Only physical

The Grand Duke hurried to the room when he learned that Noelle had been attacked by the beasts of the forest. Upon entering, he is frightened to see Noelle's clothes covered in blood, so he requests that a doctor be called.

"Father, I'm fine, the blood isn't mine."

"What? But then...what happened?"

"The thing is, Your Excellency, your daughter-in-law defeated four big beasts," Gloria adds, still amazed by everything she witnessed.

"What? Is that true?"

"Yes, I trained a lot when I was little... I didn't say anything because I was afraid people would look down on a strong girl."

"I would never believe such a thing, on the contrary, I'm glad you're strong and have returned safely."

"Thank you for caring, father. Besides my mother, you're the only one who has shown genuine concern for me."

Noelle takes his hands while bowing slightly, and the Grand Duke appears deeply troubled by how much rejection that young girl received from her father.

"Now you are part of this family, of course I care about you. Wasn't your husband worried too?"

Raizel simply avoids eye contact. He cannot worry about a woman he barely knows.

"I wouldn't let her die, that's for sure."

"How kind of you, husband."

Raizel withdraws from the room along with the other knights, while the Grand Duke calls Jane to prepare warm water and clothing for Noelle to change into. The albino bids farewell to the Grand Duke and follows Jane to the room, where she introduces the maids who will be taking care of her. Among them is a girl named Sally, who will be accompanying her wherever she goes. In the room, they prepare the bath and quickly leave when they see Raizel arriving.

"Why do you need so many weapons in that box?"

"For protection, the place is dangerous."

Noelle completely removes her dress, under Raizel's watchful gaze. She approaches him and tugs at the collar of his clothing.

"Do you like what you see?"

Noelle finishes undressing completely, even throwing her bra at him, which Raizel tosses aside, looking annoyed.

"Don't think I've forgotten about the hotel incident. It was one of the most embarrassing moments."

"But we had a good time, don't complain."

"I told you, I won't love you, no matter how many times we do it."

"I don't expect you to love me, but let's have a good relationship."

"I doubt that you don't want love. You've said it yourself, no one else cares about you."

"You think I seek love from you because my father doesn't love me. You're mistaken; I don't seek love in you, I'm only interested in this."

Raizel is startled when he feels the girl tighten between his legs and push his hands away. The girls he usually spends the night with are bold, but Noelle seems even more brazen.

"Don't do that..."

"Why? Because if I touch you more, you'll want another round."

Noelle holds his hands and places them on her breasts. Raizel tries to resist, but Noelle is genuinely attractive, and there's something about her that makes him desire her.

"Alright, this will be purely physical. If you ask for anything more, we'll get divorced."

Before Noelle can say anything, he carries her to the bathroom. Luckily, the bathtub is large enough for the two of them. The next day, the maids knock on the door to enter, but there is no response. However, no one has informed them that the couple has left, so it's best to come back later.

"The Lord claims he has no interest in his wife, but he went to her room last night and didn't return."

"She's beautiful; there's no way Lord Raizel is not attracted to her. At least, if there's no love, there's physical attraction."

"And it doesn't bother you? You're one of his many lovers."

"I have no reason to be bothered. At least he didn't deceive me to sleep with him."

Gloria glares angrily at Nicolas, who was nearby. Upon hearing her, he averts his gaze and retreats from the place.

"I'm sorry...my brother is a fool; he doesn't know what he lost."

"Don't worry, Sir Rafael. That's in the past, and I understand that nobles don't marry commoners. That much is clear to me."

Rafael remains silent, fully aware of what happened between his brother and Gloria. What bothers him is that Nicolas did nothing to marry the woman he loved, choosing instead to marry a woman imposed by his family.

Meanwhile, in Diamond, Francis has gone to see his mother, as she continues to insist that she will not return to the palace and take part in anything related to her son's wedding to Odette.

"Mother, your presence at the wedding is important, as you are the one who should bestow the title..."

"And that's precisely why I won't go. They can get married, but she will never be named the heir."

"Mother, she has already suffered enough humiliation with the engagement."

"And do you think I care? Until you give up on this engagement, I will never return to the palace."

"Mother, why do you hate her? Her sister was a wicked person and you even preferred her more."

"Miss Noelle was never wicked, she corrected her, and that was good. Did you ever see her hit Miss Odette? Did you see her mistreat her? I only saw a girl trying to blame her sister to play the victim."

"Mother! She's not like that. Well, it doesn't matter. Father will perform the coronation."

"Alright, but tell him that if he does, he'll find the divorce papers on his desk afterward."

Francis doesn't understand why his mother insists on doing something like this. Odette has proven to be a good girl.

***This work has been signed with NovelToon, and piracy such as reprinting without permission is strictly prohibited.***

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***