CMH Chapter 8.2

Volume 8 part 2

 

Even in the midst of everything, Princess Anna frowned, seemingly displeased by Daon’s unshakable and cold composure. Daon spoke coldly.

“My eyes must see him.”

“Yes, that’s exactly it.”

Princess Anna replied, smiling brightly as she moved her hand. Daon immediately turned her head away. A needle lightly scraped across her skin, leaving a thin red line.

“Haah…”

Short, sharp breaths escaped her lips. Anna Princess’s voice rose with delight.

“Hold her tight!”

The maids rushed from all directions and held Daon down so tightly that she couldn’t move a muscle.

Bang! 

The door suddenly burst open with a loud crash, and the startled maids screamed.

“Kyahhh!”

Princess Anna, annoyed and turning her head to see what was going on, dropped the needle in shock, her face turning pale. Only then did Daon look toward the entrance.

Ixor stood in the doorway. He slammed the unstable, broken-hinged door with his palm again and glared fiercely. His gaze moved from Daon to Princess Anna, then to Anna’s awkwardly raised hand, and finally to the floor.

He even glanced at the needle on the table behind her before raising his sword.

“My lord!”

Zephar rushed forward to block him, but Ixor shoved him aside and charged inside like a beast. The maids collapsed, covering their faces and screaming in terror.

“Kyahhh! KyAAAAH!”

“Ixor!”

Daon shouted his name in a high-pitched voice, but he didn’t even glance at her. Zephar grabbed him from behind, holding onto his waist.

Shhff.

Ixor swung his sword down. A maid hastily pulled Princess Anna back just in time, and the sword slammed into the floor with a sharp sound. Anna looked down in horror, the sword was embedded right in front of her foot.

Ixor raised his sword once more. His face, devoid of any movement, looked like the cruel mask of a soulless demon.

“What the—?”

The knights who burst in quickly took in the situation. Zephar urgently gave them commands, but even so, it was hard to restrain the rampaging Ixor.

It took Zephar and three knights to barely subdue him while two others hurried Daon and Anna Princess to a corner.

Smash!

Even as Rob restrained him with bear-like arms, Ixor kept swinging his sword without hesitation. The blade struck a maid’s back, blood spraying everywhere, splattering across Princess Anna’s face.

“KYAAAAA!”

Anna screamed for the first time.

Ixor slashed again, splitting the maid’s back, her death cry echoing. Blood soaked the ornate curtains and the women’s frantic screams filled the room.

Zephar pleaded desperately.

“Please! Please, calm yourself!”

But Ixor elbowed Rob in the face and shoved the other knights aside.

Step.

He moved forward and with a swift motion, his sword came down and a maid’s head was cleanly severed. A lock of Anna Princess’s long hair was cut as well.

Slash.

Blood sprayed like a fountain, splashing up and soaking Anna’s face. She grabbed her hair in a daze and then let out a piercing scream. Her eyes were frozen in fear, and blood dripped from her chin.

Ixor raised his sword high again, aiming at Anna Princess. His chest heaved with rage, but his eyes were chillingly cold.

Daon pushed past Sir Renaud and stood between Ixor and Anna. The descending blade halted just as it grazed Daon’s shoulder.

Ixor gave a slight nod, as if unwilling to speak—a gesture to move. But she stood her ground.

“She is a princess,” Daon pleaded in a trembling voice.

For a moment, pain and betrayal flickered in Ixor’s eyes. As the storm of fury briefly calmed, Sir Rob came forward, rubbing his chin, and stood beside him. Zephar gently placed a hand on Ixor’s wrist.

“Please hand over your sword, my lord. Please.”

When Ixor didn’t budge, Zephar lowered his voice to a whisper.

“If word of today spreads, the army of Zelgirk might march into the castle, claiming they’re here to protect the princess. Please, be rational. But if you still insist on swinging your sword, strike me first.”

Sweating, Zephar carefully observed Ixor’s expression and slowly pulled the sword from his grasp. With a sigh of relief, he quickly handed the weapon to Renaud.

