Anyway, since he was a brotherly figure whom the heroine trusted implicitly, his budding feelings for her added some spicy intrigue to an otherwise straightforward romance—in the normal course of the game, anyway.…
So why did I think this perfect, superhuman character was a brute?
Because of his monstrous treatment of the heroine’s enemies, that’s why.
The heroine was kidnapped when she was a little girl. It was Lucas who saved her, and although he was just a child, he displayed his exceptional talents by beating the three kidnappers half to death with a stick he found lying around. Supposedly, he damaged their tendons and shattered their bones so severely he made sure they’d never kidnap anyone again.
Another example happened at a soiree. A certain marquis’s son said vulgar things to the heroine and then touched her. He was tied up naked in a resting room after the party. His tongue had been burned with a cigar, all the joints in his fingers were dislocated, and he was a frightened, trembling mess. The incident had so completely broken him that he couldn’t say a single word as to the culprit. But rumors spread about the bizarre way he acted whenever he saw someone in a knight’s uniform…
Now, the first incident was technically self-defense, and the second one was unproven hearsay, but the real issue was his involvement in the sort of event that would only occur in an otome game: the daughter of a marquis, who was engaged to one of the heroine’s admirers, splashed wine on her in a fit of jealous rage.
The wine, red as blood, completely ruined the heroine’s dress, and she was reduced to a crying mess. The marquis’s daughter joined her friends, who all mocked the heroine together. The heroine was alone at the time, so she reportedly had to endure this humiliation until one of the love interests came to her rescue.
One day, those ladies were out shopping in town when they were set upon by a thug. They were nearly dragged into a back alley, but Lucas just happened to be walking by and saved them.
Before the thug could even turn to face him, Lucas beheaded him with a single stroke of his sword. The girls had collapsed with fright, and the disembodied head rolled right over to their feet as fresh blood splattered all over them. Lucas grabbed the culprit’s body as it fell, then turned toward the trembling ladies with his usual calm smile and extended a bloody hand.
The girls suffered a mental breakdown due to the shock of the attack and were never seen in high society again.
He was terrifying. Terrifyingly brutal and beyond chilling. Why was such a dangerous man allowed to roam free? Well, probably because no crimes had actually been pinned on him, but also because he was in line for the throne.
Still, he was a brute. A total monster.
And some of you may have already guessed, but…yes! I, the villainess, had supposedly orchestrated the red wine incident!
In truth, however, I was feeling under the weather that day, so I decided not to attend the party. Besides, I disliked such crude behavior. Splashing wine on someone? Please! Talk about ruining your reputation. I was in line to become the princess consort, after all. I would never do anything so unseemly. That’s right, and I was truly glad I didn’t!
Ugh, I must really be flustered right now. Why else would I be thinking about such nonsense in a situation like this? Is this what it means when they say your life flashes before your eyes?
Anyway, I’d heard this brothel was famous for its noble customers, but I certainly never expected the so-called Knight of the Blue Rose would be one of them. If he was popular enough to earn such a dashing nickname, why would he even have the need to visit a place like this?
I heard there was a long line of noblewomen and widows dying to make love to him. I didn’t know if that was true, though.
It’s no use. I just can’t think straight! Um, let’s see… No matter how much Lucas cares for the heroine, surely I haven’t done anything to warrant retribution… I haven’t, but he’s standing right in front of me all the same. Why is he standing in front of me?! Okay, let’s think this through. Come to think of it, wasn’t there something way off in what he just said?
“Welcome, Lord Lucas Herbst,” I said. “I was wondering what brings you to a place like this, but did you say something just now? I’m sorry, but I must’ve misheard you.”
“You heard right, Cecilia. I’ve come…to buy you…for a night.”
I could almost hear his smile.
The way he paused to emphasize his words underscored just how wretched he was, but as the most gorgeous man in the kingdom stood there smiling at me, I was almost ready to brush it off.
He really did have the most beautiful, handsome face. I was the former daughter of a marquis, and I was often told I was beautiful, but I had a feeling I couldn’t hold a candle to him. But what did that say about me as a woman?
Ahh, no! Wait! Wait just a minute! Did he just say he came to buy me?! For a whole night?!
“Lord Herbst? This brothel is hourly, so we don’t offer nightly rates.”
Oho ho! Oh no. You poor thing, you didn’t know the rules. The door’s over there! I thought as I gestured toward it with a trembling hand.
I’m not just trembling—I’m trembling with fear! That’s what this is!
Thanks to my noble upbringing, I managed to maintain my smile, but I had no doubt it was trembling too. But could you blame me?! There was no way I could have expected this sort of payback. I was on the brink of tears, here!
You could have the biggest brothel in town, but you wouldn’t be in business for long if you let a man as improbably virile as this one have his way with your wenches till they were run ragged. So naturally, the brothel enforced a three-hour time limit per customer, and any customers who acted violently would be blacklisted. After all, this was a high-class brothel in the royal capital, which catered to the nobility. I may have been reduced to a prostitute, but I was at least condemned to an establishment befitting my noble status.
There was absolutely no way they’d consign me to an entire night with this big, burly knight.
They wouldn’t. Right? Tell me I’m right!
“Yes, I know that. I negotiated with the owner, and I bought an entire night.”
What? You can do that?! That’s not fair. What’s the point of having rules in the first place?!
“I’ve never been to a brothel before, but certain circumstances have forced my hand, so here I am. And thanks to my title and my family’s influence, I was able to cut a deal.”