Chapter 3
“My lord…” Seraphine hurriedly attempted to rise and bow, but Lucien stopped her.
“Does it hurt?” he asked.
Seraphine froze.
Over the years, amidst the constant clashing of blades, she had taken many wounds without a single cry of pain. But now, as she looked into Lucien’s eyes, so close, she felt an overwhelming urge to cry.
“No,” Seraphine whispered.
As Lucien applied the ointment, he continued, “I heard about today’s incident.”
Seraphine’s heart skipped a beat.
“Vivienne…she probably knows about us. She feels threatened by you.. She bears you some resentment. But she’s kind at heart–just insecure.”
The cool ointment seeped into her wounds as Seraphine listened in silence, her heart sinking with every word.
“She will be staying in the estate for a while,” Lucien continued. “Earlier, she asked me for you to serve as her guard for a while.”
Seraphine’s body trembled slightly.
“My lord…you’re sending me away?”
Lucien remained silent for a long moment, then nodded. “Yes, she might make things difficult for you, but you have the strength to endure. Just bear with
it for now, let her vent her frustrations. Once she realizes there’s nothing between us…”
He paused, “After the wedding night, you will return to my side.”
Seraphine lowered her gaze, her throat tight.
In just ten days, she would leave. No longer would she be by anyone’s side.
But she said nothing, only responding quietly, “As you cornmand.”
The next morning, before dawn, cold water splashed onto Sera
Sne jolted awake, only to see Vivienne’s maid standing at the f
Seraphine glanced at the dark sky outside. “At this hour?”
“Can’t the lady wake early?” the maid snapped, glaring at her.
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ips. “Still lying down? You’re to attend to the lady at once!”
Seraphine said no more. She dressed quickly and stood outside Vivienne’s room.
Snowflakes drifted down, and Seraphine stood in the snow for an entire hour, but no sound came from within the room.
It was then that she realized the early call had been nothing but a ruse.
At last, when the sky lightened, sounds came from inside. The maids entered one by one to attend to Vivienne.
“I’m so tired of this hairstyle,” Vivienne suddenly said, her eyes landing on Seraphine. “You try it.”
“I don’t know how,” Seraphine answered honestly. “My hands are trained for killing, not for makeup or hairstyling.”
Vivienne’s expression darkened. “That’s the second time you’ve disobeyed me.”
Reluctantly, Seraphine approached.
She had just touched Vivienne’s hair when Vivienne suddenly screamed, “Ah…it hurts!”
The door flew open, and Lucien strode in, frowning. “What happened?”
Vivienne immediately flung herself into his arms, eyes brimming with tears. “Lucien, your servant pulled my hair and ruined it! It hurts…did she do it on purpose? She’s been ignoring me since I arrived…”
Seraphine opened her mouth but closed it when she caught Lucien’s gaze. His words from yesterday echoed in her mind-“You only need to endure for ten days.”
“Alright, I’ll punish her,” Lucien said softly, gently stroking Vivienne’s hair before turning coldly to Seraphine. “Go to the post and receive fifty strikes.”
Chapter 3
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He paused. “Do it right here. Let everyone see the consequences of ignoring the lady of Valmont Keep.”
The scourging bench was quickly brought over. As Seraphine bent over it, the sound of the oaken cudgel swishing through the air filled the silence.
“One! Two! Three!”
Each strike landed squarely on her back, and soon, warmth seeped into her clothes, mingling with the pain.
Seraphine gritted her teeth, but her gaze drifted involuntarily through the open window to the room inside. Lucien sat at the vanity, skillfully combing Vivienne’s hair. His long fingers wove through her dark locks, occasionally leaning in to whisper something in Vivienne’s ear, making her laugh brightly.
“Forty–five! Forty–six!”
Seraphine’s vision blurred, but the image of Lucien’s tender care for Vivienne remained vivid in her mind. Lucien picked up an eyebrow pencil and gently outlined Vivienne’s brows. Vivienne closed her eyes, smiling slightly.
As he drew, Lucien suddenly lowered his head to kiss her.
“Does it feel good?” Lucien’s voice was husky.
“So good…” Vivienne murmured.
“It’ll feel even better on our wedding night.”
“Fifty!”
The final strike fell, and Seraphine could no longer feel the pain. She was helped down from the scourging bench, her body weak and soaked in blood. In her daze, memories of nights long past surfaced–those nights when Lucien had asked her, “Does it feel good?”
Back then, Seraphine had almost mistaken it for love.
Now, she was fully awake.
Chapter 3
