Chapter 127

“Of course,” Rezette replied, a beat later. “Because I have to bring you back.”

“Where to?” Elise asked, her voice flat.

“To Rotiara,” Rezette replied. “Elise, are you truly unaware?”

“Why?” Elise demanded.

“What?”

“Why do I have to go back?” Rezette was taken aback. “The contract period is over. There’s nothing left between us. Rotiara isn’t my home.”

Rezette chuckled, disbelief evident in his tone. “Nothing left? Then what about the thing inside you? Is that unrelated to me?”

Elise bit her lip, feeling his intensity grow. So, he knew. The last shred of hope within her shattered. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Elise lied, averting his gaze. “There’s nothing inside me. I don’t even know why such a warrant was issued.”

A pang of guilt shot through Elise. She wasn’t trying to deny her child’s existence. She was trying to protect herself, and the child within her. She couldn’t allow her child to be taken.

I won’t let that happen, she vowed silently.

If this man had come in haste for the sake of his heir, a simple denial would suffice. She could dismiss it as a doctor’s misdiagnosis, a common occurrence. Or, if necessary, she could claim a miscarriage. Genovia, with her keen perception, would likely cooperate.

If she remained resolute in her denial, perhaps even Rezette would accept it. He was a rational man, after all. And maybe, just maybe, he would abandon her for good. She wished he would stick to his original intent–a child.

“Since I didn’t fulfill the contract, my fate was to face the executioner’s block in Opel. That’s why I fled. As you yourself said, I could escape if I could manage it. And that’s exactly what I did. So, is there anything else to discuss?”

Rezette’s expression twisted into a complex mix of emotions. “So, it’s all a delusion, and there’s nothing inside you?”

“Yes, it’s a misunderstanding,” she insisted.

“Can you truly stand by that claim?” he asked.

Without waiting for her response, he released her wrists and pushed her onto the bed. Dazed and disoriented, Elise lifted her eyes to find his imposing shadow looming over her.

Rezette’s broad shoulders blocked the flickering candlelight, casting the room into shadow, leaving only his piercing blue gaze illuminated in the sudden darkness. His eyes gleamed with a predatory intensity, as if poised to devour her.

He leaned in close, their breaths mingling, his voice a low, ominous murmur. “Then there’s nothing holding me back.”

“What… Ah!” Elise gasped.

“You brought this upon yourself, Elise.”

In a swift motion, he lifted the hem of her thick nightgown, newly changed by Genovia’s maid, up to her thigh. The sudden heat of his hand sliding over her hips and waist startled her, but Elise fought to maintain her composure.

Rezette’s intentions were clear. His thick fingers circled around her navel, seeking any signs of change. As he suspected, there was nothing there.

Her stomach was unchanged from a few weeks ago, both in appearance and feel. Despite his determined approach, Rezette had no real way to confirm a pregnancy himself.

“Stop this—if we call for the doctor again, he can confirm it right away,” Elise pleaded, her voice unsteady. But Rezette’s attention had already drifted.

Her eyes widened as his hand traveled from her ribs to her chest, and a flush of realization swept over her—she wasn’t wearing anything underneath. A sharp gasp escaped her as his rough fingertips brushed against a sensitive spot.

“Ah…!”

By the time she understood his intentions, it was already too late. His touch was firm but controlled, yet even this restrained pressure sent a deep ache through her breasts, which had grown unusually tender in recent weeks.

“There have been some changes,” he murmured, almost to himself. His fingers lingered thoughtfully, and Elise felt a surge of self-consciousness as he noticed the slight swell. Without hesitation, Rezette leaned down, pressing his lips over the fabric, his warm breath seeping through her nightgown. His tongue brushed over the peak before he sucked firmly, drawing an immediate, unguarded response from her.

“Hnn… Ah, ah…”

A prickling sensation of pleasure radiated from the sensitive peak, and Elise struggled to stifle her moans. While he teased her chest, his other hand slid down to her hips, fingers slipping between her thighs.

In one smooth, almost casual motion, he lifted her thigh from beneath, securing it in place.

The familiar sensation of him overwhelming her sent heat rushing across Elise’s skin, her breathing growing shallow. Her body had already been trained to respond instinctively to his touch, no matter how slight.

So when he said there’s nothing holding him back…

The doctor’s earlier warning, relayed through Genovia’s careful words, struck her like a blade. “There’s a risk of miscarriage.”

He’d added that she should avoid any strenuous activity during the first few months—including intimacy. Elise recalled the intensity of past encounters, ones that had left her utterly spent, and felt a sudden chill as her face turned pale.

“Re… Rezette,” she whispered, her voice tight. Her nails dug into the skin and veins of the hand that clutched her chest. “Please… don’t!”

