Chapter 004
Episode 4
The marriage proposal was rejected.
Her father gave various excuses, but the conclusion was rejection.
She was his.
That was why he had endured so long without seeing her, swinging his sword mercilessly in hellish battlefields. Because he would soon have her. Because he would become worthy of her status.
But he was rejected.
Why?
He had worked so hard to rightfully claim her, and he had succeeded. He had climbed to her level to take her honorably.
Yet her father, simply because he was her father, had unjustly twisted everything.
Was it, in the end, because of his cursed birth? Damn it, he had lived without desiring anything, enduring everything, just because he was born wrong. And now they wouldn’t even allow him the one thing that was his?
He thought it was unfair.
He had intended to take her peacefully, elegantly, in a way that suited her.
But if things had been twisted unjustly, he had no choice but to take her his way.
Since he was merely reclaiming what was rightfully his, he felt no guilt whatsoever.
Because his attempt to climb to her and gently take her hand had failed, he now resolved to ascend even higher and break her to his will.
***
When the war of succession among the princes ended, he stood as the right hand of the new crown prince, holding power greater than any could imagine.
In the process, he had swept through her family, hanging their heads in the square, and pursued her as she fled.
The fact that she had escaped with that damned commoner knight made rage burn through his mind, but the moment he saw her sitting alone on a cliff under the cold moonlight, head bowed, all that anger vanished like dust in the wind.
The knight was nowhere to be seen, and there she was, abandoned and pitiful, crouched alone…
Her roughened skin, tangled hair, and dirty, torn clothes pained his heart. He wanted to take her to a warm castle, let her soak in a marble tub filled with rose-scented water, and wrap her in glossy, finest silk.
As he approached, stepping on rustling fallen leaves, she lifted her head.
Her bloodless, chapped lips and her ashen, lifeless eyes stared blankly at him, and he froze in place.
Perhaps he sensed something was wrong, but he quickly dismissed the feeling.
Now she would be by his side, and everything would be perfectly satisfying.
Yes, it would be.
Forcing a satisfied smile, he stepped toward her, one step at a time.
She staggered to her feet.
Her dry lips moved as if to speak but stopped repeatedly, then she stumbled backward, pressing herself against the cliff’s edge.
She swayed precariously, barely maintaining balance.
He stopped, alarmed. If it had been anyone else he was pursuing, he might have taken the risk and subdued them before they fell off the cliff. But he didn’t want to take such a risk with her.
Not yet.
“Come here,” he said softly.
She opened and closed her mouth a few times, then a small, cracked voice emerged.
“Just… take me.”
“What?”
She looked up at him with lifeless eyes. The clear, vibrant green eyes he knew were now dull and devoid of light.
“I’m the only one left of the traitor’s bloodline. You only need to take me.”
“…Are you talking about that damned bastard who dragged you here and abandoned you?”
“…”
She bit her lower lip, where dried blood marked the cracks.
“Are you begging me to spare the bastard who left you in this state and ran off?”
“…Yes, there’s no need to capture someone who abandoned a traitor’s bloodline.”
As if she no longer had the strength to meet his gaze, she slowly lowered her eyes.
“I’m a sinner, so I won’t resist. I’ll go with you… please.”
Perhaps due to her frail health, she swayed, barely holding herself upright. He saw pebbles at her feet tumble down the cliff.
He watched the ground beneath her crumble slightly under her weight before answering.
“Alright.”
“Really?”
“I promise. I’ll only take you. So come here.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.”
At his words, she let out a sob-like breath, then took a step toward him.
Slowly, so slowly, step by step.
She was walking toward him.
A satisfied smile curled his lips.
It had taken too long. But now she was almost in his grasp. The sight of her walking into his arms was utterly gratifying.
Her weakened body, as if drained of strength, began to collapse mid-step. He swiftly moved forward, catching her before she hit the ground.
…She was slender and cold. Holding her fully in his arms, he felt not warmth but a chilling sensation.
How long had she been sitting there, exposed to the cold wind?
Yet the feeling of her resting quietly in his arms filled him with languid satisfaction.
Oh, this fulfillment.
Now you are in my arms. Now and forever, you will remain in my arms.
Completely, wholly mine…
He buried his face in her hair and breathed deeply.
“…My lord, shall we stop pursuing that knight?” a subordinate asked.
He lifted his head.
“Find him and tear him apart.”
***
She lay on a soft, plush bed in the grandest room, eyes closed for a long time.
Many doctors came and went, but for a while, none could make her open her eyes. One day her fever would spike, keeping the doctors busy; the next, her temperature would plummet, alarming everyone.
Still, the doctors must have done something, as her condition gradually stabilized. She hadn’t opened her eyes yet, but her temperature and complexion began to improve.
He often had to leave to deal with unfinished matters in the palace, but otherwise, he spent all his time sitting by her bed, watching her.
His fingers toyed with her golden hair, which had lost much of its luster and become dry…
He never tired of looking at her.
In this dull, worthless world, his heart only stirred, and light only shone, when he looked at her.
Before, he couldn’t see her even when he wanted to. He couldn’t touch her even when he longed to. When he missed her, he could only conjure her image in his mind, over and over, where she was his most sacred fantasy.
But now she was here, by his side. In his castle. In the room he had prepared. The real her, not a fantasy, but a tangible presence he could touch.
He moved his hand from her hair to her cheek, touching it cautiously.
At first, he touched her with just his fingertips, as if she were a fragile bubble that might burst. But when he realized she wouldn’t vanish, he grew bolder, cupping her cheek with his entire palm.
Warmth radiated from her cheek as her body temperature returned. Yes, this was the warmth he had craved. The warmth he had longed for over the years.
He lowered his head, burying his face in the nape of her neck, inhaling deeply. He drank in the sweet scent he had yearned for, substituting it with the ribbon’s scent for so long. It was intoxicating.
Now, he could see her anytime, touch her anytime, and…
***
When she opened her eyes, the first thing he saw was her bewilderment.
Hearing she had regained consciousness, he hurried to her side, dismissing the maids attending her and approaching her bed.
He could feel her flinch and try to shrink back on the narrow bed, attempting to put distance between them.
He sat in the chair by her bed, the same chair he always sat in. When he didn’t come closer or reach out, she seemed to relax slightly. But her eyes, looking at him, were filled with pale terror.
…He didn’t like it.
“I thought… I’d be sent to prison… Where is this…?”
Her voice trembled thinly with fear.
“This is my home. You’ll stay here from now on.”
“…”
She lowered her gaze and fell silent. What was she thinking?
“…My parents…”
Clutching and crumpling the blanket, she spoke cautiously.
“My family… they were all… executed…”
When no response came from him, she finally raised her dry, ashen eyes to meet his.
“Why am I…?”
“You were granted to me. You’re mine now.”
Her face paled and froze at his words. As he rose from the chair and sat on the edge of her bed, she flinched and tried to shrink back further, but he paid no mind and reached out to stroke her face.
She flinched again, turning her head to avoid his touch, but he used both hands to hold her face, forcing her to meet his gaze.
Her terrified eyes trembled and quickly dropped.
Yes, the way she averted her fear-filled eyes truly displeased him. Where had those clear, shining green eyes gone?
But it was fine. There was plenty of time now. She would stay by his side, and in time, everything would return.
Those clear green eyes would look at him again. She would smile at him.
“Don’t worry about anything and rest. You’re safe here.”
