Who Spent the Night with the Tower Master (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 14
Riley deliberately ignored the rumors of a love triangle and simply waited for news from the capital.
She had heard he’d swept through the capital a month ago, yet he hadn’t sent even a single message since. Riley’s mind was filled with all sorts of thoughts.
Was he in some kind of trouble? Or had he already lost all affection for her? Or perhaps he didn’t even care about such trivial gossip.
No—maybe he was already preparing to break off the engagement. After all, if he truly wanted to, he could ignore his master’s dying wish. Or perhaps he was proceeding with the guardianship process as originally planned….
Why hadn’t he sent even one message? She wanted to contact him first, but there was no means in this remote countryside to send word all the way to Blesstige.
She even considered going to Blesstige herself to see him, but quickly abandoned the idea. She feared that showing up in the capital might only fan the flames of those love-triangle rumors further.
The memory of his kind and thoughtful demeanor on the day he left Blesstige overlapped in her mind, deepening her worry and anxiety.
“Why are you so distracted today?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Is something troubling you?”
“…No, could we just stop here for today? I’m not feeling well.”
Lady Beryxid studied Riley’s pale face carefully and nodded.
“You’ve been pushing yourself too hard lately. Let’s call it a day.”
After Lady Beryxid left, Riley collapsed onto her bed.
‘This is the worst.’
She’d been forcing herself through lessons these past few days.
Her aunt had even shaken her head and suggested she take a break—she must have looked truly unwell. Perhaps it was from overexertion; her condition was poor.
Her body felt unbearably heavy, and she’d been dazed all day. The headache that had started mildly had now escalated into a severe, skull-splitting pain.
Yet more troubling than her terrible physical state was Gibnen.
His image, which had floated through her thoughts like a persistent daydream, had now begun appearing even in her dreams.
Moreover, every dream featuring him was a nightmare—dreams of him pushing her into a hellish inferno, throwing her from beneath the mage tower, or marrying her off to Count Ermeintz.
And among them, the absolute worst dream was the one where Gibnen was stoned by the mob.
In that dream, Gibnen’s handsome face was covered in blood. She’d woken up screaming at the sight of his grotesque, battered face. It was utterly dreadful.
Afraid of having another nightmare, she couldn’t fall asleep easily.
Eventually, Riley took out paper and a quill and began writing a letter to Gibnen.
Just as she finished the letter, carefully pressing each word onto the page with deliberate care, the door opened and someone entered.
It was Claire.
“You—how long are you going to keep hiding like this, pretending you don’t know?”
“…”
“How about you propose the annulment yourself before he breaks it off? That might be slightly less humiliating.”
Riley’s heart was already in turmoil, and Claire deliberately stoked the flames with mocking words.
“You’re a criminal to that man. Causing such trouble just to avoid your marriage—tsk. And yet you still intend to go through with it? Have you no conscience? Because of you, we’re all suffering too.”
“…Get out.”
“That’s exactly why you’re trash. If you hadn’t done something so foolish, would the Archmage of Horizon have ever gotten involved with you? It’s probably only because of the scandal that he’s even considering marrying you—please, wake up! He’s just playing with you; do you really think he’s serious?”
“…”
“And now, at your age, you’ve become a shameless homewrecker. Are you really volunteering to be an adulterer, you fool? Do you even know how prestigious the Lianster family is? You’re the one who’s tarnished the reputation of that illustrious house. You should consider yourself lucky if you don’t face retaliation. You’d still owe them even if you groveled on your knees. Understand?”
Riley, who had silently endured Claire’s lecture, clutched her throbbing head and glared at her. Claire’s sudden appearance and provocation sent Riley’s already low spirits plummeting to rock bottom.
“…So what?”
“What?”
“…What exactly do you want me to do?”
“Don’t you have any conscience?”
At Claire’s question, Riley let out a bitter laugh and replied in an exhausted voice.
“And you—do you have a conscience?”
“…What?”
“Who are you to meddle so presumptuously in my marriage? Fine, as you say, I’m trash—I only ever think of myself. But I don’t think it’s your place to judge me, not when it’s Gibnen Lianster or anyone else but you.”
Claire was visibly flustered by Riley’s unusually sharp retort.
Regardless, Riley, now thoroughly irritated, snapped back at Claire.
“Whether or not to annul the engagement is Gibnen Lianster’s decision alone. I have no say in it—and neither do you.”
“If you had any conscience, you’d be the one to propose the annulment first. Act morally.”
“How absurd. Do you really think you’re in a position to talk about morality? Your uncle is a despicable man who profits by selling morality itself, and you live luxuriously off the money he’s bled from others—do you honestly believe you’re qualified to lecture anyone on morals?”
At Riley’s words, Claire huffed, her face flushing red. Then, veins bulging in her neck, she shouted,
“What? Are you done talking? Calling your own father trash? It was our father who took you in when you had nowhere else to go!”
“Living as a helpless orphan with no home would have been far happier than being tied to your family. I was treated worse than an insect. Your father tried to sell me off to an old man… and your whole family spent years mocking and abusing me with verbal violence. They all act worse than trash yet live comfortably—so why can’t I live like trash too?”
