The Serpent of Paradise - Chapter 47

After sending Natasha away, Mikhail looked at the books on the cart. All the books in the library were new ones Yuri bought, so every one of them was pristine.

‘How much did she read?’

When he picked up one of the books, he saw that its edges were slightly frayed. They were traces left by someone holding it for a long time as they read. Looking over the cart full of books, Mikhail pulled out the thickest one. It was the comprehensive dictionary Anastasia took away with such delight. Yet she returned this as well.

Mikhail placed the comprehensive dictionary on the table. Something protruded from the middle, as though one of its pages had been torn. Mikhail opened it to that spot.

“Paradise?”

Did her hand slip while she was looking at this section? The thin paper used for the dictionary was a mess.

“….”

Anastasia usually treated books with the utmost care. He vividly remembered the worried look on her face whenever he dropped a pile of books from the shelves onto the table, as though afraid they might have been damaged. Yet she returned the dictionary in this condition through Natasha without saying a word.

The Anastasia he knew would surely have come to him clutching the dictionary with tears in her eyes, apologized first, then asked how she could restore it to its original condition. But… there wasn’t even a letter. Mikhail continued flipping through the dictionary.

The page about paradise was the only one torn, but other pages bore impressions as though they had been crumpled by a hand. Mikhail examined the words on those pages. Since it was a dictionary, countless words were printed on each one. Yet some stood out to him. Lewd. Wicked. Cunning. Strangely, only unpleasant words caught his eye.

After turning pages for a long while, just as Mikhail began wondering whether he should close the dictionary, his fingertips encountered a texture different from the other smooth pages. When he touched it, he found the paper wrinkled, as though water had fallen on it. Mikhail looked at the word printed where the paper had changed.

“Mistress….”

It called itself A Comprehensive Dictionary for Children, but was it actually a comprehensive dictionary for believers? He hadn’t expected it to include an illustration and several lines from novels for a single word that children were unlikely even to look up.

It was as though the dictionary were telling them to remember well how disgraceful and sinful this was.

“So she found out.”

Mikhail murmured as he closed the dictionary.

Did someone tell Anastasia, or did she discover it herself? Either way, it seemed she now knew what people thought of her.

Mikhail sank onto the sofa and became lost in thought. Catherine, who tried to sound him out by mentioning Anastasia’s name, the countess, Elizabeth, and the mansion’s servants must all consider Anastasia his mistress. Igor and Yuri, who knew him particularly well, realized it from the very beginning.

He had no particular intention of hiding it. If he truly wanted to conceal her, he wouldn’t have kept her at Edenhurst in the first place. He would have taken her somewhere else. To him, Anastasia was a source of amusement he could enjoy within Edenhurst, which didn’t even have proper hunting grounds.

If she had been beautiful from the start, he probably wouldn’t have found her so appealing. But it amused him that the people of Edenhurst failed to recognize her value and cast her aside. Perhaps it was due to his nature as a merchant. The superiority and pleasure of being the only one to recognize value that others couldn’t see.

That was why he deliberately tended to her himself. At the time, he did it merely for the fresh amusement of trying something new.

By the time he came to his senses, instead of playing with her, he was the one being led around by her. More troubling was the fact that even after realizing it, he still found it enjoyable rather than unpleasant.

“How could she possibly be a mistress?”

Mikhail smiled bitterly as he touched the pen covered in ink stains.

Anastasia couldn’t be a mistress in the first place. He wasn’t engaged or married yet.

The Lauderdale family might claim that a marriage arrangement was promised, but he only agreed to discuss moving forward with it. He never said he would definitely go through with it. Besides, a verbal promise? In Novgod, that held no value whatsoever. Only a written and signed document held any value.

Therefore, if a man bound by no such document kept a woman, she should rightfully be called his lover, not his mistress.

But would he make Anastasia his lover?

“Haa….”

A short sigh escaped him. Never in his life had he wrestled with such a stupid dilemma. If he chose Elizabeth, he would gain not only the title of count but also a perfect wife capable of moving through high society as his partner. Elizabeth would be of great help when he dealt with aristocrats in the future.

Considering his future, there was no woman better suited to him than Elizabeth. Moreover, the Lauderdale mother and daughters already submitted to him.

By comparison, how would choosing Anastasia benefit his future?

‘Not at all.’

No matter how quickly Anastasia was learning about the world now or how brilliant her mind was, compared to Elizabeth, she had nothing that could benefit Mikhail.

“No. There is one thing.”

Mikhail remembered the day he kissed her forehead and returned.

A childish touch more suited to young children. Yet Mikhail had no idea how many times he brushed his fingers over his lips throughout that entire day. Even until the moment he went to bed, the faint scent of roses and the soft sensation lingered. What was even more absurd was that such an insignificant trace was enough to make him aroused.

