Chapter 2.6

Gilbert, the eldest son of the Marquisate of Bastide. She was already acquainted with him. Every time they met at a social gathering, he never failed to ask her for a dance.  

It was clear he was interested in her. His looks weren’t bad—he was fairly handsome. But more than anything, what attracted Erika most was the background of his father, the Marquis of Bastide.  

His daughter had just recently become the Emperor’s concubine, and received so much affection that she gave birth to a son within a year of marriage.  

With the current Empress wasting away from illness and not expected to live much longer, it was clear she would be the next Empress. If that happened, Gilbert, the only son of the Bastide family, would likely receive a high position at the Imperial Palace. The family was destined for success.  

‘Hmph, Mother, Father. Just watch. I, Erika, will raise up this ruined, beggarly family.’  

Of course, Gilbert currently had a fiancée, but that didn’t bother her.

‘There’s a certain thrill in taking what belongs to someone else. Hmph, just wait and see.’

Gilbert’s fiancée was Chloe, the only daughter of the Earl of Ballanos. She was infamous for her arrogance and for looking down on others. Erika had already been insulted by her countless times.

‘Chloe. I’ll take your man and the place you should have had. It’ll be amusing to see you in tears later.’

Erika was confident. In terms of looks or charm, Chloe was no match for her. Just seeing how Gilbert constantly flirted with her made that obvious.

So, even when she listened to her mother’s lectures on chastity every evening, Erika’s mind would wander. Chastity was completely useless to her—such a logic was laughable and absurd.

‘Chastity before marriage? If you keep insisting on such outdated things, our family will be completely ruined. With only daughters and no sons, how could we possibly recover? With no man to achieve merit on the battlefield, the only one who can revive this family is me—Erika.’

With a determined resolve, Erika approached Gilbert. For her, it wasn’t that difficult. Gilbert, a notorious playboy, was already aware.  

He knew that the shabby Baron Klein, in his desperation, would even lick the boots of nobles in the Imperial Council, and that his second daughter, Erika, had the same look in her eyes as her father—she’d be easy prey.

Sure enough, one day, a maid quietly approached Gilbert and handed him a note.  

Erika had secretly stolen her mother’s only pair of earrings and sold them to bribe a maid from the Bastide family.  

It was nearly impossible to approach servants of a Marquisate, let alone ask favors. Erika, unable to wait for the next social gathering, decided to act first.

She had to make a move before Gilbert and Chloe’s marriage progressed any further.

“Lady Erika, for what reason did you ask to see me?”

Gilbert called Erika to his room. He had her come in through the back corridor so no one would see, and she had a vague idea what that meant.

“Ah, it’s been a while, Gilbert. You remembered my name!”

As he clearly spoke her name, Erika’s cheeks flushed. Gilbert wore a white linen shirt and a dark gray vest, clearly the finest attire suited for the upper class.  

With his brown curls and blue eyes, the handsome man smiled gently at her, making Erika’s heart race uncontrollably.  

Sunlight poured through the large windows, illuminating his spacious room—a space filled with the dignity of nobility, making her even more impressed.

Meanwhile, Gilbert, leaning diagonally against the window, quietly observed the girl standing before him in her shabby, plain dress. She had a decent appearance and figure.  

If only Baron Klein’s family were of slightly higher rank, she might have been considered a candidate for his bride. Regrettably, that was not the case.

“What’s your business?”

Gilbert asked bluntly, gazing at her as she twisted shyly in front of him. This was also part of his strategy.  

“Ah, well…”

As he asked in his stiff voice, Erika’s face turned bright red and she stammered. Surely he knew what her being here meant.  

At this moment, she wanted Gilbert to take the lead, to offer her some warm tea and smile kindly, to let things progress naturally between them. But his cold tone left her at a loss for words.

“Oh, I forgot. Forgive me for not being more courteous.”

Gilbert, who had been staring at her, suddenly smiled and picked up the teapot on the table himself.  

“Come, let’s have some tea together first. We can talk afterwards. Please, come here.”

Gilbert called her over in a tempting tone, and Erika, as if drawn by a magnet, approached him. He seemed to have finally noticed the courage it took for her to come all this way.

She accepted the fragrant teacup he offered, lowering her head with a slightly excited expression. She hoped he would notice her, recognize the brave heart that had brought her here, and let their relationship progress gradually. She looked at him quietly.  

And Gilbert, facing Erika’s innocent gaze, smiled. Seeing that smile, Erika thought for a moment:

With a man of this status and caliber, she could entrust her life. If she could win him, not only her life, but her entire family would be saved.  

Her father would no longer have to crawl around in humiliation. Yes, she had to win this man. She must.

***

At that time, Guild Master Joseph had taken refuge in a remote castle far from the capital. Since Knight Commander Caron was pursuing him relentlessly, he had to hurry and hide. Even while in hiding, Joseph was so delighted that he couldn’t stop laughing.

“Caron, how does it feel to be outwitted? Having your chastity stolen by a woman you don’t even know—you can’t possibly remain as head of your house now, can you? I’ve left a stain on your perfect record. Serves you right. Hahaha.”

He wanted to see the man, praised as a god for being perfect in every way, fall from grace. Only now did he feel some relief from the humiliation and inferiority he’d felt in the past because of him.

“Guild Master, the Duke of Perschtmann has even mobilized the military to pursue you. Are you sure you’re all right?”

Deputy Guild Master Noel rushed into his office, reporting in an urgent voice. It truly was a dangerous situation. To have crossed the Empire’s greatest Knight Commander—was he out of his mind?

“Hmph. What’s there to worry about? Don’t worry. He’ll never catch me.”

Joseph replied leisurely, savoring the aroma of rosemary tea.

