Caeron did not hurry. He gazed with leisurely eyes at the woman in anguish beneath him.

Of course, the tense muscles and protruding veins betrayed that this leisureliness was feigned.

Her snow-white skin was delicate to the touch. Looking at his marks on the woman’s pale nape, a deep desire rose to imprint them all over her body right away.

However, the beast in gentleman’s guise waited patiently so the startled woman would not run away. Until she fell completely into the trap.

“Do you need more time to think? It doesn’t seem like you have that luxury.”

A familiar sense of déjà vu arose. It was the gaze of a predator leisurely cornering its prey on a dead-end path.

With a visibly perplexed expression, Aidel’s lips quivered. Seeing the woman trying to escape this situation, he grabbed her hand and pulled.

‘Flinch’

As the man’s firm, smooth skin touched her palm, Aidel trembled slightly.

Caeron slowly slid her hand from his chest muscles down to his abs.

Though every part of skin her touch grazed burned hot, his masked expression remained calm.

“Didn’t you want to touch me like this?”

Biting her trembling lips with an already flushed face, Aidel was at a loss for words as she recalled her actions when she thought it was a dream while drunk.

“If you properly fulfill your duties as Grand Duchess…”

His gaze, deep and profound, was incomparably sweet.

“I too will properly give what my Grand Duchess desires.”

The man smiling languidly on the bed was dizzyingly captivating, unimaginably different from his usual cold demeanor.

Aidel felt something stirring in her chest and lower abdomen.

Though she didn’t understand what that unfamiliar trembling meant, a strange thirst like her throat was burning began to overtake her mind.

“Aidel… do you want to continue?”

Swallowing the words that he would make her want it even if she didn’t, Caeron interlaced his fingers with hers, digging into her knuckles.

“Ah…!”

At that familiar gesture, Aidel let out a gasp and sank into contemplation.

It was that touch that had grabbed her like salvation when she was about to fall into the abyss, her existence denied.

‘I don’t want to let go…’

Even knowing the outcome of this relationship was predetermined…

Both then and now, she didn’t want to let go of this firm hand.

‘This person, I…’

Aidel’s steady gaze, her trembling gradually subsiding, turned to Caeron’s deep blue eyes.

Though she wanted to avoid it, she was inevitably drawn into that blue magma she couldn’t escape.

Even if the end of this choice was only regret and despair, burned to ashes…

After hesitating for a long while, she finally opened her mouth. That small but clear voice no longer held any wavering.

“…I want to…”

The moment she uttered that hidden desire, Aidel realized her feelings more vividly.

‘I want this person.’

Seeing the woman’s gaze that revealed her pent-up longing without filter, Caeron felt for the first time what it was like to be overwhelmed by another.

An intense shiver that could numb his entire body ran through every part of him. Even without fully embracing the woman, he was engulfed by an elated sense of fulfillment.

“As my wife desires.”

The beast in gentleman’s guise paid homage to her choice, bringing his lips to the inside of her wrist.

Even as his lips slowly pressed and lifted, his intense gaze did not waver from her for even a moment.

That was the extent of the beast’s dignity.

Completely shedding his gentlemanly facade, he buried his face in her nape, pouring out the desire he had been suppressing.

Hearing his rough breathing like a growl, Aidel’s mind grew distant.

Every place his lips and hands touched felt like it would melt.

Not missing a single exhaled breath, Caeron thoroughly explored every inch of her body.

All her nerves became extremely sensitive. It felt like being immersed in a flood of overwhelming sensations.

Whenever Aidel tried to close her eyes, unable to bear the surging sensations, Caeron’s lips touched her tender skin, awakening her drifting consciousness.

“Ah…!”

“Don’t close your eyes. Feel everything.”

The persistent beast did not let her go for even a fleeting moment.

The wedding night was long, and the beast above her was relentlessly vigorous.

The cool early morning air touched her overly sensitized skin.

Fluttering her eyelashes, Aidel curled her back into a ball under the blanket.

From the indescribable sensory feast that began last night… what remained now was a tingling pain that pierced her entire body.

With her mind sharpened by that pain, Aidel carefully surveyed her surroundings.

She was alone in the large bed.

The sheets that had been thoroughly disheveled were now clean as if new.

The negligee, which lacked functionality as clothing from the start, had clearly met its end torn by his hands… yet somehow a neat chemise dress had been put on her.

Aidel carefully recalled her memories before losing consciousness.

Her face flushed bright red at the scenes that gradually came to mind.

Everything from last night had been reality, not a dream.

“You’re awake.”

Just then the door opened and Caeron, now back to his dignified Grand Duke self, slowly walked in.

He looked perfect as always, no different from usual.

“Ah… Your Highness…”

As Aidel tried to get up from the bed upon seeing him, Caeron gestured for her to stay as she was.

