Chapter 5

She couldn’t tell if the servants had already heard her moans and were pretending not to notice, or if they really hadn’t. As her reason slipped away, Estelle felt so ashamed she wished she could die.

She knew all too well that scandalous rumors circulated about her in this Dukedom. She tried to act as if she hadn’t heard them.

That was why Duke Pellia kept the news of Estelle’s engagement to Raphael hidden from him until now. Normally, he would have known much earlier….

Unable to keep her balance, Estelle knocked the tea table over to the side. With a loud crash, she nearly fell to the floor, but Raphael, who was greedily thrusting into her, did not let go easily. His hands gripped her forearms tightly.

Even the tip of his tongue, which had been licking the nape of her neck, left her.

A voice came from behind the door.

“Miss, is something the matter? May I open the door for a moment?”

The servant surely knew Raphael was inside with her, yet deliberately addressed Estelle, who was the easier master to serve.

Her legs trembling, Estelle had no choice but to lean on Raphael, unable to open her mouth easily. She feared that if she said even a word, a cry would escape.

If her silence was taken as consent, Estelle’s anxious eyes shook.

There was a world of difference between suspicion and actually witnessing the scene. The moment the rumor became reality, Estelle’s honor would be ruined. The Dukedom’s reputation would be destroyed as well.

What would happen to her then?

If the servant opened the door and saw the ducal lady in such a disheveled state, joined with someone between her legs….

And if that someone was Raphael—her “brother.”

It would become a scandal for the ages. She would be remembered forever as a woman who broke taboos. The fact they weren’t blood-related wouldn’t matter to them.

She was the illegitimate child of the Dukedom, after all….

All these thoughts raced through Estelle’s mind in just a few seconds, making her dizzy. She wished she could just disappear.

“Do not enter. I am giving my sister a brief lesson. Gather at the bedroom door in thirty minutes. Stay away from this area. Keep your mouths shut so there’s no unnecessary commotion.”

The warning of the Young Duke came through the door, telling them to keep things quiet no matter what they heard.

Raphael answered in Estelle’s place.

The servant clearly understood the warning and did not touch the door again. Unable to disobey, they immediately dispersed as the Young Duke ordered.

Estelle relaxed for a moment, hearing the footsteps fade away. She hadn’t yet been branded a shameless woman tangled with her brother. If she could just end this relationship, everything could be restored.

And then, without protest, she could marry Duke Blythe. That’s what she thought.

“Ah…!”

Maybe he realized she was thinking about something else, because the thick head of his shaft thrust deeply inside. The feeling of being taken from behind brought tears to her eyes, but the tip pressing against her womb showed no mercy.

Raphael pressed his lips to her ear and whispered.

“What are you thinking about? You were trembling with fear.”

“Ah, ugh…”

“With you so frightened, do you think you can pretend to hate me and push me away, Estelle?”

Even as the tea table toppled, Raphael did not stop his vigorous thrusts; instead, he picked up speed again. His shaft, swollen to bursting, pushed forward, then retreated as if stirring her insides, overturning everything within her. Her delicate flesh clung to him, stretching with each movement.

Estelle’s arms, trapped by Raphael, bent at strange angles every time her upper body tilted. With nowhere else to lean, she depended on him, unable to move like someone pinned against a wall.

With each of Raphael’s thrusts, Estelle’s full chest bounced.

The stimulation, deep and relentless, made her womb feel as if hot lava was bubbling inside. Her lower entrance pulsed uncontrollably, regardless of her will.

The fluids flowing between her legs had already reached her ankles, leaving marks on the floor.

The pleasure built up in her softened walls brought a tingling sensation. Once again, she reached her limit, knowing she could not endure any longer.

When his vigorous shaft finally pressed against the sensitive spot at the entrance to her womb….

“Ugh! Aaah, ahh…!”

Estelle screamed, her legs trembling and twisting in convulsions. If Raphael hadn’t been supporting her, she would have collapsed helplessly onto the floor.

