14. The Man Who Will Be This Woman’s Husband
Riley tried to ignore the “romance rumor” as best she could and simply waited for news from the capital.
She had heard that a certain knight had swept through the capital a month ago, yet she had received not a single word from him. This left her mind racing with all sorts of possibilities.
Had he gotten into some kind of trouble? Had he already lost interest? Or perhaps he wasn’t concerned with this petty gossip at all.
No, maybe he was already preparing to call off the engagement. After all, if he had decided to ignore his mentor’s final wishes, he could very well do so. Or perhaps he was proceeding with the guardian procedures according to the original plan…
Why hadn’t he contacted her? She wanted to reach out first, but in this remote countryside there was no way to send a message all the way to Blestige.
She even considered going to Blestige herself to meet him, but she quickly dismissed the idea. It might only stir more resentment over the rumors if she went to the capital.
The memory of his kind and gentle demeanor when he left Blestige only intensified her worry and anxiety.
“Why are you so distracted today?”
“Sorry.”
“Is something troubling you?”
“…No. Could we just stop for today? I’m not feeling well.”
Mrs. Beyricseed studied Riley’s pale face carefully and nodded.
“You’ve pushed yourself too hard lately. Let’s stop here for today.”
After Mrs. Beyricseed left, Riley collapsed onto the bed.
This is the worst.
She had been pushing herself hard for the past few days. Even her aunt had remarked that perhaps she should rest. No wonder her condition felt so poor. Her body felt like lead, her mind foggy all day. What had started as a mild headache had escalated into a pain that felt like her skull was splitting.
But more than her physical condition, it was Givnen who troubled her the most.
His image, which had floated through her thoughts daily, now began appearing in her dreams.
And these dreams were all nightmares: he pushing her into a pit of fire, dropping her under a mage tower, marrying her off to Count Ermenz.
Worst of all were the dreams where Givnen himself was pelted by stones in public. In the dream, his handsome face was covered in blood. Seeing him brutally disfigured, she screamed and woke up. It was horrific.
Fear of another nightmare kept her from falling asleep easily.
Eventually, Riley began to write a letter to Givnen using paper and a quill. She pressed each word carefully, crafting every sentence with deliberate care. Just as she finished, the door opened.
It was Claire.
“You… how long are you going to keep hiding like this?”
“….”
“Why not demand the cancellation of the engagement before he does? It’d be a little less humiliating that way.”
Her mind was already in turmoil, and Claire deliberately fanned the flames.
“You’re a criminal in his eyes. Causing trouble under the pretense of protecting your marriage… and yet you still intend to go through with it? Don’t you have any conscience? Because of you, even we might suffer!”
“…Get out.”
“You’re exactly why you’re garbage. If you hadn’t done something so stupid, would the Master of Horizon’s Mage Tower have gotten involved with you at all? Even your engagement seems to be a scandal waiting to happen. Wake up. That man is playing with you—he’s not sincere!”
“….”
“And now, at your age, you’ve become a shameless man-stealer? You’re willingly becoming an adulterer, idiot. Do you even understand how prestigious the Lianster family is? You’ve tarnished their reputation. You’d better hope they don’t take revenge. You should be on your knees begging for forgiveness, understand?”
Riley, holding her throbbing head, glared at Claire in silence. The confrontation had pushed her already fragile mood to the bottom.
“…So?”
“What?”
“…What do you want me to do?”
“Do you have no conscience?”
Riley let out a dry laugh and replied wearily.
“And you do?”
“…What?”
“I don’t see why you have the right to lecture me about my own marriage. Fine, as you say, I’m garbage. I think only of myself. But Givnen Lianster—or anyone else—has no business condemning me, let alone you.”
Claire was taken aback by Riley’s bold response.
Annoyed, Riley snapped at her.
“Whether the engagement is broken off or not is Givnen Lianster’s decision. I have no say. Neither do you.”
“If you had any conscience, you’d demand the cancellation first. Act morally.”
“Ha. You think you’re in a position to speak of morality? Your uncle is a scoundrel who profits off morality, and you live off the wealth of his schemes. Do you really think you can lecture me about morality?”
Claire flushed red and pouted in anger. Then, veins bulging in her neck, she shouted:
“What? You just insulted my father! He took you in when you had nowhere else to go!”
“Living as a homeless orphan was far happier than being tied to your family. I lived treated worse than vermin. Your father tried to sell me off to some old man… your family ridiculed and abused me for years. They all did things worse than garbage, yet lived well. Why can’t I live like garbage if I choose to?”
“If it was so unbearable, you should have left! Why did you stick to our family like a leech? Don’t you find that laughable?”
“…I believed. I thought that someday everyone would accept me as family. Yes, I once foolishly held such thoughts. Not anymore, though.”
“You can’t become family because of that foolish behavior.”
Anger flaring, Riley shoved Claire away.
“Get out. Leave my sight immediately.”
“You’re arrogant and clueless!”
Claire grabbed Riley’s hair. Riley, in turn, grabbed Claire’s hair, and a scuffle broke out. Servants watching outside panicked and tried to intervene.
“Misses, please calm down! Why are you doing this?!”
Hearing the commotion, Ryan and the Baroness came up from downstairs.
“What is the meaning of this?”
At Ryan’s raised voice, Claire released Riley’s hair, and Riley dropped her hold.
“This girl insulted my father! I couldn’t stand it…”
“Claire, it was you who forced Riley to demand the engagement be canceled.”
“What? Is that true, Claire?”
“Father! Riley insulted you!”
“Is that true, Riley?”
Claire, overwhelmed by Ryan’s questioning, began to sob while glancing at the Baroness. Always doting on her own daughter, the Baroness avoided Claire’s gaze after seeing Ryan’s expression.
