For My Birthday, I Was Gifted Five Husbands - Chapter 28
“Ah, yes. Percival. Unless it’s a matter of deep resentment, I prefer not to harm anyone physically.”
Suddenly, Eugenie had a thought.
There was no doubt that the rumor about her ex-fiance being struck with a textbook had led this man to make some strange assumptions!
“Just because I hit my ex-fiance with a textbook…”
“This is for you, Madam.”
“…Huh? For me?”
Could it be that this blushing man was actually a peculiar kind of fetishist?
“N-no.”
Now the Duke’s entire body had turned crimson. It wasn’t just his face; even his hands were flushed. He looked down awkwardly as if trying to avoid Eugenie’s gaze.
“If I… feel like I might get rough in bed, I’ll need it to keep control.”
“Excuse me…?”
“There are times when I can’t control myself when I get too h-rny.”
Eugenie’s mind, which she had always considered quite sharp, went blank.
What couldn’t he control when he got excited?
Wait, a Duke of the Empire wearing a dog collar? …In the bedroom???
She could hardly believe it, and her mouth began to fall open in disbelief, but the Duke whispered, his eyes reddening.
“At that point, I hope you’ll pull on the chain attached here to stop me.”
“…”
If the man in front of her weren’t a Duke, Eugenie would have looked up at the ceiling in disbelief.
Mother, oh mother, where on earth did you find a man like this?
* * *
As Eugenie and Percival Troys were getting to know each other before their ‘first night,’ the other grooms gathered in the reception room on the first floor.
However, when Alfred joined them, the tension in the air subtly shifted, and their jaws tightened slightly.
“Oh, everyone’s gathered here.”
Alfred greeted them with his usual friendly demeanor, but the gazes of the three men were anything but kind. Magnus, in particular, had a look as if he had seen drool on a work of art.
“You look well, Wilberforce. Did you sleep in late?”
“Haha, it’s a bit embarrassing.”
“You should be embarrassed for breaking a promise on your first day. If you have a brain in that muscle-bound head of yours.”
Among the grooms, there was an unspoken agreement regarding ‘promises.’
First: The person who sleeps with the bride should not indiscriminately talk about what happened between them.
Second: After their turn, they should quietly step aside for the next person.
However, Alfred blatantly breaks the second promise right from the first night. He crossed his arms and continued to flash that warm smile.
“I made a mistake. But when your turn comes, you’ll understand how I feel.”
“…”
“Everyone’s making the same faces as I am…”
At those words, Magnus, who was leaning on his cane, tightened his grip. Carter, who had been looking out the window indifferently, slowly turned his gaze toward Alfred. The noble and benevolent demeanor he usually displayed to his followers was gone, replaced by a cold, assassin-like glare.
Carter responded in a flat voice.
“Don’t act so cocky, Wilberforce. The only reason you’re first is sheer luck.”
“Oh, really? Did I seem that cocky?”
Alfred adjusted his chin and smiled sheepishly. However, the gleam in his eyes revealed a primal hunger for victory.
“Just for the record, I did seem cocky, and that’s true.”
“Ugh…”
“Even if it was luck, I had my first with Eugenie, so it’s only natural.”
Even though their bond was established through a ‘contract,’ from the moment he had held her close in childhood and comforted her, he had thought, ‘I want to be by this girl’s side forever.’ While Eugenie might have seen him as a brother, he had never thought of her as a sister even once.
‘If there hadn’t been so much conflict in the Southern Channel…’
If the situation had been a bit more peaceful and he hadn’t had to deploy so often, he could have expressed his feelings for Eugenie much earlier. Regardless, even if he couldn’t have her all to himself, he could at least hold his head high in front of the other males.
At that moment, Cassius, sprawled out on the sofa, threw a dart at the bullseye on the opposite wall.
Thwack.
The dart hit right in the center, as if aimed directly at Alfred’s forehead.
“What’s so important about being the lady’s first man? It’s just so quaint.”
Cassius shot back with a charming smile.
“What really matters is who can make the bride the happiest.”
Because from now on, Eugenie would be a woman in need of her husband’s ‘assistance’ in the bedroom. And that need would be significant.
So rather than who was first, it would become important who could bring her to climax more often.
Eventually, Eugenie would end up having more unions with the husband who matched her best, and if she didn’t like them, they would be discarded after the ‘one-year trial period’.
Though the men were all smiling, their gazes at one another were sharp with unspoken understanding.
Cassius grinned at everyone over the back of the sofa.
“So, let’s not be a burden to each other for a while and do our best.”
