My Will Did Not Mean This

In the eyes of his vassals, Aslan’s decision to take Vivian as his wife was too sudden. He chased the princess, who was suicidal, into the forest. Then he didn’t show up for three days. At a time when all the vassals and knights were stamping their feet with anxiety, Aslan reappeared and found Vivian Eleonora, who had fainted, in his arms. Aslan said he could not allow her to stay in the hotel, so he immediately ordered the purchase of the mansion. There could be no backlash. To his vassals, Aslan’s request was like a command from God. They did their best to live up to their master’s expectations. So the already luxurious mansion was decorated even more extravagantly. Veteran servants brought from the capital for Vivian were also scheduled to arrive soon. Aslan, who was listening to the vassal’s explanation, nodded his head in satisfaction.

 

“Good job.”

 

“Then when are you planning to leave for the North?”

 

“It will be difficult for a while. We plan to stay in the south until Vivian’s condition recovers.”

 

“Yes?”

 

The man who was walking after Aslan stopped as if he heard something he couldn’t hear.

 

“Are you dissatisfied?”

 

“No. It’s just that it’s a little surprising. I thought you would move separately from your wife…”

 

“I see you see it that way too.”

 

Aslan lazily stroked his hair. Fishy arsenic flowed from his stiff mouth. He knew why Vivian refused to marry him. For the past three years of his engagement to her, he had ignored her very existence. From the start of their relationship, political interests were intertwined and she had no veto power of her own at the time. Instead of protecting her as a weakling, he humiliated her in front of people and ridiculed her for being a woman without blood or tears. He didn’t even know she was dying. Now that he thought about it, ignoring Vivian’s existence was his last struggle. Every time he ran into her, he pretended not to do anything, and in order to stop himself from following her, he hurt the innocent girl.

 

‘It’s no wonder she doesn’t trust me. I can’t tell Vivian anything. Nothing.’

 

A secret that cannot be revealed to anyone. A precarious castle built on lies and hypocrisy. She was a delicate and lovely fiancée who was trapped in that errand. But there was no way he could say anything casually. He despised her so much and now he had her in his heart. This hideous demon had dared to commit an unforgivable act.

 

“But I have no intention of letting go.”

 

“Yes?!”

 

“No, I was just talking to myself. There is something you need to do more than that.”

 

Aslan stopped walking. His eyes flashed horribly.

 

“Research the Eleonora family from the beginning. This time, let’s delve into their private life in detail.”

 

“I obey your orders.”

 

The current Duke Eleonora was Daryl’s son-in-law from a collateral branch of the family, and he was an eighth cousin to the Duchess, who was a direct descendant. Even though the previous Duke had a daughter to carry on the family line, he brought in a son-in-law. Although she was versatile, her naturally weak body made it difficult for her to handle her heavy responsibilities. However, his predecessor’s decision led the family to downfall. The current Duke Eleonora was incompetent, and he was greedy. Thus, the ancestral inheritance passed directly to Vivian and her brother, bypassing the current Duke.

 

‘The Duke wouldn’t be the type to let that happen.’

 

Aslan’s intuition told him that something was strange. Why was Vivian’s outstanding swordsmanship completely concealed? Why didn’t the family take any action while Vivian’s reputation in aristocratic society fell to the ground? Why did no one notice her until the Duke’s daughter became terminally ill?

 

‘If what I thought was true, then…’

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

It was a dark night with stars shining in the night sky. Everyone went to bed, but only one person, Vivian, could hardly sleep. After asking her maid to wait on her, she sat down at the window and summarized her current situation.

 

‘The biggest problem facing me right now is, of course, lung disease.’

 

She was terminally ill and was given the day to die. She suffered from severe lung disease, and when her condition worsened, she sometimes fainted. The doctor said it was one year, but that was not the absolute estimate of the remaining lifespan. If she overdoes it, she could die at any time before that. But she herself was still alive.

 

‘What on earth happened?’

 

She was alone in the mountains, exposed to the rain and wind, and even got hit by an assassin’s knife. She thought she would definitely die, but her expectations were spectacularly wrong. No matter how hard she racked his brain, she couldn’t find a reason. At best, she could only foolishly think that it was a miracle of a possessor. She even possessed someone else’s body, so why wouldn’t something happen?

 

‘It’s good to be alive. It’s so good. If possible, it would be better if I lived for a long time.’

 

In fact, a treatment for lung disease was developed in the middle of the original <The Curse of Astaroth>. This was the first thing she thought of immediately after the possession. But that treatment had a serious problem.

 

‘The person who developed the medicine is none other than Aslan’s colleague. There’s no way he could give me a cure.’

