Chapter 109
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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Dear, I believe you may be misunderstanding.
Episode 109
Grace stirred restlessly in bed until the coolness of the empty space beside her roused her from her haze, and she opened her drowsy eyes.
My entire body creaked as though it were a broken machine.
Was this how ancient, rusted metal felt when it desperately needed oil?
I lacked the strength to move even a single finger.
I gazed blankly at the sunlight streaming through the curtains.
"...Another day has passed."
The absurdity of it made me laugh.
This was already the third day I'd awakened in such a manner.
I endured relentless torment throughout the early morning hours before finally succumbing to sleep.
By the time I opened my eyes again, the sun hung high in the sky.
And yet I couldn't simply rise from bed.
That was far from the case.
For nearly three days, I hadn't left this Mansion—or rather, this floor.
And it would be no exaggeration to say I'd spent most of that time confined to this very bed.
I gazed blankly at the curtains dancing in the breeze.
The faint sound of running water unmistakably belonged to Lucas.
I shifted my body and felt for his place beside me.
The bed sheets and blankets were crisp and fresh—though I couldn't recall when they'd been changed.
As I touched the pleasantly rustling fabric, my face grew increasingly flushed.
There were clear signs that this room had been tidied while I slept.
Lucas surely hadn't done it himself; the servants must have quickly straightened everything while he was bathing me or holding me.
'Then they've seen everything....'
I buried my face in the pillow and sighed deeply, again and again.
Though I showed no outward sign, the sheets were undoubtedly soaked through.
I never knew the human body could release so much moisture.
I'd thought bodily fluids were limited to tears and perspiration, but....
My oversensitized body trembled and responded wantonly at the mere brush of the blankets.
For three days straight, I hadn't worn proper clothing.
Whenever I did, it would either be removed or torn. Or it would become soiled....
Eventually, I simply gave up.
The constant dressing and undressing was cumbersome, and it pained me to see perfectly good garments ripped and shredded.
'His strength.... It's far too much.'
He seemed like someone who never grew weary.
Rather, the longer we remained entwined, sharing our affection, the more vigorous he appeared to become.
Despite sleeping almost not at all, he showed no signs of exhaustion or weakness.
'Grace, Grace....'
It was he who held me as I struggled against his overwhelming strength, soothing me.
Though he appeared to comfort me with gentle caresses and tender touches, the moment I looked away, his lips were upon me again, devouring me hungrily.
Grace looked down at her skin, flushed and covered entirely with crimson marks.
Because Lucas kept creating them faster than she could hide them, I had no choice but to confront my own body, marked with red welts beneath the pale sunlight.
Yesterday was redder than two days ago, and today was redder still than yesterday.
"I have no idea, truly."
The low-necked dress that exposed my arms seemed unwearable for some time to come.
My arms, legs, the backs of my hands and feet—and places I couldn't even see—were covered entirely with his marks.
I buried myself deeper beneath the blankets as if attempting to escape reality itself.
In that moment, the sound of water ceased, and the very person responsible for rendering me unable to walk for three days straight emerged.
"Are you awake?"
"No... I'm not awake."
I heard Lucas chuckle softly.
Curled up like a squirrel beneath the blankets, I deliberately turned away from him.
"Why is my dear wife pouting again?"
He spoke in a gentle, coaxing voice as one might soothe a child, then sat beside the bed where I lay curled up.
"...You're not truly asking why, are you?"
"I'm not sure..."
What do you mean you're not sure?!
I puffed out my cheeks and pulled my face from beneath the blankets.
I glared at my husband, who gazed back with narrowed eyes and a composed smile.
Lucas shrugged as he spoke.
"If you tell me the reason, I'll correct it. And apologize."
'The reason. The reason...'
I recalled that moment just before sleep, when he had driven me to the very brink of ecstasy.
I found myself staring at his lips—the very lips that had committed such acts without hesitation—and the tongue barely visible beneath them.
That was the problem.
Those lips. That tongue.
"...I told you not to do that."
"Do what?"
"That... thing..."
"I'm not entirely sure what you mean, Grace."
"There... with that..."
"There?"
He echoed her words with shameless innocence.
His expression utterly clueless.
"I mean, down there, that... place..."
"Down there, you say...?"
"..."
I couldn't speak any further.
I simply couldn't bring myself to voice what those lips and that tongue had done.
Grace glared at him, her face burning crimson.
He shrugged his shoulders before speaking with feigned innocence, as if he'd only just realized something.
"Ah, that... Could it be because of this?"
Lucas tapped his fingertip against his own lips.
