Chapter 188 - 135: A Husband Won’t Do, But a Lover Can Be Considered

Chapter 188: Chapter 135: A Husband Won’t Do, But a Lover Can Be Considered

Mary Frank hadn’t expected Lian to actually kiss her. He seemed intent on verifying his own words right then and there.

She had laid her cards on the table, but Mary never imagined Lian would be bold enough to test them immediately. After all, she was the woman known as the Southern Dominator; her status, power, and wealth all far surpassed that of Lian Moria.

Under normal circumstances, Lian—the illegitimate son of an Illegitimate Child of the Moria Clan—wasn’t worthy of even a member of the Jackson Family.

If not for Catherine’s downfall, Lian would likely never have been able to come into contact with the nobles at the apex of wealth and power.

True, his marriage to Catherine had earned him the title of one of the Empire’s nouveau riche and the recognition of Duke Moria, but that was in no way comparable to Mary.

Mary was a true wielder of power in the Empire. In each of her marriages, the husband had been the one marrying up.

As such, these men were all terrified of her, let alone kissing her. Even holding her hand required her explicit consent.

She, in turn, had absolutely no interest in these men, seeing them merely as tools for seizing land and accumulating wealth.

Lian, however, didn’t play by the rules.

His fervent kiss was like a sharp blade, attempting to forcibly pry open Mary’s sealed heart—the ambitious heart of a stateswoman that craved only power and profit above all else.

Coupled with his unique Charm, which was like a warm sun, he was gradually melting the impregnable defenses around Mary’s heart.

Mary had proposed marriage to Lian, but she had no intention of fulfilling the duties of a wife. The reason she remained a virgin, aside from believing none of her husbands were worthy of her, was another important factor: her Knight’s Path.

While both Female Knights and male Knights embarked on the extraordinary path of a Knight, this road was particularly harsh for Female Knights.

It required them to remain virgins to continue to the apex; otherwise, their progress would halt.

This was a secret one only learned after reaching the Level of a Six-star Glory Knight.

Furthermore, as Mary progressed further along her Knight’s Path, her interest in men waned.

She preferred to spend her time with women, such as Nancy Stuart.

Mary’s demand to marry Lian now served two purposes. First, it was to test Lian’s sincerity.

Second, it was to get a firm hold on this pawn in preparation for her future plans.

Just as Nancy Stuart suspected, Mary was trying to kill several birds with one stone.

But she hadn’t anticipated that a man from the Moria family could be so audaciously lecherous as to actually make a move on her.

As Lian’s kiss deepened and he began to proceed to the next step, Mary used a clever method in an attempt to send him directly into a state of post-coital clarity.

’Copulation is forbidden here.’

As a Seven-star Order Knight, Mary Frank already possessed a degree of Divinity. Within a domain she completely controlled, she could establish decrees of Order that no one could violate.

She could modify these decrees at will, but others were forced to obey them or face obliteration by the Power of Rules.

But to Mary’s greater surprise, Lian was unaffected by this Rule.

Because he never had any intention of taking things further. He was simply taking advantage of her.

His hands roamed over Mary’s body, as if manually taking her measurements.

His unruly mouth traveled down from her lips to her neck, and then to her collarbone.

Under his ministrations, Mary’s rigid body gradually grew pliant.

And throughout this entire process, Lian was engaged in cold, rational thought.

’Why is Mary doing this?’

’Has she figured out my ability to use Cleaning Entry? Does she think Nancy Stuart isn’t enough to hold on to me? Does she have to throw herself into the mix?’

’No, if she already knew my secret, she most likely wouldn’t be trying to keep me here so amicably. She’d probably use all her might to restrain me.’

’What exactly is she trying to do?’

’It can’t be that she’s actually desperate for a man, can it?’

’Hmm, she really seems inexperienced in this sort of thing, like a shy young girl.’

’What a huge contrast to her image as the "Tyrant."’

Lian dominatingly lifted Mary up and placed her on the long, rectangular table.

"I believe you. You truly haven’t experienced pleasure. Come, let me teach you."

"Here?"

"Yes. Trust me, it will be more fun here."

Lian intended to teach her by example, though this was merely a test.

A woman like Mary—married three times, yet still a virgin, with neither male consorts nor lovers—could only mean one of two things: either she didn’t like men, or she had to maintain this state for some hidden reason.

If it was the former, it was nothing more than useless aristocratic gossip. If it was the latter, however, it was a vulnerability he could exploit.

And Lian himself already possessed enough Charm to make any woman submit to his good looks.

He believed that as long as Mary wasn’t exclusively interested in women, she should be able to feel pleasure—unless there was truly something wrong with her.

Therefore, while seducing Mary, he paid very close attention to her physical condition.

Her breathing, her heartbeat, her temperature, and the scent her body emitted.

These were all signals.

Although Lian had only been with two women so far, he was well-read and worldly, and already a master of this art.

Through these details, he could determine whether Mary was truly and completely uninterested in men.

Lian kissed her again, another surprise attack that caught Mary completely off guard.

She wanted to set a new decree of Order in her mind—’Kissing is forbidden here’—but she quickly found herself lost in this unique tenderness.