Droit du Seigneur: His Lordship's Right of the First Night - Chapter 69
After parting ways with Richard, Louise carried on with her usual routine. Every morning, she went to work at the grocery store, and upon returning home, she took care of Mildred and did the household chores. Although her heart was in turmoil, her days continued as if nothing had changed on the surface.
“Oh, Louise, you’re home.”
One day, when Louise returned home, Helio was waiting with some unfamiliar people. Uncharacteristically, he greeted her warmly as soon as he saw her.
“Say hello. These people are here to take you away.”
“What are you talking about? Who are these people…?”
“Who do you think? They’re here to help with your wedding!”
Cherinia added coldly as she walked out of the room. Her sharp voice had a noticeable edge.
“…Wedding?”
“Indeed. Your future husband will arrive here tomorrow morning. He’s a gentleman with a distinguished charm that suits you perfectly. To ensure your skin looks lovely for the ceremony, you’d better get to bed early tonight.”
“Louise, this brother of yours has gone through great trouble to find you a good match.”
Helio chimed in, pretending to be a caring brother.
“Although he’s over 60, he’s still quite healthy. His children are already grown and independent, and since his wife passed, he’s been very lonely and eager to have another child. You will be a great comfort to him.”
“Brother… are you insane? I have no intention of doing this, so if you want, you go!”
“You insolent girl, how dare you raise your voice at me?”
Helio, showing his true colors, glared at Louise with a gleam in his eyes. Despite losing a significant amount of money previously, he hadn’t given up and continued to frequent gambling dens in secret. Consequently, the debts he owed had snowballed, and with repayment deadlines looming, he was under immense pressure.
At that moment, Cherinia, driven by a desire for revenge against Louise, suggested marrying her off to a wealthy man to collect the dowry. Essentially, they were selling her off. Helio, feeling no guilt or responsibility toward his sister, readily agreed, believing it was a perfect solution.
“You should be grateful that someone is willing to take you in despite you not being a v****n. How dare you protest?”
“Don’t try to deny it, Louise. Cherinia has found out everything! She knows all about the filthy deeds you’ve been doing in the castle!”
“How… how did you…?”
“Hmph! So you weren’t working as a maid but rather as a whxre at the castle? Did you think you could get away with that? You’ll be getting married tomorrow, so just stay quietly in your room tonight!”
“Let go of me! Let go!”
The burly men next to Helio grabbed Louise’s arms and tried to drag her to her room. Mildred, who had woken up from the commotion, saw this and ran in crying, but was immediately thrown aside.
“Ahh! Don’t hurt my sister!”
Thud—
“What’s this now?”
“…Millie!”
“Waaah, sister!”
Thud. Without having a chance to check if Mildred was okay after being pushed over, the door closed, and Louise was locked in the dark room with no escape. She could hear the heavy locks clicking into place outside.
“Haa….”
The once noisy outside gradually quieted down. Louise worried about whether Mildred was hurt. Trying various ways to escape, she sighed deeply in front of the unyielding door.
So this is how it ends.
She thought she was being punished for daring to love someone beyond her station, but she did not regret her choices.
Ah….
As she stood up to find something to break the window with, a severe headache suddenly hit, and she sat down on the old bed. At first, she hadn’t noticed anything strange when she entered the room, but now she felt her breathing becoming labored. Her vision gradually blurred, and she felt dizzy.
As soon as she realized this, her entire body became lethargic. She lost all strength in her limbs, and unable to move even a finger, she fell unconscious.
***
“Wake up, Louise.”
Someone kicked the fallen Louise. As she barely regained consciousness and opened her eyes, she saw Cherinia looking down at her with a cold smile.
“Cherinia….”
“It was a good idea to smear anesthetic on the window frames, the wardrobe, and the bed corners. Helio wanted to mix it into your drink, but Cherinia knew you wouldn’t drink it.”
Half-paralyzed, Louise’s body wouldn’t move well. Cherinia dragged her out of the room. The burly, toad-like man waiting outside with Helio gleamed as he saw Louise.
“Oh ho, is this my bride?”
“Yes, sir. This is my younger sister. You can take her away right after the ceremony. By the way, could you give us the gold coins now…?”
“Here you go.”
“Oh, thank you so much!”
Helio, thrilled, repeatedly bowed as he received the pouch of gold coins from the toad-like man. He was happy simply because he had solved his immediate debt problem. He showed no concern for his sister’s well-being.
