Droit du Seigneur: His Lordship's Right of the First Night - Chapter 42
“Ahh, hiic, ah! N…No, what have I done…!”
Unlike Louise, who was bewildered and didn’t know what to do, Richard calmly wiped his clothes and face with a dry towel. Louise, wide-eyed, couldn’t believe what had just happened.
What just happened…? The large quantity of liquid was colorless and odorless, and while the person who got hit by it didn’t seem bothered at all, it was certainly suspicious. It was different from the lubrication that would normally wet her when aroused. No way…. Louise shook her head, not wanting to believe the idea forming in her mind.
“My lord! I’m sorry, I… I made a mistake….”
“It’s okay, don’t worry about it.”
“But how…?”
“It’s not urine. As far as I know.”
Richard, making eye contact with the pale-faced Louise, reassured her as if to ease her worries. He took out a handkerchief from his pocket, lifted her bxttxcks, and dabbed between her soaked thighs.
“And even if it were, it wouldn’t matter.”
As Richard tucked the handkerchief he used to wipe her entrance back into his pocket, Louise remained silent, her face bright red. Her cheeks, which had been peachy, were now as red as an apple, and eventually, they turned as crimson as a raspberry. Amused by her unusually subdued behavior since yesterday, he gently stroked her blushing cheek.
“Why has the lady suddenly become so demure?”
“I, uh… it’s just… because I showed such an unsightly side….”
“Unsightly?”
Richard frowned deeply at her words.
“That’s what I’d call cute.”
“…….”
“Or maybe even lovable.”
“…….”
“So don’t say such things.”
Ding— Ding—
At that moment, the chimes from the castle’s bell tower rang to announce the hour. Realizing it was time to leave, Richard began to stand, but Louise grabbed his sleeve. When he looked down, she cautiously spoke.
“My lord, let me apply some ointment to your back. I scratched you deeply yesterday, and it must hurt….”
Louise felt guilty about the marks her nails had left in her excitement. Of course, to Richard, who had spent many years on the battlefield, such scratches from her small hands were hardly even noticeable.
“It’s fine. These aren’t even worth calling wounds. Just leave them be.”
Even though he found it unexpectedly pleasant to have someone worry about him, Richard pulled at his lips slightly, but Louise was surprisingly stubborn.
“Then I won’t apply the ointment anymore either.”
“You have to. If you get hurt, won’t your family worry?”
Richard avoided mentioning her husband directly, preferring to speak indirectly.
“But my lord also….”
“I have no one to worry about me.”
He cut her off rather coldly. While he did have family who would worry if he were seriously injured in battle, Leonhart wouldn’t worry over mere scratches from a woman’s nails.
Louise looked at Richard intently before suddenly speaking up.
“I worry about you, my lord.”
“…What?”
“You need to lead Evron, my lord. If you’re in pain because of me… I’ll be worried until you return to this room at night.”
“…You’re worried about me?”
“Of course! Even though I saw you today, you’re usually out all day. I always wonder if you’ve had lunch, if you’re working all day without rest, and I can’t help but worry….”
It might have seemed like nothing more than simple words. Richard had followers who worried about him, and he had heard such concerns before.
But in that moment, a faint tremor, like the cracking of frozen ground, stirred within him.
Like spring rain seeping through tiny cracks, thawing the frozen earth, a tender emotion blossomed in his heart.
“Especially Richard, even though he is my child, I can’t feel any affection for him. It must be because he resembles that heartless man so much.”
It felt strange to have Louise worry about him. Of course, he knew her concern was partly conventional. She didn’t have any special feelings for him or deep thoughts behind her words. Still, an unfamiliar emotion swelled within him, making him feel as if it would burst forth any moment, and Richard remained silent.
As he stared at her without saying anything, Louise, thinking she had overstepped, quickly added with a flushed face.
“Ah! You work so hard every day, my lord. If you collapse before two months are up, His Majesty the Emperor will hold me accountable for not keeping my promise… mmmh!”
Suddenly, he grabbed her small chin and bent down, sealing her babbling lips with a kiss. Startled, her small body squirmed, but he held her tightly, guiding her hands to wrap around his neck. She could feel the warmth and breath of his strong, muscular torso.
The kiss lasted a long time. It started with a somewhat intense wave and deepened like a profound lake with no end in sight, tender and gentle. It was hard to believe such a soft kiss came from a man who lived on the battlefield. Haa… When he finally pulled back slowly, time, which seemed to have stopped, began to flow again.
Due to the series of events, his return was inevitably delayed. After applying ointment to the scratches on his back, complying with Louise’s insistence, and adjusting his shirt, he turned to leave the room, but then he came back.
“My lord? Aren’t you going… hnnh.”
“Mmh.”
Richard tilted his head as he captured Louise, whose eyes widened, in another kiss. He pressed his lips against hers firmly, leaving a light, lingering kiss. When their eyes met, he smiled, and Louise, as if awakened from a spell, blinked.
“See you in the evening.”
“Yes, my lord. Please take care.”
With eyes softened more than usual, he turned and left the room. Waving at him, Louise smiled brightly. It was a peaceful afternoon.
