Chapter 1

Kendrick O’Jear! That damned man was still the master of the Pleasure Palace. Perhaps it was naive to think he would stop after marriage.

Crazy bastard, filthy pimp! Scoundrel!

On the day of their wedding, how sweetly he whispered in Jenna’s ear.

He said he only needed funds to strike against Derek O’Jear, and once he had enough money to hire mercenaries, he wouldn’t do such things. It was all nonsense. Deceiving his innocent bride while still managing prostitutes was his life’s pleasure.

Lady Jenna Fleur Herbon, or rather, no longer by that name but now as the Grand Duchess Jenna Fleur O’Jear of Fargone, she infiltrated the brothel known as the “Pleasure Palace” located on the outskirts of the capital city of Fargone, Rodias Castle.

Originally, she never went anywhere without Magda, who was both her maid and nanny, and her escort knight, Cloud. But… driven mad by her husband’s neglect after marriage, she came chasing after him.

Despite her poor riding skills, she rode all the way here to catch the runaway pimp, and her groin felt shattered from the ride. But Jenna didn’t slow her pace even as she awkwardly walked after dismounting.

Soon, a large door appeared before her. She pulled the hood of her thick gray robe deeper over the thin dress she wore and stood in front of the massive iron door.

There were only two guards at the brothel’s iron door. Jenna chose the fatter of the two to speak to.

She lied, saying her child was sick and her husband was here, and slipped a silver coin worth 1 Kurilka into the guard’s palm while sniffing. The guard clicked his tongue once and opened the heavy iron door just a little. Enough for Jenna to force herself through.

As soon as she entered, she pressed herself against the wall. She did it not to be noticed, but seeing the inside, it was pointless.

The walls and floor seemed coated with melted gold, everything gleaming, and the hall was bustling with dozens of men and prostitutes.

The prostitutes, with their hair elegantly styled and adorned with colorful feathers, were shockingly n*ked. Not a single thread covered them, their stiff n*pples painted gold, and they wandered around nonchalantly.

The men’s eyes were all fixed on the prostitutes’ groins. The scent of musk was overpowering, and the soft lute music accompanied the wet sounds of flesh being sucked! Even if Jenna dropped her robe and sang about the Grand Duchess’s arrival, it seemed no one would pay attention.

Feeling slightly relieved, she scanned the vast golden hall, looking for Kendrick O’Jear.

Having seen what the Pleasure Palace was like, she had to see her husband’s state. However, there was no sign of him on the first-floor hall. Soon, she spotted a large statue hiding the stairs at the edge of the hall and quickly ascended.

The long corridor, lined with dozens of rooms on both sides, was covered with thick carpet. In stark contrast to the bustling hall, the second floor was eerily quiet. Yet, the sinister moans seeping through the closed doors made her skin crawl.

She swallowed hard. Honestly, she regretted coming here alone instead of leaving her husband to pimping. But then, a few steps ahead, a woman’s coquettish nasal voice came through a slightly open door.

“…Grand Duke, hmm? You’ve always been kind to me. You haven’t embraced me even after coming here after so long, ah, you can’t leave.”

Grand Duke?

If the woman wasn’t teasing a guest, the only one who could be called the Grand Duke in this country was Jenna’s husband, Kendrick O’Jear.

Standing before the door where the sound came from, Jenna considered flinging it open. But if Kendrick O’Jear wasn’t in the room, it would be a disaster. So, she quietly peeked her head through the door crack.

Inside the fairly large room, prostitutes who were completely n*ked, as in the hall, were lined up in front of a tall man. A woman with very firm b*ttocks was clinging to his neck.

Unable to see his face clearly, Jenna pushed her neck slightly further in. At that moment, the man, who was letting the woman lick his ear continuously, casually lifted his head. And at that moment, the two locked eyes.

Silver-streaked gray hair! The eyes that met Jenna’s were a cold light gray. My goodness, who else could that beautiful and arrogant face belong to but Kendrick O’Jear? Even with their gaze locked, he shamelessly didn’t push the woman away!

