try begging
By the time the walk was ending, Martha's face was still flushed red.
What is he thinking?
That man only helped untangle the earrings from her hair.However, Grace, who had misunderstood his actions, kept quiet about the incident.
It wasn't untilthey were about to enter the annex after their uneventful walk that Martha suddenly broached thesubject she had been avoiding.
"It seems like the Count loves you."
"Yeah."
Grace wasn't sure where in his behavior she should see the love, but it was true, so she nodded.However, she couldn't respond to the next question.
"So, do you love the Count?"
"......"
The question was met with silence, and she found herself reflecting the same question back atMartha.
"Can't you open this door right now?"
A woman's piercing scream filled the air. The three of them, having turned the corner toward theannex's main entrance, had poor timing.
The owner of the voice was Lady Winston. She stood behind the heavily closed iron gate, yelling atthe guards to open the door immediately. When she saw the three of them, her face went slack withshock.
Caught.
Grace realized that Lady Winston had discovered their presence in the annex somehow after thearticle was published. Grace could guess whose idea it might have been and let out a small, amusedchuckle.
"My goodness... so it was true."
Lady Winston, staggering, was supported by the head maid and attendants who were in a state ofchaos.The color drained from Lady Winston's face as she fixed her gaze not on Grace but on Martha, whowas holding Benny's hand.
Benny's resemblance to Leon must have caused a misunderstanding.
"Go inside."
Grace led the two of them into the annex's entrance.
"Can't you drag them out? Open this door!"
Behind them, Lady Winston was causing a commotion again, demanding that the door be opened,but Grace did not turn back.Despite Lady Winston bringing strong attendants with her, those who controlled the annex werewell aware that the Count was the employer, not the woman trying to drag out his mistress andchild. The guards at the annex did not open the door without instructions from the Count or Grace.
"How dare you ignore my orders! Get out of my estate! Can't you come out?"
Ignoring the powerless woman's threats, Grace was about to enter when Lady Winston's next wordsmade her hesitate.
"If you don't come out willingly, I'll set the place on fire! Do you think I can't?"
The threat of fire made Grace's heart race. Her thoughts flashed back to the circus tent burningdown, the roaring flames, and the sound of it collapsing. She remembered the terror of thinking herdaughter and that man were trapped inside, and how the ground beneath her had felt like it wascrumbling too.
In a building as easily accessible as this annex, a fire would leave her and her child trapped andhelpless. The annex, having faced no attacks or fires so far, felt like the safest place.But now, the only place where her child was safe was being threatened with destruction by thiswoman.
"Grace?"
Grace pushed away Martha, who was trying to hold her back. She crossed the courtyard swiftly, andthough the guards tried to stop her, she pushed past them and stood in front of the iron gate.
"You, you're, oh my, you're that maid."
Lady Winston's eyes widened in realization, then narrowed with hostility as she recognized Grace,understanding that the Count's mistress was not Martha but her.Lady Winston thrust her umbrella through the bars, trying to hook Grace's neck with the curvedhandle and pull her away.
As if Grace were a contemptible and insignificant person.In a furious rage, Grace snatched the umbrella away. The expensive silk umbrella was torn in twoand flung outside the gate.
"Gah!"
Unable to believe what was happening, Lady Winston's collar was grabbed by Grace, who glared ather and spat out a threat through clenched teeth.
"Do you think you'll be left unscathed if you harm my child?"
The attendants and guards could only watch helplessly as the Count's mistress openly insulted LadyWinston.
"P-please don't. Calm down."
Only the head maid tried to defuse the situation verbally, but it was ineffective.
"My goodness, how dare you make such vulgar threats...."
For a moment, Lady Winston was subdued by Grace's authority, but then she regained hercomposure and began to retaliate with insults.
"How dare you, a mere maid who should be cleaning floors, behave so arrogantly just becauseyou've given birth to an illegitimate child of a noble! Don't you know? My son never does anythingthat would be to his detriment. Do you really think that child would leave the Grand Duchess tomarry a maid? Leon is just toying with you."
