in his hand with terrifying force.
Whoosh—THUNK!
The blade pierced her back, but instead of blood, her body dissolved into black smoke, scattering into a swarm of bats that fled into the night.
The sword embedded itself into the wall, dripping with blood—not Bella's, but the bandit's, whose head Lucian had taken outside.
But the Count didn't realize. He rushed to Rachel's side.
"Rachel!"
"Lucian!"
He severed her bonds and pulled her trembling form into his arms. The moment she was against his chest, the tears she'd been holding back burst free. Fear, relief, and a burning affection tangled together as she clung to him desperately.
"You're safe... I'm sorry I was late."
Lucian wrapped his coat around her, shielding her half-naked body, before glaring at the remnants of Bella's escape.
"Belial... I'll hunt you down and tear you apart."
The only reason Lucian had found Rachel so quickly was because of I-seo.
He had secretly ordered her to monitor Rachel's every move long ago.
Ironically, I-seo was also the traitor who had leaked the information (about Lucian's "weakness") to Celis in the first place. As a spy for Celis, she had carried out her mission—yet at the same time, she had acted as Lucian's ally.
Lucian looked down at Rachel in his arms.
The wild, debauched scenes she had witnessed—his affairs with maids, his unrestrained lust—had been partly to vent his excess mana, but also a deliberate performance for her sake.
To shatter her rigid views on purity.
To force her to face the truth of his "cursed lineage."
He had gambled, risking their engagement, all for this moment.
But seeing her now—shivering in his arms like a drenched sparrow—regret clawed at him.
"Let's go home."
He lifted her effortlessly onto his horse.
As the sun set over the forest path, he held her close, arms locked around her waist as they rode back to the castle.
Inside, chaos had erupted over Rachel's kidnapping.
"Oh my God, the Count is carrying Lady Rachel in his arms!"
"Her clothes were torn! Did something horrible happen?!"
Nancy and Ari whispered in concern, while Head Maid Maria silenced them with a stern look.
Amid the commotion, I-seo quietly exhaled in relief.
'Thank goodness... Truly, thank goodness.'
Though the crisis had begun with her betrayal, her master had still saved Rachel. Watching Lucian's broad back and the woman in his arms, I-seo sighed—a mix of relief and guilt.
In the chapel, Sophia knelt in prayer.
"Oh God... Please watch over them both."
Her desperate plea seemed answered when news of their safe return arrived.
Lucian didn't take Rachel to her bedroom. Instead, he brought her to a private bath filled with warm water.
After the ordeal, her body was chilled and covered in dirt and sweat.
"You need to wash."
He sat her on the edge of the tub and peeled away the tattered remains of her dress.
Thud. Plop.
The shredded silk pooled on the floor, leaving her in nothing but her undergarments—the black corset, garter belt, and delicate lace panties.
Lucian's fingers hovered over the corset strings before hesitating.
Memories surfaced—of forcing himself on her before, of the slap she'd given him, of her unwavering belief in premarital chastity.
"......"
As he withdrew, Rachel lifted her gaze to meet his.
"It's alright, Lucian."
Slowly, he undid the corset and slid her panties down.
Her naked form was breathtaking.
Without a word, Lucian soaked a sponge in warm water and began washing her—starting from her shoulders, moving down her collarbone, then over her chest.
Swish. Drip.
Only the sound of water filled the room.
Rachel closed her eyes, surrendering to his touch. His hands were rough yet careful, tracing her neck, her collarbone, then lower—
"Nngh..."
Her nipples stiffened into rosy peaks as the warm water met her chilled skin.
Lucian's breath hitched.
The sight of her glistening breasts, the way her thighs pressed together shyly—
Throb.
His pants strained.
Mana Overload Syndrome seized him like a fever. His mind screamed to push her into the water, to bury himself inside that tight, warm heat.
His cock pulsed angrily against the fabric, demanding release.
'Hold back.'
He gritted his teeth.
For once, he wanted to protect her purity.
It was torture worse than any battlefield.
Forcing his gaze away, he washed her thighs and lower body with deliberate gentleness.
Rachel shivered at every brush of his fingers, but he avoided further contact, lifting her into the bath instead.
"Rest. I'll... leave you."
"Haaah..."
Only when the door closed and his footsteps faded did Rachel finally exhale.
Steam and Lucian's touch had left her face flushed.
She had seen it—the massive bulge in his pants, the way he fought to restrain himself.
'He... truly cares for me.'
Yet, disappointment welled up.
In her terror, all she had wanted was his embrace. Now, part of her wished he had taken her roughly, confirming she was alive through his touch.
'Will he come to me tonight?'
Rachel sat in the bath, staring at the ripples over her chest. Her nipples tingled where the water touched them.
After bathing, she returned to her room—not in nightwear, but in a thin robe.
She lay on the bed, waiting.
For the door to open.
For him to return and unleash the desire he had held back.
But the hallway remained silent as the night deepened.
Exhaustion eventually pulled her under.
That night, her dreams burned with Lucian's presence—his beast-like growls, his scorching touch melting her bare body into his.
[Images: Chapter Illustrations]