Droit du Seigneur: His Lordship's Right of the First Night - Chapter 48
“My lord, I think you need to see this. I feel like I’m not supposed to open it…”
A short while later, an invitation with the imperial seal arrived. Richard, who was busy as usual and looking over documents even in his bedroom, was interrupted by Louise. She had started helping him with simple tasks she could handle from a few days ago, and now she handed him a sealed envelope she found among the sorted letters.
“Ah, I meant to check this earlier but forgot because of urgent matters.”
“Is it an important letter?”
“No, it’s obvious without looking. It’s an invitation to an imperial ball.”
The rectangular envelope, adorned with golden patterns on the edges, looked very luxurious at first glance. Richard accepted the mail sealed with the imperial crest and frowned slightly, as if it were a nuisance.
“An invitation to an imperial ball?”
“Yes. Next month is the founding anniversary. It’s the biggest event of the year, so the imperial palace will hold a party to match the occasion.”
Louise had heard that a grand festival was held in the capital around that time. The streets would be beautifully decorated with the national flower of Grandis, and merchants from other countries would bring in rare goods, making it a spectacular sight to see.
As Richard opened the envelope to check its contents, he glanced at the calendar.
“What day is it today? To make it to the ball, I should leave by the morning after tomorrow at the latest.”
“If it’s an event hosted by the imperial family… you must attend, right?”
“At least, I need to show my face. I don’t plan on staying long, though.”
“Oh, I see…”
A faint shadow crossed Louise’s face. Though she was immensely happy with her everyday life with Richard, her anxiety grew day by day. The more she fell in love with him, the worse it got.
It had been a while since their arrangement first started, and now, only ten days remained until the promise with the Emperor.
Even though it was a relationship with a set ending from the start, as the end approached, she felt stifled as if blocked by a dark wall.
When he was absent, she increasingly found herself crying alone, but she tried her best to appear cheerful in front of Richard. If he noticed her feelings, he might feel unnecessary burdens and try to distance himself prematurely.
“Let’s just get through these two months quietly.”
Recalling how she had been the one to seduce him and turn their relationship into a physical one, she could only tightly hide her painful feelings, knowing he hadn’t wanted this from the beginning.
However, hearing that he would soon leave during such a time made her heart drop.
…Farewell.
The word ‘farewell’ came suddenly and earlier than expected, causing her to feel anxious.
Unaware of her worries, Richard folded the letter and spoke matter-of-factly.
“We need to prepare travel attire and shoes immediately from the castle. We can buy the rest once we reach the capital. You’ll need a dress and shoes for the ball as well.”
“What? Am I going with you?”
“Of course. We agreed to share a bed every night for two months, remember? There’s still ten days left. Are you planning to neglect your duties?”
He looked at her with slight dissatisfaction.
“Wasn’t the past week of rest enough?”
“It’s… it’s fine now!”
Louise replied, her face reddening. A week ago, she had her period, causing an unexpected break in their physical relationship.
She usually had irregular cycles, so it had caught her off guard. The court physician, who prescribed her painkillers, suggested it was likely because her nutrition had improved while staying there.
“How does your stomach feel? Is it a pulling sensation or a stabbing pain?”
“It feels like it’s being poked…”
“Here? Is that right?”
“Yes…”
Richard never complained about the lack of intimacy during that period. Following the doctor’s advice that warming the stomach could alleviate the pain, he simply and silently rubbed her lower abdomen with his large, warm hand.
She had once mentioned that her brxxsts hurt because they were swollen, and since then, he hadn’t touched them at all, making her think he wasn’t bothered. But his reaction now suggested otherwise.
Never had she imagined sharing such intimate details with someone, especially the lord of her homeland. Realizing this anew made her face heat up.
“If I go alone, there would definitely be another unknown woman in my bed. I want to avoid such a nuisance.”
Richard added indifferently. It was true that whenever he attended parties or stayed in the capital, Leonhart would push women into his bed. This was why he preferred staying in a separate house rather than the palace.
Wanting to avoid such unpleasant situations was part of the reason for taking Louise, but the bigger reason was…
He didn’t want to be apart from her for even a single day.
Recently, his mind had been in turmoil. Despite her seemingly having no lingering affection for him, he found himself unable to let her go.
Even while working in his office in the morning, her voice and face constantly came to mind, making him wish he could carry her in his pocket. How could he live without seeing her?
