Chapter 4.2

“What? What do you mean…!”  

Seduced him and stole his innocence—what nonsense was this? She had also spent her first night with a man and lost her own innocence. Wasn’t it a situation where neither could blame the other? They had both been under the effects of an aphrodisiac and lost themselves that night.  

“So you have to take responsibility. Return my innocence right now.”  

The Duke, furious at her, threw away all pretense and bared his teeth in the darkness, smiling cruelly as he glared at her.  

“No, what do you mean, ‘return’?”

Aness was so dumbfounded that she lost her words. If they were to argue about who suffered more from losing their innocence, wasn’t it herself? She’d ended up with a child from that night out of nowhere. To hide that fact, she’d even gone so far as to marry a man she didn’t want, in a fake marriage—so who had really lost more?

Annoyed, Aness forgot for a moment that she should be running away and glared at him.

“If we’re talking about losing innocence, I’m in the same boat. And how is anyone supposed to ‘return’ what’s already lost, anyway?”

She couldn’t believe how petty this man was; she even felt sorry for baby Ian, who had been born without knowing any of this. Was now the time to talk about innocence, when the baby had already been born?

“In terms of the value of innocence, I lost more. I had to give up my position as the head of my family.”

“What? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

In any case, she had to escape. She tried to quietly step back, but the Duke quickly reached out and grabbed her shoulder roughly.

“Ah, let go of me!”

Flustered, Aness struggled to break free, but Caron easily restrained her with just one hand and pulled her even closer.

“You have to pay me back for a long time. For all the nights I suffered, you owe me.”

“Why did you suffer at night? What does that have to do with me… mmph!”

While she was demanding answers, the Duke stared intently at her glossy lips, then couldn’t hold back any longer and pressed his lips to hers in a rush. All resentment and logic were pushed aside; he needed to satisfy his urgent desire first.

Aness, caught in his arms, had no choice but to endure a deep kiss. If the earlier kiss had left Caron wanting more, now he explored her mouth even deeper, savoring her taste.

The scent of apples from her body was intoxicating. All those long, humiliating days he’d spent alone, trying to endure, now felt even more unfair.

“Mmmph, mm…”

In truth, Aness could only feel bewildered as the kiss dragged on and on. He was like a starving beast. How could a man who demanded she take responsibility for his lost innocence now be so overcome with l*st? She couldn’t make sense of any of it.

Still, she had no choice but to endure it. The chance to run away was already lost, and now she had to focus on hiding Ian’s existence. Could she really keep him hidden? Would she be able to escape safely from here?

“Hey, isn’t tomorrow your engagement day, Duke?” 

Only after the long kiss ended could she finally speak. It had felt like an eternity to her, though Caron, thinking it was too short, licked his lips and replied,

“Marriage can be with anyone. But you have to be the one in my bed.”

“That’s… that makes no sense…!”

Aness was so stunned she couldn’t even finish her sentence.

“You’re marrying someone else but want to sleep with me? What does that even mean?”

“You married another man, so isn’t it only fair that I marry someone else? Don’t you think?”

Caron replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world, still staring hungrily at her lips. Seeing her lips glistening with his own saliva, he looked as if he could barely restrain his desire.

“What… what is this…?”

Aness was so flabbergasted she couldn’t finish her words. She couldn’t believe the most powerful man in the Empire could be this petty. To express such childish logic so naturally—maybe he really was out of his mind. And the sly, predatory look in his eyes was downright chilling.

‘Maybe the rumors are true. They say he rose to absolute power on the battlefield, earning the Emperor’s love and obsession, but he’s only good at k*lling people in war—he’s clearly got serious issues as a person.’

With that thought, Aness felt a chill and unconsciously took a step back. Of course, she’d never really had a chance to get to know this man. Other than that one fateful night, what did she know about him?

“So don’t even think about running. You came here on your own, so until the day I die, you’d better not think of leaving my side. And I expect to see my child from you.”

“W-what kind of logic is that?”

Suddenly thinking of Ian, she shuddered and asked in horror.

“That’s the law of our house. Any woman who takes the first night of a man from our family must pay the price. So…”

Caron stopped mid-sentence, tilting his head as if deep in thought.

“Since then, nothing’s happened, has it? You really didn’t get pregnant, did you?”

As he gripped her shoulders and asked seriously, Aness’s face turned bright red.

“N-no. Actually…”

She tried to organize her thoughts quickly. If she lied and said there was no child, he would eventually find out about Ian and assume he was his own. So she decided to lie from the start, to prevent any suspicion from taking root.

“Actually, I gave birth to Joseph’s child, not yours. I was already pregnant before I was with you, so it’s definitely his!”

“Joseph’s child…”

Caron swayed in shock, then glared at her as if something had just dawned on him.

“Lies!”

“What? No, it’s true. Really.”

Aness felt dizzy. If she was going to keep Ian, she had to stay completely alert. She was starting to regret ever coming here.

“You’re definitely lying. You said you lost your innocence that night. But now you’re saying you were already pregnant? That doesn’t add up.”

Caron pressed her sharply, and Aness quickly tried to explain.

“T-that’s because you were pushing me so hard, I just lied! Really, it’s definitely Joseph’s child!”

“Hmph, then that makes it even more certain. I’m the only one who lost my innocence, so you have to take responsibility. Yes, that settles it.”

Caron grinned triumphantly as he lifted her chin. Staring into her eyes from up close, he gave her a mocking smile.

“Let’s be fair. Since you gave birth to Joseph’s child, now it’s your turn to have mine.”

“!!!”

At those shocking words, Aness was so stunned she could only glare at him in disbelief. But right now, Caron didn’t care whose wife she was or whose child she’d had. What mattered was that he’d found her, and he was determined never to let her go again.

“Quit the chores and start attending to me at night from tomorrow. Once you have my child, you’ll only be taking care of my child, not Joseph’s.”

“What is…?”

Aness started to protest, but now she was just exhausted. This man was impossible to reason with. Selfish, petty, and completely lacking in empathy—a total scoundrel. The very idea of ‘returning’ his innocence was so absurdly childish.

“Fine. Do whatever you want. I’m going…”

Worn out from arguing, Aness turned away from him, her face drained. She just wanted to go lie down next to the already sleeping Ian. She’d only wanted to pick a few apples to make a pie for her child, but now she’d gotten caught up in something ridiculous.

“Who said you could? Until I give the order, you can’t go anywhere.”

Caron grabbed her waist as she tried to leave and pulled her tightly into his arms. Then he forced her mouth open and pushed his tongue inside.

As he greedily licked up her sweet saliva, Caron felt truly happy. Following the apple scent, he’d finally found the woman he’d longed for so desperately—it felt like a dream.

‘Looks like I’ll have to hunt down Joseph. Maybe even the child. If I can just keep this woman by my side, I’d kill anyone.’

Meanwhile, Aness, once again forcibly held in his arms, tightly shut her eyes. She was utterly exhausted. Yet, strangely, his firm and warm chest pressed against her body gave her a sense of comfort.

She had almost forgotten. That night, she too had felt ecstasy and happiness. It had been an unexpected encounter, but it was truly wonderful. For the first time in her life as a woman, she had felt happiness.

‘Still so broad and warm. So fragrant.’

Yes, she had liked this man. She had fallen for him in just one night. But, d*mn it, he had mercilessly ruined her family.