“Enough.”
The one who stopped Baron Dorian from trampling me, Amy, was Lady Esmain. She narrowed her eyes and spoke to her brother.
“Why waste energy on someone who’s going to die anyway?”
“But sister…”
“Just leave her be if she doesn’t want to talk.”
Lady Esmain’s casual remark made Baron Dorian’s voice rise almost to a shout.
“What? No, sister. You don’t understand, this is extremely important…”
“That’s why I’m saying leave it alone.”
Interrupting her brother, Lady Esmain folded her fan and looked at me with a bright smile.
Amy, feeling a sense of foreboding, bit her lip. Lady Esmain tilted her head and spoke kindly.
“If you feel like talking, tell the jailer. We’ll be waiting.”
“Sister!”
“Let’s go, Baron Dorian.”
As they left the jail, Lady Esmain gave special instructions to the jailer.
“Don’t give her anything until she talks. No food and no water.”
“!”
“Only give her a little when she really thinks she’s going to die. Just enough to keep her alive.”
Lady Esmain looked back at me and smiled radiantly once more.
“I have plenty of time to wait.”
Lady Esmain was cruel. So was the jailer following her orders.
I, Amy, went more than ten days without eating. Not only was my untreated, broken ankle painful, but the hunger and thirst were excruciating. Yet, I didn’t reveal anything about the Second Prince or the jewel. If the Crown Prince could so easily betray me, whom he claimed to adore, I didn’t want to preserve my life in such a manner.
Just when I thought I was really going to die, a watery gruel came. Eating it meant another round of agony.
Although I knew it in my head and desperately wanted to just die, I found myself frantically devouring the gruel.
This way of barely surviving lasted for about three years. Three years that painfully crawled by.
Meanwhile, the jailer was a chatterbox. He endlessly told me about the outside world, which was annoying, but I listened to forget my pain.
He had a lot of interesting stories, so it wasn’t too hard. Plus, he knew someone who lived in the North, so I heard a lot about that region too.
But that was just for a day or two… Later, it felt like he was forcefully pouring stories into my unwilling ears.
Even Lady Esmain, who used to come to mock me, seemed to forget about me eventually. I was withering away, slowly starving to death.
As my mind started to fade, lying on the floor barely breathing, Baron Dorian still relentlessly visited me, threatening me with the jewel.
“Tell the truth, and I’ll spare your life. Where did you get it?”
“…Where did you learn to talk? Pigs speak better than humans?”
“Eek!”
As my end neared, I couldn’t even twitch a finger. My body felt like it was made of sand. A gentle touch would shatter it…
Then one day, I was forcibly muted, unable to speak anymore. The next day, Lady Esmain appeared with the Crown Prince to remind me of my abandonment.
In excruciating pain, I writhed, but Baron Dorian kept pressing me.
“Tell me where you got it! Speak!”
My skeletal fingers moved, slowly tracing letters on the filthy stone floor.
“…Die.”
“!”
Just when Baron Dorian thought I was about to reveal something, his face lit up. He let go of my collar and eagerly watched the tip of my finger.
My bony fingers finally completed the sentence.
“Die… it’s itchy, this boar.”
“…Aaaagh!”
In a fit of rage, Baron Dorian raised his fist to strike me.
Bang, crash.
Suddenly, the jail shook violently. Dust fell from the ceiling, and the floor trembled. It seemed like an earthquake or an explosion. The jailer and Baron Dorian, pale with shock, hurriedly ran outside.
Thunk, roll, roll.
The jewel held by Baron Dorian dropped and rolled towards Amy. Baron Dorian hesitated, then turned to pick it up. Just then, the ground shook again.
Rumble.
A sound like thunder followed, and this time the stone floor cracked open with a loud snap. Fearful of dying while trying to grab the jewel, Baron Dorian fled without looking back.
“Ha, looks like I’m going to die with this jewel…”
Amy lay on the trembling ground, weakly blinking. At the end of her gaze was the jewel that had rolled up to her fingertips. It seemed to sparkle unusually as she struggled to touch it with her fingers.
Crack!
A fist-sized stone from the ceiling fell and shattered the jewel. Watching the powdered jewel, Amy felt dizzy.
“Ah.”
She had a realization. This was her end…
With great effort, Amy’s fingers touched the powdered jewel. The next moment, Amy drew her last breath.
“Ah…”
When she opened her eyes, an unfamiliar ceiling greeted her. It was the inn she had checked into late last night.
She shuffled up, wiping her forehead with her hand, confirming it was covered in cold sweat. She sighed deeply and stepped out of bed.
“It’s been a while since I had that dream.”
After her return, she frequently dreamed of dying. Each time, her physical condition was severely affected. However, as she made plans for the future and approached the Second Prince, the dreams gradually decreased and recently had almost ceased.
“Was I too complacent?”
Why She Is Still Unmoved (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: He uses various methods to seek her affection, but she remains unmoved.
Synopsis:
Si Qingyu is a doctor who has saved countless lives and enjoys tranquility.
Luo Shaoxuan is ruthless, deeply scheming, and the top young master in the capital. He admires Si Qingyu.
Luo Shaoxuan: I want to be the only one in your eyes and heart.
Features a cold and calm female lead vs A noble and scheming male lead.
There will be both sweetness and torture towards the male after their marriage.
