Chapter 63

Fortunately, Annette’s tardiness did not seem to have any adverse effect on Eucaly’s desire to work. Eucaly nodded her head and began to tell about her work experience by taking out some documents from her arms. 

“I have completed a nine-year medical academy course in the Kingdom of Provatte. Here, I have also brought a recommendation letter from my supervisor and also one from the former president of the Royal Hospital. I’ve specialized in the field of chronic diseases and diseases related to women….”

Unlike her appearance, Eucaly’s tone, which had a Provatte accent, was a little stiff. Perhaps that’s why her self-introduction made Annette feel as if a teacher was giving a lecture to the student. Annette, who already knew about all this, listened while pretending to be interested in Eucaly’s career. She didn’t want to make it obvious that she had gone back in time and knew everything here. Thanks to this, Eucaly finished her self-introduction without any problems. 

“I heard it well. You’ve had an impressive career experience, Miss Kayun. I think you’re as competent as I’ve heard.” 

Annette smiled as she presented the letter of introduction she received from her former practitioner. That gentleman was a timid person, who was particularly afraid of Raphael. So he introduced Eucaly instead and ran away so that he would never be called to the Carnesis Mansion again. “Madam you must hire Eucaly!” Annette smiled as she recalled the desperate appeal of the practitioner to hire Eucaly.

“Well, madam. Then, whether I’m hired or not….”

Seeing Annette become silent for a moment, Eucaly’s expression became a little darker. She was worried that she might have given Annette a bad impression. Annette liked Eucaly’s such clumsy appearance. She was older than herself, but somehow her naive and clumsy actions made Annette want to take care of her. 

‘You took good care of me in my past life.’

Annette in her previous life was very sensitive because of her long illness. Having a weak body was scary. Even healthy people become crazy if they have to lie down on a hospital bed every day. Annette cried, vomited, and desperately clung to Eucaly whenever she was seriously ill. Now that she thought about it, she felt sorry towards her. 

Annette was so lonely in her previous life. She was abandoned by her father and her brother, Arjen and her sister-in-law, Claire were in an empire too far away. On top of that, she also had a bad relationship with her husband, Raphael. So, the only person on whom she could rely was Eucaly. Perhaps it was quite a burdensome situation for Eucaly as her doctor. 

Nevertheless, Eucaly patiently took good care of her. Because of that, Annette’s condition also somewhat stabilized. She was also able to reconcile with Raphael, who came to check on her condition. 

‘That’s when he started nursing me.’

At first, Raphael went outside leaving her completely to Eucaly’s care. It was expected since their relationship was so bad. 

But one day, when Annette was on the brink of death, Raphael, who had come to check Annette’s condition for the first time in a while, looked very shocked. He had thought she was doing fine as usual with her treatment, but Annette’s condition was far worse than he thought. 

After that Raphael always stayed by her side. Later, he took care of Annette’s every need on behalf of Eucaly and managed her medication and treatment. Even though he always fought with her, he seemed to be bothered by her death. Thanks to him, she wasn’t able to bother Eucaly till the time of her death. 

‘Raphael looks violent, but he’s actually sweet.’

Annette laughed as she recalled Raphael’s sleeping figure lying on her bed like a lazy lion. In order not to waste her second life as before, Annette’s priority now was to take care of her health. To do so, she was trying to sleep more than before and take as little stress as possible. This was why she had hired a doctor to carefully take care of her health. 

Annette, who had made up her mind, smiled warmly at Eucaly.

“Welcome to the Carnesis family, Miss Kayun.”

At those words, Eucaly, who hadn’t met Annette’s eyes until now, raised her head for the first time.  The dark expression on her face had now slightly brightened. As she stood stupefied in a place, Eucaly took a deep breath, and then bowed her head to Annette.

“Thank you, madam. Please call me Eucaly.”

“All right, Miss Eucaly. I look forward to your kind cooperation.”

Annette smiled at the look on Eucaly’s face, which looked much better than before. She was in desperate need of a job because she was far away from her hometown and didn’t have a place to stay. Now that she was hired as a physician of an aristocratic family, no wonder she was so relieved. 

Annette was going to leave after clearing herself of her false charges. However, even after that, Eucaly would still be able to work here. Aristocratic families seldom kicked out a doctor who was hired by them once. In addition, because of Raphael’s personality and excellent health, he wouldn’t even remember that he had a doctor in his mansion. Annette was pleased to be able to help Eucaly like this. She owed a lot to her in her past life.

‘But in this life, I’ll try to be less indebted to Eucaly.’

Not only with Eucaly, but she also wanted to do the same with Raphael. There’s no way he would take care of her in this life, but again, she couldn’t say for sure. In her previous life, she was really amazed to see him nurse her from her illness even though he had a terrible temper. 

Of course, Raphael’s care didn’t always go smoothly. There was too much of a rift between the couple to do that. While nursing, Raphael often got angry at Annette’s nervous responses and ran out of the room in a fit of rage. But he always returned to Annette within half a day. 

Then he boiled the soup he had thrown away and scooped it to feed her. He also changed the sheets and helped Annette up, as her condition didn’t even allow her to get up. At the last moment of her death, he even…. 

‘Did he cry for me? I don’t remember very well.’

Annette remembered the moment when death loomed over her body. At first, her vision flashed and became dark and then her hearing ceased. She was very scared and started panicking. She tried to move her hands, but her arms and legs had already been paralyzed. And a cold numbness, that one felt when their skin was pressed against ice for a long time, slowly overtook her whole body. That was the feeling of death that Annette remembered. 

Her sight was the first thing that disappeared, so Annette couldn’t see Raphael’s face at that time. However, she remembered seeing his contorting face in her blurred vision as if he was going to cry. She didn’t want to make Raphael look like that again. For that, it was evident what she had to do. 

“Then Miss Eucaly, would you like to have a meal together to celebrate your appointment as our family doctor?”

Annette, who had woken up late, couldn’t eat anything. So she smiled while hiding her growling stomach. Her tone asking her employee was unbelievably sweet. Of course, Eucaly agreed. 

* * *

The long-awaited day had finally come. The fall harvest festival hosted by the temple of Odessa Louis had begun. In words, it was just a ritual, but actually, it was celebrated like a festival in the temple. On this day, everyone, regardless of age or gender, visited the temple to relish the delicious sheep’s milk cheese, and wine.

Thanks to this, all of the nobles living near the capital of Deltium, the bourgeoisie, and the commoners, all headed for the Odessa Louis’ temple.  Even Celestine Keers, who will soon become the Crown Princess, would also attend. Annette was also going to do the same, but her way of visiting the temple was a little different. 

“Let’s see, the Western Tomb is probably around here…….”

Annette headed to the cemetery of the temple of Odessa Louis, referring to the map that Railin had sent in advance. She had to climb a mountain a bit to avoid other people’s eyes, but it was fine as she had safely reached without getting sick or sore anywhere. Thanks to this, she was able to enter the cemetery without being seen by anyone. 

She was glad it was festival time now. Originally, no one paid attention to the cemetery on a festive day. People were instinctively reluctant to visit a cemetery on a joyous day, for fear of attracting bad luck. Thanks to this, Annette was able to look around the cemetery where even a single ant couldn’t be seen. 

The place she had promised to meet with Railin was the western tomb, but it was not easy to find the way because the cemetery was very large. Annette, who was struggling to find the way, raised her ears. She could hear the loud voices coming from the distant temple. Everyone seemed drunk after drinking a lot of wine, that was made in the temple. No one would notice Annette in such a busy atmosphere. 

‘As expected, Sir Railin is so amazing. I think we’ll successfully infiltrate the temple today.’

Annette was a little relieved. She was very nervous ahead of the big event. Since her return, Annette had continuously faced huge challenges that she could not even imagine before. Annette felt both unfamiliar and amazed at herself. She never thought people could change 180 degrees for their survival. 

Fortunately, Annette was soon able to find the Western Tomb, the place of her appointment. At first, she thought things had gone wrong because she went to the wrong tomb in the east. She was scared when she saw no presence of either Railin or the new priest’s clothes that he was supposed to prepare. It was fortunate that the priests had kindly embossed “East” on the floor of the cemetery. 

‘Those who are closest to God, how considerate of you.’

Annette was deeply impressed. Although she first attended this temple for Celestine, she wasn’t exactly a believer, but she decided to believe in the goddess Odessa. Anyway, after finding the right path, Annette looked around and entered the western part of the cemetery carefully. 

“……Is this the right place?”

As she opened the heavy stone door and entered, she could see the “West” mark embossed on the floor. 

‘I think I’ve come to the right place.’

A light breeze from the dusty cemetery brushed against the tip of her nose. Even in broad daylight, the room was quite dark with grey tones all over it, giving off a gloomy atmosphere. The only sound one could hear inside the building built for the dead was the sound of Annette’s footsteps. 

Annette looked around, but couldn’t find Railin. Instead, the statue standing in the center of the tomb seemed to stare down at her. Maybe because it was dark and she couldn’t see its face well, the statue felt even more dismal. 

Knowing that she was doing ‘bad things’, Annette trembled unknowingly. She closed her eyes and clasped her hands in a prayer before the statue. 

‘I’m sorry, goddess Odessa. I’ll leave right away after meeting Celestine Keers.’

Just at that moment, the statue standing in front of Annette’s eyes suddenly reached out and grabbed her shoulder.

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Hey guys! It’s been a long time. I was going to post this chapter last month but I got sick. *Sigh* Nevermind, now I’m ok and have some free time.

I would really like to thank you guys for buying me kofis during this period. As a little thank you, I will be soon posting some bonus chapters soon this week. Yay! Look forward to it.

Chapter 62

Thank you Minty for the kofi. It gave me the motivation to finish this chapter. Sorry for the late update guys. Here you go, enjoy!

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The dawn was rising outside the window. The warm white sunlight crept into the room, slowly illuminating the room. Sitting stiffly on a divan, Raphael turned his head. Then he saw Annette’s beautiful face sleeping quietly on the bed. It was a defenseless and lovely face, enough to make people sigh. 

Raphael, after rising silently from his seat, began to look around her hidden jewelry box. In contrast to his large physique, his movements were quite agile and quiet just like that of wild beasts. After finding what he wanted, Raphael carefully picked up the thing without waking Annette up. 

The object looked just like what it was in his memory. The ring made of the finest amethyst glinted even in the dim light of early morning. The alphabet “S ” engraved with gold leaf on the surface particularly caught his attention. Raphael wasn’t aware of its meaning before, but now he did. It meant that Annette was a client of a special information guild. 

The Secret Guild.

Even Harold Evans, his only acquaintance, also had the ring as he was once in a position to run secret errands for the king. But what about Annette? She was an ordinary woman who enjoyed a peaceful daily life by doing embroidery with her fine hands or reading books. But she was also a woman who secretly hid the token of the Secret Guild deep in her drawer. 

