“…”

“Is there perhaps something you’re uncomfortable with?”

“…”

About five minutes after she’d frozen with a pale face, Mrs. Lien, who’d been waiting at the door, spoke again.

“I apologize, madam, but I’ll be coming in now.”

“No, Mrs. Lien! Just a moment!”

Only then, as she frantically called out to wait, their eyes met when Mrs. Lien opened the door and entered.

Was this what they meant by wanting to hide in a mouse hole?

At least the fortunate thing was that Mrs. Lien had left the maids following her outside the door and entered alone.

“Madam…”

Mrs. Lien’s eyes slowly swept over the bedroom, a mess from last night’s traces, especially the bed sheets stained with blood and s*men, and Adeline.

When her gaze turned toward the collarbone area the robe failed to cover and the neck that had no unmarked spots, Adeline thought her face might heat up and burst.

In contrast to the flustered Adeline, Mrs. Lien’s voice was unexpectedly calm.

“I was worried and had no choice but to commit the rudeness of opening the door. I apologize.”

“No, no. It’s fine. Right now my condition is… not presentable… so I was a bit embarrassed… that’s all…”

Her voice naturally shrank.

“I see. Your body, are you feeling alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Actually she wasn’t fine at all, but she had no choice but to nod and say she was fine. Adeline pretended to tuck her messily tangled and stiffened hair behind her ear while hiding it.

How long do I have to stand here like this? It’s not like I’m being punished…

Honestly, her two legs supporting her body were trembling and she felt like she might collapse any moment.

“…”

However, contrary to Adeline’s inner wish that Mrs. Lien would leave now that she’d confirmed nothing was seriously wrong, Mrs. Lien didn’t leave her spot easily. She cruelly brought up tidying the bedroom and attending her bath.

“Then for the bath…”

“No.”

Discovering Adeline’s swollen eyes had become tearful, Mrs. Lien continued with a short sigh.

“May Tanya and I help you with today’s bath?”

Adeline had tried to refuse the bath attendance today even if it meant pushing herself. But since Mrs. Lien showed the kindness of offering to do it herself, she decided to gratefully accept. Adeline created a faint smile.

“Yes, then… thank you so much for your consideration… I’ll trouble you just for today, Mrs. Lien.”

* * *

When she immersed her body in warm water, her stiff muscles gradually loosened. Her shoulders and waist relaxed and even her exhaled breath grew drowsy.

Adeline’s exhausted physical state was clearly leaning toward recovery, but her mind was becoming increasingly confused in the opposite direction.

Splash, Adeline sighed as she let the water she’d caught in her palm flow away.

It was strange, right? Really strange…

His eyes, tone, actions last night. All of those things were too unfamiliar.

Of course, even when they reunited, she’d thought he’d changed quite a bit from when they first met during his academy days. She’d felt distance in his excessively formal attitude too.

But he hadn’t seemed like a completely different person like yesterday.

The Kailen of the wedding night was beyond debauched—he was disorderly and sinister.

The words that had brushed her ear surfaced again between the sounds of water.

“Don’t exaggerate and spread your legs more. You’re gushing from your lower mouth because you like it anyway.”

He must be crazy… really…

Or do other married couples do this too?

Really, everyone?

She could accept the intensity of lovemaking. Though overwhelming, she could try to understand if she wanted to. 

But not asking the other person’s opinion, forcibly stripping a sleeping person’s clothes, and overlapping bodies like ravishing them—no matter how she thought about it, this wasn’t something to understand.

That was never within normal bounds, even if they were married.

The pitch-black shadow that had filled her vision the moment she opened her eyes from sleep. The fear she’d felt in that moment still sent chills down her spine even now when she recalled it.

Until now, Adeline had wanted to prioritize Kailen’s opinion in every possible choice. She’d tried to understand, tried to accommodate. She’d believed she should. But…

Right, this isn’t it.

This was an issue unrelated to how much she loved him.

This was a matter of respect and consideration.

It’s not right… really not.

