ITAYA 41

~Chapter 41~

I always thought Baldwin was a very self-controlled person. I thought he had a lot of patience.

I thought he was a man who always put reason before his feelings or desires, almost like a monk. But I was wrong.

“Ah…”

I bit my dry lips. I barely swallowed my moans, and my body trembled. Through blurry vision, I saw sunlight spreading everywhere.

“Baldwin, please…”

Get a hold of yourself. This is… this is…

My breathing kept getting faster, so I couldn’t finish my sentence. My thoughts broke apart again and again.

Baldwin’s strong fingers grabbed my thigh tightly. His body heat felt hot against my skin.

It was early summer, and sweat made my skin sticky where we touched.

“B-Baldwin.”

The mat under me crinkled against my back. The tree’s shadow fell over where we were sitting together.

I gripped Baldwin’s shoulder tightly with my fingers. The feeling came like a wave and almost swept my mind away. My breath became even more uneven.

The scent of crushed cranberries rose up from the ground—sweet, hot, and dizzying.

I broke apart again and again, like foam crashing in the waves. Even the sound of the ocean mixed with our noises, making my ears ring.

Baldwin’s heavy weight pressed down on me. He knew exactly how to take control.

He knew what I was weak to, what I liked.

I hugged Baldwin’s shoulder tightly. The blue sky blurred away above me.

The storm of feelings smashed me to pieces. Baldwin breathed hot air against my skin.

I felt his breath scatter wetly and closed my eyes. It felt like every cell in my body would burst.

The Constantine estate was especially hot and beautiful that day.

“Did you enjoy your walk?”

Ella chatted as she rubbed oil onto my shoulders.

A walk? I bit my lip.

Of course, walking on the beach with my husband was one of the things on my bucket list for this trip.

I was greedily enjoying every part of this trip. Baldwin let me do almost everything I wanted—but he always wanted something in return.

How blue the sea was, how cool the breeze felt, how sweet the ocean smelled…

I couldn’t remember any of it. What I remembered was Baldwin’s shadow, his breath, his scent.

I sank deeper into the bath.

“Mm.”

I answered with a mumble.

If there was a problem, it was that I enjoyed everything Baldwin asked for, too.

They say late passion is scary.

The late wind that came to me wouldn’t stop blowing. I never imagined I had such passion inside.

“Are you going out again tomorrow? Is it just the two of you?”

“Probably.”

I curled up more.

Baldwin was born with a talent for waking up the woman inside me.

We planned to have a picnic, laying out a mat and sharing sour cranberries. I never imagined it would end like that.

Who knows how the next outing will end? Now, I even felt strange excitement…

“Ah!”

The thought made me yelp and dive under the water.

“Oh my! Your Grace! Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

I touched just below my chest. Baldwin had kissed there so hard that his mark stayed, and I was nervous Ella might see it while I bathed.

He even left marks behind my knees and deep inside my thighs. He somehow always found the places that were hard to see and left marks there.

Is he used to women because he’s had so many?

“Your Grace!”

Ella was panicking and stamped her feet. When I breathed out, bubbles floated to the surface. I poked my head above water.

“I’m fine. I just… just got a cramp in my leg. It’s okay now.”

“You scared me, Your Grace.”

Ella sighed dramatically, clutching her chest.

“Sorry for scaring you.”

Ella shook her head.

“You seem to have a lot on your mind. If something’s wrong, you can tell me. I might not be much help, but… I’ll listen if you need me.”

Ella smiled sweetly.

I had nothing to say, so I smiled awkwardly back.

What would I even say?

That my husband is more beast-like than I thought?

Or that I didn’t know I had this kind of wildness inside?

Should I say what I really did on my ‘walk’ this afternoon?

I licked my lips.

I decided to bury these worries deep in my heart.

On the third day of the Duke and Duchess’s honeymoon, Gwendolyn visited the Constantine mansion.

She dressed as fancy and elegant as possible.

“Gwendolyn! You’re as beautiful as ever! My goodness, when did you become such a fine lady?”

Rosemarlin laughed out loud. Gwendolyn smiled back.

“How have you been, Madam?”

“Of course. I got your letter just fine.”

Gwendolyn took her hand in hers.

She sat calmly, but inside she was burning. Jealousy twisted her up inside.

A honeymoon? The wedding had finished without problems, and Anais had Baldwin to herself for a whole week.

Gwendolyn felt as if Anais had stolen what was rightfully hers.

She wasn’t hungry. She couldn’t sleep.

“I was too worried about Constantine to sit still,” Gwendolyn sighed deeply.

“The Duchess…”

“The Duchess? That’s funny.”

The Madam’s voice was full of malice.

“Call her Barnaby. The title ‘Duchess’ is too much.”

“Is that okay? I just wanted to be careful…”

“I gave you permission, so it’s fine,” Rosemarlin shrugged. She couldn’t understand why Baldwin chose someone like Anais when he could have had a woman like Gwendolyn.

People used to say Rosemarlin had ruined the Constantine bloodline. To clean that tainted blood, they needed a high-ranking noble—like the Horace family Gwendolyn came from, with the right to sit at the Round Table.

Rosemarlin stared at Gwendolyn’s Horace brooch with longing.

Gwendolyn puffed her chest, enjoying the look.

“Actually, Barnaby even caused trouble for the Graham family, Madam. The Graham Bank… It’s ridiculous. The late marquis must have been tricked.”

“I think so too. People lose their judgment as they get older. Otherwise, why would he make such a decision? It’s a wonder the Graham marquis isn’t losing his mind.”

“Luckily, you have the patience of a true noble,” Gwendolyn replied sweetly.

Gwendolyn and Rosemarlin had no problem insulting Cesares Graham.

It was second nature for them to put down others just to justify their own ideas.

“Tsk, one wrong woman can ruin everything. We have to do something before Constantine ends up the same way. Baldwin is just obsessed for now. When he wakes up, he’ll realize he made the wrong choice.”

“Do you have a good plan?”

Gwendolyn handed the knife to Rosemarlin.

“I’m planning to hire an etiquette teacher. She needs to learn her place, starting with the basics.”

That sounds good.

Gwendolyn licked her lips.

“Do you know someone suitable?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve been out of the capital for a while, so a lot has changed. Most people I knew are gone now.”

“Then may I recommend someone? There’s a strict teacher who even turned a wild girl into a proper lady.”

“I’d be so grateful if you did!”

“Then I’ll contact her. She’ll surely agree—she takes pride in that sort of work.”

“Thank you. What would I do without you?”

“Where will the lessons be held? How many times a week?”

Gwendolyn asked quickly. She was desperate to kick Anais out before Baldwin became more attached to her.

“That’s a problem. She keeps making excuses about being busy.”

“Oh. The bank.”

Gwendolyn smiled and tilted her head.

“Then you could just hold the lessons at the bank, Madam.”

“At the bank?”

“That sounds like a great idea. Will you observe the lessons?”

“Of course! I need to make sure Barnaby learns properly.”

That was exactly what Gwendolyn hoped for.

“Maybe I could…”

“That’s a good idea. If you have time, you should come and show Barnaby the right example. Could you help me?”

“Of course, Madam.”

Gwendolyn had found her chance.

It was her chance to prove Anais didn’t belong there.

Gwendolyn and Rosemarlin were now working together for the same purpose:

To make Anais leave on her own, so Constantine would remain elegant and beautiful.