Chapter 1: Consummation on the Night of the New Moon (4)

Once she finished preparing herself, a kitchen maid brought her breakfast. The familiar face of the kitchen maid also remained stiff and cold toward Larie.

Ever since ‘that day’ when Terian’s obsession with cleanliness had become known, Larie chose to eat her meals alone like this.

Skipping meals with the rest of the family was nearly rude, but she had no choice. She had come to understand just how unpleasant it was for them to even be in the same room as her.

‘Still, at least they make sure I don’t miss any meals.’

Unlike at the Baron’s estate, no one at the duchy tampered with her food. That alone brought her great relief. Though day by day, her body continued to waste away.

After forcing herself to eat, Larie’s daily routine remained uneventful. Just as she had no rights as the Grand Duchess, she had no duties either.

‘This is for the best.’

She tried to convince herself the situation wasn’t so bad. Her mother was constantly waiting for the moment Larie would begin meddling in duchy affairs.

But Larie didn’t want the duchy to suffer any more because of her.

And so, the only thing she could do was remain like a decorative flower—something to fill the space in silence.

After finishing her breakfast, Larie spent the rest of the morning absentmindedly staring down at the garden outside her window.

At first, the garden had simply been kept neat and orderly, but over time, more and more flowers appeared. Perhaps the Grand Madam’s tastes had changed, as vibrant seasonal blossoms began filling the space.

In autumn, the garden was covered entirely with small blue flowers. Though unusual for a garden, Larie liked them.

Thankfully, they were in clear view from her room.

“Ah…!”

Suddenly, a stabbing pain shot through her abdomen. She had thought it was subsiding, but the returning pain left her drenched in cold sweat.

‘The forest…’

With no medicine to rely on, Larie instinctively thought of the forest. But despair quickly clouded her eyes.

‘Do not come to such places at night again—unless your family is plotting something else.’

Terian’s cold warning echoed through her mind. He had said that just yesterday—if she were to be seen at the forest again today, it would undoubtedly look suspicious.

She didn’t want to be misunderstood. Larie was already standing at the edge of a cliff; even the slightest push now felt like it could send her plummeting into despair.

“Haa…”

Curled up on the bed for a long while, the pain finally receded a little.

Staggering to her feet, she soaked a cloth in cold water and wiped her forehead. Soon, it would be time for the maid to bring her lunch. She didn’t want to show any signs of pain.

After managing to sit upright for a while, a knock came at the door. It was slightly earlier than usual, which made her uneasy.

“Come in.”

It was Susan.

With an emotionless expression, Susan looked at Larie before lowering her gaze and delivering the message.

“The Grand Madam has invited you to lunch.”

“Ah…”

The Grand Madam occasionally invited Larie to lunch like this. She was a stern but gentle person—perhaps the one who tried the most to include Larie, who never truly fit into this household.

Of all days, it had to be today when her condition wasn’t good—this was a problem. Larie, after some hesitation, opened her mouth to refuse. She had gotten by until now by indirectly declining all invitations under the pretense of her mother having asked something of her, so it wouldn’t seem too strange.

“She said it’s something important and she hopes you will come.”

“…Alright.”

But ever since yesterday, the timing had just been off. The Grand Madam rarely sent such messages, so Larie weakly nodded.

She could endure just a lunch.

“I’ll get ready quickly.”

“I’ll assist you.”

As if naturally returning to her duties, Susan stepped forward and reached out her hand.

“Ah, no…”

But seeing the hand come toward her, Larie reflexively flinched and stepped back. It was an involuntary reaction born from years of abuse.

Raising her head in dismay, she saw Susan’s face twisted in a grimace. The look, which seemed filled with contempt, pained her. She must have appeared to Susan as simply avoiding her.

“It’s fine.”

“…”

Trying to smooth things over, Larie barely managed a smile as she spoke, but Susan turned and walked away without a word. Letting out a shallow sigh, Larie returned inside the room, drained.

Maybe it was because she had practically skipped breakfast, but her body felt unusually weak. Still, she couldn’t keep the Grand Madam waiting, so she hurried to get dressed.

‘What dress did I wear last time…’

The inside of the wide-open wardrobe was oddly divided. One side held an array of extravagant dresses fit for the Grand Duchy, neatly organized. But where Larie looked, there were only a few simple, modestly adorned dresses. The stark contrast was almost absurd.

Back when Susan had still been her attendant and came in and out of her room, she used to have new dresses tailored with each season. Though it felt strange to Larie, Susan, being an experienced maid, had always handled it herself.

However, even that had recently become difficult. Her mother, realizing there were no close eyes around Larie, had begun taking the private allowance meant for the Grand Duchess.