Raphael looked at the amethyst ring on his palm with an expressionless face.  At first glance, one could see that the size of the ring was too big to fit Annette’s fingers.  That implied that it wasn’t a ring that was meant to be worn in the first place.  Suddenly, Harold’s words flashed in Raphael’s mind. 

“It’s a guild that deals with everything except assassination; like exchanging information, sales of various illegal items such as poison, aphrodisiacs, and other weak drugs, kidnapping people, private loan business, etc…. Ah! I heard they’ve recently also ventured into smuggling and also smuggle people outside the kingdom. It’s a pretty expensive service, but if you want to run away from your reality, you won’t be pouring your money down the drain.” 

Raphael’s hand, grabbing the ring, unknowingly tightened. Yes, Annette might have gone there to just trade information.  She wasn’t the type to set foot into illegal crimes.  And as for smuggling out of the kingdom….. he wasn’t sure.  Raphael’s face, looking down at the sleeping Annette, showed signs of distress. 

Yes, nothing was certain yet. It was not reasonable to break Annette’s possessions. Raphael clenched his teeth and placed the ring back in its place. But the moment he closed the drawer, his emotions surged a little. Tak! The sound echoed in the room. Raphael’s keen intuition sensed a disturbance on the bed.

“Umm……Raphael?”

Sure enough, Annette lifted her eyelids that were heavy with sleep.  Her confused pink eyes scanned his face and gave him a worried look. Annette reached out and caressed his cheek carefully. Since he had just woke up, his body temperature, which was higher than usual, felt warm as he came close to her.  

“Did you have another nightmare? Come here.”

Annette lifted a corner of the quilt and tugged his neck gently. Raphael’s blue eyes looking down at her became a little darker. There was no way he could resist this temptation. He gently lied down beside her as she led him. Then Annette, who stretched out her arms and embraced Raphael’s head, affectionately appeased him. 

“It’s all right, Raphael. You’re a good person. I… I’ll protect you. So relax and sleep well.” 

It felt good to hear Annette’s delicate voice, which had become a little husky because of sleep. Her wise and elegant manner of speaking was too cute. It felt like someone was pouring the whole bottle of sweet maple syrup into his ear. 

Raphael slowly closed his eyes. He liked the feeling of being held in her delicate arms. Annette smelled of clean white musk and some flowers. As she was again breathing steadily, she had fallen asleep before she knew it. Her barely audible and peaceful breath tickled his forehead. 

‘After being so kind to me, you wouldn’t  leave me behind, would you?’

Raphael tightly clenched his jaw to prevent his face from getting distorted. He slowly raised his torso so that Annette wouldn’t wake up. Then he locked her sleeping figure in his arms. Raphael bowed his head and softly whispered in Annette’s ear. 

“You’re not going anywhere, Annette.”

Raphael’s flowing, black hair wrapped around Annette’s small face. Unintentionally, her figure looked like a poor prisoner trapped in a grate. Satisfied with this, Raphael hugged her a little more tightly. Annette groaned in protest as she felt stuffy.  

Raphael quietly kissed the frown on her forehead. He felt sorry for her, but he didn’t feel like letting go of his arms. If she felt this captivity was too much, then she would have to better get used to it. He didn’t plan to ever let her go. 

Annette, who woke up in a disarray, checked the clock reflexively. Her body nowadays seemed to be more sluggish than usual, so she had overslept by two hours more. Since she had a lot of things to care about these days, it seemed like she was getting mentally tired.

Annette carefully removed Raphael’s arms that were hugging her waist. She was going to let him sleep a little longer. Annette always felt sorry for Raphael because he had suffered long from a sleeping disorder. So, she did not want to disturb his sleep as much as possible. 

‘If I leave, what will he do?’

Annette recently had a headache because of this concern. Raphael had now begun to sleep well, but it would become harder for him if she disappeared and his sleeping disorder might also return to its original state. Annette wistfully looked down at Raphael’s sleeping face. 

His profile, revealed through his disheveled black hair, was just as beautiful as that of an ancient male god. It was amazing to see that his skin didn’t get tanned even though he practiced his swordsmanship skills every day. Annette slowly swept her fingers over Raphael’s straight forehead, high nose, and sensual lips. Then, she got up from the bed. 

“Hah….”

Her troubles were not over yet, but she had to start the new day. Annette stretched out her body and went out of the bedroom in an indoor gown. It was quite late for breakfast, ao she planned to grab a brunch or something. But the plan didn’t go as she wanted. As soon as Annette went out to her private parlor, she ran into a maid, who had an embarrassing look on her face. 

“Madam, I beg your pardon, but there’s a visitor who has been waiting for you for the past two hours.”

“Visitor? What…… Oh my goodness! I must be out of my mind!!”

Just when Annette asked with a perplexed face, she belatedly recalled the promise and was horrified. Today was the day she was scheduled to meet Eucaly and take a brief interview of her. In this life too, Eucaly, Annette’s doctor in her previous life, met her again under a mysterious connection. However, her first impression would turn out to be bad.  Seeing Annette rushing to the parlor, the maid was remorseful and bowed her head repeatedly. 

“I should have woken you up somehow, but since the master was inside…… I just couldn’t enter like that. I’m really sorry, madam.” 

“No, it’s okay. Can you help me with something? Go down and quickly assort her as much as possible.” 

Annette waved her hand and offered a realistic alternative. Just as the maid said, she and her husband were spending intimate time together, so the employees were not allowed to interfere recklessly.  This was entirely Annette’s fault. She was not a bad hostess who passed on her faults to her employees. 

The maid’s face brightened a little after receiving Annette’s forgiveness. All the maid had to do was just bow a little and express her gratitude, but instead, she helped Annette get ready as fast as possible. Thanks to her, Annette was able to head downstairs in a decent appearance in just fifteen minutes. 

When she opened the door to the parlor, she saw Eucaly sitting on the sofa. Her face was exactly how it was in Annette’s memory.

Even though Eucaly, who was of mixed descent from the Eastern Continent, had been here for a while, truthfully she was quite an experienced practitioner. However, she had one disadvantage and that was that her features were too modest. Because of her expressionless face, she looked a little gloomy. But no one really cared about one’s appearance or sociability in the profession of a practitioner.

“I’m sorry I’m late. Did you wait for a long time?”

Annette politely apologized to Eucaly, who rose from her seat on seeing her. They were not empty words; Annette’s face clearly showed that she was really sorry. Even as a noblewoman, she sincerely apologized to a servant who was not even a noble. After seeing this, Eucaly, who lacked sociability, confidently shook her head to say no.

“No madam. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Eucaly Cayun.”

“Nice to meet you, Miss Cayun. I must have forgotten because I had a lot of work yesterday. I’m so sorry.” 

Annette almost called Eucaly in a friendly way like in her previous life. Annette smiled sheepishly as she called out Eucaly’s exotic surname. It was a mistake that was unlike Annette’s usual self, who was always thorough with her promises. Annette sat down with a remorseful face. She raised her eyes and looked towards Eucaly. 

Fortunately, there was tea and cookies placed in front of Eucaly. Seeing the steam rising from the tea even after the two hour wait, the maid must have paid thorough attention. Annette smiled sweetly, inwardly pledging to raise the maid’s salary and asked a question. 

“So, Miss Cayun. Do you want to be the family doctor for our family?”

Chapter 61

Thank you Anna Nowak for the Kofi. Here’s the Chapter guys. I’m sorry for the delay.

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Annette narrowed her eyes and looked at the man’s face standing under the umbrella.  She wondered why he had such a dark look on his face. The moment their eyes met, Railin suddenly smiled at Annette. His face immediately turned bright as usual.

‘He sure didn’t look happy. Did I see it wrong?’

Annette tilted her head. Railin approached her while playfully twirling his umbrella. With a window between them, he stopped and greeted her in a slightly different way than usual. 

“Give me the grace of the goddess, O’ servant of the faithful goddess.”

The greeting that Railin just said was only used to greet the priests serving the Goddess Odessa. Annette, who understood his joke, grinned and replied in the same way.

“The breath of the goddess will always be with you, O’ Lamb of the devout Goddess.”

Seeing Annette accept the joke, Railin nodded satisfactorily and entered the cafe. Despite the rain, there was no trace of any water splashing on Railin’s pale gray trousers.  Annette asked, looking at this curiously. 

“Do I have to use magic to become a Secret Guild Master? Like walking on water or something.” 

“I don’t know. After all, a charming beauty like me needs to have some secrets.”

With a mysterious smile, Railin pretended to show off his beauty. It was a unique charm of Railin but she didn’t dislike it.  However, Annette hadn’t come here to crack jokes with Railin. 

“So, have you set a date for the infiltration?”

“Of course. A week from now, it will be the second day of the harvest festival. We will meet at the Western Burial Tomb, a little far from the Odessa Louis temple. Very few people come there.”

Annette nodded her head. Well, though the festival was said to be celebrated for giving ancestral worship, the period of harvest ahead was celebrated no different from a carnival. On such a fine day, there would not be many mourners wandering around the graves. Annette asked Railin just to make sure. 

“Are you sure Celestine Keers will come to the temple that day?”

“Has my information ever gone wrong?”

Railin asked back with a dizzying smile, with his eyes curved beautifully under the long eyelashes. Annette nodded at the fairly reliable answer. While lost in thought, Annette caressed the rim of the warm teacup and muttered,

“Recently, Celestine rarely socializes. I heard that because of this, people are  doubting her qualifications to be a Crown Princess.”

“Well, yes. After all, her family doesn’t have that much power to support her for that position. There’s a rumor going around here that she’s showing signs of social phobia these days. Thanks to this, she seems to be getting a lot of resentment from her acquaintances. Of all the things, this came out as soon as she was confirmed to be the Crown Princess. It seems to everyone it’s the so-called case of ‘After she has succeeded, she has changed‘.…”

Railin explained by acting it out and skillfully changing his voice. Annette frowned at the words. Come to think of it, Celestine also suddenly canceled her attendance at the garden party of Marquis Eloque. Something was off. 

“Why is Celestine acting so carelessly now?’

Annette, who suspected Celestine as the real culprit, was puzzled. Now, Celestine had finally got the position of the Crown Princess that she wanted so much. However, at this time with her goal so close, Annette couldn’t understand why she was suddenly throwing away the prepared soup handed out to her. 

Well, it didn’t matter. She would eventually know all this when she confronts her anyway. The lingering desire to clear all the false accusations against her was the only reason keeping Annette here. If she was lucky, she might get the answer right away from her encounter with Celestine. And after that……. 

Annette smiled when she recalled her prepared plans for the future. Unlike her bitter mood, her voice flowed out smoothly as usual. 

“Mister Railin, if you don’t mind, could you please prepare for me to move to Osland? I’d like to visit the place, once this is all over. I have to check it out since I’ll be living there from now on.” 

Finally! Railin’s ruby red eyes twinkled with joy.

After finishing her conversation with Railin, Annette headed to the carriage without much thought. It was time to go back to the mansion. It was a rainy day, and if she delayed any longer, Raphael would get worried. Annette laughed at herself for having delusions that ‘Raphael would care about her’. She wondered when this started to happen. 

