Chapter 17
Would she glare at him with those sharp, defiant eyes again?
Would she swat his hand away in anger, demanding what he thought he was doing? Or perhaps she would freeze in shock?
‘…How ridiculous.’
Dominique withdrew his hand and redressed Kyrie, his touch careful now, a far cry from when he’d torn her clothes off.
Even then, Kyrie remained fast asleep, as if determined to rid herself of her accumulated exhaustion.
Standing by the bedside, Dominique observed her for a while, his gaze lingering before he returned to his seat and began reviewing the documents again, waiting for her to awaken.
The characters on the page scattered like leaves, refusing to line up, only to right themselves whenever he narrowed his eyes.
How much time had passed like that? By the time he’d processed several more documents concerning the estate, the woman finally stirred.
As though waking from a dream, she looked around the unfamiliar room with startled, wary eyes, as if uncertain when she had let her guard down around him.
The way she shrank back reminded him of a stray cat bristling by the roadside.
Perhaps it was precisely that sight which stoked the heat still simmering inside him. Dominique admitted his own desire plainly.
‘It would’ve been harder not to be tempted by a woman who, with a face like that, pleaded to be held.’
Kyrie Ehrenberg was, after all, a beautiful woman. And whether by accident or design, her body was as exquisite as her face.
A woman like that, stripping off her clothes in her sleep and begging for more, well, it was a mercy that he had been the one to see her.
Had it been one of those lecherous old men from the capital’s court, they would’ve attempted something vile without hesitation.
Even the mere thought of it called to mind that bastard, Lexion.
‘Whether that little princess even knows to be grateful is another matter.’
𓂃˖˳·˖ ִֶָ ⋆🌷͙⋆ ִֶָ˖·˳˖𓂃 ִֶָ
Dominique absently brushed a hand over his loosened collar and turned to the steward who had summoned him.
“What is it?”
“Among the foreign envoys arriving soon, there’s one from Thelma.”
“Hm.”
“They sent a letter ahead.”
“I see. We might be able to negotiate for iron ore.”
“Yes, since it’s difficult to obtain discreetly within the Empire.”
The mines were under the Emperor’s sole control, yet for Dominique, iron was an indispensable resource.
Thelma was a province rich in those very mines, a useful opportunity. It made sense that the steward would call him away even now.
Whatever irritation he felt at being pulled from watching the woman quickly dissipated.
“And the southern garrison troops…”
The steward proceeded to report other matters. Dominique calmly sorted the necessary information in his mind.
“Handle them accordingly.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Fortunately, after a lengthy discussion, the restless heat inside him had cooled somewhat.
Once the steward left, bowing politely, Dominique unhurriedly made his way back toward his bedchamber. Toward the room where Kyrie Ehrenberg, that mad dog, lay.
And then, he stopped.
The door, which he had certainly closed, was now ajar.
“My lady?”
The room was empty, the faint scent of Kyrie still hung in the air. He frowned without meaning to when he saw the untouched bed.
Tap.
Soft footsteps approached from down the hall.Dominique turned his head.
Tap, tap.
The mad dog, Lady Ehrenberg, was walking toward him.
And then, with a resolute look in her eyes, Kyrie Ehrenberg met his gaze.
“I have something to say to you.”
“Judging by the sudden courtesy, I can guess what it’s about.”
“You spoke to me about value once.”
“I did.”
Somewhere, a stray beam of sunlight crept in, lighting up the clear blue of her eyes.
“I admit it now. I have no value left to His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“…”
“But perhaps… I might still be of use to Your Grace.”
“To me?”
“I’ve heard you are in urgent need of a marriage.”
Kyrie drew in a deep breath and finished her words.
“A lowly, scandal-ridden bride, to be precise.”
Dominique remained silent, his eyes fixed on her.
“I believe I might be able to offer you what you seek.”
Kyrie straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin.
She had thought long and hard on her way here, of countless possibilities, of choices she might still claim for herself.
‘The Grand Duke’s wife.’
That one, improbable option had begun to fill her thoughts, eclipsing every humiliating memory of what had transpired between them.
‘Maybe…’
Maybe the Grand Duke could set her free.
