The Cold-Hearted Grand Duke Obsesses Over Me After My Death - Chapter 119

Chapter 119. Her Smile (2)

He couldn’t contain how much he liked her. His body burned hotter than his heart. His instincts were devouring his reason.

The dark red flesh relentlessly plunged in and out of the narrow inner walls. Emilia’s moans grew louder and louder. For a while, the room echoed with nothing but the rough breathing of a man and a woman.

Louid, who was thrusting his hips at a fast pace, occasionally stopped and looked down at her. Each time, Emilia reassured him with a fake smile.

After spending countless nights with him, she had grown skilled at pretending. She was soaked in pleasure as well, but a part of her mind remained clouded by the thought that this was their last night together. Still, whenever he was looking at her, she showed only a bright smile.

“Ah!”

A moment later, her body was suddenly turned onto her side. Lifting one of Emilia’s legs, he lay behind her and pushed himself back inside her.

His still fierce erection drove in forcefully. Louid thrust himself hard into the trembling inner walls. The wet, pounding sounds echoed loudly. Today, Emilia was responding more actively than usual. More aroused than ever, Louid plunged deeper and harder into her, as much as he desired.

“Louid, hnng.”

Emilia gripped the sheets tightly as she called his name. As the massive length drove into her without pause, the feeling of being filled to the brim made it hard for her to breathe.

When the head that had pressed against the deepest part dragged down along her inner walls, the intense stimulation reached its peak.

At first, she couldn’t believe something that large could fit inside her body, but now it felt as if they had become one. There was no pain, only pleasure. With the violent thrusts, her inner walls tightened like rippling waves, and her legs trembled uncontrollably.

“Haa….”

Letting out a rough breath, Louid released deep inside her. The white fluid dripped down her thighs and onto the sheets.

“….”

Louid left himself buried inside Emilia as he kissed her. At any moment, it seemed like he might thrust his hips again. Then his eyes widened.

Emilia, who usually grew weak after just one round, climbed onto him. Caught off guard, Louid lay on his back facing the ceiling and looked at her with slight surprise.

Today, Emilia was showing many unexpected sides of herself.

It was rare for her to initiate a kiss first.

Until now, the only time she had been this active was when Duke Berthe visited and pressured her about pregnancy. But recently, he hadn’t received any reports that the duke had come by.

‘Has the report just not come in yet?’

Duke Berthe might have visited the Crown Prince’s palace today. Whenever that happened, Jamie or Helen would report the duke’s visit to him. But there had been no report, which meant….

Because of the banquet.

There had been a banquet today, so the report must have been delayed. Reaching a reasonable conclusion, he understood Emilia’s behavior.

Louid thought Emilia’s gaze looking down at him seemed sad. But he dismissed it as his imagination.

‘That can’t be. She’s about to become Empress soon….’

Soon, everything in the Richert Empire, including himself, would belong to her.

Perhaps things had turned out exactly as Duke Berthe intended.

But that doesn’t mean he lost.

Though it might look like he lost to the duke, he did not lose.

Because Emilia became his, he was the one who won. Lifting the corners of his lips, he grasped Emilia’s hips with both hands. The woman who had been smiling all night slowly lowered her pelvis as if entrusting her body to Louid.

“Haa….”

Warm, moist, and soft surrounded him, bringing him to the peak of ecstasy. Just like her.

He was trapped by Emilia. She was both the fence that embraced him and the chain he could not escape.

Trap me more, Emilia.

He cried out inside.

“Ah, mm… hnng.”

As he thrust his hips up forcefully, Emilia responded with a moan. Her face tightened at the intense stimulation, but whenever their eyes met, she showed a beautiful smile. In response, Louid drove himself deep inside her body.

After they finished, Louid looked at Emilia’s swollen lips and flushed face.

‘Did she cry?’

The light was dim, but looking closely, the corners of her eyes were red.

That can’t be….

During intense sex, she sometimes shed tears as a physical reaction. When that happened, she seemed unaware that tears had fallen. He thought it must be the same this time.

He brushed back the hair that had fallen across Emilia’s forehead. The gesture was unexpectedly gentle.

“Thank you, Emilia.”