Because of that, Larie felt as if she’d returned to how she lived at the Baron’s estate—surviving on dresses her mother tossed her like scraps, depending on her mood.

Luckily, there were still some dresses left from when Susan used to care for her, so she could get by without drawing attention, but even that was becoming harder.

‘This one… I wore this last time… and this one… I wore it yesterday…’

Of all times, she had nothing suitable to wear in front of the Grand Madam. The only decent option was the simple indoor dress she wore when she went to the forest yesterday.

She thought of her encounter with Terian, but Larie picked it up anyway. He’d never joined the lunch with the Grand Madam, after all.

She quickly slipped into the dress. For some reason, her palms had been damp with sweat for a while now.

“Ah…”

After fumbling with the buttons several times, Larie finally realized it was pain she was feeling. She wiped her forehead again with a damp cloth and forced herself to stand straight.

Why do I feel this awful? She kept wondering, until her eyes landed on the calendar beside the mirror.

Her expression darkened when she saw the approaching date.

Soon, the new moon would rise.

Around the turn of each calendar month, when the new moon came, Larie always fell terribly ill.

At first, she didn’t realize it followed the same cycle as the new moon. She just thought she was weak and a bother to her mother. When she got older and it occasionally coincided with her monthly cycle, she assumed that was the cause.

But eventually, she came to understand. Just as the forest’s embrace soothed her pain, this too was part of her strange constitution.

She had never told anyone. It frightened her—she felt like some kind of cursed monster from a myth.

“Ugh.”

Just after she finally finished getting dressed, the excruciating pain returned. It wasn’t yet the full new moon period, but she had a bad feeling. Perhaps the new medication had worsened the pain.

She couldn’t even go to the forest. Then, as her mind clouded with pain, she naturally thought of Terian.

Strangely, when she was in his arms, the pain vanished, as if she were embraced by the forest.

Two years ago—during the wedding preparations—Larie’s health had been poor. The wedding day, unfortunately, coincided with the new moon.

‘I hereby declare these two as a couple ordained by the gods.’

Her complexion had been deathly pale, but people assumed it was just nerves. After all, it was the day the prestigious House of Avnir was being tarnished by the filth known as Tromperie.

Larie, who had become the very stain on Avnir, thought the pure white wedding dress looked terribly unfitting on her.

All of the sacred declarations spoken by the wedding priest had felt utterly surreal.

‘Before the gods, fulfill the duties of this sacred union.’

And so, the two of them consummated their loveless marriage.

The Grand Duke of Avnir was shrouded in rumor. Though she knew many admired him, in noble society, reputation rarely matched the truth.

Being pushed into marriage with the daughter of his enemy, she never expected to be treated well. She had even braced herself for beatings. But that first night with Terian had been entirely unexpected.

‘……’

It was a pitch-black night without even the moon—ordinarily a time when one would lose all sense of hours passing.

Even in a situation where time blurred, Larie had managed to gauge it. Despite it being their wedding night, a considerable amount of time had passed, and it seemed her husband had no intention of showing his face.

Terian appeared just as Larie swallowed her resignation in silent despair.

“Y-Your Grace…”

Startled, Larie looked up at him before she could stop herself. As their eyes met, Terian’s gaze grew darker, and he slowly opened his mouth.

“…I am merely fulfilling my duty.”

Larie knew better than anyone that this marriage was based solely on obligation. So she simply nodded, unable to hide the dazed look on her face at his words.

“……”

Perhaps unwilling, Terian approached the bed with extremely slow steps.

As he came closer, Terian stared at Larie silently. That gaze somehow felt like it was scolding her, and Larie couldn’t meet his eyes. She lowered her head.

As his hand reached out slowly, Larie instinctively shut her eyes tightly, and the veil covering her vision was gently removed.

“……”

Surprisingly, his touch was extremely gentle.

After tossing the veil aside, his hand continued moving. It was so soft, so careful, it almost felt tender.

Of course, that must have been her imagination. Terian had every reason to resent this marriage, and no reason to approach her with care.

The intricate bridal gown she wore made a rustling sound as it was quickly removed. Only a thin chemise beneath it now precariously separated her from Terian.

For some reason, the air in the bridal chamber felt cold as it tapped against her bare skin. Facing the unknown, Larie trembled slightly in fear.

She bit down on her trembling lip, trying to suppress it. Normally, before a wedding night, a nanny or mother would give careful instructions, but there had been no one Larie could rely on. Her mother didn’t offer guidance—she only barked orders at her like always.

At last, Terian’s hand touched Larie’s exposed shoulder.