Reasons for Contract Marriage - Chapter 105

The second time should have been easier, yet Brianna still felt a bit nervous as she waited for him. Unlike before, when she had been ignorant, now she knew exactly what would happen, which made her even more anxious.

Would tonight be like that night? Would she once again burn hot under his touch, as if she were someone else entirely, unraveling completely as she reached her peak?

At last, the sound of the connecting door—shut tight since last night—creaked open. Brianna adjusted her nightgown and got up from the bed. The moment she turned to face him, she unconsciously tilted her head in surprise.

“…Alcohol?”

Unlike the previous time, Lucius was holding a bottle of champagne and two glasses. He approached and placed them on the small table beside the bed.

“I just realized that we’ve never had a drink together. Just a light glass—what do you think?”

“Oh…”

Brianna quickly nodded.

“Yes, that sounds good.”

As she sat back down on the bed, Lucius pulled up a chair and poured the drinks.

Watching the clear liquid fill the glasses, Brianna found herself thinking absentmindedly. She had expected that the moment he arrived, they would go straight to bed—but instead, here he was with alcohol. She had been so tense just before he came, and now it all seemed almost ridiculous. She should have just waited calmly.

Then, Lucius’s voice rang out.

“Don’t worry. Just because we’re drinking doesn’t mean I have any intention of leaving without holding you.”

Brianna’s face flushed red. “I wasn’t thinking that!”

He smirked as he handed her the glass.

“Here.”

With a soft clink, their glasses met. As the cool, fizzy alcohol slid down her throat, Brianna felt her body gradually relax.

If she had known, she would have had a drink on the first night, too.

“This is nice. Why didn’t you bring alcohol last time? It would have made things much less nerve-wracking.”

At her slightly reproachful tone, Lucius narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Because I didn’t want to.”

“Why not?”

Instead of answering right away, Lucius slowly swirled his glass, then lifted his dark eyes to meet hers.

“That night, I wanted you to come to me with a clear mind. If you were drunk, you might have mistaken me for someone else.”

Brianna blinked at him, momentarily speechless.

Did he mean he didn’t want her to confuse him with Florian? Florian was the only person she could think of whom Lucius might see as “someone else.” But the two men were as different as night and day—no amount of alcohol could ever make her mistake one for the other.

“…Now that I think about it, are you good at drinking?”

Brianna quickly changed the subject, and Lucius nodded.

“I don’t particularly enjoy drinking, but I can handle it.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Hm?”

This time, he was the one looking puzzled.

Brianna grinned. “Actually, Lily has been plotting to get you drunk. She insists that men reveal their true nature when they’re intoxicated.”

Lucius burst into laughter. “She wants to outdrink me? That’s quite the ambitious plan.”

“You shouldn’t underestimate her. Lily can really hold her liquor. She can finish an entire bottle of champagne by herself. She told me not to tell you, but I figured I should warn you in advance.”

“Thank you. If not for you, I might have ended up thoroughly humiliated. I suppose I should start planning my survival strategy now.”

Curious about his relationship with Lily, Lucius asked more questions, and Brianna told him all about her time living as Lily’s neighbor. When she mentioned how Lily had helped her negotiate a lower rent, Lucius laughed so hard he nearly clutched his stomach.

“Bastogne is infamous for its high rents, but you managed to cut yours in half in just ten minutes?”

“Half of that was thanks to Lily, but the other half was my doing. I spotted every flaw in the house like a hawk and used them to haggle down the price.”

As they drank past the halfway point of the bottle, a certain memory surfaced, bringing a faint, bitter smile to Brianna’s lips.

A tiny room in a cramped tenement house. The creaking floorboards and the broken window. The memory of watching Florian try to fix it, only to cut his finger. Sandwiches scattered on a plate. The sight of Lily beaming at the champagne…

It had only been last winter, yet it already felt like a distant past.

And then, Florian’s words from that day resurfaced in her mind.

“Lucy never had any interest in women. Even if there hadn’t been a war, he would’ve gone straight to the bridal chamber with whoever the Duke and Duchess picked for him. Honestly, I feel bad for the woman he’d marry. He’d be good to her, sure—but he’s not the kind of man who can love.”

Lucius certainly treated her well. Sometimes, he was so considerate that she couldn’t help but wonder if there was something more behind it. But if even Florian, who knew him best, had said that, then it must really be nothing more than duty.

A sudden question arose—had he treated Adelheid with the same kindness? While staying at the Kirchner estate, Brianna had occasionally seen them together, and they had seemed no different from any ordinary lovers. She had even noticed the envious gazes of the maids as they watched Lucius shower Adelheid with affection.

If things hadn’t gone so terribly wrong, then right now, it would be Adelheid—not her—who was by his side as his wife.

Lost in thought, Brianna absentmindedly tilted her glass. That was when Lucius reached out and took hold of her hand, still wrapped around the glass.

“That’s enough for tonight. I have no intention of letting you get drunk again.”

His voice had dropped to a deep murmur. Brianna looked up, and in his darkened gaze, she saw unmistakable desire. He was done with conversation—now, he wanted her body.

One thing was certain, no matter what was in his heart, as a man, he desired her. That much was undeniable.

Brianna let him take the glass from her and set it down on the table. Then, without hesitation, he swept her into his arms and carried her to the bed.

She sank into the plush mattress, the soft white sheets cushioning her back. As Lucius hovered over her, Brianna gazed up at him quietly.

His eyes met hers as he brushed back the strands of hair at her forehead and ear, his touch slow and deliberate. For a fleeting moment, she simply felt the tenderness of his fingertips before his lips followed, pressing gently against her skin.

He kissed everywhere but her lips before his hands moved to the buttons of her nightgown, undoing them one by one.

As her collarbone and the deep valley of her chest were exposed, Lucius lowered his head and placed a lingering kiss there. His warm breath against her skin made her shudder slightly.

“The marks I left have already faded.”

His fingers traced over the unblemished skin of her neck. As he said, the red marks from the other night had mostly disappeared over time. Only the spots where he had bitten hard enough to bruise remained faintly visible when she checked in the bath.

Seemingly displeased by her now-pristine skin, Lucius pressed his lips back to her neck, biting and licking as if reclaiming his territory. As he trapped her flesh between his lips and sucked, fresh marks began to bloom.

“Ah…”

A soft moan escaped Brianna as a tingling sensation spread through her body. His lips trailed downward, past her collarbone, as his hands took hold of the loosened fabric of her nightgown. With a single movement, he pushed it open, exposing her bare shoulders before pulling it down past her ankles in one swift motion.

“Ah!”

Now left in nothing but her undergarments, Brianna instinctively raised both hands to cover herself. The last time, she had remained clothed until the very last moment, making this abrupt exposure all the more flustering and embarrassing.

More than anything, the lighting was far too bright. On their first night, the maids had dimmed the lamps before leaving, creating a more comfortable atmosphere. But tonight, since they had been drinking beforehand, they hadn’t prepared for that.

“L-Luce, wait!”

She fumbled for the blanket beside her, trying to cover herself, but he quickly took it from her grasp.