Winter Bud - Chapter 27

“Stop babbling.”

“…Yes,” Nanna murmured.

Orestes stared at her blankly. When he told her to stop babbling, the woman quickly shut her lips. Then again, seeing her sit there with those carp-like lips pressed tight, glancing nervously at him, made him want to tell her to speak again.

It was strange. Whatever she rambled about, listening only made his chest feel stifled, even unpleasant. Yet when she sealed those lips tight and watched him in silence, he wanted her to open her mouth again.

Because of that, Orestes didn’t even want to look at her for long. Facing a woman who flinched and jumped whenever their eyes met was something he could only tolerate for a day or two. It wasn’t pleasant, it made him angry…. Instead of getting used to it, his irritation grew worse with time. The Empress Dowager, who once said he’d adjust, now told him not to bother with her.

She repeated that since he already had enough children, the woman should be kept in the Western Palace. She had even suggested restoring the harem system, and filling it again might not be a bad idea. When asked about bringing in daughters from noble families, he didn’t even bother to respond.

“Mm, ha, ahhk….”

He groped her breasts, rubbing at the round nipples. The woman twisted her slim waist, grimacing as if in pain. He quietly studied her pale face. Was it pleasure, or pain? The distorted expression looked like that of a young girl.

A young girl…. He remembered the event that had broken her down completely. Around that time, the woman had lost herself. She had wandered in the rain like a madwoman, wailing like she had lost her mind. That was why he could never forget it.

“Freya, Freya’s d-dead, Your Majesty.”

He recalled the woman who’d rushed over and broken down before him. He had been briefly surprised but soon regained his composure. That child always seemed likely to die young. It wasn’t a premonition but closer to a rational deduction. His second daughter had been weak from birth. She had been premature, with a body and frame that were small and frail. So, crossing death’s threshold at any moment had always been easy for her.

He had handed the hysterical woman over to his adjutant and gone to confirm the child’s corpse. As expected, she no longer breathed. The body laid in the coffin was so light. It was like looking at a doll. It looked as if she were only sleeping.

He immediately ordered the funeral. Even if he was indifferent, the dead child was still the Emperor’s daughter. The incident required a thorough investigation. And yet to the woman, it had never been enough. Because after that, she had changed. Changed in what way…?

“Do you want to return to the main palace?”

“…No.”

“You want to see the children.”

“If… if I could at least hear how they’re doing….”

“When you’re left alone, you’ll cry and whine like a child again. I know that.”

“But… I’ll get used to it.”

The woman muttered weakly. At that answer, he furrowed his left brow. Out of habit, his eyes narrowed, and the woman instinctively stiffened. He had expected her to cling. That was what she should have done… that was who she was. She should have burst into tears, fallen to her knees, and begged not to be locked away in this barren palace.

But the woman said she’d be fine. As long as she could at least hear how the children were doing, she said she’d be fine. He hadn’t intended to permit it. Not until she clung to him, weeping and wailing. He had planned to allow her nothing.

“Those children are Thea’s and mine now.”

“….”

“Slan calls Thea Mother now. Stella does as well,” he muttered indifferently.

Nanna’s lips fluttered faintly before she whispered, “That’s good.” Again, his insides twisted. His gut churned. Because his desire wasn’t met, his thrusts grew harsher. Pulling his cock halfway out, he rammed it back in hard. The woman cried out.

The distance she said she hated, he closed it even more. Their hot breaths tangled, her pale breasts crushed against his solid, muscular chest. Close enough that a kiss wouldn’t have been strange, he stared into her clear eyes.

The woman grabbed his shoulders, trying to push him away. It was an instinctive movement to create distance. He didn’t allow it. He roughly bound her small hands and glared at her. He rammed hard between the frightened woman’s thighs, enjoying the sticky flesh of her folds. The ripe flesh was sweet. He licked along her neck as if to taste it, then bared his teeth.

The woman, tense to the point of trembling, didn’t scream sharply but instead let out a long moan. Her eyes opened as he began pounding her in small, sharp thrusts. Like a dog, he shook his hips until he climaxed.

“Ah, haak! Ah, ah! Ah! Your Majesty. P-please, slower… hngh.”

Her moans, choked with sobs, rang frantically in his ears. Memories of the past surfaced. The face of this woman smiling bashfully, blushing in her cheeks, then flapping like a startled hen and scurrying away when their eyes met.

After Freya’s death, she hadn’t done that. She always lowered her gaze, and when their eyes did meet, she only bowed her head like a guilty sinner. She no longer blushed, no longer came carrying crying children to quietly place them in his arms. It made no sense…. There was no reason not to do it.

Nanna had liked him. She had wanted him. A lowly woman who didn’t know her place had shamelessly tried to win his heart. And could she really have abandoned that greed just because a child had died? No, Nanna was a woman who had to win his heart. Her precarious position, her lowly birth, could only be secured through his favor. And yet….

“I’ll get used to it.”

Lies. How could she live here, grazing on weeds? He scoffed.

“Ah! Hhk, Your Majesty, it hurts, it hurts.”

“I told you not to lie. Didn’t I?”

She lifted her head from where it had sunk, her heated face spilling moans like broken whispers. The woman grimaced, weeping quietly. She didn’t even resist anymore. He didn’t like it. The woman, sobbing with her face drenched, parted her lips.

“If Lady Thea finds out….”

“What?”

“I mean, if Lady Thea finds out about today….”

“Do you think getting pregnant is a bad thing for Thea?”

“…Your Majesty.”

“Why?” he asked.

Nanna said nothing. He gave a small laugh and straightened his back. Then he lifted her frail legs onto his broad shoulders and began thrusting his pillar rapidly.

Was it a chill? The familiar shiver swept over her. Her bitten breasts shook as she threw her head back. With freed hands, she clutched the pillowcase and closed her eyes against the dizzying sensation.

“Bear a daughter.”

“Hh, hhh, uhk….”

“A daughter who looks like you.”

The light, sighing murmur was dreadful. Nanna felt she knew what he meant. Tears streamed again. After Freya’s death, the Emperor had said she’d gone mad. That she lied more, that she grew more hysterical. The hysteria was true, but the lies weren’t. She had never invented any words to deceive him.

“…I don’t want to.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want Lady Thea to hate me.”

For a husband to sleep with his wife’s maid was a horrific thing. There was no way it could be pleasant. Even if, since ancient times, there were cases where a maid bore her mistress’s husband’s child, how could she ignore the relationship between Thea and the Emperor? How could she not know?

“Thea will hate it.”

“That’s why….”

“But for Thea’s position, it’s a good thing.”

His detached voice was cold. He seemed to want nothing more from Thea. He no longer wanted to discuss producing heirs through her. After all, he had nearly lost her. No, he hadn’t nearly lost her. He had lost her.

At that time, the two had fought bitterly over the same problem. Thea’s physician had said her constitution was weak from birth. That not only was pregnancy difficult, but even if she did conceive, something terrible could happen.

But the Emperor had no other collateral relatives, and the dynasty was still in its early days. An heir was absolutely essential.