Chapter 42

I subtly nodded to the coachman. He closed the door and stepped back, and the carriage began to move.

After the banquet, Edmund became a duke, and his family was granted an exclusive portal. It was a special gift from the emperor on the day of the banquet.

In the empire, only the imperial family had exclusive portals. Even across the entire world, it was extremely rare for a noble family, rather than a monarch, to own one. This alone showed how much the emperor favored him.

Thanks to this, travel time was cut in half, which benefited me as well. Most importantly, I no longer had to worry about Devon trying to steal the will.

The portal was strictly managed under the Duke of Mipedian’s authority, and his men were trained in both rigorous procedures and self-defense.

Thinking about it, being monitored wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Resting my arm on the window frame, I absentmindedly watched the shops passing by.

A weapon shop, a fortune-telling parlor, a bakery, an outdoor café, a general store…

Everything seemed to be there, yet the shops had an oddly old and worn-out feel.

That’s when I suddenly realized that I hadn’t arrived in the capital.

‘Did I arrive at the wrong place?’

I hurriedly looked out the window.

We were leaving the town.

Lush forests and towering mountain ridges came into view—clear signs that this was a rural village, vastly different from the capital.

Feeling a strange sense of unease, I pulled back the curtain and knocked on the inner wall of the carriage to call the coachman.

But there was no response. The surroundings were quiet and desolate—there was no way he couldn’t have heard me.

I grabbed the carriage door and pulled with all my strength. It rattled but didn’t budge.

As expected, it was locked. Anxiety tightened my chest as I bit my lip.

Should I try shouting out of the window? No, we had already left the town, so there was no one around. If I yelled, I might provoke the coachman or even attract wild animals.

Should I try persuading him again? But would that even work? He hadn’t responded to my earlier attempts.

As I frantically weighed my options, the carriage suddenly came to a stop. The place was dark, silent, and desolate—an alley where not a single soul could be seen.

Creak—

The carriage door swung open.

Before I could react, a masked man pressed a damp cloth against my mouth.

“Mmph!”

I instinctively inhaled sharply. The pungent smell made my head spin, and my eyelids grew heavy. But I fought back with all my strength and kicked the man in the stomach.

“Ugh!”

As he staggered backward, I jumped out of the carriage.

I managed a few steps before my legs gave out.

“Haa…” I gasped for breath, my vision blurring.

Was there something on that cloth? My body swayed uncontrollably, and I eventually collapsed onto my side.

With my head against the ground, I stared at the dim sky. My vision gradually narrowed, and a blurry figure loomed over me, arms crossed.

The silhouette was familiar.

With the last of my strength, I reached out to the man with trembling fingers.

“Y-You…”

But before I could finish, my hand dropped helplessly, and my vision flickered to black.

I was carried away, unable to speak the name that lingered on my lips. Soon, even the faint awareness of being moved disappeared.

Ha!

I jolted awake, gasping as if I had just emerged from deep water.

“Haa… haa…” I took rapid breaths, my vision still blurry as I scanned my surroundings.

The room came into focus. It looked like an old, run-down house.

I was lying on a bed.

When I tried to move, there was a metallic clank, and a sharp pull held my arms in place.

I only then realized that both of my wrists were bound to the sides of the bed.

I quickly tensed my wrists, but all I could feel was the unyielding strength of my restraints.

Damn it.

I let out a frustrated breath, my pulse racing.

Just then, the door swung open without warning, making me flinch.

I tensed as footsteps approached, my entire body stiffening.

When the figure reached the bedside, I cautiously lifted my head.

A man with red hair, partially obscured by shadows.

I let out a bitter laugh.

“So it really was you, Devon…”

Devon, despite being the one who kidnapped me, looked down at me with a calm, relaxed expression, resting his chin on his hand.

His cold gaze sent a chill down my spine.

“Congratulations, my lady. Should I applaud you?” He smirked. “Or perhaps…”

Devon leaned in and gently brushed his fingers through my hair.

“Should I pat your head instead?”

A disgusting shiver ran down my spine.

I wanted to cut off every strand of hair he had touched. His breath against my forehead made me want to peel off my own skin.

I turned my head away, avoiding his hand, but he roughly grabbed my chin and forced me to face him.

“Let go.”

“Look at me.”

“I said, let go!”

“I said, look at me.”

At first, his tone was smooth, but when I resisted, he raised his voice.

“Look at me!”

“Why should I look at that filthy face of yours?”

“Hah! You won’t be so defiant for long, Etricia.”

My lips curled into a smirk as I blew a strand of hair from my face. Devon’s smug arrogance was almost laughable.

“And what exactly can you do?”

“What?”

Devon’s face twisted with anger, his muscles twitching.

My heart pounded wildly, and sweat dripped down my back, but I forced myself to stay composed.

This wasn’t just provocation. I couldn’t let him see me as weak. If I lost control here, there was no telling what he might do.

“Really, what can a parasite like you do? Your only pride is being the son of a noble family. Look at you now—kidnapping me is the best you can manage.”

“You—!”

“Did you even think about what happens next? Have you considered the consequences? Do you have a plan to deal with the aftermath?”

Devon flinched.

I lowered my eyebrows, feigning sympathy.

“Oh, Devon. You should’ve just signed the divorce papers and left with some dignity. Then I would’ve only remembered you as a fool.”

“You—!”

Devon trembled with rage, his fists clenching. But then, suddenly, he released my hair.

“You’re right.”

He walked over to a nearby mirror and clicked his tongue at his wrinkled shirt and disheveled pants. Taking a deep breath, he casually straightened his clothes, as if he had all the time in the world.

Then, glancing at my cold expression, he chuckled.

“I’ve decided to forgive you.”

“What?”

“If you hand over the will now and sign a document promising never to mention divorce again, I’ll let this… little incident slide.”

Devon nodded as if he were being generous before smirking at me.

“We are family, after all.”

Family?

I scoffed.

At one point, I had thought we were.

But reality had shattered that illusion long ago.

“Devon, don’t kid yourself. Who wants to play pretend family with you?”

“Hah. Then what do you want? I’m offering to love you as my wife. What’s your problem?”

Love?

A dark fury surged within me.

“You think just saying you love me is enough? You never loved me—not even once.”

Devon’s expression stiffened.

“You never felt it? Not even once?”

“Not once. Not in your words, your eyes, your gestures. Not even in the way you breathe.”

Tears welled in my eyes, slipping down my temple.

But these were tears of anger, not because of him.

Because no matter how many times I told him, he would never understand.

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to speak.

“You should untie me now, Devon. You won’t get away with this.”

“Really? We’ll see.”

Devon reached behind me and pulled out a small brown glass bottle, shaking it with a wicked grin.

“Look at this. A special drug once used to control slaves. Took me a while to get it.”

“What?”

“A small dose will dull your mind, making you obey commands. On women, it sometimes has… other effects. But who cares? We’re husband and wife.”

Then, he leaned in and whispered in my ear.

“You’ll drink this and sign the papers yourself, promising to stay with me forever.”