Chapter 19: Before the Regression (3)

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✦ ✦ ✦

Three years had passed since the two of them got married.

In the meantime, the aging Duke Fortuna passed away, and Alto succeeded him as the duke. Even so, their relationship remained much the same as when the old duke was still alive.

They were intimate three times a month, on the days the physician deemed most favourable for conception.

Each encounter lasted less than ten minutes. A brief union limited to penetration.

That alone was enough for Alto. Of course, their intimacy was far from enough to satisfy his desire, but he knew that if he took as much as he wanted, he might end up hurting her.

‘If my true form is exposed…’ 

There had already been several times when he’d transformed into a wolf while pleasuring himself. Years of Duke Fortuna’s gaslighting had convinced Alto beyond doubt that if Viviana ever discovered his true identity, she would leave him.

'I’m happy with things as they are now.'

The quiet presence of her by his side was happiness for him.

However, it was purely by chance that a bolt from the blue reached Alto.

There were only three days each month set aside for their intimacy. And this occurred on the last night.

“Excuse me.”

As always, Viviana lay on the bed, legs spread and ready, but this time she spoke hesitantly.

“Do we really have to? I would like to rest today.”

The bedroom still remained dark on their nights together. Unsure of Alto’s exact position, Viviana continued speaking to the empty space beside her.

"I-I know today’s the day, but… yesterday was exhausting too…"

There were only a few days like this each month, which was disappointing, but Viviana’s condition came first.

So Alto stepped back without protest.

“I understand. Please rest then.”

Hearing the sound of the door, Viviana assumed Alto had left and lay down comfortably. And as if confirming that she was indeed tired, she quickly fell asleep.

But Alto was still in the room. He gripped his erection as he watched the sleeping Viviana, breathing steadily.

They had been married for three years. But even with monthly nights together all that time, Alto still got aroused just at the sight of Viviana.

“Ugh…”

Viviana whimpered softly and shifted her body. Her ample breasts swayed with the movement. Alto watched, spellbound, as he stroked himself, the tip glistening with the fluid that had leaked.

Everything about her was captivating. Her slightly parted lips as she exhaled, her soft body without a single hard edge, and her green eyes, always dewy like raindrops on fresh shoots.

“Nngh.”

As she slept, Viviana tossed and turned, her legs parting. A faint scent of blood drifted from between her thighs. The smell made Alto’s head spin.

‘If this keeps up, I’ll end up biting her.’

Alto gritted his teeth. Semen spurted from the thick tip of his glans.

✦ ✦ ✦

The next morning.

Alto heard the murmurs of the maids as they came out after tidying Viviana's room.

“The lady was in a lot of pain again this month. They must be doing it very intensely.”

Alto’s steps faltered at the mention that Viviana was in pain. Another maid waved her hands and laughed.

"I don’t think so. The Duke leaves the bedroom so quickly."

"What? Then why is she in so much pain?"

"Isn’t it obvious? They’re probably just not sexually compatible, right?"

Sexually compatible.

It was a term he had never heard before, but its meaning wasn’t hard to grasp. Alto clenched his jaw.

‘You saying we’re not compatible?’

Alto truly adored Viviana. Just her scent alone was enough to make him cum uncontrollably.

But the special nights that meant so much to him — were they nothing but pain for her?

‘That can’t be.’

Alto shook his head, but the unease that had taken root didn’t fade easily.

Come to think of it, she had never once let out a moan of pleasure. She just bit her lip and whimpered.

‘Was it really nothing but pain for her?’

The realisation that he had only brought her pain overwhelmed him with such self-loathing that he felt like biting his tongue off and dying on the spot.

Suppressing all those tangled feelings, Alto outwardly handled his work calmly. Though he now sat in the duke’s seat, with no family to share the duties, it was only natural that he was endlessly busy.

His mind was already in turmoil, and today of all days, a retainer spoke out with an unnecessary remark he didn’t need to make.

"I suppose it’s about time we heard something about an heir…"

Three years into their marriage, it had become a frequent topic among the retainers. Already in a foul mood, Alto cut him off sharply.

"No one is to bring up anything about my heir."

Alto, who was usually unresponsive, got angry, and the retainer, thinking he was finally taking the matter seriously, raised his voice.

"But Your Grace! It’s already been three years since your marriage, and yet there’s not even a hint of a pregnancy. There’s clearly a problem with the Duchess!"

“Stop before I cut out your tongue.”

“But—!”

“I told you to stop!”

For the first time, Alto lost his temper. The retainer, seeing his anger laid bare, was so startled that he sank to the floor.

Alto sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

‘Everything’s a complete mess.’

He dismissed everyone and quietly stared out the window. In the garden, Viviana caught his eye, wearing a bright, cheerful smile.

