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Her and the Beast – Chapter : 6
The maids bowed politely and left the room. One of them had offered to assist Astina with her bath, but Astina had declined even that.
Left alone, Astina finished removing her damp clothes and tossed them aside. Her black riding trousers were soaked through with rainwater.
Without delay, Astina entered the bathroom.
The bathtub had already been filled with steaming hot water. It seemed they had prepared it as soon as they heard of her arrival.
“So this is what it means to be part of the Grand Duke’s household.”
Astina murmured quietly before slowly lowering herself into the water.
Even after stopping by the Count of Lete’s estate, she had barely been able to rest, and her exhaustion had continued to accumulate. She had been worried that Canna might come after her.
Astina knew Canna well. Canna was an ordinary person, but among ordinary people, she was one of the kindest. Although she understood the value of her own life and might not have been able to follow Astina immediately, she was not someone who could simply turn a blind eye to her younger sister’s sacrifice.
As far as Astina could estimate, Canna’s conscience would only be able to endure for a single day.
To reach the Grand Duke’s residence before Canna, Astina had ridden there without any attendants.
In truth, the main reason she had no attendants was that she had argued with her parents.
Upon arriving at the Count of Lete’s estate, Astina went to see her parents first.
The Countess looked flustered at the sudden return of her daughter. After all, Astina was not the person they had expected to come back.
Her parents could not even raise their heads because of the guilt they felt over selling their daughter. Astina had no intention of making allowances for their circumstances, either.
Astina spoke coldly.
‘Why did you try to send my older sister instead?’
‘……’
‘She would have died meaninglessly without even having the chance to fight back.’
At those words, the Countess burst into tears. It was not as though they had willingly offered up their daughter.
If the Atalenta family withdrew its support, their family would have fallen straight to the bottom.
The fortunes of those who had invested in the Count based on their trust in him would have been swept away along with theirs. Without any protection, it would have been difficult for everyone to survive intact.
It was a matter of whether they would all die together or sacrifice one person.
When Astina asked why they had not sent her instead, the Countess screamed as though in anguish.
‘They specifically chose Canna!’
The Countess spoke desperately.
‘Can’t you understand, Astina? They told me to choose the daughter who would be easier to kill! What could I possibly have said? If I had made that choice myself, then from that moment onward, I would have been the one personally killing my own daughter. How could I do such a thing? How could I possibly bring myself to do something like that……!’
The Countess collapsed onto the floor, crying like a child without even caring about her dignity. Seeing her like that, Astina could not bring herself to criticize her any further.
After all, Astina knew better than anyone that the Count and Countess had raised their children with love.
Perhaps it would have been better if their family had been ruined from the very beginning. If they had been impoverished nobles from the start, they would have had nothing left to lose.
Astina shook her head as she entertained such pointless thoughts.
When she had been Martina, the Lete gypsies had been poor and possessed nothing, yet their ending had been even more terrible than this.
“First, I need to see the Grand Duke’s condition.”
If the problem could be resolved by bearing an heir, then she had no reason to refuse.
She would give birth to a child and then return to the Count of Lete’s estate.
It was an ideal ending. Wasn’t it far more respectable than killing the Grand Duke, abandoning her identity, and going into hiding?
As long as the situation could be resolved without any complications, she could endure having a husband who looked like a beast, no matter how monstrous he might be.
And if things did not go as planned……
Astina sank deep beneath the surface of the bathtub before rising again.
Steam rose into the air, while the cool atmosphere brushed against her cheeks.
‘I can kill him.’
That would be better for the man who had taken root inside the beast’s body, too.
Morning came earlier than usual at the Atalenta estate.
The reason was that the new bride had suddenly arrived the previous night. Although preparations had been underway to welcome their guest, many things were still incomplete.
The servants were bustling about, rushing to finish the tasks they had not yet completed.
As soon as daybreak came, Oliver headed toward the room where Astina was staying. He wanted to take care of the marriage registration as quickly as possible. It would be troublesome if she tried to run away at the last minute.
Oliver knocked three times in a disciplined manner. No sound came from inside the room.
Was she still asleep? It was certainly too early for a noble young lady to wake up.
Oliver frowned slightly and called out to Astina.
“Lady Astina.”
There was no response.
“May I come in?”
Once again, there was no answer.
He could not simply enter a lady’s room without permission.
Just as Oliver was about to turn away, he heard someone approaching—not from inside the room, but from behind him.
“What is it?”
Startled, Oliver quickly turned around.
Astina was walking toward him, breathing heavily. Perhaps she had been exercising, as her entire body was drenched in sweat.
Her hair, tied up neatly in a single bun, swayed pleasantly as she walked. Her face was free of makeup, but the healthy flush in her cheeks made her look even more beautiful.
Noticing the documents in Oliver’s hand, Astina gave a mocking smile.
“Isn’t it rather early to be holding a wedding ceremony?”
It was the marriage agreement that would normally have been signed at the wedding venue if they had held a proper ceremony. Astina had never heard of such a rushed marriage before.
It was absurd, but Astina soon changed her mind. Oliver’s haste was actually welcome to her.
Even if Canna came looking for her now, she would no longer be able to reverse this marriage. Astina had no intention of dying, so Canna would not have to suffer from guilt, either.
“How did you obtain the Grand Duke’s signature?”
Oliver was too flustered to answer. Astina glanced down at the document and made a small sound of understanding.
