My Husband Picked Up a Woman - Chapter 9

“Is that something you should be saying in front of Gael’s headstone?”

“Gael. I wanted to become family with your sister.”

Briseis wondered what on earth he was talking about before sighing and retorting, “You are already family to me and Gael. We are like siblings.”

“That is clearly not the kind of family I meant.”

Calisten let out a short laugh and moved to her side. He began to gulp down the rum as if his throat were parched. Half of the large bottle vanished in an instant.

“Here.”

Briseis stared at the bottle he offered and let out a long sigh.

“I told you, I have class tomorrow.”

Yet, she desperately wanted a drink. Perhaps it was because it was the anniversary of Gael’s death, but she could not remain indifferent to the loss of a family member who had followed her so faithfully. Impulsively, she took the bottle.

Then, slowly, she drank directly from the bottle just as Calisten had. Normally, she would never have acted so undignified, but today, she lacked the mental energy to care about etiquette.

Damian, the man for whom she had wanted to maintain her dignity, had broken his most important promise to her. Gael, her only real family, was dead. And she knew that even if she gave up on this marriage, she would simply be sold off in another wedding trade. She felt as if she were standing in a maze with no exit, trapped by walls no matter which way she turned.

“Agh…”

She made a small sound as the bitter alcohol burned her throat.

“Mm…”

“Quiet, Cal.”

Calisten let out a low sound at the sight of her tipsy expression.

“It’s because it’s starting to hurt. Your expression is… strange.”

She handed the bottle back to him, and he gazed at her intensely. Despite the darkness of the night, her red hair remained vividly striking, paired with blue eyes that seemed to defy the gloom.

“Don’t touch me.”

When he tried to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, Briseis brushed his hand away.

“Ah…!”

She let out a sharp gasp as the movement agitated the bruises still lingering on her body from the fall.

“What was that?”

Calisten’s eyes flashed with realization at her small reaction.

“Cal!”

He carelessly tossed the bottle to the ground and grabbed her wrist, pulling up her sleeve. He stared at the dark bruises beneath.

“What is this?”

“Wait… stop!”

He roughly pulled off her jacket and looked her straight in the eye. “Will you tell me the truth, or do I have to see for myself?”

“See what? Have you lost your mind?”

“Yes. I’ve always been a madman.”

He pulled the sleeve higher, inspecting her arm. The fabric was pushed all the way up to her shoulder.

“Cal!”

“Does the Grand Duke hit you?”

“I fell down the stairs.”

“Did the Grand Duke push you down the stairs?”

“I fell. It was an accident.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

Calisten’s eyes were flickering like flames. Briseis found herself staring at him as if she were under a spell.

“Tell me the truth before I inspect any further.”

“I am telling the truth. I really fell…”

He didn’t even blink, reading her expression with an unwavering gaze.

“Damian didn’t do this.”

“Tell me honestly. Did the Grand Duke do this to you?”

“No. And even if he did, what does it have to do with you?”

He let out a scoffing laugh. “It matters quite a bit if the Duke is hitting you.”

“Cal.”

“I intend to make you get a divorce. But if the Duke made you like this by hitting you, I’ll make sure you become a widow instead.”

“You really are insane.”

“I told you, I’ve always been a madman.”

“Stay out of my business.”

As Briseis spoke coldly, he replied without a hint of hesitation. “I told you. If you save me, I am yours. And you have saved me repeatedly, from the time we were five years old until now.”

“That was never my intention.”

“Whether you intended it or not, I have already decided. So tell me the truth. Did the Duke do this to you?”

As the alcohol began to take effect, her mind felt strangely clear.

“If he had, I wouldn’t have left Damian alone myself.”

She picked up her jacket from the ground. Calisten’s desire to possess her was different from the romantic affection other men felt. He was like a child who obsessed over things he couldn’t have. Perhaps if she fell into his hands as he wished, he might be satisfied.

But Briseis knew that Calisten was the type to grow bored of his toys the moment they became his. The second she surrendered, he would lose interest. At least, that was the Calisten she knew. Briseis also realized that the “incidents” she had worked so hard to save him from were likely schemes he had devised just to have her. She was no longer a five-year-old child.

“I truly want you, Brie.”

When she didn’t answer and only stared, he continued with a smile. “Your beautiful eyes, your full lips… everything.”