Claire’s tears fell freely.
Ryan clicked his tongue and said coldly:
“Follow me immediately, Claire.”
Claire couldn’t understand. Riley was the one who insulted her parents, so why was she the only one punished? Riley saw her own recent self in Claire’s behavior.
Claire had always been doted upon; Riley had always been scolded. Seeing Claire now brought back painful memories.
“I heard from your tutor that you’re unwell. I’ll handle Claire, so you rest.”
“…Yes.”
Everyone left, and Riley remained alone, tucking the letter into her sleeve before lying down. She closed her eyes, trying to calm her restless heart.
Despite Claire’s chaos, Riley still wanted to see Givnen. She feared seeing him, yet part of her longed to. Why did Givnen Lianster occupy her thoughts now, when they barely knew each other? Closing her eyes, she silently wished for a nightmare-free night.
···
Thud.
A small, distinct sound. Riley jerked awake.
“Ugh—!”
She opened her eyes but saw nothing. She felt someone wrap around her.
“Ughhh!”
What… what is this? Who…?
She felt herself lifted, a cold chill against her skin, multiple footsteps, unpleasant scents, ropes binding her, and the hardness of muscles against her body.
Could it be… a kidnapping?
Where were they taking her? How many people? Why were they doing this?
Her mind swirled with questions. The carriage she had been running in abruptly stopped, and unknown people dragged her out. The chill was more than the night air—it was a lethal cold that made her tremble in fear.
“They’ve been brought here.”
They removed her blindfold.
As she lifted her head, her eyes met a familiar face.
“You….”
“Do you recognize me?”
How could she ever forget that face? The greasy, sinister, monstrous face buried in flesh!
She stared at Count Ermenz in shock. No matter how crazy he was, she hadn’t expected a kidnapping like this!
“Why… are you doing this?”
“Do you ask because you don’t know?”
“….”
“I’ve been fuming since that day! I couldn’t sleep!”
“….”
“Never in my life have I been humiliated like that! Especially by a worthless girl like you!”
He wasn’t just old and perverted—he was petty. Truly narrow-minded. She was astounded that such a man had once been hailed a war hero.
“Refusing to marry me? Rejecting me?”
“…You’ve lost your mind.”
“That mouth of yours! That cursed mouth pushed your life into my hands! You don’t see that?”
“…I’ve done nothing wrong. If anything, it’s your greed, trying to marry someone a generation younger than you, that’s the crime.”
Her voice trembled, but she had to speak. She refused to beg for her life like a wretch, knowing it was meaningless. He came with the intent to kill.
“You insolent girl!”
Count Ermenz struggled to rise, then kicked Riley with all his strength.
Thud!
Even as a feeble old man, the kicks hurt. He kicked wildly like a madman, and Riley curled into a ball, clenching her teeth to stifle a scream.
“This is why I hate compliant girls! When treated well, they crawl up! I despise these pretty faces! So young, so naive, and yet they act so vulgar! Who are you to call others ugly? True ugliness is your selfishness!”
“….”
“All my previous wives were the same—too proud, rejecting me, trying to escape.”
“You see? That’s why everyone hates you.”
“Enough of this!”
Thud, thud!
Count Ermenz staggered from his own kicks.
“Gasp… gasp…”
Even though Riley was the one being hit, his face was pale. The effort had exhausted him. Riley found it absurd.
“Ugh… this body…”
“Sit down before something serious happens.”
He sat in a chair, exhausted, looking down at Riley covered in mud and blood, sneering.
“Ha ha ha… all my ex-wives were like you. Full of disdain, shallow, useless! But you know the funny part?”
“….”
“When they neared death, begging for mercy, licking every toe of mine… Ha! How laughably shallow! Pride is meaningless when it only hastens your end. Idiots. They could see it if they just thought a bit.”
Riley gasped harshly, battered and near delirium. She felt dizzy, as if consciousness was flickering. Her heart pounded violently, a warning urging her to escape. She shivered from fear, muscles stiffening.
Crazy bastard…
People could fall so far… could break so completely…
Count Ermenz was no longer human.
“I wonder… how you’ll scream when you die.”
“….”
“Beg for mercy, perhaps I’ll feel like sparing you.”
“….”
“Of course, not in one piece. Should I sew that mouth shut? Or start with your arms and legs?”
The men surrounding Riley drew their knives.
“Give the order.”
Riley relaxed her body, resigning herself. If she lost consciousness now, she might not feel the pain.
If I’m going to die like this… why did I cling so stubbornly to life?
She wished she had at least sent a letter apologizing for the scandal. Not just endured it stubbornly, or worried about the engagement being called off, but at least apologized. Then perhaps she could have closed her eyes a little easier.
Her grip on that small regret kept her conscious, even as her mind felt distant.
“…Yes… I’ve got an idea.”
“….”
“I’ll watch, you all have fun. Consider this your reward for coming this far.”
The assassins flinched. They exchanged glances, then swallowed hard as they looked at Riley.
One by one, they removed their masks.
“C-Can we really do this?”
“Yes. I’ll be watching. Do as you wish. Kill her, or play first then kill. Just dying is too boring. Have fun with her first.”
They smiled lewdly and began removing their clothes.
Riley lay there, resigned, only blinking. Tears streamed down her cheeks. They slowly surrounded her.
Just as one of them reached for her clothes—
“AAAH!”
The men surrounding Riley were thrown into the air. They flailed, panicked, out of control.
“Wh-Who?!”
Someone approached.
“Who else?”
A figure slowly emerged from the shadows. Count Ermenz froze. The intruder carefully lifted the disheveled Riley. Their sharply shaded face was icy cold.
The newcomer turned to Count Ermenz, speaking in a low, mocking voice.
“The man who will be this woman’s husband.”