Grace felt a pang of pity for the woman who was so completely ignorant of her son. MisinterpretingGrace's stunned silence as a sign of hesitation, Lady Winston lowered her voice and continued tothreaten.
"Listen carefully. I know who you are. You're a spy trying to ruin our family. Who is youraccomplice? Are you really a rebel? No, you must be someone from the military who envies my sonand is trying to frame him."
This is pointless. Listening to the lunatic, Grace's rational mind returned. Just as she was about toenter the annex, Lady Winston reached out and yanked at her sleeve.
"I don't know who you're taking orders from, but I can offer you far more than they ever could.Remember, you won't get a single penny from my son."
"I don't need your money."
Grace had never needed the Winston family's money before, and she still didn't.
"Then what do you gain from ruining our family?"
"Lady Winston, you're deeply mistaken. I have no interest in your family whatsoever."
"Then you must truly love my son? Who would believe that? You're nothing but a cunning demonwho has seduced a man with a fiancée for your own greed! Do you think I'll let you ruin ourfamily?"
"No, I intend to ruin your son."
Grace's anger flared suddenly, and she twisted the wrist that held her sleeve. The woman was pulledright back into Grace's face.
"Don't worry, Lady Winston. I'm quite fed up with the Winston family. I'll ensure you disappearforever."
The hint of color faded quickly from Lady Winston's face.
"Your son will disappear with me too. I'm curious to see how long you can cling to your esteemedfamily name and wealth."
Without that man, you are nothing. You're just a true parasite, living off your accomplished son, andhere you are, calling someone else a demon.Lady Winston sneered at Grace, showing her disdain.
"How naive."
But who's the naive one here?
"Do you really think my son would give up everything—money, status, power, reputation—for you,without being insane?"
Yes, he's mad, for me.A confident smile spread across Grace's face.
"Well, it seems your son's progressive views are different from what you believe. He's willing toraise the child himself and asked me to bring in money. The great hero and noble Count will soonbecome an unemployed stay-at-home father."
Lady Winston's face trembled with shock.
"Don't joke around. Not at this level..."
"Does it sound like a lie? Ask him yourself."
As Grace released Lady Winston's wrist, she emphasized one last time.
"Listen carefully. I don't need the Winston name."
Money, power, status, reputation.Grace spat out those words, synonymous with everything she didn't need.
"Escort her out."
She ordered the attendants and turned away resolutely. Lady Winston's anguished cries echoedbehind her.
"Drag her out immediately!"
"She'll faint if this continues. Please calm down."
"Let go! I said get that witch out of here! Who are you obeying right now? I'm the mistress of thishouse!"
While Lady Winston was being escorted away, pretending to be supported by the head maid andattendants, Martha followed Grace into the annex.
Why is he doing this if he loves me?
Having overheard the entire conversation behind Grace as instructed, Martha struggled tounderstand why the Count was not stopping but rather encouraging this uproar.
"Grace?"
Martha's thoughts were cut off abruptly when Grace suddenly collapsed on the stairs leading to thesecond floor. Seeing her shoulders heaving, she rushed over, fearing she was crying, but Grace'sface was dry when she looked up.
"Did you hear what I just said?"
Grace was laughing, clutching her stomach. While the Count's actions became increasinglyincomprehensible, Grace's hearty laughter echoed through the annex.
"Oh my goodness..."
-----
Elizabeth lay on the sofa in the reception room next to the main hall on the first floor, moaning inpain. She had lost the strength in her legs and couldn't climb the stairs, so she had collapsed there.The head maid, who had briefly disappeared, returned with a refreshing drink and an ice pack.
Elizabeth glared at the maid, who had not listened to her, and pushed the drink away, taking onlythe ice pack and placing it on her forehead.As her head throbbed painfully, the events of earlier replayed vividly in her mind.
"Haa, oh my goodness..."
This was the first time she had ever been subjected to such a dreadful humiliation by someone solowly.
"Your son's progressive thinking is quite different from what you might expect. He's willing to raisethe child himself and told me to bring in money."
