Chapter 13

“Come, follow me for a moment.”

“Huh? Where to?”

“You’ll see. Come on.”

It seemed they were heading outside the banquet hall. Hesitant, Celiana glanced back at Robert.

He was deep in conversation with other noblemen.

‘It should be fine for a while.’

At banquets, people often stepped out to the garden, so her absence wouldn’t cause concern.

“Alright.”

Celiana began walking after Erta. The path led out of the hall, down a side corridor of the annex.

She followed as told, but felt a bit uneasy.

She hadn’t yet confirmed Erta shared her preferences.

What if she was wrong? Wasn’t this corridor too far from the hall? As the silence stretched, Celiana’s mind raced. And the corridor was longer than expected.

“Um, Madame.”

She finally called out, wondering how far they were going.

“We’re here. Right here.”

Erta stopped in the middle of the annex corridor.

‘Hmm? There’s nothing here.’

Celiana looked around.

What could possibly be here? Unable to hide her confusion, Celiana met Erta’s gaze.

But Erta simply smiled brightly.

“Before that, let me check one thing.”

Suddenly, she began removing her own gloves.

‘What was she doing?’ 

Celiana’s eyes focused on her gloves, and gradually on the pale wrist being revealed.

When the wrist was fully exposed, Celiana saw the red marks hidden beneath.

‘…That, that’s—’

Celiana’s eyes widened.

She could tell for sure. Those marks weren’t accidental.

The way they wrapped evenly around the wrist, they were clearly from being bound.

Celiana, who’d recently become very interested in such things, couldn’t fail to recognize them.

As she stared at the marks in shock, Erta smiled as if she’d expected this reaction.

“Knew you’d notice.”

“Madame, is this…”

Celiana couldn’t finish her sentence. She’d never spoken her preferences aloud and didn’t know how to express them.

But then—

“So, you share my tastes, don’t you?”

Erta Ephelmar was quicker.

“Being bound, being struck, enjoying situations that feel like punishment.”

Celiana couldn’t believe she was hearing these words spoken aloud.

“Having insults whispered in your ear feels so good.”

She’d never dreamed of hearing someone say the things she’d only imagined.

“Isn’t that right?”

Erta asked confidently.

Celiana realized she couldn’t hide it from her. No, more accurately, there was no need to hide anymore.

“Y-yes.”

The Duchess of Ephelmar shared her intimate preferences.

They were kindred spirits.

Celiana’s prediction had been correct. She’d hoped to discuss her tastes with someone at Ephelmar, and now it was happening so quickly.

She was stunned. But Celiana had never imagined what would come next.

What should she do after revealing her tastes?

She’d never thought about it. She’d never even tried to voice her desires before.

‘Still, still…’

She wanted to talk about something. But what should she say first?

Should she ask if Madame ever spanked herself with a paddle? Or for recommendations on the best ropes…?

While she was lost in thought, Erta’s red hair suddenly came close.

Hug—

“I’m so glad!”

Erta hugged Celiana, acting as if they’d been friends for years.

Celiana was delighted. She’d always wanted to be close to Erta.

“This is my first time talking about this.”

So Celiana spoke honestly. Erta nodded slowly, showing sympathy.

“I understand. I used to feel so frustrated, too.”

As a noble lady, she knew better than anyone how hard it was to reveal such secret desires.

“And it’s my first time, too. Telling someone other than my husband.”

“Really? Does your husband, the Duke, know?”

Celiana was most surprised by what she had just heard. Did Erta share her preferences with her husband? And her husband understood?

“Of course. We’re married.”

But Erta’s response was almost matter-of-fact, as if there was nothing surprising about it.

Celiana felt a pang of envy. How could they be so open? It seemed the two of them were truly soulmates, so different from her and Robert.

“In fact, my husband doesn’t know at all.”

Celiana confessed, her face falling.

“…Oh, that’s unfortunate.”

Erta sighed. S*xual preferences, after all, were among the hardest things to hide between a married couple.

“Let’s not just stand here. Let’s go inside.”

“Huh? Where…?”

Creak—

Erta simply pushed a brick in the wall, and suddenly the left side of the corridor shifted.

A space big enough for one or two people opened up. No one would have expected a secret room hidden in the middle of the corridor.

Celiana followed Erta into the secret space and her mouth fell open.

‘What is all this?’

If there was another world, this must be it. It was on a different level from the tools Celiana secretly collected behind her study.

“Oh my.”

“Hehe, how do you like it?”

