Droit du Seigneur: His Lordship's Right of the First Night - Chapter 57
In truth, everything they were saying was something Louise already knew and wasn’t even surprising anymore. Yet, her carefully maintained composure crumbled in an instant.
Richard is of the imperial family, and his marriage is decided by the Emperor. The Emperor had ordered her to attend to him for two months in bed to rid him of his aversion to women. His marriage was always foretold, and her role was only up to this point.
She had thought she knew well that she was the only one in this relationship who loved the other—that she could never be with him… But perhaps her true feelings were different. Maybe she had been deluding herself into thinking she was more than just a bed partner due to his kindness…. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be so shocked to have the truth confirmed once again by others.
She must have secretly harbored some expectations when Richard asked her to accompany him to the capital. He simply needed a familiar woman to warm his bed….
***
“Louise.”
As Louise hurriedly left the lounge, trying to escape, she walked aimlessly towards an isolated hallway. While she was trying to calm her empty heart in the deserted corridor, Richard approached her from behind, having returned sometime during her walk.
“You weren’t in the lounge, so I searched for quite a while. Where on earth did you go?”
As he came closer, she noticed a different scent from his usual one. It was the perfume of an unfamiliar woman…. The moment she noticed the scent, an uncontrollable emotion surged within her.
He had brought her here, yet at the same event, he was secretly meeting another woman who might become his wife.
Though she knew it was presumptuous of her to feel this way, not even being a mistress, an inexplicable sense of betrayal welled up. Richard, oblivious to the situation, tried to read her expression with a worried look.
“Your complexion doesn’t look well. Are you tired?”
“…I would like to go back and rest now.”
Louise harshly pushed away Richard’s hand, which had intended to escort her. Her following words were naturally cold. Noticing her unusual reaction, he narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Why are you angry?”
“…Please let go of my hand.”
“Louise.”
Thud. He grabbed her wrist as she tried to walk away, turning her body towards him. No matter how much she struggled to pull free, he held on tightly.
“Look at me.”
His clear golden eyes observed Louise, as if trying to understand why she was acting this way.
“Is it because I left you alone?”
“…No.”
“Then what?”
“…….”
“Have I done something wrong to you?”
His usually calm low voice felt as if it were slicing through her today. In fact, Richard had done nothing wrong. He had shared a bed with her for the two months as promised, cured his aversion to women as the Emperor wished, and was now preparing to marry a woman of his status.
“Of course not.”
On the contrary, he had been excessively kind to her, a mere commoner and a temporary bedmate. His respectful demeanor, his broad chest that held her, his gaze, and his lips were all so warm and gentle that she couldn’t help but fall helplessly for him….
He did not love her. No matter how much she dressed herself up in borrowed finery and hastily learned etiquette, it didn’t change anything. She felt utterly humiliated for having dared to hope for something. The fact that she couldn’t even express these feelings made her even angrier and sadder.
“You’ve done nothing wrong, my lord.”
Her face was probably red with embarrassment. Louise bit her lip to hold back her tears and spoke quickly.
“This is just a personal matter.”
“If there’s something you’re upset about, tell me.”
“…You don’t need to worry about my trivial feelings. That’s not something for Your Lordship to concern himself with.”
After all, we are nothing to each other. We can never be anything….
The word ‘we’ that had first tied them together now felt more painful and desolate than being strangers. Richard’s expression hardened at her words.
“Are you saying that since we are just bed partners, I shouldn’t interfere in anything else?”
“That is the truth.”
“…I see. I understand why you think that way.”
He stood there speechless for a moment, then sighed deeply and looked back at Louise.
“But still… don’t be angry.”
“…….”
“When you get angry like this, it really… ah.”
His tone was more a desperate plea than a command. Louise turned her head away, not wanting to look at him. She was furious and resented him for still being kind to her even when she was being unreasonable, fearing that if she didn’t maintain her pride, she would end up clinging to him, crying.
“I have something to say to you. Let’s go to the room.”
“Let’s spend tonight apart, my lord. I noticed at the ball earlier, there were quite a few couples who seemed to leave together….”
“What are you talking about now?”
Richard’s gaze turned sharply.
He couldn’t fathom why Louise was suddenly acting this way. He had returned immediately after having been ambushed by Duke Karl’s daughter alone in a room. He had shown clear displeasure and dismissed the woman who approached him with the intent to seduce. He did not touch her.
Could it be that she wanted to go back to her husband after spending so much time away from him? Was she upset because he kept extending the trip, preventing her from returning to her beloved?
“I’m just saying that since I’ve come this far, you should meet other people. Sleeping with a woman every night is important, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be me.”
