“……”

The knuckles gripping the bottle turned white.

She lifted her chin even higher.

Aiden knew what that gesture signified.

His mistress was clinging to the last shred of her pride.

That was why she refused to smile at him in the same way she had at a stable hand or a maid.

“You won’t smile.”

He watched her elegant, sky-blue eyes cloud over with confusion.

He knew.

The woman standing stiffly before him would soon throw her arms around him and tell him she loved him.

“If you refuse, then you will be punished.”

“Punished…?”

Aiden slowly loosened his cravat and took off his shirt.

Taking her limp hand, he placed it against the scar on his waist, carved there by Jace Gould.

Her hand trembled faintly as she traced the scar.

“You’ve been taking the medicine yourself. So there’s no need to worry.”

“……”

“…Sveta.”

Sveta — my deceitful mistress.

This time, he was not going to overlook her lie.

Her thin shoulders trembled and her damp hair clung to them.

Aiden pulled the robe off her.

***

The Duke had once told her that, in his view, there was no difference between a mistress and a courtesan.

He had been honest with her from the outset. He had never showered her with empty compliments or claimed to like her.

She pretended not to hear his fine, resonant voice, which stirred her heart.

In his presence, she had almost forgotten to breathe, captivated by his dazzling face, which had wound its way around her heart like a chain.

It had always been her love alone. All this humiliation was her own doing.

Last night, many things had shattered.

The rosewood dresser trembled as if it might split apart, its surface now scarred with nail marks. The vase that had once adorned the quivering table had fallen and shattered.

But were those the only things fractured by the violence of their passion?

“I love you.”

“……”

“Please answer me, Your Grace.”

Even when she confessed again, desperately and shamelessly, he remained silent.

The silence was so humiliating that Sveta closed her eyes and turned her face away. Each time, a damp hand caught her chin and forced her to look at him.

The hand that held her in place slid downwards once more.

Instead of words, she received this cold cruelty.

That was the kind of man he was.

This unbearably beautiful man simply watched as she begged for love.

Staring up at his emotionless face, Sveta suddenly thought—

‘I wish you would hurt, just once.’

If he had been hurt even half as much as she had by his actions, perhaps he would understand how she felt.

Then he might finally grasp the extent of her pain.

Maybe he would regret it.

Yes — she wished he would.

The moment this thought crossed her mind, she seemed to hear Beth’s voice in her head.

“Think about what that perverted bastard has done to you. Of course you have to run. Don’t you?”

Her shattered love rolled down the slope of her tilting heart and tumbled away.

Gradually, the jagged edges of her heart were worn down.

She was too exhausted to try to put it back together.

“Sveta, this really isn’t right.”

Lost in her thoughts, she only came to her senses when she felt water splash against her back. But that was all. Her body was still too weary to move.

Even as the strong current beat against her, she remained curled up in the bath.

Beth let out heavy sighs and whispered softly.

“With that body of his, huge as a boulder… again he…”

“……”

Sveta lowered her head deeply. Damp hair clung miserably to her cheeks.

“Say something! Why are you so crushed today? Did something happen last night?”

“No. I’m just tired.”

Beth narrowed her eyes in disbelief. The freckles scattered across her cheeks trembled like scattered seeds.

“Really?”

“Yes. Yesterday… was the same as always.”

Nothing has changed.

She was nothing more than a slave in his bed.

She only realized it now, and it felt pathetic.

Everything had been so clear.

He had been this way from the beginning.

When Sveta didn’t move to stand up, Beth forced her to her feet.

Beth poured warm water over Sveta’s body, thick steam rising, and wrapped a towel around her.

“Stay still. I’ll do everything.”

“……”

Even as she slipped the robe over Sveta’s arms, Beth muttered angrily under her breath.

“All right. Now come out slowly.”

Sveta stood before the mirror with vacant eyes. Beth approached, carrying undergarments and a light brown dress.

Sveta got dressed without resisting and sat down in the chair, but her gaze remained clouded, like the surface of ice.

Beth scooped up a generous amount of oil and rubbed it into Sveta’s hair. Sveta began to breathe harshly, as though anger had finally overtaken her.

“I can’t forgive that man for treating you like a slave!”

“…I’ll comb my hair myself.”

As though this suited her just fine, Beth handed over the ivory comb and pulled a chair closer.

While Sveta weakly drew the comb through her hair, Beth casually scooped up some oil and generously smeared it over her own skin.

Their eyes met in the mirror. Beth muttered, almost sheepishly,

“I really do like the scent.”

After applying oil to various parts of her body, she finally pulled her skirt down, brushing it over her calves as she did so.

Then, hesitating for a moment, she parted her lips and spoke carefully.

“Sveta, but…”

“……”

“You are taking precautions, aren’t you?”

