Trampled and Broken (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 23
“No, perhaps I’m just as foolish.”
He swallowed a bitter smile and muttered to himself with self-deprecating irony.
After all, he too had been standing here idly for hours, watching over Hestia.
As Aslan’s breathing grew heavier, the shadows across his chest muscles deepened further.
Like a predator with its prey in sight, Aslan stared down silently at Hestia, who stood perfectly still without the slightest movement.
“What on earth has gotten into her?”
It was strange—the woman who used to run away kept deliberately drawing his attention. It irritated him that he couldn’t fathom her cryptic intentions at all.
Aslan clicked his tongue roughly again and again, then took another sip of his drink.
The liquor tore mercilessly down his throat, burning fiercely as it went.
“It’s not making me feel any better.”
On the contrary, he felt even more unsettled, his anger rising.
There was no meeting. It was merely an excuse he’d deliberately made up because facing her made him uncomfortable.
If Hestia gave up on seeing him and left, that would be fine; if she waited, he intended to make her utterly miserable.
Just as she had done to him six years ago.
Back then, Aslan was in his adolescence.
So when he’d thrown himself flat on the ground before that little girl, he’d even felt a pang of shame.
It was the first time he realized their relationship was no longer equal.
On the day she bloomed into the most beautiful being in the world, he had to kneel and bow his head like this.
He felt unbearably wretched.
Thus, he hoped Hestia wouldn’t remember him from that day. Yet, at the same time, he also wished she would remember him—even if he was this pathetic.
“Does this make things a little more even now?”
Would she be feeling miserable right now?
He was shamefully curious about it.
He drained the liquor in one gulp and wiped the moisture from his lips with the back of his hand.
When he tugged the bell cord, the butler Robert soon appeared, bowing respectfully toward Aslan.
“You called, Your Grace?”
“Bring her in.”
“Do you intend to see her, then?”
“Hmph.” An indistinct grunt mumbled from Aslan’s mouth.
He continued speaking in a tone clearly displeased with having made such a decision himself.
“It’s driving me mad seeing her loiter around in my space.”
At that moment, Robert’s expression flickered with surprise.
His master was indifferent—perhaps even apathetic—and never paid the slightest attention to things he deemed unimportant.
Yet now he was bothered by Hestia waiting outside?
That could only mean Aslan was paying attention to her.
Startled, the butler fumbled for words, but before he could respond, Aslan turned sharply toward him, his eyes narrowed sternly.
Clicking his tongue lightly, Aslan jerked his chin and spoke in a fierce tone.
“Stop making that stupid face and just go bring her already.”
“A-ah, yes! Yes, Your Grace. Right away.”
The butler quickly composed his expression and posture.
“Where shall I escort the princess?”
There was no immediate reply. Aslan had pressed his lips tightly together, as if he hadn’t even considered that far.
The butler waited patiently, and eventually Aslan’s lips parted.
“To this room.”
Robert’s eyes widened once more. But this time, he swiftly masked his surprise and gave a quiet nod before leaving the room.
Left alone, Aslan exhaled a long, hot breath.
He figured the alcohol, which hadn’t affected him while drinking, was finally hitting him now—though he’d never been drunk in his life.
[This is the timeline separator]‘Just how much time has passed?’
Though she was wearing makeup, it was clearly futile trying to conceal her increasingly pale complexion.
Hestia tightly clasped her frozen fingertips with her other hand.
She hoped her own body heat might thaw them a little, but it was like ice meeting ice—utterly ineffective.
At some point, a light drizzle began to fall, accompanied by occasional chilling gusts of wind, making the perceived temperature drop even further.
With trembling hands, she pulled the hood that the wind had blown off back over her head.
‘I’m definitely running out of stamina. From now on, it’ll only get worse.’
Hestia bit down gently on her quivering lips and pressed a little more strength into the backs of her knees.
Her senses were growing numb; if she let her guard down even slightly, she feared she might lose consciousness and collapse without even realizing it.
‘This is my last chance. I mustn’t fall before I meet Aslan Kalati and speak with him. So hold on, Hestia.’
Her breath felt hot as it escaped through her parted lips, as if she were running a fever.
Watching her white, frozen breath scatter into the air, Hestia bit hard into her soft cheek with her teeth.
‘Of all times, it had to start now.’
She swallowed a groan and continued her bleak thoughts.
