TEWRIT 55

Episode 55 

“I—I won’t go to Zacador. I already… looked at the stars with him…”

“Shut up!”

Damian suddenly stood and shouted.

“You will become the Princess of Zacador! I told you before—over and over! You can never marry the man you want! You’re not allowed to disobey Father!!”

He gripped both of Eliano’s shoulders, his face desperate and wild.

But the moment he said she would become a princess of Zacador, something snapped in Eliano. Her blank green eyes sharpened, and she glared at Damian, forcing out her voice.

“I already… belong to him… we’ve made a vow… you can’t sell me to that hell… our marriage… agreeme—”

She couldn’t finish.

Instead, blood spilled from her mouth.

Her words only seemed to make the Duke more furious. He kicked Damian aside and raised his hand again.

“Father! Stop this!!”

Damian shouted, but it was no use.

He tried to protect his sister’s body with his own, wrapping his arms around her as the beatings rained down.

A fresh wound cut across his cheek.

“Get Damian and Isabella out of here, now!!” the Duke roared.

Servants rushed in to pull Damian away from Eliano.

“Father—!! She’ll die if this keeps going!!”

Damian struggled with all his strength.

“Let me go! She’s going to die! LET ME GO!!”

But his voice was fading.

A complete disaster unfolded.

Once Damian was dragged away, the Duke returned to being a tyrant inside the study.

Eliano couldn’t take the pain anymore.

She wanted to die. She was going to die.

She felt hopeless. She had miraculously turned back time… only to end up like this.

Should I have accepted the marriage to Zacador and tried to escape later? Did I make the wrong choice?

Regret consumed her.

Her mouth, without her meaning to, began begging her father to forgive her. It made her feel even more broken.

Why is my mouth apologizing? Why are my tears falling when I don’t want them to?

I just want to die. It would be better.

This wasn’t a life. There was no “luck” for someone like her.

She clenched her jaw and placed her tongue between her teeth, ready to bite down.

This would hurt less.

The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.

But just as she bit harder—

A voice, one that absolutely shouldn’t have been heard here, reached her ears.

“Is what I’m seeing… truly Lady Eliano?”

It was a voice of salvation.

A voice of rescue.

Earlier that morning…

Eliano had been dragged from her bed. Jane, her maid, was confused and flustered at first.

But she remembered her lady’s instructions.

“If I’m unlucky, I might die tomorrow. Jane, I’m counting on you. My life is in your hands.”

But this wasn’t supposed to happen today.

Eliano thought the proposal would arrive tomorrow. She had said today would be safe.

But when Jane heard the servants whispering that the Duke was “disciplining” the lady, she knew she had to act now. If she was wrong, they could try again tomorrow.

“Billy! Billy, where are you?!”

Jane ran to find Billy, a boy who usually helped young Lord Damian.

She held out a silver hairpin to him—Eliano’s signal.

It was black with a purple amethyst flower.

Billy’s eyes widened.

“Where did you get this?!”

“Give this to the owner! Tell them Lady Eliano’s life is in danger! Bring help—now!!”

Billy grabbed the hairpin and disappeared through the window.

The hairpin belonged to Astin, heir of the Asta Guild.

Billy’s job was now to alert Astin and save Eliano immediately.

Meanwhile, Jane didn’t stop there.

Without orders, she rushed straight to the Howard estate.

She told the carriage driver it was an emergency.

At the gates, she was stopped by a guard.

“Please, let me in! I’m Lady Eliano’s personal maid—I must see the Grand Duke!”

Jane held up Flint’s cloak. She had taken it from Eliano’s room.

But the guard remained stern.

“I can’t allow someone of unclear identity inside—even if you are the Lady’s maid—”

“My lady is going to die! Please!!”

Jane begged with tears, raising her voice.

Hearing the commotion, someone came out—Gilbert, the steward.

When Gilbert saw the cloak, he immediately recognized it as Flint’s.

He already knew everything: that Flint had spent the night with Eliano, and that he had sent a proposal to the Duke.

Jane cried out,

“Please… please call His Grace! My lady will die if you don’t…!”

Flint was in his study at the time.

He recognized Jane instantly.

“You’re Eliano’s maid…”

“Your Grace! Please save Lady Eliano!”

Jane’s desperate plea made it clear: this was serious.

Flint rushed toward the Rosana estate.

He couldn’t understand why Eliano’s father would kill her over a proposal.

Sure, he might be angry, but wasn’t the Duke supposed to love his daughter?

Everyone said so. Even commoners believed he was a doting father.

Flint had heard many times how the Duke turned away princes for her, and glared at any man who approached her.

When Flint got on his horse, his two closest aides—Adel Evans and Oliver Jimenez—insisted on coming along.

Oliver even said they should bring knights to show the strength of the North, but Jane cried, “There’s no time! She’ll die!”

That shut everyone up.

They raced to the estate.

At the gate, Jane screamed at the guards to open it, and Adel pulled out her sword.

They entered without delay.

Inside, the estate was chaotic. Oliver frowned. This wasn’t how a high-ranking noble house should look.

He started to believe Jane’s warning.

With most of the senior servants gathered in the Duke’s study, no one strong enough stopped them.

One stern maid tried to object, but Miller, a guard, stepped forward faster.

He silently led them to the Duke’s study.

The three—Flint, Adel, and Oliver—stopped just outside.

They could hear the violence through the door.

Adel was about to kick it down when Miller leaned close.

“Please… don’t ever send Lady Eliano back here.”

He looked straight at Flint.

“If you ever think of doing so—please remember today.”

He turned and walked away.

Behind him, the sound of the door being smashed open echoed.

It was the sound of Eliano’s nightmare ending.

Inside the study, the scene was horrifying.

Adel and Oliver went pale. They couldn’t believe their eyes.

They finally understood Jane’s panic.

“Is this… really Lady Eliano?”

Flint’s voice was calm—but his face was terrifyingly blank.

He was beyond angry.

He looked at Eliano, broken and bloody. At the Duke—whipping her without pause.

At that moment, something inside Flint shattered.

The Duke turned toward the intruders and shouted,

“Who dares interfere in Rosana’s business?! You dare invade my house?! Hamilton! Call the knights! Throw these trespassers out!!”