Annette quickened her steps and finally reached the front of the carriage. It was raining, so the leather boots that she wore had become soaked. The moisture sticking between her toes felt unpleasant. Just as she was about to get into the carriage, someone called her from behind. 

“Lady…… No, Marchioness.”

The young man’s voice mixed with a foreign accent sounded very aristocratic. After waiting for her for quite a while, the man was completely soaked in the rain. Annette was surprised to see who it was. The young man, whose neatly done blond hair was sticking to his pale forehead, was someone she didn’t expect. 

“Gerard? Oh my, don’t you have an umbrella? It’s raining so hard, what are you doing?”

It was Gerard, the butler of the Bavarian family, who was waiting for her. Annette, surprised by Gerard’s pitiful appearance of a wet mouse, grabbed his hand. Gerard’s hands were cold from being out for so long in the rain. She wanted him to come inside the carriage to warm himself up before his temperature dropped further, but Gerard refused. 

“It’ll ruin the leather covers, Madam. It’s okay, so I’ll just…….”

“What nonsense are you talking about! Do I look like a person who can’t buy new leather covers? It’s all right, come on, get in.” 

While scolding him, Annette pulled his hand in a determined manner and then made him sit inside the carriage. Gerard was her father’s trusted butler and he took care of her for a long time. Although she was now a little distant from him, she had always thought of him as a distant cousin. So to leave Gerard in the rain, while she talked with him sitting comfortably in the carriage, she wasn’t that heartless. 

Suddenly being pulled into the carriage by Annette made Gerard finally laugh. He could feel the fine leather covers getting wet under his clothes. It was a little cold in the rain, but his heart warmed up from her kindness. His young lady was as sweet and gentle as she used to be. 

“What’s wrong, Gerard? You came all the way here. Did my father make you do it?”

Annette asked while covering Gerard’s body with a blanket. Her heart thumped, wondering whether her father, Allamand, was going to send her another warning note. But Gerard shook his head and glanced intently at Annette. A small shadow covered his graceful face. 

“My Lady, no……Madam.”

“Just call me whatever you like. What’s the matter?”

“I’m sorry, but I heard this by accident. The…… the mine of your husband. I heard you kicked out the mine manager.” 

Annette’s heart started pounding. The news of her handling Thomas Bradley, her father’s subordinate, had reached his ears. She had expected it, but never thought it would happen so fast. 

Annette now wondered how much she could trust Gerard, who was also her father’s subordinate. He would definitely never harm her as he had cared for her since she was a child. But it was different for her husband, Raphael. Annette warily asked Gerard,

“Aah right. Are you asking why he did that? Thomas kept a double ledger and tried to siphon off the profits of the mining business. From a business owner’s point of view, it is natural to fire such people.” 

“It’s not just because of that, My Lady.  You’re a smart person, so you must have already guessed everything.”

Gerard smiled bitterly. He knew the real reason Annette kicked Thomas out. Annette stared straight at Gerard’s face, not knowing what would happen. Then Gerard sighed deeply and knelt on the floor of the carriage. 

“I’m not here to harm you or your husband today. Actually, I will quit this job and return to my hometown tomorrow. Before that, I wanted to say goodbye to you, so I apologize for coming here all of a sudden.” 

“You’re going home? Why?”

“My life in Deltium was great, but now it seems it’s time to return to my native country. My brother, who just took over the estate, also needs help.”

Gerard did not give his reasons for leaving. Maybe it was because his plate of troubles got too big and he felt a sense of crisis, or maybe he was uncomfortable with the situation where he had to keep confronting her. Of course, there was also a possibility that it was a lie to bring down Annette’s guard. However, his candid tone and detached face felt sincere. 

Just like how he knew Annette well, Annette too knew him very well. Although they had some conflicts in the middle, the time spent with Gerard was very long. It could even be exaggerated that the time spent with Gerard was much longer than the time she spent with her father. During those times, Gerard had consistently been a good butler. Now that he was leaving, she couldn’t continue to treat him coldly. 

“I see. Please be careful on your way. I hope we can meet again, Gerard.

Annette bid her farewell in a soft tone and hid her regret. But Gerard’s visit wasn’t just for saying goodbyes. With Annette in front of him, he suddenly looked around. Then he pushed the window of the half-open carriage. Gerard then lowered his voice and whispered very carefully. 

“Lady, although I don’t know everything…… but I’ve found one thing.” 

“What? What are you talking about all of a sudden, Gerard?”

“The mine. It’s not just the Master, but there are some other people who are helping him. It’s a much more dangerous and bigger conspiracy than what the Lady thought.” 

Annette’s eyes widened at the unexpected words. Allamand, the Duke of Bavaria, alone, was a great power. The self-righteous man didn’t need anyone’s help. She couldn’t believe that Allamand had someone’s help in planning something. It was totally unexpected. 

“Would you mind telling me more about this, Gerard? I really appreciate it, but if you get caught…….” 

While Annette was trembling with anxiety, she was very worried about Gerard.  Although she was just trying to protect Raphael, she regretted being too harsh on him. Gerard chuckled sadly and shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, what can they do with someone who’s already gone? There’s something else I really want to tell you.” 

Gerard, kneeling on the floor of the carriage, bowed his head. Then he kissed Annette’s rain-soaked boots without any hesitation. At his reverent attitude, Annette’s eyes widened in surprise. He looked up at Annette, still being on his knees, and smiled grimly. 

“I sincerely apologize for insulting your husband the other day. That day, I felt like I had been robbed of my precious young lady whom I had brought up. I was really ashamed of my behavior. I shouldn’t have done…….” 

“It’s all right, Gerard. You apologized to my husband then. It’s all in the past.”

Gerard again bowed at Annette’s words. Annette’s husband, Raphael’s face flashed in front of his dark eyes. Gerard hoped that he would soon realize what a great privilege it was to stand tall next to Annette. Because he was just a butler, he didn’t even get that chance. Gerard suppressed his lingering feelings and closed his eyes. He deliberately said his last farewell in a bright tone. 

“The time I served my lady will always be the most precious and warmest memories of my life.  Even if I go back to my native country, I will always think of you. Please be happy.”

When Gerard had finished speaking, he smiled with a cheerful face. Some tears had already accumulated near his eyes. Now not having anything to say to Annette, Gerard turned his back and jumped out of the carriage. Then he strode and disappeared into the darkness. 

“Gerard….”

Annette sighed as she looked sadly at Gerard’s back from the window. She was worried if he would safely find his way back home. But now it was really time to go back home. Annette, looking out of the dark window, gave orders to start the carriage.

---

Chapter 60

Raphael, who went home first as promised, practiced his sword in the training camp. However, compared to the drops of sweat dripping down his face, the efficiency of his training was not very good. Now his head was full of worries about Annette. He knew she was a very cautious person, so she would never do anything dangerous. Still, he couldn’t help but worry about her.

Raphael sighed and let go of the sword he was holding. It was dangerous to wield a sword in such a state. With one wrong step, he could fall on his own sword. ‘I need to become a Sword Master as soon as possible, but why is it so slow?’ It was so frustrating.

‘I’m in pretty good shape these days.’

His condition was far much better from what it had been before when he suffered from chronic sleep deprivation. It was perfectly peaceful to fall asleep by Annette’s side every night. He didn’t know why, but whenever he fell asleep in her bedroom, he did not suffer from sleepwalking.

Raphael did not know that Annette would sing and put him to sleep whenever he was suffering from his sleep disorders. He simply believed that he had recovered from his illness and that Annette was his mysterious cure. Perhaps it was because he had found a peace of mind in this relationship with her. Otherwise, he couldn’t explain this strange situation where he would sleep well if he was on good terms with her and would have insomnia if they were on bad terms.

‘By the way, Annette is too late…’

Raphael realized that he was circling around the same spot. Although Thomas, the mine manager, was far from the type to try anything, he was still a man. What if he raised his hand on Annette on being discovered! It was really foolish to send Annette alone. Raphael was so anxious that he was about to leave the place to get her.

“Raphael!”

The voice coming from behind his back was as cheerful and happy as a lark. As he turned his head, he could see Annette coming towards him from a distance. She, who had always walked gracefully, was now running towards him with all her might. The well-braided blonde hair became disheveled, and the long dress fluttered in the air like a flower. But the flushed cheeks and eyes of Annette seemed to have no concern for this.

Raphael looked at Annette’s face as if he was bewitched and opened his arms unknowingly. Then Annette, who had sprinted from a distance, jumped into his arms and gasped for air. A pleasant shock hit his body, and he felt her soft arms curl around him like vines. Annette raised her head and shouted gleefully.

“I succeeded, Raphael!”

Excited, Annette took out a bunch of papers from under the hem of her large dress. Raphael, who received it, felt Annette’s lingering warmth on the document and his face slightly reddened. Annette, who knew nothing about this, explained her success in a high-pitched voice.

“This is a double ledger that Thomas Bradley hid. He has been giving fake business reports to you all this time. Here’s the amount of embezzled money he’s been steadily siphoning over the past several months.”

“That’s a lot of data. How didn’t I manage to catch it?”

Raphael pressed his tongue to the inside of his cheek and checked the thickness of the paper. ‘How did this come from underneath her dress? Is it magic?’ Annette smiled awkwardly when she saw Raphael’s surprised expression. She had actually thought of this method after seeing Railin’s maid outfit.

Since the hem of a woman’s dress was so big, it was easy to hide something under it. Even if it was noticeable, who would dare to go ahead and examine under the skirt of a Lady? Annette purposely wore a rustling dress with a big hem. It was to hide the sounds of documents that might be heard. Thanks to that, Thomas couldn’t even guess what was hidden under her dress.

“Raphael, I went over this paper on the way here…. This is a pretty long-term and detailed plan. Thomas Bradley was going to steadily deteriorate your mining business over the years. So that it would fall into enormous debts and you would be forced to auction it off to someone else.”

After speaking, Annette smiled sadly. If that had happened, it was obvious who the new owner of the mine would be. If she hadn’t intervened, an iron ore mine would have also been added to the Duke of Bavaria’s property list in the future. And her father would have laughed at them coldly, just like a snake that had swallowed its prey.

Annette sighed deeply. Allamand’s method was to work hard for several years to bring the mine down and then swallow it all at once. So Annette began her investigation with the mine manager. If Thomas wasn’t the spy, she had planned to next investigate the mine site supervisor. Afterwards, she was going to investigate the deputy director and everyone involved with the mining business one by one. Fortunately, she didn’t have to do it as she caught the big fish in her first try. 

Annette suddenly wondered whether after her death in her previous life, Raphael could keep the mine till the end. Since her father’s plan was quite long, Annette in her previous life died without seeing the results. However, there was no way to check it now. At least in this life, Annette’s only consolation was that she got to know about this early and was able to prevent it in time.

“It’s a good thing that we got to know this earl, Raphael. Your iron ore business is now safe.”

