Married to a Man who Wants to Kill me

 

 

As soon as Theo arrived on the volcanic island where Skilra resided, he took out a red vial from his pocket. It was a magic amplifier. A small vial, barely ten centimeters in size, but was a lethal dose that could take a life in an instant.

 

Especially for a black mage who used magic at the cost of his lifespan, consuming this potion was almost equivalent to ingesting a venom so potent that internal organs would dissolve upon contact.

 

Theo was well aware that his remaining lifespan was short. Therefore, without much hesitation, he swallowed the potion. If he could use the little time he had left for her, that was enough.

 

As he ventured deep into the heart of the island, he encountered a cavern as large as a palace. He knew at once what was inside. Right in front of the cave were a series of strange, unidentifiable footprints that were neither animal nor human.

 

‘Skilra.’

 

If he could obtain Skilra’s scales, the rest would be relatively easy. The most crucial part of his plan was the imminent battle with Skilra, where life and death hung in the balance.

 

His eyes rested on the bracelet of the goddess Lumitaras, the last gift he had received from her. Taking a deep breath, he slowly entered the cave.

 

“Kiiik-”

 

He heard the deafening roar of a beast. He conjured a magic torch in the air to clear his vision.

 

A moment later, a giant shadow loomed in the cave. The Skilra stood before him. Among the white scales covering its entire body, there was one emitting a golden glow.

 

Theo felt the growing power of magic throughout his body as he unsheathed his sword.

 

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

 

I was dragged to the public trial square in a pitiful state, with everyone watching.

 

Though the distance to the trial square wasn’t far, the path was treacherous, and each step seemed to take an excruciatingly long time. People threw mud and spat at me as I walked. When I dared to lift my head and look at them, sporadic screams of terror echoed. The mark on my skin had spread up to my chin.

 

Even without a mirror, I could tell. It was painful, as if a hot fireball had been placed on my skin, just as the mark had formed.

 

For days on end, the haunting voice of the demon tormented me, even at this moment.

 

— I’ll give you what you want.

 

His temptation sounded as sweet as candy. Occasionally, I found myself unwittingly captivated by that deceitful tone.

 

When my mind became muddled with intense frustration, the sticky and unpleasant aura of the demon felt even more vivid.

 

Yet, the reason I could keep my sanity was Theo.

 

Thinking of him momentarily pushed the wicked entity trying to destroy me back, shutting its mouth.

 

“Let the trial begin.”

 

The public trial began.

 

The solemn voice of the judge cooled the heated atmosphere like it had been splashed by cold water. On the highest platform, Emperor Ian and his mistress, Rosetin, were sitting.

 

They must have gotten along quite well to be together in such a formal setting. That observation made me smirk involuntarily.

 

Then, one by one, the witnesses who would prove that I was a witch took the stand.

 

In an era like this, trials are nothing more than a staged play. Even the judge only moved according to the Emperor’s will. So, the verdict was already decided.

 

Ian had no intention of sparing my life, so it was inevitable that I would be sentenced to death. I’d be lucky if it was just hanging. To appease the people, I would be burned at the stake, the most painful punishment of all.

 

It was said that demons should be burned to death. Whenever I thought about it, I felt a surge of injustice and anger in my chest.

 

I was dazed by the magnitude of the emotion, which was unlike anything I had ever felt before. It seemed as if something inside me was controlling me. After a while, people started to testify.

 

“I am Bianca Luconov.”

 

The first witness was my blue-haired maid, Bianca. She testified that I not only possessed a magical notebook but also conversed with unseen entities through it.

 

As her trembling voice prolonged, sighs and curses from the crowd mixed in.

 

“In addition, Her Majesty the Empress keeps a black wolf with blue eyes in the palace. It’s a beast that is suspected to be a witch’s guardian animal.”

 

She then added Casey’s story, and the people started expressing even more hostility.

 

“That wolf should be burned alive immediately!”

 

With Stella’s help, Casey was likely heading to the Pompus Peninsula. Yet, even with Casey gone, the unease that gripped my heart at the mention of her name didn’t easily subside.

