Chapter 44
Edmund knelt down to meet Devon at eye level.
Devon, holding his waist, glared at Edmund with trembling lips.
“Where is the key to free the Countess’s hands?”
“You… you bastard…”
“It’s better for both of us if you talk quickly. I’m not good at handling people, so I might lose control.”
Edmund spat out his words coldly, his eyes flashing like a predator’s. His gaze was as sharp and cold as frost, enough to freeze the blood in one’s veins. Under that piercing stare, Devon felt as if his neck had been severed hundreds of times in just a few moments.
“This is your last chance. The key.”
“I-It’s in the nightstand.”
Still holding Devon’s wrists with one hand, Edmund walked toward the nightstand.
Devon, with his arms tied, was dragged helplessly, unable to resist. Tears welled up in his eyes as he sniffled.
With a flick, Edmund tossed Devon’s hands aside and opened the nightstand to retrieve the key.
He used it to unlock Etricia’s bound hands and gently placed them beside her waist.
Edmund moved carefully to avoid waking her, but when he saw the redness on her wrists, he frowned. Given time, bruises would surely form. And yet, they would call this a matter between husband and wife.
His eyes flicked back to the nightstand. Alongside the key, there were several bottles of medicine.
Behind him, he sensed Devon trying to crawl toward the door.
‘How pathetic.’
Edmund stood up slowly and looked down at Devon with sheer contempt.
Devon, sensing the gaze on him, looked back and turned red with shame. But even in his humiliation, he grit his teeth and kept crawling.
That was when Edmund stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
Devon lifted his head, locking eyes with Edmund’s icy stare, and his face turned pale.
“You should test its effects before you leave, Count.”
Each of Edmund’s fingers held a different bottle of medicine. What followed was a scream, no different from that of a beast.
A while later, Rail, who had finished dealing with the group on the first floor, climbed the stairs.
“Master, the coachman and mercenaries have all been handled—”
After knocking, Rail entered the room and instantly froze.
At the door, Devon was collapsed with multiple brown bottles forced into his mouth, his face bloodied and strangely swollen. To make things worse, there was a shoe print stamped on his groin.
Rail instinctively covered himself and looked away.
Meanwhile, Edmund carefully lifted Etricia into his arms. Her breathing was heavy, but she looked unexpectedly peaceful as she rested against his chest.
“Send him back.”
“Send him back? Wouldn’t it be better to report this to the imperial authorities and have him imprisoned—”
Edmund’s cold gaze slowly turned to Rail.
“Are you trying to disgrace the Countess’s honor?”
“…I-I wasn’t thinking.”
The scandal Etricia had planned for her divorce was one thing. But Edmund knew that, in these matters, guilt and innocence didn’t matter. Victims in such situations were always ridiculed and mocked. The noble society, with its harsh and unsympathetic views, would spread rumors that would leave her feeling utterly exposed and humiliated.
Even someone as composed as Etricia would struggle to endure that.
So for now, sending Devon back was the best option—though he would make sure breathing itself became unbearable for the man.
Still, the thought of simply letting him go left Edmund displeased. He clicked his tongue and asked, “What about the mercenary guild he hired?”
“I’ve made sure they’ll never operate again.”
“Find out where Viscount Dien is. He needs to understand the consequences of his son’s recklessness.”
And if he ever took Devon’s side again, the Mipedian family would step in personally.
“Understood. Considering he values himself more than his son, he’ll likely ignore Devon’s pleas for help.”
With that, Edmund issued his final instructions and carried Etricia down the stairs.
Left alone, Rail sighed and buried his face in his hands.
Devon, still unconscious, twitched and convulsed like a fish out of water.
Looking at his grotesquely swollen face, barely recognizable, Rail clicked his tongue in disapproval.
He had spent too much time in the capital and forgotten what his master was truly like.
Honestly, this was mild. In the forest, there had been no one more ruthless or merciless than Edmund.
‘Consider yourself lucky, trash.’
With a look of disgust, Rail loaded Devon into a carriage and sent him back to Viscount Dien’s estate.
“My goodness, Lady Etricia!”
Lilien ran out from the kitchen, flour on her nose.
She had no idea Etricia had been kidnapped.
As soon as Edmund placed Etricia on the bed and stepped back, the maids quickly moved under Lilien’s instructions.
Lilien grasped Etricia’s hand tightly, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
“Edmund, what happened? Hm?”
“…She caught a cold.”
“A cold?”
Edmund gave a small nod. If he told his delicate sister the full story, she might faint from shock.
Though she found Etricia’s condition severe for just a cold, Lilien seemed to accept it. Her face filled with worry once more.
A physician arrived to examine Etricia and gave her medicine.
She would suffer for a while, but she had to endure it. Over time, she would gradually recover. In the meantime, a cool towel should be placed on her forehead to reduce the fever.
After the physician left, Lilien insisted on soaking a handkerchief in cold water herself and left the room. She ordered Edmund not to move until she returned.
The bedroom fell into silence, with only Etricia’s breathing filling the air.
Her fragile, trembling breaths sounded as if they could stop at any moment. Was she really okay? Edmund found himself wanting to wake her just to check.
Then, suddenly—
“Ugh…”
Etricia twisted in discomfort, seemingly tormented by the heat trapped inside her body.
Her reddened eyes and lingering tears showed just how much she had cried.
The abrasions on her wrists and her unstable breathing—clear evidence of her desperate struggle.
Edmund had kept an eye on Devon’s movements after he came and went from the mansion. Every report said Devon was completely caught in Etricia’s plans for revenge.
He had felt reassured.
And yet, this was the result.
No matter how much he investigated, some things remained unclear. Perhaps Etricia had been exposed to violence throughout her entire marriage.
Even if that wasn’t the case, it was obvious what she had endured at Devon’s hands.
Realizing this, Edmund felt a searing frustration over something he could no longer change. And he was angry at himself.
Even with all his power, he had allowed this to happen.
She was in his domain. He had watched over her every hour of the day. She flinched at ice, feared high places despite her cunning intelligence, and was unfazed by his threats…
Perhaps he should have just killed Devon. Muttering a curse under his breath, he exhaled sharply to calm himself.
He knew his thoughts contradicted themselves when it came to Etricia, but he dismissed it.
Lilien would return soon. If she saw his expression now, she would realize his lie.
It was better to leave before she arrived.
Just as he turned away, Etricia stirred and grabbed his sleeve.
Edmund stopped, eyes widening slightly as he looked back at the bed.
“Mm…”
She frowned in her sleep, as if having a nightmare.
For the first time, he felt pity for her.
He let out a quiet sigh and placed a hand on her forehead.
‘Just for tonight…’
“Sleep well.”
For once, he hoped her nightmares wouldn’t reach her.
“L-Lady Etricia, please, slowly…!”
Leaning against the headboard, I greedily gulped down the water Lirien handed me, still panting.
Clack!
I slammed the empty cup down on the nightstand and opened my eyes wide with fury.
‘That bastard dared to…’
Grinding my teeth, I glared into empty space.
It wasn’t enough that he shamelessly fabricated a scandal about me—he even kidnapped me to cover up his own affair and stop the divorce.
I squeezed my eyes shut. The rest was too awful to relive.
My stomach churned, and the memory felt disgustingly vile—but one thing was clear: that incident had turned into a disastrous misstep for the foolish Devon.
What an idiot.