His shameless expression was so brazen that she bolted upright and glared at him.
As a result, the blanket she'd been clutching tightly slipped down.
His leisurely gaze swept across her pale skin and the marks he'd left upon it.
A satisfied smile rose to his lips, like a predator who'd finished marking its territory.
He smiled handsomely and bore down upon her as she flinched and retreated backward.
His freshly bathed body carried the pleasant scent of water and soap, but this was no time to be intoxicated by it.
"I, I still haven't recovered...!"
Grace pushed Lucas away urgently as she spoke.
Lucas laughed and buried his face in her neck.
"I won't do anything. Nothing at all."
"That's a lie! You said the same thing last night...!"
"I apologize for that. You looked so adorable drowsing away that I simply couldn't help myself...."
Lucas rubbed his forehead against the back of her neck and her back in a childish manner.
Though there was no overtly suggestive intent, her sensitized body trembled and responded of its own accord.
Yet because she didn't dislike his unguarded touch, she found herself unable to refuse further.
"If you disliked it so much, why didn't you say anything, Grace?"
He whispered against her ear, his lips brushing her skin.
"I told you beforehand—if you dislike something, kick me away anytime...."
His lips grazing her earlobe made the nape of her neck burn hot.
His hand, slipping beneath the thin blanket to gently caress her, left her utterly breathless.
"I won't do anything you dislike."
She suppressed her quickening breath and shifted her position to pull him into an embrace.
And in a voice both embarrassed yet honest, she spoke.
"It wasn't something I disliked enough to kick you over."
"Then... so you did dislike it, just not to that extent?"
It was too embarrassing to be completely honest, but she couldn't bring herself to lie either.
She sighed and gazed at her mischievous husband's handsome face.
Her small fingers pinched his cheek without hesitation.
"It wasn't that I disliked it—I was overwhelmed, so I asked you to stop. You know that perfectly well, so why do you keep asking for confirmation?"
Lucas's cheek pinched, his face became comical, yet he laughed as if he didn't care in the slightest.
'Ah... this is severe. Even this ridiculous expression looks handsome.'
She had to admit that her eyes were completely blinded by love.
"I simply like hearing your voice say these things. I wish you would tell me everything in your heart about me in that voice of yours."
"...Your desires are excessive. It's not enough that you want to know my every feeling—now you want me to voice them all?"
"Surely I'm allowed to be greedy with my wife? I can tell you everything about myself...."
"Really?"
"Shall I tell you now? Starting with how my heart feels, my mood right now?"
Lucas's posture shifted.
He laid her beneath him and gazed down from above.
His gaze traced the path of her swollen eyelids and crimson lips.
Red marks densely etched along her slender neck, her porcelain skin, and beneath it....
"For the first time, I found myself thinking that a person could be this beautiful."
"...I haven't even washed my face yet?"
"If I could remain like this, I believe I could die without even noticing if the world crumbled around us."
"How extreme of you."
Lucas laughed and pressed his lips to her cheeks and jaw.
Grace, charmed by the low timbre of his voice flowing so naturally, pulled him into her embrace.
"Even if these slender hands were to strangle my neck, I would willingly surrender my life...."
"That will never happen, Lucas."
"I know. It's simply the feeling I have. All deaths must seem unjust, but if it were by your hand, I would find no regret in it whatsoever."
"...You're such a flatterer."
At her reproachful words, he laughed aloud.
His breath burst forth with laughter, tickling her skin.
"I do hope that one day you'll come to understand my words are no mere flattery. But then again... what shall we have you eat, Grace? You look as though you have no strength left."
Lucas scattered small kisses across her cheeks, jaw, neck, and collarbone before swiftly drawing her up into his arms.
"You don't even look strong enough to hold a fork, so I'll feed you."
"Please don't. I'm fine."
"Just accept it gracefully."
Food still warm from when it had been laid out sat upon the small table in the connecting room.
She diligently consumed what Lucas fed her, like a fledgling bird.
She had to eat, whether she wished to or not.
She needed her strength if she were to push him away—or embrace him.
They ate together, read a book for a while, and then without hesitation slipped into the bath together once more.
Only after they had tasted each other's lips and skin to their fill did sleep finally claim them.
But Grace's slumber did not last long.
"...Lucas?"
Dawn, just before the sun rose.
The darkest hour of night.
Awakened by rustling sounds, she watched Lucas approach with a hardened expression, already dressed.
"What are you doing? And why are you...."
His expression, the atmosphere surrounding him—something was amiss.
Lucas approached Grace and parted his tightly sealed lips.
"It seems I must visit the Royal Palace."
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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