Sophie sat on her bed, feeling distraught. During the wedding earlier, which barely felt like a wedding, she didn't really feel anything. Her heart was numb. Her mind was also barely there.
She only thought about her revenge and how satisfied she was at seeing Aut Helga, Uncle Stefan, and her two cousins being dragged and embarrassed in public for their crimes. She kept focusing on that moment and nothing else.
That's how her hand didn't waver when she signed the marriage certificate. She knew that with Duke Romanov by her side, nobody would mess with her ever again.
Seeing how he could easily punish her aunt's family in less than 24 hours, Sophie could imagine how influential this man was... and he was not even from this area. She suspected that in not so distant future, Duke Romanov would be even more powerful.
He had made a lot of efforts in navigating his way around the aristocrats in Riga. He went to the capital a lot, and he also said he needed Sophie to be his wife in name to help him socialize more with the other noblemen.
Sophie had stopped wanting to go back to Hauntingen as she planned previously. Before she decided to marry the duke, she planned to work for him for a month or two, and once she made some money and could no longer hide her pregnancy, she would run away and go back to Hauntingen.
She would live there and raise her child alone. Sophie could already imagine her life going forward. She would live a modest life and continue making a living by fishing, collecting mushrooms and berries to sell. She could also grow her own vegetables.
It would be a really simple life, but she would be happy since she was no longer alone. She would have her child with her. She would have a family.
It was not such a bad life. Even though she no longer had Nicholas with her, his legacy would live on in their child.
Sophie already looked forward to her life back in Hauntingen. However, after she met Valerie again, and received insults and slander from her cousin without being able to defend herself, Sophie realized no matter how hard she tried to live in peace, bad people would always try to make her life difficult.
She finally had had enough.
Sophie knew Duke Romanov was interested in her, and he already asked her to marry him. He didn't even care that she was pregnant with another man's child. He was powerful and wealthy. And after staying in his castle for two weeks, Sophie could tell that he was not evil. At least, he was not evil to her.
Never once did he try to do anything inappropriate to her, even though her status in his castle was really low. Sophie had heard and witnessed many cases where the wealthy noblemen would harass their attractive servants, or worse... rape them. Such news always made her shudder.
However, Duke Romanov only gave her work and even paid for a tutor to help her do her job. He never asked her to accompany him to drink wine until she was drunk and then took advantage of her.
He was polite, but distant. That made Sophie feel very safe around him. That's why, when she was enraged and wanted to get her revenge, she instinctively went back to Wolfstone Castle and found the duke to make a deal.
She was willing to become his wife in name... and even sleep with him once, just to seal the deal, to prevent the marriage from becoming null and void.
They did not really talk about how long she would have to be his wife, but for Sophie, it didn't really matter. She didn't plan to remarry anyway.
This marriage to Duke Ariam Romanov would be her last marriage. So, if the man no longer needed her service, she would gladly leave him and resume her life alone with her child.
If he needed her to be his wife for the rest of her life, that's fine too. Sophie could at least get something out of this marriage of convenience.
She could at least give her child a good life. Duke Romanov promised to take care of her and her child. That was a good enough reason to stay.
Between getting her revenge and providing a better life for her baby... Sophie steeled her heart to go through with the wedding.
However... now that they would finally consummate their marriage... as she was sitting on her bed and thinking about how the process would unfold, her mind was filled with stress.
Could she... live with herself after doing this with Duke Romanov? Sleeping with him to seal the deal?
Wasn't this something that a prostitute did?
Sophie suddenly felt so awful.
What made her different from a prostitute if she slept with a man she didn't love just to get some benefits?
If Valerie and Lucia found out about what happened, they would mock her to no end and call her a whore, and this time they were not really wrong...
Tears started flowing down Sophie's cheeks and after a while, they became uncontrollable. Sophie cried in silence so despondently. She cupped her face with two hands to hide her sobbing sounds. Her heart broke and she felt so alone and defeated.
"I am sorry, Nic... I am so... sorry..." she whispered to herself as if Nic was standing beside her and judging her. "I have to do this..."
She had made a promise to Duke Romanov. Was she really that dishonorable that she wanted to back down now?
Her parents were dirt poor but they taught her to be kind and to have respect. Her beloved father would be so disappointed in her if he knew Sophie made a promise and broke it.
The thought finally gave her courage and she steel her heart again. Soon, Sophie wiped her tears roughly. She pulled herself together and took a deep breath. As she raised her head and looked up, she saw the windows to her right.
Should she open them and escape through the windows?
Sophie bit her lip and shook her head. No. She shouldn't push her luck. She was now legally married to the duke. If she ran away and ruined his reputation, who knew what he would do to her?
He might not take it too kindly. What if he punished Sophie just like he punished her aunt's family?
Sophie couldn't care less about herself, but she would never let her child suffer. So, running away was not an option.
KNOCK KNOCK
Before she knew it, suddenly the door was knocked from the outside. Sophie was startled and pressed her chest. Her heart pounded so hard.
That must be him!
He came!
They would soon sleep together.
Uff... what to do?
"Sophia."
Sophie's heart skipped a beat. That was Duke Romanov's voice. He didn't call her 'Miss Hansley' like usual. This time he used her first name.
He actually called her Sophia, like what her mother used to call her, which was a bit weird, because Sophie didn't remember ever telling him that her real name was Sophia, and Sophie was only what most people call her.
"Oh... I am so dumb." Sophie pinched herself when she suddenly remembered that she signed her name as Sophia Hansley in their marriage certificate earlier today. He must have read her full name there and used it now to call her. Perhaps... he wanted to get himself used to addressing her as his wife in public?
People would be suspicious if he kept calling her 'Miss Hansley' in public after they got married.
"Sophia, are you already sleeping?"
His voice was heard again. This time, it was laced with slight worry.
Sophie realized that Duke Romanov must be worried and thought she already slept or pretended to be sleeping to avoid consummating their marriage.
She immediately got up and went to the door.
"My lord," Sophie greeted the duke after she opened the door for him. She looked up and saw the man towering before her. She only realized tonight that he was so much taller and bigger than her.
Was it because... she was afraid of him?
No... afraid was the wrong word. She was worried to offend him.
"You've been crying?" Leland asked Sophie with a flat voice.
He could see traces of tears on her cheeks and how the upper part of her dress was damp. It must be wet by her tears. That meant, she was crying.
Did she dread marrying him? Did she regret her decision?
Sophie didn't say anything to respond to Leland's question. She did cry and she would not lie about it. So, she only lowered her head.
"Please come in," she said weakly.
.
.
______________________
From Missrealitybites:
Something really bad happened yesterday and I couldn't continue writing the chapter for Leland's and Sophie's consummation. I, however, have the next scene ready.
Since I don't want to ruin the story by writing a half-assed scene while I am feeling distraught, I hope you don't mind if I fast-forward the scene and publish the next one.
Tomorrow, I will publish the continuation of their consummation scene and change the chapter sequence. The next chapter title would be "The Wedding Night (2)" and will be published when you receive the next publish notification.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m