Anton shouted, clearly exasperated.
“What do you mean—!”
“It may seem foolish, but even if he’s a wicked man, I want to believe in the duke I know just one more time.”
I straightened my face and looked around for something to defend myself with. Surprisingly, the only thing nearby was a pillow on the bed.
“The duke may not be a completely good person. But the duke I know isn’t like that. There must be a reason for everything.”
“Even if Duke Libertan and the Duchess are desperately searching for you?”
Anton twisted his face into something almost grotesque at my calm response.
“This is a marriage arranged by my parents, so you will understand me.”
Eventually, Anton exploded in anger.
“Do you even know what that man did to your parents? He—”
“I don’t want to hear it!”
I replied firmly.
“I will hear my husband’s story from him directly. Until then, I have no intention of listening to anyone belittle my husband.”
Honestly, I was so anxious. When will he get here…
“You foolish girl.”
Anton ground his teeth and strode forward with a menacing air.
“After treating you like a lady, you still don’t get the situation?”
Finally, he threatened me with a dagger and grabbed my wrist tightly.
“Ugh, this is—”
At that moment, Anton’s face twisted as if he had touched fire. In fact, his hand had been burned.
“Really…?”
Anton shouted as if betrayed.
“Taking in a street orphan, feeding her, treating the daughter well—and now, you dare betray the Libertan family!”
His glossy brown eyes moved dangerously close. Terrified, I still managed to keep my body safe from him.
“Shut up and follow me!”
“No—!”
“I’ll kill you!”
Just as Anton tried to thrust the dagger at me, his hand twisted grotesquely.
“Aaaargh—!”
Pain filled his bloodshot eyes. Anton foamed at the mouth and rolled on the floor. The dagger he had thrown flew and clanged into the floor. Then, a man’s sword pressed down on the blade with his shoe. The sound of solid steel breaking echoed. For a brief moment, the world went silent. Johan stood there: black hair, red eyes, devilishly handsome and striking. I barely managed to call out.
“…Duke?”
Johan was in a black suit, black gloves on his hands. Though the dark room could have swallowed him, the moment he appeared, it felt as if the world had only him. Johan looked at me with a languid smile.
“Hello, my wife.”
The familiar scent of Muskwood and a strong hint of blood hit me. He paid no attention to the broken blade beneath him. His piercing gaze was focused solely on me. His eyes radiated an overwhelming intensity, almost intoxicating in its depth. Johan spoke gently, as if calming me.
“Am I very late?”
His gaze flicked to Anton writhing on the floor. Johan twisted his mouth in disdain, as if looking at a mere insect.
“Missing even a pitiful little rat.”
The remnants of Anton’s dagger turned to black smoke and dissipated. As Johan slowly walked forward, his intensity was palpable. Unlike Anton’s madness, Johan’s aura was deep and alluring, almost hypnotic.
“How dare this rat try to harm my wife.”
He shifted his foot slightly and pressed down on Anton’s bleeding wrist. This was the same force that had just destroyed the dagger. Anton couldn’t withstand it and struggled.
“Aaaargh! S-Save me!”
“You have no idea of your place.”
The shoe pressed casually on his wrist. This scene had never occurred in the original story. Originally, Anton had kidnapped Estelle but had been neatly punished. That had been Johan’s highest form of reward. Suddenly, his eyes seemed filled with anger and a killing intent.
“You still don’t know your place, you released rat.”
“Ugh! Please—!”
“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you easily.”
Johan smiled faintly at the sight.
“You have to bear the consequences for touching my wife.”
His calm demeanor exuded a violent, brutal aura. Anything could be destroyed effortlessly by him. Anton, however, glared at Johan without losing his own venomous pride.
“You mean… what I did to that woman—ugh.”
If it were me, I would have surrendered long ago. The cruel scene was enough to terrify anyone. Probably, what Anton had meant was that Johan was strange for caring about Estelle, the daughter of his enemy. Of course, spies would have known that.
“Strange, indeed.”
It went against all logic. Leaving Anton alone would certainly end in his death. Even if Johan didn’t kill easily, Anton would suffer greatly. But I… wasn’t ready to witness a death.
“At least not with my own eyes.”
Of course, I didn’t care how it happened behind the scenes.
“Wait, Duke.”
Unconsciously, I moved the pillow aside and pressed close to Johan. I grabbed one of his hands with both of mine.
“Don’t kill him immediately.”
“Leave him be?”
Johan’s red eyes flickered with an unreadable light.
‘I didn’t want to put myself in danger.’
Johan held my hand tightly and asked a strange question.
“Did you… feel sympathy for that thing?”
Huh?
“Or… have you finally started to fear me?”
*** The plan was disrupted.
“So, that guy disappeared suddenly?”
“Apologies.”
“Seems I let the household management slip a bit.”
The servant hurriedly reported, noticing Johan’s anger.
“To think someone would let this situation happen and still lift their head.”
The cancelled plan had clearly been executed.
‘Petricia did this.’
Johan furrowed his brows slightly. Such things were common when managing subordinates, so Johan was used to it.
‘Estelle is in danger.’
That obvious fact gave him an unusually miserable feeling.