“If it was so awful and unbearable, you should’ve just left! Why did you cling to our family like a leech? Don’t you find it laughable even as you say it?”
“…Because I believed. I thought that someday, everyone would accept me as family. Yes, back then, I was foolish enough to live with that naive hope. Not anymore.”
“That’s exactly why you can never become part of our family—you act so foolishly.”
Furious, Riley shoved Claire away irritably.
“Get out. Disappear from my sight right now.”
“How dare you, with no sense of your place, act so arrogantly!”
Claire grabbed Riley by the hair. In response, Riley also huffed and seized Claire’s hair. As their scuffle broke out, the servants watching from outside rushed in, startled, trying to pull them apart.
“Oh, young ladies, please calm down! What’s going on?”
The commotion drew Ryan and the baroness upstairs from the floor below.
“What is the meaning of this!”
At Ryan’s sharp shout, Claire released Riley’s hair first. Riley also let go of Claire’s hair.
Claire cried out excitedly,
“This girl shows no gratitude and insulted Father! I couldn’t possibly tolerate it any longer…!”
“It was you, Claire, who insisted on demanding an immediate annulment from Duke Lianster.”
“What? Riley, is that true, Claire?”
“Father! Riley insulted you!”
“I asked if Riley’s statement is true!”
Flustered by Ryan’s stern questioning, Claire looked tearfully toward the baroness. The woman, who had always doted on her own daughter, glanced at Ryan and quickly averted her eyes from Claire.
Tears streamed steadily down Claire’s shocked face.
Ryan clicked his tongue and spoke in a cold voice.
“Come with me at once, Claire.”
Claire couldn’t understand.
Riley had insulted their parents—so why was she the only one being scolded? It felt utterly unfair. And Riley saw in Claire’s expression a reflection of her own self from not long ago.
Claire, who received affection no matter what she did. Riley, who faced only reproach no matter what she did.
Seeing Claire’s distress brought back painful memories, and Riley felt deeply troubled.
“The tutor told me you weren’t feeling well. I’ll handle Claire properly, so you rest.”
“…Yes.”
After everyone left, Riley, now alone, crumpled the letter into her sleeve and lay down on the bed.
She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to escape her troubled thoughts.
Even after Claire’s outburst, her longing to see Gibnen remained. She was afraid to see him, yet part of her still yearned for him.
What exactly was it about Gibnen Lianster?
They barely knew each other—it had only been a short time since they’d met, and they knew almost nothing about one another. Closing her eyes, she wondered why he came to mind at this very moment.
Tonight, please let her not have another nightmare.
·
·
·
Thud.
A small but distinct sound.
Riley stirred and snapped her eyes open.
“Ugh—!”
She opened her eyes but saw nothing. She felt someone wrapping around her body.
“Wuuuugh!”
‘What? What on earth is this? Who’s there…?’
She felt her body lift into the air along with a chilling coldness. The sound of multiple footsteps, the unpleasant scent of strangers, ropes binding her body, and the feel of firm muscles pressing against her.
Could it be… she was being kidnapped?
[This is the timeline separator]Where on earth were they taking her? How many were there? Why were they doing this?
Countless questions swirled through her mind.
She couldn’t make sense of the situation at all. It was clearly a kidnapping—but why? And by whom?
Amidst the confusion, the carriage, which had been racing forcefully, suddenly stopped. Unfamiliar people dragged her out. She felt a cold, eerie chill.
It wasn’t just from the cold night air. The murderous intent seeping into her bones filled Riley with extreme terror, making her body tremble violently.
“We’ve brought her.”
They removed the blindfold covering her eyes.
The moment she lifted her head, her eyes met a familiar face.
“You…!”
“Do you recognize me?”
How could she ever forget that face?
That oily, venomous face buried beneath layers of fat!
Riley stared at Count Ermeintz in shock. No matter how mad he was, she never imagined he’d go so far as to stage a kidnapping!
“…Why are you doing this?”
“Do you really not know why you’re asking?”
“…”
“Ever since that day, I’ve been so furious I couldn’t sleep!”
“…”
“Never in my life have I suffered such humiliation! Especially—not from some worthless girl like you!”
He wasn’t just an old pervert—he was utterly despicable.
She was astonished that such a person could actually exist. That someone so narrow-minded had once been hailed as a war hero.
“You dare refuse marriage? You dare reject me?”
“…You’re truly insane.”
“That mouth! Can’t you see that cursed mouth of yours is hastening your own death?”
“…I’ve done nothing wrong. If anything, your greed—to marry someone practically your grandchild—is what’s wrong.”
Though her voice trembled, she knew she had to speak.
She was scared enough to cry, but she refused to show the ugly sight of begging for her life by clutching his trouser leg—even if it meant dying right then and there. Begging for mercy seemed pointless anyway.
Given how extreme his actions were, it was clear he’d come here fully intending to kill her.
“You insolent wretch!”