Erta asked with a proud voice.

“It’s… amazing.”

Celiana had only ever collected usable items in secret.

Naturally, they weren’t even made for this purpose.

But the items before her were on a different level.

At a glance, they looked professional, and there were some she couldn’t even guess the use for.

“What is this used for?”

Unable to contain her curiosity, Celiana asked. She couldn’t even imagine what it was for.

‘Is it some kind of partition? But why does it have a hole?’

It looked like a large wall, about chest height, with a hole just big enough for a woman’s torso.

Erta chuckled, pleased, and answered.

“I won this from Reytan in a bet. How does it look? Isn’t it wonderful?”

Erta gave the answer: it was a device fixed to the wall, for enjoying play with an unseen partner.

Celiana’s eyes flashed with surprise.

‘I never even imagined such a thing.’

Did things like this exist? Just hearing about it made her heart race.

But soon, Celiana felt downcast.

Unlike the Duchess of Ephelmar, who shared everything with her husband, Celiana felt pitiful for keeping everything to herself.

She hadn’t even been able to talk about her preferences, let alone use such items.

Erta could clearly see what was running through Celiana’s mind.

So Erta offered sincere advice.

“Why not talk to the Marquis Dalton?”

“To Robert? I can’t.”

Celiana shook her head immediately. Robert would never understand her preferences.

“I don’t think Robert would accept it.”

Celiana believed she knew her husband better than anyone.

Robert was an upright noble, a role model for others—he would never understand such tastes.

“Don’t be so afraid. Sometimes, when you talk, things turn out differently.”

But Erta thought differently.

They were married; why not try talking? Especially since Erta could see the Marquis Dalton was deeply in love with his wife.

‘Anyone could see it in his eyes.’

Surely he would grant this much.

“Hm…”

After thinking a moment, Erta picked up a box from one display and handed it to Celiana.

“Here, a gift.”

“Huh? What is it?”

Celiana took the box, and Erta urged her.

“Open it, quickly.”

When she opened the lid, inside were leather cuffs connected by chains, and a matching leather collar.

“From what I see, anything too intense might be too much for you. Try asking your husband for just this much, alright?”

“But, Madame, our marriage is…”

“Call me Erta. Just Erta.”

Her smiling face held many emotions—affection, encouragement.

“Can I call you Celiana?”

“Of course! Erta.”

Celiana was truly happy to have someone she could talk to. She was grateful for Erta’s caring heart.

Still, Celiana felt she and Erta were in very different situations. She couldn’t possibly ask Robert for such things.

It wouldn’t be as easy as Erta said.

“You’ll accept it, right?”

“…But even if I take it, I don’t think I’ll be able to use it.”

“Take it anyway. You never know.”

Erta pushed the box into Celiana’s arms. Refusing any further would be impolite.

In the end, Celiana accepted the gift.

“…Then I’ll take it. Thank you, Erta.”

“It’s nothing. Celiana, I have to go soon.”

Erta said she’d invite Celiana over next week so they could talk more privately, and lamented that there were too many guests at the banquet today to have a long conversation.

She had already been away from the hall for quite some time.

Knowing that it wasn’t easy for the hostess to leave the banquet like this, Celiana urged Erta to return quickly.

Soon after, Erta went back to the hall to greet guests she hadn’t met yet.

Left alone in the corridor, Celiana stared at the box. Her eyes reflected her complicated feelings.

‘Talk to Robert, huh…’

Erta’s advice kept floating in her mind.

Celiana swallowed.

She pictured herself bound by those cuffs. And that collar could make her a slave or a pet.

Imagining herself calling Robert ‘Master’ and obeying his commands made her stomach flutter.

Should she really say something? Admit she’d been avoiding it because of these preferences?

But soon, Celiana brushed the thought away.

‘No, get a grip, Celiana.’

She’d had a miraculous experience just days ago, and that was probably why she was getting her hopes up. There was no way she could use those cuffs with Robert.

She decided to start by simply asking to sleep beside him tonight.

Celiana finally collected herself and walked toward the carriage.

‘Anyway, since I accepted it, I’ll leave this in the carriage and return to the hall.’

She had refused at first, but couldn’t help feeling a bit greedy.

She’d collected various items, but they were limited and crude.

Leather paddles and ropes were easy to get since they were used in daily life, but she didn’t own any rare, specialized equipment for this kind of play.

Celiana tucked the box into a corner of the Dalton Marquisate’s carriage and headed back to the hall.