Chapter 3.3

Richel listened to the mercenaries’ conversation as she walked slowly through the garden. Then, one voice caught her attention.

“…When I was on stage, the captain called me. He grabbed me by the collar and, with a very angry voice, said he’d cut my throat if I didn’t behave….”

Richel’s hand dropped. She stepped out of the greenhouse garden, dazed. The air was so cold it pricked her delicate skin.

“Your Grace!”

Servants rushed over, carrying shawls. Richel clutched her dress and ran to the gate. Haa, haa, the icy air filled her lungs.

Richel reached the gate, panting as she grabbed the iron bars. The mercenaries guarding outside the mansion turned around.

“What’s the matter?”

“Man, haa, man….”

“A man? Are you going to find a lover again?”

“Please, go back inside, Madame.”

No, she was looking for the man they mentioned just now….

Suppressing the urge to jump with frustration, Richel looked at a young-looking man.

“Excuse me.”

“……”

“You know me, right?”

“Of course. You’re our captain’s wife.”

With a confident and light voice, she was sure.

This young man was the host who wore a butterfly mask at Cruise.

“Why are you….”

“Please go inside. If the captain finds out you’ve come out here, we’ll be in big trouble.”

The host interrupted and gestured as if shooing her away. Richel’s smooth forehead creased with veins.

Who said she was going to leave?

Richel clung stubbornly to the iron bars. The cold metal turned her pale skin red.

“Let go, Madame!”

The host and mercenaries panicked and opened the gate. Though they shouted for her to let go, they couldn’t bring themselves to touch her, only stomping their feet anxiously.

The servants who had run over pulled Richel’s hand away and wrapped her in warm fur. Richel trembled but immediately threw the fur off.

“Fine, fine. I’ll explain, but please at least wear this. If you catch a cold, we’ll all be in trouble!”

The host, flustered, covered her with the fur again. Richel glared at him and asked.

“What’s going on? Why are you here?”

“Because I’m a mercenary, I’m here.”

“But you hosted the party!”

“That’s true, but….”

The host scratched the back of his head.

“It wasn’t our party from the start. We hijacked the ship.”

Richel blinked. 

Hijacked?

“As soon as we found out you and your friends bought tickets to that party, we captured all the organizers. And…. The people on the ship?”

About a dozen men raised their hands.

“We replaced the party with these guys. You probably didn’t notice because it was hectic, but we waited under the stage to protect you. Mercenaries can act a bit, you know.”

Richel looked at the men who raised their hands. They all awkwardly bowed with embarrassed faces.

“They’re all good at using their bodies but not at speaking, so I was the best option to grab the mic. The captain was on a mission and joined later.”

Joined later? Callisto did?

“He wasn’t there from the start?”

“Of course not. We were all busy, including the captain. Why would we go there?”

The host crossed his arms.

“Honestly, that party is dangerous if you get caught in the wrong crowd. It’s no place for someone like you who was raised properly. We’ve seen it a lot because of requests, and people who go there out of curiosity end up ruined. You went to a place like that, so of course, we had to save you.”

“……”

“Well, the captain was very angry, but…. He was definitely worried about you. He sent us in because we were the closest. We even gave you hints to reassure you, but we didn’t know you didn’t know the captain’s title.”

She didn’t know. She didn’t even realize that Callisto had earned the title of Grand Duke through his achievements as a mercenary. Despite seeing the jewel in the rough, she hadn’t recognized it. She didn’t even question how a mercenary from the North knew that 20 billion gold was enough to buy the Embris family’s territory and then some.

“The captain… Well, he’s the Grand Duke now, but since it’s more comfortable to call him captain, I’ll stick with that. Anyway, our captain has a bit of a nasty personality. His words can be rough too. So, I thought he’d kill everyone on that ship. He had no choice but to let go of the ones who raised their hands to buy you, but he did let your friends go. Honestly, I was a bit surprised. It was just a tiny squid boat, but… well, at least you’re alive, right?”

“……”

“Our captain cares about you that much. Though it seems you don’t believe it.”

With certainty in his voice, Richel bit her lip. Then she grabbed the host’s sleeve.

“Everything you’ve said… Is it all true?”

“I’m telling you, it is.”

The host continued with a face that showed he was slightly annoyed.

