Become The Duke's Wife Or Die

Duke Kleo's galloping horse stopped at Wereal almost at midnight.  His business with Viscount Darwin was over, and he had already managed to find a way to ensnare Lyra in his charms.  He was sure that this time she would never run away again, and at the same time be infatuated with him.

Stefanus followed behind him, looking surprised at his master's strange expression.  "Are you sure this will work, My Lord?"  So far he didn't know what kind of advice Viscount Darwin was giving to his master.  And if he knew, maybe he regretted having suggested Duke Kleo go see someone he knew.

"Sure," Duke Kleo nodded, his robes fluttering in the gloom.  Starting up the stairs, he now walked down the hall to quickly head to Lyra's room on the north side.  "Don't you know Darwin's a good man when it comes to women's matters?"

It was precisely because of this that Stefanus began to worry because it seemed that Viscount Darwin's method was a bit too intimate.  He couldn't imagine what would happen to Lyra later.  Blessings he had prayed, solely for her happiness.

"But I guess filtering out every suggestion isn't bad either, My Lord,"  Stefanus commented, turning the last corner to get to Lyra's room.  His footsteps stopped a moment after Duke Kleo did.  His gaze rose and found the stern face of his master.

"You are the one who asked me to seek advice from Darwin.  So never be fussy!"

Stefanus was silent even though half of his mind denied the statement.  Just as his body was about to enter Lyra's room, Duke Kleo waved a hand at him, begging him to stay outside.  That's when the guard knew there would be private activity in the room.  Especially after seeing the horde of maids coming out from within, that belief grew even more.

Lyra had been sitting on the back of the bed, her face turned to look at the night view.  That composure was rare to her, so she wanted to make the most of it.

Her time of solitude was interrupted after hearing her bedroom door open.

"Isn't it already midnight?"  Lyra whispered, letting go of the silver moon in the sky to gaze ahead at the figure behind the curtain that was currently approaching.  In one glance she could say that it was Duke Kleo.

At first, she wanted to pretend to be asleep, but soon realized it was useless.  Many maids were spies, which of course would never side with her.  Finally, she sat up straight, calming her pounding heart.  Besides that, she was also predicting the reason he came to her bedroom.

"My Lord," she called out in a voice too low, without even realizing it. She got no answer except for an order from Duke Kleo asking the maids to come out.  Swallowing her saliva, she immediately knew something bad would happen to her that night.  'Am I going to be punished?' she thought uncertain.

Her thoughts were interrupted after the bedroom door closed, leaving a lonely and awkward air.  Now there were only the two of them, who didn't even have a meaningful topic of conversation.

"My Lord," she said again, squeezing her fingers.  "What business have you come here for?"  Her body shuffled, intending to stand face to face with him.

"Stay seated!"  he ruled firmly even though he didn't seem angry.  "I just wanted to check if you're making trouble again or not."  His hands crossed, his gaze watching her slightly pale face, beautiful long eyelashes, and slightly dry lips.  'Is her condition still not fully recovered?' Even though she had only just woken up that day.

"I don't mean to cause trouble, My Lord," she said defensively.  "Even the maids stay awake.  I can't do that.  This time I will be an obedient girl?"

"Really?"  One of his eyebrows rose.  "Then why haven't you slept yet?"  he asked after seeing her nod.

"That's because I'm not sleepy.  It seems that because I was unconscious for too long it affected my sleep pattern."  Lyra sounded a little nervous, which was something she shouldn't have done.  "I-I have eaten well, My Lord.  I even finished all the food that was provided for me.  You can ask the servants.  I'm not disobedient anymore.  Really!"

With a long sigh, Duke Kleo knew she was doing all this just because he wanted to protect the two people who took her away yesterday.  Understanding and anger mixed into one.

"I have an offer for you."  He sat down after standing for a long time, dragging a wooden chair closer to him.  His knees touched the edge of the bed.

"What is it, My Lord?"  She had a bad feeling.

"I just came back from outside, to meet an old friend.  On the way, I saw a house on fire."

Lyra widened her eyes, as her throat caught in her throat.  However, she didn't want to point it out before Duke Kleo explained everything in full.

"I heard that the house was rented out to a group of young people.  However, because one of them was often causing trouble, an enemy came to burn it down.  In the end, she and her friends had to pay a sum of money."  Duke Kleo's grin looked hideous in the dim night.  "I heard that one of them was taken prisoner as collateral.  Tsk, what a sad story."

Lyra's eyes filled with tears, her hands gripping the blanket.  'Is Tiny okay?' Her mind was starting to get tight again.

"And I heard again that one of them could pay some compensation.  But the main suspect who was at fault just disappeared as if running away."

'I didn't run away.  I'm in prison,' thought Lyra, lowering her head.

"Hm, I was just wondering what would happen to that prisoner if her friends couldn't pay the compensation?  Will she be sold into slavery?  Seems like that sounds unfair even though she's not at all guilty."  His grin rose after seeing her more gloomy than before.

"I thought, what should I do?  Should I ignore this private matter among my people?  Or should I do something?"  He raised his eyebrows when he saw her looking up at him expectantly.  "So what do you think?  Do I need to help them?"  His head tilted.

"Can…can you do something to help them?"

Checkmate!  He got it.

"Of course, I can. As long as I get the advantage too," Duke Kleo said in response.

"But aren't you a noble who has to protect your people?"

"I will only protect my innocent people.  While in this case, several parties are guilty.  I can't possibly protect all of them unless I get a commensurate advantage."

Lyra bit her lip, closing her eyes tightly.  "What advantage do you want?" she asked as she looked up, her hands still clenched into fists.

"I have to fulfill my promise to my mother.  I have to marry the girl I have slept with.  But I don't want to be cold and stay alone in bed.  I also need warmth."  His fingers slid under the blanket, snaking to caress her, the folds from above the pajamas.  He smirked when he saw her panting.

"My-My Lord," she whined as she squirmed.  "L-let's talk properly."  When the tip of the finger pressed her naughty.

***