As she kept leaning forward, he moved and fell onto the bed. His shaft, still lodged between her intimate parts, pulsed and released, spilling his seed deep inside her.

Even as his body pressed down on her again, Estelle could not move a single finger. All her nerves focused on the spreading warmth in her lower belly.

She needed to escape Raphael’s arms before the servants returned, but her body would not obey her urgent mind.

As her labored breathing slowly calmed, she was overwhelmed by exhaustion. She struggled to lift her eyelids, but it was impossible.

Defeated, she closed her eyes as sleep took over.

***

When Estelle finally managed to open her eyes, it was already a dark evening. Lying flat on the bed, she slowly raised her upper body. A groan escaped her lips as pain flared in her hips.

After passing out from her intense encounter with Raphael, worry immediately filled her mind as she came to.

The servants…? Raphael…?

She looked around, but nothing could be seen in the dim light. Estelle’s legs felt weak, but she tried to get off the bed anyway. She needed to assess the situation to defend herself from whatever might come next.

Could it be that she had fainted and their improper relationship had been discovered? The anxiety was indescribable. Each time she moved on the bed, the soft chemise touched her skin. Her torn dress had been replaced, and there was no strange sensation between her legs. Someone had cleaned up after her.

Estelle’s face hardened.

“Don’t overdo it. Stay lying down.”

At the familiar voice, she trembled for a moment. The presence approaching from nearby was unmistakable.

The person picked up the candle on the bedside table and lit it, brightening the darkness. As she expected, Raphael’s face appeared in the flickering candlelight.

He gave her a vague smile, impossible to read, and added,

“You’re awake now, Estelle.”

Her cold blue eyes were subdued.

***

After Estelle collapsed from exhaustion following their intense lovemaking, Raphael pulled himself away and personally wiped between her legs with a handkerchief.

Then, as the Young Duke had ordered, when the servants gathered again thirty minutes later, he shamelessly lied to them.

He claimed he had given her a long lecture out of annoyance at the hidden engagement news, and Estelle had fainted from exhaustion….

Most of the servants didn’t believe Raphael’s assertion, but they all pretended to know nothing. None had actually opened the door to confirm whether the two had been joined together. They knew that loose lips could cost them their heads instantly….

So they did not forget the Young Duke’s warning.

The servants quietly withdrew after wiping Estelle’s body with a wet cloth and changing her into a chemise as she lay unconscious on the bed.

Raphael watched her sleeping quietly for a while, then left the room for a short time. He returned only in the late afternoon to check on Estelle’s condition.

Since she was still asleep, he couldn’t speak to her.

After waiting, when Estelle finally came to and saw his face, her wariness was almost amusing to him. He simply lit the candle and smiled as he looked down at her.

Even to his question about whether she was awake, she gave no answer.

It had always been a one-sided love for him…. Still, Raphael was not impatient. He was convinced that, given enough time, Estelle would have no choice but to accept his feelings.

If only Duke Pellia, who wasn’t much of a father, would stop interfering…. The simple scheme to have her engaged to Duke Blythe was an unexpected obstacle. To pair Estelle with someone so unsuitable… It was a truly fatherly act, and it disgusted him.

It wasn’t long before Estelle, unable to hide her wariness, opened her mouth. Even in the faint candlelight, her swollen lips were visible, dry and chapped.

“Were you here the whole time until I woke up?”

“No.”

“Then why are you here? It’s evening, and you’re here without the room owner’s permission.”

“Is that all you want to say?”

Estelle wanted to ask other things, but couldn’t bring herself to speak. Only her eyes moved.

Raphael, knowing what she was worried about, briefly muttered before bringing up his real purpose, 

“The servants didn’t catch us.”

She made a troubled expression but didn’t ask who had cleaned up after her. She didn’t want to know out of fear.

Estelle finally responded to his question.

“I have nothing to say.”

“That can’t be true, can it? Duke Blythe still stands between us.”

Though they had grown up in the same household, Raphael spoke of their relationship as something defined by the fact that he filled her womb with his seed—not that he was her brother.