Chapter 3 – Part 5

“Your Grace, please…!”
 
“Don’t squirm. All you have to do is rip it off, and I’ll be done with you.”
 
“What on earth do you want?”
 
“What you’re hiding under these skimpy clothes.”
 
For a moment, she felt her breath stop. Liese opened her eyes and gasped. As she froze, Marcus leaned in slowly.
 
“I need to know how good you look.”
 
His voice was crisp, almost humming, a cruel reminder that her feelings were none of his business.
 
Liese stared long and hard into his pale, dawn-like eyes, knowing she had no choice but to give in but holding on to a glimmer of hope.
 
As always, the resistance was futile.
 
Her hand slipped from his. The corners of his mouth twitched upward as he watched her give up.
 
“Stay where you are, and I’ll hear you out afterward.”
 
The knot around her trim waist loosened, and he grabbed the hem of her apron and tugged at it with a slow, steady tug. It was a terribly leisurely motion, as if he were savoring this moment piece by piece.
 
The white fabric fell away like a shroud. Liese stood helplessly, breathing heavily. She felt n*ked, even though her black dress still reached her ankles.
 
Marcus went on to unbutton the dress at the base of her neck. He stripped Liese, who was shaking with shame, down to her bare skin.
 
She wanted so badly to swat his hand away and run. But there was no escape from what she had walked into. Even if she did, there was no way to escape from a man who had no business taking advantage of a weak woman.
 
As the clothes around her upper body loosened, Liese closed her eyes, unable to watch any longer.
 
An overwhelming sense of helplessness washed over her. It was humiliating to be helpless in front of a man who undressed her so leisurely, and even if she had the strength to resist, she was forced to stand like a stone.
 
With a snap, the heavy dress fell to the floor, and she was now clad in a thigh-high white chemise.
 
The flimsy fabric showed off every inch of her body. Liese blanched, then raised one arm to cover her exposed chest. But the Duke held her back.
 
“Ah….”
 
The momentary hold was so strong that Liese let out a weak moan. Then she glared at him fiercely, looking like she might cry. Marcus responded with a loose smile.
 
His gaze swept over every inch of his body. From her sunken collarbone, to the fullness of her chest beyond the thin fabric, to the pronounced concavity of her abdomen beneath, to her outstretched calves. He took it all in.
 
With each breathless observation, a strange heat radiated from the duke’s n*ked torso. His breathing was heavy, and his scent was heavy. Liese had to take it all in in her see-through dress.
 
Soon, a large hand slithered up her wrist. Like a snake on a branch, it slithered up the smooth back of her arm and wrapped lightly around her elbow. A chill ran down my spine, past my broad shoulders, and settled near my hollow neck.
 
Liese swallowed down the flush that rose in her stomach at the sight of him touching every inch of exposed flesh. She’d felt the duke’s touch before, during a pat-down, and she knew the difference.
 
It was so different. His fingertips, once dry, now felt viscous and sticky. Liese was not stupid enough not to recognize the man’s arousal.
 
Rubbing her straightened collarbone, Marcus lightly grasped her slender neck. He stroked slowly over the pulse. The fur bristled against the smooth flesh.
 
For a moment, she thought he was going to strangle her.     
 
“……!”
 
When Liese opened her eyes in shock, the pressure was immediately released. That was all the contact.
 
“Not bad.”
 
Marcus blurted out after a long, long silence.
 
“I was wondering what you’d look like in something other than a maid’s outfit.”
 
Liese looked up at him with watery eyes.
 
“I need a partner.”
 
Marcus stared at her.
 
“A partner who will not leave my side during the social season, who will accompany me to every event. I want you to be that person.”
 
Liese was so nervous that she didn’t immediately understand what he meant. She crossed her arms and wrapped them around herself. She opened her mouth, barely able to contain the emotions that threatened to spill out.
 
“What do you want me to do? How do you want me to do it?”
 
“I want a woman who won’t pester me to marry her after the meeting is over, to be precise.”
 