A scoundrel who deserves to be beaten to death.

Whether it was from shock or anger, Jenna found her knees trembling, and she staggered as she turned around and ran. She briefly glanced back to see if Kendrick O’Jear was following, but of course, he wasn’t.

Catching her breath at the end of the corridor, Jenna saw a pr*stitute, with her hair adorned with red feathers, being dragged into a room by a fat man. She quickly dashed to the entrance of the stairs leading to the first floor.

The hall was still crowded, so no one paid attention to Jenna, but just in case, she stood behind the large statue near the door, waiting for someone to enter or exit so she could slip out unnoticed.

However, the damned statue was not much of a hiding place.

She hadn’t noticed before going up, but the statue depicted a man and woman in the act of intercourse, with the man’s very thick member poised to enter the woman’s body, capturing the attention of everyone entering the hall. Standing behind it to hide would only draw attention.

She quickly moved away from it and ran to the door. As she turned away, her eyes went back to the statue. Even upon second glance, the sculpted man’s member was indeed very large.

Kendrick O’Jear’s was just like that.

Suddenly, she remembered the one time she had seen her husband’s enormous member. If only that was all she remembered. The cold, clear gray eyes she had just encountered also came to mind. She remembered the night those eyes turned dark red like the finest ruby.

That should have been enough. Damn it, what more does he need to stop coming here!

She denied to herself that the tears welling up were from being hurt by Kendrick O’Jear, insisting it was purely from anger.

Jenna quietly closed the door of the Pleasure Palace and stepped into the darkness where there wasn’t a single ray of light.

She had come out secretly after waiting for everyone to fall asleep, riding a horse she hadn’t even properly faced. In her distress over her husband’s pimping, she seemed to have thrown the reins anywhere. It was dark and eerie, and now even the horse… had run away.

Although Fargone was a very poor country, it was absurd for a Grand Duchess to search for a horse in the dark woods at night.

If Jenna had been her usual sharp self, she would have immediately returned to the Pleasure Palace, bribed the guards with a few more Kurilkas, and borrowed a mule. But could her mind work right now? Her husband was pimping, lining up prostitutes!

She even saw a n*ked woman with a very cute butt hugging Kendrick O’Jear’s neck and licking his ear. At that moment, Jenna gasped, and her eyes met Kendrick’s cold, clear gray ones. Though she escaped without looking back, recalling that gaze made her heart ache terribly.

Even when she hinted at it, he pretended not to notice and only blushed. Is this what it’s come to? Well, with hundreds of prostitutes, he could pick any of them, so why would he be interested in someone like her?

Why did she lose sleep planning strategies and setting military rules to help such a scoundrel? Fool, she should have just gotten drunk on Sakarum Rum and passed out.

Such bitter thoughts led the Grand Duchess of Fargone to trudge into the deep forest behind the Pleasure Palace,

But… where is this place?

As such a foolish question floated in her mind, she realized she was pretending to be brave but was actually very frightened, having impulsively entered a terrifying forest without a torch, where wild beasts might appear.

The divine artifact embedded in Jenna’s hand, Stone Killer, attracts animals. There was a high possibility that predators like bears or wolves might approach.

‘Stone Killer!’

Panicked, Jenna rolled her ring gently, trying to summon Stone Killer. Her life was in danger, yet the divine artifact seemed to be asleep, offering no response. It would usually pop up noisily when told to be quiet, but now, with its owner at risk, it remained silent. How could she have trusted such a thing as a divine artifact?

Her steps grew slower, and the silence was so profound it was terrifying. Giant, dark trees seemed to dance around Jenna, spinning in circles with her at the center. No matter how much she walked, she felt trapped in a maze, returning to the same place, her legs gradually losing strength, making her want to sit down. Jenna lowered herself, intending to rest for a moment.

Just then, she heard a rustling sound right behind her. Shortly after, she felt hot breath on the nape of her neck.

Ah! A wolf?!