052. How can that be?
The man's tongue touched it without giving her a chance to stop. He gently wrapped his lips around it and sucked it in vigorously.
Only a madman could do such a thing... But he really bit, and really sucked. Emilia froze like a stuffed animal, allowing him to do everything he could with his tongue and teeth.
Why don't I stop it?
Her two unfocused eyes were swaying feverishly along the lamp. She didn’t have time to consider whether it was painful or good. The tingling sensation that ran through her entire body was so intense that it seemed like it was swallowing her soul.
After a while of the chaotic noise, Hardius stopped his greedy sucking and biting for a moment. It was unknown what had made him stop so suddenly.
Emilia couldn't move for a long time.
The only thing that moved was the fingers that were barely holding onto the flowing hem of her clothes.
Meanwhile, the carriage entered a straight road.
Amid the sound of the galloping horse and the rhythmic shaking, Emilia completely regained her senses.
The headache that she thought was over started again, and the air that touched her skin felt as cold as ice. The stench of alcohol that came into her nose was overwhelming. Emilia felt disgusted when she realized that it was she and not Hardius.
First of all, she chose clothes.
She buttoned up her dress with trembling hands and worked hard to straighten out her rumpled skirt. She also found a faintly shining button on the carriage floor. As she bent down, she realized that her hair was completely untied. She was frantically sweeping it back to tie it up.
“Take it.”
Hardius handed over the hairpin.
She couldn't make eye contact, but she knew it by feeling.
There is no regret, no guilt, no pangs of conscience in the air that passes through the pin. Unlike her, who is shivering, Hardy Meyer is completely unaffected.
“That was... wrong. Vulgar and profane... doing something like that...”
“That’s exactly what men want from their women. It’s the same for humans and animals. What a boar does when it’s on top of a sow is not much different from what a man does with a woman.”
Emilia was shocked.
No, actually, she wasn't that shocked. There were things she instinctively realized the moment Hardius pulled down her clothes and kissed her somewhere other than her lips.
The 'holy acts' her father spoke of were perhaps no different from those of beasts. Without anyone telling her, Emilia was searching for answers to the secret truth between men and women.
“...No. It’s different.”
But she denied it. She had no choice but to deny it.
“I won’t try to dress it up in nice words. That’s one of the things I want from you, too.”
“...”
“I want to give you so many things. So many things you don’t even want. But I can’t promise you anything right now. All I can give you is a better life for you and your family.”
“I don’t need it. I don’t need anything!”
“Yeah, you always were like that. You never wanted anything from me.”
“Then throw it away. You and I both abandoned each other. Why are you doing this now?!”
“Tell me again? How selfish I am.”
Hardius, who asked back, was frighteningly calm.
The face of a man who showed no emotion, no guilt, no anger, was strangling Emilia's neck.
Emilia was sick. She was bedridden for two days.
Although she suffered from a terrible headache and nausea, she welcomed the pain on the other hand. If she hadn't been sick, she would not have been able to bear the memories of the carriage.
She thought it was a part that would be used when breastfeeding a lovely child. She thought it was disrespectful, so she didn't touch it even when changing clothes.
But it was mercilessly crushed, rubbed, and scraped under the man's hand and tongue.
This is truly disgusting and disgusting.
Emilia threw up all the disgusting things. Not only her stepmother, but even Mitch and Charlotte couldn't sleep a wink because of her sister, who kept vomiting like she was going to die, but Emilia was proud of herself for that.
The problem started when her churning stomach calmed down.
Strange questions began to arise.
Really? Was it really that disgusting? Really?
Emilia retched hard, squeezing her empty stomach.
But all that fills her mouth is bitter water.
Yeah. It was horrible and disgusting. Don't think about it.
As soon as she finished vomiting, she started having a terrible headache. She even thought she was being punished by God.
As Emilia looked back on her memories from the ball, one by one, she was overcome with a sense of self-loathing.
Why did you drink again?
Why didn't you just refuse the guy who asked you to dance?
Drunk on everything. Drunk on alcohol, drunk on music, drunk on men.
Every time she spun around on the smooth floor in Hardius's arms, Emilia fell into him without any excuses.
The shocking acts that occurred in the carriage may have been anticipated from the beginning.
Once may be a mistake, but twice is not. It is clearly a 'mistake'.
Contrary to her self-blaming and self-torment, her body recovered at a frighteningly fast rate. She was able to hold on to Mitch, who said he would bring the doctor right away, and she regained enough energy to comfort Charlotte, who was sobbing.
