There Is No Paradise Where I Ran Away To (14 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 15
Theo’s focused eyes flashed. The last disc, soaring into the sky, shattered with a thunderous boom. Having hit his target, Theo turned deliberately to look straight at Edwin behind him.
The naive bravado of the childish man merely made today’s hunt a little more enjoyable.
“You claimed you’d only ever done needlework, yet your hunting skill is superb. Not to mention this flinger is a practice machine of high difficulty.”
“You flatter me.”
At Gideon’s praise, Theo showed humility with a dry expression. Next, as Edwin took his place, a servant loaded a disc into the machine. In the blink of an eye, the disc shot upward from the device and changed direction due to its spin.
Bang! The disc shattered midair into fragments that scattered like fireworks. Edwin hit every single subsequent disc without missing one, and as he prepared to step back after finishing his practice, Theo suddenly asked,
“Where did Your Grace learn to hunt?”
“Why? Did you think my father wouldn’t have taught me?”
Edwin retorted with a faint smile, causing Theo to show a rare look of bewilderment.
“…That’s not what I meant.”
“Of course Your Grace’s skill is beyond question, given your military background. But seeing it in person—it’s truly astonishing.”
“The military?”
Theo’s gaze shifted toward Gideon, who had spoken in Edwin’s stead.
“Mr. Evans, you really didn’t know? Isn’t that common knowledge for any citizen of Newway?”
James, overhearing, laughed heartily. Seeing Theo’s dumbfounded expression, he assumed it was a joke—but when James’s jest produced no change, Theo awkwardly scratched his temple.
James, whose turn it was next, stepped into position, and Gideon continued the story he hadn’t finished telling Theo.
He recounted like a legend how Edwin Beitnes, adopted into the Beitnes baronial family, had enlisted in the army and, during the Battle of Greenford, infiltrated enemy lines alone, killed an enemy officer, and turned the tide of the war to victory.
Theo had heard of the Battle of Greenford well enough—it was fought at Greenford, bordering Erinic. He’d heard rumors how Newway, losing ground in the Greenford recapture operation, managed to successfully reclaim it thanks to a single soldier’s extraordinary feat.
Yet the image of that famously handsome soldier clashed with the realization that he was now Duke Beitnes.
The idea of the Duke in a steel helmet, rolling in mud, felt utterly incongruous. He seemed destined to shine always in finely tailored suits and gold-adorned ornaments.
“Oh dear. I only managed to hit six targets. Truly a moment that made me keenly aware of the flinger’s notorious difficulty.”
Though James laughed heartily after finishing his practice, he couldn’t hide his disappointment, and Gideon offered him encouragement.
While everyone else shifted attention elsewhere, Theo simply stared at Edwin.
When Gideon finally stepped up for his turn at target practice, Theo could no longer suppress the curiosity that had arisen upon seeing Edwin.
“Then, Your Grace must have killed many people—having been through war, after all.”
Among those present, only Edwin—with his calm blue eyes—didn’t flinch at Theo’s awkward question. His cousins exchanged nervous glances toward Edwin, and James quietly elbowed Theo’s side.
“If you’ve killed many people already, would it not become easier to kill someone else from now on?”
“Mr. Evans, why are you acting this way?”
“There is one thing I’ve learned from killing humans.”
His mask betrayed no crack—unreadable, sincere or not. His dry gaze was brittle. Perhaps it was a desert parched by death, madness, and screams.
“When pushed to the brink of death, one reveals their true self—whatever that may be. Even to themselves.”
Upon hearing this, the corner of Theo’s eye twitched faintly. The flawless voice and smile were so detached from reality they sent chills down his spine.
“Then why did you enlist in the army?”
“We’ve practiced enough—shall we proceed to the actual hunt, Your Grace?”
Clearly hostile and showing no sign of stopping, Theo needed someone to intervene. Gideon, who hadn’t even fired a single disc, quickly defused the tension.
Fortunately, Edwin showed no strong reaction to Theo’s aggression. Otherwise, this forest might have turned from a hunting ground into a battlefield. Yet it didn’t take long for Theo to realize this was a misconception.
“Then let’s end practice here and begin the real hunt. I’ll claim the west first. The rest of you follow the usual rules.”
