Chapter 11

 The women of the capital are cold. As much as she was tired of men looking at her with simple desire, she also hated how noble ladies looked at her with unwarranted envy. However, what she hated most was……

 “I apologize. I didn’t think my lord would have reason to look for me.”

 “What did you do about dinner? I had told the medic to prepare your medicine.”

 “I ate. Ligita brewed it for me.”

 She rolled her lips. She hated showing expression. She also wanted to decline blushing in places where she wouldn’t be accepted while showing emotion. A servant girl’s life isn’t made up of just one or two unbearable things. Generally everything was hard to endure, but what Ella found hardest to endure was loving him. All the side effects that came from love. All the unnecessary things. There were too many scattered, messy things that needed to be sorted out anyway.

 Jealousy was like that too. She hated the woman who traced his hand. She knew that woman was of much higher — vastly higher — status than herself. If one had to classify, servant girls were lowborn. Servants were commoners. The stable hands who tended the horses in the stables were also commoners. However, servant girls alone were lowborn. If a commoner girl caught a noble’s eye and was sold cheaply as a servant girl, her status became lowborn.

 Ella was lowborn. Nothing was as meaningless as this cheap beauty. The love of a lowborn thing, the jealousy of a lowborn thing…… were equally useless. Yet Ella loved Larque. Because she loved him, she came to hate other women who wanted him. Whether they were a noble young lady or a princess from across the water. To her, they were all objects of hatred.

 Ella didn’t want to admit that she was controlled by such emotions. And showing that in front of this man as well…… was too much.

 “Raise your head.”

 Larque commanded. She carefully raised her head then lowered her gaze to the floor. She didn’t want to meet his eyes. He gently touched her cheek.

 “Are you angry with me?”

 “No.”

 “Then how should I understand you?”

 “Nothing, nothing……”

 The man’s fingers traced her forehead. The edge. He carefully examined where it had been cracked. She tried to reject his touch but it wasn’t easy. The hand touching her was affectionate. Ella had loved his touch for a very long time. His gaze, his touch, his voice. More than his arms embracing her, she loved the warmth that could be felt by his not touching her.

 Dawn spent just gazing without entangling in bed was more special to her. His breath touched the edge of her lips. Skin holding warmth touched her lips. It was an affectionate kiss, as if comforting a sulking lover.

It was dawn. From the Count’s castle, the river was visible. It was a long river. The King once said he would use that river to build a canal. Ella gazed at the misty river for a long time. Larque was a loyal knight to the King. Durac had long been the King’s close confidant and friend, and moreover, in the not-so-distant past, the two families were bound by blood. The King was noble. Therefore, the Duke’s bloodline was also noble. King. Duke. Queen. Duchess……

 The sun rises from the low ridge. It’s a red and warm energy. Ella liked Roman. She also liked, to her heart’s content, the river that flowed along Roman’s territory. She thought of the tree she saw yesterday afternoon. It was a tree rooted in the river. Since it was her first time seeing such trees, Ella kept looking at the trees with only leaves flourishing above water while riding her horse. The trees were green and vivid under the sunlight.

 “I’m cold.”

 She felt the muscular chest against her thin back. He was wearing a blue silk robe. After blinking her bleary eyes several times, she turned over. His firm chest was visible. Ella buried her face in the chest of the man embracing her. She closed her eyes. It felt good. He was lovely. She didn’t want to part from this man. His arms. Chest. Legs. She wanted to make everything that resonated heavily hers. Her greed was excessive. If a servant girl doesn’t know her place, the outcome is predetermined.

 “Master.”

 A large hand cupped Ella’s cheek. She opened her eyes at the gentle caressing touch. Even though they weren’t in San Parvale, his embrace was comfortable. In fact, if she could be entangled with him like this anytime, wouldn’t anywhere be comfortable? Then even if he someday marries another woman and fully fulfills his duties as her husband, wouldn’t it be not entirely miserable? No. That wouldn’t be the case. It would be painful and agonizing until finally becoming unbearable and driving her mad. So before that……

 “Your eyes were wet.”

 “Pardon?”

 “At night.”

 The man pulled Ella’s arm and sat her on his thigh. Ella wrapped her arms around his neck. His firm thigh muscles stimulated her v*gina. She didn’t want to get wet down there again. Ella rewound what he had said. Had she cried? She wasn’t sure. She couldn’t remember why her eyes had become wet. It was usually like that. Generally, generally. When she thought about days like this filling his side, she wanted him to put his dick inside her. She wanted to wrap her thighs around his waist and wished for him to act as a breeding stallion.

