Rather Than Be Taken, I Will Take (12 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 6
It began with an unexpected accusation. His words were as sharp as the predatory glint in his eyes.
When Kedilen failed to respond and merely blinked, Aden opened his mouth again, clearly intent on tearing out his windpipe.
“You laughed so casually at a provocation so shameless it was embarrassing even to hear. Are you truly spineless, or do you simply think your beloved wife’s humiliation has nothing to do with you? I envy the smooth curve of your lips—they look utterly free of worry.”
The scathing rebuke clawed at Kedilen’s hardened mask.
That mask, once thought sturdier than stone, cracked far too easily, revealing the raw face hidden beneath.
“…Ha ha, your words seem a bit excessive, Your Grace.”
“Do they? My apologies, then. It seems I’ve had too much to drink. But watching from the side made my stomach turn.”
His golden eyes slowly rolled toward Ludmila, who had been quietly observing the scene.
“While my wife bears shame and disgrace with her whole body, her husband stands there grinning like a fool with that empty expression.”
“I understand what you’re implying, but this is a matter between my wife and me. Please moderate your language.”
“What a foolish man you are. Those words should’ve been directed not at me, but at the Speaker of the House just now.”
Aden twisted the corner of his mouth and stepped closer, poking Kedilen’s shoulder with his finger.
Such a crude provocation, worthy of street thugs, made Kedilen’s face flush red.
Ludmila easily guessed that Kedilen was on the verge of exploding any second.
Yet too many eyes surrounded them—discarding his mask entirely would ruin the reputation he’d meticulously built over the years.
This was precisely the kind of scandal the gossipy socialites most craved.
The downfall of a lofty noble was not something one could pay to witness anywhere else.
Climbing stairs was always arduous and exhausting, but descending them? That was pure pleasure.
Even if you spent twice the time ascending, a single misstep could send you plummeting instantly.
Kedilen, well aware of this, summoned every ounce of his patience and forced a strained smile.
“You seem drunk, Your Grace.”
“It’s not I who’s drunk, but you—drunk on your role. You can laugh off your wife’s humiliation, yet grow stern at insults hurled at yourself. Admitting your pettiness wouldn’t be so bad, would it?”
Tap—tap—
Aden openly prodded his shoulder again, forcing Kedilen to stumble back a step.
All Kedilen could do now was bite his lip and endure.
No one had ever dared provoke him so crudely; he’d always carried himself with a genial smile.
Even the old aristocracy avoided vulgar expressions to preserve their dignity.
Their usual quarrels were like clashing mountain goats—trapped within rigid formalities, poking at each other with blunted horns that never truly struck.
But the beast before him had bared its fangs and sunk them straight into his throat,
mocking him openly: What could you possibly do about it?
“…Shouldn’t someone stop those two?”
“I won’t. I don’t even want to speak to them.”
“What if you get hit by accident?”
Normally, bystanders would intervene in such situations—but this was Aden.
Chieftain of the Kan tribe. Duke Havertz, the Empire’s festering wound.
Addressing those savages was considered beneath one’s dignity, so both old and new nobles alike unanimously shunned them.
Thus, no one could rescue Kedilen.
“Please stop.”
Except Ludmila. Her gentle voice flowed calmly, like a spring breeze.
Aden, who’d been shoving Kedilen’s shoulder, turned his eyes and met her crimson gaze.
“Please desist, Your Grace.”
“Hah—”
Aden twisted his lips and ran a hand through his hair.
Though his gestures and posture were raw and unrefined—nowhere found in any noble etiquette manual—his diction remained exceptionally clear.
“Listen, Marchioness. I’m on your side here. I’m merely pointing out that your husband, that ruffian, isn’t fulfilling his duty. Can’t you understand the situation?”
“I do understand. But this is between my husband and me. I appreciate your concern, but please stop here.”
“How absurd.”
Frowning, Aden stared at Ludmila before scanning the surrounding crowd.
Noting the spectators’ eager, gossip-hungry eyes, he bit his lip and sighed in clear frustration.
“What a perfectly matched couple you are! Defending a husband who turns a blind eye to your disgrace—truly touching. Fine, I’ll stop. Hey, Marquis. Be grateful you have such a loyal wife who stands by you even now. And next time, act like a man. If I see that pathetic sight again, I’ll make sure you won’t be standing on two legs anymore.”
“…”
“Well then, enjoy the rest of the banquet, Marquis. And…”
Aden exhaled sharply, then turned a twisted smile toward Ludmila.
“Marchioness.”
[This is the timeline separator]“Damn it all!”
The moment Kedilen returned to the mansion, he erupted in rage, hurling the pocket watch he’d carried all evening to the floor.
Still unsatisfied, he stomped on it with his boot until it shattered into pieces.
The humiliation he’d suffered at the banquet must have been unbearable—he stood there, ears burning red, spewing crude curses nonstop.
Ludmila, who had stood a few paces behind watching, closed her dry eyes like withered petals.
‘…It was deliberate.’
Aden had rolled his eyes toward her as he poked Kedilen’s shoulder.
That infuriatingly rude man had even given her a faint, mocking smirk—as if delivering his line on stage and silently signaling, “Your turn.”
She understood that subtle upward curve of his lips—and just how favorable the scenario he’d set up was for her.
“That damn bastard dares to treat me like this…!”
Proof enough: Kedilen’s rage, which should have been directed at her, was fixated entirely on Aden.
He ripped off the coat Aden had touched and hurled it aside, cursing only at him.
Ludmila couldn’t comprehend Aden’s actions earlier.
What reason could he possibly have had to intervene?
