Battle Divorce! - Chapter 6
“Seriously… you’re disgustingly handsome.”
Daisy muttered at the portrait, knowing she’d probably never see her husband in person again.
Of course, he looked even better in person, but the portrait was still quite decent.
His looks weren’t just ‘handsome’. That word didn’t do him justice. There was something striking and imposing about him, a kind of dangerous allure that set him apart from ordinary men.
The portrait by her bedside was there only because the former Grand Duchess insisted on it. Supposedly, sleeping with her husband’s portrait nearby would ensure his safe return from war.
“Hope you’re doing well out there. I’m honestly living in complete comfort, thanks to you.”
Naturally, the portrait never replied, but sometimes, when she was alone, Daisy would talk to it anyway. With no nuns to chat with or children begging for attention, she found herself talking just to stave off the loneliness.
“I eat well, sleep well, take walks, read as much as I want… I’ve really gotten good at being alone.”
For her mission to succeed, her husband would have to die.
Wishing for someone’s death—even in her thoughts—made her feel like a terrible person.
But death was in God’s hands, not hers, right? She couldn’t stop it, even if she wanted to.
Every night before bed, Daisy prayed that if he were to fall in battle, he would at least find his way to heaven.
Staring at his portrait, Daisy suddenly remembered the wedding vow kiss.
How hot his breath had been as it dove deep into her mouth, the heavy, searing press of him against her belly…
“Damn…”
She shook her head, trying to scatter the embarrassing memory, then buried her face in the soft bedding.
“I’ll be back, Wife.”
“We’ll save the wedding night for after my return.”
The more she tried to forget, the more vivid the memories became.
He’d been… enormously unforgettable. With something that extraordinary, how could you ever forget?
Daisy von Waldeck sometimes—actually, far more often than ‘sometimes’—met her husband in her dreams.
These encounters weren’t intentional, but every time, he kissed her like he was going to devour her. As his kisses deepened, Daisy would cling to him as if for dear life.
In the end, she’d find herself trapped beneath his massive body, filled by him, lost in the dizzying pleasure… It was always a downright filthy dream.
“Ugh, what am I, some desperate pervert? Why do I keep having these dirty dreams?”
The mere thought of him made her lower stomach flutter and ache. With no one watching, she felt like she needed to hide somewhere, her nerves restless.
Well, in terms of looks alone, he was exactly her type.
If she ever had to sleep with a man, she’d want it to be someone like him… Wait, what was she thinking?
It was all that damned portrait’s fault. Staring at that sinful face every day, it must have crept into her subconscious.
Daisy flipped the portrait facedown, out of sight.
“Dear Lord, please guide this lost little lamb into your warm embrace.”
She straightened up and clutched the cross pendant at her neck, starting her prayers of repentance.
Warm embrace… Maybe it was the soldier in him, but he did have an impressive chest. Those pectoral muscles… so solid, even a blade might have trouble cutting through it…
“Oh, stop it. Think pure thoughts, Daisy. Pure thoughts…”
Daisy squeezed her eyes shut and knocked her own forehead with her fist.
“Don’t think about it. He’s not coming back anyway.”
Reports said fierce battles were raging on the front lines, and their side was in dire straits.
‘So there’s no point in daydreaming.’
Daisy pulled the blankets over her head and shut her eyes tight.
* * *
Tea time out of nowhere at this hour?.
The former Grand Duchess, already sipping her tea before anyone else arrived, looked like she had something to say.
“Good news, Mother?”
“Oh yes. How have you not seen the paper?”
If only. The Waldeck estate was remote, and no one bothered to bring her a newspaper. Once a week, she managed to get her hands on a copy for information’s sake, but going into town wasn’t easy, and even then she got dirty looks for being a married woman ‘gallivanting’ around. It was exhausting.
The former Grand Duchess tossed a newspaper onto the table.
[MAXIM VON WALDECK, UNPRECEDENTED VICTORY!]
There was her husband’s name, splashed across the front page in huge print. Daisy rubbed her eyes in disbelief, but that wasn’t even the biggest shock.
[HERO OF THE KINGDOM, GRAND DUKE WALDECK! HIS FIRST WISH AFTER RETURNING HOME?]
[To hold my beloved wife, Daisy, in my embrace.]
No way. There had to be some mistake, a journalist’s embellishment.
“I told you. Watch your diet for when the Grand Duke comes home.”
The former Grand Duchess looked delighted as Daisy’s face turned pale.
‘This… this can’t be happening.’
All the latest weeklies had reported nothing but defeat at the border, with no hint of hope. This turn of events left Daisy completely blindsided.
‘Stay calm. Think. If I come up with a plan, maybe I can…’
But fate gave Daisy no time.
“Madam! Grand Duke Waldeck has just entered the estate!”
Already?
A breathless maid burst into the parlor with the news, and Daisy’s face drained of color.
* * *
What am I going to do? What now?
Her mind went blank and she couldn’t formulate any plan.
Daisy stood anxiously in the foyer beside the old Grand Duchess, nervously picking at her fingers as they waited for her husband’s arrival.
Bang!
The door swung open, and a tall, handsome man strode in.
The moment Daisy met those steely blue-grey eyes—sharp as a drawn blade—she held her breath. As expected, the moment he spotted her, Maxim headed straight in her direction, without a moment’s hesitation.
“I’m home, Wife.”
He swept Daisy up in a tight embrace, making her vision swim.
“…Shall we head to the bedroom now?”
“Huh?”
He smiled languidly and murmured into her ear,
“We made a promise, remember? The wedding night, once I came back.”
Daisy’s face went crimson.
The entire staff and the former Grand Duchess stood there, lined up to welcome their master, but Maxim von Waldeck acted as if they were the only two people in the world.
…And that wasn’t all.
“Sorry, but I can’t wait any longer.”
Oh god. The front of his trousers was burning hot and looked ready to burst.
