I Thought It Was An Arranged Marriage - Chapter 29

“I love you, Rosie.”

His whisper in her ear was so lascivious it embarrassed her. His affectionate gaze, as if he adored her to death, was also embarrassing.

At some point, he started saying he loved her during sex. At first, she thought it was an impulsive remark driven by pleasure. So she didn’t react much. Men often said they loved you even if they didn’t.

But ever since, Lucas said he loved her whenever he opened his mouth. As if he was obsessed with saying it, he kept repeating it, making Rosaline feel embarrassed.

Whether it was because he couldn’t resist the pleasure or just because, Lucas’s declarations of love always felt good, despite the embarrassment. Whether his voice was low and resonant, soothing her when she was sobbing, or playfully coaxing her for one more round, it always felt good. There was never a time it didn’t.

“My dear Rosie, you still have some energy left. That’s a relief.”

“No, ah.”

Lucas could always tell when she was thinking about something else. He would leave her with the excuse, ‘If you have enough energy to think about other things, then we can keep going,’ and Rosaline would end up crying under him again that night.

She lost count of how many times she climaxed in his arms. At times, she felt like she was truly losing her mind. Encased in his hot body and feeling his heavy presence, Rosaline felt like a complete fool. She was even amazed at how Lucas remained hard and unyielding despite climaxing multiple times.

Lucas placed her exhausted body on top of his. It was a habit born from his desire for her to find his body more comfortable than the bed, but in truth, he simply wanted to stay connected to her. He enjoyed the time spent seducing her for bed, and the primal, instinctive moments of passion, but what he loved most was holding her and sharing afterglow moments once it was all over.

When his needs were somewhat satisfied, and she lay limp against him, relying solely on him, he wished this happiness could last forever.

He gently massaged her tired body. It wasn’t a sensual caress but a true muscle massage accompanied by recovery magic. He now knew her physical limits precisely. That’s why Rosaline could melt into the intense pleasure without fear, simply enjoying it.

She knew she shouldn’t, but the pleasure was so overwhelming that she couldn’t think of anything else. This situation repeated so often that she came to trust Lucas, thinking, ‘He’ll stop at the right time,’ and surrendered herself entirely to him.

‘So lovable.’

Of course, Lucas was beyond pleased with her trust. He always hoped she would rely on and trust him a bit more.

After receiving a gentle afterglow massage on top of him, being moved to the bathroom for a thorough bath, and then dressed in a soft silk gown, Rosaline lay with her head resting on Lucas’s arm, feeling warm and cozy.

As his large hand patted her back, her body, which she hadn’t realized was tired, relaxed and complained of exhaustion. Though there was still a foreign sensation in her lower body, as if something was still inside, her body, sticky with various fluids, was now clean and dry. In her drowsy state, Rosaline thought,

‘We do it so often, so why… why am I not getting pregnant…’

* * *

Lately, Rosaline had many worries. It had already been four months since she married him. It’s not a long time, but enough to consider the honeymoon phase over. Even her fiery honeymoon with Kallen had lasted only three months.

In those four months, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess had shared a bed almost every day. Yet, once again, her period had started.

Rosaline and Lucas’s relationship had begun as an arranged marriage. While it didn’t feel that way anymore, it started that way. And the most crucial aspect of an arranged marriage was producing an heir.

A wife who couldn’t bear an heir was always in a precarious position, liable to be divorced at any time. Of course, it would only be after a prolonged battle to determine whether the issue lay with the husband or the wife, and it was conclusively proven to be the wife’s fault.

‘I want to see a child who looks like Lucas and me.’

Initially, her primary concern was to conceive an heir. But now, she wanted to have Lucas’s child, to see his happiness, and to place a child resembling him in his arms. The kind Lucas would surely be a good father to their child.

Rosaline decided not to entertain foolish thoughts anymore. She acknowledged that regardless of Lucas’s feelings, she loved him.

She still didn’t fully understand Lucas’s feelings. His straightforward and firm expressions were overwhelming and confusing. But his feelings no longer mattered. Even if he betrayed her someday, she decided not to make the foolish mistake of not loving him out of fear. She felt she would regret it later if she did.

She judged that loving and possibly regretting it later was much better than regretting not loving him at all. With such a devoted husband, she wanted to give her best as well.

But she wasn’t getting pregnant. He always pushed her to the brink of exhaustion and climaxed deeply inside her. So why wasn’t she getting pregnant?

By now, she should have had triplets. He was such a healthy man. So then, the problem must be…

“Is it me?”

Rosaline had never considered that she might be the issue. She had already been pregnant once before, after all. But she also didn’t think Lucas could be the problem. As an archmage, he was so healthy and vigorous that it seemed impossible.

His seed was thick and plentiful. Could he still be infertile? Then a terrible thought struck her. What if something had gone wrong during her journey back to the past?

She had clearly died from a stab wound to her belly in her previous life. The direct cause of death was a stab to the chest, but Amelia’s first target had been her swollen belly.

She lived thinking that incident had never happened. That’s why she had held back her direct anger towards Kallen and Amelia. Getting angry over something that hadn’t happened would only make them feel wronged. She didn’t even want to give them that chance.

But what if it wasn’t like that? What if, just like her memories remained, something was left in her body too, preventing her from having children?

Rosaline was gripped by intense fear and anxiety. She knew it was an overreaction, but once the thought took hold, it was hard to shake.

She finally put a name to her anxiety during a banquet.

At a rare banquet she attended with Lucas, she saw a woman talking affectionately with him. Rosaline was overwhelmed by an emotion she had never felt before. It was fear and jealousy.

What if I can’t have a child and Lucas abandons me? What if he brings another woman? What if he asks me to adopt her child as my own… could I accept that?

“Ah, Rosie. Let me introduce you. This is Sir Wright. He was my lieutenant during the Western Campaign.”

“Nice to meet you, Your Highness. I’m Dylan Wright.”

“Rosaline Bryant. May I call you Sir Wright?”

“It would be an honor. The title of knight is the most splendid of all my names.”

Dylan laughed heartily, clearly proud of the title he had earned through his efforts.