Chapter 05
Of course. Here’s the faithful English translation of your provided chapter, preserving all character names exactly as written, without adding Korean words, extra commentary, or horizontal lines.
The only thing was that she hadn’t known she would hate it until after it happened.
“Only after it happened.”
“After it happened…”
“I hate it.”
“I hate it.”
“Baron?”
“Ah.”
Jester finally came to his senses as Cassia’s voice echoed repeatedly in his ears.
“So, you did give your permission, right? If the butler comes looking for me again, I’ll tell him he’ll have to work a little harder.”
“…Do that.”
Afraid Cassia might notice the shocked expression on his face, Jester hurriedly pretended to examine the documents before him. He didn’t even realize he was scribbling meaningless words across the smooth parchment instead of signing his name.
Relieved that the negotiation had ended far more easily than expected, Cassia quickly stood up.
For the next ten years, even if she devoted herself entirely to eating, playing, and enjoying life, every minute and every second would still be precious. She had no desire whatsoever to spend even a little more time with Jester, whose very face had become unbearable to look at.
“I’ll be going now.”
“Very well.”
With light, carefree steps, Cassia left Jester’s office.
“I only came to hate it after it happened.”
Gulp.
Staring at the image of Cassia’s calm expression lingering over the documents, Jester swallowed hard.
I really liked it.
“What?!”
This couldn’t be happening.
Instead of his signature, the important document now bore a useless sentence.
I really liked it.
“Damn it.”
Jester’s face turned bright red. He furiously scratched over the embarrassing words with his pen.
Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.
The ink spread until the paper became completely stained, and finally—
Riiip.
The parchment tore apart.
Cassia Ruberno.
Anyone born in the Empire would have known who she was.
Not only was she the beloved eldest daughter of the immensely wealthy Count Ruberno, but she was also famous for a beauty said to resemble an angel descended from heaven.
She was the talk of every place she visited, so naturally Jester had heard of her.
But that was all.
He had simply thought, So someone can become this famous just because of their face.
As someone too busy making a living to care about women, she had never attracted his interest beyond that.
The fact that she belonged to a world completely different from his—a woman he would likely never even see once in his lifetime—only made her seem even more distant.
So when he learned that she was to become his wife, he had been utterly stunned.
When the news spread, every unmarried man in the Empire had probably envied Jester.
Yet Jester himself had felt nothing but unease.
It was obvious that this marriage had only happened because of the Emperor’s unreasonable command.
How could he possibly feel comfortable?
If their positions were reversed, he would have gone mad.
A woman who should have married into a noble family of wealth and prestige instead had to spend the rest of her life in a rural territory as the wife of an insignificant man—a former commoner mercenary who had only recently been granted the lowest rank of nobility through sheer luck.
Strictly speaking, none of it was Jester’s fault.
Even so, he was overwhelmed with guilt.
After seeing the portrait sent to him beforehand, those feelings had only deepened.
Could a woman really exist who looked like this?
If she did, what must she be thinking as she was forced to marry some low-ranking noble she had never even met?
When he saw Cassia step down from the carriage, tense and nervous, Jester couldn’t even bring himself to raise his head.
Her beauty far surpassed what the portrait had captured.
Her expensive clothes looked completely out of place in such a rural territory.
He felt ashamed.
Ashamed of the cramped domain that smelled of cow dung she had undoubtedly seen on her way here.
Ashamed that despite receiving a noble title, he was still no different from a commoner inside.
He almost wished she would throw a tantrum.
Instead, Cassia’s personality proved to be every bit as beautiful as her appearance, making him feel even guiltier.
“I still have much to learn because I’m young, and I’m lacking in many ways, but I’ll do my best.”
“I sincerely hope this territory, which you and I will build together, prospers even more.”
“I-I’m embarrassed…”
“If you leave on our first night together like this… everyone will think very little of me. I know you don’t like me, but…”
The butler, Paul, had practically shoved the hesitant Jester into the bride’s room.
For Jester, who had never even held a woman’s hand in twenty-four years, spending a night alone with such a beautiful wife was pure torture.
On paper they were husband and wife, equals in every sense.
Yet to Jester, Cassia still seemed someone of far higher standing than himself.
He felt guilty even speaking to her, much less touching her.
When he finally decided that this wasn’t right and tried to leave, Cassia blushed shyly and stopped him.
He had never remembered feeling lust toward any woman before.
But that night, it felt as though something inside his head had broken.
That’s right.
She’s my wife now.
And she wants this too.
Using that thought to justify himself, he embraced his young bride.
Even then, he believed he had shown restraint.
How much superhuman self-control had he exercised just to keep his instinctively wandering hands from touching her?
He couldn’t bear the thought of his rough, impure hands staining her snow-white body.
As a result, on their first night together, there had been only the bare minimum of physical contact necessary.
‘I tried as hard as I could not to touch her…
Was she still unhappy with it…?’
Jester began tormenting himself with guilt over having dared to embrace such a pure and innocent wife.
His grip on his own hair tightened.
The realization that he had been the only one who enjoyed it only deepened his guilt.
He had tried so hard not to touch her because he feared she might dislike it.
Yet even that had apparently been too much for her.
Had she hated the act itself?
No…
She hadn’t said that.
She had said she only came to hate it afterward.
