“Why do you look like that?”

The cold, icy voice jolted her back to reality. Immediately, her dazed gaze shifted from the fading sunset outside the window. She looked down at the man’s hand, which was gripping her tightly from behind like a vine.

“I said your maid would be safe. You got what you wanted, yet you’re acting like this — how odd.”

The words scraped against her ear. Despite his calm tone, his breath was chilling, not teasing.

How could he read her expression so precisely, even when seated behind her? This thought crossed her mind just as she caught sight of her reflection in the glass, with the man’s eyes staring back at her.

“I am grateful for Your Majesty’s grace.”

Cedric, who had been leaning towards the nape of her neck, froze. Then, pressing his left arm close beneath his wife’s chest, he slowly raised his hand to the swollen area of her br*ast.

“Just words?”

A large hand groped the area near her chest. She could feel it playing over the fabric as though it were touching bare skin. Her body stiffened automatically and she bit her lip.

“Hnnngh—”

Suddenly, the hand holding her br*ast with some force grasped it. It was the shame rather than the pain that made her head spin.

Their pressed-together bodies conveyed the man’s temperature entirely. Cedric clicked his tongue and released his grip. Admiring his wife’s reflection in the window, he slipped his hand into the gap in the neckline of her loose-fitting dress.

The comfortable dress, which was only tied at the waist with a cord, easily allowed this. However, the thick, damp fabric, seemingly there to hide something, utterly refused to let Cedric reach his goal. Eventually, in slightly irritated fashion, Cedric loosened the waist cord of his wife’s dress, undoing the various knots underneath.

Finally seizing what he desired, his expression softened. Anita, who had stood like a doll, enduring Cedric’s manipulations, squeezed her eyes shut at the sight of her reflection in the window. Immediately, she was reprimanded.

“I paid the price in advance, and now I feel like I’m not getting my fair share. They say you shouldn’t pay before you receive the service.”

“What makes you feel so wronged?”

Unable to hold back, Anita spat out a single remark in a flash. What could possibly have made him feel so wronged?

Of course, Renee was safe. Thanks entirely to him. Anita was well aware that it was his words and actions that had saved him.

However, as a result of this incident, Anita lost the little authority she had gained in the Imperial Palace. She could only save a little face because the Lady-in-Waiting, the Marchioness Kalente, who had been entrusted with considerable authority, still formally sought her opinion.

Logically, she knew she should be grateful to Cedric for saving Renee. Currently, however, Anita was struggling severely, both mentally and physically, because of Cedric.

“What are you looking at? Don’t you know what posture you ought to take?”

The show-off knew no bounds. Cedric, who had originally demanded s*x as a matter of course, was now acting like a relentless debt collector. Over the past few days, he had thoroughly enjoyed looking down on Anita, who was on her knees begging him to save Renee. Using Renee as leverage, he had demanded that his wife be gentle and compliant in all matters and had pressured her subtly to embrace him first, happily and gratefully.

This was a terrible humiliation for Anita. How could she possibly do that? The mere thought of sharing a bed with him filled her with dread. Being asked to feel joy for an act that had been violent from the start made her question Cedric’s sanity.

“Felicite has a wet nurse, so this is properly my share as your husband. I won’t allow you to do as you please with what comes from you. So don’t think about taking medicine or using any other methods.”

Moreover, Anita had already reached her limit due to the strict rules that Cedric had imposed after discovering that she had breastfed Félicité. She was utterly exhausted by the man who, almost every day, seized what rightfully belonged to the child through methods that were both obscene and utterly devastating.

“You’re already doing whatever you want.”

This sharp murmur was less a conscious statement and more an involuntary release of accumulated emotion. Anita regretted the abrupt outburst immediately, but it was too late. Cedric, who had paused at his wife’s feeble resistance, resumed caressing her bare skin and asked.

“Do you truly think I am doing that?”

His calm tone lacked any trace of anger. However, Anita sensed from past experience that the disposition of the man who dominated her had already soured.

“It’s clear I’m obsessed with this body. Otherwise, instead of casting you out after hearing a comment like that, I wouldn’t be doing this. But do you know something?”

