“It’s no use if you meant to save me.”
Kaiden spoke indifferently and grabbed the gun again.
“I’m telling you, I’ve confirmed she’s alive in Veron.”
At Ruskun’s words, Kaiden looked at him with bright red eyes.
“I’m telling you, Her Majesty is alive.”
“That can’t be true. If she’s alive, why did she leave me?”
Duke Ruskun sighed as he recalled what his aide had said.
“He said it seemed like she was living there with a man.”
“…what?”
Ruskun Weimar did not regret what he said. However, when he saw Kaiden’s face go back to the time he saw him on the battlefield, he was afraid of what would happen in the future.
~~~~
It was two days before Kaiden knew everything.
“What are you going to do with this?”
Evelina looked at the music box that Hecate had brought.
“And Lady Ross?”
“She’s not coming back.”
“What do you mean? She said she’d be back soon.”
Evelina hadn’t seen Lady Ross since she was exploited for blood.
“I decided to get a divorce.”
“What did you say?”
“What do you think the stupid woman will say if she finds out about this?”
Evelina looked scornfully at Hecate, recalling Lady Ross, who was nice to her.
“Even if you’re a cash cow, that idiot would have tried to free you.”
“…Crazy. What money..”
“If you have money, it’s enough to start over. And that bitch is ugly.”
Hecate laughed and stood in front of Evelina.
“Or do you want to sit in my wife’s seat?”
Evelina unwittingly bit her lips at the biggest insult she had ever heard.
“Well, if you want to be my wife, I can change it to just tying your arms.”
“You’re crazy. Don’t you know I have another man’s child?”
“Is there any guarantee that the child will come out alive?”
At Hecate’s words, Evelina glared at him.
“I heard from a doctor in the next village, that women like you who bleed and are in pain all the time are born with dead babies.”
“My child is alive.”
“They could die when they come out.”
Evelina suddenly became uneasy. But when she felt the child’s wriggling in her stomach, she said, finding stability again.
“If anything goes wrong with the child, I’ll die, too. Didn’t you know that?”
“In that case, there is also a way to abort the child in advance.”
“Then I might bite my tongue.”
Evelina spoke without losing. If she lost here, she didn’t know what Hecate would really do.
“Don’t argue like this, just give me the money.”
When Hecate lost the argument, he turned the subject around and said.
“Unlock my hands.”
“Then how will I know you won’t run away?”
“How would I break the shackles on my legs?”
Evelina didn’t like Hecate dirtying her words, but she hated his ignorance the most. She often felt that he lacked common sense. He was just a lucky man who got into the security forces because he knew how to use a sword and gun.
“I never know. Maybe you stole a key and hid it between your legs.”
“I told you not to say dirty things.”
Hecate grinned at her expression as Evelina responded contemptuously. Then he kicked his tongue, laughed at Evelina’s expression, and held the keyholder around his waist in his hand. Soon, Evelina’s arms were released and said,
“If you run away this time, I’ll cut off your leg.”
“…I understand.”
“Thank you for being gentlemanly so far.”
He looked at Evelina’s swollen belly. In the meantime, it was fun to make money, so he forgot his physical needs for a while. But she was such a beautiful woman that she reminded him of it quickly.
“This.”
Evelina took the paper out of the gap under the music box.
“What’s this?”
“This is a document that could bring a stake in Maineber Island.”
“Oh, that diamond island?”
“Yes. With this, you can get diamond mining rights.”
Evelina decided to use her brain. Usher will find her if there’s a problem with the mining rights.
In the meantime, attempts to run away have been blocked repeatedly due to hypovolemia and premature labor pains.
“What should I do?”
“Take this to the bank and get the ownership back.”
“You’re giving me money for that?”
“Yes.”
Hecate said, who was listening suspiciously to her words.
“What if this is a lie?”
“I’m not lying. Do you think I came out of the palace without any preparation?”
In fact, she did. If she were to go out and live on her own, she would have to use the borrowed-name account opened in another country, which she had created while she was a young lady of the Marquis of Logias. So, everything she said was not a lie.
“If this is a lie, I’ll tie you up naked, you bitch.”
“I told you not to say such dirty things.”
“Do you know how to strip naked? I will plant another seed in you.”
As Hecate’s crooked nose trembled with laughter, Evelina trembled with indescribable contempt.
~~~~
Hecate went straight to the next village bank and tried to find the money.