If that was the only reason, Liese was the one. She had no desire to enter into a marriage with this arrogant, unscrupulous man.
 
“As you know, the event is being held after the end of the war, and they are all eager to mate like dogs in heat. They believe that a marriage in peacetime can harm you to the point of death, so you can understand that it is a most troublesome time for an unmarried man like me.”
 
“Do you think I could serve as your partner?”
 
“I think you would be perfect.”
 
Marcus laughed lightly.
 
“I want a scarecrow. A scarecrow that’s just right, that looks good, but is really nothing. It’s perfect for you.”
 
Clenching her fists tightly, Liese blinked back tears and glared at Marcus.
 
There was no malice in the duke’s misty eyes that threatened to tear her apart. Liese, expressing intense emotions, seemed restrained, like a cat raising its claws.
 
This man is sincerely genuine right now.
 
“Nevertheless, I have no interest in escorting around a woman who looks like a ragdoll. I can support you with dresses and jewelry for the event. I won’t ask for them back even after summer ends, so you can accept them as gifts from goodwill.”
 
“…….”
 
Even though she hated the Duke, Liese thought of the precious jewelry and gorgeous dresses befitting his partner. Things she could sell immediately after the summer and turn into living expenses.
 
She hated herself for weighing the price of an expensive object against the offer of an unscrupulous man. But it was what she and her family needed more than anything right now.
 
“Let’s consider it a simple contract. During the gathering, stand by my side as an implicit engagement partner, and once it’s over, cleanly return to your position. Before the harvest season comes, I’ll send you off to the orchard you cherish without hesitation.”
 
Liese stared, unable to open her mouth. Something was bothering her.
 
“What’s your answer?”
 
“…Let me get dressed first.”
 
Liese’s eyes dropped to the clothes on the floor. Marcus studied her flushed cheeks and the hollow of her neck in the darkness.
 
“Put it on.”
 
As soon as the high-pitched voice gave her permission to put it on, she knelt down and grabbed the dress.
 
With trembling hands, she frantically slipped her arms through. All the while, the Duke watched her. Liese covered her visible body through her fluttering chemise.
 
She hastily pulled on her black dress and rose to her feet. Her white apron was clutched tightly in her hands.
 
“I know I’m not in a position to ask questions, but there’s something I’d like to ask you.”
 
“Go ahead.”
 
“From the way you’ve described it, it sounds like my role is a little different than that of a mere social partner, if you’re a taciturn betrothed… or, more accurately, a duke’s lover.”
 
After a moment of silence, Marcus spoke up.
 
“Exactly. I want you to be seen as my lover without question.”
 
“Why does it have to be your lover?”
 
“You are the daughter of a fallen nobleman who didn’t even show up at the victory ceremony. If I were to suddenly attend a large-scale summer gathering with a woman like that, even an idiot who couldn’t tell the difference would think you were clearly pretending.”
 
He raised an eyebrow nonchalantly.
 
“…….”
 
“So I want it to look like we’ve been seeing each other since before summer, and I want to be thorough, so I’m laying the groundwork now. Do I need to explain more?”
 
“No. I understand.”
 
Liese shook her head. She knew exactly what he wanted. Except for one thing.
 
“As of this moment, you are no longer a maid. Instead, you will accompany me wherever I call until the social season begins.”
 
“And what exactly am I supposed to do during that time?”
 
“Stopping by the boutique and jeweler to get you outfitted, attending a few informal soirées, dining out periodically, and making yourself known to the nobility. You’ve signed on to serve me anyway, so you’ll be able to do that.”
 
If that were true, Liese would have to keep pace with this man for about three months between now and summer.
 
Could she do it? Pretend to be this evil man’s lover and no one else’s?
 
“You already owe me a debt, so you should obediently comply without any conditions, but considering your humble circumstances, I thought I would show you generosity.”
 
Liese swallowed dryly; this was what she wanted to know most.
 
“I will pay you five hundred guilders per call.”