Episode 23: The Beast's Comfort, and a Kiss on the Scar
Just as the screams of the deranged trash cursing one another in the dungeon began to fade, a heavy and languid silence settled over Eleanor's office on the third floor of the main building of the Duke of Castillo's estate.
On the desk, mountains of documents piled up: the bankruptcy certificate of the Minister of the Interior, Marquis Morte, whom Liliana had completely crushed, and reports announcing that the Castillo Merchant Guild had completely seized control of the capital's commercial district.
"Haa..."
Having finished signing all the documents, Eleanor let out a deep sigh and put down her quill pen. As she leaned back deeply into the chair, the tension that had raged relentlessly for days released all at once, and a terrible fatigue washed over her.
The horrific past flashed through her mind, before her regression, when she had wrestled with paperwork every night, bleeding from her nose, to pay off her husband's gambling debts and save the family. Back then, no matter how hard she struggled, there was not a single person by her side to tell her she had worked hard; there was only thorough and cruel solitude.
'This life is different.'
"I have a perfect daughter-in-law, and the trash is buried in the basement."
It was when Eleanor closed her eyes, rubbing her stiff neck.
Swoosh.
Through the open balcony window, a massive shadow, imbued with the deep scent of the winter forest, silently seeped in. It was the uninvited guest who had come to guard her night, as always: Grand Duke Caelon of the North.
"You have overexerted yourself, Madam."
Caelon, emerging from the darkness, spoke in a much lower, softer voice than usual. He approached with composed steps and stood behind the weary Eleanor's chair. Then, with his large, rough hands, he began to carefully massage her temples and stiff, knotted shoulders.
"Even if the hunt is enjoyable, to think you would tarnish your own body."
"I cannot let my guard down until I have severed the breath of my greatest enemy. I must strive for perfection until the Imperial divorce trial is approved."
Eleanor slowly closed her eyes at Caelon's rough yet delicate touch. The fact that the hand of the most brutal beast ruling the continent was moving devotedly solely to relieve her own fatigue filled her with a strange sense of conquest and relief.
Caelon's gaze lingered intently on the white nape and shoulder line faintly revealed beneath Eleanor's thin silk indoor robes.
There remained a faint scar from long ago, sustained when Eleanor was grazed by a beast's claws while defending the Castillo estate during a battle to subdue the monster.
Although his wife had risked her life to protect the estate, her husband, Valdemar, had turned his head away in disgust whenever he saw the scar, remarking that 'a hideous blemish has fallen on the body of a noble lady.'
But to Caelon, that mark was different. It was the most beautiful and sacred medal in the world, proving her noble sacrifice and strength.
"Madam."
Caelon's voice cracked deeply, like the groan of a beast. He stopped massaging her shoulder and leaned his massive upper body deep into Eleanor's back. Then, he pressed his hot lips down very reverently and carefully onto the faint scar remaining on her nape.
Smooch.
"...Ah."
A damp, hot breath settled upon the wound. The moment the touch of his firm lips touched the delicate scar, Eleanor's shoulders trembled for a moment. It was not merely physical contact. It was the fierce and blind devotion of a beast, offering his entire body to lick and comfort the terrible wounds and loneliness of Eleanor, who had had to guard the lonely castle walls alone for the past ten years, no, forty-two years, including her life before regression.
"...The blood and tears you shed for this rotten family are like faith to me."
Pulling his lips away, Caelon gently cupped Eleanor's jawline and turned her head toward him. The distance between them had narrowed. In his golden eyes, an undeniable deep lust and a desperate possessiveness flickered.
"I am driven mad with jealousy, even toward the past times that left you lonely. Please grant me permission. I will now cut through all those heavy burdens with my sword... so you may simply enjoy the spoils I bring back stained with blood."
"It is truly a sweet and deadly temptation, Caelon."
Eleanor did not avert her gaze from the beast staring at her as if to devour her. Instead, she reached out and gently stroked Caelon's rough cheek.
"However, if you wish to be my perfect sanctuary, you must prepare to fend off the desperate wrath of the Imperial Household that will erupt tomorrow. Having lost his Minister of the Interior, the Emperor will stop at nothing to bite into my weakest link."
"No matter what tricks the Emperor pulls, I will stake my life to stand in your way."
The breaths of the two intertwined precariously. The most perfect partners, confirming their mutual desire and trust. Only the moonlight outside the window illuminated the dizzying silhouettes of the two, as the quiet yet sensual night deepened.
***
And the next morning. Eleanor's ominous premonition, without a single error, knocked on the doors of the Duke of Castillo's mansion in the most repulsive and violent form.
