Chapter 02
Ian curled up, shrinking into the corner even more.
I took a deep breath and looked down at my bloodied wedding dress and the cuts on my hands.
I still wasn’t sure what exactly was going on, but this didn’t feel like a dream.
As my senses came back, I realized the situation was bad, but I had no regrets.
‘Marriage? I don’t have to do that.’
Having experienced death once, I wasn’t afraid anymore.
Without hesitation, I kicked open the door and left the waiting room.
“Miss?”
Marina, who was cleaning up, looked surprised when she saw me, horrified by the bloodstained dress.
“What happened? Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine. It’s not my blood. By the way, Marina, I’m not getting married. Do you believe me?”
“What? Of course.”
Marina nodded quickly, and I smiled in satisfaction.
“Good. Let’s get out of here.”
“Pardon?”
“I hit Ian a bit.”
“What?!”
At this point, I couldn’t go back to living like I did before.
To change the past, I had to first escape the most regrettable part of my life—this marriage.
Ignoring Marina’s pale face, I threw off the tacky wedding dress.
Then, I changed into the old dress Marina had prepared and left the venue with her.
The place was in an uproar. The ceremony hadn’t started because the main people hadn’t shown up yet.
It wouldn’t be easy to get away with this quietly.
The bride was missing, and the groom was so swollen from a beating he couldn’t show his face.
‘They’ll have to sort it out.’
I scoffed, and Marina nervously called me.
“Miss, what do we do now?”
I stopped walking and smiled at her.
“Let’s figure that out now!”
So, I was probably in a time loop or living a second life.
Though I didn’t fully understand the situation, one thing was clear—I had a new chance, and I quickly began to plan.
“Don’t worry, Marina. I can take care of you.”
“But the Marquis and the Countess won’t let this slide. And the Beckham family too…”
“I know.”
“So where are we going?”
“To the Reinhardt Duke’s house.”
“What?!”
Marina jumped in the carriage.
“That cursed place?”
“Think about it, Marina. Did you expect me to go there?”
“Of course not! No one would go there, even if you paid them!”
“Exactly. That’s why we have to go. No one will find us easily.”
Marina, convinced, nodded in a daze and sat back down.
Shanur Reinhardt.
The emperor’s only brother, tortured by a terrible curse that turned his face black, a tragic war hero destined to die. He was also known as the Beast Duke. I was planning to marry him.
—
The man took a deep breath and spoke.
“There’s someone who knows how to break the curse.”
When no response came, he cautiously looked up at the room.
In the dark room, there was a faint figure.
A large body was hunched on a sofa, moving rhythmically. If not for the movement, you wouldn’t even notice him.
The man, a skilled knight, often marveled at how incredible his lord was. If he hadn’t been cursed with a terrible curse, he would…
“Method?”
After a long silence, the lord asked again.
It sounded like a sneer, more than a question.
“Method? It’s been so long since I’ve heard that word. I thought I had killed all those fools who claimed they knew the cure…”
The lord’s voice exuded pressure, making the man lower his head without thinking. His heart pounded, and he couldn’t calm down.
Just like the lord said, no one had dared come with a solution for the curse since those who did two years ago had their heads chopped off and displayed at the Duke’s gates.
“Well, I guess it’s time to kill again.”
The lord stood up, and his appearance became clearer. His black hair, which covered the back of his neck, looked like a lion’s mane, and his large, muscular body resembled a statue.
Even other men would find his body beautiful.
But the most striking feature was his sharp golden eyes, which resembled those of a beast, just like his temper.
“…There’s a problem.”
The man, still taken aback by his lord’s appearance, quickly added.
“Problem?”
“The person who came is a young lady.”
“What?”
The lord frowned and said, “Is breaking my curse trending again among the nobles?”
Nobles had tried before, but they ran away after seeing their scam artists hanged at the Duke’s gates.
This time, it was different, though.
“A noble?”
The man asked in surprise.
The lord’s voice was cold, yet a hint of anger seeped through.
“I’ll see what they’re up to now.”
His tone was light, but there was fury beneath.
The man opened the door, letting in the bright light that illuminated the lord’s figure.
The lord was stunning, with features so perfect they could have been those of a woman.
But the curse showed itself, too, as his beautiful face was marred by a dark patch, the size of a fist.
Shanur Reinhardt.
The Beast Duke. The emperor’s only brother, cursed at 20 after winning a war. Known as the tragic hero, his curse had left him with a disfigured face.
He moved without hesitation and opened a door in the hallway, where he sensed a presence.
The room was filled with quiet voices.
“It’s fine, Marina.”
“But this is the Duke’s house. It’s strange here, why are all the lights off?”
“I guess he dislikes light.”
“I can’t see anything, it’s scary.”
The young lady spoke in a trembling voice, and the maid responded calmly.
“Don’t worry. It’ll get better once you get used to it.”
The lady sighed deeply and let go of the teacup.
Just then, the lord entered the room, unnoticed by the two.
“…You’ve come.”
The young lady greeted him, not asking who he was.
“I’ve come. They say they know a way to break my curse.”
“Greetings, Your Grace. I am Veloni Jerome.”
Shanur glanced at her, his face filled with disbelief.