He was smiling now, a cruel, sardonic smile.
“Wasn’t it you who once said you couldn’t stand to be entangled with any man but His Highness the Crown Prince?”
“…”
“‘To even be rumored with another man would be intolerable, I believe those were your words.”
“Since His Highness discarded me first, I have no choice but to find a way to survive.”
“A way to survive. I thought you loved him.”
Even as he spoke, Dominique sounded as if he had already guessed the truth. But it seemed he wanted to hear it confirmed from her own lips.
So Kyrie spoke the truth he sought.
“I never loved His Highness. You pointed it out yourself once, didn’t you?”
The Grand Duke’s cruel smile deepened.
“For someone who didn’t, you seemed rather desperate.”
“I loved what he could give me.”
“Titles, wealth, such things?”
“…I don’t want those.”
“Then what is it you want?”
“Something only Your Grace can give me.”
Marriage, and then divorce.
As long as those two things went smoothly, her goal would remain unchanged.
“If one day Your Grace finds a woman you truly wish to marry, I’ll quietly agree to dissolve the union.”
The Grand Duke studied her as though he might pierce straight through her with his gaze. Kyrie stiffened her neck, determined not to look away.
It was an unfamiliar effort for her. Lexion had disliked it when she met his eyes. She had trained herself to avoid looking him in the eye, but with the Grand Duke, it felt different.
With him, the moment she averted her gaze and turned her back, she had the sense she would be torn apart like prey.
A speck of dust drifted down onto her trembling lashes.
“Well. It’s true your reputation is foul.”
“…”
“Not just a mad dog, but one mired in every sordid rumor imaginable.”
“I am not actually insane. And if Your Grace is concerned about an heir—”
The words escaped her before she could think. She hadn’t truly considered bearing his child.
It was little more than a precautionary offer, lest he raise the issue while contemplating marriage.
But the Grand Duke curled his lips.
“No. In fact, it might be better if you were genuinely mad.”
“…..”
“Imagine it, an heir born from a mad dog, inheriting that madness. How perfect.”
Kyrie held her breath for a moment, needing to be certain she had heard him correctly.
With a face as cruel as it was beautiful, the Grand Duke twisted his mouth.
“A successor marked by disgrace from birth. It would be… flawless.”
Silence fell between them.
‘Disgrace.’
It was a word spoken in a casual, almost indifferent tone, yet as always, it felt far more cutting than the scorn of others. But Kyrie forced herself to accept it.
That was her reality.
The mad dog no one welcomed anywhere.
‘Yes. That’s me.’
Kyrie swallowed down the instinctive anger rising within her. Whatever she was called didn’t matter now.
‘Think about what comes after, Kyrie.’
What mattered was not some hypothetical, unborn child, it was her own future.
Yes. A child that would never be born. She would simply ensure it never happened.
What mattered was that the Grand Duke had sent a signal and she, in turn, would make use of him, just as he sought to use her as a shield against the Emperor’s pressures.
This was a pact meant to be broken.
The conclusion came swiftly. Kyrie answered coolly.
“That is something I can do better than anyone.”
“You truly mean to bear me such an heir?”
“If that’s what the terms of our bargain require.”
Step.
He moved a step closer.
“But my lady, aren’t you a noble daughter of House Ehrenberg?”
“What meaning does that name hold for me?”
“The Emperor will care, won’t he? That I intend to wed a noblewoman from an esteemed house.”
Kyrie immediately grasped what he meant.
“His Majesty won’t object.”
Step.
This time, Kyrie moved forward. The cold floor against her bare feet felt vividly real.
On this matter, there was one thing she could speak of with confidence. She had spent years trailing after Lexion, enough to learn the Emperor’s temperament.
“He’ll be pleased.”
“And why do you think so?”
“Because I’m the discarded, useless daughter of House Ehrenberg, a woman His Highness has already thrown away.”
“…..”
“For none other than the Grand Duke himself to take in a mad dog cast aside by both Crown Prince and family,”
Kyrie evaluated herself as casually as the Grand Duke might have. Insulting herself was easier than she had imagined.
“Why would His Majesty object?”
