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Chapter 46
At Yuan’s voice, Serret swallowed hard. Tension spread through her entire body.
“What do you mean, something we didn’t do last night? Is there even such a thing?”
Serret pushed Yuan’s shoulder away and sat up. She tried to play it off, but Yuan’s gaze was so tempting that heat crept up her neck.
“There’s plenty.”
“Well, I don’t know anything about that.”
“For starters…”
Yuan lightly grasped Serret’s chin and pressed down on her lips with his thumb. His eyes lingered on Serret’s lips, squished beneath his hand.
“I didn’t get to taste these lips.”
His voice turned languid.
Yuan tilted Serret’s chin downward, parting her lips. His gaze, which had been fixed on her mouth, rose to meet her eyes.
Their eyes met in the air. The room was silent save for the faint sound of their breathing, but their locked gazes were turbulent.
Yuan slid his hand from her chin down to her neck, caressing it, then hooked a finger into the neckline of her nightgown, tugging it down to reveal more of her pale throat.
“And I didn’t get to mark this neck red.”
“I was too tired yesterday.”
With a coy expression, Serret caught his hand fiddling with her nightgown and pulled it away. Even if she hadn’t been tired, she would have avoided him.
Yuan nodded as if he understood. Fair enough—she had reason to be tired. He pulled her close by the back of her head and brushed his lips against her forehead before stepping down from the bed.
Serret rubbed the spot where his lips had touched and looked at him. It still felt as though his lips lingered there, leaving her unsettled.
“We’ll finish what we left undone tonight.”
Yuan gazed down at Serret with a blank expression.
It was only natural now that they were married. Serret Frektuester belonged to him from head to toe. Tonight, he intended to prove it—especially to this woman who only ever thought of escaping.
“Tonight?”
Serret’s heart thudded wildly.
Now that she was married to Yuan, there was no avoiding it. Yet she had no desire at all to be in his arms.
Not only must she not bear a child, she absolutely didn’t want to do such things with this dreadful man.
“Always wear your wedding ring. It doesn’t look good if a married woman doesn’t wear one.”
Yuan gestured toward her hand.
Serret’s eyes dropped to her fingers. She was sure she had taken the ring off before sleeping last night, but there it was again.
So you strapped on my leash while I was asleep. Serret gave a weak smile at Yuan.
“Of course. It’s the wedding ring I share with my dearly beloved husband—I must treasure it.”
She laced her words with sarcasm and climbed down from the bed.
“Let’s have breakfast together.”
Yuan said flatly and left her bedroom.
Left alone, Serret reached to take off the ring in annoyance but stopped herself.
“I should treasure it, right.”
For the next year, she needed to maintain a flawless marriage that no one could find fault with. Wearing a ring was a small matter. Serret let out a light sigh.
Just then, Hannah entered after a knock. Serret cast her a sidelong glance as the maid approached with a sly grin.
“Hannah, don’t look at me with those lewd eyes.”
“Did you have a pleasant night, my lady?”
“Very pleasant, Miss Hannah.”
At Serret’s reply, Hannah squealed and burst into giggles.
Serret, shaking her head as if Hannah were hopeless, began stripping the bed sheets.
“My lady, I’ll call in the laundry maids for this.”
“No, Hannah. You must wash these yourself.”
“Me? But there are laundry maids assigned for that.”
Hannah shook her head as if the task was beneath her. Among the servants, there were ranks—personal maids like Hannah didn’t dirty their hands with laundry.
“No, you must do this yourself. Don’t let anyone else see it.”
“Ah, I see—you’re embarrassed by the traces left on the sheets?”
Hannah giggled knowingly.
“How would an unmarried girl know about that?”
Really. Serret eyed her suspiciously.
“I read it in novels.”
Hannah chuckled, clutching the sheets.
“Stop reading strange novels. And make sure no one else touches it.”
“Understood. I’ll scrub them spotless, leaving no trace behind.”
“Hannah, it’s already spotless. There’s no trace at all.”
Serret shrugged and sat at the tea table.
“Spotless?”
Hannah’s eyes widened. That wasn’t right. Hastily, she checked the sheets.
“Yes, spotless.”
It wasn’t embarrassment over traces that made Serret order Hannah to wash them—it was the lack of any.