 

The reason why a treatment for lung disease was mentioned in the original work was just a one-line device to announce that ‘the male protagonist has gained an ally capable of treating even an incurable disease.’ So she was practically giving up on getting medicine. It was because she knew that Aslan hated her like an insect.

 

‘But things are different now. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing for Aslan to ask me to marry him.’

 

If she stayed by Aslan’s side and preserved her physical condition for a year until a cure was developed, she might have the opportunity to secretly contact his colleague. A way to escape this terrible lung disease would be opened.

 

‘It must have been extremely painful, but what on earth did Vivian do to get her body to this point?’

 

As a possessor, she was not in a position to complain to the body’s original owner, but she couldn’t help but complain after suffering from terrible symptoms of lung disease for over a month. Vivian shook her head.

 

“There are many stars in the sky. It’s pretty.”

 

“I didn’t know you enjoyed the night view.”

 

Just then, a voice suddenly sounded from the direction of the garden. She saw Aslan standing right below her bedroom window, where she was sitting. He must have been training, and his hair, as black as a lion’s mane, was wet with sweat. His top was off, but his wide shoulders, sturdy chest, and forearms with thick veins all looked threatening. Meanwhile, shining golden eyes. It was like a wild beast lurking in the dark.

 

“If I had known, I would have come out together.”

 

“No, I was just thinking.”

 

“Anyway, I can’t take my eyes off you even for a moment. The night air is cool…”

 

“It’s fine. Sigh, cough!”

 

As he looked up at Vivian, his expression distorted for a moment. He threw away the sword he was holding and jumped over the high balcony in one go. It was a whopping two floors high. Surprised, Vivian took a step back, but Aslan was quicker than her, grabbing her by the shoulder.

 

“Look, it’s not okay.”

 

“It was just a moment. I can’t sleep…”

 

“Where is the maid who guards your room?”

 

Aslan’s eyes became sharp as he looked around her. It seemed as if Era was going to hit the police at any moment for leaving her unattended. Vivian quickly shook her head.

 

“Don’t do that. The maid was just following my orders.”

 

“What order?”

 

“I don’t like having other people around during my leisure time. So I sent her out first.”

 

“If you are…”

 

Aslan, who narrowed his eyes at her as if questioning her authenticity, suddenly hugged her. Vivian, who was unexpectedly held in the man’s arms, struggled to get off, but Aslan walked forward, pulled back the blanket, and put Vivian down.

 

“What else is there?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Tell me everything, Vivian. There are a lot of things I don’t know about you.”

 

“Your Highness?”

 

That couldn’t have been possible. In the novel, Aslan planted a spy in Eleonora’s family and thoroughly investigated each member’s every move. By the time Duke Eleonora realized the situation, the entire family had fallen into his hands. Didn’t Aslan even notice the existence of an extramarital child before Vivian, a member of the family? But what came out of Aslan’s mouth were slightly different words.

 

“Just today. I thought you would be happy to marry me.”

 

Vivian in the original must have been like that. She did whatever it took to marry Aslan. It was safe to say that her reputation as a villainess arose in the process.

 

‘But it’s different now. Aslan’s marriage proposal is like a double-edged sword to me.’

 

The fact that he was cursed by the devil and turned into a black lion was the highest secret of all secrets. The curse of Astaroth was an extremely sensitive issue for the entire royal family, to the extent that even the crown prince, Aslan’s political enemy, immediately sent assassins to deal with it when the existence of the curse was discovered.

 

‘And I am the presumed witness.’

 

Aslan, who was a black lion before losing his mind, was in human form when he woke up again, so he must have returned to his original form in the process of escaping the mountain. If he had been an ordinary person, he would have stayed where he was and she would have been killed instantly. But the maid told her earlier.

 

‘Aslan is being attacked politically because of my will.’

 

After all, Vivian inherited a huge fortune from her deceased mother and maternal family. She was also one of the wealthiest women in the empire, excluding the immediate imperial family. Since such a person wrote Aslan’s name in her suicide note, it was natural for him to be suspicious of his political enemies who were always targeting him.

 

“I thought a lot about being rejected by you. I’ve achieved everything I’ve ever wanted through my own strength, so I thought I’d try to do the same this time.”

 

The glow in Aslan’s eyes was bright as he muttered that. Like a herbivore facing a wild beast, a thrill ran up Vivian’s spine.

 

“Actually, my plan is still valid. I want to make you my wife as soon as possible. A real wife who doesn’t have to worry about anyone staying up all night like this.”

 

“Bah, you stay up all night, why are you so alert…”

 

Aslan’s eyes met and his eyes widened fascinatingly.

 

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Translator Note: