Duke of the Beast and the Vicarious Bride - Chapter 23

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

In that moment, all the fear, tension, and rage she had been suppressing burst their banks and flooded forth. Above all, Fiona was furious at the beast for feigning docility only to startle her. Though she had established no trust or deep emotional connection with him, a sense of betrayal made her tremble. Part of her knew he had merely reacted instinctively to external stimuli, like a wild animal, but reason had fled. The temper and grievances she had bottled up since the Count’s manor had finally exploded, and upon the wrong target.

With no time to think, Fiona unleashed a roar from the depths of her being, just as she often had with the villagers.

“Hey!”

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey—

Her cry, fuelled by fury, echoed throughout the chamber.

“As if I’m not scared enough to death already, why do you have to go and frighten me like that!”

Like that, that, that, that, that—

Her initial plan of approaching cautiously was now utterly ruined.

“And I was trying to be as gentle as possible! Do you think I’m doing this because I want to?!”

The thought that provoking him might lead to a terrible end never even crossed her mind. Well, it was die or faint anyway. She had already faced death countless times just getting here.

“Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to get here?!”

Oddly enough, the moment Fiona started shouting, the beast fell completely silent, as if struck dumb. Whether he was listening quietly to her voice or simply ignoring her as some madwoman, she could not tell, and it was frustrating. With her target invisible, it was easier to vent her anger. Since he seemed unharmed by her outburst, she poured out all her feelings. Releasing the pressure and pent-up resentment she had unknowingly accumulated actually felt relieving.

“…”

Of course, after a long tirade, she had to endure a terribly awkward silence.

“Hoo…”

Having shouted at the void until she ran out of words, Fiona finally caught her breath and barely managed to compose herself.

“Right then.”

Struggling to regain her composure, Fiona opened her mouth again, feigning calm. Her somewhat slow-witted husband, who had been unexpectedly berated on his wedding night, now seemed utterly cowed, holding his breath in silence. Though she could not afford to let her guard down.

“I’m in a state right now where I can’t see a thing, so I’m very anxious and on edge. So I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t make any loud noises. Do you understand me?”

Grrr, grrr. The beast’s low growling, which had continued softly since she calmed down, instantly ceased.

He definitely understands speech, then.

It was fortunate Jayden’s words had not been lies, but that did not solve all their problems.

“My name is Fiona. Fiona Till.”

Strictly speaking, under Imperial law, her surname was now Aquileia, not Till. Hard as it was to believe, she had wed this man today and become his lawful wife. But this was hardly the time to dwell on such trivial details.

“We’re in the same boat, I suppose, though it’s a bit difficult to say I’m pleased to meet you.”

At Fiona’s awkward introduction, the other remained silent. The stillness seemed to pierce her skin.

‘He’s not going to suddenly go berserk again, is he?’

She glared suspiciously into the pitch-black darkness, but unlike before, he remained quiet, without even a sound of breathing. Come to think of it, he had only been noisy from the start; he had never actually threatened or tried to harm her. His beastly roars had frightened her, but he had inflicted no physical harm. Indeed, if she were bound and helpless in such darkness, and someone suddenly appeared, she too would be on guard…

Wait, that means…

Could it be that he, too, had been on edge from fear? The thought suddenly struck her. After all, beasts tend to thrash about more wildly the more terrified they are. From his perspective, she was the stranger who had abruptly appeared. Considering it that way, his behaviour made sense, and her fear subsided considerably. She even felt a flicker of pity for him. The two of them, meeting like this in the pitch-black darkness—their situation could not be more pathetic.