<Chapter 9>

*  *  *

“Was your true intention to die here?”

A low voice accompanied the sudden light that flickered on.

The small lantern barely illuminated the area, but even that slight visibility flooded me with immense relief. The moment the tension lifted, my strength drained out of my body.

“Haaah……”

I managed to steady myself, opening my hand. A round mark, imprinted by the orb I had been clutching, remained on my palm.

“Why didn’t you use it?”

“It wasn’t on purpose… I couldn’t judge the distance properly in the dark.”

This orb was given to me when I proposed using myself as bait—a magical tool that would bind the target tightly in iron chains upon contact.

My prospective husband had told me to throw it the moment the opponent showed their true colors. But since I was already acting as bait, I wanted to extract more information. Even though I had almost been stabbed, I had no regrets given what I had gained.

Part of that gain was a gamble.

‘I even thought they might go as far as testing whether I would actually get stabbed.’

The male lead in chapter 70 would have probably done that. At that point, he had done something similar to Beatrice.

‘In the novel, the male lead’s mental state grew increasingly unstable after several bouts of rage.’

Thinking back, there were signs of this even in his first appearance in the novel.

Back then, he had been described as looking quite weary.

‘It’s only a guess, but……’

The current male lead wouldn’t have drawn his sword upon encountering Beatrice in a dark forest.

“Didn’t I warn you? Even with such a magical tool, this was dangerous.”

The way he showed concern even while doubting me…

The dark forest was blanketed in shadow. The only source of light was the lantern in my prospective husband’s hand. The flickering flame cast wavering shadows over the half-mask covering his face.

The sinister atmosphere from the cold, expressionless mask and his emotionless half-face revealed why people called him the ‘Monster Duke.’

‘If only he’d smile, it would be better.’

Recalling that the novel never once described him smiling, I calmly opened my mouth.

“You wouldn’t have believed me if I hadn’t gone this far.”

As if I’d struck a nerve, he lowered his gaze in silence.

Moments later, he looked back up at me.

“Why go to such lengths to earn my trust?”

“Like I said before, we’re an engaged couple. Once we’re married, we’ll be real partners. Isn’t trust between a couple essential?”

“You said you didn’t want to marry me, and—”

“Ahhh! Can we stop bringing that up? Are you seriously going to keep dragging my past out like this?”

I glared at him with all my might, and my prospective husband’s expression shifted in embarrassment. Even that looked better than when his face was expressionless.

Thanks to that, I was able to tilt my chin up in a defiant manner.

He opened his mouth as if to say something but then closed it again. After a moment, he spoke.

“It’s Temenos.”

“What? …Oh!”

Like a teenage boy tossing a gift and running away, my prospective husband, Temenos, turned away and kicked the fallen man beside him to the side. Out of nowhere, two knights appeared, taking the unconscious man and vanishing into the darkness.

Ignoring that, I kept my eyes on Temenos, a smile lingering at my lips.

“I’ll tell you my name when it reaches zero.”

“Can I call you Temenos? Don’t you have a nickname? Temi? Menny?”

“I do not. Also, we haven’t even had the ceremony yet. Please observe proper etiquette.”

“Ah, so I should wait until after the wedding to use a nickname?”

Temenos glared at me weakly as if my teasing annoyed him. There was an audible gasp from someone nearby, but I paid no attention and burst out laughing.

“Alright, I’ll stop teasing. I’m Inosensia.”

“I know.”

“Really? I thought you didn’t, since you’ve never called me by name.”

Temenos didn’t respond. Instead, he approached and held out his hand.

Only then did I realize I was still sitting on the ground.

“Thank y—”

As I grasped his hand to stand, I felt him flinch.

‘Wait, you offered your hand first and now you’re acting like this?’

Anyone would think this wasn’t the Middle Ages but Joseon Korea.

Not even in those days did they adhere so strictly to separation between men and women. Was he really going to be this conservative over a mere touch?

