Chapter 11

Two days passed after their intense intimacy.

Estelle, barely able to return to normal life, walked toward the drawing room. As she entered, Raphael was drinking coffee and handling his duties as Young Duke. He looked up from his papers at the sound of her presence.

He handed the documents he was holding to the attendant waiting nearby, then instructed the servant to serve tea for her.

Soon, steaming peppermint tea was placed on the tea table.

Estelle sat across from him and carefully picked up her teacup. She wanted to ask if she could have contraceptive tea… but she couldn’t speak in front of Raphael. His face, today, looked especially bright—almost ominously so.

Estelle took a sip of the peppermint tea and asked,

“Why did you call me?”

She never spoke informally in front of servants, so her tone was calm. Everyone here already knew about her indecent relationship with Raphael, so even if she acted plainly, she was nothing more than a beast that had slept with her brother. They would treat her as nothing more or less, but if she herself broke down, everything would be ruined.

Thinking about it made her too ashamed to lift her face, but even if she crumbled, she had to do what needed to be done.

Raphael smiled at her question and briefly sent everyone out of the drawing room. Instead of answering, he brought up another subject.

“Was the s*x too much? You couldn’t leave the bedroom all day yesterday, so I was worried. Are your legs okay?”

It wasn’t that her legs were injured, just that his relentless movements left her tingling from her waist to her toes, making it hard to move. Estelle frowned and asked again,

“I said, why did you call me?”

“Speak casually to me, Estelle.”

“Why did you call me?”

If she didn’t give him what he wanted, this quarrel would never end. She knew from dozens of experiences and reluctantly complied with his demand.

Raphael’s smile deepened, clearly pleased by Estelle’s informal speech. The more he smiled, the more anxious Estelle became. Soon, his neat lips parted.

“Estelle, it’s been eight years since we met. Before Father tries any more tricks, shouldn’t we settle things?”

When he had spoken in the bedroom about ending things, it wasn’t a joke. Someone who had decided to pay such a tremendous price had nothing to fear.

Estelle was the opposite. The price Raphael had to pay pushed her fiercely; she even attempted to escape. That was how terrifying it was, and she hoped the reality wouldn’t come closer.

But her hope was already shattered, and a more expl*cit declaration came from Raphael’s lips. Estelle stiffened.

“How about announcing our engagement officially before you’re married off to another man? Then we can choose the venue. If you want, I can even rent the Brutus Bishop’s Hall in the Imperial Annex. We’ll have a grand wedding there. For the dress, I’m thinking of commissioning it from Paridune Atelier, which is currently the most renowned in the Empire.”

“‥‥‥.”

“If you carry the bouquet I’ve chosen, you’ll be the most beautiful bride in the world. On that day, you’ll be my Goddess. Even those annoying pests who used to hover around will never dare approach you again.”

Raphael, murmuring without blinking an eye, already wore a smile as if dreaming of a rosy future.

Estelle, shocked, couldn’t utter a single word. The teacup in her hand trembled, so she hurriedly set it down on the tea table.

Her breathing became intermittent.

She thought the price for her escape would simply be to bear the child he wanted, but it wasn’t just that. He wanted to make her his legitimate wife, to prove to everyone that she was Raphael’s spouse.

If she failed to fulfill her purpose after being adopted by Duke Pellia’s household, she wouldn’t be registered in the family. But to become family in another sense… It was something a Young Duke should never do. No, it was something a human should never do. To the nobility, she would look like an animal that had given up being human.

She spoke.

“Even if we’re not related by blood, we’re siblings in name. You know we can’t be accepted in a noble society. Do you really have to go this far? Do you have to throw yourself in ruin?”

Estelle, who usually never revealed her true feelings, had to show at least a fragment of sincerity at this moment. She couldn’t join in such madness. She loved him, so it was all the more impossible.

But then—

“Estelle, I’m not asking for your consent.”

“‥‥‥!”

“You already rejected the chance I gave you. Did you think you’d still have other choices? If you didn’t want things to come this far, you should have pushed me down decisively when I gave you the emerald ring. Your clumsy mercy created the result we have now. Though, thanks to that, I made up my mind.”

Raphael suddenly stood up from his chair and approached her. Estelle wanted to escape the drawing room immediately, but she couldn’t even lift her legs. Suddenly, her body had no strength.

Raphael, standing right behind Estelle, placed both hands gently on her frail shoulders. He lowered his head and whispered softly in her ear.

“There’s nothing to worry about. Your reputation, your safety… I’ll protect it no matter what. Even if noble society refuses to accept us, it doesn’t matter. I’ll make it happen, even if it means staining it with blood.”

His last words were chilling. Estelle’s gaze trembled uncontrollably. The more she conversed with him, the more his words were filled with resentment toward the nobility. He even uttered words that hinted at rebellion without hesitation. How was she supposed to accept this?

Estelle forced herself to speak firmly.

“This will never be a blessed wedding. Not just the Imperial Family, but Father won’t stand by either. Everything will be destroyed.”

“It’s fine if it’s destroyed, Estelle. How adorable. Even though you know exactly who killed Duke Blythe, you keep your mouth shut until the end.”

“‥‥‥.”

“The way you pretend not to know drives me crazy. You know it makes you even more lovable, right? You can keep looking away. Just stay still. I’ll take care of the rest.”

Raphael murmured as if his lips were about to touch Estelle’s ear, then gently kissed her cheek. Soon after, he took a small case out of his pants pocket and opened the lid.

Estelle, unable to turn her head with him standing so close behind, saw Raphael forcibly slip a diamond ring onto her left ring finger before she could even recognize it.

He hadn’t even asked her for her finger size… He had crafted a ring that fit perfectly on her middle finger. Perhaps he guessed her hand size from all their nights together?

The dazzling diamond made Estelle turn pale with a chilling fear rather than joy.

However, Raphael acted as if he didn’t notice, not even looking at her face at this crucial moment. His head remained lowered.

“This is an engagement ring made from diamond roughs specially imported from a distant country. It’s sudden, but I hope you like it. I put a lot of care into preparing it.”

Raphael firmly stated, making it clear he wouldn’t allow her any right to refuse, and only smiled seductively.

Estelle’s eyelids trembled in shock, but she managed to endure it. Her mind was dizzy.

Was his unusually bright face when she met him in the drawing room simply because of this?

The more she thought, the more it felt like she was teetering on the edge of a cliff, swaying with each step forward. She erased her thoughts for a moment, overwhelmed by the sensation.

Raphael looked down at her, who showed no reaction, then hugged her from behind. Estelle, unable to escape from his arms, could only breathe faintly for a while.