“Ah, well, I suppose it doesn’t necessarily have to be a signature.”
She walked past Oliver and opened the door. Oliver could only stare at her with a bewildered expression.
Her attitude was completely different from that of the other young noble ladies he had come to know.
Weren’t they usually smiling brightly and speaking in gentle, pleasant voices? Even if they were angry about an unjust marriage, he had only imagined them crying and pleading. He had never expected to be met with such sharp words.
Another thing that puzzled him was that Astina had woken up at dawn and finished her morning exercise before coming back. That was the sort of thing one would expect from knights who trained their bodies.
The more Oliver observed her, the less he understood his new mistress.
Astina spoke to Oliver, who was still standing frozen in place.
“Come in.”
Then she opened her desk drawer and took out an inkwell and a quill. Oliver cautiously handed her the document.
“You only need to sign at the bottom.”
Since this was a marriage being completed without even seeing the groom’s face, Oliver added awkwardly,
“I ask that you understand the Grand Duke is not in a condition to come out and greet you, so I have no choice but to handle this matter on his behalf.”
Astina slowly read through the document Oliver had handed her.
Until now, she had been so preoccupied with taking Canna’s place that she had barely given any thought to the fact that she herself was getting married. Looking at the marriage contract now gave her a strange feeling.
Even when she had been Martina, she had never married.
As the price for the Crown Prince’s cruel trickery, Martina had been rendered infertile. Because of that, she had been unable to accept the marriage proposal of the person she loved.
After all, her prospective husband was a king who was required to produce heirs.
In the end, he had died young without having any children, making all of that suffering pointless anyway.
Astina gave a bitter smile.
She silently rolled the name of the man who would become her first husband around in her mouth.
“Theriod van Atalenta.”
His name sounds similar to Theodore, Astina thought absentmindedly.
Astina did not hesitate. She dipped the quill into the ink and signed in one swift motion. Her handwriting was remarkably elegant, hardly resembling that of someone who had been sold to a monster.
Oliver carefully examined the document Astina handed back to him. He checked it several times, but there was no doubt that she had written her own name.
Oliver cleared his throat and explained.
“Baroness Pallet will visit sometime this afternoon to assist with the consummation of the marriage.”
They had arrived the previous night, rushed through a marriage ceremony in the morning, and were planning to consummate it by evening.
Astina nearly let out a hollow laugh.
No matter how difficult their circumstances were, they had not even bothered to follow the most basic procedures. If Canna had been here, she would probably have burst into tears the moment she heard Oliver’s explanation.
The elderly butler also seemed embarrassed, as he hurriedly left Astina’s room.
And a few hours later, Baroness Pallet entered, clearing her throat with an equally awkward expression.
By then, Astina had finished showering and dressing herself. She welcomed the baroness with a composed posture.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness the Grand Duchess. I am Baroness Pallet, and although my abilities are limited, I will be responsible for your education.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Baroness Pallet. I am Astina van Atalenta.”
As she introduced herself using an unfamiliar surname, Astina felt slightly strange. It was rather amusing that she was now using the family name of a man whose face she had not even seen.
And yet, that very husband might not even survive until the end of the day.
Suppressing such a murderous thought, Astina spoke politely.
“I may be inexperienced, but I look forward to learning much from you.”
At Astina’s dignified attitude, Baroness Pallet gave an awkward smile.
How was she supposed to teach a young lady from a noble family, who had presumably been raised delicately, about the marital bed?
Baroness Pallet had an enormous amount to worry about.
If it were simply a matter between two human beings, there would be nothing particularly embarrassing to discuss. But Astina’s partner was Theriod.
That very Theriod who was covered in fur.
After his transformation, Theriod’s overall appearance resembled that of a wolf. As a result, Baroness Pallet had unexpectedly found herself having to study the mating habits of canines.
And even for someone of her age, the things she had discovered were nothing short of shocking.
Baroness Pallet took a deep breath.
As she considered how to explain everything in the least shocking way possible, she cautiously began speaking.
“I am hesitant to discuss this because I am worried that Your Highness might be emotionally hurt by what I have to say.”
“Please speak freely.”
“First of all…… Lord Theriod has an appearance quite similar to that of a wolf.”
‘I suppose so.’
Astina thought indifferently.
At least he was a handsome animal. It would have been rather ridiculous if he had transformed into something like a giraffe, wouldn’t it?
“We cannot say for certain ourselves, but in any case, his biological characteristics are also very similar to those of a wolf. Therefore, we expect that…… his behavior during the marital act may also be similar.”
Baroness Pallet carefully chose each of her words.
Astina simply nodded quietly. This was something she had not anticipated.
Since he had the name Theriod, Astina had unconsciously thought of him as being closer to a human.
If his appearance resembled that of a wolf, then the way they would mate would naturally be different from that of humans, too.
“First, there are a few things you must be careful about.”
Baroness Pallet paused to catch her breath before continuing.
“The mating habits of canine animals are very different from those of humans.”
“How are they different?”
Baroness Pallet proceeded to enlighten Astina about the mysteries of the animal kingdom. For someone who had never taken an interest in the reproductive habits of wolves, it was all unfamiliar information.
The expansion of her knowledge brought on a slight dizziness.
Astina did not even have time to sort through her confusion. With a sympathetic expression, Baroness Pallet gently squeezed Astina’s hand before leaving.