“Why?” he asked, his tone unmoved.

She struggled for words under his cold gaze.

“It’s something we did every day. So why not?” he murmured, his voice dark and unyielding.

The warmth of his touch on her abdomen and thigh intensified, a clear sign of his own mounting desire. Just as she was accustomed to his touch, he was equally attuned to her responses, their bodies as familiar as their shared history.

His solid, unyielding form, like stone pressed against her, brought a flash of dread as Elise felt the weight of his intent. Panic surged through her; the brutal familiarity of his touch was too much.

Tears welled up and spilled over as she choked out silently, Not like this. I can’t… not this way!

Just then, Rezette’s roaming hand stilled, as if restrained by some unseen force. The invisible bonds around his wrists forced him to stop, and Elise seized the moment. She wriggled free, pulling herself back, her heart pounding. Rezette’s eyes flicked to the unseen restraints binding his hands, but he showed no surprise, releasing her without protest.

A dull ache pulsed within him, fed by his rising desire that had been stirring for some time. But he hadn’t planned to go that far; he didn’t need to. With a derisive scoff, he watched Elise panting, her flushed face damp with tears.

“How many times do I have to tell you not to lie, Elise?” His voice was icy, filled with reproach.

Rezette’s gaze fell unflinchingly to her exposed, slender abdomen beneath the nightgown, his expression as merciless as the tension coiling between them.

“I can even hear the child’s heartbeat, so why bother with lies that won’t work?” Rezette said, his tone laced with contempt.

Elise gasped at his words, tears streaming down her cheeks. The emotions swirling within her were a tumultuous blend of sadness and fear, but above all, a deep, searing fury ignited inside her. Her vision flared white with rage. How could he try to confirm it like this? How dare he!

Elise lifted her tear-stained gaze to glare defiantly at him. She knew all too well how much he loathed her deceit. Every time she offered an excuse to avoid even the slightest discomfort, he reacted with extreme sensitivity, as if her words were daggers meant to pierce him.

But when had she ever lied out of malice?

“I never deceived you on purpose,” she managed to say, her voice trembling but resolute.

In fact, I wanted to be honest with you all along. But you made it impossible.

Deep down, she understood why he couldn’t fathom her feelings. Rezette had no obligation to consider her perspective. Their marriage hadn’t formed because of his threats; it was born from her own desperate pleas. She had chosen this path, and she alone was responsible for bearing its weight.

So, was she expected to remain silent, to act like a pretty trophy perched atop the tower, and to play the role of a compliant doll, just as he wanted?

Bear the child, have it taken from me? And I’ll remain just your trophy, your satisfactory bed partner—nothing more?

Elise felt the weight of Rezette’s body pressing down on her, his knee wedged firmly between her thighs, forcing them apart and preventing her from closing them. The invasive touch slipped beneath her clothes, igniting a heat within her that threatened to explode. All of it signaled the onset of another round of his carnal desires, and her mind spiraled into a dark conclusion.

Would he have stopped if it weren’t for the invisible restraints holding him back?

The distrust within her swelled, growing monstrous. 

Of course not.

Rezette, who appeared to care little for love, had no qualms about revealing his desires. He might wear a mask of politeness and show moments of gentleness, but beneath it all, his feelings amounted to nothing more than lust, physical attachment, and possessiveness.

The realization ignited a furious indignation within her. She didn’t want to be treated this way. He wasn’t her master!

He claims to hate lies, does he? Then she could lie a thousand times over.

Knowing it was foolish and pointless, Elise bit out the words laced with tears, “Don’t flatter yourself. It—it’s not your child.”

It was the second greatest act of courage in her life.

The moment she uttered those defiant words, a name flickered in her mind—her only ally in this storm. I’ll have to ask Sameshita for help.

If she’d lit the fuse, she needed to find an escape route, too. The air around her dropped, turning as cold as the temperature outside.

When the silence stretched between them, she sensed the tension thicken.

“It’s not my child…?” Rezette’s voice was low, his jaw clenched so tightly it crackled ominously. This time, he didn’t even bother to laugh.

With his index and middle fingers pressing roughly beneath her navel, he leaned closer, his voice dripping with menace. “Then is there another man who’s been with you?”

“What does it matter to you? Who are you to ask?” she shot back, trying to regain control.

“Sameshita?” he replied, a predatory glint in his eyes.

Elise’s eyes widened in shock. She almost retorted that the child was hers alone, that it didn’t need a father, but the words caught in her throat.

“You were going to call for him again, weren’t you?”

How did he know?

His chilling gaze seemed to pierce through her, reading her every reaction with unsettling clarity.