"Faster Prince! Oh dear god! I'm close!" She exclaimed as her hips are raised above the sofa with her hands moving at an even higher speed under her skirt.
"WHAT THE FUCK!?" Is all that comes out of my mouth
As Lady Selene's secret rendezvous comes to a stop.
I stand there frozen on spot unable to say a single word. My mouth still gaping wide at the really fucking weird sight I had witnessed just now.
What the fuck is this story? Like is there even a single normal character here!?
Aunt Selene keeps the book on the table and gets up. Fixing her hair and dress, she walks towards me with a stone cold face much unlike the one I had seen a while back ago.
I really want to cry now...
Aunt Selene walks closer and stop beside me. Then placing her hand on my shoulder, she says "Let's act like this never happened again".
That's all she says before exiting through the door.
What the fuck was that man?
Did I just watch that old upright iron lady touch herself while reading smut!?
And then what!? She wants me to act like this has never happened?
I want to die.
I seriously want to die.
Why the fuck did I come here again!?
Oh right...
I need to get rid of my dear husband.
"Fuck" I rub my temples.
Alright, focus on your purpose here, Erika! Let's quickly get done with this!
My goal is to get rid of Arron from my life, I don't want anything to do with that fucker again.
But being new to this world and also having vague memories...
I need someone's guidance to carry out my plans!
And for that I need to confide my plans with someone, someone who would understand me...
And that someone is her.
"She's right Erika, let's forget about this for now" I sigh and move out.
At the living room Aunt Selene is already present with Sir Franklyn. Both of them seem to be having a very nice chat.
With the thin back fully straightened and her blue eyes sharp as ever, she really looks like an iron lady.
That seems so strange as compared to the sight I had seen back in the library...
It made me wonder how lonely she must be under that cold, upright exterior...
"Oh you are here Rose." She says finally noticing me.
"Yeah...I"
"I know there's a lot to catch up. Let's continue in my room upstairs!" She smiles at me and walks away.
How the fuck does she expect me to be alone with her after I saw her like that!?
"I'll be bringing the tea and snacks upstairs!" The maid says. They seem to be in great haste for serving me...
"Uh yeah..." I nod and follow them upstairs.
As the maid leaves after placing the tea and snacks on the table in aunt Selene's room, I stand there looking on the ground not knowing what to do.
"Why are you being so shy? Come and sit here Rose" Aunt Selene says.
Dude is she seriously joking with me right now!?
"Yeah..." I walk up to the chair and sit down opposite to her.
Then taking a deep breath...
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to intrude on your personal space like that..." I apologise to her.
"We already decided not to talk about this right?" She says, her face as cold as ever.
Dear god!? How can a person always have a straight face like this??
"Yes I know that but I just wanted to apologise..."
She sighs and says,"The library is the only place I feel alive these days, that is why I forbade even the servants to go near it..."
"Yeah someone was telling something about that..." I say.
Damn maybe it's my fault for violating her private space like that...
She takes a sip of the tea and looks outside.
"You know when I was a 13 year old young girl, I always dreamt of being saved by a handsome prince..." She says.
"Huh?" I get surprised at her sudden words.
"I waited for days after days and then oneday when I was 16, I got the news of my marriage. It was a completely decided by my father, or your grandfather and my consent was not that important." She continues.
"But instead of a handsome prince my husband was a rough and rugged man, 20 years older than me. He was a strict, and would often scold me, teach me how to behave, or rather, treat me like a child. When it came to the pleasures of marriage and youth, he treated me like a baby-making machine and never bothered about my pleasure." She sipped the tea again.
Then putting a cigar in her mouth, she lights it up as if not being able to control the stress anymore.
She breathes out smokes and curses in the air.
"I didn't like anything here. This mansion, the dresses, the jewelries, the fake laughs of the relatives, I hated every bit of it. I felt suffocated! And when I had opened up to my father about it, all he said was that this is not his problem! That after marriage, daughters belong to their husbands and it's my fault for not being able to win his affection and serve him well..."
