Claude was hoping that Christal was playing a trick on him; that she was hiding somewhere in his room and that, when she would hear his excuses, she would come back to him.
It was his wish.
He cried for so long he didn't know and then, he heard knocking at the door and got up naked running like crazy.
He was crazy indeed to believe that Christal would knock on his door but he was so desperate that the only person he could seek would always be Christal. It was only she who existed henceforth.
He was naked but didn't care so he went to open the door...
It was the butler who came every morning to tell him that lunch was ready but today he wasn't alone, Eléonore was there too.
When the two saw Claude's state, they each had a very distinct reaction. While the butler remained stoic having already seen his master in this state on many occasions, Eléonore was red as a tomato. Her gaze fell on the semi-rigid cock of her husband...then she thought back to the events of the previous day and lowered her face in sadness, she glanced behind Claude to see who he was with...she wanted to see this woman who had made her suffer so much during the night.
Eléonore had cried for hours refusing to eat, her sons being tucked in by the nanny, she didn't know what to do or how to react so she just cried.
The butler arrived later to bring her meal and she told him what she had discovered, realizing that the man only seemed half surprised.
" It is not a problem madam."
She looked up in amazement wondering what the butler meant by that.
" It is not unusual for men of the nobility to have lovers and even concubines. I do not see why you will make a fuss about it. You are the wife, the mistress of this house, the Duchess of Hosten. How would a vulgar lover frighten you? You have the power and she has nothing. When the duke will get tired of her, he will come back to you without you forcing him."
Eléonore understood the man's words well but he wasn't there, he didn't hear what Claude said to this woman, the passion that emanated from his voice... no, she didn't want to be so naive but he was right on one point. She was the mistress of the house and she would never let a common lover make her falter.
She had been far too lax all these years; she had to prove to him who she was and what was her place in his house.
So she was in this hallway with the butler in front of her naked husband to show him that she was his wife, not the other whore.
When Claude had seen that it was not Christal, he had been seriously disappointed.
His disappointment being read on his face, he was about to slam the door when Eléonore took his hand, delicately almost lovingly. This action made him tense anticipating a furious revenge on his skin from Christal but nothing came of her.
She, who always seemed ready to mark her territory, didn't do anything. Eléonore's hand ran over his skin with her hand trying to send shivers but she wasn't touching him like her, no, it was too much different.
she was right, he would only want her in his life, her touch, her look, her kisses, her body but she left after using him.
She took what she wanted and left like a bitch ripping his heart out, he wanted to hate her, that was what it should be done. If she didn't want to take responsibility for his feelings, she shouldn't have continued to tease him as she did.
She indeed felt nothing for him, perhaps she had already found another man to play with.
That filthy demon, if she dared, he would kill them both, that bastard and her. Christal belonged to him..she was his and he wouldn't accept her daring to sleep with another guy.
He clenched his jaw and wrenched his hand from Eleanor's grasp before turning to slam the door.
Eléonore felt her heart crushed by the noise of this door and began to cry under the compassionate gaze of the butler.
" Madam …"
" I'm fine... I also told myself that it was impossible for Claude to feel desire for me ... let's go, the children must be waiting for us."
They left going forward to the dining room while Claude, again alone, had begun to brood curses on Christal. Shit, he had to go to the edge of the forest of nightmares, he had to find her as soon as possible, she owed him an explanation.
He went himself to draw a bath and dressed quickly but when he was about to walk towards his door, behind the windows, a long, flamboyant hair flowing and dancing in the wind caught his attention.
There in the middle of the gardens of the manor, a beautiful woman with red hair and green eyes walked in her black dress which outlined all the beautiful curves of her body. Her intense gaze was fixed on something despite the noises and gasps of people around who wondered where such beauty came from.
He went to stick to the window, his heart jumping in all directions. He didn't even realize when tears started to blur his vision but he was smiling. He was so happy, she hadn't left him. She had come back for him... for them.
Christal stopped walking and looked at him...despite the window of his bedroom being away from the gardens, she managed to make eye contact with him...her smile was usually mischievous but she was so beautiful and fascinating that her evil side was eclipsed by her striking beauty.