“Here, try this. The herbalist, Mr. Suleman, said that there is no sharp medicine for hangovers and taught me this method.”
Kalia poured milk into a charred spoon and handed it to her.
“There are people like you who are particularly weak to alcohol. People like that should never drink alcohol.”
"Yes."
Emilia drank the milk obediently. Kalia stared at her daughter quietly and then cautiously opened her mouth.
“I wonder if Master Meyer is okay. His face didn’t look too good that day...”
"...is it so?"
Emilia shrugged her shoulders as if it were no big deal.
Emilia wasn't the only one who pretended not to know anything. Kalia was also constantly checking her daughter's expression as she put away spoons and plates.
It's a day when the sky is so gloomy that it looks like it might rain at any moment.
Hardius suddenly put down his papers and turned his gaze to the window. A servant was wiping the windowpane, not knowing when he had come in.
As each white sheet passed, the glass became more transparent, and the dark clouds in the sky grew darker.
The dark sky, like night, wrapped around his body, bringing back memories of the carriage. His lower body reacted immediately, spewing out his desires.
“If it bothers you, should we do it later?”
The servant who was cleaning the window asked cautiously. “It’s okay. Keep going,” Hardius replied, turning his eyes to the documents.
But his concentration had long since disappeared. He stretched out his arm and wound up the music box.
Just then, raindrops began to pitter-patter against the window. A sad melody flowed down along with the rain.
Hardius quietly fell into thought as he watched the blunt lines drawn on the glass window.
If he hadn't stopped, she would probably be next to him now.
That's what he thought.
When a rare blush appeared on her icy face.
When it contains something that sparkles like a star, not a careless boundary or resentment.
He just wanted to rip and smash it. He wanted to make sure.
Whose are you? And who am I?
It seemed like a better way to get rid of Nathan Malvin, who kept nagging at him whenever he got a chance.
Hardius stood at the window with heavy steps, stepping on the steps of the stairs. The servant who had been wiping the glass was gone, as if he had finished cleaning.
"Master."
Knock, knock. The door opened, and Grojean appeared, frowning as usual.
“I have come to deal with the Cavendish matter as you commanded. The Inspector General will begin an investigation into the Quiren Wool Fraud. Bernen Cavendish and the entire family will be investigated. Of course, no one will know that Meyer is behind it.”
A perfectly good family fell into ruin overnight, but Hardius was as carefree as watching a dog pass by.
“What happened to Malvin? Did you attach someone to him?”
“...Yes, I chose a suitable person who would not arouse suspicion and placed him in Grossen.”
As a noble family with a long history, he could not bribe his servants at will.
Grojean recruited a traveling drayman and sent him to Malvin's estate, Grossen. The drayman stayed at Malvin's mansion and sold him expensive spices and the finest silks at very low prices, which allowed him free access to the mansion for several months.
He'll be happily selling stuff while also keeping track of Nathan Malvin's movements.
“You will hear from him soon.”
Hardius still stands looking out the window with an unreadable expression.
Grojean, who had been watching quietly, asked impulsively.
“But, my lord, why are you doing this again? Didn’t you say you would wait for Miss Bern’s decision, especially on the Cavendish issue?”
As always, Hardius did not answer.
Grojean was the same. He swallowed many pieces of advice that he would have given if his master had been a little more open-minded. Words he would have said to a young man of only twenty, inexperienced with women...
“I’ll take my leave now.”
The door closed, and Grojean disappeared completely from my sight.
Hardius sat motionless for a moment, then stretched out his arm and turned the music box back on.
What do you think, Emilia?
He's finally dealt with Cavendish and is now digging around to deal with whoever came between them.
Fair play and honorable duels are not his style. In all his years as Meyer, he has never taken what was rightfully his.
The hand that had moved away from the music box picked up the 'Principles of Accounting'.
Just because of this, because he can't stand this kind of thing, he's thinking of committing another vile act.
Long fingers grasped the luxurious leather cover as if to crush it, then dropped it back to the floor with a thud.
The small commotion that had taken place at the ball in Luen spread through word of mouth and finally reached Grossen, the territory of the Malvin family.
It wasn't quite the scandal Kaitlyn Meyer had planned, but the fact that someone was trying to hook up the eldest son of the family with the Meyer family's fiancée was enough to turn the Malvins upside down.
