Married to a Man who Wants to Kill me

 

 

The Marchioness took the lead, guiding me to Theo’s room. The Marquis’ Manor consisted of a main house and an annex.

 

Compared to the opulence and grandeur of the main house, the annex looked as small and unassuming as Vanessa Palace. The disparity between the two buildings was almost unbelievable, creating a subtle sense of otherness.

 

A long flower bed stood between the two buildings as if drawing a strict line that could not be crossed. Theo’s living quarters were in the annex.

 

I climbed the stairs to the second floor. Marchioness Claflin stood in the doorway at the far end of the hallway.

 

“I hope you’ll make yourself at home.”

 

After leaving a mocking farewell, she stepped aside. I stood in front of his bedroom door, taking a moment to inhale deeply.

 

Perhaps this meeting with him will be the last. My mind was still tangled with what to say, but healing Theo’s wounds was the most important thing for now.

 

Clutching the handkerchief in my hand, I knocked.

 

Knock knock. There was no response.

 

I knocked again, but still, the door remained closed. I decided to call him out, my voice filled with concern.

 

“It’s me. I’ve come to see you because I need to talk about something. If you’re inside, could you please open the door?”

 

Still no answer. I began to worry that something might be seriously wrong inside. What if he had passed out or was in some kind of distress?

 

As I pondered what to do next, the door suddenly creaked open.

 

Through the crack, I caught a glimpse of him.

 

“Where… What’s happening here?”

 

Theo’s voice was hoarse and strained. He was pale as if he could collapse at any moment.

 

His hair was disheveled, and his appearance was a mess. He leaned against the door with one arm, barely able to stand.

 

“I’m afraid I can’t do this right now, so you’ll have to wait until later.”

 

Just as he finished speaking, he swayed unsteadily, letting out a faint groan. Then, as if all strength had left his body, he leaned against my shoulder.

 

I could feel the heat radiating from him. He was sweating profusely.

 

Startled, I helped him lie down on the bed. The sound of pained groans shattered the silence, echoing through the room.

 

As I reached out to examine his wounds, he weakly grabbed my hand and said,

 

“I’m okay.”

 

His eyebrows furrowed as he struggled to speak, and then his grip on my hand slipped and fell limply to the bed.

 

Then he had lost consciousness. There was no time to waste.

 

Hurriedly, I took the healing stone from the box. I noticed a glimpse of bandages peeking through his clothes.

 

With a careful touch, I unbuttoned his shirt and found something unexpected—a mysterious black pattern beneath his collarbone.

 

I pulled the shirt down further, and the patterns covered his chest.

 

Theo must be a black mage, just like the man who had created the black mist with his bare hands that day, but I didn’t feel scared.

 

I knew what Theo was capable of.

 

‘What’s the story behind this?’ I wondered.

 

Part of the bandage wrapped around his shoulder was stained with blood. I placed the healing stone over the wound.

 

Once again, the stone emitted a strange light, pouring magical energy.

 

The wound seemed deeper than I had initially thought, as the healing stone continued to glow for an extended period.

 

In the meantime, I examined the room more closely. His bedroom was neat and tidy.

 

There were no decorations, just the necessary furniture and nothing else worth noting.

 

It was almost like a model house—clean and organized, yet lacking the warmth of human presence.

 

Looking out the window, I saw a sparse garden with a few nameless trees. It was nothing like the meticulously tended gardens of the palace.

 

It was at odds with the ornate image of the main building that I had seen upon entering the mansion.

 

I realized that Theo’s days at the estate were not much different from Lethenia’s before she became the empress.

 

Several more minutes passed before the light from the healing stone faded away.

 

The stone had now transformed into a simple charcoal-like substance, crumbling into nothing when I picked it up.

 

‘Is it all over now?’

 

However, Theo remained unconscious. Maybe that was for the best.

 

I wonder how he will treat me now that he knows I’m not the real Lethenia. It would probably be so different.

 

His tender gaze and warm encouragement were never meant for me in the first place. He must be in great shock, having lost Lethenia.

 

Perhaps he’d even consider me a witch who stole her body. That thought left me with a heavy heart.

 

I placed the magic notebook I had brought with me on the table. I also folded the blue handkerchief he had wrapped around my wrist that day and set it aside.

 

On top of them, I placed the letter I wrote.

 

I didn’t know if he would believe me, but I wanted to tell him the truth about why I was here and who I was.