“It takes two days to process. Please sign below.”
He was surprised that everything was going really smoothly. And he was going to hold Evelina even if he made money. She was a slave trapped in the bedroom anyway. The slave having one or two more children won’t make things worse.
He thought so and headed out of the bank, shrugging his shoulders like he had been so ascetic.
~~~~
It happened to be the day Usher Fronen was trying to find money.
“What’s this?”
He looked at the bank staff with surprised eyes, confirming that all the details that had been paid to him had suddenly been canceled.
“What’s this?”
When he handed out the paper to the employee, the employee checked it with indifferent eyes and said.
“The person who was going to inherit has withdrawn the inheritance.”
“What?”
“It says that the heir inherited it and went missing, but he must have come back.”
“What is this…?!”
“Go see the heir.”
The employee spoke coldly and called the next customer.
Usher needed the money. He was going to start a business. Instead of selling purified water one-on-one like Hecate, he intended to deceive the imperial family and receive a proper high title, saying that a new purification method was created.
That’s why he was going to hire a large number of researchers from the waterway to do business.
He went out with a frown, took a vacation from the imperial family, and headed straight for Veron.
~~~~
“But are you sure you want to divorce her?”
Lady Rendall asked Hecate.
“Oh, I’m breaking up with that ugly girl.”
Lady Rendall sighed. These days Veron was having a very prosperous time. Everyone got a horse with the huge amount of money Hecate had earned. Then, they used to bring a chef or baker from the next village and enjoy all kinds of parties.
It was all Hecate’s money.
And the inhabitants of Veron were dimly aware. That he had an affair with the wife of Usher Fronen, who had abandoned his headquarters and brought her. And he was making so much money thanks to her mysterious ability.
Everyone knew she was living in captivity. And yet they understood. Because they thought men would only feel tempted with such a beautiful woman.
For being obsessed with such disgusting thoughts. Everyone was blinded by the money Hecate gave them, so they knew how Evelina would live, but they were not interested. Lady Rendall was also worried in words, but in reality, she was more worried about the damage that would occur if she suddenly disappeared.
“Never mind. By the way, Lady Rendall. Do you know how to be a midwife?”
“Of course. I’ve got a couple of kids.”
Hecate said with a smile at Lady Rendall’s words.
“Then can I ask you for my new wife’s child, too?”
“As long as you give me the money.”
“I’ll give you money. The child can die in childbirth, but not the wife. Keep that in mind.”
“…I understand.”
Lady Rendall thought that the child Evelina had might be Usher’s. But Usher was a man who would not return home from the capital. She didn’t know what happened to the complicated relationship, but what she and the villagers needed now was money, not the truth of the complicated relationship.
“Oh, by the way.”
Hecate suddenly opened his mouth as if he was curious.
“What happens if you sleep while pregnant?”
“How many months has it been?”
“Eight months.”
“Then you can do it. But if you do too much, it’s dangerous for the child.”
“What do you mean by dangerous?”
“It could be premature.”
“What happens if you give birth early?”
“The child will die.”
Hecate laughed strangely at the remark. He’d appreciate it more if that excuse of a useless child died.
“Oh, really?”
He said so with a mean smile.
~~~~
“What is this…?!”
Usher, who arrived at Veron at full speed, pretended to be surprised to see Evelina tied up. He was on the same side of Hecate, but now that the mining problem was more urgent, he was pretending to be on her side.
“We have to run away from here.”
Usher said, releasing all the shackles of Evelina.
“What the hell is going on here? And my mine?”
When Evelina realized that he was also here for the mine, she sighed.
“He took the documents from the mine and used them as he pleased.”
Then Usher frowned and looked at her.
“I’ll go back and make it right. So we have to get out of here quickly.”
At Evelina’s words, Usher thought he should accompany her for a while and then hand her over to Hecate again. He thought his plot was able to cover up the incident, and he was very proud of the him in the past.
“Yes, then.”
He reached out to Evelina, but it was difficult even to stand with her weakened legs.
“Ugh!”
When she couldn’t stand properly and almost fell, Usher, who was supporting her, said.
“Get on.”
When he showed his back to her, Evelina took the music box instead of hugging him. Strangely enough, she couldn’t throw this music box away.
So she tried to escape Veron on his back. It was hard to be carried on his back because she was almost full term, but she couldn’t help it because she didn’t want to be hugged.
She never imagined she would meet Kaiden that night.
