Tamed Monster - Chapter 146

Because he was a monster, Sylvia simply let it slide.

“Answer the question first. What do you think of the Emperor?”

“You mean whether he governs well?”

“…No. As a man. Do you find the Emperor handsome?”

Sylvia was so dumbfounded she couldn’t even sigh.

“……”

“Why are you holding back?”

“…Because it’s ridiculous. Do you really think that’s a question befitting a Grand Duke?”

It wasn’t a question befitting a monster, either. She had no idea what had happened at the palace, but judging by the fact that he had returned unscathed, the Emperor probably hadn’t discovered he was the arsonist.

It was a relief he came back safely. But listening to him spew nonsense as usual made her mood sink without end.

“Doesn’t matter. Just answer.”

“He’s handsome. He really is.”

In terms of appearance, both the Grand Duke and the Emperor were flawless—so much so that no one could dispute it. Chiseled noses, deep-set eyes, blue irises like rare jewels, well-shaped lips flushed with color. Their atmospheres differed, but both men were devastatingly handsome.

“Ah…”

Too bad their personalities were equally catastrophic.

There was no other possible answer to whether they were handsome. Any woman who saw them in person would say the same. Watching her husband’s sculpted face twist with anger at close range, Sylvia reaffirmed her thoughts.

He was fidgeting, shaking his leg as if barely containing his temper.

“So do you like him?”

This time, too, Sylvia answered without hesitation.

“No.”

As she had said, both men were far too warped in character.

Beyond their fine exteriors, neither the Emperor nor the Grand Duke had much to recommend them. Especially the monster husband before her, whose very exterior was a lie. Sylvia found them both distasteful, but since the conversation concerned the Emperor, she limited her opinion to him.

“Above all, he’s not someone I can trust. I don’t find him appealing.”

The moment she finished, her husband’s face broke into a radiant smile. Sylvia lowered her head and gazed at her pale reflection on the water’s surface. It didn’t look like the face she remembered. Why had her skin grown so white? Why had her eye color changed?

“……”

“Good. Even if the Emperor asks to see you, don’t you dare agree.”

It was a demand she couldn’t possibly fulfill. How could the wife of a mere Grand Duke refuse an imperial command? But if she didn’t nod, who knew what consequences might follow immediately? For the sake of momentary peace, Sylvia forced herself to comply.

“…Will you leave now?”

Covering her bare chest belatedly, she spoke carefully. His gaze, which had been fixed on her naked body the entire time, finally slid upward.

He smiled faintly.

“No. I don’t want to.”

She had known this would be the answer. Sylvia made a timid gesture to stop him as he stepped into the bath. But failed, and soon they were tangled together. Unable to bear the discomfort, she tried to rise, only for a monstrous hand to seize her waist.

“Where do you think you’re going, my wife?”

My female, my wife, my treasure… my filthy little hole. He called her by different names depending on his mood. Of them all, ‘wife’ was the only one she could tolerate. When he used the others—especially the crudest—she didn’t even respond.

His hand slid down her shoulder and chest like a snake before gripping her lower abdomen. Sylvia flinched.

The arm clamped tightly around her waist made escape impossible. In truth, she didn’t want to escape. Turning her head, she met his eyes. He grinned. She didn’t smile back, but neither did she look away or shove him off.

She had experienced it many times. When she willingly opened her legs and pressed her body against his, an overwhelming, intoxicating pleasure would crash through both body and soul. Sylvia could not forget that sensation. It was so rapturous she found herself longing for it. She let the monster toy with her as he pleased.

“……”

One second. Ten seconds. A hundred. An eternity seemed to pass in silence.

Having received her unspoken consent, the cunning monster suddenly seized her with such force the bath nearly cracked, bent her over the rim, and yanked open his trousers.