He kissed her forehead tenderly, then rested her head on his arm and fell into a deep sleep. His chest felt full of affection and at peace. It was a short time, but it was the first sound sleep he had had in a while.

‘This is where our relationship ends.’

On the other hand, Emilia, who closed her eyes and pretended to sleep while her mind churned, quietly said farewell to Louid in her heart.

The beginning of their political marriage was the duke’s greed and scheme, but if she knew that and still stayed, then she would be complicit as well.

He doesn’t need her.

It took pain and courage to accept that fact. But now her heart felt at ease.

‘It’s time to let go. Be happy, Crown Prince Louid.’

Tears slipped from her closed eyes, one drop at a time.

From their first meeting, the past eight months passed through her mind like a flash.

She didn’t want to leave his side, but her belief that she should have done this earlier did not change.

She didn’t think of it as repaying her grandfather’s sins. That was not something that could be repaid. She was only doing what she had to do out of the bare minimum of conscience. Even if her heart was torn to pieces, it could not be helped.

At dawn, before sunrise.

Louid woke up. Even in the imperial palace, he practiced swordsmanship every day. So as not to wake Emilia, he quietly got up and went to his own bedroom, then opened the desk drawer. Inside was the divorce contract.

He took out the contract and tore it without hesitation. The shredded paper fell to the floor beneath the desk. It felt as if a long-standing weight had been lifted from his chest.

But then, a new concern arose.

If I formally propose, will Emilia change her mind?

From the beginning, she wanted a divorce. So it didn’t seem like she would change her mind easily.

“…Haa.”

Bracing both hands on the desk, he let out a sigh without realizing it.

He was confident in everything, but when it came to Emilia, he became endlessly small.

“Eddie, call a jeweler.”

After finishing his sword practice, he went to the office and gave the order as soon as Eddie arrived.

“Yes, understood, Your Highness.”

That afternoon, when the jeweler arrived, Louid ordered a small tiara. It was his own design, a crown set with sapphires and diamonds.

***

“Your Highness, we’ve identified the source of the Serot poison. As you expected, it’s the Kingdom of Billiot. The Marquess of Carrion is suspected in the trade route.”

The next day, Louid received a new report from Alex.

The territory of the Marquess of Carrion, located in the eastern region of the Richert Empire, bordered the Kingdom of Billiot. The Carrion family had guarded the eastern border for generations.

Since they had once been at war with the Kingdom of Billiot, crossing the border required a pass, and the trade of goods was restricted. But for the Marquess of Carrion’s territory, it would have been easy to conduct such dealings.

“I see.”

All poison was traded through illicit routes, but Serot poison was especially dangerous and made from a rare material found only in the Kingdom of Billiot, making it impossible to obtain within the Richert Empire.

“Gather more evidence. Arrest all merchants dealing with the poison. Make them confess who they traded with.”

“Yes, understood.”

The Marquess of Carrion and his daughter were highly suspicious, but there was still a lack of concrete evidence and witnesses. More evidence had to be secured.

***

Meanwhile, at the Marquess of Carrion’s residence, the marquess and his aide were having a tense conversation.

“It seems the Crown Prince has noticed?”

“Yes, it appears he’s investigating our side.”

The marquess’s greasy face twisted.

“Since when?”

“I’m not certain.”

I told her to be careful.

The marquess’s face flushed red with agitation. This was all because of Lina, who hadn’t listened to him.

“He hasn’t found out everything, has he?”

“S-Surely not.”

“Hm….”

There was a need to take action.

At the same time, at Ian’s residence, he sat alone drinking tea, lost in thought.

Why did the Crown Prince appear with Emilia during the hunt? The two were supposed to dislike each other.

Could it be…?

His eyes sharpened as he swallowed his tea.

Relationships between men and women were unpredictable, and even enemies could come to love each other.

Like Emilia and me.

He could also be considered an enemy to Emilia. Yet he didn’t care at all. Louid could be the same.

‘Why didn’t I think of that?’

He recalled Emilia’s bright smile at the monastery. The way she looked at Louid was the gaze of a woman in love.

‘This won’t do. I need to separate them before their bond deepens further.’

Before it was too late, he decided to drive Emilia and Louid apart.

To do that….

He abruptly rose from his seat.