“By the way, how is the Baron Klein family? What’s the youngest lady’s situation now?”

He had his subordinates closely monitor both families. Since the previous plan had fallen apart due to the Duke’s lack of cooperation, he was now set on launching a full-scale revenge against Duke Perschtmann.

“She’s been staying at home and hasn’t stepped out. But it seems there will be some commotion soon, not with that young lady, but with someone else in the family.”

“Commotion?”

The <Red Sun> Guild was keeping track of the movements of all the nobles within the Empire. Of course, a family as insignificant as Baron Klein’s was hardly worth watching, but because the youngest lady, Aness, had been drawn into the Perschtmann operation, her family was now under his scrutiny as well.

“It looks like the second daughter, Lady Erika, is about to cause a major incident. She was seen leaving the Marquisate of Bastide’s mansion last night. The other party is presumed to be Gilbert.”

“Gilbert, that scoundrel?”

Joseph’s eyes sparkled with interest as he straightened up.

“Heh, this is getting interesting. There’s going to be trouble soon. Good! This will make my job much easier.”

Joseph stroked his chin and grinned slyly. It seemed even the heavens were helping him turn the Empire’s Chief Knight Commander Caron into a raving, l*st-crazed monkey.

***

Returning home at dawn, Erika was out of her mind. Using the same method she’d used to sneak out, she climbed back into her room by sliding down the curtain rope she’d torn down.

Her mother had brought home a pile of sewing work the day before and would be busy with it until today, so that was a relief.

“Ah…”

With her face burning red, she threw herself onto her worn bed and trembled. It was a dreadful yet strange experience. She had ended up having an embarrassingly intimate encounter with Gilbert, whom she had only seen a few times before. In truth, she hadn’t gone to him with that intention.

She just wanted to date a young nobleman from a decent family. She was confident she could win his heart with her charm. But the result was nothing like her innocent imagination.

Gilbert had seen through her intentions from the beginning and, instead of tea, served her wine and sat her down on a soft sofa.

Then he pressed a long kiss to her neck. Startled, Erika tried to jump up and resist, but he firmly grabbed her waist.

— Lady, I need to confirm our feelings before I can make any decisions.

His words were meaningful and held a vague implication. In that urgent moment, Erika hesitated for a moment.

She couldn’t push away Gilbert’s lips as they pressed into her neck, and she froze in confusion. In the meantime, Gilbert’s hands were unbuttoning the front of her dress one by one, slipping inside.

Erika tried to gather her scattered thoughts and pondered the meaning of his words. Did it mean he could decide something if she gave him her heart?

Yes, if she gave him her body and heart, he might do something for her in return. Surely, she was much better than that dull young lady. If their relationship deepened, he might even consider marrying her.

Knowing she had nothing to offer, Erika was at a disadvantage in many ways. And the cunning Gilbert knew exactly how to exploit that.

In no time, Erika’s clothes were stripped off, and she was laid on the bed, forced to accept the man’s desire in a humiliating position.

With no experience, she was left gaping, her whole body stiff and unable to move. Then, an unimaginable pain stabbed deeply inside.

She clutched the bedsheet tightly, holding back her screams. Gilbert showed no mercy for her first time. He was too busy satisfying his own desires to care whether she sobbed beneath him or not. Her body tensed with nerves, making it even more painful and unbearable, and Erika wept as she endured.

Each time Gilbert’s stone-hard arousal thrust relentlessly into her tight entrance, he let out strange groans, sucking persistently at her chest.

He moved roughly the entire time, showing no consideration at all. With boundless stamina, Gilbert roared like a wild beast and spent himself inside her several times, while Erika cried out in pain, feeling her intangible “chastity”—something her mother had always emphasized—disappear like smoke.

She inwardly scoffed at her mother’s insistence on premarital chastity. If she could meet a man she truly liked and secure a good marriage, a woman’s chastity was meaningless to her.

Perhaps that’s why she could muster the courage to sleep with a man she barely knew and endure it.

When Gilbert had finally finished to his satisfaction, he got up, put on his outer clothes without a word, and left the room.

Lying n*ked on the bed, Erika tried to make sense of what had happened, but she couldn’t reach any conclusion.

She wanted to talk to Gilbert. Especially after something like this, she needed to talk to him.

But he, coldly, had left after getting what he wanted, and she was left lying in someone else’s bed in a ridiculous state.

After waiting a bit longer, Erika hurriedly got up, dressed herself, and slipped out into the corridor, walking away quickly.

She didn’t want to see anyone right now. She felt like a rag, patched and torn, and couldn’t bear to meet anyone.

Returning home, she sat dazed in her room for a while before slowly standing up.

“Hic…”

A sharp pain spread from inside, radiating through her whole body. She bit back a moan at the burning ache.

A moment later, Dana entered the room with a towel, scrutinizing the second Miss Erika’s expression closely.

Erika quickly turned her head aside and snapped coldly.

“What are you looking at? If you’re done, get out. You’re making me uncomfortable.”

Erika bowed her head, her face pale, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Miss, if you need any help, please call me anytime.”

Quick-witted Dana immediately realized the Miss was not well. Her lips were bitten and bleeding, her hair was a tangled mess, and most suspicious of all was the inside of her neck, which bore red bite marks. It was clear she had been handled roughly.

But Erika, unwilling to say anything, turned her head away. Dana sighed quietly and left the room.

Erika waited two more days before finally heading to her father’s study. Baron Klein was dozing off in his shabby study in front of a dying fire. Perhaps even in his dreams, he was bowing and scraping to someone, his hands clasped politely.

“Father…”

Finally, Erika stood before her father and called out to him, biting her lower lip before fleeing the room. She simply couldn’t bring herself to confess.