Chapter 65
“……”
Between her legs, Herman’s member still made its presence known, and the hand tenderly stroking her injured head drew even more attention. He seemed to be far more wounded than she was.
Yet Herman moved as if none of that bothered him. Every time he took a sharp breath, his c**k inside her thrust deep, slamming against her cervix with a dull thud.
“Esina.”
Herman pressed his lips repeatedly to her temple, then slid his hand down to grope her chest. As his fingers kneaded the stiff peaks, he showered her face with kisses, leaving her no room to even moan. Belatedly, she felt his lips—drenched and swollen—against hers…
“Wait, Herman…!”
Esina trembled as his length plunged deeper into her, yet she still strained to reach for him.
The moment she cupped his face with both hands, pulling him up to her—his expression desperate, as if he couldn’t bear to let her go—
“……”
A strange, creeping sensation shot down Esina’s spine.
Tears—clear and glistening—were streaming down Herman’s sculpted face. It was a scene so beautiful it could have been chilling, but what made Esina shudder was…
His eyes… They look completely broken.
It was the vacant, unfocused stare in Herman’s eyes.
She didn’t know what had happened while she was unconscious to reduce him to this state, but one thing was certain—something was very, very wrong.
“Wait—H-Herman… Ah!”
“Esina… Esina……”
His wet voice kept calling her name, as if it were the only word he knew in the world.
Has he lost his mind?
Her guess wasn’t far off.
Herman wasn’t in his right mind. Unlike when he had first arrived at the Telloien Ducal residence, invited as a guest.
“…Herman. I never wanted it to come to this.”
“…”
“You are a remarkably capable man. Especially in times like these, when the nobility’s standing is so precarious.”
The Duke, who had gone so far as to send an invitation to summon Herman, had opened with those words.
It wasn’t entirely unexpected.
The Duke was stubborn, authoritarian, and obsessed with bloodline—but he was also the head of the massive Telloien household, tasked with preserving it in the face of the changing times. He knew better than anyone what truly mattered to the family.
“…I don’t particularly like you either.”
“……”
“But in this era, having you inherit the family is the best choice. That’s the truth.”
Now, as the world underwent upheaval, was a critical moment—one that would decide whether Telloien, along with other noble houses, would rise or fall completely.
Now is a time when even nobles must start their own businesses to survive. The Duke must have made a cold, calculated judgment—
that Herman, despite being gentle and obedient, would be better suited to inherit the family than his younger brother, who lacked business acumen, managerial sense, and flexibility.
But Herman didn’t wait to hear the Duke’s full proposal before giving a clean, crushing refusal. He, too, had already made up his mind before coming this far.
“I see. I will relinquish the title of minor nobility cleanly.”
“You…!”
“Please calm down. I only said I would give up the title—I did not say I would sever ties.”
“What do you mean…?”
Herman uttered in a composed voice.
“I will never demand the title from my brother again, and you may even draft legal documents to permanently strip me of my inheritance rights.”
“……”
“However, I will help Telloien. As if it were something I inherited myself.”
Ever since receiving the invitation from Duke Telloien, that thought had filled Herman’s mind.
“…If that’s the case, it would be better if you just succeeded the family…”
The Duke wore an unreadable expression, but Herman had a different desire.
“Then you must want to divorce me unconditionally. Am I wrong?”
“W-well, that’s—”
“That, I cannot allow.”
From the beginning, the very reason he was willing to compromise was Esina.
“Then let’s reach a compromise.”
“A compromise?”
Though he spoke of compromise, his tone was high-handed and domineering, as if issuing a command rather than a proposal. Yet the Duke couldn’t point it out.
“I will not interfere with my brother’s marriage.”
Herman gazed at the Duke with calm, cold eyes.
“Since he’s much younger than me, he’ll have plenty of time to produce an heir after his partner comes of age. There’s also a high chance of finding noble ladies around his age.”
“……”
“Let him marry as he pleases and continue the family line.”
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