She had thought Grace was mad. But now, seeing her audaciously smirking, Elizabeth saw her sonin that brazen woman.And now, through the open door, she saw her son. As Leon ascended the stairs from the basement,holding the child in his arms, Elizabeth pushed aside the bag that had blocked her view and widenedher eyes.
Wasn't that the boy she saw in the annex?Relieved that the illegitimate child was a girl, she immediately focused on the child's face.
"Oh... oh my goodness..."Elizabeth moaned again. When she met Leon's gaze as he reached the first floor, he showed no signof surprise or apology. Instead, her son stood boldly at the door, making a shocking statement.
"Ellie, say hello. This is Grandma."
"Hello. My name is Ellie, and Daddy's name is Leon."
Leon smiled as he watched Ellie clearly pronounce his name. He hadn't even taught her his nameformally; she had learned it just by listening to her mother. It was quite impressive.
"But is Grandma's name Grandma?"
"No, you call her Grandma because she's Daddy's mother."
Ellie's eyes widened, and she asked in a puzzled voice.
"Does Daddy have a mommy too? Why? Why does he have a mommy?"
Although Ellie knew that friends and other adults had parents, she seemed shocked to learn that herparents were not always Ellie's mom and dad from birth. She might be even more shocked to learnthat Daddy was once a baby just like her.
"Mommy is waiting for Ellie's gift."
"Maja."
Leon set Ellie down and gently nudged her toward the main door of the mansion. He handed thehead maid the amethyst, which was too heavy for Ellie to carry, and instructed her to take the childback to the annex.
"Miss, I will call for the carriage. Please wait a moment."
Elizabeth had to place the ice pack back on her forehead when the maid referred to the illegitimatechild as "young lady."
"Good heavens, she even put a crown on her head..."
Leon stood outside the reception room, glancing in with a smirk. A servant at his mother's feet washolding a parasol with a broken handle and dirt smeared all over it. The woman must have forgotten that he knew she had once used a billiard ball to crack his head open. She seemed to have beendesperate.
Well, she had no choice but to act that way, considering he had previously removed the hiddenrevolver from his mother's hatbox.His mother glared at him from behind the ice pack and then signaled for the servants to leave. Withonly the two of them left, she began her scolding.
"Your father was lured to his death by a beautiful spy from the rebels, and now you're consideringthe same? Despite your baffling choices, I always believed the outcome would be right. How couldyou betray your mother like this?"
Leon looked down at her with a detached gaze as she squeezed her eyes shut and sighed deeply.
"Yes, it was a mistake to trust you. Like father, like son. Have you also decided to torment me todeath?"
"I will leave before summer."
The casual remark seemed to surprise his mother again. Her expression brightened slightly, and shelooked at him with a touch of skepticism.
"Such nonsense. Are you really..."
Leon shook his head, and his mother sighed in relief, closing her eyes.
"Yes, it is nonsense."
Leon turned his back and walked out of the main building, a smirk playing on his lips.At least he hadn't lied.
-------
"Isn't it beautiful?"
"Yes, it's sparkling and lovely. I really like it. Thank you."
"Heh..."
Grace, feeling proud, kissed Elie's forehead and placed the amethyst in the dollhouse garden. Itappeared she had taken it from Jerome Winston. The thought of him enjoying his sister's frustrationmade Grace chuckle.
"Look at this. Isn't it amazing?"
"Yes."
Elie had placed what looked like a pendulum next to the amethyst. The pendulum swung back andforth, hitting extremes before coming to rest at the center.
"It looks just like us."
Grace couldn't take her eyes off the pendulum.
"They're here!"
Elie, pulling a toy from the box, shouted towards the door. Expecting her father, she looked back tofind Martha entering the playroom. Elie, who had been waiting to play hide-and-seek with Martha,put down her toy and stood up.
"Elie will be the seeker."
The child moved to the window, covering her eyes with her hands and turning around. The rule wasto hide on the same floor for ten counts.
"One."
As Elie started counting, Benny ran out of the playroom, with Martha following closely behind.Grace, a bit late, stood up and headed for the hallway.
"Two."
Benny hid behind the long curtain draped over the window. Unaware that her feet were visible, shethought she was hiding perfectly. Martha was probably hiding not far from her son.