When Anita didn’t reply, Cedric continued. He let out a short, somewhat nervous laugh, then muttered self-mockingly as he poked his wife’s n*pple. The milk, which hadn’t stopped flowing because of him, easily leaked out at the slightest stimulation. He savored the thick, moist sensation on his finger. Then, this time, he grasped her entire br*ast and twisted the n*pple hard.

“Ugh!”

“You cost too much. To use a vulgar comparison, you’re like thousands of Urtzkhan horses, incredibly expensive to maintain, yet too weak to be ridden properly.”

The Urtzkhan horse was uniquely beautiful, with a coat that shimmered with a pale golden lustre. However, breeding focused solely on this color and build has resulted in a deterioration in endurance and speed, which are the most important qualities for a useful horse. Furthermore, they were fussy eaters and prone to illness, making them difficult to raise unless one was extremely wealthy.

Cedric insulted Anita by comparing her to such an animal, a luxury item with an impressive exterior and high maintenance costs, but little practical use other than to be admired for its beauty.

“You don’t understand what I mean? I’m saying you have little practical use, but when I look at you, I can’t bring myself to discard you, which is a problem.”

Though he appeared to be speaking frankly, Cedric was lying. At some point, Anita had become utterly irreplaceable to him. The thought of his wife not being by his side had made Cedric’s blood run cold for some time.

Thus, when various nobles, led by Count Pallan, attempted to disparage Anita in front of him, he genuinely found it hard to tolerate. Initially, it had been an act performed to control the nobles, but gradually, his fury had become genuine, carrying a hint of murderous intent.

“I suppose so. How could I ever give up your body? The mere act of setting you up and admiring you brings me joy.”

Yet, contrary to his true feelings, Cedric’s words became even more vicious. His foul remarks seemed solely aimed at belittling his wife. This originated from a recent realization that Cedric had: ‘Not a single other woman. Not a single one of them draws me in. Just…’

He admitted it. Just as he had mocked himself for doing so moments ago, he was indeed obsessed with his wife.

More accurately, he was obsessed with her body.

His unwillingness to lose her was clearly rooted in physical pleasure. Why else would he find her so annoying to look at? Why didn’t he feel any joy? Why did she only incite his rage? What positive feelings could there be?

In a way, Cedric thought, this was dreadful for him, too. The person he had hated for over ten years was giving him undeniable pleasure. Being unable to discard or kill her because of that pleasure, was that not the curse of the Goddess those foolish people believed in? Such useless thoughts crossed his mind.

“You offer me no help whatsoever. And yet, because I keep you around, there are so many things I have to worry about.”

Meanwhile, the sky had darkened to a deep indigo. Yet the image of his wife reflected in the window grew clearer. He could see her hand gripping the clothing on the verge of slipping off while she was held captive and shook violently. Cedric looked at his wife, still hurt by his words, and massaged her cooling br*ast with his heated hands.

He did it in the most merciless way. Without a shred of consideration. Just as one would treat a cheap pr*stitute on the street. While doing so, he whispered to himself.

‘You must endure it. You must bear whatever I do, given your situation. Considering your situation. Receiving this undying hatred of mine is your only purpose.’

“You’re far too much trouble. This incident is just another example of that. You’re annoying and unpleasant. How can I possibly tolerate you?”

“Then just leave me alone.”

Due to Cedric’s handling, the front of her dress was already thoroughly soaked. In her misery, Anita mumbled again. Her voice was much quieter than before and barely audible, even to Cedric.

“You don’t need to pay me any attention…”

“Anita.”

Why was she so slow to learn? Cedric frowned as he looked at his wife, who had spoken up instead of lying prostrate and awaiting her sentence in a battle she couldn’t win. He began to chastise her.

“You accepted the full price, and now you’re behaving like this?”

“…”

“Do you truly not know your own position?”

“…”

“If I cut off even this small amount of attention, won’t your life become unbearable? You won’t be able to protect the last maid you have and you won’t even be able to see Félicité. What will you do about your niece in your home country? Hmmm?”

“……”

“Watch that arrogance of yours. I won’t tolerate any more of it.”

It was all too easy to break his wife’s will. Words weren’t even necessary. A daughter, a niece, a maid — just a few clipped syllables and they would fall silent. As expected, Anita closed her mouth and tilted her head to the side. There was no trace of defiance left in her. She was his prey, fully in his grasp. Her life was surrendered to his mercy. Willingly so. And yet it disgusted him.