Shioana was speechless at Etienne's fierce question. Any hope she had held for the two of them—that there might be at least a little bit of hope—was shattered into pieces.
'He doesn't love me.'
She started to feel ashamed of the time she had spent missing Etienne over the past ten days.
"..."
When Shioana did not answer, he growled as if he were about to kiss her at any moment.
"Why can't you speak? I'm asking if Count Tenubis is next after Raul."
Shioana gave a bitter smile as she looked at him.
'You really don't trust me at all.'
She wondered why he went so far as to marry her when he hated her so much, but looking back now, Etienne made the right choice.
For his words and gaze were enough to tear Shioana's heart into many pieces.
As she remained silent, Etienne, growing anxious, grabbed Shioana's shoulders and shook her.
“Why can’t you speak?”
He smelled of alcohol that was familiar, and Shioana let out a small sigh.
“I have nothing more to say.”
"Why do you say you have nothing to say?"
Leaving the raging Etienne behind, Shioana entered the bedroom and lay down on the bed. Etienne, who had followed her, opened his eyes wide in disbelief.
"I'm asking what you're doing!"
Shioana turned her body around and pulled the blanket over herself.
'Who is the one who should be angry...'
You were away from the mansion for ten days without notice, and now you come to demand to know if I am seducing Count Tenubis?
Who was it that held Diana Vale's hand and spent the night with her?
"Shioana! Can't you hear me?"
"Go back to the guest."
Shioana was in a mess, so she just wanted to rest.
"Do you even know that I am your husband?"
"...Ha."
How could she not know that?
For the past ten days, from the moment she woke up until she fell asleep, everyone called her Duchess Bernhard.
Each time, Shioana thought of Etienne, but he likely had no time to think of her.
Because Diana had been chattering so much, Shioana knew exactly what Etienne had been doing.
'How blue and vast the sea was. Just looking at it made me feel completely refreshed.'
Etienne had promised her that he would go to the sea with her in the past.
'It became a promise that would never be kept.'
Shioana was seized by a strange sense of disappointment.
'Why am I acting like this?'
Whether Etienne went to have an audience with His Majesty the Emperor or went to the sea, it was none of her business.
But all night long, Shioana's eyes foolishly liked Etienne and Diana sitting next to him.
'You know who the real Duchess is, right?'
It seemed like Diana was shouting like that every time her eyes met Shioana's.
'If it weren't for Harriet's treatment, I wouldn't have had any reason to endure this humiliation.'
As she trembled, trying hard to deny her feelings, Shioana's eyes wavered.
'Was it really because of Harriet?'
If that were the case, Shioana should have rejected Etienne to the very end. Lost in thought, she snapped back to reality at the sound of Etienne's clothes falling to the floor.
"Hasn't the Grand Madam told you about the virtues of a wife yet?"
Etienne, wearing a shirt half-open, strode onto the bed.
‘You knew everything.’
Shioana thought Etienne wouldn't know that she was being harassed by the Granf madam.
She had the misconception that if he knew, he wouldn't just leave it alone.
'...The virtues of a wife, to think of it.'
It sounded noble, but it was nothing more than a command for the wife to unconditionally obey her husband.
Shioana, struggling to hold back her tears, whispered softly.
"I'm doing my best."
Anyway, since she agreed to it, isn't she acting like a Duchess, which is uncharacteristic of her?
"Are you protesting just because I returned after ten days?"
Etienne's irritation toward Shioana, who had turned her back on him, grew increasingly intense.
Wrapping one hand around her waist, he whispered with his lips pressed against Shioana's back.
"A virtuous wife never shows dissatisfaction with her husband's actions."
"I'm going to sleep, so go see the guest now."
At her refusal, Etienne buried his head deep in Shioana's shoulder.
"Shioana, it won't do you any good to keep provoking me."
“Don’t do this.”
As Shioana squirmed to break free from him, Etienne became furious.
"Didn't I say to look the other person in the eye when I speak?"
She tried to hold out until the end, but she couldn't overcome Etienne's physical strength.
Shioana was left facing Etienne's face while still trapped in his grasp.
"Look at me, Shioana."
Etienne whispered, gripping her chin tightly with one hand.
What was clearly etched in the red eyes beneath the heavily furrowed thick eyebrows was anger.
“Let go of this!”
As Shioana, who was held captive by him, protested roughly, Etienne traced her lips with his finger.