Count Ermeintz struggled to his feet and immediately kicked Riley.
Thud—
Even as a frail old man, his kick hurt quite a bit.
With the eyes of a madman, he kicked Riley again and again with all his might. Riley curled her body into a tight ball.
She clenched her teeth with all her strength, trying to suppress the scream threatening to burst out.
“This is exactly why I can’t stand well-mannered girls! They crawl all over you when you’re kind to them. That’s why I hate pretty-faced girls! All they have is a pretty face, and the moment some young man appears, they grin like fools—such vulgar creatures! And yet who are you to call me hideous? The real ugliness lies in your vulgar selfishness!”
“…”
“My previous wives were all the same. They didn’t know their place, rejecting me… crawling away, trying to escape.”
“That’s exactly why… everyone hates you.”
“How dare you keep saying that!”
Thud, thud.
Count Ermeintz kept kicking until he staggered.
“Hah, hah.”
Though Riley was the one hit, Count Ermeintz’s face had turned pale.
He’d exhausted himself after just a few kicks. Riley found his state utterly absurd.
“Hah… hah… my body’s falling apart.”
“Please sit down for now—you’ll collapse if you keep this up.”
Count Ermeintz sank heavily into a chair. Then, looking down at Riley, covered in mud and blood, he sneered.
“Heh heh heh. Those damned wives of mine were all just like you. They’d ignore me with venomous eyes, scorn me… such vulgar creatures with nothing to boast about, yet they’d act so arrogantly! But guess what’s amusing?”
“…”
“Those same women, who acted so superior and looked down their noses at me, ended up begging for their lives when death came, licking every corner of my toes! Hahaha! How laughably vulgar! Why must they cling to useless pride and hasten their own deaths? Such fools—anyone with half a brain would understand.”
Riley breathed heavily and raggedly.
In her already terrible physical state, the sudden beating left her dazed.
She felt dizzy enough to pass out at any moment. Her vision blurred, her consciousness flickering in and out repeatedly. The frantic pounding of her heart—thump, thump—rang unusually loud in her ears.
The heartbeat sounded like a warning to escape this place immediately, and it annoyed her.
Through her hazy vision, she saw Count Ermeintz laughing aloud, his eyes wild with madness. As her strength drained away, the fear of imminent death made her hairs stand on end.
Her body trembled and stiffened from tension. Every muscle felt rigid.
‘You mad bastard…’
Could a person really become so twisted?
Could someone really fall so far?
A chill ran down her spine. He was no longer human.
“Now, I’m curious—how will you scream when you die?”
“…”
“Go on, beg for your life. Who knows? Maybe I’ll feel like sparing you.”
“…”
“Oh, of course, I won’t let you go unharmed. Let me see—how should I show mercy? Should I start by sewing shut that mouth that talks so freely? Or perhaps cut off both your arms and legs first?”
The men surrounding Riley drew their knives.
“Give the order, my lord.”
If she lost consciousness right now, she might at least avoid feeling the pain. Resigned, Riley let her body go limp.
‘Since I’m going to die anyway… why did I cling so stubbornly to life?’
She should’ve at least sent that letter apologizing for dragging him into this scandal.
Instead of stubbornly waiting for things to pass or fretting over being annulled, she should’ve at least sent a simple apology. Maybe then, in this moment, she could close her eyes a little more peacefully.
That small regret weighed on her heart—she wanted to let go of her sanity right then and there, yet kept grasping onto it as it drifted further away. It was truly bitter.
“…Alright, I’ve had a good idea.”
“…”
“I’ll just watch—you lot have some fun. Consider it your reward for coming all this way.”
At Count Ermeintz’s command, the assassins flinched. They exchanged glances, then swallowed hard as they looked at Riley.
One by one, they removed their masks.
“Um… are we really allowed to do this?”
“Yes, I’ll be watching, so do as you please. Kill her first then do it, or do it then kill her—do whatever you like. Killing her outright would be too boring. Play with her as much as you can before finishing her off.”
The men began slowly undressing, their faces twisted into lecherous grins.
Riley lay there blankly, resigned to her fate, blinking her eyes. Tears kept flowing, soaking her cheeks. Regardless, the naked men slowly closed in around her.
And just as one of them reached to grab Riley’s clothes—
“Aaagh!”
The men surrounding Riley suddenly shot into the air. Panicked and unable to control their bodies, they flailed helplessly midair.
“What—what’s happening! Who’s there!”
Someone approached.
“Who else?”
The figure hidden in the darkness gradually became clear, and Count Ermeintz froze like stone. The unexpected intruder carefully lifted the battered Riley into his arms. His deeply shadowed face was as cold as ice.
The intruder slowly turned toward Count Ermeintz.
Then, in a low, mocking voice, he said,
“This woman’s future husband.”
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
_____
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this is the kind of sentence where tone is critical as it could very easily be creepy/scary as hell. more like a threat then a comfort
the needle is in the ear? honestly the image of that is body horror I dont appreciate. ew
And this is not going to be a great concern by the magical tracking department? How magic is used in this story is so interesting