Married to a Man who Wants to Kill me

 

 

“Did something good happen to you?”

 

The moonlight shone straight down through the window of the Empress’ Palace.

 

Stella, sitting by the bed, lit a scented candle and glanced at me with a sly smile. My face blushed slightly in response to her subtly probing question.

 

“Huh?”

 

“You seem a bit excited since you came back from the farm today.”

 

“Uh, no, nothing special….”

 

Perhaps because the heavy matter on my mind had resolved, my complexion seemed strangely bright. Stella, still not dropping her suspicious gaze, continued.

 

“Hmm, it doesn’t seem like anything.”

 

“Well, the farm is running better than expected, and I feel proud of that…”

 

As I tried to avoid her gaze and casually change the subject, her eyes narrowed even further.

 

“Something must have happened there, right?”

 

“W-what? Nothing happened.”

 

As I stammered, Stella chuckled and changed the subject.

 

“It’s a scent to help you sleep. Lately, you haven’t been sleeping well. I hope it works.”

 

After finishing her words, Stella left the bedroom. A pleasant scent wafted from the candle she had lit.

 

Although it was a cozy fragrance that could lull someone to sleep, tonight I felt like I wouldn’t be able to sleep deeply. The conversation with Theo at Briland Farm kept replaying in my mind.

 

<Not Lethenia, but Kim Sejin, I believe in every story you’ve told.>

 

He said he believed. Not in Lethenia, but in me, Kim Sejin. Even if it wasn’t romantic affection between a man and a woman, I was pleased that we could continue our genuine relationship in the future.

 

With an excited heart, I took out the magic notebook that I had received from Theo and went through the messages again.

 

<But now, meeting like before will be difficult.>

 

<So, the emperor has grown some horns after all.>

 

<I guess.>

 

<Well, please take this. It would be good to use this to communicate for a while.>

 

Theo handed me the magic notebook, sounding a bit wistful but with a mischievous tone.

 

<Don’t give it back to me again. You’re the only owner the spirit in the notebook wants.>

 

And just like that, the magic notebook was back in my hands.

 

It’s like Theo and Alexis, my reliable allies, have come back to my side. I feel like everything has fallen back into place.

 

I flipped through the pages of the magic notebook, revisiting the conversations we had.

 

[I want to eat macarons.]

 

And the macaroons he made to make me feel better under the guise of fulfilling the spirit’s wish

 

[Do you want Theo to come back sooner?]

 

For me, he rushed through a dangerous route to come and be my support at the celebration for Rosetin.

 

Now, you seem to have the leisure to look around you. Anyway, it’s a great blessing for them to have met someone as warm as you. Indeed, I really like my master.

 

It was actually Theo who had always given me warm encouragement and support. The thought of it made me feel warm inside.

 

As I flipped through the pages, my gaze lingered on the conversation where he revealed his inner thoughts.

 

[Actually, I’m doing it too, unrequited love.]

 

[Huh? Who?]

 

[You.]

 

But even in the decisive moments in the Bonneflower Forest and today at the Brilland Farm, he avoided my gaze.

 

Though this incident might have brought us a bit closer, I couldn’t expect anything beyond friendship from him. So maybe this conversation was just his way to make me feel better.

 

Although I felt a bit melancholic, I realized that expecting more was just greed.

 

So I stared at the magic notebook for a while, lost in thoughts about Theo, until I gradually drifted into a deep sleep.

 

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

 

“Haa, haa-“

 

Rough breathing shattered the silence. I could still feel the immense pressure that seemed to weigh down my entire body.

 

Lately, the frequency of my nightmares has increased dramatically. The dream, accompanied by severe chest pain and suffocating fear, recurred.

 

The pain seemed to get worse and worse with each recurrence. Placing my hand on my chest, the terrible pain that felt like my heart was being torn apart had completely disappeared, as if it had never existed.

 

‘Why is this happening?’

 

Stella, who had come to wake me up, looked surprised and asked,

 

“My goodness, your Majesty, did you have a nightmare again? You’re sweating so profusely.”