Annette blushed with shame and whispered in a small voice. As the joy of success subsided, she could see the reality before her eyes and her blood turned cold. It was her father who was behind all this, so she had no face to look at Raphael. When her pink eyes distorted as if she was about to cry, Raphael saw it and held her up. Then, in a curt tone, he tried to soothe her.

“Shh, why are you crying? You did a good job.”

“But, Raphael, my father almost ruined your business.”

Even though she did well this time, will Allamand give up the mine just because she got rid of Thomas? Annette was very worried about that. Tears welled up in her eyes as she felt a mixture of fear and guilt. Raphael started panicking when he saw that her tears were about to fall. Naturally, his tone of soothing Annette became a little faster.

“What are you sorry about? You saved my business from going bankrupt. Come on, let’s go find the money stolen by this damn manager. And last time didn’t you want a blue diamond? Let’s go buy that too.”

“Diamonds?”

“Yeah. I haven’t gifted you anything aside from those stupid flowers I collected last time. As your husband, I’ve wanted to buy you something at least once. If you want, you can buy whatever color of diamond you want.”

Raphael sneakily tried to coax her using his wealth. At the same time, he couldn’t make eye contact with Annette. He was grateful that he still had a sulky look on his face. Raphael, who was not honest, looked more shy than he usually looked. Annette, who looked at his brusque face with tearful eyes, finally laughed.

“But it was a pretty flower. You were the first one to pick a flower for me. Thank you very much, Raphael.”

Raphael’s temples turned a little red on hearing Annette’s affectionate words. The redness that appeared on the cold, snowy white skin was more pronounced. Under the broad daylight, there was no darkness to cover his face. Pretending not to have seen it, Annette asked carefully.

“So what are you going to do about Thomas Bradley?”

“Well, I’ll think about it now.”

Raphael carefully lowered Annette, who had stopped crying, to the ground. Then he picked up the double ledger that she had stolen. He didn’t know how she found this, but Annette was quite competent, unlike her modest appearance. Maybe she was better than him, who only knew how to wield a sword.

Raphael’s eyes gradually sharpened as he looked down at the ledger book. It was a different feeling to hear Annette’s suspicions regarding Thomas, and to actually see the result. Looking at the systematic plan, he was overwhelmed with anger. This way that jerk wanted his business to go bankrupt so that he could take away his mine. 

‘That greedy jerk wants to add more to his piece.’

Raphael felt he needed more power. He was an excellent prosecutor and a brilliant Major with several military achievements in the war. But the war of independence in Lehtan was now all over. He had finished it with his own hands.

After the hunt, the useless hounds were eaten. Luckily Raphael was a human, but it was clear that his status and property were now in jeopardy. So this time, he had to prove his new usefulness and gain the power to protect himself. All of his enemies were great men who were difficult to fight.

“Well done, Annette, I’ll take care of the rest. Now go in and rest.”

Raphael bowed his head and kissed Annette’s cheek affectionately. The blond hair that touched his fingertips and the soft cheeks under his lips were precious to him. To protect Annette, he had to be stronger.

* * *

‘I can hear the sound of rain from outside.’ 

Annette, sitting in a cafe in the posh shopping district, looked out of the window with a steaming herbal tea in her hand. Raphael thought she was out shopping for the jewels, but this was a trick. Annette had actually come here to meet Railin.

‘I told you I was ready.’

It was early autumn. They would soon hold a ritual at the Temple of Odessa Louis to pray for a bountiful harvest. Since the autumn harvest ritual there was a quite famous occasion, Annette was planning to take this opportunity to infiltrate the temple. No one would know about the identity of Annette if she went in as one of the masked priests.  

Annette stared out of the window, waiting for Railin. At that moment, there was a scene that caught Annette’s eye. The first thing that stood out was a beautiful and colorful umbrella. The red lace-covered umbrella was full of pale purple butterflies. Maybe it was sprinkled with diamond powder, but the wings of the butterfly twinkled brightly whenever the umbrella moved.

But even those butterflies couldn’t be more glamorous than the face of the man holding the umbrella.

“…Mr. Railin?”

As soon as the name was called, Railin looked this way. The white face, under the dark red shadow was as colorful as a red butterfly. He didn’t smile at her as usual and looked very grim.

---

T/N: Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay. I was very busy this past month. With uni and everything, it’s a bit hard to update as frequently as I did earlier. I can’t exactly promise but I’ll try my best to update at least 1-2 chapters every week.

I’ve been getting a lot of emails of people asking about my discord server. I don’t have one and honestly I don’t really plan to have one right now. Don’t worry if anything happens, I’ll inform you guys here.

Chapter 59

Listening to Annette’s words, Thomas’s eyes shook like reeds. He was even dubious about what he had heard. Suspecting Annette’s intentions, Thomas said nonchalantly,

“Oh, are you? I’m sure Marquis would be very pleased to hear that. His wife not only cares about the household but also the operations of his mine! As a fellow man, I really envy the Marquis. Hehe!”

Thomas laughed loudly, but the tips of his eyebrows were slightly twitching. From Thomas’s point of view, her interest could not be entertained. Even though Raphael was the owner, Thomas was able to do whatever he wanted because Raphael had left all the mining operations to him and did not pay much attention. But if the ownership of the mine gets in the hands of Annette, he would be left with nothing. Naturally, his eyes, looking at Annette, were filled with caution.

After seeing this, Annette raised her hand gracefully and held her chin. Then a large diamond tucked over her velvet glove gave off a dazzling glow. It was an excessive design that she never would have worn if it was her usual self. However, it was also a good bait to attract attention. As soon as Thomas’s gaze turned to the diamond, Annette smiled arrogantly.

“That’s right. He has little interest in mines. So… Shouldn’t something precious belong to someone who recognizes its value? What do you think, Mr. Bradley?”

“…What? Excuse me, Madam, what are you talking about? Well, I can’t understand…”

Annette looked at the embarrassed Thomas with an even more charming smile. It was the smile that she had learned from Railin. It was only for this moment that she had intentionally dressed up in fancy clothes and shown Thomas too much attention. Annette, lazily leaning her head, whispered with a gleam in her eyes.

“I mean, I think I can do a lot better if I become the owner of the mine. Whether it’s regarding its operations or profits. And maybe… also give the loyal employees who helped me, plenty of my ‘sincerity’?”

When Thomas heard Annette’s suggestion, his eyes became wide open with shock. He looked as if he had never expected to hear something like this from her. After seeing this, Annette became more confident. It seemed she was doing a good job in acting. Annette, with her head tilted, smiled like a cat and further cornered Thomas.

“What do you think, Mr. Bradley? Are you willing to help me out?”

“Madam, that…… It’s so sudden, I’m not sure how to answer.”

Thomas’s bald head gleamed with embarrassment. In fact, from his current standpoint, he couldn’t help but be embarrassed. He had come here as Raphael’s mine manager at the order of Allamand. But the employer’s daughter suddenly stepped in, saying that she too wanted the mine. So it was a bit embarrassing. After putting Thomas into a spot, just like she wanted, Annette decided to step back.

“I think you need time to think, Mr. Bradley.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m so sorry, but I can’t give you an answer right now.”

Thomas, who was sweating a lot, analyzed her words and bit her bait. In response, Annette nodded and pretended to be sullen for not receiving an answer. There was an awkward silence between the two, but it was soon broken by Annette.

“Then Mr. Bradley. I heard you say you’re from West Deilun?”

“That’s right, ma’am. Do you know about Deilun?”

Thomas answered Annette’s question with a confident smile. ‘He must have forged his hometown as well.’ It seemed he was also a good actor. Annette decided to be generous with him. She was cheating Thomas anyway. Annette with a curious look asked by tilting her head.

“There’s a traditional song that’s popular in the Deilun area, isn’t there? I listened to it by chance before. It was really rich in notes and was more pleasant to hear than I thought. But maybe it was because the lyrics were unfamiliar, I couldn’t understand what the song meant. Since Mr. Bradley is from there, you should know the meaning, right?”

“Meaning of the traditional song? Ah…. yes.”

A drop of sweat trickled down from Thomas’s dazzling head. Although he had memorized the specialties of the fake hometown and famous names related to it, he didn’t know much about the traditional songs. But it was okay. Annette also didn’t know anyway.

‘Ah, it’s all made up.’

Annette smiled, concealing her thoughts. Then she asked Thomas, naively blinking her eyes as if she was not at all suspicious of him.

“Yes. I’m not good enough at singing, but would you like to hear it? I really want to know the meaning of that enchanting song.”

“Oh, yes, yes! Of course, I would like to hear it!”

Thomas, whose face became red, nodded knowingly. He was very embarrassed because he knew nothing about the traditional songs of Deilun. He wondered what he would do if he got caught because of this and his identity was exposed. But on the other hand, he was also grateful to hear Annette sing it for him first. After listening to the song, he could make some meaning out of it, right? 

“Well, it’s somewhat embarrassing, but I’ll sing a little bit.”

Annette cleared her throat, pretending to be unaware of Thomas’s feelings. Then Thomas, with a flattering smile, bowed his head and leaned in a little to focus on her singing. After confirming this, Annette opened her mouth and began to sing a random song.

🎶The morning sun is golden.

The afternoon sun is white

The evening sun is red.

And when the moon rises, everything disappears🎶

It was just a random song, but its effect was clear. Thomas, who was leaning forward, fell asleep on the table and snored loudly. Annette, who confirmed this, quickly got up from her seat.

‘I don’t have much time. I have to quickly find the evidence that could prove Thomas is a traitor.’

As a regressor, Annette’s “special ability” was to put people to sleep. Fortunately, the ability was instantaneous, so most of the people fell asleep in 30 seconds. However, the only flaw in this was that it was difficult to estimate the duration of the ability.

If the opponent was as sleep-deprived as Raphael, the ability lasted for a longer duration. However, if she forced a sober person to sleep, the effect did not last for more than five minutes. Therefore, she had to move as fast as possible in situations like this.

Annette looked around the parlour and searched everything that stood out. But there was nothing on the shelves near the table or on the bookshelves. According to Railin’s report, Thomas didn’t get a house around here. Instead, Thomas shared a room and board in this large mining office building.

‘Then the only thing left to search is there.”

She approached the back door that she had noticed earlier. Perhaps inside this door was Thomas’s personal living space. But the door was tightly locked. Annette hurried back to Thomas and searched his arms carefully.

‘Key, key… I found it!’

She felt something similar to a key when she looked in the inner pocket of Thomas’s right vest. But Thomas fell asleep in a precarious position on the table. So she was unable to take out the key from his inner pocket. Annette grunted and then lifted Thomas by grabbing him by the shoulder. Fortunately, after much effort, she was able to take the key out of his vest pocket, but there was another problem.

“Ummm….”

Thomas, who frowned, showed signs of awakening. The sounds of his loud snoring had disappeared. Frustrated, Annette quickly sang and put him back to sleep. She was doubtful whether it will work again on the person she had already used it on. But fortunately, Thomas fell asleep again. As he started snoring again, Annette breathed a sigh of relief.