That day, he had to swallow Anastasia’s name several times before it escaped his throat. Each time he called her name, another layer of desire coated his palm.

Mikhail looked down at his throbbing lower body, aroused again by the mere thought of it. What could he gain for his future by choosing Anastasia? Fulfillment and pleasure.

He wanted to spend the entire day, from morning until night, indulging in debauchery with her. What would it feel like to take every meal in the room, never step outside, and roll around together like animals?

Mikhail recalled the last time he saw Anastasia.

Anastasia took the dictionary, checked that it was easy to understand, then greedily gathered another armful of books. Her determination and attitude deserved praise, but at the time, Mikhail’s attention was focused elsewhere.

As the days grew hotter, Natasha dressed Anastasia in thinner clothes. Anastasia herself had become less resistant to wearing clothes that revealed her figure and now wore the fashions of the capital as they were. And of all days, that day she wore an indoor dress that exposed more of the upper part of her breasts than usual.

Anastasia eagerly hugged the books she wanted to take to her room against her chest. As a result, the books pressed against her breasts and pushed them even farther upward. Mikhail had to desperately avert his gaze. Otherwise, he felt he would stare only at them like an idiot.

What would have happened if Igor hadn’t called him away then because an urgent matter arose? Anastasia couldn’t use either hand because she held the books in her arms. If Mikhail kissed that small, round forehead of hers again, she wouldn’t have been able to escape and would have had no choice but to accept it.

That was why he took his irritation out on Igor after leaving the library.

Mikhail placed Anastasia and Elizabeth on the scales in his mind. A position that would allow him to keep the Empress Dowager in check and a foothold in high society. Enjoyable and entertaining time together. Which of the two held more meaning for him?

Mikhail thought the scales would immediately tip toward Elizabeth. Comparing them in the first place was absurd.

But his scales refused to move. It was ridiculous. Mikhail looked at Anastasia standing on the scales in his mind. She wore a pure smile, as though she were looking at the most dependable and trustworthy person in the world.

The smile he always wanted to ruin, yet also wanted to protect.

Mikhail remembered what Igor said when they met that morning.

“Why don’t you do one good deed?”

“What are you talking about?”

“If you’re hesitating, I’m saying you should just let her go.”

Even though Igor didn’t name the subject, Mikhail realized he was talking about Anastasia.

Perhaps it was because he examined Anastasia from time to time. Igor seemed to have noticed that Mikhail still hadn’t taken her to bed.

“This is the first time you’ve ever taken care of someone like this, isn’t it? She’s learning about the world to some extent now, and although it’s in name only, she bears the Lauderdale name. She’s beautiful as well, so she should be able to find a decent husband. Think of it as doing one good deed before your wedding.”

“Shut up.”

Mikhail spoke without the slightest hesitation at Igor’s words. Apparently sensing the sudden menace in his presence, Igor didn’t utter another word about Anastasia afterward.

Remembering Igor’s words again made Mikhail’s fist tighten. A decent husband? What kind of bullshit was that?

After he acquired Edenhurst, Anastasia belonged to him. That was why he personally fed, clothed, and taught her. He invested so much time and effort in her because she was his possession, and now he was supposed to send her to someone else?

“Don’t make me laugh.”

A twisted, harsh voice escaped him. The true nature he rarely revealed after coming to Edenhurst began creeping out.

Was there ever anything he wanted but couldn’t have? He chose the troublesome method in dealing with the Empress Dowager only because he wanted to end matters quietly. If he wanted to sweep everything away entirely, Mikhail could start another war whenever he pleased. He could overthrow a nation, so what was one woman from the countryside?

Even as he thought that, Mikhail couldn’t bring himself to stand. His gaze remained fixed on the books and belongings Anastasia returned.

She sent back the things she loved so dearly and wept over the word mistress. If so….

‘Is this a rejection?’

Faced with Anastasia’s quietly conveyed answer, Mikhail remained motionless for a long while, staring at her belongings. The storm clouds approaching from the distant sky spread over Edenhurst.

***

Whoosh.

Heavy rain poured down as though a hole had opened in the sky. The sudden summer storm brought fierce winds with it, and the servants of Edenhurst Mansion couldn’t even think of venturing outside.

“Why is it so cold?”

“I know. The rain is unusually cold.”

The raindrops were so cold that it was hard to believe this was summer rain, and fires were lit in the fireplaces for the first time in a long while. The gardeners anxiously stared outside, unable to keep still for fear that the garden they so carefully tended would be damaged. Even the air grew chilly, and just as they thought they should shut the doors leading to the garden….

“Huh?”

A woman in white suddenly rushed past them and ran into the garden. As the startled gardeners stared, wondering who on earth she was, Natasha shouted from behind them.

“Miss Anastasia!”