Chapter 30: Diane

“Hic, ah! Alec, Alec! Baby, the baby doesn’t like it…”

The woman, clutching her still-unformed belly, muttered, her voice thick with tears. Alec slowed his pace, his gaze fixed on her flat stomach. In their previous life, they had lost their first child. It was a scheme orchestrated by Duke Oppreese.

It had been their first child, a child they had barely managed to save from miscarriage. He had slaughtered his brother and countless others, all for the sake of that child. It was for stability, for protecting Afrosa. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill anyone, as long as it was for Afrosa.

Even the saying “You’ll spend sleepless nights after killing someone” seemed ridiculous to him. Alec could only sleep after he had killed his enemies. Simply banishing them or sending them abroad wouldn’t appease him. He was convinced they would always return and kill Afrosa in front of him.

So he had killed his brother and his brother’s children. He wouldn’t spare anyone he deemed a threat to Afrosa. Even his choice of Gladys as the third empress was for Afrosa’s sake.

He had chosen Gladys to counter Duke Oppreese, who was aiming to place his grandson on the throne and his daughter as empress. He had children with Gladys.

It was the same for everything in the palace. Every creature, every plant was cultivated and nurtured for Afrosa. Even the smallest creatures were tended for her sake.

He had landscaped the gardens with flowers and trees that Afrosa loved, even though he knew it was a futile effort. After all, the woman who had retreated to the secluded palace and vowed never to see him again might come out to see a single flower planted in his inner palace.

“It’s okay.”

He pressed his testicles against his perineum, panting. He held Afrosa, who was sobbing despite her ecstasy, and whispered.

“I love you, Rose.”

It was a phrase he repeated endlessly. But it was all he could say. If she asked him to rip out his heart and show it to her, he would do it. Because, because Afrosa was the only thing that mattered in his world. This world existed for her.

As they reached the climax, he whispered languidly. In a deep, sunken voice, he murmured to her, speaking as he released. Afrosa, her eyes hazy with heat, looked at him with dazed eyes, her lips trembling slightly. Alec leaned in and kissed her full lips lightly before continuing.

“So what I’m saying is, if I can’t love you, then nothing has meaning.”

Afrosa didn’t respond. She didn’t know how or what to say. His relentless, blinding love was overwhelming and even obsessive.

The enormity of his love was suffocating. As she looked at the man who kissed the bridge of her nose and bit her softly without pain, she closed her eyes. Even then, Alec stayed awake, lightly brushing his lips and hands over her eyes and mouth.

---

The next morning, Afrosa once again boarded the carriage with Alec.

The carriage carrying Marquis Heslow and Lawrence Hamizle had already left the hotel, sparing her the discomfort of facing those she preferred to avoid.

Afrosa wore the dress she had donned the day before for her disguise and walked through the hotel lobby. Having shared a bed for the first time in a while, she felt soreness between her thighs. Each step sent a dull ache through her waist and legs.

Adding to her discomfort, she wore high-heeled shoes she wasn’t accustomed to, making it even harder to maintain her balance.

Alec wrapped his long arms around Afrosa’s stiff waist, which moved awkwardly like a broken wind-up doll.

Leaning into his strong arms, Afrosa climbed into the carriage. Though it was as spacious and plush as the day before, it didn’t feel as comfortable this time.

As she leaned back against the seat, enduring the dull ache, Alec, who had poured everything into her without a thought for the consequences, suddenly voiced his concern about the child in her womb.

“Should we stop by a doctor?”

“No.”

She shook her head. Unless there was visible blood, there was no need to waste time. Afrosa climbed into the carriage and leaned against the backrest. Sitting beside her, Alec wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gently pulled her close. Without resistance, Afrosa let herself sink into her husband’s broad frame. Soon, the carriage began to move.

As she watched the scenery start to flow past the window, she thought about the tears her husband had shed the previous night.

The sobs as he whispered that he couldn’t possibly live without her. The world that held no meaning if he couldn’t love her. Those confessions of love, devoid of any sweetness, lingered in her ears.

Turning her head, she gazed at Alec. Though his sobs and tears from the night before were so vivid in her memory, he now sat upright, his demeanor not just calm but stern and dignified, as though nothing had happened.

The gravity and sharpness he exuded seemed almost impossible for a young man. To Afrosa, he was the man who would meet her gaze with a faint smile and try to kiss her lips. Yet to others, he was cold, like a finely honed blade.

They had only three more hours left before reaching Dranberg. Afrosa nodded slightly with a weary expression and closed her eyes. She hadn’t slept well the night before, and rising early that morning left her eyelids heavy.

As she rested her head against his shoulder with her eyes closed, Alec stroked her hair, his fingers brushing against her round earlobes, before placing a kiss on her forehead. The carriage to Dranberg came to a stop precisely two hours and fifty minutes later.

---

“Pleasure to meet you, Madam. I am Diana de Rosabeth. His Majesty has sent me to accompany you during your stay in Dranberg so you won’t feel lonely. Please, call me Diane.”

The woman lifted the hem of her mustard-colored, voluminous dress slightly and curtsied.

Afrosa, holding a small parasol with a hand clad in lace gloves, looked at the smiling woman. Diana, as she introduced herself, was a beauty with chestnut-brown hair and deep green eyes.

Her warm beige skin was flawless, and her large, innocent eyes gleamed. She had a petite frame with a lithe figure and appeared to be three or four years older than Afrosa.

Afrosa thought back to her ride in the carriage. Alec had mentioned that someone would be visiting today.