‘I almost got in trouble there.’

Her hands trembled as she felt the danger of this work. It was a very tense moment for Annette, who had always lived as a good child and like a flower in a greenhouse. But now there was no time to hesitate. Annette, grasping the warm key, hurriedly opened the door behind the parlour. Inside, there was a bedroom with a slightly stale smell.

‘Please, I hope I can find any evidence……!’

Annette went into Thomas’s bedroom, praying earnestly. She wanted to bring some gain to Raphael, who had entrusted her with this job. And at this opportunity, she also hoped that she could cut off her father’s paws extending toward Raphael.

Fortunately, her prayers were soon answered.

* * *

“Thank you very much for forgiving my rudeness, madam.”

Thomas, who got up after falling asleep, blushed deeply. Then his head turned red, making him look like a big boiled octopus. Annette politely took her gaze off his bald head and smiled generously.

“Oh, it was because you were tired. I know Mr. Bradley works very hard for the mining business.”

“I’m really grateful for your generosity. Well, I’ll think seriously about your request. So please give me a little time.”

Thomas lowered his voice and whispered, to which Annette nodded with a subtle glance. He still seemed to believe that Annette was a greedy woman who coveted her husband’s mine. She was sure he would tell her father about this and ask him what to do.

But it didn’t really matter. The evidence of Thomas’s embezzlement was hidden inside the large hem of Annette’s dress. Thomas would be done for as soon as she returned to Raphael with this. So he won’t have a chance to get a reply from Allamand. Annette smiled gracefully, suppressing her still pounding chest.

“Good-bye, then Mr. Bradley. It was really nice meeting you.”

“It was an honor for me too, madam. Then please be careful on your way home.”

Thomas didn’t realize that Annette was saying goodbye instead of ‘see you soon’. He thought she had said it wrong and just simply shrugged it off. 

And that was the last time ‘Thomas Bradley’ saw Annette.

---

Chapter-58

The light golden glossy dress sparkled just like the wings of a dragonfly under the autumn sun. Looking at the fabric alone, the overall ensemble did not seem much luxurious, but it did look a little excessive. However, the bodice and sleeves of the dress were made of a dark red velvet fabric, giving it a heavy sense of frivolity. The dark red velvet gloves, which were made of the same material, were pulled up to the elbows. Somehow it looked bewitching. 

Raphael thought that Annette today looked just like a ripe cranberry in autumn. His mouth watered when he imagined the sour and ripe taste. At this point, all the thoughts about his mine vanished from his mind. He only wanted to pull down Annette’s dress, which sparkled like a high-end gift wrapper. He felt like he was going crazy. 

Completely ignorant of the raging thoughts in Raphael’s head, Annette looked out of the carriage with a nervous look. The destination was getting closer. She opened her mouth as if she had suddenly remembered something and held both her hands anxiously.

“Thank you for letting me see your mine manager, Raphael…. The fact that you trust me enough to let me handle this work… I really appreciate it. I truly mean it.”

“You’re welcome.”

Raphael felt guilty. There was a pin prick feeling in his chest. In fact, he was really sorry for not trusting Annette sooner. But Annette still thanked him and treated him well without any resentment.

As a result, Raphael felt uncomfortable and his expression hardened. He wanted to treat Annette better, but he didn’t know what to do, as he had never been good to any woman in his life. In the midst of this, the carriage continued to move and finally stopped in front of Raphael’s mining office. 

“Oh, we arrived earlier than I thought.”

Annette pressed her palms over her pounding heart. Annette had always led a passive life, like a flower in the greenhouse. Who would have thought that she was now going to cheat others to protect someone!

‘My heart is pounding.’

Annette took a deep breath. If she said she wasn’t scared, it would be a flat-out lie. But now, she had no choice but to trust herself and move forward. After taking Raphael’s hand, she got off the carriage and said goodbye to him. Annette’s voice was just as sweet as honey. She was really grateful that Raphael accompanied her to the destination.

“I’ll be right back, Raphael. Please wish me luck.

Raphael nodded. To avoid the possibility of getting caught, Raphael decided to go home and wait. But he kept on looking at her as if he had something to say. Raphael’s blue eyes darkened a little and his mouth moved. The words, which took a long time to come out, clumsily flowed out of his mouth. 

“Have a safe trip.”

“Yes.”

Annette smiled brightly with her eyes curled like half moons. She turned around and stepped forward to enter the mining office. But Raphael didn’t let go of her hand. As he grasped her small hands in his large ones, an unknown lingering feeling arose inside him. 

“Raphael…?

Annette looked back at him with her head slightly tilted. However, Raphael just blinked and looked at her dumbly. It seemed he didn’t realise that he was holding Annette’s hand. When Annette’s gaze moved down to their intertwined hands, Raphael got surprised and quickly let go.

“Well, good-bye.”

Raphael spat out the words and quickly turned away. His sudden actions seemed as if he disliked Annette. It looked even more so because of his cold-looking features and stubborn eyebrows. However, Annette had already experienced this Raphael in her previous life. If he really didn’t like her, he wouldn’t have held her hand or said goodbye.

‘Most of all, he wouldn’t have trusted me and let me handle this job.’

Annette was most pleased about that. The iron ore mine was now Raphael’s biggest asset. And the person aiming for it was none other than her own father, Allamand. In this situation, it was obvious how difficult it must have been for Raphael to leave this job to her. And that sceptical Raphael, who didn’t trust anyone, believed in her….

The more she thought about it, the more she felt like crying, so she decided to focus on what she should do now. She hurried her steps into the office without looking back. Now, she only wanted to focus on what was ahead. So Annette didn’t see with what kind of expression Raphael, who was left behind, was looking at her.

“Oh, ma’am! You came as promised. It is such an honor to have you here! It makes me feel like this dark mine has brightened up!! My name is Thomas Bradley. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

The middle-aged man, who ran out to the entrance, bent down in an excessively flattering manner. Annette grinned and looked up and down at him. His head was shiny as he didn’t have a lot of hair, but his beard was as thick and dark as a young man, which was really impressive. The hair roots were concentrated down his face. But it would have been much better if the condition of the top and bottom of his face was reversed. How unfortunate!

Annette knew his face. Of course, she had seen some things about him in Railin’s report, but Annette had known Thomas before that. There was no way she wouldn’t remember such a man with such a sad hairline.

‘Yes, he’s one of my father’s servants. I remember seeing him go in and out of the mansion before.”

It was fortunate that Allamand had underestimated his daughter. He didn’t tell Annette publicly about his “business,” but he also didn’t hide it. It was because he didn’t feel the need to do so in the first place. Allamand only thought of the obedient Annette as his possession. Thanks to him, Annette knew more than he thought.

‘Thomas Bradley? It’s probably not his real name.’

Annette blinked and looked at Thomas. She wondered if he would recognize her as Allamand’s daughter. But Thomas was also not an easy opponent. She couldn’t read anything from his grinning face. So Annette smiled brightly and said hello.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Bradley. I heard you’re quite good at your job. I’m glad to have an informative conversation today with you about the direction of the mine’s business. Now that I’ve seen you in person, you’re so manly and wonderful!”

Annette’s attitude for dealing with employees was too friendly. She looked at Thomas as if she was seeing her first love in ten years. Thomas felt a little embarrassed, but he soon recovered his composure and answered back.

“Of course! I must do well for the Marquis, who entrusted me with this mine. It’s an honor to know that my hard work is appreciated.”

Thomas was not an easy man either. He was the man that Raphael had hired to manage the mine shortly after he received it. It will not be an exaggeration to say that Raphael’s iron ore mine was now in Thomas’s hands.

Raphael was a man who had won the title of a nobleman on his own, but the problems in this situation only came forward afterwards. Becoming an aristocrat was much more difficult than he thought. Especially as he was an emerging aristocrat who had just created a new family name. 

Raphael had to make a lot of decisions as a new aristocrat—where his mansion would be built, how large it should be, how many employees should be hired, how the land would be managed, how the tax rate would be applied, and etc. On top of that,  he also had to manage the mines that he had received. It was literally impossible to manage all this alone. Raphael, who had only wielded the sword throughout his life, could not manage the matters regarding the daily mining volume of the mine, the supplier, and the profitability of the business.

So Raphael decided to hire a manager to take care of the diamond mine and iron ore mine he received. And the problem started from there.

‘Since then, my father has already planted his people.’

Annette, who pretended to know nothing in front of Thomas, smiled at him. At that time, diamonds were far more precious than iron ore. So, Raphael only focused on the diamond mine. Because of this, the manager of the iron ore mine was selected ‘appropriately’. Thomas, who was so chosen, was none other than Allamand’s servant.

“Come on, let’s go inside! I’ve prepared a very nice tea for today’s special conversation. We also have various kinds of scones that are good to eat with it! I really hope you have a fun time today.”

“Oh, how kind of you! Then I’ll gratefully accept the invitation. Shall we go?”

Annette grinned as she looked at Thomas’ bald head gleaming in the sun. Perhaps because of the glare from the reflective surface, the corners of her eyes curved more naturally. Thomas, who didn’t know anything, relaxed at seeing Annette’s amiable expression.

Annette followed him into his private parlour. The office attached with a reception room was quite spacious and tidy. From its decor, Thomas looked like an upright person. However, Annette looked carefully around the room and found a door in the back of the parlour. Her eyes glistened on seeing it.

‘If I want to hide something, I would definitely hide it there.’

Annette, who pretended to be innocent, chatted with Thomas in a consistent friendly manner. Seeing her subtle and outspoken demeanor, Thomas almost asked her ‘Are you interested in me?’ After exchanging some chatter with each other, Thomas finally got to the main topic.

“By the way, ma’am, why do you have questions about the mining business? I apologize if this question is rude. But most people like you, are generally not interested in mines like this…….”

Finally, the question that Annette had been waiting for came up. The important thing began from now on. Annette, who shrugged her shoulders, leaned back on the sofa and made an unusually arrogant face. The corners of her eyes curled a little, giving a crafty look to Thomas.

“Oh, no I’m actually very interested. Especially when it comes to his mines.”

Annette, who lowered her voice, whispered greedily. Just like a woman who coveted her husband’s mines.

Chapter 57

“Today’s afternoon is very bright for distinguished guests, my dear customer,” Railin smiled and kissed the back of Annette’s hand. Fortunately, today he was wearing a normal gentleman’s clothes. 

The black stripe suit fitted well with his tall and slim body and made him look more sophisticated and beautiful. Particularly the crimson red vest and the black silk hat adorned with colorful peacock feathers were truly unique. But Annette still couldn’t forget the shocking appearance of Railin that she saw last time.

“Mister Railin, did you return the maid’s clothes that you took from our mansion last time?”

Annette asked gracefully. An ‘oops!’  expression came on Railin’s charming face and then soon disappeared. Having a whimsical cat-like demeanor, he paid little attention to trivial matters. Of course, the maid’s uniform was included in that list. Annette, who saw this, narrowed her eyes and said.

