Duchess And Devil Side Story 3

“Judith. I’m sorry. This is my youngest brother. As you know, I’ve become less mobile due to my pregnancy, so he came up from the estate to help me. Ted, go on and greet her.”  

 

“…….”  

 

“Ted?”  

 

Despite being urged several times, the man, Ted, remained motionless. He simply stared at Judith in a daze, as if he had fallen asleep while standing. Perplexed by his inexplicable and persistent gaze, Judith tilted her head in confusion. But before she could dwell on it, Jeremy tugged at her hand, diverting her attention.  

 

While Judith was momentarily distracted by Jeremy, the Marchioness discreetly pinched Ted’s waist. It was a silent rebuke for his rudeness—standing there stiffly without properly greeting their guest. Yet, Ted stood as still as a stone statue, completely unresponsive.  

 

Just then, a maid approached their table and politely announced,  

 

“Madam, the Duke of Maximillian has arrived.”  

 

“Oh my, is it that time already?”  

 

The Marchioness, surprised, checked her pocket watch.  

 

“It seems he’s come to pick up Judith again today.”  

 

“Indeed. I told him it wasn’t necessary, but…”  

 

Blushing slightly, Judith rose to her feet, her cheeks tinged with pink, making her resemble a newlywed bride.  

 

There were quite a few noble husbands who openly expressed affection for their wives, but it was rare to find a man like Derrick who personally came to pick up his wife when she was out. While scheduling might be one reason, the stronger factor was the prevailing belief that a man’s presence at a gathering of women was utterly improper.  

 

However, ever since their marriage, Derrick had never once failed to come for Judith. Whether it was a small gathering or a grand tea party, he unhesitatingly made time for his wife. This devotion had become a well-known anecdote in imperial society.  

 

As this habit of his continued without change, the Marchioness, who had initially been bewildered, had now come to accept it as the norm. In fact, she found their affectionate relationship endearing, as if they were still newlyweds.  

 

“I should get going now, Mila.”  

 

“Yes. I had a wonderful time today. Let’s do this again soon.”  

 

Judith warmly bid farewell to Jeremy and Harry as well before following the maid out. When she had shrunk into a faint blur in the distance, Jeremy began to whine.  

 

“Sister!”  

 

As the Marchioness comforted the child in her arms, she was startled by Ted’s sudden outburst. Startled, she clutched her chest and turned to her younger brother.  

 

“You scared me! What’s the matter?”  

 

“Who was that woman?”  

 

“Hmm?”  

 

“The woman who just left!”  

 

Ted’s amber eyes gleamed with an unusual intensity. Sensing an inexplicable unease, Marchioness Dyer narrowed her eyes.  

 

“…You mean Judith? Why?”  

 

“Are you close to her?”  

 

“Of course. She’s my dearest friend.”  

 

“If you had such a beautiful friend, you should have introduced her to me sooner!”  

 

Mila let out a deep sigh as things unfolded exactly as she had feared. Before she could say anything to dissuade him, Ted clutched his chest, his eyes twinkling. As if trying to calm a heart that was pounding to the point of bursting.  

 

“I… I think I’ve fallen in love at first sight.”  

 

Though Ted was always lively and cheerful, today, his excitement seemed excessive. Anyone could see it—he had the face of a boy struck by a first love. The Marchioness truly felt like holding her forehead in exasperation.  

 

As the youngest in the family, Ted was ten years younger than her and had grown up spoiled with an overabundance of love and affection. Because of that, he was often oblivious to the ways of the world and acted recklessly, resulting in frequent scoldings.  

 

Still, to her, he was a precious younger brother, someone she cherished deeply. And yet, rather than supporting his love, she knew she had to extinguish it before it grew any further. It was a painful realization.  

 

But what could she do? Judith already belonged to someone else.  

 

“Stop this, Ted. Judith is the wife of the Duke of Maximillian.”  

 

The hopeful glow in Ted’s eyes instantly crumpled like a sheet of paper.  

 

“……What?”  

 

“It’s been a year since their wedding. The Duke himself just came to pick her up. Didn’t you hear the maid’s announcement earlier?”  

 

When the maid had spoken, Ted had been completely entranced by Judith. The moment he saw her, all the sounds and colors of the world had vanished, leaving only Judith moving vividly within his vision. Her voice, the way her eyes curved when she smiled, the gentle demeanor with which she cared for Jeremy—all of it had been etched into his mind like an indelible mark. The maid’s words had not registered at all.  

