Chapter 42 - Not a Madwoman, but a Siren (2)
"Mad ravings? That thing you're wearing was a gift to me from the Duke, but you and Julia... you and the Marchioness stole it all."
"Edith!"
Lillian shouted again, but Edith didn't stop.
"I was in a difficult position because of that. The Duke wanted to see me wearing the gift he gave me. But you?"
Grayson, who had been watching Lillian with an indifferent gaze, gave a slight nod and then opened his mouth.
"It seems the financial situation of the House of Count Tidall is quite dire, Countess Tidall."
Grayson's response negated everything Lillian had just said. From an intimate relationship where they used first names, she had become 'Countess Tidall'.
The atmosphere changed. In an instant, the looks of envy from the noblewomen turned to shock, ridicule, and disillusionment.
Edith smiled. Her expression was hidden by the veil, but Lillian was certain that Edith was smiling.
But there was nothing Lillian could do. This wasn't the Reynolds mansion, and Edith was not alone. As Lillian clenched her fists and glared, Edith spoke cheerfully.
"Still, I'm glad you're making good use of it, older sister. You must be sure to attend my wedding."
***
"Ahahaha."
Edith laughed.
"Ah, that was fun."
She laughed so hard she had to reach under her veil to wipe away a tear. The sound was quite pleasant to hear, so Grayson smiled as well.
Edith spun around, looked up at Grayson, and said.
"Duke, that's the most satisfying thing that's ever happened to me while living in that house."
In that moment, Grayson was seized by a powerful impulse to see Edith's face. So he reached out and, without permission, lifted her veil.
Her face was still covered in fake paper and scars, but her eyes, catching the sunlight, sparkled like gold. It was such a fine sight that Grayson, without realizing it, bent down toward her.
In an instant, Grayson's lips were on hers, which were plump and moist. His tongue pushed past her lips, which were parted in a smile.
His tongue explored her surprised mouth before catching and sucking on hers. Her sweetening saliva was so delectable that Grayson couldn't stop, pulling her into an embrace.
The slimness of her waist in his arms and the press of her soft mounds against his chest muddled his thoughts. A powerful desire, the likes of which he had never felt before, took control of his body.
Though startled, Grayson did not let her go. He devoured her lips as if to possess her completely, to swallow her whole and make her part of him.
*Giggle.*
The sound of women's laughter from somewhere nearby brought Grayson back to his senses. He loosened his arms and pulled his lips from hers, revealing Edith's face, her eyes still closed.
A tear welled beneath her long, shadow-casting eyelashes, catching his attention. He gently wiped the corner of her still-closed eye with his index finger and whispered.
"Was I too rude?"
Only then did Edith's eyelids slowly open. The gradual reveal of her golden eyes was like a moonrise.
"I don't... know..."
Her voice, flowing from between her saliva-moistened lips, was endearing.
"It's just... I..."
Edith blinked. It was impossible to tell from her disguised face, but her delicate ears and the nape of her neck were red.
"I was so surprised..."
Grayson was just as surprised. He never knew he had such an irrational side to him.
Grayson traced a long line down the nape of her flushed neck with his finger. The way Edith flinched and drew her shoulders in sweetly stirred his lust.
Grayson gazed at Edith's face as she seemed unsure what to do about his finger, which had come to rest on her upper chest. He slowly removed his hand, bent down, and whispered in her ear.
"I'm looking forward to it."
He meant it.
"Our marriage."
Her flushed body, her sparkling eyes, the sound of her cheerful laughter after cornering Lillian—all of it seemed like it would make their married life very enjoyable.
***
After returning to the mansion, Edith waited for Wyatt's furious reprimand for embarrassing Lillian, but even late into the night, nothing happened. It was a matter between noblewomen, so thankfully, it hadn't reached the Marquis's ears.
Only when the maids had extinguished the lights and were moving about quietly did Edith finally relax and take out her diary. Lying on her stomach in bed with the diary and a pen, she stared at a blank page, lost in thought.
*'What was that just now?'*
The kiss with Grayson wouldn't leave her mind.
It wasn't their first kiss, but it felt as new and intense as if it were. The moment their lips touched, his tongue pushed inside, exploring and stimulating every corner of her mouth, and she honestly felt like she might faint.
It was her first time experiencing a kiss where saliva mixed, tongues tangled, sucked, probed, and nipped. At first, she was just flustered, but at some point, she felt a strange thrill spread through her, her body growing moist.
Edith, who had never felt anything like it before, felt terribly lewd.
*'Really... what was that?'*
It was a kiss. Just a kiss. The only ones she'd ever had were with Grayson, so this was the first time she realized a kiss could be like that. Because it was her first time, she kept thinking about it, questioning it.
*'It wasn't planned, and there was no warning today...'*
For their first kiss, at least she'd been told it was about time for a kiss, so she had a moment to prepare herself. But today was so sudden.
Edith lightly brushed her lips with the feathered end of her pen. Perhaps because the sensation of Grayson's touch lingered, the mere brush of the feather made her body tremble and her heart pound.
*'His was softer than this. And...'*
Sweet. His saliva, flowing into her mouth, was so sweet that she felt a conflicting desire—wanting to pull away, yet not wanting to at all.
Her excitement wouldn't easily subside. Realizing she was thinking she wanted to do it again, she was so startled she dropped her pen. She stared blankly as the ink from the quill's tip bled into the bedsheet before quickly picking it up.
*'What is wrong with me...'*
After hesitating for a moment, Edith scribbled in her diary.
"It was very strange, but very sweet.
Today was such a day.
The Duke's eyes were bluer than the spring sky, and I escaped my reality to walk in a dream.
It was a good day. So good that I grew greedy, wishing it could be like this forever."
After pouring out the mysterious and sensual feelings that filled her heart into words, her purely excited emotions began to settle down.
Edith put the diary and pen back in their place, lay down in bed, and pulled up the covers. She stared blankly at the faded ceiling.
*'I won't be looking at this ceiling for much longer.'*
The reality that she would soon be leaving this mansion began to sink in.
It was a good day.
***
It was not a good day.
For Lillian, the day had been a nightmare. She didn't know how she'd managed to get back to the mansion after fleeing the festival grounds to escape the contemptuous stares.
When she came to her senses, she was sitting in her bedroom. When she looked up, Count Benjamin Tidall was standing there with his arms crossed, glaring down at her with a displeased expression.
*'When did this man...?'*
It seemed to be long after sunset, as the view outside the window behind Benjamin was dark. She hadn't even realized so much time had passed.
"What in the world have you been doing?"
Lillian scowled at the accusatory tone in his voice.
"What... what do you mean?"
Benjamin roughly pulled off Lillian's hat. Only then did Lillian realize she hadn't even changed her clothes yet. Benjamin waved the hat and gave a cynical smile.
"You said you received this from Duke Myers, didn't you?"
Lillian's face flushed red.
"Th-that's..."
How on earth did it reach this man's ears? How far has the rumor spread?
Normally, it took quite some time for matters between women to reach the ears of men. Besides, Benjamin wasn't one to be well-versed in society gossip.
But how could what happened today have already reached Benjamin's ears?
"How did you find out?"
"Ha, is that what's important right now? Do you have any idea how embarrassed I was? I heard Viscount Jenatin happened to be passing by. He came to the salon and started blabbing about it at the top of his lungs. I couldn't even show my face! Duke Myers said it, didn't he? That the House of Count Tidall's finances must be in bad shape! I don't care what you do to your sister, but you shouldn't be tarnishing our family's name!"
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