A maid pulling a tray behind him set down a teacup of black tea and a plate of breakfast on the bedside table.

After bowing politely, the maid promptly left the room and Caeron sat down on the edge of her bed.

He poured the black tea from the table himself and handed it to her. The fragrant tea aroma brushed her nose.

“Drink.”

It was the early morning tea served by the groom to his bride after their wedding night.

Her hand gripping the teacup handle tightened with the emotion welling up inside her.

When she had woken up alone, the emptiness in her chest had felt more painful than her aching body.

Now, a warmth like the temperature of the tea he handed her began to spread through her heart where that pain had been felt.

“Are you feeling alright?”

The beast who had fully indulged his greed wore a more generous expression than last night.

Nodding slightly, the gaze with which he looked at the woman was filled with possessive satisfaction over what was his.

In truth, if she hadn’t lost consciousness partway through, he had no intention of letting her go until morning…

The image of the elegantly composed lady calmly drinking tea overlapped with her tearful, disheveled appearance.

Caeron momentarily clenched his fist before relaxing it, restraining the remaining desire within him.

The three years were just beginning. It was also enough time to thoroughly explore her to the point of satiation.

“Don’t go to the office today. Get plenty of rest.”

Though she said she was fine, her pale, haggard face from being tormented by him all night concerned him.

“I was thinking I should finish up before we leave tomorrow…”

Their honeymoon was scheduled to depart tomorrow.

Since they would be away for about a week, she had planned to wrap up her ongoing work.

“Gregory will take care of it.”

Caeron dismissed her worried words.

He had left the remaining work to Gregory, who seemed to be eagerly awaiting the Grand Duke couple’s swift departure on their honeymoon.

“Rest well. You need to recover properly to fulfill your duties as Grand Duchess without issue.”

Cough cough!

Aidel choked at his words, which seemed to carry a secret implication.

Her eyes widened in surprise as she covered her mouth. The Grand Duke smiled slyly as he looked at her.

Since last night, Marlin had been on edge waiting in anticipation of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess’s wedding night.

The last time she saw Aidel while helping her prepare, she had looked composed, but Marlin worried whether such a delicate-looking woman could handle her first night well.

The Grand Duke was known for his overwhelming physique, excelling in all sports like horseback riding and shooting.

Not only was the Grand Duke intelligent, but he was also physically gifted. It meant he was good at most things involving the body.

Though Marlin had never personally confirmed…

‘After looking forward to the wedding night so much…’

It must have been quite intense.

Worrying whether the fragile Grand Duchess would be alright facing such a Grand Duke, she spent a long, long night.

Before dawn had even broken, the bell finally rang from the Grand Duchess’s room calling for an attendant.

Instead of the maids, Marlin headed directly to the Grand Duchess’s room herself.

After knocking politely and entering, she found the Grand Duke sitting on the edge of the bed wearing a robe.

The heated air floating in the room hinted at how passionate the night had been.

Marlin glanced sideways towards the inner part of the bed, but the Grand Duchess’s figure was obscured by the curtains.

The capable head maid hid her expression and calmly responded to the Grand Duke’s summons.

– You called for me.

– Make sure the Grand Duchess can sleep comfortably.

– Yes, I understand.

– And prepare tea to bring while I go wash up.

Having finished giving orders, Caeron slowly rose and headed towards the Grand Duke’s room through the connecting door.

Once the Grand Duke left, Marlin approached the Grand Duchess’s bed.

Shreds of torn fabric lay scattered around the bed. Upon closer inspection, it was the negligee Madame Pomfenu had ambitiously gifted.

Seeing the negligee that had completely lost its shape, Marlin’s face took on an ambiguous expression, unsure whether to be pleased it had served its intended function…

Pulling back the curtains revealed the Grand Duchess asleep with a blanket covering her bare body. Long traces that must have been left by the Grand Duke were visible all over her neck and shoulders above the blanket.

As she carefully lifted the blanket, a deep sigh escaped Marlin’s lips.

Though expected, the marks left behind were far more intense than anticipated, leaving her conflicted.

It hinted at the Grand Duke’s terrible longing for her.

After tidying the bed sheets, she also changed the clothes of the exhausted, sleeping Grand Duchess.

Marlin let out a small sigh as she looked pitifully at the Grand Duchess who must have been through so much.

‘Still, it’s fortunate…’

The Grand Duke, cold towards others, had passionately poured out his affection for his wife from their very first night, and didn’t forget the kindness of preparing early morning tea.

Thinking she should relay instructions to prepare nourishing food along with the early morning tea, Marlin’s mind grew busy as she left the Grand Duchess’s room.

Her thoughts even extended to considering the locations of the young master and young lady’s rooms among the many rooms in the Grand Duke’s residence.

Though Marlin’s eyes were sunken from staying up all night, her pupils sparkled with lively energy.