“If it’s okay, I would like you to return it to the original owner. The number of uniforms given to each maid is fixed.”

By now, some poor maid working for the Marquis of Carnesis must be losing her mind over her lost uniform. Since two maid’s uniforms were provided to each person, she must be now embarrassed because she didn’t know where her clothes had disappeared. Listening to Annette, Railin bowed down elegantly and kissed the back of her hand again.

“Okay, whatever you want.”

“That’s very kind of you.”

With a friendly but determined smile, Annette pulled out her hand from Railin’s grasp. She hadn’t come here to talk about the maid’s outfits with him today. Annette took a book related to the temple in her arms and opened a page.

“According to my research, the temple has a system called ‘God’s Servant.’ They collect orphans and poor people and use them as servants to manage the temple. Unlike the priests, they’re just slaves, so they have no identities or any records. Of course, a place as big as Goddess Odessa’s temple would be a little more difficult to manage, but maybe I could……….”

“Aha! You’re trying to infiltrate the temple as a servant. And are you thinking of meeting Lady Celestine, who comes to pray there? Well, since they poorly investigate the personal details of these people, you can enter the temple as a maidservant without being noticed.”

Railin, holding his chin smiled and said. As expected, he correctly deduced what she was thinking. Annette nodded and admitted,

“That’s right. Honestly, I don’t know if I can be a good servant, but… I think this is the best way to do it right now. Do you have any other opinions?”

Annette, who was brought up in riches, was far from a maidservant. Of course, she would do her best, but frankly speaking, she wasn’t very confident. But there was no other way to infiltrate the temple. Even after searching throughout the book, using the system of ‘God’s Servant’ was the easiest way for her to infiltrate. 

Of course, meeting Celestine was another hurdle. Even if she infiltrated the temple, it would be difficult to approach Celestine. There was no way that a servant would be allowed to approach a person like her, who was about to become the Crown Princess. However, Annette had also thought about that.

“…Just help me infiltrate the temple for now. After that, I’ll take care of everything by myself.”

Annette bit her lips and said. It was not easy to sneak into a temple that was visited by the future princess. But the ‘Secret’ guild run by Railin would certainly find a way to infiltrate.

Instead of answering her request immediately, Railin stared at Annette without saying a word. He looked as if he was calculating the benefits of his involvement in this work and the risks he would face if Annette failed. As Railin’s silence grew, Annette asked anxiously.

“Is there something wrong with my plan? Or perhaps… is it impossible for you to infiltrate the temple?”

“Impossible? Nothing is impossible for me.”

Annette’s question seemed to have hurt his pride. Railin smiled brightly like a poisonous flower. It was a secret, but he was one of the few remaining wizards in the world. It’s just that no one knew what Railin was because he had hidden his identity using the cover of the information guild.

In the first place, there was no information that couldn’t fall into Railin’s grasp. He was the master of the Secret Guild, which was the largest underground information guild in Deltium. However, Railin didn’t detect the secret that Annette was keeping. The secret that she is a regressor. Railin, who had no idea of Annette’s secret, shrugged his shoulders.

“Okay, I think I can help you sneak into the temple. But after that, as you said, you’re on your own. We won’t take responsibility for what happens later.”

Fortunately, Railin agreed to help. Annette tried to suppress her joy and thanked him with a bright smile.

“Thank you very much, Mister Railin. As expected, there’s nothing you can’t do. You’re very competent.”

“Of course. But if there’s one thing I want to point out…….”

With a strange look, Railin reached for Annette like a cat. The man’s delicate white hands glided along the contours of Annette’s face. When his hands hovered around her as if they were going to touch her bare skin, her breathing accelerated, making the hair stand up on the back of her neck.

“Mister Railin?”

Annette called his name out as she tried to get away from his fingertips. But at that moment, Railin gently grabbed her chin. The unfamiliar fingers touching her face were cold, and there was a dreamy scent coming from them. As soon as he saw Annette’s eyes widen in surprise, Railin smiled brightly. He then took his hands off her face and said in a strange tone, as if he had done nothing wrong.

“To be honest with you, the idea of infiltrating as a maidservant is too reckless. Your face is too noticeable to do that. Even if you wear rags, it’ll be too difficult to hide your natural elegance. With such a face, no one would believe that you’re an orphan or a slave girl. So you will be caught at once.”

“Oh, is that so?…. So then what should we do?”

Annette was relieved that the air around them had returned to normal. He must have put his hand on her face to look closely. Railin’s appearance was so gorgeous and beautiful that it tended to mess with people’s eyes. So even though his actions didn’t mean much, it made people nervous just like now. Railin laughed a little when he saw the tip of Annette’s ear turn slightly red.

“Well, I’ll do something about it. I’ll contact you on a suitable day to infiltrate the temple. I heard that the Odessa Louis’ temple is having a harvest ritual for autumn soon. As far as I know, the priests would wear ceremonial masks in the rituals. Why don’t we go for that?”

“The mask, that’s great! It will definitely work. If we go on normal days, we will have to reveal our faces, so the chances of us getting caught will also be high but… if we go during the festive period, the mask will help us to hide. And there will be a lot of people looking for the temple, so sneaking into it will be much easier.”

Annette’s face brightened. It was much better to disguise yourself as one of the masked priests than to act as a maidservant. Since she could now cover her face while doing something bad, it felt a lot less burdensome psychologically. Railin, who was watching Annette’s face brighten up, said slowly.

“I’m glad you like my opinion. Do you have any more issues you’d like to discuss?”

Railin expected that Annette would tell him that she would leave her husband and wanted to be smuggled out. Once she left Deltium, he had planned to sneak into her new life. Annette, who was just asked this question, was lost in thought. Her red lips moved enchantingly.

“I still have one thing I want to find out.”

“What is that, my dear customer?”

Railin tilted his head and looked at her in anticipation. Annette’s neatly combed blond hair, white round forehead, and elegant nose were really pleasing to the eye. But the question from Annette was completely unexpected. 

“Can I find out how we can take someone else’s ownership of the mine? Please don’t leave out any information if possible.”

“Mine’s ownership…..is that what you want?”

“Yes, please find out all the legal and illegal ways.”

Annette was lost in thought and did not notice Railin’s weak tone. She hadn’t just taken bridal lessons before marriage. Allamand wanted to make her a perfect princess and gave his daughter an excessive higher education. Thanks to him, Annette knew more than what her father expected. Especially about how he gets what he wants.

However, Annette did not know the law regarding the ownership of the mine, so she needed some help from Railin. Surely it was quite difficult to contact Railin, but whenever she successfully did, she was always satisfied. The ‘Secret’ Guild was Deltium’s top information guild that provided thorough services when paid. And Annette had enough money to commission them. So eventually a good synergy was formed between both of them in this deal.

“As you wish.”

Railin, who let out a faint sigh, smiled and accepted her request. The lady sitting in front of him had an innocent and graceful face that could not kill a single worm. But every step she made was really extraordinary and exciting.

‘I wish you would take your husband’s mine.’

Well, he didn’t think that would happen. Railin, who had a rough grip on Annette’s personal affairs, clicked his tongue in annoyance. Until she came to visit him, she had a pretty bad relationship with her husband. However, the relationship seemed to be improving these days. He had heard two reports of Annette accompanying her husband at a recent ball. It was a real shame. But ···

“Then I look forward to your kind cooperation. Mister Railin, thank you so much for your help.”

Annette’s smiling face, as she stood up from her seat, shined like the sun. Her heartfelt words of gratitude wrapped in his ears and sounded as sweet as honey. Her honest eyes showed no greed or trickery. That’s why Railin liked her.

Laughing helplessly, Railin said goodbye and kissed the back of her hand. The red lips, which concealed their greed, fell covetously on the back of her white hands.

“I look forward to seeing you again, my special customer.”

Chapter-56

It was late afternoon when Annette woke up again. The muscular man’s forearms, which were hugging her body, were pretty heavy. Annette, realizing that she had slept until the afternoon, blinked her eyes. 

Suddenly her vision turned black and she wondered if there was a dark black hair-like curtain of darkness covering her eyes. She felt two warm lips touch her eyes.

“Wake up. Aren’t you hungry?”

The voice of the man, who lay next to her languidly, was very low and sexy. Raphael, who spoke more affectionately than usual, pressed his lips down on her temple. The soft texture of his lips completely woke Annette up. As she propped herself up, the things that happened in the morning came to her mind.

‘Oh, right! We fell asleep together last night and then in the morning…’

Annette remembered that she had fallen asleep on the way back in the carriage right after the ball. But since she was sleeping by leaning against Raphael’s body, she didn’t know that Raphael had later picked her up and moved her to her bedroom. In the morning, because of this, she reflexively burrowed herself into Raphael’s arms, wanting to look for warmth from his body. Recalling the events that happened in the morning, Annette bowed her head and blushed. Raphael, lying next to her, got up from the bed and examined her complexion.

“What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”

Raphael looked around at Annette’s face, wondering if he had hugged her too roughly. Annette did not refuse his touch but looked up at him quietly. The man who had quenched his greed was now quite generous towards his woman.

Annette was not very pleased with the whimsical actions of Raphael, who was again being nice to her. She thought it would be better to have a physical relationship with him. But that way, she would not be able to leave and would never be happy. Annette closed her eyes as Raphael gently swept back her hair.

Annette knew that even if she left him and found new happiness, there would be days when she would miss this hand. There would be nights when she would think of his warmth and feel lonely. To get rid of this feeling, Annette asked Raphael.

“I have a question for you. Can I ask you?”

As expected, his hands caressing her forehead, stopped. She would have rather appreciated it if Raphael had pushed her away again. Annette blinked, expecting him to turn her down. However, Raphael frowned and answered with a grimace.

“… You can ask me anything.”

It meant that it was up to him to answer. ‘Are you saying that I can ask any question I want?’ Annette opened her mouth with her cheek resting on his big palm.

“I heard that the demand for iron ore has skyrocketed these days. And because of that your iron ore mine has soared in value. What do you think? Are you making good profits there?”

“Why? Are you interested in my mine too?”

Instead of answering, Raphael raised one eyebrow and asked. Annette was worried that he might misunderstand that she was coveting his mine. Annette’s tone of voice rose as she quickly added her explanation.

“No, Raphael. It’s not like that. It’s a huge industrial change, isn’t it? So, I just had a few questions….…”

“I was just kidding. You don’t have to be so flustered.”

Raphael, with the corners of his mouth raised, grabbed her blond hair and gently twisted it between his fingers. Surely if it had been in the past, he would have sarcastically accused Annette for setting her eyes on his mine. But now that he had witnessed the scene of Annette fighting with her father last time, he knew she didn’t want his mine.

‘I already know what my father wants. Whatever it is, don’t even think about taking anything from Raphael. He’ll never give it to you.’

At that time, Annette fought against her father while trembling with a pale face. It was too much to suspect Annette after seeing it. Raphael finally admitted to himself; he had already started believing in her. He gently told Annette what she was curious about.

