However, when he opened his eyes at the sound of a scuffle at the door, instead of a cold underground cellar, he saw a luxurious ceiling adorned with chandeliers.
Behind him, he felt the softness of a bed and realized his attire had changed into clean patient clothing.
It was terrifying to contemplate the situation, but when the door creaked open, it revealed Kyrian standing there.
I still had a hazy and foggy head, but there seemed to be only one answer.
“I must be dead.”
I whispered softly.
After threatening to kill me painfully, Marquis Magine must have failed, and I ended up losing too much blood.
Otherwise, there was no reason for me, who should be trapped in the basement, to be in a guest room like one of the Duke’s guests, and Kyrian should not be in front of me.
Upon reaching a rather satisfying conclusion, I chuckled softly and closed my eyes again.
Death is death, and for now, I wanted to get rid of this throbbing headache.
However, at that moment, Kyrian’s voice, bone-chilling enough to make my bones ache, permeated my ears.
“What is going on?”
His voice was so vivid that I opened my eyes slightly. And to my surprise, Marquise Magine had approached me without notice.
Marquise Magine, touching my forehead gently, muttered in a low voice, audible enough for me to hear.
“Ha… Your fever has risen quite a bit.”
Then, just for me to see, she subtly revealed a magic stone from her sleeve. I could recognize the spell written on the surface of the magic stone.
Surveillance magic. The one she mentioned she had cast on me.
It was a warning that if I dared to act recklessly, it would immediately be reported to the security headquarters.
It was pathetic, but I could only nod my head. A plea not to touch the people I cherish as she wished, given that I would comply.
“Marquise, explain.”
Approaching menacingly with a growl, Kyrian received no change in expression from Marquise, who remained unfazed.
“Last night, a sudden guest came to the debutante ball…, and it was Miss Reyna.”
Marquise Magine put on a gentle smile.
“There seems to have been a misunderstanding. I merely locked up the thieves who had sneaked into the Marquise’s residence for a while, and Miss Reyna misunderstood it as a kidnapping.”
Marquise Magine laughed lightly.
“Where can you find a kidnapper who takes care of three square meals a day?”
I couldn’t strongly object. There was no evidence that Marquise had abused the missing persons.
Moreover, no one dared to complain about keeping commoner thieves who invaded a noble’s mansion for a few days.
“So, I detained one of Miss Reyna’s subordinates who came with her yesterday. It seems Miss Reyna came again to take care of the subordinate.”
Recalling Pablo, I cursed him silently.
“My servants have nothing more to ask him, and he caused a disturbance, demanding alcohol. So, I sent him back to Miss Reyna after causing a commotion.”
Marquise Magine, who had skillfully left out the fact that Pablo was hanging upside down from a well, wiped her dry eye with a handkerchief.
“It’s all my fault. That villain attacked Miss Reyna as soon as he was released… There was no time to stop him.”
I finally understood Marquise Magine’s scheme perfectly.
“Indeed, he already seemed like a serious alcoholic. As soon as he was freed, he stabbed Miss Reyna with a knife. There was no way to stop him.”
Alcohol-induced gambling addict. A person who wouldn’t be surprising if they attacked someone over a dispute about reason.
Marquise Magine, who had conveniently omitted that she got involved in the incident as an unexpected third party, was now telling a distorted version of the story.
The magic stone still faintly glowed in Marquise Magine’s sleeve as she sighed with fake relief.
I couldn’t say anything and could only nod my head slightly.
However, Kyrian, seemingly unsatisfied, raised his eyebrows.
“Why did my subordinate attack my master?”
Marquise Magine shrugged her shoulders slightly.
“They didn’t seem particularly loyal subordinates, did they? Talking incessantly about Miss Reyna as soon as they were caught.”
Kyrian gestured to the servant standing behind him. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Number 5, who had attached a fake beard. Number 5 nodded slowly.
Even in the eyes of Number 5, Pablo seemed like an unreliable guy. There was some trust in the story that he had attacked me.
And I couldn’t say anything.
Marquise Magine intervened gently.
“Miss Reyna is still in danger as she was badly injured, according to the doctor. It would be better for you to stay calm at the Marquise’s residence for a while.”
A clever move to quietly handle the situation by tying me up in the Marquise’s residence.
In a situation where I couldn’t escape or avoid, my fate rested in Marquise Magine’s hands as long as she held all the cards. It was somewhat frightening, but the flames swirling in my mind swallowed even that fear.
I didn’t have the strength to think more deeply. My body sank like a soaked sponge, and my mind continued to be hazy.
Even the throbbing pain of the injuries felt vague as if shrouded in mist.
I resigned myself and closed my eyes. It seemed okay not to open my eyes again like this.
If there was a small comfort, it was that I had a chance to see Kyrian one last time.
But at that moment, my body floated.
“No.”
When I opened my eyes again, it was Kyrian’s embrace. Kyrian’s face, rigid as stone, showed no emotions, but strangely, his embrace felt incredibly comforting.
As Kyrian quickly left the room, I leaned my body deeper, closed my eyelids, and let my eyelashes fall gently.
It felt like floating in the clouds. Here, it seemed like it wouldn’t hurt or be difficult anymore.
“I’ll take you away.”
As Kyrian’s voice resonated pleasantly from deep within, I finally reached a conclusion. Perhaps this was really a dream. A final gift for me, who had suffered in two lifetimes.
If it weren’t a dream, there was no reason for Kyrian, who should be living his life well, to suddenly appear like this.
I patted Kyrian’s chest in the dream.
“Thank you.”
As I saw his face for the last time, I could feel how much I had missed Kyrian over the past days, almost to the point of tears.
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