“Honestly, it’s stranger that you didn’t know. You should’ve realized from his actions. That icy man treats you like gold and jade. Sigh… If your curiosity is satisfied, please go inside. You’re not strong, so why did you come out here….”

The host, who was about to help Richel up, suddenly looked behind her. Richel turned her head as well.

Callisto was standing there holding flowers, looking at them with a blank expression.

He glanced between the host and Richel before lowering his gaze. His sharp eyes landed on the sleeve of the host’s clothes that Richel was clutching tightly.

Thud, the flowers dropped. Callisto stepped on the bouquet of white flowers on the ground as he walked forward. A fire blazed in his icy blue eyes.

Everyone present held their breath until Callisto approached. The aura he exuded was that strong and clear.

Flap, Callisto removed the cape from his shoulders and wrapped it around Richel. He then touched her pale, cold face and gently brushed the skin that had been against the iron bars.

Gritting his teeth, Callisto picked Richel up in his arms and strode toward the Grand Duke’s estate.

“…This is bad.”

Everyone present could only watch the backs of the couple as they walked away, unable to say a word.

* * *

Thud, Richel’s body was thrown onto the bed.

Her head spun. To regain her senses, Richel shook her head and quickly sat up. Her husband was throwing his sword onto the floor and roughly undoing his tight shirt. Richel shifted her eyes and dashed toward the door.

“So you do realize it’s dangerous.”

Ha-ha, a low chuckle came from behind her.

“You can figure that out, yet you only choose to do things that drive me crazy.”

Thud, Callisto stopped the door from opening with one hand and leaned down to whisper softly in Richel’s ear.

“Let go of the doorknob.”

“……”

“I said, let go.”

Feeling the tense atmosphere, Richel fidgeted with her fingers. Callisto silently laughed.

“Words won’t do, huh.”

He overlapped his hand with Richel’s. One by one, he pried off her fingers, which were gripping the doorknob like a lifeline, then pulled her delicate wrist, drawing her into his arms.

“Good girl.”

Callisto praised softly as he cupped Richel’s face with one hand. Her green eyes, filled with fear, looked like precious jewels. He leaned in and captured her lips. Her small body trembled violently.

Sucking and nibbling on her tender lips, he entwined his tongue with hers. Holding her slender waist, he took a step forward, causing their legs to entangle deeply.

“When I first kissed you, it felt so good I thought I’d lose my mind. I’m not a kid, but the kiss alone almost made me lose control.”

He pressed his body against hers. Richel’s back touched the door.

“I’ve wanted to taste these lips for so long….”

Whispering against her lips, he tilted his head and explored her small mouth. He swirled his tongue around, sucking and biting. Their tongues entwined deeply.

Without breaking the kiss, he tore off his shirt. Buttons flew in all directions. Discarding his ruined clothes, he returned to exploring her mouth with care.

His tongue moved to her ear. The wet mass probed her ear canal a few times before nibbling and sucking on her earlobe. When Richel shrugged her shoulders, his lips trailed down her neck. He took a mouthful of her exposed white neck, rolling it inside his mouth, then wedged his thigh between her legs and pressed firmly. The friction near her entrance made her body heat up.

His icy blue eyes captured Richel’s moaning face. He watched her flushed cheeks and reddened lips before lowering his fingers between her legs.

“I remember the first day I went to the South.”

His long fingers slipped into her underwear. He touched her tightly closed entrance and then thrust in deeply. The sudden intrusion made her entrance twitch, and after probing it a few times, he withdrew his hand. One of Richel’s legs was lifted, and the thick tip of him pressed against her entrance.

Callisto hooked Richel’s trembling leg over his arm and moved his hips back and forth. Then he pierced her entrance in one swift motion.

“Hah…!”

Richel tilted her head back and moaned. Her lifted leg quivered. Sighing, Callisto thrust his hips upward.

“I think it was spring. I was on a ship, having been assigned to lead a war.”

“Ah, ah, ha, ah…!”

“It was a battle where we were outnumbered and outmatched, so everyone was on edge. I went out to the deck for a change of pace.”

“Ah, uh, ah, ah, ah…!”

“That’s where I saw you.”

He didn’t hold back and thrust his lower body hard. Richel shook her head and clung to his shoulders, feeling as if she were being pierced from below.