“Dreams are free, Cal.”

She sighed and turned away. He followed her. She gave him a fleeting look as he followed her to the carriage, then boarded with a mask of forced politeness.

“You’ll be part of making my dream come true soon enough.”

She didn’t respond, but he closed the carriage door as if he had heard an answer. Briseis headed back to the estate, trying to organize her chaotic thoughts.

❖ ❖ ❖

“Eek!”

Briseis frowned the moment she returned to the mansion. She was already in a foul mood, but seeing Damian and Delilah made it even worse.

“Demi! W-wait! Put me down!”

“Then tell me you love me.”

“Ah, well… I…”

Damian was holding Delilah by the waist, spinning her around in circles in front of the main entrance. He was spinning her so fast that her skirt flared out completely. What’s more, the clothes Delilah was wearing belonged to Briseis.

“Are those my clothes?”

Both of them stopped and looked at Briseis simultaneously.

“How could you wear the very clothes my mother gave me?”

Briseis felt a sickening sensation realizing Delilah was wearing the outfit her mother had commissioned from a private designer for her wedding.

“Are you being petty about a dress again?”

“That dress… it was meant to be worn at our wedding reception.”

There had been no reception at Briseis’s wedding. The ceremony had been rushed, and Damian had skipped the reception, claiming he wanted to spend more time alone with her.

“Then it worked out for the better. Deli is wearing the dress much more beautifully than you ever would have, since you had no reason to wear it anyway.”

He slowly set Delilah down on the ground. The dress, tailored perfectly for Briseis, was a bit large for Delilah, and there were visible signs where it had been crudely cut and hemmed. Briseis had a curvaceous figure, whereas Delilah was much more slender and “elegant.” Naturally, the clothes were loose on her.

“Forget it.”

Briseis didn’t want to argue anymore. She turned to head to her room.

“Brie.”

Damian grabbed her arm and spun her around. “Have you been drinking?”

“Yes, I have. What of it?”

“How dare you. You stayed out drinking until late at night without your husband’s permission? And you didn’t even show up to the victory parade?”

“You were the one who told me not to come, Damian.”

Damian looked down at her with a furious expression. “You truly are a wife who does not know how to be submissive.”

Damian noticed a loose button on her left sleeve. He then saw bits of grass clinging strangely to her skirt and stockings, which made him feel suspicious.

“Are you… having a secret affair behind my back?”

“What?”

“I’m starting to doubt your purity.”

“Do you think a man who was just caught kissing another woman is in any position to ask me that?”

“I am your husband. It is common for men to keep mistresses.”

She felt a wave of disillusionment at the prospect of another circular argument.

“Jeron.”

Damian called for a servant.

“Yes, Master.”

“I need to verify if Brie is pure. Fetch a doctor.”

“Excuse me?”

Briseis clenched her fists at his words. “Do you think I would ever cooperate with such a thing?”

“Why refuse? Is it because you were meeting some vulgar man while I was away at war?”

“Are you completely insane?”

“Yes. A woman’s ‘first time’ always leaves a mark. I must verify it today.”

“And if I am not pure? Will you give me a divorce then?”

“Hardly. Even if you aren’t pure, you remain my wife. However…”

He stepped closer and looked down at her mockingly. “I don’t know what would happen to your filthy lover. And if you aren’t pure, you won’t leave this room until you’ve conceived a child.”

Delilah gasped and covered her mouth, appearing shocked. She frowned as if the situation were distasteful, but from her position behind Damian’s back, only Briseis could see her true expression.

“Follow me. I must put you to the test.”

“Let go of me!”

Damian gripped her arm roughly and began dragging her up the stairs toward the third-floor bedroom.

“Your Grace! A-A guest is…!”

A servant rushed over as Briseis and Damian struggled on the stairs.

“Tell them I’m busy! And get the doctor…”

“You dare turn me away?”

A guest who could enter without waiting for permission. There was only one such person: the Crown Prince.

“Your Imperial Highness?”

Damian looked at him in shock. Calisten stared pointedly at Damian’s hand, which was still gripping Briseis’s arm, his expression hardening with certainty.

“Today was the anniversary of Gael’s death, yet it seems you choose even a day like this to lay a hand on your wife?”

He spoke as if testing him, glaring at Damian like a predator.