No family would allow their eldest son, who had not even married, to be the subject of gossip in society. This was especially infuriating for Elowy Malvin, who came from a family that had long valued honor.
He sent men to Derouy, where Lady Luen was, and to Erndorf, where Lord Cavendish lived, to find out the truth.
After discovering that Cavendish's servants, as well as his youngest daughter, had been instrumental in spreading the strange rumours, the Count of Malvin sent a formal letter of protest.
And he ordered his son Nathan to be under surveillance. He was holding him responsible for getting involved in the rumors.
Nathan accepted it without question.
Of course, it was only on the surface.
“You want to go and meet Bernie Cavendish yourself? Are you in your right mind?”
“Yes, I am in my right mind.”
Pian Malvin couldn't help but open her eyes wide at her son's confident answer.
“You dared to spread groundless rumors about me and my family. I can’t just let it go. I want to hold you accountable and receive an official apology.”
“But you are under guard. Your father and I intend to meet with Lord Cavendish soon and formally raise the issue.”
“Father, mother, do as you wish. I will handle it myself.”
“But Nathan, if your father finds out...”
Pian hesitated for a moment, frowning.
“I will go even if you don’t allow me.”
"What?"
“I am an adult now. I want to fulfill my responsibilities as the eldest son.”
She kept fanning herself as if she were displeased, but the peace was already more than half gone.
Nathan has been a child who has always talked about equality and human rights since he was young. He is also an idealist who believes that caring for the weak and powerless is the duty and pride of a nobleman.
To such a son, Emilia Bern was not just the 'fiancée of the Meyer family', but simply the 'weak one'. He could not just stand by and watch her being bullied and treated unfairly.
Knowing what her son had in mind when he helped the girl, Pian couldn't find an excuse to stop him. No, she didn't want to find one. Didn't the vulgar people like Cavendish and all that insult the noble son and damage his pride?
“As Father said, this incident is also my fault for not handling it properly. Please give me a chance to resolve it myself, Mother.”
Fearing that someone might say it wasn't Malvin, Pian felt proud inside, but on the outside, she pretended to look stern.
She also thought that it would be wrong to nag and scold a child who did nothing wrong.
“Yes, I’ll allow it. But you shouldn’t make a big deal out of it. It’s a secret from your father for now. Do you understand?”
The man's tongue touched it without giving her a chance to stop. He gently wrapped his lips around it and sucked it in vigorously.
Only a madman could do such a thing... But he really bit, and really sucked. Emilia froze like a stuffed animal, allowing him to do everything he could with his tongue and teeth.
Why don't I stop it?
Her two unfocused eyes were swaying feverishly along the lamp. She didn’t have time to consider whether it was painful or good. The tingling sensation that ran through her entire body was so intense that it seemed like it was swallowing her soul.
After a while of the chaotic noise, Hardius stopped his greedy sucking and biting for a moment. It was unknown what had made him stop so suddenly.
Emilia couldn't move for a long time.
The only thing that moved was the fingers that were barely holding onto the flowing hem of her clothes.
Meanwhile, the carriage entered a straight road.
Amid the sound of the galloping horse and the rhythmic shaking, Emilia completely regained her senses.
The headache that she thought was over started again, and the air that touched her skin felt as cold as ice. The stench of alcohol that came into her nose was overwhelming. Emilia felt disgusted when she realized that it was she and not Hardius.
First of all, she chose clothes.
She buttoned up her dress with trembling hands and worked hard to straighten out her rumpled skirt. She also found a faintly shining button on the carriage floor. As she bent down, she realized that her hair was completely untied. She was frantically sweeping it back to tie it up.
“Take it.”
Hardius handed over the hairpin.
She couldn't make eye contact, but she knew it by feeling.
There is no regret, no guilt, no pangs of conscience in the air that passes through the pin. Unlike her, who is shivering, Hardy Meyer is completely unaffected.
“That was... wrong. Vulgar and profane... doing something like that...”
“That’s exactly what men want from their women. It’s the same for humans and animals. What a boar does when it’s on top of a sow is not much different from what a man does with a woman.”
Emilia was shocked.
No, actually, she wasn't that shocked. There were things she instinctively realized the moment Hardius pulled down her clothes and kissed her somewhere other than her lips.
The 'holy acts' her father spoke of were perhaps no different from those of beasts. Without anyone telling her, Emilia was searching for answers to the secret truth between men and women.
“...No. It’s different.”
But she denied it. She had no choice but to deny it.