At the bluntness of the word, focus returned to Sveta’s eyes.

Startled for a moment, she soon answered calmly,

“Yes. I’m taking the medicine.”

Her broken heart ached like an old wheel creaking under strain.

Suddenly feeling anxious, she straightened her back, trying to hide it.

She had been taking the medicine that Lady Noma had given her without fail lately, but she had not taken it for several days after their first time together.

Aiden hadn’t let her out of his sight for a moment.

‘Back then, I was in too much pain to think clearly…’

It was surely impossible for a child to have taken root in just a few days.

Although she had never received a proper education about pregnancy, Sveta knew it wasn’t something that happened easily.

After all, hadn’t her foster mother, Dalia, tried for over twenty years without ever conceiving?

So it couldn’t be.

Forcing the corners of her lips to lift, Sveta managed a soft, reassuring smile.

Beth became angry at the mere sight of the marks on her body. How could she possibly voice a fear that might not even be real?

But Beth’s gaze only became more suspicious.

“But you haven’t had your monthly.”

“…What?”

Come to think of it, it had been a long time. Maybe even last month.

As she tried to count the days, Sveta slid the comb carefully down through her hair. Her fingers trembled slightly as they brushed through the strands.

Beth’s lips curved sharply.

“Everyone in the laundry knows.”

“…Knows what?”

“When a lady has her monthly. When she brings a man to her bed at night. Things like that.”

“……”

“There are always traces on the sheets. On the undergarments.”

In an instant, Sveta’s face flushed scarlet.

‘I knew it wasn’t entirely private… but I hadn’t realized it was practically public property.’

Ashamed, she could only comb her hair in silence.

“They say yours didn’t come this month.”

“That’s—”

“That’s.”

Worn out from fatigue, her nerves were on the verge of snapping.

Outwardly, she forced herself to appear unbothered in front of Beth. Inside, however, she was struggling to calm the unease spreading through her.

“I was very ill with a fever. When your body’s weak, it can skip.”

“Hm, really?”

Beth narrowed her eyes.

As they sharpened into almond shapes, Sveta was suddenly reminded of Jace Gould.

Shaking off the memory of that dreadful man, she nodded firmly.

“It’s true, Beth. I’ve been exhausted lately… I suppose I haven’t fully recovered yet.”

“If that’s the case, then fine. Still, be careful. I’ve heard that starting with the old Duke, Lady Noma, and even the Duke himself—they’re all a little unhinged.”

“…What do you mean?”

Beth gathered her well-kept, shimmering hair over one shoulder.

Her gaze fell upon the bite mark on Sveta’s exposed earlobe, causing her to sigh quietly.

“They say they can’t allow dirty blood to mix into their family.”

“They say that’s why the old Duke cast out his eldest son—because his mistress became pregnant.”

Sveta thought of Aiden’s brother, Hazel Strilland, and his strikingly handsome face.

First came his green eyes, identical to Aiden’s.

Then his red lips. The straight, well-shaped brows.

Only when she realized that she had instinctively superimposed Aiden’s features onto Hazel’s face did Sveta let out a faint, hollow laugh.

‘So this is how cruel the heart is. How cruel love can be.’

Her whole body ached with fatigue, yet the only clear image in her mind was his face.

Sveta lowered her gaze. Her eyelids felt as though they were being pressed down by a boulder.

“There’s no son left to drive away now. That means you’re the one in danger. The old duke will surely try to cast you out — or worse.”

Sleep crept in.

Beth’s voice sounded like a lullaby.

Sveta blinked slowly.

“……”

“So you must take the medicine without fail. Do you understand?”

“……”

When no answer came, Beth pouted.

“Fine. I’m going.”

“…Mm.”

The pounding footsteps faded, knocking faintly against her hazy consciousness. Sveta stared at the doorway for a long moment before her head began to nod.

She was tired.

All she wanted was to sleep without thinking.

Intending to walk to the bed, she instead sank weakly onto the sofa. Hugging a cushion, she drifted off to sleep.

***

It was the next day when Sveta visited Ivan’s laboratory.

“Mr. Bartley, you are a physician, aren’t you?”

At her abrupt question, Ivan smiled faintly. His eyes gleamed with interest as he regarded her.

“That’s correct.”

“Then you are obliged to keep a patient’s secrets. Am I right?”

“I am.”

“……”

‘Can I truly trust him?’

Sensing her hesitation, the physician smiled reassuringly.

“I will swear upon the name of Count Bartley himself. You may speak freely.”

Only after Ivan had made a solemn vow to prove the sincerity of his words did Sveta lower herself into the chair beside the laboratory.

In the calm atmosphere, she spoke about the recent changes to her body and how they had made her feel uneasy.

Once she had finished her lengthy explanation, Ivan suddenly stood up.

His pink complexion had turned completely red.