A Different Husband Every Night (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1

“Let it begin tonight as well.”

Hearing that voice, cold enough to instantly dispel even the muggiest summer night, sent a powerful shiver through me.

I tried to steady my racing heart, drawing in a deep breath to calm myself.

But the sight of the man before me unbuttoning his shirt with a seductive touch shattered the resolve I’d just gathered.

“Are you ready?”

His raven-black hair, which shimmered darkly under the sun, now gleamed white as if swallowing the moonlight streaming in.

It was a familiar sight.

Every night, without fail, his hair turned white—as if determined to vanquish the darkness.

“…Yes. I’m ready.”

His golden eyes, sharp as a predator stalking prey in the dark, flashed with ruthless intensity.

This man, standing before me with his shirt fluttering—

He was Levanfel von Leonharta, the tyrant of this empire and my husband.

‘I’m going crazy!’

I gave a faint nod, exhaling a trembling breath. My narrowed gaze involuntarily drifted toward the gap in Levanfel’s shirt.

At the end of my sight lay perfectly defined muscles, each asserting its presence.

Gulp.

Even after doing this countless times, I couldn’t help but feel nervous every single time. The sound of me swallowing dryly echoed loudly in the quiet bedroom.

“Teriella. There’s nothing to be nervous about.”

Levanfel removed his cumbersome shirt. His flawless body was covered in savage scars.

But what caught my eye most was the thorny, skeletal seal etched near his heart.

That eerie seal, which I faced every night, grew larger each time—as if it were trying to devour Levanfel.

His hair, white only at night, and the seal branded onto his body—

That was precisely why I had to stay by Levanfel’s side every night, and why he sought me out each evening.

“What are you looking at?”

Levanfel gently grasped my chin with his long fingers and tilted it upward. My gaze, which had been fixed on the swelling seal, now met his face.

“…I wasn’t looking at anything.”

“Liar.”

Levanfel’s teasing chuckle sounded like a melody. His hand slowly crept up my arm, coiling around my wrist like a slithering snake.

“You were admiring my body.”

The fierce beast of a man smiled like a mischievous boy. The crisp scent of soap tickled my nose, jolting my senses.

“Still not used to it?”

“…No, I am.”

“I’ll pretend to believe you.”

Levanfel lazily slid his hand from my wrist and gently placed my palm over his chest. The steady thump of his heartbeat resonated clearly against my skin.

His pulse pounded so strongly it felt as if he’d just sprinted at full speed—dazing me.

“Don’t be startled.”

Contrary to his rough actions, his voice melted like cotton candy—sweet and tender. The contrast instantly dissolved my tension.

“It’s alright.”

Levanfel’s long eyelashes settled gracefully like a butterfly’s wings. Seeing him close his eyes as if entrusting everything to me, I too focused on our joined hands.

The pulse traveling through my palm resonated throughout my entire body. In that moment, the strange seals etched onto his body gradually faded—then vanished completely.

Not only that—his white hair darkened back to its original black.

‘Is this really what I have to do every single night?! I’m going insane!’

I tightly bit my inner lip, swallowing the words I couldn’t voice aloud along with a shaky breath.

To erase the impure thoughts burning within me, I deliberately shifted my gaze to the painting hanging on the wall.

‘That’s a delicious-looking chocolate painting.’

A secret known only to us—something no one else must ever discover.

My husband suffered nightly from a curse, and I was the sole key to freeing him from that pain.

‘Chocolate… There’s also chocolate on my husband’s abs… Aaaaaargh!!’

Once again today, I pinched my thigh, struggling to stay focused on pure thoughts.

[‘Teriella. Never die. As long as you stay alive, everything will become yours. Believe me, Mommy knows how things end—I’ll make sure you walk only flowered paths, my dearest! You must stay alive!’]

Those were my late mother’s favorite words—and her final dying wish.

I was still alive today, enduring this absurd situation, only because I faithfully upheld that promise.

“Teriella. Go as the imperial consort candidate to the Leonharta Empire.”

“I refuse.”

Our conversation, the first in years between father and daughter, held no emotion whatsoever.

My father, King Lupeon, casually dismissed my opinion and continued speaking.

