Chapter 5
The forest was dreamy because of the warm sunlight streaming through the thick trees.
And in the middle of the light, a woman with long, shiny blond hair that reached her waist and a well-dressed Erwin were facing each other. Jade knew right away that she was Melissa.
She couldn’t understand why she kept dreaming of another woman next to Erwin.
Melissa looked at Erwin with eyes full of adoration. To anyone who saw it, they were the eyes of a woman in love. Erwin’s eyes did not leave hers either. The two were deeply in love.
“I really envy you.”
Jade didn’t hate Melissa.
Hatred and jealousy were something that could only be produced if one could keep up with them. Melissa’s face, standing next to Erwin, was not clearly visible, but it matched Erwin very well.
It was different from me, who had dirty dreams about Erwin.
Jade walked through the forest, while avoiding the two who were sitting there, lovingly gazing at each other.
Before she knew it, she was back in the castle she had been to before. It was a ridiculous space jump, but she didn’t think it was strange. Dreams are basically illusions that come together from ridiculous pieces.
Jade walked down the long hallway, which also led to the purple bedroom.
Jade opened the door slightly at the sound of sad crying coming from outside the purple bedroom. She saw Erwin sitting on the edge of the bed, crying with his head in his hands.
The crying was so sad that Jade felt like she was about to cry too.
“Melissa……. sob……”
It was too obvious who the main character to whom Erwin kept calling was. Jade approached Erwin.
She didn’t know if Erwin would recognize her. When Jade stood in front of Erwin, who had his head down, he raised his head and checked Jade’s face.
“Balm!”
Erwin hugged Jade tightly to his chest. He buried his head in her neck and cried sadly.
Jade patted Erwin on the back and looked at herself in the mirror next to the bed. She had black hair like ebony, was shorter than Melissa, and had a thin body.
“Butler. I’m not a Melissa.”
“I knew you’d come back, Melissa.”
Erwin wasn’t listening to Jade. Erwin’s tear-stained face was sad and pitiful.
Jade wiped away the tears hanging from Erwin’s long eyes with her thumb. Jade wished Erwin would cry for her, but she couldn’t say it out loud.
“Melissa will come back to you soon.”
“It’s you.”
Erwin then recognized Jade and smiled sadly. Looking at Erwin’s sad, tear-stained face, Jade felt sorry that she was not Melissa.
“Did you recognize me?”
At Jade’s question, Erwin nodded.
Erwin looked at Jade’s face carefully, as if trying to take it all in.
Jade also met Erwin’s eyes. If it weren’t a dream, she wouldn’t be able to look at those black, shining eyes like this. Jade thought that Erwin and her, facing each other, were like Melissa and Erwin, whom she had seen in the forest a little while ago.
“Don’t forget me.”
Erwin, who had been looking at Jade sadly, left those words behind and disappeared like the wind.
And the place she was standing in was no longer the purple room. Jade was left alone in the dark and gloomy room where not a single piece of moon had risen.
***^***
Jade’s ankle, which had caused a commotion, where Erwin asked what she would do if she couldn’t dance with the Black Dragon, healed as if by magic in less than two days.
However, even after her ankle had fully healed, Erwin did not return.
“You must eat everything, Miss. The butler said that when he comes back, he wouldn’t tolerate it if you lose weight.”
“That’s Butler’s fault, not Alan’s.”
Without Erwin, she would not have had an appetite. Since Jade had been living a very poor life, when she first came to the Duke’s house, she gained weight because Erwin fed her food.
However, there seems to be a limit to how much weight she can gain, and after gaining a certain amount of weight, she started losing weight again, which Erwin complained a lot.
“When will Erwin come back? Have you heard anything?”
It had already been a week since Erwin disappeared. Her day to leave this mansion was getting closer, but she couldn’t figure out what Erwin was thinking since he left home and hadn’t contacted her.
“I didn’t receive any separate message.”
When Jade’s mood became depressed, Alan noticed it for no reason.
“Do I just have to practice dancing today?”
“Yes. After lunch, I will take you to the banquet hall.”
The only good thing that happened without Erwin was that Jade’s dancing improved a lot. She was able to dance with her teacher, which Erwin had been hoping for, and after practicing dancing all afternoon, Jade returned to her room and found a note on her bed.
[At 10pm tonight, come out to the greenhouse without telling Alan. I have a present for you. – Erwin Travis]
It wasn’t Erwin’s handwriting. However, it could have been a note written by someone under Erwin’s order. Jade took Erwin’s note and went out of the room to find Alan. Alan was on her way to Jade’s room with a light snack. Jade asked Alan as soon as she saw her.