"Three."
Maybe I should find a more distant hiding place.As Grace turned the corner of the hallway, searching for a spot to clear her troubled mind, sheencountered the person who had been troubling her. Still in his military uniform, he was holding anunfamiliar envelope.
They stood there, neither approaching nor passing by, exchanging intense, silent questions while thechildren's counting continued in the distance.
"I heard Lady Elizabeth Winston visited."
Leon's direct approach made it clear he knew Grace was aware of this.
"How does it feel to be in a situation where you both love and despise the same Elizabeth?"
"I feel honored to be in such a position. But that wasn't your true intention, was it?"
Grace's boldness reminded Leon of her past self. Reassured that she was as straightforward as ever,he confessed the real reason behind his actions.
"It was a kind of test."
"A test?"
Leon had consulted not only with renowned psychologists about his daughter's condition but alsospent even more on assessing Grace's situation.
What should he do to make Grace stand on her own, without relying on anyone?
He needed to findthe answer because he had to leave her alone.He pushes and pulls. Sometimes Grace maintains her high status, other times she shows anunexpected low status.
A psychologist had compared Grace's fluctuating behavior and psychology to a pendulum.
"A pendulum experiences unstable oscillations to the left and right before reaching equilibrium."
When a pendulum is raised to one side and then loses its support, it cannot immediately come torest at the equilibrium point.It must first reach the same height on the opposite side and then returnslightly below the original position. Gradually, the amplitude decreases until it reaches equilibrium.
For the past month, he had been carefully observing Grace's changes while gradually creatingpsychological distance to prevent her from relying too much on him. His instincts told him Grace'samplitude was decreasing, but he couldn't be entirely sure.When he shared his doubts, a professor suggested a simple test.
"I needed to see how you would react when psychologically cornered, just like before. So, I broughtthe situation right to your doorstep."
He had expected that Grace, having regained her mental strength and confidence, would beunharmed by his mother's provocations. And indeed, his prediction was correct. But there was anunexpected bonus.
"Your son will disappear with me forever."
This was probably just a spiteful remark, so it couldn't be counted as a real benefit, but it waspleasant to hear.The real gain was something else.
"I don't need Winston."
Yes, Grace. You're following the path I've cleared for you. Think carefully about where it leads.As the distant counting reached eight, Grace gazed at the man with a subtle smile.
It was exasperating, but not enraging. To think that making her argue with his mother was merely atest of her mental state. It was a purpose simpler and more logical than she had imagined.
Too simple.
This man, he wouldn't have lied. The role of the argument was likely limited to that.But this was merely an interlude in the grand circus led by Leon Winston. That was the strongintuition she had.
I've already figured it out. Be honest with me.I shot him a questioning glare and got no answer.
"Ten! Now Eli's coming to get you!"
Forget it, let's hide.
Grace tore her gaze away from the pale blue eyes and turned her head. Just as she was about tobrush past the man still standing in the center of the hallway, a hand closed around her arm and shewas jerked away.Before she could recognize the room he'd pulled her into, she was thrown into the closet attached toher room.
The man entered with her, closing the door quietly behind his back.As she was plunged into the darkness, the giant image of the man she had seen just before the doorclosed loomed large in front of her. She couldn't see his face because he had his back to the light,but she could clearly see the hunger in his eyes.
That alone made her breath catch in her throat. She misunderstand this man's behavior again, eventhough she is sure he doesn't mean anything vulgar.The closet is cramped, and her chest is pressed against his, so if she take a deep breath, he'll feel itimmediately.
She breathe in shallowly, trying not to let him know that she is heating up. The moreshe did so, the more her breathing quickened as the familiar scent of cologne mixed with the forest'sscent suffocated her.
In the darkness, where there was no movement, no sound, Grace's mind faded. All she could feelwas the heat of their bodies against each other, as she lost track of time and space and who she andthe man in front of her were.
Only when she heard the faint sound of children's voices outside did Grace remember what she wasdoing. This is not the time for this.
Did you think to join in on the hide-and-seek?