 “I’m not sure. Did I?”

 Ella asked back, hoping he wouldn’t inquire further. As she wished, Larque didn’t ask more.

 “Were you satisfied?”

 “……You know while asking.”

 Goosebumps rose on her earlobes. They had times when they wanted each other. Though it’s said that master and servant girl naturally become entangled, in Ella and Larque’s case, there were specific times when they wanted each other. Like yesterday, for instance. They intertwined like snakes and made moaning sounds. Muffled cries of pleasure shook the bed and Ella raised her hips while panting.

 “Are you not in pain?”

 His hand traced her side. Ella nodded. Of course it hurt. But she liked those marks. She wished that bone-deep ache wouldn’t disappear. Ella knew she was abnormal. To prefer her master losing control and thrusting his hips over his consideration. To find more joy in lovemaking that was no different from violence. She couldn’t have gone mad gracefully.

 “I’m fine.”

 Last night’s intense lovemaking seemed mild in the man’s mind. Ella smiled faintly. He carefully combed through her hair that he had grabbed. It was Ella who wanted it to be rough. She didn’t know what kind of anxiety her master might have about bedding a servant girl, but occasionally, traces of anguish showed on Larque’s face. Ella felt that he wanted to be entangled with her because of some anxiety or unbearable tension. She also knew when those times were, what periods they were. But she was no different. She too had her neck broken by that anxiety when she couldn’t trust him. She wanted him to come between her spread legs and fill her.

 “You’re not fine.”

 He furrowed his brows. It was excessive. Yesterday, he had been excessive. No matter what requests Ella made in bed, he should have maintained his senses. That bothered him deeply. Grabbing her hair and ramming his c*ck in. And before that, the woman had wet her eyes.

 “Did something happen yesterday?”

 “No.”

 “Ella.”

 Harder. Even harder. More, more. Master, more. Please be rougher. The words floating around his ears were terrible. It had been a sweet and desperate request that made him shiver. But once he cooled down, that request flowing from her lips felt cruel. He met Ella’s eyes. When anxious, Ella wants him. Just like himself. She’s usually desperate to push away, but when it becomes unbearable in any way, she clings to him, wanting him to act as a breeding stallion. She wasn’t originally this kind of woman. She was a woman who drew lines with him to the point of pitiful.

 “Don’t think of hiding it.”

 “Anyway, anyway, you’re leaving here this morning.”

 “What did Lady Roenel say to you?”

 “……”

 “Tell me.”

 “It’s not something you can do anything about even if I tell you, Master. She didn’t treat me badly. So it’s fine.”

 She unwrapped her arms from his neck. The man wrapped her arms around his chest and kissed her forehead. She nestled against him familiarly, feeling the man’s even and firm muscles. It was a flawless perfect naked body. The smooth and sleek skin satisfied her. So now she didn’t want to talk about past stories.

 “Did the Countess of Roman change your clothes?”

 “Yes.”

 However, Larque didn’t stop. Ella answered halfheartedly. They lay down again and looked at each other like when they first had s*x. Ella merely pretended to answer his questions while recalling that time.

“Wasn’t it uncomfortable?”

 “Yes. It was uncomfortable because it was someone else’s clothes.”

 “It doesn’t suit you.”

 “That doesn’t matter. We’ll be going to see Eselmund soon……”

 “You have dresses that cover your shoulders. The one I gifted you in Almas. There are plenty of those in San Parvale, you could have worn those.”

 “Are you unhappy?”

 “If that weren’t the case, why would I be dwelling on this?”

 Larque was honest. Ella laughed. He was a cold person. That was separate from being untruthful. He rarely revealed himself. Even when emotions ran high during lovemaking, that was the extent of it. It must really not have suited her. Ella burst out laughing because she liked him.

 “Those are too fancy. And I didn’t bring them.”

 The man who had been propping his head with his arm stretched it out to serve as a pillow. Ella didn’t decline and nestled under his chin while using his arm as a pillow. The man whose very breath was affectionate kissed her near her eyes.

 “There’s much you haven’t answered, Ella.”

 “They’re not important things.”

 “They are important.”