Chapter 45

After dinner, the maids forced Riv to take a bath.

The bath was filled with expensive perfume oil and flower petals, and Riv even got a massage.

The whole process took two hours, so it was past 9:00 p.m. when Riv finished.

When Riv went to bed, she noticed that her maids watched.

“Madame, the Duke had gone to bed first.”

“Okay.”

Riv pretended to yawn.

“I want to sleep too.”

The maids seemed to want to say something, but as they looked into Riv’s eyes, they left bitterly. The last person remaining was Claudel, who had returned late in the afternoon.

She said,

“Madame, everyone is looking forward to the marriage between you and the Duke.”

“I know.”

“The Duke is not a bad person. He cares and worries about you more than you know.”

Claudel added.

“If you change your mind, take a look at the basket under the bed.”

Claudel went outside with the lamp, and Riv lay on the bed.

The only candle in the room that was lit was flickering.

On a terribly quiet night, she thought that if she closed her eyes, she would soon fall asleep, but Riv could hardly sleep. As time passed, her mind became more and more fuzzy.

“I thought I would be able to sleep soon if I was tired.”

She always went to bed past midnight in the palace, so it was too early to go to bed now.

Riv gave up on falling asleep and stood up. She found a lamp and lit it. As the light in her room got a little brighter, she looked at the baskets Claudel and the maids had left behind.

Inside the baskets were fancy nightgowns and things for their first night.

“Haa.”

Riv put down the basket and became lost in her thoughts.

Could Lionel and her really be a normal couple?

She didn’t know how to be loved, so would she be able to love him properly?

“I changed my destiny.”

Riv pulled out her mother-in-law’s ring from her necklace and held it in her hand.

Until just a few days ago, she was a maid of the royal family and was branded a widow. She was a humble being who was the subject of Princess Marianne’s anger.

“I am no longer Madame Katana.”

Riv was the main character, not a supporting role. She went back in time. If she were to only live up to this winter as scheduled, she had no time to hesitate.

Perhaps this was a connection bestowed upon her by the late Duchess.

“I mustn’t regret it. I can’t stop.”

A blue fire blazed in Riv’s eyes.

She draped a robe over her pajamas and found soft slippers that didn’t make any sound.

In the mirror, she asked herself.

“What are you looking forward to?”

Riv recalled only one thing.

She wanted Lionel.

The woman in the mirror was a refined and elegant Duchess.

Past 10 o’clock at night.

Riv left her bedroom. She quickly made her way to the third floor, where Lionel’s bedroom was.

“Huu.”

Riv took deep breaths and looked back the way she came from.

Even though it wasn’t her first time with Lionel, her heart raced.

Perhaps she was looking forward to it too much. She wondered if she was doing the right thing.

In an instant, dozens of thoughts ran through her mind.

Even though it wasn’t late at night, the Duke’s house was exceptionally quiet. Riv went up through the central staircase and did not encounter anyone.

The escorts guarding Lionel’s bedroom had collapsed and fallen asleep by the time Riv approached.

‘Did I use magic?’

She may have unleashed her powers unconsciously.

Riv quietly passed them and entered Lionel’s bedroom.

Her steps towards the Duke of Sentoren’s bedroom were slow but quite cheerful.

Riv carefully stepped into Lionel’s bedroom.

Inside the dark bedroom, the lights were not properly lit.

She illuminated the bedroom with a lamp. She then lit a candle she found in the bedroom.

The Duke’s bedroom was filled with dark colors.

In the innermost part of the bedroom, a magnificent bed with four columns was visible.

Riv went to the bed, lit another light, and realized.

“……?”

The bed was empty.

‘Where’s Lionel?’

Confused, Riv wandered around the Duke’s spacious bedroom. The coat he wore today lay on the armchair, but he wasn’t there.

Maybe he had an errand in his office. As Riv was about to walk there, the door to the bathroom swung open. Lionel came out half-naked and found Riv.

“Huh?”

There was a ripple in his deep eyes.

Riv, too, was startled and stopped her actions.

“Riv.”

Lionel’s expression, grasping the situation, changed to that of a relaxed predator.

