Chapter 1

The bedroom was illuminated only by the moonlight pouring through the window. It was a quiet dawn, a time when everyone should have been deep in slumber, yet the room was filled with heat.

Catherine, her head lowered in concentration, suddenly lifted her gaze. Henry, who had been lightly pressing down on her head, leaned back in response to her movement.

“Haa… Haa…”

She was out of breath. Despite her best efforts to accommodate him, Henry was far too large for her. Gasping for air, her shoulders rose and fell, and Henry gave a faint chuckle, seemingly amused by her struggle.

“You’re pushing yourself too hard.”

He was always like this. Unlike her, who was often impatient, Henry was perpetually calm and composed. Catherine wanted to see his composed face lose its serenity, to see his expression contort. That’s why she did things she wouldn’t have dared to attempt in the past, all to provoke him. The results, however, were always disastrous.

“I think it’s about time you climbed up.”

Henry spoke in his usual nonchalant tone, pulling her arm. Catherine, who was kneeling between his legs, looked visibly disappointed. She had thought pressing her lips to his most intimate part would make him lose control and pounce on her in excitement, but once again, his face remained as tranquil as ever.

Catherine was a fiercely competitive person. Her maternal grandfather, the Duke of Orleans, had raised her to be an exemplary bride from a very young age. Beyond etiquette, he had even taught her academic subjects that were considered too challenging for women, all to ensure she would surpass the daughters of other noble families.

But perhaps his ideals were too lofty. The Duke of Orleans rarely praised her with kind words, instead urging her to become an even more exceptional woman through cold and demanding remarks. Having lost her parents at a young age and left alone, Catherine desperately craved the attention and love of her only remaining family member. She never once rebelled against him and merely obeyed his words.

As a result of being oppressed and criticized during a time when she should have been showered with love, Catherine developed a personality that ensured she accomplished whatever she set her mind to. She believed that if she worked hard enough, her grandfather might embrace her warmly, just once.

That naive hope was shattered when the Duke arbitrarily arranged her marriage. She realized then that all the rigorous education her grandfather had imposed on her wasn’t to make her an outstanding individual but merely to secure a prestigious alliance for the family. For Catherine, who had struggled her entire life to win her grandfather’s approval, this realization was as devastating as the collapse of her entire world.

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

Henry called out to her, pulling her closer when he noticed she was lost in thought.

Henry Leonard.

He was the husband she had chosen as her means of revenge against her grandfather.

A knight branded as a devil who delighted in bloodshed and slaughter—that was the nickname that followed Henry like a shadow. His face was said to be so grotesque that it was unbearable to look at, and he was rumored to kill people mercilessly if even slightly displeased. His name was so taboo in social circles that it wasn’t even spoken aloud. When Catherine proposed marriage to such a man, the Duke of Orleans was utterly horrified.

She couldn’t help but feel a twinge of satisfaction when she saw her grandfather’s ashen face. Was it wrong to feel that way? Rising as Henry guided her, Catherine looked down at him.

Contrary to the rumors, Henry’s appearance was strikingly handsome. Thinking back to her wedding night, when she had anxiously worried about facing a monstrously grotesque beast, she couldn’t help but smile. His towering physique and well-defined features were nothing short of impressive.

“Nothing.”

Catherine, her cheeks flushed, tried her best to maintain a cold expression. To Henry, however, she looked nothing but adorable. He could see right through her, sensing the peculiar competitiveness that arose whenever he failed to react as she expected. Smiling faintly, he pulled her onto his lap.

As she tumbled onto his lap, the heat she had momentarily forgotten while thinking about her grandfather came rushing back. His firm chest and the muscles beneath it provided solid support for her body. Henry’s physique, honed through countless battles, was more imposing and robust than any other man’s. Catherine’s face grew even redder. Despite having been physically intimate with him for a month now, she still remained shy under his touch.

“Ah…!”

Without hesitation, Henry’s hand moved to her thighs. It was as if he was dissatisfied with the fact that she had stripped him bare but still wore her undergarments. His fingers began to explore beneath her thin fabric, which offered no resistance.

Sliding one finger under her underwear, he used another to stroke the folds of her most intimate area. Catherine reacted immediately, her back arching as her thighs tightened around his waist.

The soft pressure of her thighs gripping his waist felt pleasing. Smirking faintly, Henry placed a light kiss on her neck.

It was the first time he had touched her body since they entered the bedroom. Catherine, who had confidently undressed him in hopes of seeing his flustered face, now found herself completely at his mercy. His fingers moved slowly, teasing her, and occasionally pressed firmly against the sensitive bud at the top of her folds. Catherine’s grip on his shoulders tightened, and she tilted her head back, letting out a soft moan.

The sound of her voice, faint and indistinguishable from her breathing, seemed to frustrate Henry. He pushed his fingers deeper inside her, determined to elicit a louder response. Just as Catherine wanted to see him lose control, Henry wanted to hear her cry out in pleasure. It was as if a strange sense of competition had taken root between them.

“Your face might look prim and proper, but down here, you’re nothing but indecent.”

His words were meant to tease her for how quickly she became wet under his touch. Despite her outwardly innocent appearance, Henry found her uninhibited nature in bed deeply satisfying.

And the fact that he was the only one who knew this side of her made it even better.

Her face turned crimson at his teasing. Embarrassed, she bit her lip and glared at him with fiery eyes, which only made her look even cuter. Did she realize how irresistibly charming she was when she reacted so vividly to his every word? Smiling, Henry moved his fingers deeper.

“Let me hear more of that pretty voice.”

With his free hand, Henry tugged at the negligee draped over her shoulder. Before Catherine could react, the thin fabric slid down, exposing her chest.

Just as he was about to take one of her br*asts into his mouth, Henry suddenly froze, inhaling sharply.

“W-Wait.”

Catherine, who had been lost in the sensations he was giving her, had reached out and grabbed his hardened length with her hand. The unexpected move left Henry momentarily stunned, his chest rising and falling as he tried to collect himself. Catherine leaned closer and whispered in a low voice.

“Then, every time you see me, you get hard like this. Does that make you… a beast in heat?”

Her breath brushed against his ear, sending shivers down his spine. The sensation traveled from his ear, down the back of his neck, and along his spine. 

Where on earth did she learn such things? 

It was hard to believe that the tearful, timid girl from their wedding night was the same provocative woman before him now. Without responding, Henry’s shoulders trembled as Catherine began to move her hand up and down.

“You’re truly…”

Henry growled through gritted teeth. It felt as if all the blood in his body was rushing to his groin. Even with her light touch, he was utterly captivated by her movements.

Catherine might think he was always calm and composed, but in truth, he wasn’t as unaffected as he seemed. As a well-trained knight, he was adept at concealing his emotions and maintaining a neutral expression. However, when it came to intimate moments with a woman, he was far from immune. Fortunately, Catherine hadn’t yet realized this about him.

What was he supposed to do with this irresistible woman who retaliated with such charm at every teasing remark? Wrapping his arms around her waist, Henry suddenly stood, lifting her with him. Forced to cling to him, Catherine had no choice but to release her grip on his lower half.

He embraced her waist, while she encircled his shoulders, and their eyes met. Depending solely on the soft moonlight to see each other’s faces turned out to be far more stimulating than expected. They say when one sense is restricted, the others become heightened. Unable to clearly see each other in the dim light, the physical contact between their bodies felt all the more vivid.

Oddly enough, meeting his gaze now was far more embarrassing for Catherine than when her face had been buried between his legs earlier. Unable to withstand the intensity of Henry’s serious gaze, she tried to turn her head away, but he quickly leaned in and kissed her.