Reasons for Contract Marriage - Chapter 93

The person who entered the room was, of course, Lucius. His hair was wet, as if he had just bathed, and he was wearing a white robe. Brianna’s gaze involuntarily fell on the muscular chest faintly visible through the robe’s collar, but she quickly looked away in embarrassment.

Come to think of it, this was the first time she had ever seen a man’s bare skin aside from her father’s. Although Harzen Castle housed numerous knights and servants, Brianna had spent most of her time alone with Leona, leaving little opportunity to interact with them. The only times she had seen a man’s exposed body were from a distance when knights trained shirtless.

In the slightly awkward atmosphere, Brianna hurriedly broke the silence.

“…I didn’t know there was a door there.”

This was the room meant for the Duchess, and today was her first time entering it. Having only seen the door directly in front of her, as the maids had seated her there, she hadn’t noticed the other door. The door Lucius had just come through was on the opposite side of the bed.

Two doors in one room. Then where does that door lead? As Brianna pondered, Lucius chuckled softly, as if amused by her curiosity.

“Brianna, you know that my room and yours are connected, right?”

“Ah…”

Only then did Brianna realize it. The Duke and Duchess’s rooms were connected, allowing them to move between them through the door. Harzen Castle was an old structure, after all. In the room Leona had once used, there was no such connecting door. Perhaps Leona had removed it entirely, finding it unnecessary.

“As you can see, the two rooms are connected. Otherwise, every time the couple wanted to meet, they would have to walk through the corridor and risk being seen by the servants.”

As he explained, Lucius closed the door behind him. The soft click of the door shutting made Brianna instinctively tense up. She clutched her skirt tightly on her lap.

“Come to think of it, we haven’t discussed how to use that door yet.”

Lucius slowly approached the bed. This time, he stopped at a respectable distance, just as he had at the inn.

“Brianna, I’d like us to have a child as soon as possible. So…”

Hearing his words, Brianna nodded. She, too, wished to have a child quickly. It would at least bring her some peace of mind.

“I feel the same way.”

Lucius’ face brightened slightly. Just as he was about to speak again, Brianna beat him to it.

“During the time I’m able to conceive, I’ll leave the door open. You can come in whenever you’d like.”

At her words, Lucius closed his mouth. After a brief pause, he asked cautiously, “Only during that time?”

“Yes, about seven days, I believe…”

Though Brianna knew little about relations between men and women, she was well aware of the link between the menstrual cycle and conception. She had read about it in books and overheard young married women in Harzen Castle mentioning their ‘special days’ when they left work early to return home.

While she had no firsthand experience, she was certain that trying during that period would result in a child.

Brianna thought her proposal was reasonable and logical. However, Lucius didn’t seem to share her sentiment. He stared at her with a blank expression.

“…Brianna, did my mother visit you earlier?”

“Yes, she did.”

After the congratulatory banquet, the Dowager Duchess had followed Brianna to her room to talk about the wedding night. Typically, this role would fall to the bride’s mother, but since Brianna’s mother had passed away early in her life, the Dowager Duchess had taken it upon herself to offer guidance.

Brianna recalled the Dowager Duchess’s anxious demeanor from about an hour ago. She had paced nervously around the room, muttering to herself.

“I don’t have a daughter, so I have no idea what to say in situations like this. I never imagined I’d face such a trial. Brianna, did the Dowager Countess Linares ever tell you anything? About what men and women do at night?”

Unfortunately, Leona had been just as clueless as Brianna in such matters. To be more precise, Leona regarded all men as incompetent beings and pitied women for being bound by the institution of marriage.

Perhaps that was why Leona had shown little interest in matters between men and women. This was evident even in her novels. The relationships between men and women in her stories were described so dryly that many readers mistakenly thought the author was a man.

“No, she didn’t tell me anything…”

When Brianna shook her head, the Dowager Duchess let out a sigh that seemed as if it could crack the ground. Then she grabbed Brianna’s shoulders firmly and spoke with an unusually solemn expression.

“Brianna, listen carefully. A night shared between a man and a woman… It’s… well… it’s…”

At that moment, the Dowager Duchess, who was usually so confident, seemed to shrink into herself. After hesitating for a while, she ultimately concluded her advice without giving any specific guidance.

“…Lucius will take care of everything. I didn’t raise my son to be incompetent, so don’t worry too much. Besides, knowing too much about these things isn’t always a good thing.”

After giving Brianna a brief hug, the Dowager Duchess left the room. That was the end of her so-called advice.

“She simply said you’d take care of it and left.”

At Brianna’s words, Lucius pressed a hand to his forehead and muttered something under his breath. Though it was hard to hear clearly, the tone suggested most of it consisted of curses.

Surely, he wouldn’t be cursing his own mother. So, is he blaming me?

Brianna looked at him in surprise. Typically, one might pick up knowledge about such matters from friends or those around them. However, Brianna had never been in such a position.

Employers generally disapproved of their servants leading promiscuous lives. As one of the Dowager Countess Linares’s closest attendants and someone with significant influence in Harzen Castle, Brianna had always been conscious of her behavior. Even the maids who were friendly with her avoided discussing their boyfriends in her presence. Often, when Brianna approached, they would stop whispering and disperse, claiming there was nothing to talk about.

If I had known this would happen, I should have begged them to teach me.

Feeling a little dejected, Brianna lowered her head. She had never been told she was lacking in knowledge before, but now she felt like a fool.

Lucius let out a long sigh before speaking again.

“…Restricting it to only that specific time doesn’t seem reasonable. While I personally wouldn’t mind, you would find it difficult to endure if we tried every day during that period. Actually, it’s not that I wouldn’t mind; having to abstain for the rest of the month would be quite challenging…”

For someone who usually spoke with clarity, Lucius seemed a bit disoriented as he rambled. Realizing this, he pressed his lips together tightly before continuing.

“Twice a week.”

He proposed a compromise.

“How about we start with that? Establishing a regular schedule will help you become accustomed to it.”

Twice a week. While it seemed more frequent than she had anticipated, it wasn’t an unreasonable demand.

Brianna nodded. “Yes, that sounds fine.”

“It’s best to use the bed in your room. On particularly tiring days, you might want to sleep in a bit longer.”

Brianna had never slept in past dawn unless she was ill. She thought such occasions would be rare but agreed regardless.

“Alright.”

With all the necessary arrangements settled, a brief silence fell over the room.

In truth, Brianna had one pressing question she wanted to ask him. What would happen once this contract ended? Surely, it would be better to discuss it sooner rather than later.

After the divorce, what will become of me and my child? Of course, the child would remain here, raised as the heir to the Carlisle family. But she wondered how much of a role she would be allowed to play. Even if the child was conceived as part of a contractual arrangement, Brianna was certain she would love them dearly. Even if she couldn’t live with the child, she hoped to see them often. She knew Lucius wasn’t the type to act coldly toward her.

But perhaps today wasn’t the right time to bring it up. Even if this was a contract marriage, tonight was still their wedding night.

As such thoughts filled her mind, she felt a hand touch her cheek. At some point, Lucius had moved closer, his hand now caressing her face.

Brianna accepted his touch without resistance. Lucius stroked her cheek before his hand moved to her ear, gently tracing its outline. His touch was remarkably delicate, far different from Florian’s soft hands. Lucius’ palm, calloused and rough from years of swordsmanship, felt rugged but warm. His hand was also noticeably larger than Florian’s.

It’s fascinating how two men can feel so different.

As that thought crossed her mind, Lucius’ face slowly descended toward hers.