Droit du Seigneur: His Lordship's Right of the First Night - Chapter 26
After a moment, he let out a low sigh.
“You’re right. Both you and I have our own benefits to gain from this arrangement, so we accepted it.”
“…….”
“Let’s just get through these two months quietly.”
Before she could respond, he added.
“Of course, just like last time, I won’t actually touch you. You remember that, right?”
“Ah, yes. You said you couldn’t….”
Good. He nodded, looking down at her. Then, he began unbuttoning his shirt with one hand. Louise, who had been feeling slightly more at ease after their agreement, widened her eyes.
“M-My lord? Why are you taking off your clothes all of a sudden…!”
As his shirt opened, his muscular torso came into view. Her wide, jade-colored eyes darted around nervously. Ignoring her small cry, he completely removed his shirt and tossed it lightly to her.
“Wear this.”
“But…!”
Though not as revealing as last time, Louise was still wearing a thin, translucent nightgown.
It was obvious why she was sent in such attire without even a robe in the bedroom. Embarrassed by her almost naked state, she had been unable to move much, constantly trying to cover herself with the thin sheet. Somehow, her nervous attempts to hide herself seemed pitiful to him.
Of course, seeing such a provocative sight in front of him had been very difficult as well.
“We have to live together for two months, so you can’t keep doing that. It’s making me uncomfortable.”
“…Thank you.”
Her face turned bright red as she accepted his shirt. The simple, unadorned men’s shirt was much too big for her. Fortunately, when she buttoned it up, it didn’t fall off, and it covered her rounded brxxsts and fair thighs, making her feel much better than before.
“I’ll tell them to change your clothes starting tomorrow. Anything else that’s bothering you?”
“…I would like to bathe alone without any assistance.”
“All right.”
Richard nodded readily. Most people liked having attendants, but having spent long periods in the field despite being a member of the imperial family, he was used to handling things on his own. It often felt more comfortable that way. Even now, he had refused such services because they were bothersome, so he understood her desire.
‘His Lordship’s body… has so many scars…’
His broad, muscular chest was covered with scars of various sizes. They must have been earned from his long time spent on the battlefield protecting the empire. Louise lowered her eyes, unable to look at his body directly.
“By the way, what should I call you?”
“…Pardon, sir?”
“You mentioned that the name on the document and the one your mother gave you are different. One was Louise, and the other was…”
Struggling to remember, Richard furrowed his brow slightly. Louise quickly answered.
“Cherinia.”
“Ah, that’s it. Anyway, since we’ll be spending some time together, I should have something to call you by. Use whichever name you’re more comfortable with.”
“T-Then… I’d appreciate it if you called me Louise. I’m more used to that name.”
“Sure.”
Not wanting to risk using Cherinia’s name and making a mistake, Louise cautiously suggested using her mother-given name. Fortunately, Richard agreed readily, though he suddenly asked,
“Does your husband also call you that?”
“…H-Husband?”
Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Louise hesitated momentarily.
“Ah, my fiancé calls me Cherinia. Only my mother and sister call me Louise….”
“I see.”
Whether her awkward explanation worked or if he had asked the question without much thought, Richard didn’t seem particularly interested in her answer.
He nodded indifferently and gestured to the bed she was sitting on.
“Get some sleep.”
“Um, my lord! Since there’s no chair here, I’ll sleep on the floor.”
Suddenly realizing the situation, she quickly grabbed her pillow. Louise hastily moved to the cold stone floor, laying down away from the bed. Watching her, Richard sighed softly.
“Good night then.”
“Don’t be difficult. Get back up here.”
“…….”
The stone floor of the bedroom was too hard and cold to spend the night on. The only area suitable for sleeping was the small space beside the bed, but even that was tricky due to a column in the way, making it barely feasible for Louise, let alone Richard.
“You’re really making this troublesome.”
“…Ah, ack! My lord!”
Ignoring her pretense of sleeping on the cold floor, Richard picked her up and tossed her onto the bed. In an instant, their positions were reversed, and Louise, now sitting up on the single bed, blinked in surprise.
“My lord, you should sleep in the bed. The stone floor is too hard and cold for you.”
“It’s fine.”
Without looking at her, Richard extinguished the candle beside the bed and turned his back to her.
“I’ve slept in worse places on the battlefield.”
“But this isn’t a battlefield; it’s your home. You should sleep comfortably….”
“Just sleep on the bed. I can’t let someone as young as you sleep on the cold floor.”
“I’m not a child!”
“Twenty is still young.”
“How old are you, then, sir?”
Though technically an adult, she was still eight years younger than him. Richard felt a pang of guilt at her question, reminding him of his inappropriate desires for someone so much younger.