Then, suddenly, Ixor shoved both Rob and Daon aside and approached Princess Anna. He dropped to one knee in front of her and slapped her hard across the face.

Smack!

Anna collapsed onto the carpet, but Ixor dragged her up and shoved the maid’s severed head right in front of her face. Blood dripped heavily, soaking Anna’s knees and spreading across the floor.

“Don’t forget—this head could have been yours.”

Ixor declared coldly.

Anna trembled as she stared into the eyes of the maid, half-rolled back in death. Ixor then shoved the head into Anna’s chest like it was a gift.

When he let go, the head rolled down her body and came to rest against the folds of her dress.

Ixor grabbed Daon’s wrist and dragged her out of the room. From behind, Anna Princess screamed in fury.

“Even my father never hit me! Who do you think you are, Ixor!”

Ixor clenched his teeth, feeling like he’d explode if he spoke. He said nothing as he dragged Daon toward his chambers.

She hurried to keep up with him, her hand trembling in his grasp, but he never loosened his grip.

Thud!

He pushed her into the room and slammed the door shut, bolting it behind him.

He went to the table, opened a bottle of liquor, then closed it again. Drinking now would make conversation impossible. He motioned with his chin for her to sit and sat down across from her.

It took him a while to calm his boiling emotions enough to speak. His voice was cold.

“You don’t trust me?”

“I do.”

Daon answered just as calmly.

Ixor retorted with anger.

“Then why didn’t you tell me?”

“When a woman takes what belongs to another…”

“It only stings a little when stabbed with a needle?”

“It didn’t hurt.”

Bang!

Ixor suddenly slammed the table.

Once. Twice.

As he kept punching it, the heavy walnut table shook and cracked with a loud split. Startled, Daon rushed to stop him, but Ixor, fists bloody, kept pounding.

Fragments flew everywhere as the table shattered. He was about to strike a sharp shard when Daon grabbed his hand and pulled it against her chest to stop him.

“St-Stop! Please stop!”

“It doesn’t hurt.”

“There’s no way it doesn’t hurt. Your skin is… like this…”

“I told you, it doesn’t hurt.”

Ixor replied lightly with a teasing smile, as if joking, and Daon met his gaze with tearful eyes.

Raising his hand, blood dripping from his fingers, Ixor continued cheerfully as if seeking her agreement.

“Yeah. Would you believe it if it were you?”

Daon exhaled a hot breath but said nothing. Ixor grabbed her forearm and shook it roughly.

“What are you so afraid of? Why! Why do you keep hurting yourself?”

“I’m not hurting myself.”

“You went to see that woman on your own! You deceived both me and Zephar just to go find her! You had a choice, didn’t you? You weren’t forced! You wanted it yourself!”

Daon kept avoiding his eyes. Ixor grabbed the nape of her neck with his bloody hand and pulled her closer. His eyes, glittering with betrayal and fury, pierced through her.

“Did it feel good seeing Zelgirk again?”

Daon’s expression instantly went cold. Ixor didn’t hesitate to stab cruelly with his words.

“You’re just a coward. You always have been. Always thinking of running away from me. You don’t trust me.”

“I do trust you.”

“Don’t make me laugh!”

Ixor tightened his grip on her neck. His heart was pounding wildly, almost painfully.

“I didn’t watch over you because I thought you’d be uncomfortable. I trusted that if something happened, you would come to me first.”

“…”

“Freedom. Your freedom. Do you even understand that word? I wanted to give you freedom.”

If he had ignored her wishes and locked her away from the start, she would have been safe from Zelgirk’s attacks and Princess Anna’s threats.

Ixor tightly shut his bloodshot eyes, then opened them again and made a conclusion.

“I must have been wrong. You never trusted me. Not once. There was never any trust between us.”

“No!”

“Then why didn’t you tell me?!”

He roared furiously.

Creeeaak.

The chair screeched harshly as it was pushed back. Ixor forced Daon against a tall cabinet nearby.

Bang!

Daon’s back hit the cabinet hard. Ixor ground his teeth, thick veins bulging at his neck.

“You never intended to spend your future with me. I finally see it now.”

