The Duchess and the Devil - Chapter 69.1

Derrick has already been with her for a month and a half.

Of course, during this time many incidents occurred: the death of her husband, a conflict with the emperor. And although Judith was worried about all of the above, she was still extremely resilient and strong: from a young age, she trained and practiced fencing. Despite all this, despite the strength of my own spirit, at the sight of magic I wanted to shrink into a small ball and tremble with fear.

Unlike previous years, Judith devoted a lot of time to preparing for the hunt. But there were other changes: the Duchess began to sleep much more than before.

Now the girl wakes up late in the day, does a little embroidery, takes time to prepare, and has tea parties with other ladies. A frequent guest with whom Judith struck up a friendly relationship was Marquise Dyer. After her marriage, the Duchess experienced unchangeable calm days for the first time.

After thinking, Judith prepared a scarf: one for her husband, the other for her brother. For Vincent, Judith, as before, embroidered a butterfly with pale yellow wings. And for Derrick – a blooming rose. When Judith looked at her husband, it was this drawing that came to mind.

Soon the day of the competition itself arrived. Judith looked at the demon, dressed in an all-black robe.

– You know what to do, right? – She shook off the dirt from her husband’s shoulder.

A man’s goal in competition is not to win. The demon will watch Vincent, who is also participating in the tournament, and Judith turned her gaze to Sylvia. They will watch what is happening together from the stands.

The Emperor was no longer under suspicion, so only these two could be Hannibal.

– I know.

– But can I ask you?

– Of course, what about?

“No matter what happens, don’t hurt people,” Judith was very worried, so she said this while adjusting Derrick’s collar.

The demon, looking at the girl in surprise, laughed. As if it was really something strange and unexpected. Derrick would never have thought that his wife would ask for something like that. Unceremoniously squeezing Judith’s cheeks, he kissed her without even asking permission. The tongue tickled everything inside, gently sliding along the surface. It seemed that the Duchess could not breathe, as if a demon had taken all the air from her lungs.

People looking at them from the side were fascinated by the kiss of the young couple. But Derrick, as always, was not embarrassed by anything. He just laughed again and left the room, forcing Judith, hesitating a little, to follow him, touching her reddened cheeks with her hands.

***

Judith pulled back the curtain and looked out of the van window. This was the first time she had been so deep in the mountains, because this area is usually forbidden. The streets, originally rough and covered with stones, are now neatly arranged so that carts can safely participate in hunting competitions.

But still, due to the fact that visitors rarely wandered here, the forest was extremely lush and green. Not at all like other areas throughout the Empire. Even without the dazzling bright colors, such a natural landscape was amazing.

The carriage rattled for a long time and soon arrived at its destination. When Judith, with the help of Derrick, descended from the carriage, stepping on a flat surface, she saw a safe, arranged point on the hillside. On the plain there were many tents with the flags of each family. The dukes were sent to their place under the guidance of an attendant.

“Derrick,” Judith, as soon as she entered the tent, handed her husband a scarf.

All the way she squeezed it in her hand, causing it to wrinkle. Noticing this, the Duchess quickly straightened everything out, not understanding why she was so nervous. And most likely this is because this is the first time Judith has done something like this. Derrick, sitting on the sofa, looked at her, puzzled.

– What is this?

– If you participate in the hunt, I give it to you.

Derrick took the handkerchief he held out and examined it. In addition to the fifth marks, there was a beautiful embroidered rose in the corner. Seeing this, the demon remembered how the girl was embroidering a couple of days ago, sitting in the bedroom. It looks like she tried her best to make the rose beautiful.

– Why are you giving it to me? – Derrick asked, pretending that he didn’t understand anything.

– So that you win?

-Are you sure about this? – Derrick laughed mischievously and waved it in the air.

Their goal, as Judith herself had said earlier, was not to win. The plan was only to spy on Vincent and Sylvia. That is why the demon is unlikely to be able to fully participate in the hunt, because he will be busy making observations. And Judith knew all this better than anyone else.

Now the Duchess hesitated shyly:

– If you don’t like it, return it.

– And when did I say that I don’t like it?

He hugged her waist and whispered in her ear.

“I can use it for my own purposes when you’re not around.”

From the combination of a beautiful smile and such dirty words and fantasies, Judith suddenly felt hot. Even though she knew why Derrick was saying something like that, she still couldn’t stay calm.

“I need to visit my brother for a while.”

– For what?

“I always gave him a scarf at every competition.”