“I won’t try to dress it up in nice words. That’s one of the things I want from you, too.”
“...”
“I want to give you so many things. So many things you don’t even want. But I can’t promise you anything right now. All I can give you is a better life for you and your family.”
“I don’t need it. I don’t need anything!”
“Yeah, you always were like that. You never wanted anything from me.”
“Then throw it away. You and I both abandoned each other. Why are you doing this now?!”
“Tell me again? How selfish I am.”
Hardius, who asked back, was frighteningly calm.
The face of a man who showed no emotion, no guilt, no anger, was strangling Emilia's neck.
***
Emilia was sick. She was bedridden for two days.
Although she suffered from a terrible headache and nausea, she welcomed the pain on the other hand. If she hadn't been sick, she would not have been able to bear the memories of the carriage.
She thought it was a part that would be used when breastfeeding a lovely child. She thought it was disrespectful, so she didn't touch it even when changing clothes.
But it was mercilessly crushed, rubbed, and scraped under the man's hand and tongue.
This is truly disgusting and disgusting.
Emilia threw up all the disgusting things. Not only her stepmother, but even Mitch and Charlotte couldn't sleep a wink because of her sister, who kept vomiting like she was going to die, but Emilia was proud of herself for that.
The problem started when her churning stomach calmed down.
Strange questions began to arise.
Really? Was it really that disgusting? Really?
Emilia retched hard, squeezing her empty stomach.
But all that fills her mouth is bitter water.
Yeah. It was horrible and disgusting. Don't think about it.
As soon as she finished vomiting, she started having a terrible headache. She even thought she was being punished by God.
As Emilia looked back on her memories from the ball, one by one, she was overcome with a sense of self-loathing.
Why did you drink again?
Why didn't you just refuse the guy who asked you to dance?
Drunk on everything. Drunk on alcohol, drunk on music, drunk on men.
Every time she spun around on the smooth floor in Hardius's arms, Emilia fell into him without any excuses.
The shocking acts that occurred in the carriage may have been anticipated from the beginning.
Once may be a mistake, but twice is not. It is clearly a 'mistake'.
Contrary to her self-blaming and self-torment, her body recovered at a frighteningly fast rate. She was able to hold on to Mitch, who said he would bring the doctor right away, and she regained enough energy to comfort Charlotte, who was sobbing.
“Here, try this. The herbalist, Mr. Suleman, said that there is no sharp medicine for hangovers and taught me this method.”
Kalia poured milk into a charred spoon and handed it to her.
“There are people like you who are particularly weak to alcohol. People like that should never drink alcohol.”
"Yes."
Emilia drank the milk obediently. Kalia stared at her daughter quietly and then cautiously opened her mouth.
“I wonder if Master Meyer is okay. His face didn’t look too good that day...”
"...is it so?"
Emilia shrugged her shoulders as if it were no big deal.
Emilia wasn't the only one who pretended not to know anything. Kalia was also constantly checking her daughter's expression as she put away spoons and plates.
***
It's a day when the sky is so gloomy that it looks like it might rain at any moment.
Hardius suddenly put down his papers and turned his gaze to the window. A servant was wiping the windowpane, not knowing when he had come in.
As each white sheet passed, the glass became more transparent, and the dark clouds in the sky grew darker.
The dark sky, like night, wrapped around his body, bringing back memories of the carriage. His lower body reacted immediately, spewing out his desires.
“If it bothers you, should we do it later?”
The servant who was cleaning the window asked cautiously. “It’s okay. Keep going,” Hardius replied, turning his eyes to the documents.
But his concentration had long since disappeared. He stretched out his arm and wound up the music box.
Just then, raindrops began to pitter-patter against the window. A sad melody flowed down along with the rain.
Hardius quietly fell into thought as he watched the blunt lines drawn on the glass window.
If he hadn't stopped, she would probably be next to him now.
That's what he thought.
When a rare blush appeared on her icy face.
When it contains something that sparkles like a star, not a careless boundary or resentment.
He just wanted to rip and smash it. He wanted to make sure.
Whose are you? And who am I?
It seemed like a better way to get rid of Nathan Malvin, who kept nagging at him whenever he got a chance.
Hardius stood at the window with heavy steps, stepping on the steps of the stairs. The servant who had been wiping the glass was gone, as if he had finished cleaning.
"Master."
Knock, knock. The door opened, and Grojean appeared, frowning as usual.
