Celia dozed off but quickly came to her senses as the hand continued to tickle her, as if trying to lull her into a nap.

“Why did you call me here today…?”

While she trembled in his embrace, receiving his aftercare, she suddenly remembered why she had come here.

Why did I come here? No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t remember. She had been pounced on by him before she could ask.

“For this.”

He said, rubbing his lips wetly against her slightly parted ones.

“……”

Celia just blinked at the empty answer. His feather-light kisses showered over her rapidly moving eyelashes.

“Is this not allowed?”

“Well……”

There wasn’t anything particularly wrong with it. But there wasn’t any need for it either. Ignoring the comfortable bedroom and hideaways where they could avoid everyone’s eyes, in this office where someone could suddenly burst in, and in broad daylight no less.

She had received his seed.

“I will embrace you whenever I want from now on, Celia.”

“……”

“Here or anywhere else. You must be ready to receive my seed.”

The words he whispered in her ear were like a spell in themselves. She wasn’t given the right to refuse.

“Yes……”

Hearing Celia’s obedient answer, he seemed satisfied and laughed, his throat vibrating. He kissed her drooping eyelids again and once more slowly began to caress her body.

“The clothes……”

Even as she was embraced naked by him and received his caresses, Celia couldn’t take her eyes off the mourning clothes fallen on the floor. The clothes in which she came in wearing properly were now torn, so what should she do? What should she wear to leave? As all sorts of worries crowded her mind, Eugen spoke again.

“What did you do while I was gone?”

“Ah, nothing……”

Feeling like she might be scolded for some reason, Celia mumbled softly, and Eugen laughed lowly.

“You didn’t wait for me?”

“That’s……”

It was a strange question. After trampling her every night to the point that she could barely breathe, to expect her to wait for him.

The problem was that it was true. Had she waited for him, trembling in fear every night he didn’t come…?

She missed his warmth. The nights when he didn’t come were frightening. The feeling of sitting alone in an empty room, waiting for the pitch-black sky to brighten, was sorrowful.

“Hmm?”

As his gaze met hers, seeming to wait for an answer, Celia had no choice but to tell the truth.

“I… waited.”

Pleased with that answer, Eugen smiled, his eyes wrinkling.

“I see.”

The feeling of his high nose bridge brushing against her nape was cool.

“How is it, do you think there are signs of conception?”

“……I don’t know.”

Celia quietly shook her head. His hand came up to her belly, gently caressing, as if he was drawing the child of his that would enter there.

This time of sharing each other’s warmth, lying naked on the sofa, felt strange to Celia.

She was merely a vessel to carry the Hilbert seed, yet after mixing flesh like this with him, she oddly felt closer to Eugen. She couldn’t particularly understand the psychology behind asking if she had waited for him. Wasn’t the purpose just to embrace the body contracted to his father and impregnate it? Then why…?

‘No.’

She tried to push away unnecessary thoughts. She was just a body meant to receive whatever he gave. She shouldn’t have any thoughts or emotions.

“What are you thinking about?”

He asked, tightly gripping her waist.

“Nothing.”

Celia hurriedly said, startled by her own thoughts.

“Is there nothing you want?”

“……”

Celia kept her mouth shut. Before coming to the Duke’s mansion, she had many things she wanted and wanted to do, but somehow, since coming here, those things seemed to fade dimly from her mind. Her main daily routine had become simply mixing bodies with him in a warm, comfortable bed without doing anything else. She even forgot how time passed.

There was nothing more to ask about her younger sibling, as Mrs. Letten occasionally brought news. She knew without asking that her father always lived soaked in alcohol.

“Tell me.”

When he urged, Celia was about to shake her head again but opened her mouth. Perhaps the one thing both he and she wanted most.

“A Hilbert child.”

Hearing that answer, an ambiguous smile spread across Eugen’s lips.

7. Conception

“This is a gift sent by the master.”

Gifts piled up in the bedroom almost every other day. Each time she opened one, new and amazing things poured out, eliciting exclamations.

As if provoked by Celia’s words that she didn’t want anything, Eugen sent all sorts of precious gifts.

Dresses, shoes, all kinds of accessories — every time they appeared, Celia couldn’t come to her senses.

Now, the room was full of luxurious items that had become familiar from seeing them so often. Today too, she was opening a box that had arrived in the bedroom.

The last one was a small box that could be held with both hands, but it was quite heavy. Celia opened the lid of the box with a somehow fluttering heart.

“……”

Inside was a snow globe. Amidst the white snow powder that scattered when shaken, a beautiful mansion stood tall. But its appearance seemed somehow familiar.

“My, it’s an item that exactly replicates the annex.”

“The annex?”

Celia quietly examined the snow globe. Come to think of it, she realized it looked exactly like the building she was currently staying in.

“You’re right.”

“This must be… Ah, it’s Lady Violetta’s.”

Mrs. Letten, who had been looking closely at the snow globe, said.

“What?”

Surprised, Celia looked at the snow globe more closely. Violetta’s name was engraved on the bronze base of the snow globe.

“Why would he give me mother’s……”

Celia couldn’t understand Eugen’s psychology in giving her his mother’s snow globe.

“Because you are the current mistress of this building, madam.”

“But.”

“He must have sent it because you deserve to have it.”

Celia couldn’t shake off her dazed feeling even at Mrs. Letten’s words. After staring at the snow globe for a long time, Celia asked.

“What kind of person was Lady Violetta?”

At Celia’s sudden question, Mrs. Letten, who had been watering plants, seemed surprised for a moment before answering with a smile.

“She was truly like sunshine. You can see her in the room where the portraits are.”

“A room where the portraits are?”

“Since the family’s history is deep, there are many portraits of the masters and madams. There’s also a room displaying portraits in the main building, but there are so many portraits that they can’t all be hung there.”

“Portraits……”

Looking at Celia who was murmuring blankly, Mrs. Letten smiled again.

“Lady Violetta left several portraits too. Her father personally invited skilled painters to paint her portraits from childhood.”

“I see.”

She had been staying in the annex long, yet she had no idea such a thing existed here.

“That room is probably locked now. Eugen must have the key.”

“Then I won’t be able to see it.”

Celia found it amusing that she suddenly wanted to see Violetta’s face.

***

“Celia.”

She slowly opened her eyes when she heard her name being called. She thought it might be a dream, but it wasn’t.

“……”

It was indeed Eugen she saw. Celia unconsciously sat up abruptly. She always met him at night, so seeing him in the bedroom during the day felt strange.

“Eugen…?”

He seemed surprised when she unconsciously uttered those words.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

As she bowed her head in embarrassment, a large hand cupped her cheek.

“It’s alright.”

“……”

“It sounds nice.”

His gaze prompted Celia to carefully open her mouth again, urging her to call him.

“Eu… gen.”

Seeing the radiant smile that spread across his face at that moment, Celia unconsciously smiled along with him.

“What brings you here?”

Celia carefully asked, and he held out something.

“I came to give you this.”

Celia quietly looked down at what Eugen handed her. In his palm was a bundle with several keys attached.

“What is this?”

“Take it.”