A single tear slid down Daon’s cheek. She whispered quietly, almost inaudibly.

“I love you. That’s why I did it.”

Ixor’s twisted lips mocked her words, but then he whispered back with a voice full of pain.

“Love? You call it love when you’re willing to hand the man you love to another woman?”

“Ixor!”

“Why? You were the one who kept pushing me to marry Anna from the beginning. I knew it, and still, I acted like a fool.”

Ixor let go of her and slumped forward, burying his hands into his hair with a hollow laugh.

His half-collapsed posture resembled a wild beast just before it rampages.

A heavy silence fell between them. Sharp, tense, ominous silence. Even their breathing sounded precarious.

Ixor raised his head. His cold eyes stared directly at her. His gaze was terrifyingly cruel, his expression frozen over like the icy seas.

He didn’t say another word.

He simply left her alone in the darkness, walked out, and closed the door behind him without once looking back.

 

***

 

“Please stop.”

Zepar snatched the bottle of liquor from Ixor, pleading. Ixor said nothing and uncorked another bottle.

When he poured a drink into a glass, Zephar quickly took that too. Ixor glared coldly at his own wrist, then simply brought the bottle to his lips and drained it in one go.

No matter how much he drank, he couldn’t get drunk. He couldn’t sleep either; his mind was freezing over, as if covered in frost.

Inside, he burned hot, nerves constantly on edge. He wished his head would just explode—it seemed it would feel better that way.

Watching with a dark expression, Zephar lowered his voice.

“There is an urgent report.”

“Speak.”

“You must hear this sober.”

“I’m perfectly sober. Speak.”

“I will report only if you promise to stop drinking.”

“Are you trying to bargain with me?”

Ixor sneered coldly. Zephar flinched but then obediently pulled a letter from his coat and reported,

“Our suspicions were correct. Princess Anna sent a letter to the royal palace, but we intercepted it through Zelgirk’s soldiers.”

Ixor flicked a finger and accepted the letter. Opening the blood-specked paper, he quickly scanned the contents.

The letter stated that the engagement ceremony would be held late this spring at the palace, and that she would depart from Orlank by the end of this month.

Leaning crookedly, Ixor pressed his temples with two fingers.

“And the soldiers?”

“All taken care of except for the leader.”

“Water.”

Zephar immediately handed him a cup of honeyed cold water. Ixor forced the drunken haze out of his system as he drank it.

As he took the empty cup back, Zephar continued,

“Time is tight. If they notice the letter wasn’t delivered, they’ll form new plans. They’ll be sure we’re plotting something.”

“Move the engagement ceremony up. I’ll persuade Anna.”

“That would be ideal, but we may not gather all the nobles we need in time.”

“Dirk will come, won’t he?”

Ixor asked sharply. Zephar nodded without resistance.

“Of course. Prince Dirk will attend as the King’s representative. It’s his one and only sister’s engagement, after all. We must capture Prince Dirk using Princess Anna as bait.”

“And the Royal Guard?”

“We’ll build a long barracks outside the castle and drug their meals according to schedule. Luckily, Orlank is a small castle.”

It was just after the King declared the strengthening of royal authority. There would be few who dared refuse to attend a beloved princess’s engagement ceremony.

Of course, they would bring bodyguards for safety. But it was Orlank, small and inconvenient to bring large forces.

Ixor glanced at his scabbed-over knuckles. He twisted his hand into a tight, painful fist. The searing anger within him burned so fiercely that he felt no pain from his injuries.

He muttered through clenched teeth,

“I’ll take care of Zelgirk myself. No one else is to touch him, even if a battle breaks out.”

Zephar’s eyes darkened deeply.

“Understood. But please, calm your heart first.”

“No time for that.”

Ixor threw off the heavy cloak draped over his shoulders. Rising to his feet, his face was frozen stiff with determination.

As he headed toward Princess Anna’s quarters, he encountered Zelgirk in the hallway.

Zelgirk, who had been swaggering proudly after his talk with Anna, froze stiff the moment he saw Ixor.

Ixor strode toward him without hesitation.