 

I hoped he’d at least understand that I wasn’t an evil person who intentionally pushed Lethenia’s soul aside and forcefully took over her body.

 

I gazed into his closed eyes for a moment. After today, I might never see him again.

 

Perhaps we’d cross paths during important palace events or ceremonies. Matters concerning my settlement could be handled through the Priodos organization.

 

That way, I won’t have to deal with him personally. I gently touched his forehead.

 

His fever has subsided, perhaps thanks to the healing stone. I carefully covered him with a blanket.

 

Then I whispered softly to his sleeping figure. I wasn’t sure if my words would reach him, but I wanted to say farewell.

 

“I used the healing stone, so the injured areas should be much better now. I know it was you who saved me that day, and now I realize that you, like me, have a secret you can’t tell anyone.”

 

“…….”

 

“But because of that, I won’t look at you through rose-colored glasses. You’re the warmest and most comforting person I’ve ever met.”

 

“…….”

 

“But now that you know I’m not the real Lethenia, I guess that’s where our relationship ends.”

 

“…….”

 

“Still, my feelings for you were genuine. I’m truly thankful for everything.”

 

He remained unconscious. I gently kissed his forehead as if guided by some force, then stood up.

 

Before leaving the room, he seemed to regain his senses and let out a dry cough.

 

Though I involuntarily paused for a moment, I didn’t look back. It was indeed the end now.

 

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

 

The carriage rattled loudly, and my stomach sank. When the road is this bad, we’re almost at the farm.

 

Today was the day I intended to explore the farm. There was no better way to recover from the pain of unrequited love than to immerse yourself in work.

 

I also wanted to see with my own eyes how the farm had changed over time.

 

The other day, I received a report from an attendant that the farm was working more efficiently than ever before and was making a decent profit.

 

I was fulfilling my responsibilities as the manager of Brilland Farm, as the spirit had advised.

 

‘Oh, it’s not a spirit; it’s Theo,’

 

I couldn’t help but chuckle. Sometime after my visit to the Marquis’ manor, I heard that Theo had recovered.

 

Fortunately, it seemed that the magical power within the Healing Stone had fully healed him.

 

Theo had visited the Empress’ Palace numerous times over the past few days, but I had refused to meet him, using various excuses.

 

I had conveyed my message that he should do so through written correspondence or intermediaries if there were important matters to discuss.

 

However, despite being repeatedly turned away, he continued to come to the palace everyday. I thought he wanted to hear my explanation directly from me. Perhaps the heartfelt words in the letters didn’t touch his heart, or maybe they sparked another curiosity.

 

Regardless, I had written down everything I could tell him in the letter. Anything beyond that, even I was in the dark about.

 

There was nothing more I could say to him. Above all, I mustn’t meet him again.

 

Ian, consumed by his burning obsession with Lethenia, was watching the empress’s palace closely.

 

Now that the situation was like this, getting close to Theo like before was difficult.

 

If he continued to be entangled with me, it would only complicate matters further.

 

<Bledel must disappear. Even though I hold you in my heart, that decision remains unchanged.>

 

<But why are you doing this?>

 

<But I can’t stand the thought of you being with someone else.>

 

Ian had said exactly what was on his mind that day.

 

He had no intention of stopping his vengeance against Bledel, nor would he stand by and watch Lethenia love another man.

 

Ian’s emotional outburst had made me uneasy.

 

I also felt a sense of urgency to find the Emperor’s secret will before Ian finds out the secret about Lethenia’s birth.

 

It was a specially enchanted paper that the Emperor had kept hidden for his young son during his illness.

 

Ian will do whatever it takes to get his hands on the item containing his father’s last will.

 

I intended to offer that item as a condition for my safe departure from the palace.

 

Now was the opportune moment, with Duke Bledel recovering and power struggles intensifying between the Emperor’s faction and the dukes.

 

If I missed this chance, I might never escape Ian’s clutches.

 

It seems like only yesterday that I thought I’d be lucky if I didn’t die at the hands of the male lead. But how did things come to this point?

 

My cheat code for knowing the future had disappeared, leaving me to deal solely with Lethenia’s uneasy emotional state. I shook my head, attempting to clear away these complicated thoughts.

 

Before I knew it, I had arrived at the entrance to Brilland Farm.

 

 

 

𝑺𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝑲𝒐-𝒇𝒊