O. Prologue

“Ah, ngh…!”

The sturdy mahogany bed creaked again. At the same time, a gush of wetness spilled from between the slender, pale woman’s thighs. The sheets, already soaked and slick, grew even more drenched.

“Ah…!”

As if overwhelmed by sensation, the woman let out a long, shuddering moan that drowned out the bed’s protests.

Herman, who had been buried between her legs, tilted his head up to look at her.

His face—as if meticulously carved by a god—was a work of art in itself, but the hardened muscles of his body, swollen with exertion, embodied masculinity molded into human form.

Pushing back his damp bangs, slick with her arousal, Herman wore a languid, intoxicating smile. A low voice slipped from his lips.

“Esina.”

“Haah, nngh…!”

“So hearing that really is your thing, huh?”

The woman looked down at him with lust-glazed eyes. Herman met her gaze as his fingers traced circles over her lower stomach.

The way she squirmed under his touch was adorable, so he teased her further, and she burned up naturally—her inner flesh fluttering temptingly, as if beckoning him.

It almost felt like she was trying to enchant him. Like she was trying to ensnare his heart…

“You know, Esina.”

“……”

“Feelings mean nothing between us.”

“……”

“Don’t expect what you can’t have.”

The moment he flicked his tongue over her c**t, another wave of wetness spilled out.

Herman pulled back slightly, admiring her like a spectator. Her once-pale body was now flushed and obscenely slick. Even the tears clinging to her round, docile blue eyes seemed strangely sweet rather than bitter.

Tch. Unable to resist, he licked the corner of her eye and murmured,

“I’ve never seen a woman get so worked up over being told that.”

“……”

A tear rolled down her cheek, as if resenting his earlier words. Her small lips quivered pitifully, stirring something sadistic in him.

Yet his resolve remained unchanged.

Feelings? Love?

He had always dismissed such nonsense. That was why he had emphasized it to her.

We’re not the kind of people bound by something so shallow.

And yet, she still cried as if wounded. Her lashes fluttered over clouded eyes.

Seeing that expression, the transparent droplets spilling from her dazed gaze began to irritate him. Just moments ago, they had seemed so sweet.

“Tch.”

Clicking his tongue lightly, Herman grasped Esina’s exposed left b****t. The pliant flesh, soft like fresh dough, and the stiffened bud atop it fit perfectly in his palm. A sweet sigh escaped her lips.

He whispered again, as if reinforcing his point.

“Don’t forget our contract, Esina.”

“I… I haven’t…”

“Our agreement to respect each other’s private lives still stands. There’s no room for personal feelings here.”

“……”

“This is nothing more than an act for an heir. No emotions involved.”

The moment he said it, Esina’s eyes dimmed even further than before.

As if she were truly hurt. As if it pained her to be reminded that this was all she was good for.

“……”

Her reaction, far more wounded than he expected, unsettled Herman like a fog rolling in. This wasn’t the face he had wanted to see.

He just… wanted to reaffirm what their relationship was built on.

“Are you upset?”

Unintentionally, his voice softened.

Well, whatever.

She was still the woman who would bear his child. There was no need to hurt her further.

I’ll soothe her, then take her properly.

He pressed his lips to her eyelids again and again, licking away the tears. If needed, he was more than willing to coax her gently.

So stop crying.

But ironically, just as Herman thought this and loosened his tie to proceed—

“……”

A trapped fragrance burst into the air—sharp and cloying. Not Esina’s soft, sweet scent, but something bold and floral.

Likely from the barista who had served him coffee earlier, lingering too close with hopeful eyes.

Herman felt an uncharacteristic frustration. He had been the one to bring up boundaries, yet now, just as he considered comforting her, this had to surface.

‘Why.’

Why were traces of women he’d long since rejected resurfacing now, of all times? The days he’d spent tangled with other women felt like a distant past—almost like a previous life.

A heavy silence pressed down on the scorching air between them.

“…….”

Esina, too, seemed to catch the tension. Panting, she held her silence before finally lifting her gaze to meet his.

“…Hah!”

Not wanting to see what lay in those eyes, Herman deliberately avoided her stare. Instead, he gripped himself and aligned his length with her entrance.

Slick arousal coated his s***t as the head of his c**k grazed her c**t again and again. Her body jolted under the force, sliding back until her shoulders bumped against the headboard with a soft thud.

“Ah!”

Upon hearing the scream, Herman raised a hand and wedged it between the wall and Esina’s head. Thud, thud. With each relentless movement, objects on the bedside table toppled over one by one, shaken by the violent motion.