 

So when his sister’s words finally reached him, the rosy glow in his chest instantly turned cold. It was as if he had been drenched in ice water, his mind coming to a complete halt.  

 

For Ted, it truly felt as if the world had collapsed.  

 

Of course, he had assumed she was an unmarried young lady. He had no doubt about it. After all, the noblewomen he had encountered until now were mostly elderly ladies. Never before had there been a woman so beautiful and elegant.

 

As Judith had guessed, Ted was quite popular. In the territory where he had lived all his life, there were plenty of women who would blush and squeal just at the sight of him. Moreover, having been surrounded by flattery since childhood, he found it difficult to accept the idea of giving up on something.

 

Perhaps because he had never before taken a romantic interest in a woman, this time, his stubbornness was particularly strong.

 

For the first time in his life, he had fallen in unrequited love.

 

“Please, don’t do anything foolish.”

 

Marchioness Dyer, knowing Ted better than anyone, earnestly tried to dissuade him. However, a feeble warning could not possibly reach a young man blinded by love.

 

His gaze lingered for an unbearably long time on the spot where Judith had disappeared.

 

***

 

A week had passed since the meeting with Marchioness Dyer.

 

Judith pulled the blanket up to her chest and quietly stared at the letter in her hand. A maid had brought it to her early in the morning along with breakfast.

 

Her gaze drifted hesitantly toward the tray on the bedside table. Beside the meal for two, a single rose lay neatly wrapped.

 

She adjusted the blanket to keep it from slipping and glanced behind her. Derrick’s eyes remained peacefully closed. Watching him for a moment, Judith swallowed hard before quietly opening the envelope.

 

On the soft pink stationery, a sweetly composed poem was accompanied by a greeting so affectionate it seemed to drip with honey. Judith, the recipient, looked thoroughly unimpressed as she pressed her fingernail against the name signed at the bottom—Ted.

 

It had been a week already. The young brother of Marchioness Dyer had been sending her these inexplicable letters and gifts.

 

At first, she had thought it was simply an expression of gratitude toward his sister’s friend. However, once she realized the poem was about ‘love’ and learned the meaning behind the rose he had sent, she understood she had been completely mistaken.

 

A crimson rose, so red that even the sun dared not shine upon it, carried a meaning as passionate as its color. Furthermore, the number of roses altered its message. A single rose meant, ‘I fell for you at first sight.’

 

Realizing that these morning gifts were far from innocent, Judith found them to be nothing but a burdensome weight. While someone else might have found it romantic, to her—already married to the man she loved—it was utterly useless.

 

What should I do about this? Lost in thought with the letter in her hand, Judith suddenly flinched at a tickling sensation along her back. Something warm and soft, making an adorable friction sound, slithered up her spine like a vine.

 

Soon, a strong presence pressed against her back. Maintaining her composure, Judith carefully set the letter aside on the bedside table.

 

“You’re awake?”

 

She turned toward Derrick, who had wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.

 

His tousled hair, a clear sign of just waking up, swayed as he chose not to respond but instead gently bit her shoulder. Then, his damp tongue traced over the reddened mark left from the night before, where he had persistently nibbled.

 

The saliva seeping into her skin reminded her of how their bodies had been drenched in sweat the previous night from their passionate lovemaking.

 

Judith let out a faint sigh and stroked his jaw. Like a massive beast clinging to her, the man let out a deep chuckle.

 

His hand effortlessly slipped under the blanket. After caressing her flat stomach a few times, it slowly trailed upward, firmly grasping her breast. He kneaded it rhythmically, applying just enough pressure to avoid pain, before deliberately flicking her still-sensitive nipple, swollen from the previous night’s passion.

 

“Nng, Derrick.”

 

She called his name in an attempt to stop him, but he paid no heed. Instead, he teasingly pinched and rolled her nipple, sending a sharp jolt of pleasure between her thighs.

 

Judith bit her lower lip and leaned into him. The blanket, which had precariously covered her bare body, slid down, exposing her. With swift movements, Derrick climbed over her, sucking on the love marks that adorned her neck.

 

“You, ah, have a meeting today, don’t you?”

 

“I’m not going.”

 

“Is that okay?”

 

“My subordinates need to earn their pay somehow.”

 

In the end, he was simply planning to push all his responsibilities onto his men and laze around, rolling in bed with her. She could already picture his aide, Nocturne, pleading with him not to behave this way.

***

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