Chapter 6: CH 6

When the organiser of the gathering, the wealthy Marquise Christina, surreptitiously acquires a sensual novel, Natalie and Emily work together to hollow out a thick book of poetry and slip the novel into it, passing it off as an elegant book of poetry.

Of course, sensual novels are not exactly banned. They had a fancy name, but they weren’t very racy due to censorship.

Nevertheless, it was a new genre that was gaining immense popularity for its sexual content.

However, these sensual novels were forbidden for ‘unmarried upper-class ladies’ who would get in trouble for having them.

In a solemn social atmosphere, women were limited in many ways. Among them, the realm of sexuality was never allowed for them.

A lady was supposed to be ignorant of sex.

It is no exaggeration to say that the goal of every lady was marriage, but most unmarried ladies had no knowledge of sex, let alone conjugal relations. It’s a great contradiction, but that’s how the virtues required of a lady in this era actually were.

The secret society was therefore something of a miracle.

The meeting’s origins date back to the year of Natalie’s debut on the social scene. Natalie, bored with the unimaginatively boring ball, and Christina, hiding in the corner with an equally sullen face, overheard a conversation.

“I would rather not dance for the rest of my life than look into that man’s eyes and take steps.”

Christina, who rejected a gentleman’s dance request with a lie that all dance cards were full, joked with Natalie and she froze like a person hit in the head for a moment.

Oh my God, that line.

Natalie attended a girls’ boarding school when she was sixteen, using all sorts of means to get there. In that exclusive place where girls from various classes with some money gathered, she came across erotic novels as if it were destiny.

The line that Christina murmured was surprisingly the first dialogue from an erotic novel that Natalie had ever read in her life.

“…Miss Dowie, did you just…”

“…Oh my. Miss Dowie?”

What began as a two-person gathering turned into a three-person gathering when Emily found the book Christina had lent her in Natalie’s room.

‘Those were the good old days.’

But the reminiscing was short-lived.

Caught completely off guard, Natalie roughly closed the book and let out a scream.

“Are you crazy, Christina?”

“What’s wrong? I went through a lot of trouble to get it.”

Christina grinned as if she had expected Natalie’s reaction.

“I told you I didn’t like this author.”

“Just try reading it once.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Why can’t you just read David’s stuff? Just because it’s not to your taste? Do I not know you?”

No, you don’t. You don’t know anything!

Natalie puffed out her chest in alarm and pushed the beloved book further away.

Most of the books Christina had been bringing lately were written by an author named David.

He had appeared like a comet two years ago and was categorized as an erotic fiction writer.

His novels, like other erotic fiction, didn’t contain anything too explicit. In fact, they fell far short of the kind of descriptions that would make you feel all hot and bothered just by reading them, and it would take at least a hundred years before they could be published in a magazine.

However, he finally managed to describe the position of ‘standing up’ with an unyielding spirit of challenge, leaving room for interpretation with various metaphors and symbols to avoid censorship.

“Oh my. They can do it standing up… How can they… Do, do they have illustrations?”

Christina was so excited at the time that she mumbled for a while, like someone who had been chastised.

If you’re wondering why this posture is shocking, it’s worth remembering how solemn the times were.

The Church encouraged abstinence from sexuality and, to add insult to injury, only the basic posture for conjugal intercourse: the woman lying flat and the man looking down at her.

It can be said that after meeting David’s work, noble ladies opened their eyes to a colorful world.

In addition, David became famous for his unconventional romances, which are not found in other novels.

The wealthy class, who felt uncomfortable in a society that demanded a strict morality for women, found vicarious satisfaction in his unconventional stories that shook up their morals. Some women even learnt to read his novels.

David has been the centre of attention lately. His latest novel had just been serialised in a magazine.

An affair between a high-class lady and a stable boy.

A gentleman who is exhausted from keeping up with manners and dignity is often considered to visit the mistress occasionally as a very natural thing. It is surprising that the rationalization that one can keep a mistress if one remains loyal to their family is valid.

However, the opposite was easy to gossip about.

With the addition of class differences, the taboo against it was even stronger, and so David’s new work was engulfed in controversy. People were once again curious about who he really was.

For all his mysticism, it was clear that David was the hottest thing in Grand Batten right now, whether he wanted to be or not.

“Just read ten pages, please. Have I ever asked you for anything? Why won’t you read it!”

It was a battle of spears and shields as David’s fan, Christina, uncharacteristically snapped at Natalie, asking her to take a look at his novel.

“This is too explicit.”

“You read other things just fine.”

“Anyway, it’s too shameful.”

“But you like that kind of thing, don’t you?”

Natalie glared at Christina without saying a word. She just shrugged innocently.