The smoke clouds her face almost as if hiding the sadness behind.
"A controlling husband who blamed my body for not being able to bear any children and a cruel father who had sold his daughter to maintain the family status...And the worst part was that I couldn't do anything about it!"
The smoke slowly clears to reveal her stone cold face again.
"But then...then my husband died in the war"
"Aunt Selene...I am so sorry", I couldn't help but feel extremely bad for her.
"Don't be... because ironically those 10 years after my husband's death were the best years of my life!" She says.
"But I thought...you had to fight your brother in law for the great Melfort Academy who tried to snatch it away after your husband's death!? Wasn't it a very long and tough battle for you!?" I ask, very surprised.
"No, and yes, I had to struggle but there was a freedom in struggling. After years of being under my husband, I felt free! As the principal of the academy, there was a lot of freedom and happiness in training the students, I had fun there." she smiles.
"Of course there were occasional threats from my husband's brother, but as long as your father supported me, no one could touch me or Melfort" She says.
She looks genuinely happy..It's such a shame that she has lost the academy.
"You know the court was very much worried about my honour..." She lets out a light chuckle.
"They argued that an honorable women must never be working and staying out late. I was also indirectly called a whore by my dear brother in law, because I headed the academy and dealt with countless men daily. He claimed to protect his late brother's wife's honour by taking the academy and argued that a woman cannot be capable of managing it well."
"So all the world's honour rests upon a woman's shoulder, but when it comes to property, it becomes the men's?" I ask hypocritically.
"That's just the way of the world, Rose. I know it's very selfish of me but the truth is, I have called you here because I need a favour. I want the academy back, Rose and I need your help for it!"
"I promise to try my best!" I give her an assuring smile.
Aunt Selene smiles back and says,"I can't thank my brother, your father enough for protecting me for all these years! It was because of him that I was able to keep the academy for so long. He was very different from other men, Rose you are really lucky to have him as your father".
"Lucky? Yeah right...Well he's the reason why I almost died!"
"What?" Selene is surprised.
"Well the truth is, I also came here to you with a request..." I decide to tell her everything.
"The man he forced me to marry...that man is a fucking whore! And worse than that he's a murderer! He had conspired with my step-brother and tried to kill me!"
"Oh god...when did all this happen Rose? Are you alright??"
"I am fine but I don't think I will be if I have to live with that bastard!"
"So you are saying that you want to..." Selene pauses to hear the words with her own ears.
"Yes! I want to divorce Arron! I can't stay with him!" I complete her sentence.
"Rose...Are you out of your mind? Don't you know what happens to high class women who divorce their husbands? They lose all of their previous status and wealth. They get ostracized by the society and become a source of laughing matter! And worse, men will think you are easy since you have no man protecting you and target you!" She explains.
Fuck...? How are things so fucked up here for women!?
"Then...what am I supposed to do?? How am I supposed to undo my father's mistake!??" I bite my lips in frustration.
"No, Rose, I think your father made the right decision...At least based on the situation back then..." She says.
"What? Like how!?"
"Yes, Rose, I believe Viscount McGarden's son was the best choice as a husband for you".
Getting up from my place, I slam on the table in disbelief.
"You must be kidding right? How can you even say that man is a good husband?" I scream.
"Calm down, Rose. I know you must be very upset with his behaviour but I think your best choice would be to solve your marital issues and adjust with him"
My lips flutter in disbelief and anger.
"I thought at least you would understand me....but you too?"
Selene only sighs and says, "Your father could never wish ill upon you Rose. I know him and how much he treasured you. Because of that he entrusted you with the Dukedom despite Derek being the man! And how can you even say that about your father? Have you forgotten everything about the contract McGarden's son had signed?"
"Contract...? What do you mean??"
"Why are you acting like you don't know?" Selene whispers like saying a secret.
"I don't understand..."
"Gosh Rose! Have you seriously forgotten how he signed the contract with the devil!?"