Chapter 54
The meticulousness was nice, sure—but at this point, she was starting to worry. Her mind raced with possibilities.
This strange atmosphere, Herman refusing to leave the estate…
‘Did he… get fired?’
No, wait. Herman owned the company. What was there to get fired from? Even if he had been forced out, his wealth alone would keep them comfortable forever.
As her thoughts spiraled, Herman spoke calmly.
“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”
“Mmm…”
Esina chewed the meat he’d cut for her, studying her increasingly incomprehensible husband.
‘Something’s wrong.’
He was treating her better than before—more attentive, more careful—yet there was this lingering discomfort…
‘…Does it have something to do with the Duke’s invitation?’
Maybe the Duke of Telloien had given his son an ultimatum.
Marry anyone else, just cancel—or better yet, annul—this marriage.
‘And now he’s overcompensating out of guilt.’
Putting aside contracts and emotions, they had reached a point where they could speak openly if something was wrong. Though his secrecy stung a little, considering the possibilities, it might be better not to hear it at all.
‘This is troublesome.’
Esina sulkily rubbed her flat—and likely to remain flat—lower abdomen before taking a bite of lemon-dressed salad. Even as she felt a pang of regret over failing to find her illegitimate child, the tartness of the salad was refreshing enough to keep her appetite going.
“Just say what’s on your mind.”
“……”
“I’ll do whatever you want.”
All the while, Herman had placed slices of pie and a serving of pudding in front of her—all things Esina usually enjoyed.
Instead of reaching for them, she took another bite of salad before speaking slowly.
“Mm… No, I’ll go.”
“You will?”
“Yeah. I figured we’d have to go eventually anyway…”
Herman studied her intently, as if her easy agreement unsettled him.
But Esina had her own plans.
‘Might as well put on a show as the wicked wife.’
Since she couldn’t magically produce a child, she decided this was the perfect time to execute their original plan properly.
Let everyone see what kind of woman Herman had married. Make them—even Herman—sick of her through sheer misbehavior.
‘Right. Since things have turned out this way, I’ll defend my position this way.’
She couldn’t just give up her comfortable future and her diamond trash without a fight. Expensive things always come at a cost.
With that single thought, Esina smiled brilliantly.
Herman gazed at her smile for a moment before returning it with one of his own—strangely vague for a man whose smiles were usually intoxicating and decadent.
Despite her resolve, the opportunity to cause a scene at the Telloien Ducal Estate’s party proved frustratingly elusive.
“Um, Herman…?”
“What?”
“You said… we’d attend the evening ball, nngh…”
From the moment they arrived at the Telloien estate—a property so vast it rivaled a small city—after a two-day carriage ride, Herman clung to Esina’s side as tightly as he had back home.
And not just that…
“I-It’s time to go out, ah—!”
“The party is long, Esina.”
“B-But we missed yesterday… and the day before… Hah!”
As soon as they unpacked in their assigned bedroom, Herman caught Esina just as she was about to storm out and wreak havoc, instead pinning her down on the bed and stripping her bare.
Like always, Esina found herself helplessly surrendering to him, her body trembling violently under his touch. Maybe it was because they were in his childhood room at the estate, but every time he brushed against her sensitive spots, the sensations felt sharper, more electric than usual.
The strange, swollen ache only made the experience even more obscenely pleasurable.
Herman barely spoke a word except to dismiss the servants knocking to ask if they’d attend today’s banquet or dinner. He didn’t leave the room either.
Whenever she managed to open her eyes after being ravaged and found him gone, he’d return moments later with a basin of warm water to clean her up—though it was a futile effort, since he’d just take her again immediately afterward.
‘This… is fine, right?’
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