Bang, bang, bang!!
"It is a solemn imperial decree from His Majesty the Emperor! The mistress of the ducal household and the acting merchant, Liliana von Werner, come out immediately and obey the Emperor's command!"
From early morning, Castillo's central reception room was filled with flags bearing the massive lion emblem symbolizing the Imperial Household and armed Imperial Guards. The Emperor's chief envoy stood there, his chin held high in arrogance, holding an imperial decree stamped with golden wax.
Liliana, who had come down after hearing the commotion, stared at the envoy with a stern expression, accompanied by her escort knight, Kian. Although she looked tired from handling merchant business overnight, her dignified grace, comparable to that of a Duchess, remained unwavering in the slightest.
Soon after, Eleanor, dressed in a red silk dress, walked leisurely down the stairs under the escort of Grand Duke Caelon.
"It is a ferocious sight to see you barking like a beast in someone else's inner chambers first thing in the morning. What urgent business does the old Emperor have that he would commit such rudeness?"
Eleanor leaned lazily back on the sofa and shot back coldly. The Imperial Envoy flinched at Eleanor's commanding presence, but trusting in the authority of the 'Imperial Decree' in his hand, he soon wore a wry smile.
"Ahem! Your arrogance ends here. With the Empire's economy in turmoil due to the internal strife at the Duke of Castillo's estate, the Imperial Household can no longer sit idly by! Therefore, His Imperial Majesty has decided to bring the family under control by bestowing a special grace!"
Grace. The moment that disgusting word was uttered, Eleanor's red eyes glared coldly. The Envoy thrust the decree at Liliana and shouted loudly.
"Acting Merchant, Liliana von Werner! As soon as dawn breaks tomorrow morning, you must surrender control of Castillo's commercial rights and funds to the Imperial Household and enter the First Concubine's quarters to serve His Highness the Crown Prince! This is the absolute Imperial decree issued by His Majesty!"
"...What?!"
The first to be shocked was Liliana's bodyguard, Kian.
"M-My Lady! To offer her as a concubine to that old, fat, trashy Crown Prince! This is insane...!"
Kian's blue eyes rolled back in rage as he let out a beastly roar. He gripped the hilt of his greatsword tightly, as if he were about to sever the envoy's head at any moment.
Liliana, the person in question, also turned pale and bit her lip. To her, a woman of fallen nobility, the word 'concubine' was nothing short of a terrible shackle, reminding her of the horrific humiliation and contempt she had suffered at the hands of her former scumbag husband, Claude. It was a sentence to be stripped of all the abilities her mother-in-law had nurtured with blood and sweat, and to be reduced once again to a man's possession.
"This is the immense grace of His Imperial Majesty! Since he has decided to take in a young lady of fallen nobility as a woman of the Imperial Family, kneel immediately, bow in gratitude, and accept this imperial decree!"
The envoy strutted arrogantly, thrusting the imperial decree right up to Liliana's nose. The absolute violence of an Imperial command. It was a brutal oppression that no noble could defy. Liliana's white hands trembled with humiliation. Just then, Eleanor, who had been sitting on the sofa, began to let out a low, bizarre sound.
"He-heh.. Hahahaha!"
It was not a wry laugh. It was a mad, overwhelming 'burst of laughter' erupting from deep within her stomach, loud enough to shake the chandelier in the drawing room.
"Du, Duchess? Are you... have you gone mad in front of an Imperial command?!"
The envoy shouted in panic, but Eleanor only slowly rose from her seat after laughing loudly enough to bring tears to her eyes. With every step she took, a massive 7th-circle mana rose like a red haze, mercilessly crushing the reception room.
Unable to withstand the pressure of the mana, the Imperial Knights guarding the envoy gasped for breath, dropping their spears in unison. Eleanor approached the envoy, who stood frozen in terror. And her red lips traced an arc more arrogant and cruel than any demon in the Empire.
"Offer my perfect heir as a concubine to that incompetent Crown Prince bastard, who is merely his father's son?"
It was a merciless rage that trampled upon the Imperial command, which he believed could never be disobeyed, right before his very face. The mother-in-law's mace, ready to unleash a storm, was finally being raised high into the air. And her red lips traced an arc more arrogant and cruel than any demon in the empire.
"Offer my perfect heir as a concubine to that incompetent Crown Prince bastard, a mere son of his father?"
It was merciless rage that trampled upon the imperial command right before one's face, a command believed to be impossible to disobey. The mother-in-law's iron mace, ready to unleash a storm, was finally being raised high into the air.
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