Chapter 47
“H-hah… hahhh…!”
James staggered, pale as death, swaying pitifully like a dried-up leaf in the wind.
Marsha hesitated.
She hadn’t meant to cause him unbearable pain—she’d only kicked out in desperation, just to shake him off.
Did… did I go too far?
For a moment, she faltered.
But no—this wasn’t the time to pity James.
“You bitch…!”
The instant Marsha turned away, James summoned a burst of desperate, almost inhuman strength and seized her shoulder.
“Ugh! Let go—!”
She thrashed, and this time her elbow smashed square into James’s face.
“Ghhk!”
“!”
It wasn’t intentional, but fortune was on her side.
Marsha wrenched herself free in a heartbeat.
“You little… bitch!”
James’s body was already a wreck, but letting Marsha escape meant the end of him.
With the madness of a cornered man, he lunged again, flinging himself at her and clutching both her legs.
Marsha nearly toppled but just managed to keep her balance.
She looked down at the wretch clinging to her like a leech.
“Are you insane? Let go right now!”
“No! I won’t! Hand over that necklace!”
Marsha’s face twisted.
If he’d only grabbed one leg, she could’ve kicked him in the face, but with both legs caught, she was stuck.
“Let! Go!”
She fought wildly, when—
“Twice now.”
A low, familiar voice.
Marsha’s head snapped around.
Before she could even react, Claudio was there at her side—and his boot slammed into James.
“Ghhkk!”
“I’ve now seen you in danger… twice.”
His voice rumbled, quiet but heavy, swallowing James’s scream whole.
His crimson eyes burned beneath a faint scowl, the light of fury flickering deep within them.
Marsha’s gaze locked on those eyes, unable to tear herself away.
She felt she should say something, anything—but shock froze both her tongue and her thoughts.
“Who the hell are you?!” James croaked, clutching his swollen face.
The veins in Claudio’s jaw stood out as he ground his teeth, and without hesitation, he kicked James harder.
Again. And again. The brutal thuds rang through the tranquil forest, jarring, merciless sounds that didn’t belong there.
“P-please! Spare me!”
James curled up, arms wrapped around his head, begging pitifully. But Claudio’s assault didn’t stop.
If he’d had a sword, he would have cut him down.
If he’d had a gun, he’d have pulled the trigger without a second thought.
Trash like this…
A man didn’t need weapons to kill.
Especially not when the target was something less than a weed beneath his heel.
Grinding his teeth, Claudio drove his boot into James’s stomach.
“Ghhhuuukk…!”
Foamy bubbles tinged with blood gurgled from James’s mouth.
He was in no state to flee or fight back anymore.
And yet, Claudio showed no sign of stopping.
“S–stop, please…!”
Marsha seized his arm in desperation, crying out.
When he turned his head toward her, his dishevelled blond hair shimmered faintly in the breeze.
His emerald eyes, widened in surprise, caught the light, and seeing the glimmer within them, Claudio thought to himself:
She has no idea.
Just moments ago, he had been scowling at the sunset bleeding across the sky.
The wolf population had dwindled from hunting, but they hadn’t been completely wiped out.
And now, with more outsiders wandering into the forest, the chances of running into someone dangerous had only grown.
Yet she hadn’t come back.
No doubt, even if that woman—Berry, or whatever her name was—or her family had offered to escort her, Marsha would have stubbornly insisted on returning alone.
With a heavy sigh, he had set off toward Bomian.
She would be shocked to see him appear out of nowhere, demanding how he had known where she was.
But…
I’ll think of an excuse later.
What would have happened to her if he hadn’t moved on his own?
What the hell is wrong with you?
Claudio’s chest burned.
Why was she always at the heart of these dangerous situations?
Because she lived alone in this forest?
But then—why did she live alone?
Because she was an illegal immigrant, terrified of being exposed?
That excuse didn’t make sense.
If that were truly the case, she wouldn’t be living so openly, mingling with the other villagers.
Why do you keep making me worry like this?
At that moment, James muttered in a voice faint as death’s shadow.
“P–please… spare me…”
Claudio’s brows furrowed.
Still conscious?
“M–Marsha… Please…”
Her name, whispered like a final testament, made Claudio’s eyes glint dangerously.
How… how did this man know her name?
Do they know each other?
And then, his gaze fell upon the chain around her neck—the pair of rings glinting faintly there.