She tried to break the tension that was spreading like a flesh wound between them with a quickjoke, but it didn't work. The breath caught in my throat as I opened my mouth.
"Suck...."
His lips, lighter than a feather on her fingertips this morning, pressed heavily against hers. When heopened his lips, Grace's own parted with the force of his touch, the flesh pressing in through thegap, pushing her gums apart.
Now she can't say that this man has not vulgar intentions. If his mother were to see him now, shewould have to admit that the devil of vulgar seduction is my son.
"Mmmm, mmmm...."
Grace threw her legs up to meet the greedy kiss. But no matter how hard she pressed her thighstogether, she couldn't stifle the desire that swelled between them.Saliva dripped from between their parted lips, and he deftly lapped it up with the tip of his thumb.
Grace grew nervous that he would slip his thumb under her skirt. Unbeknownst to him, her innerthighs were also becoming damp.Her lips parted with a wet sound as she grabbed his pectorals so that the crookedly hung medalbumped against them.
"I don't know whether it's a good thing or a bad thing that you know me so well."
A ragged, breathy whisper spilled from her lips, tingling from the friction.
"Whatever, make it unbearable."
The hand on her waist tightened and her feet left the floor, and her body jerked backward in aninstant. As soon as Grace stood against the wall, two hands slid down the curve of her hips andlifted her skirt. Fingers dug into her pussy as the bloomers were pulled down.
"Hmph...."
A shudder ran through her body. Her head jerked back in surprise at the blatant stimulation and sank against his firm chest. The man who had been groping her intimate flesh let out a strangled moan inher ear, an unfamiliar sound.
"Guess we don't need foreplay."
Behind her, she heard the buckle of his belt unbuckle, and the tip of an army boot slipped betweenGrace's shoes. She willingly spread her legs, lifting up on her toes and lowering her back. Theirbodies pressed together in the cramped confines of the closet.
"Hmph...."
Grace bit her lip as the man's body began to thrust into her. No matter how hard she tried, it was toomuch. Only the tip of the shaft was in her vagina, but it felt heavy. It was almost suffocating as thecolumn of flesh slowly pushed in, filling her up from below.
Eventually he was all the way in. He could feel the uterus pushing up against the tip of his penis. Hecould feel her lining stretched to the limit, biting down on the thick pillar of flesh, making himsquirm and shudder. Even as she willingly lay on top of him, Grace was a little terrified at thispoint.
"Can we move?"
The man asked in a deep voice, giving her a moment to compose herself. Grace opened her mouthto answer, but instead clamped it shut.
"Hah, that's right."
As soon as he felt the deeply engaged penis twitch, he bit back on his waist. The heavy feeling thathad filled him disappeared, replaced by emptiness. The tip of his penis, just barely touching hervaginal opening, slid back in, and the foreign sensation was about to become pleasure.
"Ahhhh...."
"Mom! Mom, where are you?"
Ellie's voice was close. It meant she had entered the room.
"Shhh. Quiet."
A large palm clamped over Grace's mouth as she froze in a fetal position, then the hand wrappedaround her lower belly disappeared.
"Mommy? Mommy!"
Her voice grew closer and closer, and I realized with a start that there was no way to lock the closetdoor from the inside.Grace reached out in the darkness for the doorknob.
As soon as she was relieved that he already hadthe doorknob, a small shadow fell across the narrow gap between the floor and the door. It meantEllie was pacing in front of the closet.
"Mommy?"
I held my breath even harder, wondering if I'd be spotted by the child in the doorway.
"Over here!"
Benny's voice came from the distance.
"Mom, are you in there? No. Ellie needs to find you."
I heard running footsteps, then fading into the distance.
"Haah...."
The hand over her mouth fell away, and Grace let out the breath she'd been holding. Relief, thenshame, as sanity returned.
Even a beast wouldn't do this.She shoved at his chest pecs, trying to twist his cock out of her ass. His back began to buck.
"Hmph...."
"Shhh."
He clamped his mouth over hers again and whispered in her ear.
"Finish it. Just until you come."
He meant he wasn't going to go all the way.
"You can go if you want to, in a heartbeat."