“She’s a woman around your age. A noblewoman from Padanoa who moved to Dranberg with her husband. She’s witty, so having her as a companion will make living in this unfamiliar city easier for you.”

A noblewoman as a friend… She wasn’t particularly eager to make friends, but it didn’t seem like Alec was arbitrarily asking her to befriend this woman. So, she had nodded in agreement.

Now, Afrosa gazed at the woman who stood before her with her hands neatly clasped. Her elegant features, untouched by hardship, exuded nobility and grace.

There was no way she could befriend someone like this. If the woman ever learned about Afroza’s past or status, she would likely storm out of the room in disgust.

Still, there was no need to bring up the past unnecessarily. This woman might become someone close to Alec, and he had sent her here for Afrosa’s sake. There was no reason to refuse.

As long as their relationship didn’t deepen, Afrosa wouldn’t have to reveal anything about herself. Though she pondered whether she could truly get along with a noblewoman, she decided to speak up first.

“Nice to meet you, Lady Rosabeth. My name is Afrosa Katlyn.”

“Oh, Katlyn… Katlyn, is it?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

“Oh.”

The previously radiant expression on Diane’s face stiffened slightly. Afrosa immediately noticed the hint of unease in her expression and asked about it. Diane, forcing a faint smile, responded.

“The imperial family’s surname is Loincaster… Is Katlyn your maiden name?”

“Ah.”

It was an issue she had never thought about before. In Lorain, everyone simply addressed her by her first name. Her marital status didn’t matter—perhaps because they had known her since she was so young. Calling her “madam” out of respect felt awkward to them. But now, things were a little different.

“Loincaster…”

So, that was Alec’s surname. The imperial family’s name, no less. The realization stirred a peculiar feeling within her. It was a sensation she hadn’t experienced even when he had revealed himself as a prince. Perhaps it was because this emotion was conveyed through another person.

For a moment, both he and the marble floor beneath her feet felt unfamiliar. Standing in a luxurious mansion grand enough to be mistaken for a royal palace, facing a noblewoman, her heart beat uneasily.

“Your husband, His Highness the Prince…”

“My surname is Katlyn,” Afrosa interrupted.

The woman’s face, which had been composed and serene, grew more visibly confused. Afrosa didn’t mind. Even in the village, she was always called Afrosa Katlyn.

When she first met Alec, he only told her his first name. Afrosa hadn’t bothered to ask about the surname he didn’t mention or the family he never brought up. He called himself Alec, so she called him Alec, as did her father and the villagers.

In a place where surnames didn’t hold much importance, especially for someone like Alec, who had no parents or siblings, it mattered even less.

Besides, Katlyn wasn’t even Afrosa’s real surname. She didn’t have one. Slaves didn’t have surnames. In fact, even the name “Afrosa” wasn’t her original name. So, it didn’t really matter what she was called.

“Then should I address you as Lady Katlyn?”

Diane, struggling to maintain her composure, asked hesitantly. Afrosa nodded. It didn’t matter what she was called here.

Diane was the wife of Count Rosabeth, a man closely connected to Count Castro, the eldest of the Orchen family, Valix de Castro. Diane herself was the only daughter of Viscount Bentwiss, a wealthy landowner in Padanoa who made his fortune in the shipping industry, and she had inherited the vast wealth of the Bentwiss family.

As expected, Diane was a refined woman who had likely never lifted a finger to do menial tasks. A noblewoman who had probably never opened a door or draped a shawl over her shoulders herself. Her delicate, pale hands seemed to exist solely to wear lace gloves. Like many noble daughters, Diane had grown up in luxury and married a man of noble birth.

Afrosa didn’t envy her, but she did feel a twinge of wistfulness.

If she had been born into a wealthy and reputable family like Diane’s, studied scripture, learned to play instruments, and been taught by her mother how to manage a household and its finances, perhaps she would feel less ashamed standing beside Alec.

As a noblewoman’s daughter, she would surely be qualified to be the wife of a prince. The thought left her feeling strange.

“…I heard that you’re organizing the upcoming mansion banquet,” Diane said softly, lowering her gaze.

Afrosa nodded. She had already heard about it from Alec. Now that they had officially announced their return to Dranberg, it was her duty as his wife to host a banquet.

“If you entrust me with the preparations, I’ll do my best to assist you in making it a success.”

“Oh.”

“Did I bring this up too soon? But from what His Highness mentioned, it’s in two weeks, and there’s much to discuss and plan,” Diane said, looking slightly flustered.

“No, you’re right,” Afrosa replied.

Diane’s cheeks flushed faintly. She didn’t seem like a bad person. She appeared embarrassed at herself for discussing banquets and plans so soon, especially with someone who had just arrived and likely needed time to unpack. Diane bit her lip and suppressed a sheepish smile. Afrosa shook her head.

Even if Diane was somewhat inexperienced for a noblewoman, she couldn’t be more clueless than Afrosa. Afrosa was truly an amateur when it came to the ways of noble society—a naïve woman with no tact.

Alec must have sent Diane to genuinely help her. After all, as the prince’s wife, it was her responsibility to host banquets, manage the household, and navigate the social circles that influenced Alec’s reputation.

“There’s so much to prepare,” Afrosa thought.

She also remembered the Marquis Heslow’s banquet in three days, another event Alec had mentioned before they arrived.

In noble society, social gatherings like banquets and festivals were inherently political. Unlike the common perception that nobles only indulged in leisure, these events were opportunities to forge alliances and gather valuable information.

“Three days from now is the Marquis Heslow’s banquet, and two weeks from now is the one I need to prepare…”