He walked over to Riv.

“Were you looking for me?”

Riv nodded her head. Lionel smiled coyly.

“You know that once you come to me, you can’t easily leave, right?”

“……”

“Answer me.”

Drops of water ran down Lionel’s wet upper body.

Riv fixed her gaze on the water drops running down his firm, muscular body. He was so s*xy, she couldn’t take her eyes off him.

All kinds of obscene rumors that the court ladies told about Lionel ran through her mind. At the same time, she remembered their hot first night.

Heat rushed to her head.

“Look at me.”

Lionel’s deep voice echoed above Riv’s head.

Riv raised her head.

Lionel filled Riv’s vision. Then their eyes met.

Lionel’s face was reflected in Riv’s eyes, and her face in his.

“How did you get here?”

“I walked.”

Lionel chuckled, as if Riv’s answer was ridiculous.

“Weren’t escorts guarding my room? And your room.”

“They must have pretended not to see me.”

It seems that Riv’s magic unwittingly put them to sleep, but she pretended not to know.

There was only one thing that mattered.

“Tonight, I want to be with Lionel.”

Today was their wedding. Riv raised her head and looked directly at Lionel.

A beautiful and strong man, her husband, Lionel de Sentoren.

Lionel’s thick, hard neck appeared before Riv’s eyes. She lowered her eyes, and his hard chest was revealed.

Riv’s heartbeat grew louder. She had an urge to touch his skin.

“Why are you here?”

“I miss Lionel.”

“Are you going to seduce me?”

“Are you tempted?”

Was that what Lionel had hoped for?

“Raise your head.”

At Lionel’s command, Riv raised her head.

“Come closer.”

Riv was dominated by his intense gaze.

“Closer.”

Riv approached him close enough that she could touch his body. As the space between them disappeared, she stroked the bare skin on Lionel’s hard shoulder.

His skin was so hot that she felt like her hand was burning.

Lionel’s throat rumbled loudly.

“If you’ve come all the way here, are you ready for tonight?”

“Yes.”

“Hold my neck.”

Riv hugged him by the neck and stroked his blonde hair.

Lionel carried her lightly and brought her to the bed.

He whispered to her as he carefully laid her down.

“You are mine. Don’t forget that.”

His whisper was so deep, Riv could feel it through her bones.

Riv wrapped her arms around the man who was coming closer.

***

This time, both Riv and Lionel were sober. They weren’t drunk nor dr*gged

“Haa. Haa.”

But Riv couldn’t explain the difference between him then and now.

All words lost their meaning and flowed out of their mouths in fragments.

Their words had lost all form.

That was the shock of their first night.

“Haa.”

Mild fever, volcanoes, eruptions, magma, passion.

Those words engulfed Riv’s mind.

It was as if her body had completely melted and lost its boundaries.

She was completely limp and lost her mind.

Lionel enjoyed seeing her disheveled appearance.

“Riv, you look so good like this.”

“What?”

The dazed Riv answered late. The way he looked at her was so lewd, with his hazy eyes and tongue wetting his moist lips.

Riv’s hair was all messed up, and flowing around her.

“Lionel.”

“Shh.”

Lionel poured small kisses over her face.

“L-Lionel.”

“Rest.”

A precious body. His.

Lionel treated her very gently and carefully.

It was a sweet relationship.

Riv was warm and they were intoxicated with ecst*sy. Lionel kissed her and made love to her incessantly.

As Riv climaxed with pleasure, she felt like she had melted.

Her eyes went blank.

Her cool body warmed up in his arms at once.

With Riv drooping, she murmured in his arms.

“I want to go to sleep.”

“Sleep here.”

“What if someone finds out.”

“Shh.”

Lionel covered her mouth and carefully bit her neck again.

Clear bite marks were left on her skin, but Riv was not bothered by anything.

She was sleepy.

“Yawn.”

“Hmm.”

“What about Lionel?”

The satisfied beast growled as he buried his head in the nape of her neck.

“You should appreciate your body more.”

Lionel wasn’t planning on letting Riv sleep.

And he was, as the court ladies said, an excellent stallion.