Zelgirk immediately tried to flee the other way.

Ixor pursued him swiftly down the stairs. Zelgirk, reaching the bottom, attempted to run again. But Ixor leaned over the railing and said calmly,

“Viscount, I hear there are fine deer hiding in the woods near your estate.”

Zelgirk stopped and turned back, confused. His beady eyes showed a glint of fear.

Ixor continued smoothly,

“I just sent a hunting team after them. My men can be a little rough, you see. If they accidentally wander into your territory, please understand.”

“W-What? First you take Orlank, and now you want my land too?!” Zelgirk shouted angrily.

Ixor casually leaned his arms against the railing.

“Remember this, Viscount: Princess Anna’s status will never be yours.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“I hear there’s something very entertaining hidden in the dungeon?”

Seeing Zelgirk’s eyes widen in horror, Ixor smirked coldly.

“Perhaps my loyal hunting party might bring back something more interesting than deer.”

“W-What are you…”

Zelgirk panicked at the mention of the girls hidden in the dungeon. He couldn’t even be sure if Ixor’s ‘hunting party’ was really just hunters—or soldiers disguised as hunters.

Of course, it was the latter. Ixor had already stationed soldiers disguised as hunters near Zelgirk’s estate.

Zelgirk quickly turned and fled. Ixor watched his retreating, plump figure with a cold, murderous gaze.

He had to keep Zelgirk too busy and anxious to scheme before the engagement. It would have been easier to simply kill him, but that would come later.

Bang! Bang!

Ixor knocked hard on the door, then immediately pushed it open. Princess Anna, lying pale on her bed, screamed sharply when she saw him.

“Get out!”

“You get out.”

“What?”

Princess Anna grabbed the towel from her cheek and sat up. Ixor signaled the maids to leave the room with a glance. He then sat cross-legged in the chair beside her, arrogantly declaring,

“Leave my castle. The engagement is off.”

“Ha! The engagement isn’t your only problem, Ixor Malkuth. You struck a princess!”

“Fine, let’s end everything. Let’s finish this.”

“Finish?”

“I’m saying let’s live like we never even knew each other. Pack your things. Now.”

“Are you saying you want to call off the engagement?”

“Call it off? Call it off… that’s laughable. We don’t even have a real relationship. We haven’t even had the engagement ceremony yet.”

Princess Anna bit her lip in frustration, her wounded pride clearly written across her face. Ixor kept mocking her, provoking her further.

“I’m going to erase you from my memory. Cleanly.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Little princess, the sooner you leave, the sooner you can go crying to your father. No need for a farewell, right?”

As he stood without another word, Anna trembled with rage, grinding her teeth. She must have been furious not only because she was slapped over another woman, but also because she had expected him to come crawling with apologies—yet his cold reaction only fueled her anger.

“When my father finds out the truth, you won’t be left unscathed. You’ll die. Got it?”

“I know.”

“You’re saying that woman is more important to you than your life?”

“Of course.”

“…”

“I warned you beforehand. I love her. So don’t ever lay a hand on her.”

As Ixor glared sharply at her, Princess Anna gripped the bedsheet tightly, glaring back at him. Ixor tilted his head mockingly and laughed coldly.

“You’re so obsessed with shoes and dresses you probably don’t know, but in winter, the army can’t march down from the capital. You should be grateful, really. At least I’m not taking you hostage.”

He scoffed, lowering his gaze, then loosely grabbed one of the bedposts draped in layers of red velvet, leaning in.

He brought his face so close it almost touched hers, driving her insane with rage. Then, true to his nasty nature, he added in a teasing, sensual whisper,

“I could just leave for another country and start a new life. Yeah… that might actually be better. That way, I’d never have to see you again.”

“You—!”

Anna raised her hand to slap him, but Ixor easily caught her wrist.

Watching her struggle to pull free, he continued to provoke her with a wicked smile.

“Looks like I’ll be the only man in the world that Princess Anna couldn’t have, huh?”

“I won’t let you live happily with that woman!”

“And what are you going to do about it? Hm? What can you even do?”