“If my mother finds out I read this kind of book, I probably won’t be able to leave the house for three months!”

It was then that Emily, who had been quiet for a while, shouted with a look of remembrance on her face. Her expression, which assumed the worst while holding the book tightly as if it were precious, was so excited that it was eerie.

“You’ll be lucky if your mother finds out! What if other people find out? You won’t even be able to step into society, let alone get married!”

So Emily gets it! Christina said with pride, and there was a moment of silence between the girls.

“Pfft….”

The next moment, someone made a sound of blowing air. Soon, without knowing what was so funny, the three ladies began to laugh harshly and frivolously.

“I agree, I’m out of poetry books!”

Emily exclaimed.

That’s right, that’s right! Natalie also completely agreed.

***

The sun began to set and the lanterns at Malik House were switched on one by one. Located in the centre of Duan, a ten-minute carriage ride from Windsorbell Castle, the mansion was owned by the royal family and considered one of the most beautiful buildings in the capital.

Usually, the royal line of Grand Batten spend their childhoods at Malik House. Prince Edward, Prince Ian and Princess Charlotte also spent their childhood here, under the care of the late Queen.

A carriage pulled up to the front door of Malik House. The woman standing on the porch waved as if she had been waiting.

“Charlotte.”

Ian’s stern expression quickly broke as he spotted his twin sister, who looked exactly like him.

“Welcome, Ian.”

Ian, with a mischievous smile, lightly kissed Charlotte’s cheek, which he hadn’t seen in a long time. He was the youngest with no lack of playfulness. It was a precious sight that not everyone could see.

The siblings began to walk arm in arm.

“From your complexion, I can see that our mother has been urging you to marry, which is why I don’t go near Windsorbell Castle these days.”

Windsorbell was a palace that usually housed the royal family’s immediate family on weekends when there was no official business to attend to, but it was currently being used as a private palace by Queen Violet, who was not on good terms with the king.

“Close by. I’m going to Baldoma just like this.”

Charlotte laughed out loud at Ian’s adamant declaration that he was fed up with his mother and was leaving the capital altogether.

The frighteningly similar twins even had similar personalities. Both were royally arrogant and demanding to a fault, even if they were basically always smiling warmly and graciously.

The only difference was that the younger one was more carefree.

“But hiding in Baldoma isn’t going to get you away from the princesses’ portraits.”

“Speaking from experience?”

Ian asked, frowning slightly.

“Well, if you refuse viciously, that’s one thing. Look at me. I’ve been holding out for four years now, haven’t I?”

There was such a thing as a ‘marriageable age’ for women.

Princesses were no exception. Charlotte had been plagued by portraits of princes since before she came of age, and she was almost forgiven for holding out until now.

“Yes, well done. Please forget about your princess duties, Edward would want you to.”

Ian didn’t want Charlotte, his soulmate1Important people who feel a deep spiritual connection to each other, to marry either. Being a princess usually meant marrying a prince of another country and becoming one of them.

“That’s nice of you to say. Anyway, if we’re like this, the crown prince must be in for a rude awakening.”

The two-year-older Edward was also ruthlessly eliminating all kinds of competitors. Everyone was paying attention to who the Grand Batten Crown Prince was going to marry.

Charlotte paused in the parlour doorway.

“By the way, Edward has been here since two days ago. He’s been troubled, apparently. He wants to talk to us.”

“Edward?”

Charlotte nodded. Her sparkling blue eyes were filled with anticipation.

Edward had never given his siblings a hard time, let alone a problem. He had never let anyone down in his life, so he tended to handle everything on his own.

Charlotte was disappointed, but inwardly excited.

‘Maybe he’s finally willing to rely on us.’

But her hopes were short-lived.

Her blunt brother hadn’t called her siblings to discuss his troubles, but to inform them.

“I’ve loved Eris from the moment I saw her. I’m going to marry her.”

The bomb came out of Edward’s mouth.

…Eris?

Would it be correct to say that the person he now confessed to wanting to marry was their distant cousin, Eris, the ‘former’ Duchess of Hainsnover, who had recently been ‘divorced’?

Ian and Charlotte set down their teacups almost simultaneously.

“Not only will my mother object, but the nobles, the cabinet, and the church will pressure me to renounce my right to the throne, claiming that I can’t have a woman with a history of divorce as queen.”

Damn. So it was the right Eris.

Charlotte’s lips slowly parted, unable to comprehend what her stuffy brother was talking about.

‘Edward destroyed all marriage talks to do this.’

The official reason for her divorce was that she had been unable to produce an heir for five years. It was a great dishonour.

“I’m willing to give up my right to the throne.”

“That’s crazy.”

Charlotte muttered in a sour tone.

It is. Ian couldn’t agree more.