Edwin mounted his horse, offered a refreshingly dignified smile, and vanished from the spot.
As soon as Edwin disappeared, Gideon frowned. He turned toward Theo, intending to scold him for unsettling the atmosphere—but Theo had already climbed onto his horse.
Before James could even drop his jaw in astonishment, Theo rode off as well, his horse headed straight toward the west where Edwin had vanished.
[This is the timeline separator]Charlotte wiped away tears streaming from her swollen eyes beneath the blanket and clenched the scarf in her hand tightly. Every time she tried to piece together Edwin’s expression as he’d handed her Vivian’s scarf, the image crumbled hopelessly.
Did Edwin truly not understand that, more than the forced marriage itself, it was his casual offering of Vivian’s scarf that plunged a dagger deep into Charlotte’s heart?
She’d resolved not to think ill of it even when she saw Vivian leave Edwin’s bedroom late at night. After all, she’d been taught such acts were reserved only for married couples; anything beyond that, her governess had repeatedly drilled into her ears, was the behavior of unclean women.
Now, she wanted nothing more than to point at Vivian Ebelline and call her unclean. The fact that Vivian’s scarf was in Edwin’s hands—and Edwin’s tie in Vivian’s—seemed undeniable proof.
Vivian, with nowhere else to turn, wielded her beauty like a weapon to lure an innocent man and secure her own safety. Casting blame this way eased Charlotte’s heart.
Yet such accusations dragged Edwin down into the mire with her. She never wanted to tarnish Edwin’s spotless reputation. The thought of him bearing such filth was too painful to witness.
What should I do now? I must stop this marriage and separate His Grace from Vivian.
Torn between conflicting impulses, her heart sank deeper into gloom. At the sharp knock on the door, Charlotte hastily stuffed Vivian’s scarf under her pillow and burrowed deeper into the blankets, unwilling to respond.
“Miss Windler! Miss Windler! It’s Vivian! Could you please open the door?”
Startled by the unexpected call, Charlotte threw off the blanket. She sat upright, baffled by the impatient pounding that followed without even a moment’s pause.
Why is Vivian here?
“Miss Windler! I know you’re in there! Please open the door! Hello?”
Vivian Ebelline, discarding all pretense of decorum, was behaving like a common ruffian. Unable to endure the grating noise any longer, Charlotte wiped her eyes roughly and opened the door.
The pale, frightened face that greeted her left Charlotte even more bewildered. It looked as if Vivian had either killed someone—or witnessed a death herself.
“…What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry—I’m in such a hurry! It’s about His Grace…”
Her terrified eyes mirrored Edwin’s name. To Charlotte, this news was like a bolt from the blue—her face drained of color.
“What about His Grace? Has something happened? Is he hurt?”
“No, it’s not like that…”
“Then what is it? Was His Grace seriously injured?”
Overwhelmed by the barrage of questions, Vivian took a half-step back, clasping her hands together and lowering her gaze uncertainly.
“His Grace went hunting… with my friend…”
Vivian’s agonizing hesitation tested Charlotte’s patience. Suppressing the urge to grab Vivian by the shoulders and shake her, Charlotte stared uneasily at the woman whose eyes shimmered red with unshed tears.
“Went hunting with your friend…?”
“Hunting what? Stop being so evasive and just tell me!”
“His Grace took my friend along to the hunting grounds.”
That single, finally uttered sentence was far removed from Charlotte’s worst fears.
“…So what? What does that matter?”
“Please make him stop the hunt.”
“Surely that’s all you came for?”
The tension that had coiled tightly along Charlotte’s spine abruptly eased. Edwin had gone hunting with Vivian’s friend, and Vivian was begging her to stop it. She didn’t know the reason—but it struck her as utterly absurd and ridiculous.
“I have a bad feeling something terrible will happen. My friend isn’t even good at hunting, but His Grace dragged her along by force. What if something awful happens to her in the woods…?”
The irritating sound of Vivian nervously clicking her fingernails made Charlotte frown. Color returning to her cheeks, she responded coolly,
“His Grace isn’t the type to drag anyone along by force. Your friend must’ve gone willingly. Therefore, there’s no reason to halt a hunt already underway. You’ve woken me for nothing. Please leave.”