“Is Erwin here?”
“Oh, I heard about it a little while ago. They said he is coming tomorrow. But if he wants to start his work tomorrow, then he might have to come in late tonight. I’m not sure exactly.”
Jade ate every last bit of the snack that Alan had left behind, fearing that Erwin would be disappointed when he returned.
Afterwards, Jade sat at the table by the window, while looking at the entrance to the mansion, and thought about Erwin’s note. It didn’t seem like Erwin had left the note himself, since Erwin hadn’t returned to the mansion yet. She wondered who had left the note, but there were too many people who would do it at Erwin’s request.
It was 10 o’clock when she should have gone to bed. Jade’s heart fluttered at the thought that Erwin had sent her a note in advance, wishing to see her late at night. She also wondered what kind of gift he had prepared.
“Ha, it’s still 9 o’clock.”
The time spent waiting for someone passed very slowly. Chatting with Alan was not enjoyable, and the book did not catch her eye.
Jade decided to throw herself into the greenhouse and wait for Erwin. She had told Alan that she would go to bed early, so no one would come to this room unless Jade called someone.
Jade went to bed, put two pillows under the covers to make it look like she was sleeping, and turned off the lights. Although there was no need to walk quietly inside the room, Jade felt nervous and tiptoed to the door, opening it slightly.
The hallway was dark with minimal lights on. Jade looked around the area in case someone saw her and left the mansion. Then she deliberately chose a dark place and sneaked up to the greenhouse. Click, the greenhouse door opened easily.
“Creeekkkk………”
After being very nervous, Jade took a deep breath as she entered the greenhouse. Jade went to the bench where she and Erwin often sat and chatted down. The flowers bathed in moonlight showed off a different charm. Jade looked at the greenhouse door and waited for Erwin to come soon. It was a happy time.
***^***
On one side of the dirty warehouse, a large sack of gunpowder shook. Jade, gagged and bound hand and foot, tried to move to indicate that there was a person inside the sack, but it was quiet outside. She had no idea when she had been trapped in this sack, or how many hours had passed inside.
Even though she tried to scream, the gag that controlled her tongue blocked Jade’s voice. She was at a loss, thinking that she would die in vain.
She prayed for someone to save her, but there was no answer, and Jade grew increasingly exhausted. Click. Jade struggled again at the sound of the door opening.
“I feel good.”
It was a familiar female voice. Jade knew from the sarcastic tone of voice that the kidnapper was Leah. Jade listened intently to the sound of footsteps approaching. It wasn’t just one person.
Soon the bag was lifted, the knot was released, and someone strong dumped Jade on the floor like an object. Jade looked up as she was thrown to the floor like a tied up animal.
Two strong men stood behind Leah, who was looking down at Jade with her arms crossed. Why did Leah do this? Jade was confused.
“You and Erwin often met at night, didn’t you? I didn’t know you’d fall for such a flimsy note.”
The gag made her speechless. Even if Leah wanted to hold on, Jade was the one who would leave the dukedom.
After her first time greeting the Morgan family, she had only met Leah a few times. No matter how much Jade thought about it, she couldn’t figure out why Leah was doing this to her. Even though she couldn’t speak properly, Jade kept looking at Leah and making noises.
“You seem to have a lot to say.”
Leah walked towards Jade with a limp. Jade was startled when she saw her hand.
A sharp knife was in Leah’s hand. Leah held the knife to Jade’s face. Jade squeezed her eyes shut in horror. But Leah’s knife cut through the gag.
“Should I have cut it along with your mouth?”
Leah, who blurted out words that were neither a joke nor a serious threat, had a strange smile on her angelic face. Jade squirmed as if she wanted to get away from Leah somehow.
“What did I do wrong to be like this?”
Even if I were to die, I wanted to die knowing why. Leah’s eyebrows furrowed at Jade’s urgent question.
“You really don’t know? Are you pretending not to know?”
“No matter what, I’m going to leave soon. No, if you just let me live, I’ll leave right away.”
“Oh my, who made you leave?”
Leah grabbed Jade’s hair with one hand and pulled it. It was strong enough to pull out her hair, but Jade was too scared to feel the pain. Leah looked at Jade’s face, which was trembling without even making a sound like ‘Ouch’, she was feeling good looking at struggle.
“Are you scared? Then, you should have done well.”
Jade felt frustrated because she didn’t know what she was supposed to do.
Looking at Jade’s eyes that were feeling wronged, Leah cut Jade’s hair that she was holding tightly in her hand with a knife. The strength of her grip on the hair was so strong that it felt like her scalp was going to be ripped off. She could bear the pain.