“You know the continent’s current situation, right? We can’t sail due to the tidal waves, and with plague outbreaks everywhere, we must take the safest route—it’ll take over two months just to reach the empire. …And just when the hell is that supposed Saintess going to be born, huh, tsk.”

“I don’t want to go. You have plenty of other daughters—why must I be the one sent as imperial consort candidate?”

“Teriella. Don’t tell me you’re really asking that out of ignorance?”

The king gnashed his teeth in anger. His contempt toward me was glaringly obvious, though I was so used to that look it barely affected me.

“Look over there. Those are your siblings—you injured them.”

Following his pointing finger, I saw my older sister, brother, and younger sister glaring at me, all bandaged.

“That was self-defense.”

“Your sister’s arm is broken!”

“She pushed me down the stairs first! I reached out in shock and ended up pulling her down with me. I got hurt too, but she… seems… quite hurt.”

“If that were all, it’d be coincidence! Your brother’s leg ligaments are stretched!”

“That was self-defense too. He tried to kick me! I instinctively blocked with a chair nearby.”

“And you dare make excuses even after seeing your little sister!”

I turned to look at my younger sister’s face—and sighed involuntarily.

“A girl about to debut in society now has a scar on her face!”

“That wasn’t me—you should find whoever gave her that horsewhip! She tried to hit me with a whip she couldn’t even control and ended up lashing her own face. Of course, I’m perfectly fine—but seriously, who gave a child such a dangerous thing?”

I deliberately shouted loudly enough for my siblings to hear, pointing at the long scratch on my sister’s face.

The two pretended not to hear, clearing their throats while simultaneously avoiding my gaze.

“Don’t worry. This big sister will find a master of disguise to see if the scar can be concealed.”

“Huh… Hwaaaaahhh!!”

When I teased her with a smile, my trembling younger sister buried her face in her palms and burst into sobs.

Though I’d never tried it, I felt confident I could heal such a wound blindfolded—if I wanted to.

But I hadn’t the slightest intention of doing so.

‘Of course, my family—including the king—probably doesn’t even know I possess such power.’

Similarly, I never got seriously injured from minor accidents.

Because I harbored a secret power no one knew about.

“Don’t cause pointless family discord! All your siblings are injured like this, yet you’re perfectly fine—does that even make sense?!”

“It makes perfect sense—that’s why I’m standing here perfectly fine. If it didn’t, I’d already be a corpse with no known cause of death.”

“Shut that mouth!”

“If my family so desperately wishes for my death…”

“Teriella!!”

The enraged king, unable to counter a single word of my sharp retorts, grabbed the nearest object and hurled it at me.

Thud!

An inkwell struck my shoulder dead-on. As it fell with its lid open, it stained my dress and the royal palace’s prized red carpet with black ink.

I was the black ink that marred the red carpet here.

The royal family’s one and only blemish—that was me.

Not a single member of the royal family acknowledged me as one of their own.

“Wouldn’t Karayan Oppa be furious if you sent me off so carelessly?”

Except for one person—Karayan Pen Lupeon, the legitimate heir and future king, son of the queen.

After Mother passed away, Karayan Oppa had been my only family, my only friend, and my sole ally in this lonely kingdom.

“Have you forgotten how much Karayan Oppa cherishes me?”

“Karayan was dispatched two days ago to investigate the plague outbreak in the provinces—he isn’t here.”

“…You’re well prepared, I see.”

If Karayan had been here, he would’ve shielded me somehow and stopped them from sending me away.

That cunning king must’ve anticipated this and deliberately sent Karayan off with some excuse.

“Isn’t the Emperor of Leonharta Empire known as the tyrant who personally executed half his loyal ministers right after ascending the throne?”

When left alone all day in the palace, one inevitably overhears gossip from chatty maids.

“I also heard he locks his bedroom door every night and drinks until he can’t tell the ground from the sky.”

“Hmmph!”

The king feigned ignorance with a cough and subtly turned his head.

“Is that all? I also heard that when his ministers urged him to fill the vacant empress position, he immediately summoned every noble lady in the empire to inspect their faces—though he sent them all back, apparently none pleased him.”

I recalled how, during the succession struggle, he—born of a concubine—had shocked everyone by killing all his brothers to seize the throne.