“I was asking for the magical tool back.”

“Oh.”

I realized I had misunderstood.

To hide my embarrassment, I cleared my throat and stood up, still holding onto my prospective husband’s hand, and returned the orb-shaped magical tool.

“Here you go. Thank you for lending it to me.”

“Think nothing of it.”

He nodded slightly and put the magical tool back in his pocket, then turned and started walking away.

He wasn’t running, but his steps were quick. Anxious that he might leave me behind, I hurried to catch up and walk beside him.

“We discovered the scene where the Emperor’s agent tried to attack me, a candidate for the saintess. Can we use this to confront the Emperor?”

“We cannot. His Majesty would never acknowledge it.”

“Why not? That man just said it, didn’t he? He admitted that the Emperor ordered my death.”

“Do you have proof?”

“Um…”

The divine oracle had already disappeared, so I couldn’t use it as evidence.

“Is there no magical tool that records conversations or actions?”

“There is, but whatever we present, His Majesty will dismiss it as a conspiracy by Winstein.”

“Wait, does the Emperor really get to act so unreasonably?”

“He does. The Emperor is considered a saint, while Duke Winstein is seen as a monster.”

I was rendered speechless by his casual remark about being viewed as a monster.

‘Truly…’

In this world where divine power was paramount, the Emperor, who had been granted the gift of eternal life by God, was revered as a saint. This earned him the unwavering support of the Pope, God’s representative on earth.

And Duke Winstein? He was a monster condemned by God.

If he and the Emperor clashed politically, it was obvious whom the people would side with.

“Then, if I were to testify… Oh no!”

The lantern’s light was small, making the surroundings dim. As I tried to match Temenos’ stride, my toe caught on a tree root.

‘I’m going to fall!’

I braced myself for the pain, but just like before, I felt no impact.

Instead, I felt a strong arm wrap around my waist.

Startled by the unexpected rescue, I looked up to see Temenos’ half-masked face. He seemed surprised as well, as if he hadn’t meant to catch me. Before I could steady myself, he quickly pulled his arm away.

“Eek!”

Fortunately, I managed to grab a nearby tree and avoid a clumsy fall.

Hugging the tree, I looked at Temenos with a hint of resentment.

“If you’re going to catch me, do it properly…”

Perhaps he realized how awkward it was to pull away halfway.

Temenos opened his mouth as if to speak, hesitated, then turned sharply and resumed walking.

“Wait, please, walk with me!”

Fearing he might leave me behind, I hurried after him.

After only three steps, I noticed something.

My prospective husband’s stride had shortened, and he was walking much more slowly.

‘Huh…’

It was the first time anyone had shown me such consideration. So surprised by his unexpected thoughtfulness, I froze in place.

“She’s an adult now. Just tell her to move out.”

“What if she refuses and stays?”

“Then we can just move out. You guys must never, under any circumstances, give her our new address.”

“Oh, Mom. You think we’re crazy enough to do that?”

Everyone I had hoped would look back for me had left me behind.

“…What are you doing just standing there?”

I snapped back to reality at the sound of Temenos’ voice and looked up.

He was waiting, holding the lantern, casting light as he stood still.

For a moment, my chest felt warm, like raindrops landing on parched ground.

“Oh, um. When I almost fell earlier, I think I might have twisted my ankle…”

“Aren’t you a candidate for the saintess? You should already be healed.”

“Oh, is that so?”

I stomped my right foot lightly on the ground.

“You’re right. It doesn’t hurt at all.”

Of course, it shouldn’t hurt since I hadn’t actually injured myself. I sniffled unnecessarily and ran up to my prospective husband.

‘Yes, I need to marry this man.’

Once this curse—or divine punishment—was lifted, I would proudly tell the world.

That my husband was never a monster.
 

<To be continued>

Join the GS Discord to stay updated on the latest chapter releases:

https://discord.gg/PRZEAJZE3J