Duke of the Beast and the Vicarious Bride - Chapter 39

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

Through the crenellated battlements, a cold wind howled. It was a chill that cut to the bone, yet at the same time, it opened her chest. The height was not sufficient to see into the far distance. However, the seven spires adorning the castle came clearly into view. The main gate through which the carriage carrying her had passed yesterday, the snow-covered approach, even the roofs of the annex buildings—all entered her sight.

Unfortunately, the barracks and training yard that Jayden had warned her not to approach were not visible. Presumably located beyond the castle walls, those places would house the knights and imperial soldiers he had brought with him. Well, nothing good would come of places swarming with men, so she felt no particular desire to go there anyway.

As she faced the wind, sharp enough to wake her senses, Fiona quietly watched the sun, already beginning its descent toward the west.

Her red-chapped cheeks and the tip of her nose were touched by the crimson sunset like a rippling veil. The hour when evening glow fades. A time when strange sorrow and anticipation seep in simultaneously.

The days left behind in the capital and the days ahead beginning in the north crossed within her, accompanied by the blade-sharp wind. She feared the changes begun against her will, yet at the same time felt a sense of liberation—let things be as they may.

Was Rose faring well? Would she herself be able to live well in this place? At this unexpected turning point in her life, forced upon her, these were her only two concerns.

Regarding Rose, she had no choice but to trust in the power of their bond. From this place, tens of thousands of li from the capital, that was all Fiona could do for her sister.

As for her own well-being, only time would reveal its shape. As before she came here, nothing could be predicted.

If her husband had been a proper Grand Duke, if she had been required to fulfil the role of Grand Duchess as spoken of in society, matters might have been simpler.

Though certainly not easy, managing a castle and keeping a household would have been something she could somehow manage.

But Fiona’s given duty was solely the production of an heir. In one sense, it was a simple and straightforward task, yet for that very reason, it felt all the more daunting.

Considering her current situation, as Jayden had said, the likelihood was high that she would be used as a vessel to bear the Grand Duke’s successor and then discarded.

She desperately needed someone on her side, but there was no one who might take her part. Moreover, she now had the variable of a husband.

‘If he had been some ordinary good-for-nothing or worthless sort, I would not concern myself with him.’

Though she had not yet seen even a single strand of his hair, now that she had encountered him, Caligo had become a matter of great concern.

Just as when she had first met young Rose, his helpless, animal-like state disturbed her peace of mind. A sense of responsibility, requested by no one, had already begun to sprout within her.

And well it might—however unavoidable the circumstances, she had taken his body by something close to force. Having signed the marriage documents and even shared his bed, she must, as a wife, take responsibility for her husband.

How was she to navigate through all these difficulties? No clear solution presented itself, of course. Yet she felt that her decision regarding contraception had at least been wise. If a child were to come from this situation, matters would become far more complicated.

‘I thought that if I somehow got through the wedding night, things would be manageable for a while.’

Somehow, having overcome the very thing she had most worried about, her mind was now more chaotic than before.