“With violence, alcohol dependence, and lustfulness to boot, he might as well be called the worst man on the continent.”

“That’s exactly why you must go, Teriella. Your only redeeming quality is that face of yours, inherited from your mother. You’ve got superior genes—might as well put them to good use.”

“Your Majesty, just speak plainly.”

When our eyes met, the king smeared his lips with a sneering smirk.

“You want me to go die there, don’t you?”

The king didn’t bother replying to my question. His smile alone said everything.

As the king fell silent, my sister beside him smiled widely and spoke aloud to herself.

“Back when we were little, if she’d just died then, she wouldn’t be suffering such humiliation now. I don’t understand how she’s still alive.”

“Sister. If you’re going to mutter to yourself, do it quietly. Or just say it straight to my face—surely you’re not too scared to speak to me?”

“You were meant to die back then. Your breath probably stopped for a moment—but your mother barely managed to revive you.”

They said I fell gravely ill around age six, nearly to death.

Truthfully, those memories were hazy like fog. Though not entirely erased, many fragments simply refused to resurface no matter how hard I tried.

Mother had comforted me, saying the high fever had caused temporary memory loss—but surviving at all was a miracle.

Later, I heard from others that Mother had personally scoured mountains, seas, and even distant foreign lands to save me.

“Since you’ve dragged that life meant to end back then all the way to now, stop being so greedy.”

“Sister. Want your arm broken again?”

“Both of you, enough! …Teriella, no more words on this settled matter. You’ll go and take responsibility for the chaos you’ve caused.”

The king ended the conversation unilaterally, flicking his fingers at the waiting soldiers. Two guards swiftly rushed forward and bound my arms as if escorting a hardened criminal.

“…Why tie my arms all of a sudden?”

Something felt uneasy. The king’s persistent smile toward me felt uneasy. My siblings’ silence felt uneasy.

“Ah. I forgot to mention the departure time.”

“…Don’t tell me.”

“You leave right now. I assumed you’d only bring things from your secluded quarters, so I’ve already loaded them onto the carriage.”

Now that he mentioned it—he never actually said when we’d depart!

“Th… th… this damn—!”

“Take her away.”

The king waved his hand dismissively, clearly annoyed. I braced my feet, determined not to be dragged away—but the soldiers lifted me effortlessly, rendering my efforts futile.

“Let go of me! You bastards! Let go! I’m a princess! I am the kingdom’s princess, I tell you!”

Dangling helplessly in midair, I kicked and thrashed violently.

“How dare you ignore a princess’s command?! Huh?! Even if I’m scorned—I’m still the kingdom’s princess! Do you all want to die?!”

“The one giving orders here is your king—and I outrank you, tsk tsk.”

Mocking my desperate cries, the king jerked his chin impatiently, clearly tired of this argument.

“Put the princess in the carriage and depart immediately. She values her pathetic life too much to do anything reckless like jumping from a moving carriage.”

“Let go! I won’t go! I’m not going, I tell you! Ah! I won’t go!!”

I struggled with all my might, but I stood no chance against trained soldiers—especially since I’d barely eaten one proper meal all day.

Like a wind-tossed butterfly, I was dragged humiliatingly out of the audience chamber.

Just then, the king, already walking away, murmured softly.

“Don’t die.”

Startled by the voice carried on the wind, I whipped my head around. It didn’t sound like something he’d say—maybe I’d misheard.

‘Could it be… my father actually worries I might die?’

When I looked back, the king was still smiling as he watched me.

“If you die before you leave, I’ll have to send another imperial consort candidate to that tyrant—and I don’t want to send another daughter. If you must die, do it there. At least the empire might compensate for your life if you die on their soil.”

“Th… th… this…!”

Of course! How foolish of me to briefly hope!

“I’ll… I’ll curse you all!!! You damn royals!!”

Mother, you said everything would be mine as long as I stayed alive, right?

Yes. I’ll survive no matter what. So please, let this kingdom become mine.

‘Then I’ll burn this wretched kingdom to the ground—until not even ashes remain!’

Gritting my teeth, I glared at the gleefully smiling royal family, blazing with vengeful resolve.