‘My condition will surely worsen as time goes on.’
Back in her previous life, when Anetsa had given her a terminal prognosis, it hadn’t felt real—because she hadn’t felt unwell at the time.
But precisely on the tenth day, as if by some cruel joke, Hestia’s strength had visibly begun to fade.
‘Eventually, I even started coughing up blood.’
It seemed this life would be no different.
‘Today marks exactly ten days since I turned back time.’
She’d felt perfectly fine when leaving the palace, but now her skin shivered uncontrollably and her stomach kept churning.
Swallowing the rising nausea repeatedly, Hestia gave a slight shake of her head.
‘I can’t afford to lose consciousness like this.’
After all, she hadn’t even met Aslan yet.
With sheer stubbornness and willpower, Hestia gathered her scattering focus.
Suddenly, the firmly shut main door of the manor, which had shown no sign of opening, swung open again.
“You’ve waited long enough.”
The moment Hestia saw the butler Robert’s face, she shook her head.
“Thank you, but I’ve had enough tea. I’m practically full.”
Though he didn’t particularly like her, the butler was always dutiful in his role.
When Hestia insisted on waiting outside instead of entering the manor, he’d brought her warm tea at regular intervals, worried about her catching cold.
Thanks to that, she’d managed the initial chill well enough. But Hestia had always had a small appetite, so after just a few cups, her stomach was already full.
Feeling queasy, she knew drinking more would surely make her ill, so she tried to refuse as politely as possible.
But upon hearing her words, the butler simply shook his head lightly.
“Princess, I haven’t prepared any tea.”
“Then that means…?”
Hestia’s voice trailed off slightly, her eyes widening in realization. There was only one other reason Robert would speak to her.
“You’ve brought back an answer from the Duke?”
Seeing her desperate eagerness, the butler didn’t waste another moment and immediately nodded.
“Yes.”
“Oh…”
Thank goodness.
Hestia placed her clasped hands over her heart and let out a long sigh of relief.
She’d resolved not to move a single step until Aslan changed his mind.
But now that he’d agreed to see her, the tight knot in her chest finally began to loosen.
‘What a relief.’
Though she’d waited for hours, she now felt it had been a hardship well worth enduring.
From where she stood, she glanced up toward the lit room.
Behind the curtain, she caught sight of a dark silhouette vanishing.
It must have been Aslan.
‘Thank you.’
When she saw him in person, she’d make sure to properly convey this feeling.
Biting down firmly on her pale lips, Hestia lowered her gaze once more.
As if on cue, the butler gestured politely toward the interior of the manor.
“Please follow me. I’ll escort you to His Grace.”
“Thank you.”
As Hestia took a step forward to follow the butler who’d turned ahead, she staggered slightly. Fortunately, he seemed not to notice.
‘Pull yourself together. This is just the beginning.’
She lashed herself inwardly with harsh resolve and dragged her heavy legs forward.
“Where is the Duke?”
“He instructed me to bring you to his room.”
“…To his room?”
Hestia’s voice dropped slightly.
‘I thought he’d hate having me in his personal space…’
Lost in such thoughts, she climbed the stairs and walked down a dim, lengthy corridor until the butler suddenly stopped.
“His Grace is waiting inside.”
After indicating the room’s location to Hestia, the butler knocked politely on the door.
“Your Grace, I’ve brought Princess Hestia.”
No reply came from within, yet the butler, seemingly accustomed to this, quietly opened the door.
“Please go in.”
Hestia gave a slight nod and carefully stepped through the doorway.
Inside, she saw Aslan’s back, turned toward her as he gazed out the window.
She looked around his room with fresh curiosity.
‘The room is so spacious…’
With almost no furniture, it felt desolate.
At that moment, Aslan, still standing with his hands clasped behind his back, spoke without turning.
Though he hadn’t spared her even a glance, he seemed fully aware of everything happening behind him.
“Robert, you may leave.”
“Yes, Master.”
Only after hearing the door close behind her did Hestia snap back to her senses.
Neither in her past life nor this one had she ever been alone in a room—essentially a private chamber—with an adult man.
She suddenly felt every cell in her body tense up.
‘It’s alright.’
Swallowing hard, she tried to calm her racing heart.
‘Aslan hates me…’
He surely wouldn’t want to touch her at all.
While she was lost in such thoughts, Aslan’s voice reached her once again.
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
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