Bold Secrets

Everyone was dying with curiosity to know what transpired between the newly married couple over the night. Many of them oases bets around and speculations as to whether the Duchess completely devoured her husband, figuratively and literally.

But to their surprise, the first one to make it out of the bedroom was the count. He did so to signal to a passing servant for help with the Duchess. To everyone's disappointment, the wedding night had gone a lot different than they thought.

Wheeled inside the room that night, he hid his disappointment when she suddenly said she wanted to talk. He watched her take a deep breath and take off her shirt. He took his gaze away because he was flustered at first but when he took his gaze back, he was horrified.

"H-How…"

Her entire chest was covered in scales. It snuck up her shoulders and tucked down to her pants. She smiled wryly as his gaze roamed curiously on her chest.

"A curse?"

"Not...quite. This is regarded as a success, actually. You see, a few centuries ago, my ancestors wanted to know what would happen if they crossed their genes with one of a demon. They wanted to produce a human entity similar to a demon king or even a demon emperor. Demon Emperor is kind of impossible but you get the idea. In the first experiment they did, the child died. It continued like that for a long time. The ones that didn't die developed deformities that didn't let them live long. Instead of stopping this experiment, they continued as a messed up family tradition," she scoffed.

She talked like it didn't bother her but he could see the pain in her eyes. He reached for her hand and held it to comfort her.

"You don't have to continue talking if it's painful."

"No, you deserve to know. Well, the experiment finally succeeded in one generation. That child born with monstrous strength is the man known as Gerald the Great."

"The hero of the north?"

"That's the one. The tales of him being tall and having monstrous strength weren't lies. Trust me, I would know. Gerald was perfect...except for one thing. Gerald was incapable of having a child. Knowing that, his family manipulated him into surrendering his body and his will while they took his body apart to know what made the experiment succeed in him. Surprise, surprise, they didn't find it because the thing that made the experiment succeed was..."

"Luck. Isn't it?"

"You're smart. I like you. Yes, it was luck. They continued the experiment and kept failing for several generations...until I was born. I was supposed to die or develop a deformity but none of that happened. I was born healthy but small. Compared to my other siblings, I was weak and sickly. When I started to go through puberty, this..." she gestured to her chest. "...happened. Everyone thought I was turning into a demon. That's why I was sent to the battlefield. I was sent there to die."

History often told the story of victors and their triumphs leading them to their final destinations. The stories of the victims remained untold until they decided to speak. He finally realized the burden she carried on her shoulders were much too heavy. In exchange for her strength, she traded so many important things.

"My parents didn't think the experiment succeeded until I came back a hero. When I came back home, they were about to take me apart, like Gerald. So, I decided to get rid of them."

"You...killed them all?"

"No. I did something much worse," she replied. He didn't know if it was the trick of the light but he saw her eyes glint eerily. It went as fast as it came.

"With my family gone, I became the sole heir to the Lothbridge Duchy and hence, became the Duchess. The king feels challenged by me because even amongst my family, my strength is unmatched and unlike my family, I cannot be controlled using the blood pact he made with my ancestors because I am part demon. So, he sent you to be my husband, knowing I cannot bear a child with you. If he knew I couldn't give birth anyway, he wouldn't have sent you. I couldn't have that."

"Why? I'm useless to you."

"What do you mean?" she tilted his chin up, staring directly into his eyes. "I have dreamed of this moment ever since the first time I saw you. You are very, very useful to me, Caspian."

"First...saw me?"

"It's late. We should go to bed. You should sleep. I need to pull them out."

"Pull...them out? You mean all of them?"

"Yes. I have to hide my only weakness. It doesn't help my reputation much since it's pretty much fucked anyways but a lady has to look good, don't they? Especially when they have a husband."

He blushed, despite himself. She gave him a look, hoping he would go to bed but he didn't. She shrugged and mumbled 'suit yourself' before continuing to pull out the scales in her skin. He flinched, seeing the first one come off. She chuckled and pulled out the second one without effort or any sign of pain. She was already used to pulling it out every single night. It was uncomfortable to sleep with.

"Do...Do you need help?"

"You want to help me pull them out?"

"It looks...painful and you're doing it alone so you might not end up sleeping. I thought it would be better if I...helped."

Aretha slapped her forehead. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. The sight of her chest was enough to horrify her family yet there was someone volunteering to pull it out for her. She had never heard anything like it before.

She let out a deep chuckle that made her chest vibrate. Before he could react, she grabbed his hand and put it on her chest. The scales felt just as hard and sharp as he thought they would. He touched one and attempted to pull it out. It didn't budge. So, he tried harder, applying force. It still didn't come out.

She watched him while he did it without saying anything. Finally, after he spent several minutes trying and failing, she showed him how to do it.

"You put your hand on the base and apply force here to twist it and pull it out. See, like this," she said, demonstrating it. She pulled it out with ease, completely ignoring the fact that it was from her chest. He looked at the scale in her hand and back at her chest.

"Are you sure it doesn't hurt?"

"Hurts as much as my monthly flow. It's something I'm used to."

That answer only served to horrify him further. If it was her monthly flow, at least it was monthly. She had to do something like this daily!

He tried again, reaching for a loose scale. She focuses on removing the rest, working on another area he couldn't reach. He did as she said…and succeeded in pulling one out. There was a lot more blood than he expected and he regretted doing it.

"You finally got one. Good job," she said, stroking his head. She smiled and continued picking at the scales. Seeing that she was neither angry nor in obvious pain, he picked another one and pulled it out.

He succeeded in pulling out about ten before almost all of them were gone. Once they were all out, her chest was a bloody mess. She inhaled and he watched in amazement as her chest began to heal. Where the scales formerly were, there were little bumps there. But once the scales were gone, it meant he could see her bare chest.

"Oh my…I AM SO SORRY…"

"Why? Are you not my husband? I don't mind you staring. You could have a feel too."

"No, no, no, no…"

"But you didn't have a problem pulling out the scales before. Or are you only attracted to my chest when it has scales?"

"That's not…"

"I know. I'm just messing with you. You just be exhausted. Let me help you change into something else before you sleep. Is that okay?"

He would've refused but he knew if he did, he wouldn't be able to sleep with how guilty he felt. So, he nodded and let her do her thing. It awkward for them both but she was finally done. He thought she would let the issue of his raging boner go but she didn't.

"Are you going to sleep with this? I hear it's quite painful," she said, gesturing to it.

"It's fine. I'm used to it," he replied, covering it with his hands. She shrugged and walked to the changing screen to wear something more comfortable. She climbed into the bed beside him, hugging him from behind.

"Does this make you uncomfortable?"

"N-No, it's fine."

"Great. Good night, Caspian."

He knew she was doing it on purpose. Still, he felt safe like this, more safe than he had ever been in his entire life. So, he smiled and closed his eyes.

"Good night, Aretha."

They slept peacefully and he actually ended up waking up earlier than she did. He saw what she meant by the scales growing back everyday as the little nuns were starting to peek out but there was one more thing that caught his attention. It was something that made him rush out of the room without even changing his clothes.

"The Duchess…she's begun her monthly flow!"