Rising from the bathtub, she drew a clear boundary line toward Kailen for the first time.

This was wrong.

At least, it was to her.

By the time Tanya finished drying and brushing her hair, Adeline had hardened her resolve even more.

She would tell Kailen.

That just like she respected him, she also wanted to be respected as a wife.

She would definitely address it and ask him to restrain from doing what he did yesterday.

* * *

Under the sadly beautiful sunset, Adeline, who’d finished dinner alone, was admiring the yellow and red autumn leaves beyond the window.

I wonder if he ate dinner.

When will he come?

Right when she was predicting Kailen’s return time, Mrs. Lien came to visit.

“He said to tell you he’ll be home late, so you should rest first, madam.”

“I see…”

Kailen was late today too.

It was a single sentence from Mrs. Lien that made her intense deliberation all day about what to say to him and how seem pointless.

The disappointment was so indescribably great that she didn’t notice her changing complexion.

Mrs. Lien signaled with her eyes to Tanya standing behind her. Tanya, reading the mood, set down tea and prescribed medicine said to be good for mental stability in front of Adeline.

“Dr. Lemon recommended this tea, saying it would enhance the sedative’s effectiveness.”

“…It smells nice.”

She didn’t particularly feel like drinking it, but she lifted the cup and pretended to smell the fragrance.

“Thank you. I’ll drink it well. Thanks to this, I think I’ll sleep well.”

“Sweet dreams.”

After Mrs. Lien left, Adeline, who’d been dazed for a moment, downed the medicine and tea and stood up. To prepare for bed.

After checking the fireplace and filling the water bottle, Tanya lingered around Adeline sitting in front of the mirror, like she had something to say.

“If you have something to say, feel free to say it, Tanya.”

“No, something to say. I don’t have anything like that. Just, you seemed lonely…”

She’s a warmhearted child. Though grateful for that sentiment, a laugh escaped her.

How pathetic that I couldn’t even manage my expression properly enough for that child to notice.

She suddenly thought of her mother.

Don’t show your feelings, your heart on your face. Her mother who’d repeatedly urged this.

“Right, being lonely seems perfect for reading.”

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she picked up the book placed on the nightstand.

“You worked hard today too, Tanya. You must be tired, so go rest.”

“Yes, madam.”

With a click of the door closing, only Adeline remained in the room now.

After sending Tanya away, Adeline leaned against the piled-up pillows, sighed softly, and opened the book.

It seemed she might not fall asleep easily since she’d woken late, and because the hopeful feeling that he might come hadn’t completely disappeared.

Adeline repeatedly picked up and put down two books alternately, and lowered and raised the nightstand lamp for no reason.

How much time passed like that?

In the quiet bedroom, the clock’s second hand sounded unusually loud.

“What time is it?”

12:40.

“…Already, it’s almost 1 o’clock.”

Though well past midnight, her eyes were wide awake. So she thought she’d wait a bit longer for Kailen.

I’ll just read for 30 more minutes then sleep.

But though she thought that and turned the pages, she must have fallen asleep at some point.

“…Mmm.”

Before even opening her eyes, the first thing she felt was the pressure from an overwhelming weight. It felt like she was dreaming of being crushed under a huge rock.

So heavy.

I wish someone would move this.

The moment that thought occurred, she felt hot breath behind her ear. Her two eyes flew open at the unfamiliar sensation and the confusion rushing in.

“Ah!”

But it was a bluish dawn where darkness hadn’t lifted, and since she was lying face down, she only saw the white pillow. Then suddenly something hard and hot touched her buttocks. Adeline pressed the bed with her elbow thinking “no way,” and turned her head to the side.

“…”

Her eyes met with Kailen, who was rubbing his grotesquely huge member between her round buttocks.

“…Kailen.”

“Yeah.”

For someone lying on all fours like a four-legged beast on top of her after turning her over in her sleep, it was an absurdly composed and shameless answer that completely chased away her drowsiness.

Once was enough. This abnormal start to *ntercourse.