Duke of the Beast and the Vicarious Bride - Chapter 17

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※ This work contains depictions of coercive relationships, explicit language, and other graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.

My mistake for asking. Gaining nothing, Fiona continued walking.

The stairs stretched on interminably. They had descended so deep they must have burrowed far below the ground upon which the ancient castle stood. Nameless, and confined to a place like this underground dungeon—though she had not yet laid eyes on her husband, Fiona felt a flicker of sympathy. Her own life had been harsh, but his seemed no less so.

Not that I’m in any position to sympathise with anyone.

With this idle reflection, Fiona at last stepped off the final stair. Before her was a round chamber resembling a small cavern. The rough, uneven ceiling and walls, untouched by human hands, stood in stark contrast to the man-made stairs.

“Your husband is in there. He’s probably steeped in drink by now. I sent down something particularly potent.”

He had drunk himself into a stupor on his wedding night? Catching her frown, Jayden smirked and replied.

“I had him drink it for your sake. The beast might not be aroused by you, you know? He could even attack you. Ah, but he’s never harmed anyone yet, so don’t worry too much. With luck, the drink will help him get the job done.”

Whether he meant to frighten her, reassure her, or simply mock her, his intentions remained opaque. And whatever his purpose, Fiona’s situation was unchanged: on her wedding night, she must face a drunken, potentially violent man.

Half driven by fate, half by a stubborn refusal to be defeated by it, she had come this far, but truth be told, the entire situation weighed heavily upon her. Perhaps reading her darkening expression, Jayden suddenly approached with a sickly smile.

“If you can’t go through with it, say so now.”

His voice was uncharacteristically kind, as if he desperately wished her to do just that. “If you ask for help, I’ll find some way out for you.”

It was a temptation as sweet as it was sinister, like the devil’s own whisper. She would be lying to say it held no allure. So tempting was it that had she disliked Jayden even slightly less, she might have seized his outstretched hand without a second thought.

But the antipathy towards Jayden, built up steadily since childhood, held her back. Besides, he clearly knew nothing of the Dragon’s Pact between her and the Count.

‘He doesn’t know what resolve brought me here, yet he has the nerve to play saviour.’

Yet she was curious as to why Jayden was suddenly acting this way. Was there some conflict she knew nothing of between the Emperor and Jayden, or between the Count and Jayden? If not, it might be a trap laid by the Count, thinking she might flee. In any case, his intentions could not be pure. Better to drown than grasp such a dubious lifeline.

“Thanks, but I don’t need it. I just want to do my duty.”

Fiona calmly watched as his pale blue eyes contorted with rage. His mouth, which had been curving into what he thought was an irresistible offer, instantly tightened.

“I don’t think you understand the situation, Fiona. What’s in there is not human.”

“Then that’s my fate. I’ll manage, so mind your own business.”

At her stubborn words, Jayden drew a sharp breath, as if trying to quell his anger.

“What, do you think you’ll become a real Grand Duchess if you bear an heir? Don’t be ridiculous. You’ll be milked for your offspring like one of your sows and then discarded. Do you think that thing will protect you then?”

Was he implying that he would protect her? Well, even if so, she had no desire to share a boat with him. Thinking back, he had merely annoyed her whenever they met; there was no particular incident that should make her feel such revulsion towards him. But her instincts warned her: she must not trust him.

Fiona was not one to readily trust others to begin with. And when it came to a member of the Troyes family—that went without saying. As for the child that might enter her womb, as he put it… she had her own plans. So Fiona did not accept Jayden’s proposal.