I'm Going to Change my Husband with a Predatory Marriage

This is the knife that I told Annie to secretly put in Evangeline’s room.

 

‘Why does this suddenly pop out here?’

 

Lord Beltane and I held our breath and hid ourselves under the tree. Then I looked up at the terrace and listened. Soon, the sounds of an angry man and woman arguing were heard.

 

“What on earth were you thinking when you did this?!”

 

“I didn’t do it!”

 

Of course it was Ludwig and Evangeline. The two were arguing on the terrace, avoiding others.

 

“Then who on earth does this? That stupid Hylia?”

 

I knew about it, but it was my first time hearing those two talk about me while belittling me. In previous lives, the two started behaving openly right after they got married. So I listened with interest.

 

“You know that I really need the power of the Delphine family to fight against that crazy prince, right? It was something you also agreed to. What are you going to do if you do this now?”

 

“Like you said, it would be a loss to me to break up the marriage before you take control of the Delphine family! But why would I do that?!”

 

“I cried yesterday because I was sad that I had to leave you behind to get married!”

 

“That’s it…!”

 

Ludwig and Evangeline were talking about my family as if it were their personal property. And their conversation was about to happen soon. Because I’ve been like that in my last three lives.

 

‘No this time.’

 

Lord Beltane next to me seemed to have taken it in a different light as I was tightening my resolve and gripping the hem of my skirt. He looked at me with pitiful eyes and carefully placed his hand on the back of my hand. With warm, big hands.

 

I realized it again.

 

‘The last time you ran away with me, you didn’t even touch me.’

 

He was an extremely knightly knight. It was his first time reaching out to me in such a private way, so I was a little surprised and awkward. Lord Beltane must have noticed this, and immediately withdrew his hand, silently apologizing, ‘I’m sorry,’ with just his lips. And I couldn’t afford to pay any more attention to that warmth. The two people on the terrace began to fight even more fiercely.

 

“If you didn’t do it, then what’s with the jewelry box that was here earlier? Why is it in your room? It was a gift from me to Hylia! Besides, why does the knife inside still have traces of tearing the wedding dress?!”

 

“If it was really me who did it, why would I leave such evidence in plain view? Why don’t you believe me?”

 

“Do you think I don’t know how many times you’ve stolen Hylia’s things?! But how can I believe it!”

 

It was a little funny to see it crumbling like bean powder much faster than expected. I had to try hard not to laugh out loud.

 

‘Now is not the time to be happy about small things like this.’

 

Of course, it is my wish to cause a rift between those two. But it wasn’t the ultimate goal. It was then. A loud sound rang out between the two people who were arguing.

 

Match!

 

I looked up in surprise and saw Evangeline holding up her hands with startled eyes. And Ludwig’s face turned to the side. Evangeline was so shocked that she changed her stance and clung to Ludwig.

 

“I-I’m sorry. I was so emotional that I made a mistake…!”

 

“It’s okay.”

 

“Ludwig!”

 

Ludwig said coldly and left the room.

 

“Go back to the imperial palace, and don’t come to the wedding tomorrow. If you try to ruin it again, I won’t leave you alone.”

 

“Ludwig!!”

 

But Ludwig shook off Evangeline’s cling and left. I heard Evangeline collapse in confusion.

 

* * *

 

It was a little later than expected because we were secret spectators of the last-minute play, but we got out of Delphine Mansion safely. Lord Beltane seemed a little worried.

 

“Perhaps Archduke Ludwig went to see you again?”

 

“That can’t be possible.”

 

I knew Ludwig well. He went to see Evangeline because she didn’t want to comfort me when I was crying, and we got into a fight. I knew that if he went to me again, he wouldn’t want to see me crying again.

 

‘I even asked Annie to stand guard outside the door in case he really came.’

 

I asked anyone who came to tell me that I was so heartbroken that I was crying. Then Ludwig will go home on his own. That wasn’t what mattered now. I looked up at the sky. The perfectly round full moon was almost glowing red.

 

‘Crimson Moon.’

 

Coincidentally, today is the day the red moon rises. It’s been like that in all four lives, but today, stepping on this moonlight and going to see ‘that man’, it feels a little strange.

 

“I was always afraid that I would go crazy. It was especially so during the time of the Crimson Moon when my mother passed away.”