“M-Miss Windler!”
Trying to dismiss the bothersome Vivian, Charlotte turned to shut the door—but Vivian clung desperately to her arm, refusing to let go.
“I really must stop this hunt.”
“Then go ahead and try.”
“But His Grace won’t listen to me.”
“Should His Grace be obligated to heed Miss Ebelline’s words?”
“But he listens to you, Miss Windler.”
Charlotte, ready with a retort for anything, found her lips suddenly stilled.
“…He’ll listen to me if I ask him to stop hunting? Yet he ignores me when I beg him to call off the marriage.”
Vivian’s pleading gray eyes glistened with tears. Yet to Charlotte—who now held Edwin’s scarf—those tears would have the opposite of their intended effect. What unsettled Charlotte wasn’t those foolish tears, but something else entirely.
“You’re still too young to understand, Miss Windler. His Grace wants to marry you precisely because he cares for you more than anyone. I heard he was especially careful in choosing your future husband—that’s proof of his feelings for you.”
“…”
“Miss Windler, please come with me. Let’s stop the hunt together. He’ll surely listen to you. I’m begging you.”
Though Vivian’s grip on Charlotte loosened, Charlotte couldn’t turn away firmly. A quiet hope swelled in her chest.
Would he really stop the hunt just because I asked?
On reflection, Edwin had never refused her requests before.
When Baroness Beitnes complained of discomfort, he’d given her space. When she grumbled about tiredness while walking, he’d offered his arm. Though her requests had been few, aside from marriage, he’d never denied her anything.
“…Alright. Just this once.”
Charlotte straightened her back and lifted her chin. A flicker of relief brightened Vivian’s tear-streaked face.
[This is the timeline separator]The Duke’s horse plunged deep into the forest. Fearing he might lose him at any moment, Theo spurred his own mount forward, concentrating fiercely. The gap between them finally narrowed only because the Duke’s horse had gradually slowed.
Soon, the Duke halted at the forest’s heart. Dismounting, he looked up at the sky veiled in green leaves. Having lured Theo this deep into the woods, he now idly searched for prey.
“So many questions—do you have much to say as well?”
Wasn’t the game supposed to be in the sky?
The Duke’s blue eyes, cutting through the silent forest, settled on Theo. Though summer approached, the wind deep within the woods was as cold as ice.
Theo dismounted and adjusted the rifle slung over his shoulder.
“If you knew I was following you yet still led everyone away to come here alone—doesn’t that mean you have something to say to me, Your Grace?”
“Do you think so?”
The Duke’s polite smile vanished, leaving his icy blue eyes as cold as the forest wind. Slowly withdrawing his gaze, Edwin raised his rifle. His eyes, having passed over Theo, returned to the forest canopy, waiting for prey to take flight—yet.
Bang.
At the harsh gunshot echoing through the air, startled birds burst upward in panic.
Bang.
The fired bullet struck the small flock that had taken flight. The birds hit by Edwin’s shot fluttered painfully before plummeting to the ground.
Since the fallen birds were near him, Theo walked over. The poor young chicks lay dead, bleeding. Frowning, Theo turned to Edwin.
“They’re fledglings. You deliberately flushed them out and shot them—knowing they were just babies.”
Edwin met Theo’s gaze in silence. His dry eyes showed no trace of pity, striking a deep chord within Theo’s chest.
“You seem accustomed to this—deliberately flushing out birds and killing them, even if they’re young.”
“When life is harsh, one becomes like this.”
“Not everyone becomes like this just because life is harsh.”
“That’s because their lives weren’t harsh enough.”
His casually spoken words carried a cruel smile. Truly, a dangerous man. Theo’s conviction solidified—he could never allow Vivian near someone like this.
If killing people came easily to the Duke, wouldn’t tormenting Vivian be just as easy? With nowhere to go and no one to protect her, Vivian was nothing but easy prey for him. He had to confirm it.
Could he afford to meddle further in Vivian’s affairs—was it permissible, or not?
“Back in the carriage recently—”
The sharp wind moaned through the forest. Its quiet, low, resonant hum deepened the shadows cloaking the woods. Wind tousled Theo’s hair as it passed over his head.
“Did you lay hands on the lady?”
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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