Chapter 12: The New Duke and the Hidden Mistress (Part 8)

Once Theo’s footsteps faded, Kiern grabbed Elizabeth’s wrist and pulled her behind a pillar. Before she could say anything, his hot lips covered her hand. It was the same hand that Theo had touched. His red tongue slid along her fingers, licking them from bottom to top, making her fingertips tremble.

“Ah.”

Startled, Elizabeth tried to pull her hand away, but her resistance was weak. Kiern continued his actions, trapping her against the pillar. His lowered gaze remained fixed on her, and his red lips didn’t hesitate to suck and lick her delicate fingers.

As if he were devouring her lower body, his gaze was filled with lust, as if they were in the middle of an intense act of intimacy. That gaze alone made her knees weak, as though her body had already been pierced.

The hot tip of his tongue felt soft against her fingers. The act felt so obscene that Elizabeth bit her lip unconsciously. Perhaps it was the intensity of his gaze, but her lower abdomen tingled, and her throat went dry. Kiern didn’t release her hand for a long time, as if dissatisfied with something.

“Please.”

Elizabeth pleaded with Kiern, who was doing such things in an open space. She was terrified that someone else might see them. But Kiern ignored her pleas. Instead, he moved even more boldly, as if he wanted to make things harder for her.

His lips traveled up her wrist, as if his hands weren’t enough. With his other hand, he groped her chest. The ribbon tied at her neckline had already come undone, revealing her collarbone, where faint red marks from earlier became even more vivid.

Burying his face in her chest, he deliberately left marks in visible places. Marks so clear that she would want to run straight to her room and hide. Only after the heat of the moment subsided did Kiern finally speak.

“Where else did he touch you?”

“…”

“I hate it when someone else touches what’s mine. So don’t even think about giving him so much as a glance, Ellie. If you keep doing this, I might feel like getting rid of him.”

“Your Grace, please…”

“Tell me. Where did he look at you? Where did he touch you? Every single spot.”

Kiern growled like a beast. It was as though he wanted to devour every place Theo’s gaze had touched. Elizabeth lowered her eyes, tears welling up. Her dress, now completely disheveled, only added to her distress.

Seeing this, Kiern slammed his fist against the pillar. With a loud bang, the distance between them closed further. Pressing his forehead against hers, he muttered.

“In front of your suitor, you act so innocent, but in front of me, all I see is that wretched expression.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll never… I’ll never meet him again.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep. You can’t just throw away the membership Stella worked so hard to get for you, can you?”

Elizabeth flinched at the mention of Stella. As he said, it was Stella who had secured her membership in the Ingrid Club. She had begged the late Duchess for the rare privilege.

For the first time, Elizabeth felt the weight of that privilege as a burden. She pitied her past self, who had been so happy at the thought of spending more time with Kiern, not knowing anything. Overwhelmed, Elizabeth spoke tearfully.

“Then what should I do?”

Her tears blurred her vision. Kiern gently wiped them away, speaking cruel words in a soft tone.

“Do nothing. Just live as if you’re dead. After all, the rest of your life belongs to me. Smile only for me. Cry only for me.”

“…Why… Why do you keep me by your side? When you act as if my very existence is hell for you, why?”

“Good question. Why do I keep you by my side?”

Kiern caressed her cheek gently. His warm lips brushed lightly against the corner of her eye before pulling away. Unlike his earlier aggressive actions, this kiss was gentle, as if he understood her pain. But Elizabeth knew it was all hypocrisy.

His gaze was still as cold as ever. The blue eyes she had once thought were the warmest now seemed endlessly cold and terrifying. Kiern raised one corner of his mouth and spoke.

“The fact that you still don’t know is your sin, Elizabeth.”

“…”

“Don’t leave your room until I call for you. I’ll come to you soon.”

With those words, Kiern began tidying up the mess he had made of her dress. He smoothed out the wrinkles in her blouse, fastened the buttons, and neatly tied the ribbon. As if it were second nature, he restored her attire to perfection before stepping back and extending his arm.