‘And of all places…’
If he were inside the duke’s mansion, he could have rescued Estelle immediately. But he had just arrived at the palace late at night after sending Erich on a mission.
‘Using black magic in the palace has consequences.’
Black magic always comes with a price. Doing it unprepared could trigger a catastrophic backlash. Johan’s mind calculated the possible side effects and extent of black magic overload, but his body had already arrived at the mansion.
Estelle was a difficult woman to understand. I had thought she was simple, easy to read, innocent, and playful—but that was just a fleeting illusion.
‘She subtly avoids my touch.’
There were times she liked him, yet now she pulled away. She looked like a small rabbit wary of a predator—cute, yet inscrutable. Suspicious, captivating, and maddeningly lovely.
‘Why am I like this?’
There had been signs for this situation. Some awareness existed, but not to this extent.
‘Wasn’t all of this for revenge?’
He had planned to completely ruin her.
‘The fake Lily project.’
Anton had been chosen before Estelle arrived at this mansion. When a person faces great danger, they instinctively cling to those nearby. Escaping according to plan wouldn’t work; they wouldn’t flee again.
“I’m searching for Anton, but if necessary, we’ll check the Duchess’s quarters…”
Hearing that Estelle was now in danger, Johan grew uneasy. His concern wasn’t about revenge—he didn’t want Estelle hurt or injured. He wanted to push her mentally, but not physically harm her.
‘I’m fine.’
He didn’t want to see that bright smile tainted by sadness. Upon arriving at the mansion, he summoned the servants.
“What about that bastard?”
The servants bowed deeply.
“Apologies, master. We searched diligently but found no trace. We’ve sent someone to the Duchess’s quarters.”
Johan’s lips stiffened.
‘So she knows how to hide well, even after all this time.’
If she remained hidden despite searching the entire mansion, she must have been cleverly avoiding detection.
‘No signal yet.’
Johan’s sight could reach anywhere in the mansion; he would find her quickly. This situation would soon be under control. Then—[Intruder.] A magical barrier near Estelle’s room. Realizing Anton had intruded without thinking, Johan moved immediately.
‘Estelle can’t find out the truth yet.’
That would be bad.
‘Why? You wanted her to break down originally.’
Yet, inwardly, he hoped Estelle wouldn’t know the truth.
‘Duke.’
Her gentle whisper remained constant. And from the other side of the door, Estelle defended herself. It was indeed her voice.
“But I still won’t follow you. I’ll verify the truth with my husband, the Duke, personally.”
Such foolish words.
“It may seem foolish, but even if he’s a wicked man, I want to believe in the Duke I know just one more time.”
Outrageous, unaware of her own situation.
“The Duke may not be a completely good person. But the Duke I know isn’t like that. There must be a reason for everything.”
Estelle had no reason to defend Johan other than that he was her formal husband. A foolish woman. Even with a dagger at her throat, she still spoke naively.
“I will hear my husband’s story from him directly. Until then, I have no intention of listening to anyone belittle my husband.”
Johan immediately entered the room. Seeing Anton pointing the dagger at Estelle, his anger surged.
‘That thing…’
Regardless of annoyance, his fury boiled. He hadn’t wanted this scene; he hadn’t wanted to see his fake wife threatened. At that moment, any thought of Estelle being a fake wife vanished. Perhaps he hadn’t even calculated her fear of his cruelty.
Estelle’s reaction, however, was completely unexpected.
Johan’s voice sank low. This was a sign of a serious situation. Sympathy? Ridiculous. Anton had tried to harm me; my sympathy for him was too precious.
“It’s not like that.”
I shook my head. This was the crucial moment.
“Not like that?”
Johan’s eyes deepened, contemplating the sincerity of my denial. The best response was action. I summoned courage and looked at Anton again, soaked in blood.
‘In the original, I ran away with Anton.’
Even watching Johan’s cruel actions, I thought he didn’t have to kill someone so brutally. Johan, seeing this, despised me further—my ignorance of my parents’ sins and my virtuous life disgusted him. That virtue had been the enemy’s goal. Johan tilted his head and twisted his lips into a smirk. He wanted to hear me, no doubt.
At that moment, Anton shouted in a desperate struggle.
“Right now, Libertan is—!”
I immediately slapped his cheek. Smack! Then stomped on his shin. Thud!
“The punishment for insulting my husband is mine.”
I hit him once, then twice.
‘That should do it.’
My hand was too weak, and my strikes only left it red and sore.
‘I should use a tool next time.’
At least some leverage. Humans use tools, after all. I looked calmly at Anton, who was barely holding onto consciousness.
“You can do what you want to me. I’m the one who can handle it. But don’t insult or belittle my husband as you please.”
Surprised, Anton stared blankly at me. I felt Johan’s hot gaze on the side of my face—unclear in intent, but clearly outside his calculations. Encouraged, I continued to strike and stomp Anton. One kick might save my life. But the harder I tried, the redder my hands became, and my ankles hurt more.
‘Why is my body so fragile?’
Considering all the hardships in the original story, surviving this far was impressive.
‘It’s strange I’m still alive.’
After some struggle, I glanced at Johan.
“Duke?”
His expression was unlike usual: chillingly cold, frightening, and obsessively fixated.
‘Did I do something wrong?’
