The Dragon Duke's Wife - Chapter 25
Khalid held her by the waist and whispered between labored breaths.
“Close your knees, Ann. Close them together.”
“Ah… mmm…”
Shaking, she obeyed, struggling to bring her knees together. Khalid began to move his hips. Her thighs were already soaked with her liquid, so there was no resistance to his movements.
Each thrust brought their bodies closer, causing her sensitive bud to rub against him repeatedly. His fingers moved within her. Ancia’s vision were hazy with pleasure as she savored the overwhelming sensation of Khalid’s relentless focus on her, their bodies moving with each other.
She reached her peak first, unable to handle the intensity of being filled and the friction of their bodies touching. Khalid caught her with one arm, as he cursed under his breath while she rode her climax.
“Damn it.”
He withdrew his fingers suddenly. Grasping himself, he pressed against her wetness but quickly pulled away, turning his body away from her.
Ancia blinked at him in confusion. Why didn’t he finish on her?
Disappointment and longing swirled within her as she watched him retrieve a handkerchief and clean himself before turning back to her with a sigh.
“Don’t look at me like that. You think I’m not losing my mind too?”
“Ka—Kal…”
Ancia whispered his name, reaching out for him with trembling arms. He relented, collapsing onto her as though he had no other choice.
“If I’m insatiable, it’s entirely your fault.”
“What… what do you mean?”
He silenced her with another sweet, lingering kiss. Something firm and hot pressed against her again.
In his arms, she was swept away once more, caught in an endless tide of pleasure, soaring toward the sun.
* * *
When Ancia woke up, she was alone.
Her body had been carefully cleaned, and a thick robe of Khalid’s was draped over her. Considering the limited number of people allowed into his study, it had to have been Khalid himself who tended to her.
Blushing, she glanced at the ring on her finger. No matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise, she couldn’t shake the thought that Khalid loved her. The idea left her giddy, as though she were drowning in happiness.
Her body still tingled with the lingering echoes of pleasure as she slowly sat up. Glancing around the study, she realized Khalid had gone out. On the table, she noticed a small note in his handwriting:
[I have some work to take care of. I’ll probably be back tonight. Don’t skip dinner, and go to bed early.]
It felt like a confirmation of his affection. She didn’t feel disappointed.
Ancia decided to pick a book to take with her to the bedroom. Khalid loved listening to her read from collections of sonnets or fairy tales.
She often begged him to read to her, only to fall asleep with her head resting on his lap.
While flipping through the pages, she spotted the poetry book she had been searching for, resting on the desk. She walked over to it and paused as her fingers brushed against the book.
[From Eleanor.]
A delicate, elegant hand had written this on the red envelope.
Ancia hesitated before picking it up. A faint scent of perfume wafted from it, and the envelope was sealed with a rose pattern stamped in gold dust. The recipient’s name was inscribed on the front.
[To my dearest Kal.]
Ancia froze. Her fingers trembled. She had heard the name Eleanor several times before.
“If only he had married Lady Eleanor. They two would make such a great couple, and there wouldn’t have been any issues with heirs.”
“There’s hardly a man who could refuse a beauty like Lady Eleanor.”
“This, even if you combine everything, would only be worth the veil of Lady Eleanor—oh my.”
She first heard that name among the distant relatives, and the maid who had said it quickly fell silent.
It wasn’t that she had forgotten. It wasn’t that she was too distracted to remember.
She just didn’t want to know.
Ancia never thought that Khalid didn’t have women in his past. If he had, it didn’t matter to her. She preferred not to know because it would make her heart ache, so she chose to ignore it. She wanted to treat him as if he had no past, just as if he was a man without history.
That’s why she never asked about things like the marriage advertisement. She was curious, but it didn’t seem like it was a small matter.
She was afraid that by delving into it, she might uncover someone important enough to shake his heart and life. She just wanted to stay in blissful ignorance, pretending to be the beloved wife.
But now, with the letter resting on his desk, she couldn’t ignore it.
She turned the envelope around and examined the seal. Whether it was an old letter still left on his desk or evidence that they still exchanged letters, she would feel pain no matter what. But she couldn’t help herself; she had to know.
The seal was from just a week ago.
Ancia suppressed the urge to peek inside. Reading someone else’s letter was an unethical act. Regardless of the relationship between this Eleanor and Khalid, it wasn’t her place to know.
With a firm resolve, she set the envelope down and placed the book aside.
That night, she went to bed without waiting for Khalid’s return. In reality, she had heard him return, and knew he was holding her close, kissing her cheek and the corners of her eyes, but she pretended not to notice.