"I told you not to scratch my things..."
It seemed she had been biting her lip without even realizing it. Just as a finger barely touched her lips, Shioana's heart felt as if it had dropped to the floor.
"..."
Looking into Etienne's eyes, which were filled with a reddish aura, she muttered to herself.
'Those eyes completely captivate me.'
From their first meeting until now, Shioana had not been able to take her eyes off him. However, she had already resolved never to do such a pathetic thing again.
“I don’t want you.”
As Shioana slapped Etienne's hand away, his red eyes gleamed.
"You are my wife."
"You are not my husband."
When Shioana retorted without backing down, he smiled.
"Yeah, a Shioana that's too obedient is indeed boring."
As he finished unbuttoning the shirt he was wearing, Shioana pushed Etienne away forcefully.
"Shioana, don't waste your energy starting now."
"Etienne, please."
Even though Shioana kept pounding his chest with her fist, Etienne just laughed.
"Even if you fall asleep tonight, I won't stop."
"... You're crazy"
"Yeah, I'm crazy about you."
Etienne whispered as he lightly kissed the wrist that was pounding his chest.
'I won't be fooled by you again.'
The wedding night was never what he intended. He intended to torment Shioana by becoming a couple in name only.
'I have to make her pay the price for betraying me...'
However, the moment he saw Shioana in a wedding dress on his bed, all his resolutions became meaningless. Like someone who had drunk the river of oblivion, he fell for Shioana.
'Shioana.'
'...Eh, Etienne.'
The sweetness he tasted once made Etienne's throat even drier, and it spread throughout his body like poison.
It was only on the third day after holding Shioana that he was barely able to return to reality.
'You are a witch. A witch.'
Etienne was seized with fear as he watched the sleeping Shioana. Being away from the mansion for ten days was, in reality, the same as running away.
However, for some reason, it seemed like being apart didn't do much good.
Because as soon as he got out of the carriage and saw Shioana, his heart pounded violently.
Also, seeing Shioana having a friendly conversation with Count Tenubis made his mind a mess. He kept feeling anxious because Shioana didn't love him.
"E, Etienne."
Shioana's voice woke him up, and Etienne pulled her wrist tightly and held her in his arms.
"You just need to look at me."
Etienne kissed Shioana on the forehead and devoured her entire night.
***
When she opened her eyes, it was midday.
Shioana let out a sigh as she straightened her crumpled chemise. In the end, she spent the night with Etienne again.
"...Pathetic."
It hadn't even been a day since she resolved not to be swayed, but she didn't know why things turned out this way.
Shortly after, an employee came and helped her with her grooming.
"Since you need to have lunch, I will prepare a light dress."
Shioana pressed her tired eyelids tightly and looked into the mirror. The blue muslin dress was beautiful, but Shioana's complexion was incredibly gloomy.
Then, seeing the employee's reflection in the mirror, she asked.
“Why is that?”
The employee, who had been secretly smiling, stopped styling her hair and cautiously opened her mouth.
"That's on the mistress's neck..."
When she looked in the mirror at the employee's words, a round, red mark remained on her neck.
"I will apply more powder or cover it up with a scarf."
"...Yes."
Shioana's voice trembled endlessly as she covered the traces of last night's intense heat with her hand.
***
Katrina and Diana were affectionately drinking tea in the quiet drawing room.
"I will trust only your word, Madam."
“Sure, sure.”
Katrina instinctively sensed that her philandering son had already lost interest in the Duchess. It was certain, given that he spent all his time outside and behaved roughly.
"The Duke will be divorcing soon, so it is only a matter of time before we become a family. Therefore, please go to Count Vale and make sure to convey my message to him."
All that was on Katrina's mind was increasing her power and wealth.
She really adored Diana right in front of her, but it was merely a kind of acting for a specific purpose.
'Because being swayed by sentiment is the most pathetic thing of all.'
As Shioana appeared in the drawing room, the harmonious atmosphere was shattered, and a cold silence fell.
"This is why people say not to bring in things that have no foundation."
“I’m sorry I’m late.”
At Shioana's greeting, Katrina patted her leg and frowned.
"Perhaps because I saw something I can't stand the sight of, my neuralgia seems to be kicking in. I have no appetite, so please excuse me."
Katrina disappeared while holding onto Diana's arm, and Shioana was left alone again.
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