However, it was too scary to see the hair that had been cut off and falling down on her face. Even though Jade struggled, Leah didn’t move and grabbed a handful of Jade’s hair again.
“No one will find someone like you even if you die here. And Erwin? He is the one who’s going to take you to the Black Dragon after playing with you anyway.”
“……But why?”
Jade didn’t understand Leah’s words. If this situation was because of Erwin, then she was someone they would never see again if he took her to the Black Dragon. There was no need for Leah to do this to her.
“Why should I answer you?”
Leah had no intention of answering Jade’s question. It was a matter of pride. Since birth, the only person who had ever rejected me when I reached out to him was Erwin. A few months ago, Erwin suddenly appeared at the duke’s house and became a butler.
In Leah’s eyes, Erwin was closer to a dream prince than a butler.
When Erwin first greeted her, she had only been attracted to his sleek and handsome appearance. She didn’t need to be sincere to a mere butler.
All she had to do was to tell him to stop by her room late at night. But Erwin never answered her calls.
Erwin, who had been quite kind before Jade came, had been blatantly ignoring her since she came to the duke’s residence.
She didn’t know how great Erwin’s support was, but she was even more upset that her father couldn’t do anything about him, who was just an employee.
“Is this black hair that great?”
Leah thought that the reason Erwin was interested in Jade was because of her rare black hair. Black hair was rare even among the daughters of nobles.
Furthermore, the young daughters of nobles with black hair who would become adults when the Black Dragon was looking for a bride were raised with great care and affection from a young age. They were precious children born with a slim chance of making a fortune overnight.
“The Black Dragon’s Bride? What is even that!”
Born with blond hair, Leah wasn’t interested in the story of the Black Dragon’s bride. She didn’t have black hair anyway, and when the Black Dragon found a bride, she would already be middle-aged.
However, when she heard that the story of the Black Dragon’s bride came up 20 years early, and that they were going to find a black-haired virgin among the many and make her the adopted daughter of the Morgan family, she felt despair for the first time in her life.
There was nothing she couldn’t do in this world. However, she was upset that she couldn’t become the bride of the black dragon that her family wanted her to be because she didn’t have black hair.
Even if Leah ascended to the position of the Empress, her status could not be higher than that of the bride of the black dragon.
Everyone knew that even the emperor trembled at the words of the black dragon. Leah, who had never once been deprived of her position as the main character since she was born, couldn’t stand being pushed aside by a piece of trash and being put in second place.
“Aaah”
Jade let out a final scream at Leah’s powerful strength. Leah slashed Jade’s head without hesitation, as if she was going to pull all of her hair out. She didn’t even blink an eye as blood flowed from her scalp where she had been cut by the sword. Jade, who was tied up like a captured animal, could neither dodge Leah’s blade nor fight against her.
“You dare to take my place, you b*stard? You knew that Erwin liked me, but you deliberately seduced him?”
Jade was dumbfounded. Coming to the duke’s mansion, it was so overwhelming to think about Erwin alone that she had never once paid attention to Leah. Leah seemed to think that the world revolved around her. Looking at Leah’s eyes that were sparkling with madness, it seemed like no words would work.
“That’s right. Erwin doesn’t know anything. I did it on my own.”
Leah wasn’t in her right mind, but Jade thought she was crazy too. She knew that her answer would only set Leah on fire, but she didn’t want to hurt Erwin. If she didn’t admit it, Leah’s arrows might turn on Erwin.
“Crazy… This thing is begging to be killed!”
Leah couldn’t control her temper and screamed. The hair that was pulled out by Leah’s hand and sword fell down on Jade’s face. After Leah cut off all the black hair that was the symbol of jealousy and disgust, she didn’t know where her sword would go.
It was not a time to be happy that she had sneaked out of the room and gone to the greenhouse without telling anyone.
If I met Erwin in the greenhouse, I wanted to tell him how I felt, but it seemed like it was all over now.
Leah’s hands, which had messed up her hair, pressed Jade’s cheeks as if they were being crushed.
“Should I dig out your eyes this time?”
The madness of her rage had touched something cruel deep inside Leah. She felt like she had to gouge out Jade’s green eyes that had been shining at the source to feel some relief. Leah had no intention of killing Jade. Death was too merciful for Jade.
Leah had planned to blind Jade and send her to a brothel for the rest of her life. That suited Jade perfectly.
“Aaah!”
Jade screamed and writhed before the sharp blade even got close to her eyes. She was so scared that she couldn’t even open her eyes. At that moment.
