Reasons for Contract Marriage - Chapter 166

He also needed to move the funds that had played a decisive role in aiding Brianna’s escape to somewhere beyond her reach. One reason it had been so difficult to find her was that she had holed up in a house with plenty of spare money. If she had engaged in even a little activity outside, he would have found her much sooner. There were only so many things Brianna could do, and it would have been hard for her to hide her real name.

Lucius didn’t want Brianna to leave his side again. Though he had managed to find her this time, luck had played a part. It seemed Brianna never imagined he would go so far as to search every mercenary village to find her. If she ran away again, she would surely go somewhere he could never reach.

So he had to take thorough precautions to ensure she wouldn’t even think about running again.

To that end, he removed the people around Brianna she could rely on, cut off her funds, and deliberately locked her in a room.

When people are stripped of their free will and confined to a small space, they first become violently angry. Then they grow lethargic and are haunted by the fear that they might be trapped forever. Eventually, they come to rely entirely on the only person who can get them out.

Brianna would be the same. And she would come to realize it herself. That if she tried to run again and was caught, it would not end with just this.

So if she was left alone like that for a while, Brianna would eventually…

At that thought, Lucius bit his lip in disgust at himself. When he first proposed to Brianna, he hadn’t had any ulterior motives. He only wanted to protect her from danger and help her do whatever she wanted. So, how had that resolve become so twisted?

“Don’t you even feel sorry for Florian? If he knew how cruel you’re being to me…”

Last night, Brianna had said those words with tears in her eyes, and the image of Florian flickered before him.

“You bastard!”

He had swung his fist at Lucius without warning. Grabbing him by the collar, he shouted, “What are you doing? Do you think I sent Brianna to you so you could torment her like this?”

To that, Lucius muttered in a sullen voice, “I can’t help it. Brianna keeps asking for a divorce. What do you expect me to do?”

Florian, who had let out a bitter laugh, said as if exasperated, “Then just confess, you idiot!”

Those were the words Lucius had once said to him. When Florian had been unsure whether Brianna saw him as a man, Lucius had given him that half-hearted advice: confess, then date or get rejected.

He never imagined he’d end up in that same dilemma.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I’m afraid she’ll say she still loves you, and that she doesn’t love me.”

Florian stared at him, utterly dumbfounded.

“How did the great Lucius become such a coward? Weren’t you the one who once told me…”

“Shut up.”

“Hey! At least let me—”

“I don’t want advice from a rival. Stop nagging and get lost.”

Florian eventually thumped his own chest and jabbed a finger at Lucius.

“Anyway, I’m warning you. Don’t leave Brianna alone for too long. She hates being alone. She may seem strong, but she’s surprisingly sensitive to loneliness. If you ignore my warning and do whatever you want, she’ll end up hating you forever.”

With those words, Florian’s figure disappeared. Lucius furrowed his brows and raked his hair roughly.

Anyone would end up liking Florian more. Unlike him, Florian was kind and good-natured by birth.

If Brianna had cried in front of Florian the way she had last night, Florian would have been startled out of his wits, dropped to his knees immediately, and begged for forgiveness, saying everything was his fault.

By contrast, what had he done? He had threatened Brianna, locked her in a room, and forced his body on her multiple times.

As the memories of the previous night returned, Lucius let out a languid sigh. He slowly licked the scab on his lower lip. It was a wound caused when Brianna had bitten down hard as he forced her lips open for a kiss after tearing her clothes.

Until now, no matter what he did in bed, she had always blushed and accepted it. But last night, she had resisted him firmly for the first time. She pushed him, hit him, and bit him. The more she pushed him away, the more desperately he clung to her. He completely forgot his original plan of letting her rest after her exhausting journey.

By the time the hands that had pushed him away were instead grabbing his hair and pulling him toward her body, she was already moaning softly in pleasure. Lifting his head, Lucius saw the dazed teal eyes and realized she had lost the battle between reason and desire.

Lucius stopped what he was doing between her legs, moved up, and flipped Brianna onto her stomach. Though she thrashed and protested again, she fell silent as soon as he bit hard into the nape of her neck.

Her body, which had trembled like a prey animal caught at its weak spot, soon let out a nasal moan tinged with delayed pain. But only for a moment. As soon as he penetrated her wet entrance and began moving, Brianna started letting out cries of ecstasy.

“Haah, ngh!” All night long, the moans that spilled from Brianna still rang in his ears. Remembering her sweet lips, the soft breasts crushed in his grip, and the still tight and hot entrance, Lucius loosened his tie. Just thinking about it made his body temperature rise.

Apparently, the brief lovemaking in the carriage hadn’t been enough. All night, Lucius had pinned her down, changing positions and coupling with her like a beast. In the past, Brianna had always been careful not to hurt him, but last night, she didn’t hold back. She scratched his neck and shoulders with abandon.

If her gestures had been mere rejections, he would have backed off. But Brianna had dug her nails into his shoulders while pulling him closer. She bit his lips, yet her tongue licked the wounds she made. The problem was, her actions only excited him more.

The fierce passion that lasted all night left pillows scattered on the floor and the sheets stained with bodily fluids. By dawn, as he held Brianna who had fainted in his arms, the surroundings looked like a battlefield. He briefly considered sleeping beside her, but anxiety that she might run away again outweighed the urge.

So he came back to the ducal residence with heavy steps. Until preparations were complete, he planned to leave her alone at the villa. It would take about ten days.

“…Ten days.”

Lucius blankly stared at the empty air. He already missed her and wanted to hold her. Could he endure the full ten days?

In the end, Lucius didn’t last ten days. On the fifth day, he headed for the summer villa. He rationalized that it was fine since the important matters, like his mother’s trip and the bank, had already been handled.

The maid told him Brianna had stayed quietly in the room without much resistance and handed him the key.

As soon as Lucius turned the key and stepped into the room, a pillow flew and hit him in the face.

He calmly caught the falling pillow. At least it wasn’t a vase or a book. People had refrained from asking about the marks on his face, but if he walked around with bruises from a hard object, questions would surely follow. And he couldn’t say his wife had hit him. So Lucius felt thankful that the object Brianna had thrown was a soft pillow.

“You swindler!”