 

When this moon rises, ‘he’ will never be in the imperial palace. Rather, he was dug into the deepest underground part of the capital. He was probably hiding in his hideout in a corner of a huge underground cemetery where not even the starlight can reach. Accompanied only by Lord Beltane, I arrived at the entrance to the catacombs on the outskirts of the capital, holding an unlit lamp. The gravedigger, who looked like a corpse that had just risen from the grave, tilted his head.

 

“I didn’t know that someone would come to visit the grave on a night like tonight. That too… Take a lamp without fire.”

 

I smiled silently and held out a silver coin. It was not a common currency, but a silver coin made as a grave item to be placed in the mouth of the dead. The gravedigger, who frowned when he saw that, eventually stepped aside from the door. However, Lord Beltane stopped me from following me.

 

“What is this!”

 

“Only the client himself can enter. That’s the rule here.”

 

Lord Beltane looked puzzled by the word ‘client’. But he didn’t have time to explain everything.

 

I ordered again.

 

“Wait here. I will come out safely.”

 

“…yes, miss.”

 

In the end, I succeeded in entering the cemetery alone with an empty lantern. This was the secret residence of the mercenary king Gerald, which he did not even reveal to his subordinates. So, through a complicated process, I succeeded in meeting Arpad’s secret identity, Gerald the Mercenary King. I can finally say this.

 

“Please plunder me.”

 

* * *

 

Mercenary King Gerald, no, Prince Arpad, seemed taken aback when he heard my overly extreme request. No, it wasn’t that bad, he was looking at me like I was the most absurd object in the world.

 

“If Your Highness accepts my request, in return, I can help you safely ascend to the throne without Your Highness going crazy.”

 

I was sure.

 

‘There is no way the crown prince could refuse this offer!’

 

In fact, in his last three lives, he had all gone crazy. Once, as a crazy tyrant, he fell off the throne after only a week on the throne, and the other two times he died before becoming emperor. And it was his father who killed Arpad each time. The Emperor did not trust his son. He was on guard as he might go crazy and ruin the country. And since Arpad actually went crazy and died in all three of my previous lives, the emperor’s suspicions were valid. That’s why he gives power to his nephew, Archduke Ludwig, not his biological son.

 

‘That’s why the Crown Prince created a fake identity as Mercenary King Gerald.’

 

Gerald’s mercenary guild was in fact Crown Prince Arpad’s private army. To fight against his father. Therefore, the crown prince had no choice but to want to avoid the truth about ‘Gerald’ becoming known to the emperor.

 

I looked straight at Árpád with a triumphant smile. His ruby-red eyes flashed in the darkness. His platinum-gold hair seemed to have been spun by moonlight. It was an unusually beautiful face. It is not simply an appreciation of something beautiful or pretty, but a beauty that feels inhumane enough to captivate the viewer. The corners of his mouth, which had drawn elegant lines, curled up, forming a menacing smile.

 

“Haa…”

 

He let out a drowsy sigh. And the red eyes that were just a moment ago were filled with madness everywhere.

 

‘Uh?’

 

There was no need for me to be embarrassed. The next moment, Arpad pulled out his sword and held it to my neck. The flash of cool, sharp metal sticks to the back of my neck.

 

“Ugh…”

 

A refined cold madness was in Arpad’s eyes.

 

“I hate people who try to control me.”

 

I felt like I knew who he was thinking of: the Emperor. A father who did not trust his son and eventually killed him.

 

“I don’t know how you found out about my connection with the Mercenary King, and what kind of confidence you had in messing with me.”

 

“…Hehehe!”

 

The blade came closer. The feeling of it touching my bare skin gave me goosebumps. He was acting as if he was lightly lifting the glass, but it was a clear threat. It’s a threat that they can cut off my head at any moment. But…

 

I gritted my teeth.

 

‘I’ve already died three times!’

 

Of course, there were times when people died by having their heads cut off. If I continue like this, I will die again after a miserable and terrible experience. Rather, it would have been better to finish it neatly and quickly here.

 

‘If you’re going to do it, do it!’

 

I tightened my eyes and glared at him defiantly. I bit my lip until I could taste my blood and took a step forward. I could feel the sharp blade cutting my skin. The smell of blood stings my nose. But there was no hesitation.

 

“!!”

 

On the contrary, it was Arpad who stopped. As I took a step forward without fear, the man holding my head pulled his hand back. So as not to cut my throat too deep. Thanks to that, I ended up only getting a little hurt. This meant only one thing.

 

‘It’s okay! I won!’

 

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