Bala: The Duke's Contract Wife

A Virgin in the North (1)

Somehow, Rose was able to pique Victor's adrenaline. It tasted sweet. The girl's existence was like honey dangled in front of him on a stick. And Victor loved to hunt.

He could not explain why he was curious about the girl below him. According to his scout, Damien, no one had seen Rose since Cantika Fullmeir's death. The girl always wore a mask when socializing, and she rarely got out of the house. Naturally, rumors of Rose' ugly appearance began to circulate.

He never expected much, to be honest. Since the death of his first wife, he never thought he'd remarry. Especially not to a very young girl. Rose's age was seven years below Victor's.

For what seemed like the hundredth time, Victor reminded himself again that this was all business. Nothing more and nothing less.

His big fingers kept lifting the silver mask. Slowly, Victor began to be able to glimpse Rose's face. 

Her small chin, hints of red on her cheeks, small nose, and thick eyebrows.

She was very pretty.

If only there were no scars on both of her cheeks. Three rough, red strokes were visible on each of Rose's cheeks.

Victor put aside the silver mask so that his free fingers could touch the wounds on Rose's cheek.

The girl flinched when she felt Victor's touch. "Does it hurt?" he asked. For a moment, he forgot that he was supposed to put on an indifferent face. But he couldn't stop the worried tone from coming out of his mouth.

Rose was also surprised to hear Victor's worried tone. The man then cleared his throat and returned to his cold tone. "They are claw marks." His emerald eyes stared straight into Rose's ruby eyes. Without the need to put out the words, Victor knew Rose could already guess his question, Who did it?

But Rose decided not to answer. Instead, she turned her face, refusing to look Victor in the eye.

Victor stopped to trace the wound on Rose's cheek and lifted Rose's chin, forcing her to look at him. The look on his green eyes implied a determination that he would find out who injured Rose.

"A month you said?" asked Victor. "It looks like a wound that's not going to heal."

Rose exhaled slowly. "I have the ability to heal myself faster than most."

Victor opened his mouth to speak but Rose cut him off, "I got that ability from my biological father. But I never met him."

That was when Victor realized, the girl selected the questions that she wanted to answer. Rose chose silence in response to Victor's questions about her past at the Fullmeir residence. But regarding the plan Rose had and her abilities, the girl would answer.

A thought then began to emerge in Victor's mind.

"I heard a strange report yesterday," Victor continued, "that you refused to be helped bathed and dressed."

Before long Victor's gaze lowered to Rose's nightwear. One of his hands started to pull one of the ribbons on the front of the nightwear. But suddenly his hand was stopped by Rose.

Rose's tiny fingers held Victor's big wrist. Her lips trembled a little when she said, "Don't tell anyone."

Victor chose to answer Rose with his stare. Satisfied with Victor's unworded answer, Rose's fingers slowly released her grip from Victor's wrist.

When Victor thought about it, it was funny that they could communicate without words. This was the first time Victor could understand and convey his thoughts using only his gaze. Although in war, Victor often used certain codes and gestures to communicate with his knights. But Victor had to teach them the code and gestures in the first place. With Rose, however, the understanding between them just happened instantly.

Victor gently pulled the ribbons again. Slowly Rose's nightwear loosened, showing the pale skin underneath. The first thing Victor noticed was how small Rose's neck was.

The man then pulled the second and third then fourth ribbons and so on. Rose's nightwear was so loose then that it showed Rose's bare chest. Victor could see Rose's pink n*****s coming out from the thin fabric. The girl's chest rose and fell to the same rhythm as Victor's breathing pace.

Nevertheless, what caught Victor's attention was the burn scars on the girl's pale skin. The pink scar looked like a swerving line on Rose's body. It spiraled from her right shoulder, down to her right breast, and continued towards the girl's stomach.

Victor pulled the last ribbon of Rose's dress. The thin cloth fell to the side, showing Rose's chest and stomach completely.

The burn didn't stop on her stomach.

"In case you're wondering, it spreads to my left thigh," she whispered. 

Victor focused his attention back on Rose's eyes. His eyes softened at the sight of her red eyes. 

"I don't need your pity, Duke," she said suddenly.

