“A wager?” she asked, confused.
Arnald nodded. “Yes. If you win, I’ll agree to the divorce. But if I win, you have to remain my wife in perpetuity.”
“Gentlemen really like to gamble, don’t they? To determine something so permanent based on the whims of a game…”
“Do you intend to decline, then? And remain my caged bird?”
Why did men always think they were the ones in control? Byletta was stunned at his arrogance. It was as if, in her position as the woman, she had no choice at all.
Byletta’s pride, which she had built up all on her own over the past few years, had been pricked. A fire lit up under her feet.
“If neither option leads to my freedom, then I’d rather just struggle.”
“Hmph. I thought you might say that.”
Even though it was only the first time they’d met, her husband was speaking as if he knew her. As if Byletta was nothing more than what she seemed.
Concealing her irritation, Byletta tilted her head to the side questioningly. “And what are the terms of this wager?”
“With the stakes so high, the rewards should be proportional. How about you lie with me for one month and see if you are with child by the end of it?”
“Wha—?!”
Byletta could find no words.
It wasn’t as if she was clinging to her virginity for dear life—rather, she’d simply had no interest in ridding herself of it thus far. Granted, she was an older-than-usual virgin, but that didn’t change the fact of it. Anyway, there was no world in which she would give herself to a man who didn’t even love her, much less for a bet.
Not to mention the repercussions for the child itself.
How could this man treat the life that could result from such a deal so carelessly? In war, combatants were regarded as numbers rather than people; perhaps Arnald’s prolonged time at the front had desensitized him to the value of human life? Or maybe this was just how he’d always been.
Still, Byletta couldn’t silence the voice in the back of her head that whispered, If you can just survive one month, you’ll be free. The odds seemed stacked in her favor—was a single month even long enough to induce pregnancy?
Byletta had heard couples here and there lamenting about how much they wanted children.
Perhaps this was the greatest concession her husband could make? But no. It felt more like he was just playing with her. What have I done to be met with such scorn?
When she’d first become a wife, Byletta had been prepared to lose her virginity to her husband, even though she’d always planned to leave. She had already relinquished it in her mind.
There was just one thing she could not relinquish.
She wanted to be free.
“Have you come to a decision? We don’t have to wager if you’ll just agree to remain my wife.”
“You don’t have any plans to reconsider these terms, do you?”
“Aren’t you prepared to take on your fair share of risk?”
“Why are you asking your wife to take risks?”
“I know that I was in the wrong leaving you here while I was on the front lines. But if I’m going to indulge your selfishness, I think it’s only fair that we both have something at stake.”
My selfishness, hmm?
She’d take the wager. She was a businesswoman, after all.
In business, risk was something Byletta was always prepared for, though those truly talented in the art would arrange things so they could avoid it altogether. But that didn’t seem to be an option in this case. Despite the lack of time to weigh up her options, Byletta could tell that her husband would not change his mind.
“Fine. You have one month. Please make sure to honor your promise.”
“I will. I’ll even write up a contract, if you wish.”
“May I take you up on that offer, then?”
“Yes. I’ll take that as your acceptance.”
Arnald immediately climbed on top of Byletta.
“Wh-what are you—?”
“Our wager has already begun. Shall we move on to our wedding night?”
“W-wedding night?! But what about the contract?!”
“You accepted my offer. It doesn’t make a difference if we do it now or later.”
“D-do what, exac—? Argh!”
Before Byletta could protest, Arnald had pulled open her nightgown.
Her face immediately began to burn red as her breasts came spilling out of it.
Eight years had passed since she’d last prepared herself to sleep with a man. She would never have predicted that her husband would demand it so soon after returning.
Her confusion was replaced by humiliation.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m just seeing what you look like. Your body is lovelier than I thought it would be. Come on, don’t try to hide it.”
Arnald grabbed her arms, which she’d wrapped around her chest, and pinned them above her head. It was still dark, but the moonlight filtering in from beyond the curtain and the light from the corridor were more than enough to see by. Unable to hide a thing, Byletta’s shame only increased as Arnald looked her up and down.
“You have an ample bosom for such a slender waist. I wonder how many men you’ve seduced with these…”
Without even sparing a moment for Byletta to ask what he meant, Arnald pressed a hand to one of her breasts. The touch elicited a sweet moan from her lips and sent a shiver running down her spine.
Confused by this unfamiliar form of pleasure, Byletta tried and failed to resist the sensation.
“Wait, no… Something’s wrong.”
“You’re just feeling pleasure. Let yourself enjoy it.”
Byletta’s entire body trembled as Arnald’s hand slowly brushed lower. All he was doing was touching her, but she could no longer hold back the sweet sounds that rose to her lips.
Even though this was the first time she was being touched in this manner, Byletta couldn’t bring herself to put up any kind of genuine resistance. Her fear of the unknown gave way to a strange sensation akin to an itch that needed to be scratched.
Her mind dulled; her flustered thoughts became foggier and foggier. The last thing she perceived before she fell into complete disarray was the shock of being betrayed by her own body. Her husband’s hands and tongue felt incredible. A shivery pleasure began to run through her body.