Maya shot him an icy stare as her servant restrained her, refusing to budge in response to his command.
"Let me go."
"I don't think they will be willing to listen to you."
"How dare you betray me? After all, I did…"
He grabbed her chin, turning her head towards his. He said, "Who should they listen to? The old duchess or the new Duke?"
"You…"
Again, her words were cut short as he kissed her without giving a hint.
However, the kiss was too good of a word for the man to bite her lips. Despite her futile attempt to resist, his tongue soon invaded her mouth, making it harder for her to breathe and resist at the same time.
And if it wasn't enough, Maya could feel his palm moving haphazardly over her body.
'I am on the right track.' Despite showing strong resistance, Maya was in control of the situation. 'All we need now is the push.'
And she was pushed away.
It wasn't that he had regained his morality all of a sudden. The fact that a red liquid started to leak out from the side of his lips made it clear why he had stopped.
His hand raised in a blink, and Maya closed her eyes instinctively.
But the hit never came.
"Look at me."
The pain from the tight squeeze on her cheek was enough for Maya to frown. Her glare only received a smile from him as he said, "I know just the way to break a 'Noble' woman like you."
He ordered the servants constraining her, "Strip her."
"NO…"
"Why are you wearing the phoenix robe?"
"That is…" Maya showed a tinge of hesitation, lighting up his lips with a smile.
Maya desperately shook her head, saying, "It is a joyous occasion. Your Highness has become the duke of the empire."
"So, you didn't wear the phoenix robe to entice me?"
'Of course, I did.'
However, there was no way to say it out loud.
"The Dukedom of Thundersaber has welcomed its new lord. This old lady will return to the dukedom after my lord has settled at the house."
"Old lady!? Who? You?"
Despite her hint of resistance, her servants, who are afraid of losing their heads, quickly remove her outer phoenix garment.
The phoenix garment is the garment for the legitimate wives of the high nobles, like the empress, princess, and dutchess.
The consort and concubines couldn't wear it. Only the principal wife can. Even then, it was rarely used other than on wedding days.
Obviously, it was not something one would wear when the dutchess had to hand over all her authority to the next generation.
However, she wasn't in this world for so long for nothing.
Although the young boys of the noble house would receive a wife or consort at the age of 15, she had ensured that it wouldn't happen.
His mother had 'died' when he was just 4. Maya had made sure that his life would be as miserable as possible. Any servants he grew close to were quickly taken care of.
In the last 19 years, Maya had given birth to one son and two daughters before the duke passed away on the battlefield.
Maya had taken measures to prevent him from inheriting the title. So much so that she ensured he would never have a wife.
She made certain that the woman he was supposed to marry would escape on the day before they were to get married.
Maya sent a young maid to court the MC, only to let his son marry her after they became close.
She exercised her power to have the previous duke send her son to war before the MC found another wife.
Although he had a couple of children with a couple of maids, they were the women he had found when he was on the battlefield.
This was the culmination of all her hard work and preparation over the years. Standing in her undergarment, Maya tried hard to cover her exposed skin.
Unlike contemporary undergarments, these did not expose too much skin, even though they were her undergarments.
She made every effort to seduce the ecstatic, lust-driven man. After spending so much time on the battlefield, he wouldn't hesitate to kill another one to exert revenge.
Nevertheless, she was compelled to ensure that he would not. And the best part was that she was a lady.
"Get out," he said to others.
His guard didn't even hesitate to follow his orders. However, her servants looked towards her.
"NOOOOO…" She cried out loud.
However, his glaring was more effective than her desperate cry for help. As the guards closed the gate, he ordered, "Don't let anyone in."
'Yes.' Her elated expression didn't show on her pale face. She slowly stepped back, trying to create some distance between them. She knew she had already achieved her goal.
When she was sent into this world, the quest she was given was to shape the character of the main character, the man in front of her.
It was an easy mission. After all, it wasn't hard for the son of the noble, who didn't have any support from his retainers.
The quest had two aims. She also needed to bear the son of the previous Duke, who would later become the antagonist of the world.
She should have been well-prepared for the task at hand, having traveled to different worlds for twenty years. Nevertheless, the second part of the quest remained challenging despite her extensive experience.
After all, it is easy for things to go wrong. The wicked stepmothers were often murdered, sold into slavery, or sold to brothels. It was not even uncommon for them to become playthings for the soldiers.
She had to carefully craft her manipulations so that the protagonist would become obsessed with vengeance and carry it out on his own. Now that they were the only ones in the room, she could breathe a sigh of relief. However…
"Do you think I wouldn't know you helped the girl I would marry escape?" He opened his upper garment and threw it away.
"I am not." She said this as she took another step back.
"What happened to the maid who was carrying my child?"
She averted her eyes, mumbling, "I don't know."
And it was enough confirmation for him. He moved towards her as she stepped back. Before she knew it, she was already close to the bed. He didn't take the chance to close in and force her onto the bed.
However, he had no such intention. He simply sat on the edge of the bed.
'Do the men of these worlds have some kind of boon?' She couldn't help wondering as she gazed at the weapon hidden beneath his undergarments.
"You can run as much as you want." She controlled his eyes as soon as he spoke before looking at him worriedly. "There are some people who won't be able to. Do you know at what age you forced me to go to war?"
She continued to glare at him without answering.
"15. But I wonder what would happen if I sent my lovely 'brother' to the front?"
"He is just 14."
"I am not saying I am going to, but…" He smirked at her, adding, "The crown prince was worried that we might need more soldiers soon. I think I should propose that we decrease the enlistment age. After all, it is common for the common people to join the army even younger."
He totally ignored her intense stare, continuing, "I think your eldest daughter is already 15."
"What do you want?"
"It was just that the Marquis Harold was looking for a new wife."
"Nooooo…" She cried. She knew Harold was a classic wife-beater. Not many of his concubines would live long enough to bear a child. She pleaded, "Ajanta will die."
"Then what about your youngest? Marquis Harold is…"
He didn't get to complete his sentence before she went on her knees before him.
Although she was happy in her heart that she was about to complete her quest, her eyes were full of tears.
She grabbed his hand, pleading, "Please don't do it. I would do anything you want. Do you want money? I will give you…"
"It is not your money. This is one of the Duke's mansions. And I am the Duke."
"No, I have more."
He smiled, adding, "If I wanted gold, I wouldn't be alone in the room with you."
She paused for a moment. As soon as her eyes met his, her worry turned into horror. "I… I am the wife of your father. How could…"
"Didn't I tell you…" He sighed, adding, "Shouldn't I inherit his woman with his title?"
"But, I am an old la…"
Before she could complete her sentence, he pulled his undergarment to the side. His excited meat stick sprang up like an angry cobra.
"Kiss it."
Her eyes turned big as she looked at him.
Her fear and disgust just excited him more. He smirked, ordering, "If you want to save your children, bear my children."