“Ah, ah! Wait…!”

The woman flailed, belatedly spreading her legs against the fierce movements—as if suddenly realizing what kind of man he was and recoiling in disgust.

“Her…man…!”

The moment Esina’s fingers gripped his shoulders as if to push him away, Herman clenched his teeth without realizing it. Until now…

‘She’s never rejected me like this—never pushed me away like this before.’

No matter how harsh Herman’s words had been, she had always smiled at him, her eyes shining brightly…

‘…No.’

Memories flashed through his mind, refusing that thought.

The round back of her head as she turned away, as if hurt. The way she bowed her head, trying to hide her disappointment. Her damp, resentful eyes staring at him.

…When was the last time she said she loved him?

An inexplicable, dull pain twisted heavily inside him. Instead of voicing it, he pressed his lips to her forehead and pulled her closer.

“Ah—nngh!”

The woman let out a long moan as his throbbing c**k, thick as a child’s forearm and veined with tension, rubbed against her entrance.

“Herman… please…”

“Don’t be upset.”

“……”

“You already knew everything.”

As Herman gritted his teeth, Esina looked at him with tearful eyes.

Then, furrowing her brows, she thought:

‘Right. I knew everything.’

So stop teasing and just put it in already, you diamond-coated bastard.

Truthfully, this scenario had repeated so often it had become tedious. If they weren’t in the middle of s*x, she might’ve yawned outright.

‘I know, I already know.’

Esina knew exactly what kind of man he was when she married him. No, she deliberately chose him.

‘Who doesn’t know you’re not sincere with me and plan to wander around everywhere?’

And now, rumors were even spreading that he had an illegitimate child.

Herman was a worthless piece of rough stone handpicked by Esina herself. That was her intention.

And so, Esina was perfectly satisfied. In fact, she had never been this content in both her past and present life. Everything was going exactly as she had anticipated, exactly as she wanted.

However, the foreplay that dragged on like torture was particularly exhausting today.

‘Ever since earlier, he’s just been getting me all worked up…’

As always, his caresses drained every ounce of her energy, and today was no different. Hours of repeated pleasure violently heated up her body.

‘I thought he was finally about to put it in…’

But suddenly, as if struck by another thought, Herman repeated the same conversation they’d had many times before.

Don’t harbor any feelings for me. Don’t love me, and don’t expect love in return.

‘I told you I don’t.’

Honestly, Esina didn’t believe in love either. Love—wasn’t it just an emotion that wore a sweet mask before striking you from behind?

All she wanted from him right now was for him to hurry up and enter her, to end this unbearable waiting.

She didn’t even notice the scent of someone else’s perfume lingering in the air. At most, she just thought her nose tingled slightly.

“Herman….”

Esina’s voice cracked. As her broken voice spilled out, the swollen bud between her parted folds brushed against the hollow of his glans.

“Hah—!”

“Ah— Ahhn…!”

Herman’s firm, beautiful body was flushed with arousal. His jawline sharpened as his masseter muscles tensed, tendons bulging in several places. Soon, as if unable to hold back any longer, his thick length parted her glistening red flesh and pushed inside.

“Ah—hng!”

Esina let out a long, satisfied cry. Herman still refused to meet her gaze, instead pressing her down as he drove his hips relentlessly. Thud! With each forceful thrust, Esina’s body trembled, greedily swallowing him deeper as if trying to devour him whole.

“Haa—ah, nngh!”

“……”

Esina’s crimson hair spilled across the sheets like blooming trumpet vines. Gritting his teeth against her tightening walls, Herman buried his face against the side of hers and, almost unconsciously, intertwined their fingers.

Their chests pressed together, soft yet firm, and beneath them, he could feel her heart pounding wildly. A bitter smile escaped him before he could stop it.

‘Right. Maybe…’

Maybe Esina no longer loved him.

If just moments ago, she had resisted him so fiercely—

‘Even so.’

If he could just leave her with his child, then perhaps she would accept it. And if he poured everything he had into her, into the woman carrying his heir—

‘That would be enough…’

Wouldn’t that make for a decent contractual marriage for Esina?

Beneath Herman’s heavy thoughts, Esina wept and moaned, lost in pleasure.

‘It feels… too good…’

For a hastily arranged union, it wasn’t so bad. Esina truly believed that.

Though their thoughts ran in slightly different directions, both of them threw their heads back in unison, crying out in ecstasy.

The night stretched on, leaving behind an endless expanse of silence as it slipped away.