“Shall we?”

Like a polite gentleman, like an elegant noble. He offered to escort her, tightening the noose around her neck. It was a touch she couldn’t refuse. What had once made her heart race with love now filled her with nothing but fear. Silently, Elizabeth placed her hand on his arm.

She tried to ignore the lingering heat in her fingertips, which were still red from his earlier actions. The sensation of his lips and tongue on her trembling fingers was still vivid.

Elizabeth closed her eyes tightly, trying to forget what had just happened. What she had once thought was love was now nothing but anger and lust.

There had been a time when she had been thrilled by his escort. Back then, it had been something she had longed for. But now, Elizabeth looked at Kiern, who stared straight ahead, with a wistful gaze.

The price of loving someone she shouldn’t have was bitter. If only she hadn’t revealed her feelings. If only she hadn’t confessed that day. Regret came too late and tormented her.

Elizabeth was too fragile to endure the rapidly changing circumstances. She grew more and more exhausted by events beyond her control. For the first time that day, Elizabeth thought she wanted to die.

***

Theo, who had joined the Ingrid Club, kept an appropriate distance so as not to make Elizabeth uncomfortable. The frequent discussions during the meetings weren’t entirely her fault, as the topics mostly revolved around business.

Nevertheless, Elizabeth kept her distance from Theo. This was because Kiern had been furious just from seeing them together before. She didn’t know what kind of wrath she might face if she spoke to Theo again. Kiern had become increasingly twisted lately.

He often refused to let her go out, acting as though he was determined to isolate her. As a result, Elizabeth found herself spending more and more time alone.

To make matters worse, the more Kiern’s attention turned toward her, the harsher the stares from Abigail’s maids became. And those stares soon turned into actions.

“This is…”

Elizabeth trailed off as she looked at her stained dress. The once pristine white dress was now covered in red blotches. It was a dress she had cherished, and she felt a pang of distress. The maid lowered her gaze and said,

“I’m sorry. I must’ve done something wrong during the wash; the stains just wouldn’t come out.”

The faint smile on the maid’s lips made it clear that this was intentional harassment. Elizabeth silently took the dress without a word. They were Abigail’s people. And above all, Elizabeth had committed a great sin against Abigail, so she had no right to punish the maids of the future Duchess.

Perhaps knowing this, the maids’ harassment grew more persistent. They mixed spoiled food into her meals, causing her stomachaches, and filled her bathtub with ice-cold water, forcing her to bathe in it.

It felt as though she had become a mistreated noblewoman from a tragic tale. Of course, since she believed she deserved such treatment, Elizabeth made no protest. She had given up on protecting herself and endured the relentless attacks in silence. She didn’t even have the energy to react to the petty pranks they played in secret, for fear of being caught by their master.

Then, one day, during an outdoor Ingrid Club meeting, Abigail asked her to fetch some tea leaves from the kitchen. That was when she overheard the maids’ chatter from inside.

“She’s so shameless. No matter how much we hint, she just won’t stay away from His Grace.”

“And did you see her throwing herself at Sir Theo? I guess the Duke isn’t enough for her.”

“Just look at her! A sly fox, and yet neither His Grace nor Sir Theo seems to notice.”

“I don’t understand why Lady Abigail tolerates someone like her. If it were me, I wouldn’t even let her attend the Ingrid meetings.”

“It’s infuriating! Poor Lady Abigail—how can she endure this?”

Elizabeth froze in place outside the door. Their resentment was directed entirely at her. While some of their accusations were misunderstandings, she didn’t have the energy to explain. After all, if the master they served saw her fiancé favoring another woman, it was only natural for them to be angry.

‘I’ll wait until their conversation dies down before going in.’

If she entered now, she would only face more humiliation. Just as Elizabeth turned to leave—

“!!”

Theo was standing there, as if he had been following her. His expression hardened as he approached. Before she could say anything, his large hands covered her ears.