“That’s right. The profits have increased a lot. There were a lot of people who wanted to buy my iron ore mine. After all, it’s the largest mine in the Deltium.”

“I see. Um… You know, Raphael…. Maybe your mine has something besides financial benefits….. Are there any influential elements that could be used in politics or diplomacy?”

Raphael said nothing for a moment. Instead, he stretched out his arms and hugged Annette from behind. Then he started licking her neck gently. There were traces of Raphael’s bites on her white nape. It was unfortunate that her slender neck was marred by his bite marks, but on the other hand, seeing his traces on her aroused dark sadistic feelings inside him. Raphael, who licked the marks to soothe her, opened his mouth.

“Yes, it can be used to exert diplomatic influence on some countries. It’s a good thing that industrial efficiency has increased with the supply of iron to the common people, but not all countries can mine iron ore. So, I am also selling a significant amount of iron ore overseas.”

“Ah, then, if someone buys your iron ore mine…. they can mix a little into diplomacy and trade with certain countries.”

Understanding Raphael’s words, Annette lowered her eyes. Of course, her father, Allamand, was not after the iron ore mine simply because of the financial gain. After all, the Bavarian family was one of the richest families in Deltium. What Allamand coveted was not the iron ore mine, but the influence he can exert over other countries through it.

Seeing Annette deep in thought,  Raphael hugged her and pulled her closer to him. The delicate Annette fit right into his arms. As Raphael looked down at her, her round head and slender neck along with her small ears that were slightly peeking out of her long blond hairs, all seemed very pretty. He had a rough idea why she was asking about his mine.

‘In fact, I, myself didn’t expect this mine to be this profitable.’

Raphael was really lucky. His biological father, King Selgratis, gave Raphael a diamond mine and an iron ore mine in return for his major contributions to the war. At that time, iron was too difficult to smelt and so was quite expensive. Since it was difficult to procure, its use was also limited. Therefore, the iron ore mine that Raphael received did not receive much attention. But who knew that the tides of the time would turn like this in a few years?

‘It was probably given to me because he didn’t think something like this would happen.’

Raphael thought cynically. His biological father, King Selgratis, apparently seemed to care a lot about Raphael. But the things he would give him were like placing silver alms in the hands of a beggar. Raphael wondered if he was mistaken because of his own feelings or it was actually what the king intended.

“Raphael.”

Just then, Annette, who was still in Raphael’s arms like a doll, turned her head and called him. He looked so serious as if he had finished thinking about something. Annette reached out and grasped Raphael’s hand and then sighed.

“I know. My father…. He is coveting your mine. And because of me, you’re being put into undue pressure.”

After finishing speaking, Annette dropped her head as if she was ashamed. Raphael watched her little fingers clutching the sheets painfully. When he saw this pitiful sight, generous words flowed out of his mouth.

“It’s okay. It’s really nothing before what my uncle did to you. Well father-in-law really needs to do better. As the proud blue-blooded Bavarian, he is currently second in this race.”

Annette grinned at Raphael’s unexpected joke. For the first time, she realised that Raphael too had similar concerns as her. Just as she was worried about her father, Raphael also seemed to have some problems with his mother’s family. Perhaps that was why he could sympathize with her.

She never thought that she would be able to build a connection with Raphael in her life. It was an experience that she never had in her previous life. Was this life changing little by little because of her efforts? Annette, who was fiddling with Raphael’s hand, said in a determined voice.

“Raphael, I’ll protect your mine. No one can take away what’s yours. Even if it’s my father.”

Raphael’s blue eyes widened when he heard those words. Raphael, who was looking at Annette without saying anything, soon laughed out aloud. His sharp eyes curled into two small crescent moons, and his red lips, which only spoke bad words, were now pulled into a bright smile. Raphael replied, looking at Annette with blue eyes filled with amusement.

“That’s quite reassuring. Thanks to you, I feel very secure.”

Annette warmed up to his positive response. She was determined to protect his mine before leaving him. His naked chest, his arms hugging her, his cheeks and lips pressed against her body all felt pleasantly warm. It was a pity that she would have to leave her handsome husband, but it was a better choice for both of them.

Raphael only wanted a formal relationship and didn’t want to involve any personal feelings. But Annette didn’t want to live like that. Since this was her second life, she wanted to love and cherish someone and have a meaningful relationship with him. If Raphael refused, Annette had no choice but to leave him.

But before that, she wanted to solve his mine problem.

Annette’s little pink lips paled a little. To be honest, it was scary and hopeless to fight against Allamand. However, she really wanted to protect Raphael. It was her way of repaying him for the kindness he showed to her when she was sick in her previous life. Also in the first place, it was her own family who was behind it.

Fortunately, while Annette acted out the role of a good daughter, there were some things she saw and heard from the shadows. She knew what Allamand did to get what he wanted.

Now, it was time to stop being a good daughter.

Chapter-55

Raphael knew he had done ten times more wrong than what he had done right. The side profile of Annette’s face, which he looked at while contemplating, was absolutely beautiful. A round forehead with a soft nose, long eyelashes, and red lips. People just couldn’t help but keep on looking at her.

Raphael felt a sense of crisis. If he now hesitated and didn’t say what he had to say in time, or again lost his temper at her, Annette might leave him forever. And surely, she would forget about a bad guy like him and meet someone else. With whom, she would then eat and live well. After a brief period of silence, Raphael finally called out her name.

“Annette, I…….”

Just then, Annette’s head drooped and leaned on his chest. Even though she was sitting on a man’s lap, she was too defenseless. Frustrated by this, Raphael didn’t say what he was trying to say and looked down at her. Her pale eyelids were completely closed, and slow rhythmic breaths escaped out of her lips.

“…you, are you sleeping?”

Of course, no answer came back from the sleeping Annette. She seemed to have fallen asleep while Raphael was thinking about the right time to apologize to her. Well, come to think of it, Annette usually fell asleep as soon as her head touched a soft surface. 

“Ha.”

A peal of desolate laughter flowed out of Raphael’s lips. Completely ignorant of his anguish, Annette leaned on his chest and slept like a baby. With his head tilted back, Raphael sighed and hugged Annette’s body more tightly. He wanted to protect the dream of this naive sleeping woman, who left her body defenseless before a terrible beast.

* * *

The morning sunlight tapped on her thin eyelids, disturbing her sleep. Annette instinctively turned her head from the window and burrowed herself into a pair of warm arms. A body, large enough to cover her up, pulled her closer and hugged her tightly. She felt a little stuffy as her breasts were pressed against the hot and hard body.

“Uh….”

When Annette groaned sleepily, the arms loosened a little bit. ‘Yeah, this is much better.’ The forearm, which was wrapped around her body, was a little heavy as if it would never let her go. But strangely she didn’t dislike the feeling.

A little awake, Annette rubbed her cheek against the firm, smooth skin in front of her. The pulsating heartbeats and the warmth radiating from the body felt pleasant. She unknowingly stuck a little closer to the skin and put her body in close contact with it. Then a terrible low groan rang over her head.

“Annette…. if you stick to me like that, damn it.”

The skin against which she was rubbing her cheeks became a little hotter. It was like a hearth that radiated heat the more you touched it. The sound of the heartbeats also became loud, making her ears ring. At the loud noise, Annette eventually lifted her heavy eyelids.

When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a hard muscular chest. Annette’s half-asleep eyes found wide shoulders, a sensual neck, and a beautiful face along with the manly muscles. It was a beautiful and cold face, just like a sculpture, and the blue eyes in it were intensely looking down at her as if they would erupt in flames. 

“… Raphael?”

Annette generally was a bit weak-minded in the morning. After waking up her muddled head, she managed to figure out who the good-looking person lying in front of her was. When his name was called, Raphael licked his lips and smiled sensually. His deep blue eyes held a dangerous glint, which unknowingly mesmerized Annette.

“It’s good that you’re up. Then I don’t have to put up with it anymore.”

As soon as Raphael’s words fell, Annette’s vision suddenly flipped over and she found herself facing the ceiling. Raphael parted her legs, grabbed her ass, and buried his face down there like a hungry beast. Before Annette could react, his lips covered her core and sucked her sensitive folds.

“Oh, hmm!”

The hot tongue licked the sensitive clitoris and poked around her core. In response, Annette’s waist flinched and bounced upward. Her legs flailed about, unable to stay still due to his relentless attack. Annoyed with this, Raphael grabbed her thighs and pressed them on the sheet. He kept on licking the place as if honey was flowing between Annette’s legs. His hot lips covered her clitoris and sucked vigorously, making her eyes flash and legs tremble. 

“Huh, Raphael! That’s weird..No….I don’t want to.”

Tears fell from Annette’s wide-open eyes. He licked her legs so tenaciously that she was afraid that her legs would melt away. Suddenly his long thick fingers slowly poked through the narrow opening and rubbed her insides. Whenever the thick fingers went in and out of the little hole, a tantalizing pleasure spread throughout her body. As the speed of his fingers gradually increased, her vision started to blur and she could hear the loud squelching sounds coming from down there. 

“Oh, heung.. aak.. heung.. ah, ah!”

Annette reached her peak with her head down. Raphael, after getting up, licked and bit her neck violently and groaned. The beast-like voice was intimidating but also deeply aroused Annette’s desires.

“I just used my fingers to enter you. Did it feel that good? You’re dripping wet.”

His penis, which had erected all of a sudden, rubbed over her pussy. It looked terribly intimidating as if it wanted to be put inside right away. However, the inner walls of her vagina, which remembered the taste of the man, were tingling and contracting in anticipation. At that moment, Raphael, who was teasingly licking Annette’s ears, whispered.

“Don’t tell me, are you clenching your insides? Do you want me to put it in so badly?”

Annette’s eyes turned red with shame. Seeing her bite her lips and look at him with wet eyes, Raphael stopped moving as if he was frozen. Just as Annette was wondering about his strange behavior, her body was suddenly dragged down and a large penis squeezed into her.

“Oh, so suddenly….…!”

“I can’t stand it, damn it. If it hurts, just hit me.”

Raphael grabbed Annette’s hand and placed it on his cheek. He then frowned and let out an impatient groan. The taste of the hot and moist inner walls almost drove him crazy. As he slowly moved a couple of times, the flesh that clung to him every time he took out his penis, felt really good. Unable to hold back anymore, he continued to ram into her ferociously.

“You’re so tight, Annette. You’re clenching onto me so tightly.”

“Ah ah Raphael ah!”

As he spread her ass wide, Raphael landed soft blows on it, enough to leave his handprints. He was so deep inside her that she almost felt suffocated. His large, hot penis filled her narrow walls and rubbed all the places where it felt good. Regardless of her will, her eyes filled with tears as her body was gripped by the terrible pleasure. Annette cried and begged Raphael because she could almost feel her brain melt due to the heat. 

“You’re too fierce. Slow down a little, ah, a little slowly…….”

“How should I slow down now when you’re sticking to me like this? Is that truly what you want?