***

Rose hated that stare. The same look that Pierre gave the day they first met. Nonetheless... Rose didn't quite understand why the Duke of Maraina would pity her. The man lived to fight and has been accustomed to battlefields at a young age. The man even bore the title The Monster from Maraina.

Rumor has it that the man's gaze was as cold as ice and his sword knew no mercy. Rose knew best that rumors are not fully reliable. But truly, Victor did not have any reason to pity Rose.

"I don't need your pity, Duke," Rose said.

Victor was frozen when he heard the words. Then he quickly put a cool face back on, a face that was not divulging anything.

"You said you have the ability to regenerate quickly. But this scar, isn't this proof that you're lying?" he asked in a low tone. His face was so close to Rose's neck that his breaths tickled Rose's skin. In the cold Maraina air, Victor's breath felt warm.

"I do have the ability to regenerate rapidly. But somehow that ability doesn't apply to burns."

Victor seemed not satisfied with her answer. I don't know if he's going to believe me or not.

One of Victor's hands touched the burn on her neck. Her skin is so soft. The man touched her as if he feared that Rose's body could break at any time. His fingers traced the burn down to Rose's chest. Then his hand stayed there a little longer.

Rose began to pant, slowly but surely, her heartbeats beat faster. She felt the warmth spread all over her body. It was funny that the man was the one that actually made Rose felt warm for the first time in Maraina. Each of his touches provided warm and comfortable sensations. Without thinking, Rose puffed her chest a little, as if asking for Victor to touch her more.

When logic had entered her mind again, she was suddenly aware of the indecent act she committed. It was too late, Victor already caught on to what she was doing. The man's green eyes returned to Rose's eyes. This time Rose felt like staring at a predator. Her breaths hitched... When Victor's fingers wandered around Rose's n****e.

One of Victor's fingers poked Rose's n****e right in the middle. Electric sensations radiated all over Rose's body. And before Rose could stop herself, a moan came out of her mouth just as she was increasingly puffing her chest unconsciously.

Rose could see Victor's eyes flashing back.

Not having time to manage her breath, Rose was struck when Victor scooped her right breast. She gasped at the touch. Her mind became empty, she couldn't think. The only thing that was on her mind was that Victor's touch brought her warmth.

"Did you do it with Pierre?" Victor suddenly hissed very near to Rose's face.

"Huh?"

Victor pinched Rose's n****e. An unfamiliar sensation invaded Rose's body instantly. The girl moaned again. Instinctively, Rose placed both hands on Victor's shoulder.

"Did you have a relationship with Pierre? Was that why he trusted you?"

When Rose didn't answer him, Victor pinched harder. And before Rose could get used to the electrical sensation, Victor had already mouthed Rose's other n****e. Rose was trapped then. Her right breast was played by Victor's hand and her left breast was trapped by Victor's tongue.

Rose went to great lengths to hold back the sounds that were forcing to get out from her throat. And of course, she failed miserably. She made a sound like a whimpering dog.

What kind of interrogation is this?

Before Rose's mind completely melted away, Rose whispered, "Do you eat the breasts of all your prisoners of war?"

Victor's mouth stopped. But when his mouth detached itself from Rose's breasts, Rose's n*****s stood up and became increasingly sensitive to Maraina's cold air. It was cold. And Rose thought she wanted more of Victor's warmth. He stuck out his tongue, and with his eyes staring straight at Rose's, the man said, "Only on mysterious suspicious girls."

His tongue started to caress her n****e. The movements were slow. But every time his tongue met Rose's sensitive n****e, Rose felt like being electrocuted. The girl had to bite her lip to prevent more gibberish noise from coming out of her mouth.

Victor's licks and kisses then went up to Rose's chest and then onto Rose's neck. While Victor's one hand traveled down, gently past Rose's belly, and continued to move down until it entered Rose's skirt.

That was when Rose felt panic. She quickly grabbed Victor's hand which almost reached her thighs. She grabbed it hard. As hard as she could to stop that big hand from continuing to travel down. So hard that Rose's fingernails pierced his skin without her noticing.

Sensing Rose's panic, Victor stopped kissing her. The man stared at her again. The girl's red-eye beads were full of fear.

"You're a virgin," Victor said finally.