Servants loved to gossip about their masters’ marital affection, especially when it came to newlyweds. If they discovered that no trace was left on the sheets, they would gossip even more—that the Duchess of Frektuester was unloved.
“Well now.”
Isn’t that exactly what I want? The poor wife who is not loved by her husband.
Such rumors would pile up and strengthen her case for divorce. She had nearly ruined things out of a silly fear of being looked down upon by the servants.
In her past life, she had lain in Yuan’s arms almost every night, yet she had not escaped their scorn.
The servants must have sensed it—that the Duke treated his wife like a mere servant. That was why they dared act as her equal.
How could anyone love a man like that? What on earth had her past self been so desperate for?
Serret scorned her former self. With a troubled face, she rose and strode to Hannah.
“Hannah, give me that.”
She snatched the sheets from Hannah’s arms and tossed them carelessly back onto the bed.
“Nothing happened last night? On your wedding night?”
Hannah looked at her in disbelief.
But nothing happening on the wedding night wasn’t right. Hannah’s face grew grave. It upset her to think her lady wasn’t even loved by the Duke. If only she were more gentle with him.
“What’s so special about a wedding night?”
“It is special! Very special!”
Hannah’s face was full of worry.
“The sheets will stay spotless from now on.”
Serret declared firmly.
What Hannah was hoping for would never happen.
“My lady, that won’t do. Mrs. Hale always said—a woman’s power comes from her husband’s love. You must win the Duke’s affection.”
“Hannah, that’s something out of ancient times. A woman’s power doesn’t come from her husband’s love.”
Hannah looked frustrated, but Serret was even more so. She knew better—she had died at her husband’s hands. Husbands were just men. No, worse than strangers.
“Then where does it come from?”
“Money.”
Serret replied without hesitation.
For women or men, power came from money. Money was better than a husband’s love—and money didn’t poison you.
“My lady, don’t tell me you’re still thinking about divorce, settlements, lawsuits, and all that?”
Hannah looked deeply worried.
“Of course. Why else would I have married?”
“My lady, please, get a grip. If the young master knew, he’d faint!”
Hannah stamped her feet. Even after marrying, her mistress hadn’t grown up at all.
“I’m perfectly clearheaded. Now go fetch the laundry maids.”
“I’ll do it. If there’s no trace, people will gossip.”
“That’s an order, Hannah. Bring them.”
“…Yes, my lady.”
At Serret’s firm tone, Hannah finally set the sheets down and left the bedroom with a worried look.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
The laundry maid Bell carried the bedding from the mistress’s chamber down to the basement laundry. The gathered laundry maids squealed at her arrival.
“You got it?”
Bell said excitedly, showing the sheets.
The maids stared at it with the same eager faces. Surely something out of a romance novel must have happened last night. Buzzing with anticipation, they hurried to examine it.
But soon their faces filled with confusion.
“There’s nothing?”
“Truly nothing?”
The sheets were utterly clean. Their eyes widened at the absence of what should have been there.
“Did nothing happen?”
“On their wedding night?”
The maids exchanged baffled looks.
“You’re sure this is the right one?”
“Of course. From the mistress’s chamber.”
Bell replied.
“This makes no sense.”
“The mistress looked rather downcast… could it be…?”
Bell trailed off.
Her words planted the same thought in all their minds. Nothing had happened on the wedding night. They knew well what it meant if the groom hadn’t even touched his bride.
“They did seem a little distant.”
“Honestly, it’s not a loving match.”
The maids recalled what they had seen of Serret and Yuan and began gossiping.
The mistress wasn’t sweet to the Duke, and though the Duke was polite, it didn’t seem like affection.
They’d even heard rumors of quarrels at mealtimes, and that the mistress had thrown away all the clothes and jewelry gifted by the Duke.
During the ring incident with Lady Elliot, it was her—not the Duchess—whom the Duke comforted and embraced.
“Maybe it’s because of Lady Elliot.”
“Seems he never forgot his first love.”
“He should have married Lady Elliot.”
“Poor Duke.”
The laundry maids pitied the star-crossed pair of Yuan and Lydia. If only they had wed, the Duke would have been happy.
Unable to forget his first love, the Duke of Frektuester had not even touched his wife. To the maids, this was a romantic tale.
And this romantic tale quickly spread far beyond the Frektuester household.
For Serret, it was a most welcome development.