Raphael sneered and again flipped her body over. His big hands raised her knees and made her pose like a bitch. Raphael began to thrust from behind in that posture. His penis roughly poked her insides with a new-found ferocity. In the new posture, he rammed deeper into her, hitting all her sensitive spots. Annette screamed as the bitter-sweet sensation of pain and pleasure rushed through her body.

“Ah, ngh! Uh, this posture…no! Oh!!”

The rutting dog-like posture stimulated Annette’s shame. Whenever she was stabbed by the large penis from the back, Annette felt numb with pleasure. Annette’s legs, which had been overworked since morning, eventually slipped onto the sheets. Raphael reached out and cruelly rammed into her, lifting only her hips.

“Don’t you like it? You’re so tight, sucking me in like this… Ohh, it’s so hot and tight that it’s such a mess inside.”

Raphael pushed his penis all the way in and then slowly pulled it out. The feeling of his thick glans moving in and out of her while rubbing her insides felt too vivid. Just as he said, she could feel her warm insides suck his penis in. Feeling ashamed by this, Annette cried and tried to crawl away from his grasp. 

But Raphael was not the type to let the prey he was eating run away. He pulled Annette’s arms back and plunged deeper into her hot insides. The obsession that he felt as he grasped her thin wrist was chilling but also increased his sexual appetite. The penis, moving in and out of her, brutally poked at her sensitive spots.

“Ah, yes, ha, ang! Huh!”

As the hot sparks of passion burst in every inch of her body, she clenched the sheets in desperation. Although she was begging him to stop, her body shuddered with delight instead. Annette eventually reached her climax. Tremors shook her body as she let herself go. But Raphael kept on thrusting harder and harder, cutting through the convulsing walls. Hot, white flashes of passion blinded her as she was again stimulated during her peak. The pleasure of being strongly stimulated in the sensitive places almost felt like violence.

“No, now, aang! No, no, stop! Please… Ahh!!”

Annette kept on crying as the familiar tingling sensation built up inside her once again. Hearing her cries, Raphael leaned down to lick her neck and bit her hard. Surprised, Annette reflexively tightened, making Raphael thrust even harder. It was so intense that she almost felt that the thickness and shape of his penis were going to be etched into her inner walls.

“I told you not to tighten up, Annette. Do you want me to mess you up more?”

“Now, ah! St ..ah stop……ngh!”

She was afraid if they did it again, she wouldn’t be able to close her legs. As he hugged Annette’s weeping body, Raphael buried his raging desire deep inside her. The penis, buried in her tight walls, wriggled and spilled out hot fluids. That was the last feeling Annette felt before she lost her consciousness.

Chapter-54

‘We came separately, but now we are going back together.’ 

There was a rather awkward silence in the carriage. Generally at times like this, it was Annette who filled the silence with her soft voice. Raphael looked sideways and found her sitting beside him with her eyelashes lowered, completely lost in thought. Eventually, Raphael couldn’t take it anymore and opened his mouth first by coughing. 

“Your Royal Highness seemed to be fine. He looked so perfectly fine that I wondered whether he faked his illness.”

Raphael sneakily brought up Ludwig’s fake illness. Ludwig, who had been lying on the floor acting as if he was dying, jumped up as soon as Annette left. Raphael was dumbfounded when he saw it. Thanks to that, the ruckus around the prince’s seizure ended safely, but Ludwig was indeed shameless to the end. He was really a little fox, if not so, then how could a person change their words so quickly.

Raphael learned a lesson from today’s event. He finally understood that Harold’s words, ‘Pretend to be pitiful’ somewhat referred to Ludwig’s behavior. His shamelessness was really at an incomparable level. He didn’t even feel a little bit embarrassed before Annette. This gave Raphael a great enlightenment.

“Anyway don’t worry about the prince. As far as I’ve observed, he’ll eat and live well until his senility.”

In Raphael’s eyes, he was not a man but a little fox monster*. He said brusquely, trying not to tremble. Annette, who was pulled out of her thoughts, blinked hearing Raphael’s strong intonation. Ludwig had long disappeared from Annette’s head and now another man was plaguing her mind. 

*[The words fox and monster are actually metaphors for a scary cunning person. Ludwig left quite an impact on Raphael, lol.]

“Oh, Raphael, I met your benefactor. He’s Count Harold Evans, right?”

“Did you meet that old man? When?”

Raphael furrowed his eyebrows. Harold’s words came to his mind, that he would expose his shameful history to his wife as a retaliation for forcing him to attend the party. Sure enough, Annette looked at him and smiled softly.

“As soon as I arrived at the party, I was lucky to meet him right away. He seems to know you very well.”

“Did he say anything stupid to you? Like what I was like when I was a kid?”

“Well, I don’t know.”

Annette smiled ambiguously and kept her words short. She couldn’t tell Raphael all the bad things that Harold had told her about him. The benefactor whom he valued him so much badmouthed him behind his back. So in Annette’s eyes, Raphael, who knew nothing about this, was really pitiful. 

“Don’t believe anything what the old man said. He exaggerates everything.”

Raphael leaned back and spat out with an indifferent face. Listening to his words, Annette nodded her head silently. Because of this, silence fell in the carriage again. Raphael, who felt stuffy inside, eventually couldn’t overcome his temper. He grabbed Annette and placed her on his lap.

“What the hell are you thinking, Annette?”

Raphael growled, as he grabbed Annette’s head and turned her to face him. Alarmed by this sudden action, Annette looked down at him and responded softly.

“I wasn’t thinking about anything.”

“Lies! Don’t tell me you’re concerned about the crown prince. He’s a swindler.”

Raphael’s blue eyes flared up when he remembered Ludwig’s tricks earlier. Seeing that he was not likely to calm down easily, Annette sighed and leaned against his chest. This made Raphael immediately stop venting his anger. Annette said quietly in the meantime.

“Ludwig just needs some time. Time to admit that I’m not his anymore. I’m sorry for what happened at the party. Because of me, you got involved with him.”

After saying these words, Annette wriggled her body a little and took a comfortable position. As she leaned her head against the gap between Raphael’s firm shoulders and neck, she felt a strange sense of stability. ‘He’s a man whom I’ll leave one day, then why do I always feel like this when I’m with him?’ Annette turned her dull eyes to the side so that Raphael wouldn’t see it. 

“It’s okay. You’re my wife. It’s my duty to protect you from such strange people. So don’t say sorry for something like this.”

Raphael said flatly. He became anxious when he heard Annette’s overly polite tone. It seemed as if she was drawing a line between them. Raphael’s anxious arms hugged Annette’s body tightly from behind. His sturdy arms seemed as if he’ll never let her go away. This made Annette feel even more strange.

‘Why do you act like this when you don’t even like me?’

Annette did not want to be swayed by Raphael’s whimsical gentleness. What if she gets fooled by this warmth and gives her heart away, only to end up getting coldly rejected by him with words like ‘It’s none of my business’? Annette wanted to first make sure whether her predictions were correct or not. So she gently skimmed her fingers over Raphael’s tense forearm and asked quietly.

“Your uncle… will you tell me about him?”

At that moment, Raphael’s body stiffened. It was a familiar pattern. Annette thought he would soon pull himself off her and coldly push her aside. But Raphael unexpectedly let out a painful groan and pressed his forehead against her shoulder. His arms, holding Annette tightly, became more tense. Just as if he was embarrassed.

“I can’t tell you that.”

This was an unexpected reaction. Annette’s eyes moved a little. She knew nothing about Ivan, the coachman who ruined her future. It was because he was an employee who entered the duchy with a forged identity. All the employees of the Duke of Bavaria were thoroughly investigated, so she was puzzled about how Ivan passed it.

‘No, I should call him Ben, not Ivan anymore.’

Raphael sighed and rubbed his forehead against the nape of her neck. The hot breath that leaked through his lips tickled the nape of her neck, making goosebumps erupt on her skin. As if enjoying this, Raphael pressed his lips on her neck and soon opened his mouth.

“To be honest, I don’t know him very well either. All I saw as a child is all I know about him. He loved gambling, and almost lived in gambling houses. And he used to steal from my child support and wasted it all on gambling. At that time, it was Harold who looked after me and was responsible for delivering my child support.… It was him who realized that I was good at swordsmanship. So he reported it to his Majesty and helped me to reach out to my father.”

Listening to him speak about his dark past, Annette turned her head and looked at him. Raphael, feeling ashamed, reached out and covered her eyes. When Annette blinked, her long eyelashes tickled his palms. Raphael lightly bit her pale white cheeks and murmured.

“Don’t look at me with those eyes. I keep forgetting what I was going to say.”

At that, Annette slowly closed her eyes. She still wanted to hear more of Raphael’s past. Raphael looked at Annette’s slender chin and petal-like lips under his palm. Seeing Annette sitting so defenselessly before him, it seemed as if she was urging the sleeping beast inside him to wake up. Raphael managed to suppress this feeling and continued to speak.

“That’s how I was brought to the palace. Perhaps much sooner than what was expected. But since no one knew how developed my talent was, it took a long time for me to be recognized as his son. Thanks to the rise of the old rebels in Letan, I was able to show my talent and was awarded with a title much earlier than I thought. And then I also got to marry you.”

After speaking, Raphael bowed his head and kissed Annette’s lips lightly. The sweet fragrance coming from her and the soft touch of her lips were incredible. It was understandable that Ludwig, who had let Annette slip through his hand, had now his eyes bloodshot* and was desperately pretending to shake** to get her back. 

[*It’s a phrase which means to get angry or enraged to such an extent that one’s eyes get bloodshot.]

[**This is referring to Ludwig’s fake seizures]

Ludwig had failed to welcome such a nice woman as his wife, making her fall into an abyss of despair by pushing her to marry him. Raphael’s heart became heavy when he recalled Annette’s poor situation. On one hand, the selfish beast deep in his heart opened its red mouth and laughed, saying that it was rather good that it happened. If it wasn’t for the cruel trick of fate, he wouldn’t have gotten the chance to be with her.

Raphael struggled to hide his terrible selfishness. He smoothened his voice and explained to Annette.

“And Ben….To be honest, I don’t know what happened to him. When I entered the palace, my relationship with him was already broken. We didn’t have a very close relationship, so I thought Ben was hiding from loan sharks because of his gambling debts, or was already dead. But I never thought he would become your coachman and do something so vile. I really never imagined it.”

Raphael, who finally finished speaking, took a deep breath. He didn’t disclose everything, but he had honestly spoken about Ben. Annette, whose life had been destroyed by him, at least had the right to know about him. Apparently even after hearing the whole story, she wasn’t upset, but rather, she answered back with a smile.

“Thank you. Although I know you didn’t tell me everything, you really did your best.. I actually thought… you wouldn’t tell me the whole story.”

Annette’s innocuous gratitude pierced Raphael’s conscience more than ever. Raphael, with his lips clamped together, turned his head to hide his slightly reddening temples. He fiddled with Annette’s long blond hair for a while and said nothing. At this moment, there was a fierce conflict raging inside Raphael.

‘Should I apologize to Annette now?’