“I have come to deal with the Cavendish matter as you commanded. The Inspector General will begin an investigation into the Quiren Wool Fraud. Bernen Cavendish and the entire family will be investigated. Of course, no one will know that Meyer is behind it.”
A perfectly good family fell into ruin overnight, but Hardius was as carefree as watching a dog pass by.
“What happened to Malvin? Did you attach someone to him?”
“...Yes, I chose a suitable person who would not arouse suspicion and placed him in Grossen.”
As a noble family with a long history, he could not bribe his servants at will.
Grojean recruited a traveling drayman and sent him to Malvin's estate, Grossen. The drayman stayed at Malvin's mansion and sold him expensive spices and the finest silks at very low prices, which allowed him free access to the mansion for several months.
He'll be happily selling stuff while also keeping track of Nathan Malvin's movements.
“You will hear from him soon.”
Hardius still stands looking out the window with an unreadable expression.
Grojean, who had been watching quietly, asked impulsively.
“But, my lord, why are you doing this again? Didn’t you say you would wait for Miss Bern’s decision, especially on the Cavendish issue?”
As always, Hardius did not answer.
Grojean was the same. He swallowed many pieces of advice that he would have given if his master had been a little more open-minded. Words he would have said to a young man of only twenty, inexperienced with women...
“I’ll take my leave now.”
The door closed, and Grojean disappeared completely from my sight.
Hardius sat motionless for a moment, then stretched out his arm and turned the music box back on.
What do you think, Emilia?
He's finally dealt with Cavendish and is now digging around to deal with whoever came between them.
Fair play and honorable duels are not his style. In all his years as Meyer, he has never taken what was rightfully his.
The hand that had moved away from the music box picked up the 'Principles of Accounting'.
Just because of this, because he can't stand this kind of thing, he's thinking of committing another vile act.
Long fingers grasped the luxurious leather cover as if to crush it, then dropped it back to the floor with a thud.
***
The small commotion that had taken place at the ball in Luen spread through word of mouth and finally reached Grossen, the territory of the Malvin family.
It wasn't quite the scandal Kaitlyn Meyer had planned, but the fact that someone was trying to hook up the eldest son of the family with the Meyer family's fiancée was enough to turn the Malvins upside down.
No family would allow their eldest son, who had not even married, to be the subject of gossip in society. This was especially infuriating for Elowy Malvin, who came from a family that had long valued honor.
He sent men to Derouy, where Lady Luen was, and to Erndorf, where Lord Cavendish lived, to find out the truth.
After discovering that Cavendish's servants, as well as his youngest daughter, had been instrumental in spreading the strange rumours, the Count of Malvin sent a formal letter of protest.
And he ordered his son Nathan to be under surveillance. He was holding him responsible for getting involved in the rumors.
Nathan accepted it without question.
Of course, it was only on the surface.
“You want to go and meet Bernie Cavendish yourself? Are you in your right mind?”
“Yes, I am in my right mind.”
Pian Malvin couldn't help but open her eyes wide at her son's confident answer.
“You dared to spread groundless rumors about me and my family. I can’t just let it go. I want to hold you accountable and receive an official apology.”
“But you are under guard. Your father and I intend to meet with Lord Cavendish soon and formally raise the issue.”
“Father, mother, do as you wish. I will handle it myself.”
“But Nathan, if your father finds out...”
Pian hesitated for a moment, frowning.
“I will go even if you don’t allow me.”
"What?"
“I am an adult now. I want to fulfill my responsibilities as the eldest son.”
She kept fanning herself as if she were displeased, but the peace was already more than half gone.
Nathan has been a child who has always talked about equality and human rights since he was young. He is also an idealist who believes that caring for the weak and powerless is the duty and pride of a nobleman.
To such a son, Emilia Bern was not just the 'fiancée of the Meyer family', but simply the 'weak one'. He could not just stand by and watch her being bullied and treated unfairly.
Knowing what her son had in mind when he helped the girl, Pian couldn't find an excuse to stop him. No, she didn't want to find one. Didn't the vulgar people like Cavendish and all that insult the noble son and damage his pride?
“As Father said, this incident is also my fault for not handling it properly. Please give me a chance to resolve it myself, Mother.”
Fearing that someone might say it wasn't Malvin, Pian felt proud inside, but on the outside, she pretended to look stern.
She also thought that it would be wrong to nag and scold a child who did nothing wrong.
“Yes, I’ll allow it. But you shouldn’t make a big deal out of it. It’s a secret from your father for now. Do you understand?”
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