‘Didn’t she say her cousin was visiting?’

So in front of her cousin, she could show such a range of expressions.

Everything felt bitter. Alto simply closed his eyes.

✦ ✦ ✦

And so, several more months passed. Alto’s mind churned with frustration, but he didn’t know any other way to handle the situation. All he could do was groan inwardly and watch Viviana closely.

Thanks to that, he keenly noticed Viviana’s changes. Her normally tight, resistant passage, which had struggled even when drenched in lubricant, now welcomed Alto’s cock smoothly, wet and yielding. Even her lips, which had always bitten down in endurance, now gave way to high, clear moans.

“Ah! Aaah!”

The sound was so arousing that, without realising it, he came in less than ten minutes.

‘Lately, she doesn’t seem to be in pain like she used to.’

Normally, he would have seen it as simply a good change. But Alto already harboured a suspicion deep in his heart that Viviana might dislike him. And now, a new doubt began to sprout in his mind.

‘Surely not.’

‘Could it be that she’s seeing someone else?’

Even a little thought made it clear that it was an absurd misunderstanding. But aside from that, there was no reason for her to suddenly become so skilled at sex.

'I can’t live without her.'

Jealousy and the fear of losing her paralysed his rationality.

So, Alto went to find Viviana and asked her this.

“Have you perhaps started seeing someone else?”

In truth, it wasn’t that he was convinced of her affair — he just said it because he desperately wanted a definite answer from her own lips.

He wanted to hear her say, ‘You’re the only one for me.’

But Viviana’s reaction was far more intense than he had anticipated.

"What do you even know?! Who are you to question me? You don’t even love me!"

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. The conversation was unfolding very differently from what he had imagined, and Alto was thoroughly flustered. At the same time, her words about not loving her pierced his ears like thorns. Uncharacteristically, he raised his voice in rebuttal.

"I can’t say that I’ve loved you passionately — that much is true! But I’ve done my best to be a faithful and perfect husband in my own way. Doesn’t a husband at least have the right to know if his wife is seeing another man?"

"I didn’t realise you were so eager to know about my secret lover!"

He didn’t even realise that his words could wound Viviana’s pride. Furious to the point of boiling over, Viviana grabbed an object and hurled it at Alto.

“This is the one!”

What Viviana had thrown was a dildo shaped like a man’s penis. Before Alto could even get a proper look at it, Viviana’s face burned with embarrassment, and she stormed out, her footsteps thudding heavily.

Perhaps it was because she was more worked up than usual. One of the heels on Viviana’s shoes broke, and her body lurched violently.

“Kyaaah!”

“Viviana!”

If it had been flat ground, she would have simply fallen. But she was near the stairs. Viviana’s ankle seemed to twist, and her body went tumbling with a loud crash.

It was an accident that happened in the blink of an eye. Pale as a ghost, Alto rushed forward and pulled Viviana into his arms.

“Viviana! Stay with me!”

Warm blood soaked his palm. His heart felt like it was dropping into his stomach. She was so badly injured that he didn’t even know how to respond. It felt as if his mind had been completely overtaken by white.

Meanwhile, someone went to fetch a physician, and another brought towels. One of the maids grimaced at the sight of Viviana’s condition.

“Your Grace… Madam is…”

Whether her neck had been broken during the fall or not, she was no longer breathing. Highly attuned to subtle signs, Alto realised it immediately. But it took him a long time to acknowledge it.

Because his heart refused to accept reality.

Yet it was only through the maid’s words that he finally realised the reality of the situation he was facing.

Viviana was dead. She had stumbled after a trivial argument with him.

'This can’t be. I haven’t even properly said a single word to her yet.'

It was an utterly absurd misunderstanding.

Yet because of that misunderstanding, he had lost her forever.

‘Viviana.’

Alto looked down at Viviana with trembling eyes. His red eyes, which had flickered with panic, soon shone with a sharp, clear resolve.

“…No. I can’t let it end like this.”

It was anyone’s guess where that determination came from.

Alto had spent his whole life simply following his grandfather’s orders, but this time, he was acting entirely on his own will.

What came to his mind was the serpent sorcerer who had lived for an incredibly long time. Having spent so many years alive, he was said to possess godlike power.

If it were him, he would know a way to save Viviana.

Alto carried Viviana in his arms straight to the serpent sorcerer’s house. The sorcerer sneered without holding back.

“Why are you trying to save her? Even if you do, the same future will just repeat again.”

At the words that slipped out in reply, Alto’s face twisted in torment.

“Because I love her.”

Like a fool, Alto had only now realised his own heart.

He was in love with her.

It was a realisation far too late.

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