Ixor leaned in closer, bringing his lips right to her ear, and whispered huskily,

“Goodbye.”

He let go of her wrist as if tossing away something filthy, straightening up with a cold expression.

But Anna grabbed his collar with both hands and yanked him toward her. He let her, calmly bracing his hands on the soft bed, locking eyes with her as she raised her chin arrogantly.

“You’re right. The capital is too far for the army to come quickly. But Zelgirk has an army too. And, of course, the nearby lords will help me. Can you really fight them all off with your handful of soldiers?”

Ixor deliberately frowned, tightening his lips as if she had struck a nerve. Anna knew well enough that relying on Zelgirk alone wasn’t enough.

And there was no guarantee the lords would come either. Which meant she needed a way to summon as many lords as possible with a legitimate excuse.

She had only one option. Her pride was too strong to settle for simple revenge.

“Move up the engagement ceremony.”

“What?”

He frowned, then quickly masked his expression. Princess Anna caught that tiny slip and watched him suspiciously. After a pause, Ixor proposed,

“Let’s set it for the month after next.”

Sensing something from his tone, Anna insisted stubbornly,

“Next month. Within the next month.”

“Come on, be reasonable. There’s not enough time to send invitations and prepare everything properly.”

“Ixor, what kind of scheme are you plotting? Hm? You can’t even answer.”

Ixor shoved her arm away and took a step back, sticking his thumbs casually in his belt like he was baffled.

“Fine. Then you go ahead to the capital first. I’ll follow later for the engagement ceremony.”

“Is there any reason it can’t be held here in Orlank?”

“A royal engagement should naturally be held in the capital. How could we host all the guests here?”

Ixor cut her off smoothly, making it sound ridiculous. But Anna didn’t budge.

“You’re not planning to pull something in Orlank while I’m preparing in the capital, are you? Like smuggling that girl out of the country?”

“Of course not.”

He said with a teasing smile, but Anna wasn’t convinced. She declared firmly,

“End of this month. In Orlank. Start sending out the invitations today.”

“Princess, do you really want to marry a man who slapped you?”

He mocked coldly, and Anna shot back just as coldly,

“I’m marrying you so you’ll never dare do such a thing again. Whatever you think, whatever you plan, you won’t escape the royal noose. Gwin Ixor Malkuth, I’ll make sure to tame you thoroughly.”

Ixor crossed his arms, glaring at her. Satisfied with the frozen, hostile expression on his face, Anna chuckled and stepped down from the bed. Sitting at her vanity, she ordered arrogantly,

“Leave now.”

The maids who had been trembling in the corner rushed to bring her gown and hot water for washing.

“Fine. Let’s play it your way—for now.”

Ixor said, emphasizing for now with a threatening edge to his voice as he stomped closer.

“After I finish what I have to.”

“Finish what?”

“The scent pouch.”

Grabbing the back of her chair, he met her eyes in the mirror.

Knowing how terrifying he could be when truly angry, Anna flinched slightly. Ixor made it very clear he was holding back only out of manners.

“She wouldn’t have accepted torture for no reason. There’s only one explanation. Hand it over. Now.”

Anna, annoyed, made a sharp gesture with her eyes. One of the maids hurried to the wardrobe, fetched the scent pouch, and handed it to Ixor.

Without even checking inside, he pressed again,

“And the ring.”

“Ring? What ring?”

“Give it to me.”

“I only saw the pouch. I don’t know about any ring.”

Crack.

The sound of him crushing the chair made the maids whimper in fear.

Grinding her lips together, Anna slammed her fist on the vanity and screeched,

“Bring it!”

A maid quickly fetched the hidden ring. Ixor tucked his mother’s keepsake ring into the pouch and tied it tightly.

Without a word, he left the room. Behind him, Anna shouted,

“Giving your mother’s ring to a slave—you’re out of your mind!”

Slamming the door behind him, Ixor shot back sarcastically,

“Like you’re one to talk.”

 

At this rate, this novel will be done within 2 month. I hope you’re liking it so far (⁠灬⁠º⁠‿⁠º⁠灬⁠)⁠♡