The very rings that had soured his mood earlier.
Could it be… this man was their owner?
This man?
Claudio reached out, his fingers brushing against the rings at her throat.
A bitter, mocking smile tugged at his lips.
Marsha parted her lips slightly, caught off guard.
She hadn’t hidden the necklace in her confusion, but she never imagined Claudio would fixate on it at a time like this.
And then he spoke.
“Is this man the owner of those rings?”
“……?”
For a moment, Marsha could only gape at him, struck speechless—whether from the absurdity of his words, or the sheer overload of everything happening around her, she couldn’t tell.
But when Claudio’s next words struck her ears, she finally managed to find her voice.
“So you risked your life hunting down informants, chasing after this kind of man? Your stomach must be stronger than I thought.”
“W–what on earth are you talking about?”
She drew in a sharp breath and shook her head firmly.
What on earth was he even talking about?
And how did he know she’d been looking for an informant?
Marsha opened her mouth to demand an explanation, but Claudio cut her off, staring down at her with a gaze as cold as steel.
“If you still want to keep lying to me, then go ahead.”
Her chest tightened, fury rising in her throat.
She couldn’t make sense of anything that was happening, but this misunderstanding—this one—she absolutely could not let slide.
“Why would I be looking for that bastard?! I’ve never heard such vile nonsense in my entire life!”
“Oh, really? So he’s not your husband, then? In that case, I suppose killing him wouldn’t be a problem?”
Claudio’s reply dripped with mockery.
Marsha felt as if lightning had struck her.
Husband?
He had just accused James of being the owner of the rings, of being the man she was searching for—and now… he thought he was her husband?
Her fingertips trembled.
Come to think of it, James had babbled something like that too.
Why are they both twisting things this way?
James might have overheard her conversation with the broker, sure.
But Claudio?
Why was he making this leap?
Could he have been there too?
No—she’d kept her head down the whole time, but if Claudio had been in that place, she was certain she would’ve noticed.
This is insane… absolutely insane!
Marsha’s chest burned with indignation.
To be accused of something so absurd—she couldn’t stand it.
It had been insulting enough to hear James say it, but for Claudio to misunderstand her like this, the anger was unbearable.
Meanwhile, Claudio assumed her shock was because he’d asked if he could kill James.
So, even after what this bastard did to her, she can’t stand to see someone she knows die in front of her?
How saintly of her.
Truly noble.
But what does it matter?
I don’t intend to let this scum live anyway.
The man had already ruined Claudio’s mood.
That alone was reason enough for him to die.
Claudio turned toward James, intent on finishing it—when Marsha’s voice rang out.
“…Don’t be ridiculous.”
Ha.
Of course. Stopping him again.
Claudio smirked, lifting the corner of his mouth as he turned back to her—
“I’m not married!”
The shout burst from Marsha so loudly her face flushed crimson.
For a split second, Claudio blinked at her, as if struck by a sudden gust of wind.
Breathless with anger, Marsha demanded,
“Why on earth would you say something like that?!”
“…That ring. Isn’t it a wedding band?”
Still dazed, Claudio gestured toward the necklace.
Marsha instantly covered it with her hand.
“This ring is my father’s keepsake. He left it for me—to use one day, when I get married!”
Of course, it looked like a wedding ring.
It was a wedding ring, after all.
But she wasn’t wearing it, just keeping it.
Since when did that make her a married woman?
“You’re unbelievable. You could’ve thought it was my parents’ wedding rings, or that I had some other reason to keep them—but no, you just decided I must already be married?!”
Claudio had no words.
If he hadn’t heard the news from Urian beforehand—if he had only stumbled upon the ring—perhaps his imagination would’ve taken a different turn.
Or no, more likely, he would have simply asked her outright: What’s this ring?
“And another thing—how did you even know I was looking for an informant? Were you tailing me? Spying on me? Why? Oh, I get it. You never trusted me, did you? I’m just some illegal stray in your eyes, so you dug into my business, is that it?!”
“Wait—hold on. You’re getting too worked up—”
“You should never have pretended to be on my side in the first place!”
Marsha’s fists clenched so tightly her knuckles went white.
Tears brimmed in her reddened eyes, threatening to spill over.
“If you hadn’t pretended, I wouldn’t feel so wretched right now…!”
Claudio froze.
His breath caught in his chest, and his mouth hung open in stunned silence.