 

I glanced at myself in the mirror on the nightstand. My already pale face looked even paler.

 

My hair was drenched with sweat, and my hands were trembling slightly, perhaps still feeling the aftermath.

 

Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm my mind. It’s just a dream. However, the uneasy feeling lingered. Stella led me into the bathroom, saying she had a bath ready.

 

“Soaking in warm water might make you feel better. Maybe this time it will be effective.”

 

Stella said as she poured some aromatherapy into the tub, which was supposed to have a calming effect on the mind and body.

 

She knew well that I suffered from distressing nightmares and had been bringing various remedies like sleep-inducing foods, drinks, and scented candles, although sadly, none had proven effective.

 

“Thank you, Stella.”

 

Accepting her kindness, I removed the thin chemise. As I was about to step into the bath, I glanced at Stella, who stood there with a stiff expression.

 

“Stella, what’s wrong?”

 

“Your Majesty, on your chest…”

 

She pointed at my chest, her words trailing off. I glanced at the full-length mirror in the bathroom and discovered a palm-sized bruise-like mark on the left side of my chest.

 

What is this…? Stella and I were momentarily lost in bewilderment.

 

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

 

The Demon God, Demonio, thrived on the fragile emotions of humans. It fed on their negative feelings.

 

Hatred, resentment, sadness, despair—the method was simple. He would destroy a human’s mind through horrifying illusions and slip into the gaps he created.

 

However, human lifespans were too short. So, when the time came, he had to find a new host.

 

One day, the demon god found a woman steeped in profound despair. She was the reincarnation of an ancient mage who once ruled the human world.

 

Her name was Lethenia, and she had pure silver hair and brilliant violet eyes.

 

Lethenia, consumed by an overwhelming sadness, was ready to give up everything. The aura of death surrounding her was growing stronger and stronger. The demon god chuckled in amusement.

 

And in her, he found a strong vitality, which he lacked. For a while, it seemed like he wouldn’t need to cling to the lowly body of a human.

 

The demon god peered into Lethenia’s life. It was filled with misery and easy to manipulate.

 

Her weakness was the man with the blue eyes. Among countless scenarios, he showed her an illusion that contained the most dismal future. Then he offered tempting words.

 

— I will help you.

 

The demon god could travel through time. He went there and found a young girl. It was Rosetin, a child with dazzling orange eyes. He swiftly devoured the girl’s delicate soul, leaving an empty shell.

 

In the present day, the child’s body has transformed into that of an exceptionally beautiful woman.

 

As a result, most of his remaining magical power disappeared, but the demon god didn’t care as long as he could obtain the desirable body of the mage.

 

The Demon God presented the shell that once housed Rosetin to Lethenia.

 

— Take this. You can have the future you want.

 

At that moment, Rosetin’s entire life vividly unfolded before Lethenia. She is the destined partner of the man she loves so much. It was the happiest life she could have ever imagined.

 

Under the influence of the spell, Lethenia’s consciousness began to fade. Unconsciously, she nodded slowly.

 

Though a dreadful premonition hinted that she had given away something irreplaceable, Lethenia felt it was okay even if she vanished from this world forever.

 

The moment the deal was sealed, the demon tore out Lethenia’s heart and burrowed inside.

 

The demon took pleasure in watching Lethenia suffer until she begged for death. In this way, Lethenia threw herself and became a sacrifice to the Demon God.

 

After a long period of excruciating pain, as Lethenia’s soul was about to transfer into Rosetin’s body, a flash of light erupted in the dreary eyes of Demonio.

 

At that moment, an unidentified entity unexpectedly intervened. The collision of two souls within one body caused Lethenia’s weakened soul to break into pieces. The fragments fell somewhere within her heart.

 

The demon god was furious and tried to expel it, but he could not use any more magic. He needed time to regain his strength.

 

Despite his intense frustration, he decided to temporarily hide within the fragments of Lethenia’s soul, saturated with dark emotions. He had to bide his time and wait for the opportune moment.

 

 

𝑺𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝑲𝒐-𝒇𝒊