3.8 

“Are you thinking about the Young Master holding the yellow rose as he left?”  

At the mention of the Young Master, Lucius’s eyes briefly flashed with irritation. Cursing under his breath, he obsessively rubbed her cl*toris, still keeping her folded in half.  

For a moment, Clara wondered if her back might break before this act was over.  

“Well, unlike me—ugh—he’s gentle, isn’t he?”  

“Ahh, ugh, ahhh, no, Lucius, I wasn’t thinking of him, ugh.”  

Desperate to clear up the misunderstanding, Clara blurted out what had been on her mind.  

As soon as he heard her explanation, Lucius’s thrusts slowed, then stopped. For a moment, his expression seemed dazed, but then he smirked and resumed thrusting hard.  

“Ahh, ahhh, not so fast, please.”  

“That’s right. My Belle only thinks of me.”  

“Lucius, ugh!”  

“Yeah. You always have, and you still do.”  

Fortunately, Clara’s response seemed to please him. Though his movements remained strong, they became noticeably gentler than before.  

But was it her imagination, or had his shaft grown even larger?  

“Ha, no one else makes me this hard but you, Belle.”  

“Ugh, ahh, ahh.”  

After a few more thrusts, Lucius grabbed her waist and the back of her head, pulling her upright. He lay back on the bed and positioned Clara on top of him.  

Caught off guard, Clara placed her palms on his chest for balance. Just moments ago, she had been folded beneath him, but now she was straddling him.  

The new position was more comfortable than before, but the sensations below were anything but. Even the slightest movement made the tip of his shaft rake against her insides.  

Clara moaned, unable to decide whether to move or stay still, while Lucius lay back casually, observing her.  

“Ahh, ahhh, Lucius.”  

Clara was at a loss atop him. Moving was overwhelming, but staying still only encouraged Lucius to thrust up into her.  

“P-Please, ahh, ugh.”  

“What? Is it too much?”  

“Ugh, ahhh, yes.”  

Clara nodded repeatedly, pleading for him to do something. Her trembling lips and desperate expression made Lucius smirk.  

Her round, full br*asts bounced as she struggled to handle the overwhelming pleasure. The sight was breathtaking.  

Even Lucius had to admit, as much as he hated to, that he enjoyed seeing Clara in such a state. Of course, only within the confines of the bedroom.  

Watching her writhe in pleasure, trying to resist the sensations he gave her, was a sight he found irresistibly beautiful.  

“P-Please, ahh, Lucius.”  

After all, the Clara who usually addressed him as “Baron” with utmost formality was now crying out his name affectionately.  

“What should I do for you?”  

With that, Lucius gave a powerful upward thrust. Clara trembled violently, collapsing forward. But she couldn’t fall completely, as Lucius held her shoulders firmly.  

“Please, Lucius, ahh.”  

“Just saying ‘please’ won’t get you what you want, Clara.”  

“Finish inside me…”  

Tears welled up in Clara’s eyes. Despite her embarrassment and shame, she had once barged into his room with innocent eyes, staring at his shaft in fascination.  

Thinking of that moment made Lucius chuckle.  

“Do you want me to cum inside? Hm?”  

Lucius sat up slightly, licking the tears from her eyes before whispering softly into her ear.  

Clara, now less overwhelmed than before, nodded repeatedly, tears still streaming down her face. Lucius gazed at her lovingly.  

“Alright, I’ll make you come as many times as you want.”  

“No, ahh, ahhh, ahhh!”  

Lucius gently rubbed her cl*toris, pressing down on her weak spot until she reached her peak.  

Clara’s back arched as white light flashed before her eyes. Waves of pleasure coursed through her, and she cried out as she cl*maxed, still holding him inside her.  

“Ahh, ahh, no, ugh…”  

“‘No,’ huh? But you loved it so much the servants outside probably heard everything.”  

“Ahh, ugh…”  

Clara collapsed forward, resting her forehead against his chest. She could hear his teasing voice but had no strength to respond.  

“Did you enjoy it?”  

“I’m exhausted…”  

Her exhaustion was no exaggeration. Clara was utterly drained, her thighs still trembling. Yet, she couldn’t ignore the presence of his still-hard shaft.  

“Are we going again?”  

“Well, I haven’t finished yet.”  

Lucius gently wiped the sweat off her back with a cloth.

“I’ll have to feed you well. Your stamina just can’t keep up.”  

“Ha, don’t you think you’re just too strong, Baron?”  

At some point, her way of addressing him had reverted to “Baron.” Lucius found this incredibly endearing. 

Was she already back to being formal after feeling everything she could? 

Chuckling softly, Lucius pulled her tightly into his arms.  

“I’ll leave it in just a little longer before pulling out.”  

“Really?”  

“If I go any further, you might end up too sore down there.”

Clara blushed deeply at his words. It was a little uncomfortable and stung slightly, but it wasn’t unbearable. She thought they could continue just fine.  

“Just lend me your hand. I’ll finish quickly.”  

