Chapter 01
“Where are you going at this hour?”
A deep voice suddenly cut through the silence.
It was a languid yet threatening tone, with no trace of drowsiness.
I turned my head, forcing a calm smile.
As expected, Prince Claude was standing on the landing where I had just been.
His tall figure, broad shoulders, and jet-black hair stood out. But the most striking feature was his ruby-red eyes—beautiful yet cold, carrying both stillness and the cruelty of a beast.
His gaze swept over my face, as if searching for something.
A bead of sweat ran down my spine under his persistent stare.
I had doubled the dose of his medicine today—how was he awake already?
No matter what, I had to stay calm. I needed to send him back to his room to carry out my plan.
Taking a short breath, I spoke.
“You woke up early today. The medicine needs another hour to take full effect. You should return to your chamber and get more rest—”
“Aselin.”
“…….”
“You still haven’t answered my question. Where are you going?”
Prince Claude’s handsome lips curled into a smirk.
That expression—it was a clear warning sign.
Forcing a pleasant smile, I quickly replied.
“I’m just taking a night stroll and checking on the new herbs in the greenhouse.”
Claude raised one eyebrow slightly and let out a small laugh.
“With those?”
Following his gaze, I looked down and saw the two heavy bags in my hands.
They were large and obviously packed with weight.
I had been so nervous that I had completely forgotten about them.
But I quickly recovered and casually shook the bags as if they were light.
“Oh, these? Just some simple herbal tools. I was planning to move them to the greenhouse storage. I need to prepare asthma medicine for Luan.”
I spoke calmly and hurried down the stairs, trying to escape.
But the moment I stepped off the last stair, I had to stop.
Looking down, I saw Claude’s large hand wrapped around my waist.
Shocked, I forced an awkward smile and tried to remove his hand.
But the more I tried, the tighter he held me.
“If your condition worsens again, what will we do? You should go back and get some rest.”
Despite my gentle attempt to reason with him, Claude didn’t budge.
Then, in his deep, mesmerizing voice, he murmured,
“You know I can’t sleep without you by my side.”
“Your condition has improved. Your insomnia will get better soon, too. If you’re struggling to sleep, should I bring you a sleeping aid?”
But Claude didn’t answer.
The heavy silence made me sigh internally.
[I’m not better at all, so where do you think you’re going? Remember this—if you leave me, I will chase you to the ends of the continent.]
Every time I brought up our contract and said I wanted to leave, his eyes would darken with madness.
Once, I even gave him an official recovery certificate signed by the royal physician.
But he burned it immediately, saying he couldn’t trust it.
Since then, he had constantly claimed to be unwell, as if to keep me by his side.
He claimed to have a severe headache and made me hold his hand all night. Yesterday, he insisted he had the flu and demanded I stay by his side.
Seeing how unreasonable he was, I made up my mind.
I would escape while Prince Claude was asleep.
“You’re trembling—just like someone hiding something.”
“…I’m not hiding anything. I already told you, I’m just moving herbal tools.”
Claude let out a dry, amused laugh.
Then, without warning, he grabbed my bags and dumped everything onto the floor.
“…!”
Extra clothes and enough supplies to last for months spilled onto the carpet.
My heart dropped.
As I desperately searched for a way out of this, Claude spoke in a low, chilling voice.
“Trying to run away in secret? Are you tired of treating me and planning to take care of someone else now?”
His sharp gaze held unmistakable killing intent.
It was terrifying—like he wanted to rip my heart out.
Yet, his eyes as they roamed over me were unsettlingly lazy, almost indulgent.
Swallowing hard, I quickly thought of a plan.
Since I was caught, I might as well be honest.
I lifted my head and met his gaze directly.
“Our contract is over. I’m simply going my own way. Holding me back won’t change anything. I’m leaving this castle right now.”
As I took a determined step forward, Claude’s sinister voice struck me from behind.
“…Luan. Are you going to him? So now, instead of me, you want to take care of him?”
Luan? Why was he bringing up Luan now?
I turned around in shock, only to find Claude’s eyes burning with fury.
“Aselin, I know you want to heal sick people. But that man is off-limits. He already has feelings for you… No, just imagining you treating him the way you treated me—”
Claude’s expression twisted as if he had just witnessed something horrifying.
“…Surely not, right? You’re not planning to do with him what you did with me—sleep together, touch, lick… do everything we did?”
Anyone overhearing this would definitely misunderstand.
I panicked and glanced around nervously.
Sleeping together? That just meant I stayed by his side because he couldn’t sleep.
Touching? That was only for medical treatment.
And licking? That was just me licking honey off my finger! How did that end up sounding so suggestive?
While I was too stunned to respond, Claude suddenly lifted me into his arms.
“…What are you doing—?!”
He strode down the hallway, taking me straight back to the bedroom I had barely escaped from.
Thud.
My back met the soft mattress.
Eyes wide in shock, I stared up at him.
Claude smiled down at me—dangerous, intoxicating.
He had been training relentlessly since his recovery, and the veins standing out on his muscular forearms were proof of it.
“You’re not leaving this estate. Not a single step. Not without my permission.”
His large hand gently brushed against the corner of my eye.
“I told you—these pretty eyes should only look at me. But since you tried to run, you’ll have to accept your punishment.”
Lowering his lashes slightly, Claude locked eyes with me.
His gaze was deep, heavy, lingering—like a slow, deliberate touch.
My heart pounded erratically.
And then—
His thumb pressed lightly against my lips.
He leaned in, close enough that his lips almost brushed against my ear.
His breath, warm and damp, skimmed my skin.
“You drove me insane… and then tried to run away. This time, I won’t let you off so easily.”
I held my breath as he hovered just shy of my lips.
With a devastating smile, he tilted my chin up—gently, yet firmly.
His other hand clasped mine tightly, making sure I had nowhere to escape.
The year was 322 of the Bertha Empire. The light drizzle had turned into a heavy downpour.
Rainwater leaked through the ceiling of the tower, and I curled up in a corner of my cell, pressing my back against the damp stone wall.
The biting winter cold was more agonizing than any torture I had endured.
I kept blowing warm air into my frozen hands, tried closing my eyes to sleep—but nothing helped.
The icy wind slipped through the rips in my tattered clothes, making it feel like my flesh was being torn away.
Even as my teeth chattered, I forced myself to stay awake.
Just a little longer.
He would come for me.
My husband would rescue me.
After staying up all night, I must have dozed off for a moment.
Then—creak.
The sound of the tower door opening jolted me awake.
I listened closely to the steady footsteps approaching.
Finally, when my husband, Alex, stood before my cell, I completely forgot the cold.
I smiled brightly.
“Alex! You said you’d come yesterday. Why are you so late? It’s been a month, just like you promised. You’re here to take me out, right?”
I grasped the cold iron bars tightly with both hands.
“…Aselin.”
His voice was heavy in the silence.
Alex bent down onto one knee, bringing himself to my eye level.
Then, his hand covered mine.
His warmth seeped into my frozen skin, as if silently telling me I had suffered enough.
Overcome with emotion, I held onto his hand, tears welling in my eyes.
And then—
His voice, devoid of warmth, shattered everything.
“You need to die in Rachel’s place.”