“What is this! Gyaaaaak!”
Leah fell off Jade in an instant. The large men guarding behind her also screamed inappropriately.
Jade’s eyes shot open. What Jade saw was a swarm of rats climbing onto their bodies. Countless rats were gathering inside the warehouse from somewhere. Rats big and small climbed onto Leah’s struggling body, while squeaking and crying.
“Do something quickly!”
Leah screamed at the men, but the men were also out of their minds because of the rats that were attached to their bodies. Leah, who had never felt such fear since she was born, burst into tears.
No matter how much she tried to tear them off, the rats continued to cling to Leah endlessly, like a vicious curse.
“Gyaaaaaaah!”
Leah swung her sword, but the sword was swung haphazardly without any hit points, and it didn’t solve anything. Jade crouched down, afraid that a rat would come near her. However, not a single rat came near Jade.
After a while, with a ‘huang’ sound, the iron and wooden warehouse door fell open. The rats that had gathered to fill the warehouse parted like the Red Sea at the man’s footsteps.
“Butler! Help me!”
Despite Leah’s screams, Erwin didn’t look at her and was busy scanning the warehouse. Leah tried to run to Erwin, but the rats rushed at Leah as if they were building a tower around her.
Soon, Leah’s terrible scream, covered in rats from head to toe, echoed through the warehouse.
“Jade!”
Erwin, who entered the warehouse and discovered Jade, quickly ran to her. He cut the knot that was binding Jade with his knife.
“I am so sorry.”
Jade blinked blankly, unable to believe the sight of Erwin before her eyes. Erwin hugged Jade, who was crying in a mess, tightly.
After confirming that she was safe in Erwin’s wide embrace, Jade felt relieved and completely surrendered herself to him, while closing her eyes.
She was too tired to say anything or shed even a single tear. Erwin took off his coat, wrapped Jade in his arms, and stood up.
The many rats had already disappeared out of the warehouse. Leah and the men, exhausted from the war with the rats, were lying on the floor.
“Go home.”
Erwin walked towards the warehouse door, holding Jade in his arms. Leah, spread out on the floor, gasping for breath, saw Erwin only taking care of Jade, and then she ground her teeth before running towards Erwin with her knife.
“I told you I wouldn’t leave it alone!”
Erwin lightly avoided Leah’s fiercely rushing attack by moving his feet slightly. After Leah failed to attack him with all her might, she collapsed on the floor, unable to overcome her own strength.
“You crazy……. Kill him! Kill them!”
Leah shouted at the unconscious men. Only then did the men raise their swords and rush at Erwin. Erwin easily dodged their swords while holding Jade, and shouted outside the warehouse.
“Come in!”
At those words, five large men rushed into the warehouse. They were wearing black masks, but there were no holes in their eyes, noses, or mouths. They looked like people, but they didn’t look like people. The men were surprised by their momentum and stepped back. Leah also felt threatened and stood behind the men. Erwin gave instructions to the men protecting him.
“Just watch your strength. It’s a woman after all, you know?”
“Yes, I will follow your orders.”
As the masked men approached, the men holding swords also backed away in fear. Leah’s white face became pale without a trace of blood.
Leah did not know what Erwin meant. Leah did not know the true appearance of Erwin, the suspicious butler of her family. Erwin’s voice was chillingly cold. Her fear began with imagination. As the men came closer, Leah’s fear grew.
“Gyaaaaaaah!”
Leah’s screams echoed continuously outside the warehouse until Erwin left Jade in the carriage. Jade heard them faintly in her fading memory.
***^^***
Jade opened her eyes to the dazzling morning sunlight and frowned as if she had been beaten all over her body. Even though she had slept, her fatigue did not go away.
“Ugh…… Ugh……..”
Jade’s whole body was creaking. The pain and the scratches on her wrists and ankles seemed to tell her what had happened yesterday. It was something she couldn’t believe even after seeing it with her own eyes. Fortunately, she opened her eyes in her familiar room. Her memories of being in Erwin’s arms and riding the carriage were completely erased.
“Are you okay?”
Jade, who was stretching while groaning, looked around in surprise at Erwin’s voice. Erwin was sitting on the stool at the bottom of the bed and was watching her. The knot mark from yesterday was clearly visible on her wrist under the rolled-up sleeve. However, Jade did not want to worry anyone, so she covered the wound with her sleeve and nodded.
“Were you here all night?”
Erwin’s face looked haggard. He didn’t even seem to have changed his clothes. The long coat that had wrapped Jade yesterday was lying on the floor next to the bed.