Though she wondered why he didn’t intend to go all the way, Clara was too tired to argue and nodded obediently. Using her soft hands, she stroked his sticky shaft repeatedly. Each time Lucius’s moans echoed in her ears, her body involuntarily twitched below, but she chose to ignore her own reactions.  

“Ha, Clara.”  

Lucius nibbled on her earlobe, his breathy moans sending shivers down her spine. Clara squeezed her eyes shut.  

‘Ah, seriously.’  

How could she resist when he acted like this? She continued moving her hand, meeting his gaze directly. The raw desire in his eyes only fueled her own.  

Clara covered his lips with hers as if to silence him. Yes, there was plenty of time, but fleeting moments like this were short. Just a little longer.  

* * *  

Serena couldn’t understand.  

She thought she had handled everything well, so how had it come to this?  

Curled up in the prison cell, she trembled. All she had done was entertain the Earl a little and request a single rumor to be spread.  

Sure, it was a rumor that ruined another woman’s life, but so what?  

‘So what if I dealt with a lady who flaunted her betrothal and Lucius in my face?’  

For something so trivial, she had to be imprisoned? Lumped together with major criminals?  

Serena bit her lip.  

She didn’t deserve a punishment this severe. How was she to know that old Earl had been embezzling funds from the Emperor?  

Burying her face in her filthy dress, she consoled herself. She would be released soon. After all, she was still the daughter of a Viscount. Her father wouldn’t abandon her.  

“Serena.”  

A man’s voice called out to her from above. Serena’s head shot up. Even in the dim prison, his dazzling golden hair was unmistakable.  

“Lu-Lucius!”  

Serena jumped to her feet. He was the last person she expected, but also the one she had most longed to see.  

She crawled on her knees to the bars and clung to them, pleading to the man who looked down at her indifferently.  

“You came to see me, Baron.”  

“Ha.”  

Lucius exhaled heavily, and Serena hastily wiped her face with the hem of her dress. She had been here too long; her once-beautiful face must have become filthy.  

Watching her scrub at her face, Lucius clicked his tongue. Even now, she hadn’t learned her lesson. No matter how much she wiped with that dirty cloth, her face wouldn’t become clean.  

The same went for her actions.  

“Wait a moment. I didn’t expect to meet you in such a state, Baron.”  

“It doesn’t matter. I didn’t come here to see your face.”  

His cold words made Serena freeze. 

Of course. He hadn’t come just to look at me. He had come to take responsibility for me, hadn’t he?  

“Yes, yes! Baron, I knew you wouldn’t abandon me. I’ve waited so long.”  

“Abandon you? Me?”  

“I haven’t done anything wrong. That old Earl, he—”  

“I know.”  

Lucius crouched down to meet her eye level. For someone once called the greatest beauty of the Empire, her current state was pitiful.  

Clara should have seen this.  

Then she wouldn’t feel so insecure about her own beauty. She constantly asked him, several times a day, if he truly thought she was pretty. It seemed she needed reassurance to ease her insecurities.  

Lucius couldn’t understand why. Clara had never been anything but beautiful, even as a child.  

She and this filthy woman were worlds apart.  

Smirking, Lucius lowered his voice.  

“All of this was my plan, Serena.”  

“…What?”  

“That’s what you get for messing with my people. You deserve to carry those filthy rumors alone.”  

“Baron…”  

She had known he cared for someone else. But to destroy her completely over a single rumor?  

“What did I do to deserve this? All I did was stray briefly because you wouldn’t pay attention to me. Why—”  

“If you were going to sell yourself to that old Earl, you should’ve done it quietly. Well, thanks to you, I’ve managed to sever ties with him entirely. Still, losing that old Earl was a significant loss.”  

Lucius clicked his tongue.  

For over five years, he had been investigating the nobles under orders from the Crown Prince. When he discovered the old Earl had been embezzling Imperial funds, he had hoped to use it as leverage.

But covering up Clara’s rumor had ruined that opportunity. There was no way he could forgive Serena for causing this mess.

“Your father won’t come for you. I gave him a choice: you, his daughter, or his title.”

“You… You’ve lived like a playboy all this time, just to settle down with that girl? You could’ve aimed higher! Even I, called the Flower of the Empire, wasn’t a bad choice!”

Lady Serena screamed. 

All of this had been his plan? How could he go to such lengths for that plain, scrawny girl?  

“Even if you didn’t love me, we shared a bed! Surely, there was some attachment!”  

“Ha. Why are you like this?”  

Lucius tapped her head lightly with his fingers.  

“Attachment? I was just using you to relieve stress, and you were using me as a trophy. Neither of us was sincere.”  

With that, Lucius stood up. Dusting off his clothes, he looked down at her with the same indifferent expression.  

“Baron Lucius, don’t go.”  

“We’ll see each other again. I need to personally ensure everything is wrapped up.”  

With those words, Lucius left coldly. Serena glared after his retreating figure into the darkness. But no matter how much she glared, there was nothing she could do. All she could do was cling to the bars and cry endlessly.