Remembering the look of contempt Cassia had given him that morning only made his heart heavier.
Compared to yesterday, her attitude had changed completely overnight.
Surely it was because she had hated their first night together.
As Jester recalled what he had been like the previous night, he suddenly realized something.
The problem had definitely been that he alone had enjoyed it.
His first experience had been overwhelming.
It had been astonishing.
It had felt as though sparks were exploding inside his head.
He had thought that because it was part of his own body, he would naturally be able to control it.
Instead, it had run completely wild, numbing even his brain.
He had reached climax several times without once stopping to consider whether Cassia disliked it or not.
Looking back now, he couldn’t imagine having behaved any worse.
“Damn it.”
What was someone supposed to do in a situation like this?
Should he go apologize to Cassia?
Jester agonized over the question.
Knock. Knock.
“Master, it’s Paul. I have something I’d like to discuss.”
At that moment, a voice arrived like that of a savior.
“Come in.”
Once Jester gave permission, the neatly dressed butler Paul entered and bowed respectfully.
Although he was forty years old, his meticulous self-care made him look five or six years younger.
Originally from the Imperial Palace, this capable butler had also been personally assigned to Jester by the Emperor.
When Jester had suddenly received a noble title and a territory to govern for the first time in his life, Paul had diligently taken charge of managing both the castle and the domain in his place.
He was the servant Jester trusted most.
“What is it?”
“I came regarding the mistress. Since she officially became the lady of Greze Territory yesterday, I intend to begin handing over the household administration that I’ve been managing. I plan to do it gradually and carefully so she won’t feel overwhelmed. However, we should arrange an inspection of the territory as soon as possible, so I came to ask about your schedule. All the people of the territory are eager to meet the mistress.”
Paul spoke with a cheerful smile.
Judging by his expression, he had become extremely fond of the castle’s new mistress.
Then again, no one who had met Cassia upon her arrival at Greze Castle yesterday had failed to fall for her charm.
She had been so kind and so beautiful.
Even Paul himself had nearly strained his eyes from stealing glances at her.
But only a day later, Cassia had come to him with serious complaints.
Every one of those complaints had been because of Jester himself.
He had to understand her feelings.
“No. For the time being, continue managing the household yourself. My wife is still young, and this place is worlds apart from Ruberno. She’ll need plenty of time to adjust.”
As he spoke, Jester remembered Cassia storming into his office and declaring that she absolutely refused to work.
Paul’s eyes widened.
“…Why are you making that face?”
“M-My apologies. I was just… surprised. This is the first time I’ve ever heard you speak this much, Master…”
“…”
“And it sounds like you’re saying it because you’re thinking so much about the mistress. It’s rather surprising… Still, I’m glad you’ve found such a wonderful lady.”
Paul nodded with a deeply moved expression.
Jester felt somewhat embarrassed.
He knew better than anyone that he was painfully quiet.
That was simply his nature.
He rarely spoke even when necessary, much less offered emotional words of encouragement or praise to his servants.
Deep down, he wanted to compliment Paul for all the hard work he had done without rest.
But just imagining himself saying such words made his skin crawl.
“Anyway, handle it that way.”
“Very well. Then please discuss it with the mistress first and let me know when the time comes. By the way, when do you plan to inspect the territory?”
“Ah… I’ll decide that myself and inform you later.”
He had absolutely no intention of bothering Cassia with suggestions like, “Let’s do this,” or, “Let’s do that,” after she had personally come to him, glaring, to declare that she refused to work.
He would just say this for now and somehow gloss over it later.
Jester made the decision without much thought.
“Very well. I’ll proceed accordingly.”
Looking far happier than before, Paul bowed again and turned to leave.
Just then, Jester stopped him.
“Paul.”
“Yes, Master.”
Paul responded immediately.
“Are you busy?”
Paul blinked in surprise.
Jester looked as though he had something to say.
Although Paul had served the young lord for over two years after coming from the Imperial Palace under the Emperor’s orders, Jester was so quiet that they had never once held a long personal conversation.
Paul suddenly found himself both nervous and hopeful.
“No, not at all. Is there something you need, Master?”
“It’s just… there’s something I’d like to ask.”
“What is it?”
As Paul stepped closer to Jester’s desk, he was inwardly astonished.
His master was wearing an expression he had never once seen in the past two years.
His face was bright red, and he hesitated to speak.
“W-Well…”
“Please, speak freely, Master.”
Paul encouraged him.
“I-It’s…”
Jester even stammered.
Growing tense himself, Paul wetted his lips before urging him again.
“Please. Just say it, Master.”
Paul spoke gently, but Jester continued hesitating for quite some time.
Only after Paul had inwardly sighed, At this rate, I’ll suffocate waiting, did Jester finally force out a question.
“You… were married once, weren’t you?”
“Yes. I married while I was living in the capital. My wife passed away two years before I came here. She had been in poor health since she was young.”
“I see. My condolences.”
“It’s been many years now, so I’m all right. But… was that what you wanted to ask?”
“No, not exactly…”
At this rate, someone really was going to suffocate.
Paul swallowed dryly as he stared at Jester’s agonized face.
Finally, as though making up his mind, Jester slammed both hands onto the desk and shouted,
“Teach me about sex education!”
Paul’s mouth slowly fell open.
“…Pardon?”