“Yes. If you are too surprised, you might get sick. I should have taken better care of you, I’m sorry.”
“No Erwin, you saved me. Thank you.”
Jade smiled brightly as if nothing had happened to her, Erwin was looking at her with a worried face. Then, suddenly, she remembered Leah’s scream that she had heard in the carriage last night.
“What about Leah?”
“The Duke of Morgan is very angry. He said that Miss Leah was wandering around at night. So she will not be allowed to go out for a while.”
Erwin spoke as if it was nothing serious, but Jade didn’t believe it easily. Erwin didn’t even pretend to listen to Leah’s pleas for help, and he didn’t even come to her rescue.
“Did the Duke send you to find Miss Leah yesterday?”
“Yes. The Duke also assigned others to take care of Miss Leah.”
Jade didn’t understand what happened yesterday. The duke could have attached a person to Leah.
However, it was strange that a swarm of rats appeared and attacked Leah and the men before he arrived. How could so many rats suddenly appear and attack people? The rats didn’t come near Jade, as if they couldn’t cross the barrier.
The masked men that Erwin brought were no different from ordinary warriors. Crucially, Erwin didn’t save Leah.
“It was a dirty warehouse, there were too many rats. I’m glad Miss Jade is safe.”
Erwin smiled brightly, as if he was really glad to have saved Jade.
Despite her many doubts, Jade nodded. It was a godsend that he had stumbled upon me while chasing Leah. After all, even Erwin had no idea how the rats had gotten into the warehouse.
“I was so scared.”
Jade, who was shivering from last night’s thoughts, stopped herself as she ran her fingers through her messy hair. It was too short to hang on her fingers. Even when she wore a hood, she had never had her hair this short.
“Ah…..”
Jade, who was running her hands through her hair, got up from the bed and stood in front of the mirror. The hair that Leah had pulled and cut off was so bad that it was indescribable.
The long hair that remained here and there between the short hair made it even more unsightly. Jade looked at the mirror and shed tears without realizing it.
She didn’t know why no one would leave her alone. Maybe she was destined to wear a hood for the rest of her life.
“Don’t cry. I’ll sort it out.”
Erwin’s affectionate voice came to her ear. Jade looked at Erwin, who had come up behind her, with tears streaming down her face.
Erwin carefully touched Jade’s hair with his fingers. Erwin looked at Jade’s hair with a pitiful expression, as if his own head had been cut off.
“Do you know how to cut hair?”
“Yes.”
Erwin brought a chair and sat Jade down in front of the mirror, wrapping a large towel around her neck. He then brought a pair of sharp scissors and stood behind Jade. Jade was scared of Erwin cutting her own hair, but there was no way she could do anything about it.
“I’ll cut it. So close your eyes.”
He carefully grabbed the her hair and started cutting it. When a strand of hair fell on Jade’s face, she flinched and opened her eyes wide as memories of yesterday came to mind.
Erwin, who was brushing away the hair that had fallen on Jade’s face with a cotton cloth, looked at her frightened eyes and patted her shoulder affectionately.
“It’s okay. It’s all in the past.”
Jade closed her eyes again at the sound of his voice. It took longer than she thought to cut each strand of her hair.
“Open your eyes.”
Erwin’s skills were amazing. The hair that looked like a mountain maniac’s thorns was neatly finished in a short bob. However, Jade looked at her hair and frowned. The short hair that was dangling below her ears made her look like a young boy. She wanted to confess to Erwin when she met him again, but she thought that it would be too late. Erwin said while looking at Jade who was looking at the mirror with a gloomy face.
“You’re cute with short hair. You were pretty when you had long hair.”
Jade knew that Erwin’s compliments were comforting, but she secretly hoped that he was sincere.
“It’s okay because everyone wears wigs for important events anyway. At normal times, you can just pin the back of your hair up and wear a hair ornament, and no one will know. Alan is good at it.”
“What kind of hair does Erwin like?”
“Um… I like short hair the best right now.”
Jade’s face turned bright red. If she confessed that she didn’t like it, then it would be definitely Erwin’s fault.
“Don’t tease me.”
Erwin answered softly with a blank expression on his face as he watched Jade whimpering, while she letting out the air from her swelling heart.
“I swear I have never lied to you, my lady.”
Jade’s mind raced with the words Erwin had said to her. If all the compliments Erwin had given her so far were sincere, then Jade felt that she could take it to heart.
“I’ll bring Alan, so get ready and let’s have breakfast together.”
After gathering everything, he headed towards the door. Jade couldn’t take her eyes off Erwin until his back disappeared outside the door. There really wasn’t much time left.