 

I felt the mark creeping up from below my chin to my cheek. Screams erupted from various directions. The second witness was a lady-in-waiting from Kaelin Palace.

 

“The Empress often tormented Miss Rosetin. One time, she even sent a dead mouse to Kaelin Palace.”

 

It wasn’t something I had done. However, as I shared Lethenia’s body with the demon, I ultimately had to bear the blame for his wrongs. I silently observed the trial with a resigned gaze.

 

The third witness was someone I didn’t know—a frail old man with gray hair and a very petite stature.

 

“I witnessed a woman with silver hair and a man wearing a black cloak riding into the Cursed Forest.”

 

The cursed forest… I remembered the words of the chamberlain who was waiting for me at the Empress’s palace when I secretly left and returned.

 

<Did you go to the cursed forest?>

 

Perhaps the reason the chamberlain doubted that I had gone to the Cursed Forest was because there were witnesses.

 

The old man finished speaking and glanced at me. Then, with his eyes filled with terror, he turned back to address the judge.

 

“S-she was that woman I saw.”

 

It was a night solely illuminated by moonlight. Fleeing in haste, I couldn’t have been seen clearly.

 

Although the old man had only seen a strand of silver hair fluttering, he seemed convinced that the woman was me.

 

“That fearsome Cursed Forest, and she emerged unscathed. There’s no doubt she’s a witch.”

 

The exaggerated testimonies from palace staff continued, further cementing the image of me as a witch. The trial, with its predetermined outcome, was more of a formality, so I closed my eyes.

 

My body ached, and my mind became hazy. All I wished for was to rest soon.

 

After a long time, the trial finally concluded. As I opened my eyes and lifted my head, Ian’s indifferent face met my gaze. He took a deep breath. The judge was merely a facilitator; in the end, he, the Emperor, had to deliver the verdict.

 

For a brief moment, hesitation flickered in Ian’s eyes. Perhaps it was because I had Lethenia’s appearance. Then Rosetin, beside him, took his hand. Ian looked as if he had finally made up his mind.

 

“In recognition of all the crimes of the Empress mentioned in the trial, I am officially stripping Lethenia Bledel of her title as Empress, effective immediately. I also sentenced her to be burned at the stake for the heinous acts she had committed. The execution will take place at the beginning of next month.”

 

Before the Emperor’s words could finish, the crowd erupted in cheers, echoing through the sky like a triumphant victory in a long and arduous battle against Satan.

 

The hollow public trial ended as blandly as expected, without a hint of deviation from my expectations.

 

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

 

Colin witnessed the Empress being sentenced to execution amidst a crowd filled with madness. Her face showed a sense of resignation, as if she had given up everything.

 

The black mark that had spread to her face made her appear truly wicked, like an evil witch. However, Colin didn’t believe it. He was sure someone had framed her, branding her falsely.

 

Colin had seen many upright people disappear in the morning mist of the gallows through such machinations.

 

Lethenia Bledel, the woman he had encountered, was one of them.

 

She had troubled the nobles who exploited the people’s pockets and aided the lowest beings in Asha, the Xenosians. While doing such deeds, she didn’t care about her status or lineage.

 

Colin had thought it fortunate that such a woman was the Empress of Asha. But now, in an instant, she had become a witch and was dragged to this dismal fate.

 

Carrying a frustrated heart, Colin returned to the locale publishing house.

 

Sitting at his desk, he looked at the information handed to him by an informant a long time ago. It was about Rachel Bledel’s private life.

 

The last article she requested was to attack her own family.

 

Countless newspapers had been filled with false and exaggerated stories about the Empress. No accurate facts about her were found anywhere.

 

Today, he decided to write about the Empress for the first time. He would reveal the true face of someone that no one could know or even try to know.

 

He knew that this would bring forth unknown hardships in the future, but he wouldn’t write a sleazy article that targeted someone in the name of truth and justice.

 

He would simply convey what he saw and felt without any distortion. Finally, he lifted his pen.

 

[The Misunderstandings and Truth about Lethenia Bledel, the Woman Who Became a Sacrifice in a Foolish World.]

 

𝑺𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝑲𝒐-𝒇𝒊