She cut off the contact and at the same time, he started to run. He wanted absolutely to be with her, to hold her in his arms and to kiss her. He was running so fast that one would have thought he was chased by something.
Eléonore and the butler were sawn on the spot facing the woman who was playing with Karl and Edward. They had never seen her at the mansion or even on the estate. A woman with such beauty never goes unnoticed. Her hair swayed in the wind as she smiled motherly at the boys who had pounced on her as soon as they saw her seeming to recognize her.
" Slowly children, you will make me fall."
She laughed as the boys jumped on her, seeming to like her.
" Mom plays with us."
Eléonore twisted her neck while hearing for her son Karl to call this unknown mum. Wasn't she, their mother? What was going on in this house?
" Mom…"
Edward followed her and the woman crouched down to pick them up and kiss them.
" Take it easy children, you mustn't push me…"
" You are hurt?"
" No my dear, Mom just needs you to be a good boy."
" Who are you and what is this masquerade? The young masters are not your children, so stay away from them."
Eléonore also came forward angry that this woman was a schemer and she had to get her sons away from her. But when she was about to do so, a voice sounded behind them...it was Claude and he seemed out of breath.
" My dear, God be praised, you are there... look at this woman, I think she is crazy she calls our children hers and…"
" Christal ... you came back."
He walked before Eléonore who had her eyes wide as the name Claude had just pronounced was playing in her mind. Christal, the woman her husband is in love with, this woman who spent the night in his arms humiliating her on the way.
She turned and found Claude who had carried Christal in his arms, twirling her before kissing her passionately under the amazed gaze of all the servants. They've come to see the fascinating beauty who has come into the estate.
" She looks like the duke's lover…"
" Oh my god in front of the duchess and the young masters…"
" Do you know her?"
" With her beauty, we would know her. I guess she must come from another domain."
Claude had put Christal on the ground not being able to believe that she was there again in his arms...he couldn't believe it so he cupped her face and went back to kissing her.
" You came back, I thought I was losing you, my love"
" Stop, we are in front of children."
Christal had this creepy smile on her face as Claude stopped his kisses...he clenched his fists and then decided to ask anyway.
" Have you bewitched them to call you mom?"
" Yes."
" But…"
Christal's gaze turned golden and Claude knew she was getting angry.
" You showed me this morning that they were precious to you...it seemed more precious than me…"
" This is false... you are more precious to me than anything…"
" But you are bound to them when it is only with me that you must bind yourself…"
" Please...don't hurt them."
" I won't...they are precious to you so I also make them mine forever...they will be my sons."
" But … don't force them…"
" Claude Von Hosten, I accepted that you bind yourself to this woman and have these children... they have your blood so I can forgive your infidelity towards me. So, I will make them mine whether you want or not."
" Christal…"
There was a pleading tone in Claude's voice but Christal didn't want to pay attention to it.
" I wanted to kill them to keep you just for me but I also know that if I do that, you will certainly hate me. So, I will take these children as my own and you should be happy that I do not do what my nature commands me to do."
"You're crazy."
" The fact that I submitted to you made you forget an important fact... Claude Von Hosten, I'm a demon. I'm not used to begging. I take what I like and in this case, I want a family life with you."
" When you act like this, I wonder if you have not also bewitched me so that I am in love with you."
Christal scowled, a sound of growling deep in her throat, sounding frightening and menacing. She approached Claude baring her claws and fangs before the latter's frightened gaze.
She dug her claws into the flesh on his stomach before pulling down ripping a hiss of pain out of Claude. He was struggling to stop himself from screaming in pain feeling his skin bruised, he was sure he had enough scratch marks to leave him with more or less serious wounds.
" If you think so of me even though you continue to resist me, then I don't have a place by your side… I don't want to be at the side of a man who thinks that I bewitched him as he behaves on his own."
" And what tells me that this is not the case? That you didn't bewitch me and that all this is just a vile ploy on your part to manipulate me."
Christal had golden eyes, now furious, it looked like she was about to tear him apart. But he didn't let it go, he didn't want to be so much dominated, especially when his heart was overflowing with so much love for this demon.
" So I would leave for a month, if I manipulated you, you will be freed but if this is not the case, you will suffer like never before. because once you are bound to a demon, her absence by your side is worse than an eternity of hot iron torture."