Even when she tried to reason it out, the only memory that surfaced was her turning her bare back to him—
and even then, he’d drawn a line, telling her not to worry about it.
Intervening could only bring sharp rebukes and insults aimed at her—yet he’d deliberately provoked Kedilen anyway.
Ludmila bit her lip softly, turning the matter over in her mind again and again, but reached no satisfying conclusion.
While she pondered, Kedilen—who’d vented his fury to his heart’s content—suddenly turned and fixed her with a violent glare.
“What’s your relationship with that man? What possible connection could you have for that scoundrel to defend you like that!”
Ah, of course. Once the introduction of the music ended, the climax naturally followed.
As always, all his grievances ultimately pointed to his wife. Ludmila answered calmly, unsurprised.
“We have no relationship.”
“No relationship, yet he took your side in that situation? Could it be you’re having an affair with him?”
An affair. Even if I were having an affair with him, you—slipping under different women’s dresses every night—couldn’t possibly compare.
Ludmila tugged at her dry lips and gave a small shake of her head.
Though she hadn’t voiced the thought aloud, Kedilen merely frowned without further complaint. He knew.
He knew Ludmila never strayed outside, remaining a faithful doll confined within the mansion.
A woman bound by an invisible leash, unable to step beyond its walls without his lead— that was Ludmila.
“But why!”
Kedilen scratched his head irritably, spitting out harsh words nonstop.
How much longer must she endure this spectacle? Her legs ached. It had been a tiresome, dreadful day.
Less than a full day had passed since her brush with death. Ludmila simply wanted to return to her bed and end this bizarre, horrifying day.
“Don’t worry too much. Thanks to that man, your reputation has risen even higher.”
“What?”
“The noble ladies I met on our way back all praised you unanimously. They said Marquis Erdi, who restrained his anger even in that situation, is a true noble who understands honor.”
“A true… noble?”
Ludmila swallowed her scoff as he echoed her words like a broken record.
Though he’d risen in status, his complex as a low-ranking noble remained rooted in his origins.
“They said losing your temper at a commoner would only degrade your own dignity. In that sense, this incident might actually benefit you—your honor has been elevated.”
“…”
Kedilen, who’d been deep in thought with his chin in hand as if he’d never been angry, slowly let the corners of his mouth rise.
“Well, I suppose that’s one way to see it.”
How simple-minded. That cunning mind of his, so sharp in every other matter, became utterly simplistic when it came to lineage.
She wondered if he, too, wore a mask—but Ludmila simply wanted to wrap things up here.
“Then I’ll take my leave. You should rest as well.”
“Wait, Ludmila.”
As she turned to leave after a brief farewell, Kedilen’s voice struck her back.
Was there still something he wanted to nag about? Ludmila sighed softly, straightened her long neck, and turned around.
“Speak.”
After silently studying her unwavering demeanor, Kedilen seemed to ponder something before finally lifting the corner of his mouth.
“The fast will not be canceled.”
“…What?”
“You intervened well just now. As a reward, I’ll overlook both your impertinent words toward me and today’s mistake. Be grateful.”
“…”
At the word “reward,” delivered as if bestowing a favor, Ludmila’s brow furrowed slightly.
He wasn’t actually rewarding her—he was reacting to Speaker Bex’s earlier remark.
Yet again, he used the word “reward” to inflate his own ego.
Shaking her head inwardly at his infuriating self-importance, Ludmila gave only a small nod.
“Understood. Then…”
“Oh, and.”
Kedilen sighed before continuing.
“When I return from my business trip next week, we’ll share a room—keep that in mind.”
At the word “share a room,” her neatly arched eyebrows twitched.
Ludmila, whose lips felt unusually dry today, uncharacteristically spoke quickly.
“Share a room? But we…”
“Didn’t you hear me earlier? I said it was strange we haven’t conceived a child yet.”
He’d actually paid attention to that? You never cared before.
Seeing Ludmila’s eyes waver, Kedilen’s lips tilted upward.
“I’ll do my part starting next week—be grateful.”
“…”
“Go. Take care of your body so you can conceive.”
Having finished speaking, Kedilen immediately headed into the bathroom.
Once the door closed and silence filled the room, Ludmila returned to her own chamber and collapsed onto the bed.
This fear was of an entirely different nature than the terror of death.
Ludmila lifted her head and stared at her reflection in the mirror.
Her face, pale as a flower grown on parched, unwatered soil, had lost all vitality.
She felt like she was clinging to the edge of a cliff with no escape left.
When yandere male lead believes she loves him — but she never did
“How dare you!”
“How dare you make me love you, only to cast me aside as nothing more than a friend?!?
“I will never accept that.”
“I will never let you return to him.”
“Even if I have to burn myself to ashes.”
“Even if I must shatter my purity, my dignity, my very soul.”
“I will never let you escape me!”
This was the first novel that introduced me to the matriarchal genre. I’ve read it three times already!
At first, the male lead despised the female lead. Later, he misunderstood that she liked him, so he condescendingly and reluctantly reciprocated her feelings.
Then, he suddenly discovered that she was kind to everyone in the same way, and there was already someone she cherished in her heart, and that person was not him.
The male lead couldn’t believe it, he became angry and crazy. He was determined to capture her body and heart by any means necessary.
Synopsis:
Want to see how a green tea bitch male lead falls in love with the female lead?
Want to see how he flirtatiously pursues the female lead?
Want to see how he gets slapped in the face repeatedly?
The male lead is a green tea bitch, a poisonous lotus, jealous, ruthless, unscrupulous, with a venomous heart, and he’s also a delusional maniac.
The female lead is righteous, positive energy-filled, kind, a holy mother.
Let’s see how two people with extreme personalities come together~
_____
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