Chapter 41
***
Blame it all on the council, and the emperor's handlers could be removed once and for all.
The more Hyreth harkens back to the good old days of the Emperor, when he didn't rely on foreign capital, the more the rumors of the Prince's birth flourish.
With the pearl back, all Caius had to do was defend Burg, court moderate nobles, or ride through the mob in a carriage like this one.
Time would take care of the rest.
By now, the carriage was almost at a standstill.
-knock.
After a knock, the door opened, and Michael appeared.
"Your Excellency, the road is so crowded that it's almost impassable. The carriage would be wrecked if we continued on, so shall we turn back?"
Caius grunted.
"Just go. If the carriage breaks, we can charge the imperial army for not managing the mob."
It was half a joke, but Michael didn't laugh in the slightest.
"Yes, Your Excellency."
The door closed, and the carriage continued to lurch lazily in its direction.
Caius leaned back into the rocking carriage, never before had the noise been so pleasant.
***
The next day, late at night.
Louise was just drifting off to sleep when the sound of horse hooves outside her window roused her.
She wondered what it mattered, since they hadn't even said good morning to each other, but she felt uncomfortable that Caius was later than usual.
He'd been gone for four days, and he wanted them to be as close as possible while people saw them, so a face-to-face greeting would be nice.
Louise threw on her robe and went out into the hall. She walked quickly down the long hallway and down several flights of stairs.
Soon she reached the garden. Caius dismounted from his carriage, listening to the butler's report, then turned to Louise and opened his arms in greeting.
"It's been a long time, my lady."
The hired hands lined up to greet the couple.
Louise awkwardly slipped into his arms and hugged him. Her husband reeked of strong alcohol.
"You're late, you must be tired, go upstairs and get some rest."
Caius smiled lazily and pressed his lips to Louise's cheek.
"What are you doing down here at this late hour, I wonder if I should come and see you."
Louise gritted her teeth at the sweetness in his voice.
Her heart pounded in her chest, if only because she was afraid the others would find out about this white lie. That would be the only reason.
As the hired hands watched with glistening eyes, Caius finished kissing Louise's other cheek.
"Let's go upstairs and get the rest of this out of your system."
A long arm wrapped generously around her waist. Louise clung to the man's arm, finding it difficult to keep up with his large strides.
They began to climb the stairs under many watching eyes.
Unsurprisingly, Caius hadn't spoken once since entering the mansion. He stormed up the stairs, showing little regard for Louise.
He went straight to the couple's bedroom.
Click, the door closed.
Expecting him to let her go with a shudder, Louise was startled by the man who turned and locked eyes with her, his arms still around her waist, his face too close. Black eyelashes blinked slowly, and a low voice asked.
"Trying to fulfill the Countess's duty?"
Louise jerked back to her senses. The man's words from the last time they'd been in bed, when he'd said her name, came flooding back. She flushed with embarrassment and averted her gaze.
"No, no, no, you arrived late, but I thought it would be polite to greet you."
He smirked, and his breath, thick and whiskey-scented, ruffled Louise's hair.
"Funny, you seem to have put that pregnancy theory to rest."
Caius used his free hand to shove Louise's robe off her shoulders. Louise covered her breasts with her palms, startled by the revealing sight of her indoor chemise dress.
It was too low at the bustline. A large hand gripped her shoulder, wrapped in the thin dress. The sexual intent was blatant in the slow, stroking movements down her arm.
"Drunk, you're drunk. Would you like me to walk you ------ to your office?"
Louise's words, as nonchalant as she could muster, were quickly eaten up by the man.
"Uh, ha, Your Highness!"
Louise shoved the man hard in the shoulder as he bit her lip. Caius pulled away, only to glare at her through glowing golden eyes.
"You were supposed to be my Ermoli, weren't you? You said you'd live up to your name, in bed and otherwise."
Did he mean it? Did he mean it the last time he said it? Louise sucked in a breath. She hadn't expected the man who had told her on their wedding day only a month ago that he didn't want her to be his, to suddenly turn on her like this. But Caius's gaze remained firmly fixed on her bright red lips, glistening with wetness.
"Did you say you would be a loyal servant?"
His mocking voice was cruel.
With a languid touch, he lifted the hem of Louise's chemise and let it drop. The linen shifted with every movement, revealing the curves of her body nestled within.
"Your body has my tastes all over it. Well, I suppose it can't be bad."
Caius looked down at the flushed Louise and continued.
"Then you'll serve me as a loyal servant, and as a Countess, too. If you push me away, I might question your loyalty."
Louise blinked in embarrassment.
Men had always been an enigma to her. No matter how hard she tried, she could never figure out what he really wanted.
Did he really want her to have an heir ahead of such a dangerous event as rebellion?
Was he truly hoping to get a child like that from her, from Ermoli, a shell of a name?
But the man pushed down the shoulder straps of her chemise, forcing Louise to stop thinking.
"Sire, please..................... I think you’re drunk, and you certainly didn't want to hold me the day we were married."
His golden eyes burned into hers as she clasped the large hand that held the fluttering piece of fabric.
"What if I want to hold you now?"
The flimsy garment slipped down her shoulders. Louise gasped at the sudden coolness of the air against her bare skin and raised her arms, trying to cover herself somehow.
A low voice warned in her ear.
"I told you not to push me away. I am your master, as I should be."
Master, lord, and husband.
This was the loyalty he demanded, and she must accept it, for she wielded the name he had given her freely.
"You are Ermoli, the most valuable servant of Heidenberg."
She wondered if her mother would want her to be loyal to Heidenberg as Ermoli, even on a night like this.
Caius kissed the back of Louise's trembling hand. Her head jerked at the touch of his lips, and her toes curled in her shoes.
The man who raised his head spoke amusedly.
"You know, Elizabeth taught me to take whatever I wanted."
Listening to the man's voice with her half naked body, she knew at least one answer. Her fingertips loosened in weakness.
Then, his strong hands guided her toward the bed.
"So tonight I have you. If Elizabeth were alive, she would be pleased."
She wanted to scream that it couldn't be true, but she couldn't.
Her mother would have been so happy.
Contrary to the man's misconception that her parents had abandoned him, they had remained loyal to Heidenberg until the moment of their deaths.
"Cherish this as you would your own mother."
Her mother tried to tell her to keep the pearl and give it to the crown prince.
"Stay true to yourself, an Ermoli, and live as you should, Louise."
Her father, whose will was even shorter than her mother's.
"Be honorable, be an Ermoli, Heidenberg's most valuable servant.”
Louise collapsed onto the bed with a thud.
Heidenberg's golden eyes glowed like a predator in the night under the red sky.
Unlike Louise, who was already half naked, the man was still in his tailcoat from outside.
"Will you strip me too?"
He demanded, borrowing the form of a question.
With trembling hands, Louise removed his coat. The lingering scent of whiskey from him seemed to intoxicate her.
Her hands went to the buttons of his vest, which clung tightly to his muscular body. Watching her white, slender hands tremble and slide over the tiny buttons, Caius choked on his performance and released his cravat.
Soon the dark cocoa-colored vest fell to the bed.
***
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