There Is No Way You Love Me

The late Duke Benoit was a stern and unfeeling man, much like his ancestors.

However, one day he returned from a significant achievement and demanded a woman as his reward.

Everyone was surprised by this unexpected action, as the Duke had previously asked for money or food for his barren territory.

It would have been understandable if he had requested a princess or a noblewoman, but the Duke desired the second daughter of a poor viscount, Sarah Winston.

Regardless of his poor reputation, he was still a Duke. He was not so desperate that he couldn’t find a suitable bride and had to accept a poor Viscount’s daughter as compensation instead.

So there was only one reason: the statue-like duke had fallen in love.

The fairy tale-like story caused a stir in high society. A sweet breeze blew through a place that had been filled only with cold and chilling rumors.

It was good news for the emperor, who was troubled by the thought of paying a compensation fee, and for the viscount’s family, which was on the brink of bankruptcy.

The emperor paid the viscount’s family an amount that was only a fraction of the compensation fee, and they immediately agreed to give their daughter in marriage.

Both the emperor and the viscount were anxious that the duke might change his mind, but the duke promptly welcomed the viscount’s daughter as his wife.

It was a love that transcended social status. This romantic scandal transformed the feared duke into a prince on a white horse and the once insignificant viscount’s daughter into Cinderella reclaiming her glass slipper.

It was a happy fairy tale for everyone. However, the unfortunate and terrible truth was that it was not the case for Sarah.

Before asking the emperor for her hand, the duke had first sought out the viscount’s family to court her.

But Sarah rejected him. The duke’s proposal felt rude and frightening to her, and above all, she had a betrothed fiancé.

However, the duke did not relent and eventually won her over, and she was sold by her father and the emperor.

After being forcibly taken by a terrible man, she was trapped in the cold north.

While the whole world was brainwashing her, insisting that everyone would surely be happy in her place, the reality presented to Sarah was far different.

In a foreign land, Sarah slowly went mad. Her husband kept her locked up like a trophy, and the servants ignored her.

“Please let me go. Please, please… I hate you. I feel like I’m going to die here.”

Sarah cried and begged every day. The duke found himself troubled by the tears of the woman he loved.

He loved his wife, but it was not a love for her well-being. Therefore, he had no intention of considering her wishes.

As time passed, Sarah became increasingly fragile. Her longing for the impossible consumed her, and her wilted appearance was troubling.

The duke was determined to keep Sarah by his side no matter what. To do so, he had to stop those desperate pleas.

“It’s okay since we don’t have children yet. Once I go back, I can marry him. If I just go back…”

Thus, the duke hearing Sarah’s murmurs was a stroke of luck for him, but it was another tragedy for Sarah.

A year later, news spread across the entire country that the Duchess of Benoit had given birth to a daughter.

Despite the remoteness of the north, where news rarely traveled, the announcement spread like wildfire, as if someone had orchestrated it.

From the moment Sarah learned of her pregnancy, she worked tirelessly to find a way out. But she could neither die nor kill.

The child was born healthy, despite the mother’s curses, and as soon as the duke heard the baby’s first cry, he declared her his legitimate daughter.

“Now you can’t leave.”

The moment Sarah heard her husband’s cold words, she let go of everything.

She no longer felt the servants whispering about how their mistress had gone mad or the gaze of her husband, who grimaced at the sight of her in disarray.

What jolted her back to reality was, ironically, the sound of the baby’s cries.

As soon as she heard the tiny whimper, Sarah abruptly lifted her head. The dozing maid had no idea that the Duchess was approaching her own daughter.

She stared blankly at the face of her daughter, whom she was seeing for the first time.

The baby’s hair was as black as hers. However, the face of the closed-eyed child was strangely unsettling.

And the moment the baby opened her eyes, Sarah understood the reason. Those eyes. The child’s silvery-gray eyes were exactly like her husband’s.

With trembling hands, Sarah touched the child’s face. As her fingertips made contact, the innocent, smiling face sent chills down her spine.

“…Monster.”

If her husband held the leash, then the child was the shackles fastened to her ankles.

Now Sarah could never leave this barren land. Even if she were to die, her body would be buried here.

All of this was because of this terrible thing…

“You are not my child.”

Hatred surged within her, so intense it left her mind blank. Sarah whispered to the child with a horrified expression.

“You should never have been born. I couldn’t have given birth to a monster like you…”

As she whispered in a daze, Sarah roughly grabbed the child. The once-smiling baby burst into tears, and it was then that the maid, startled, woke up.

“Oh my, my lady! What are you doing?”

The maid quickly pushed Sarah away. Sarah, as fragile as a dried twig, was weakly shoved aside, but the startled child cried even louder.

“Monster. You are a monster. You are not my child.”

As the crying child’s face twisted in distress, Sarah muttered while staring at that bizarre face.

“So go to your father and tell him that.”

Alyssa didn’t want to feel pain.

That’s why she was afraid of the head maid, her father, and the servants.

Whenever she heard footsteps approaching the door, she would get beaten mercilessly. After going for long periods without food, it felt as if her stomach was going to tear apart, and her father’s sword sheath hurt more than most whips.

Alyssa lived in fear of all these things, from the moment she opened her eyes until she fell asleep.

However, Alyssa’s nightmare always revolved around one thing.

“Sweetheart, look in the mirror.”

A sweet voice whispered gently. Trembling, Alyssa tightly shut her eyes.

The grip on her shoulder tightened. Sharp nails dug into Alyssa’s skin.

“Alyssa. Look in the mirror. Now.”

The voice, now lower, was filled with terror.vSeeing Alyssa’s eyes still shut, the woman gritted her teeth and forced her eyes open.

“Look. Am I not still beautiful?”

Her long, black curls cascaded down like waves. The red velvet that covered her fair skin glistened.

The woman was adorned with jewels all over her body, smiling widely as if her mouth would tear apart. Alyssa couldn’t meet her gaze in the mirror.

“But look at you,” the woman whispered sweetly.

“Look at that hideous sight. See that monstrous face, which bears no resemblance to me anywhere.”

The words that echoed in her ears pierced like a knife. In the end, she couldn’t defy her mother’s words. Alyssa met her own gaze in the mirror with trembling eyes.

Amid her disheveled black hair, her eyes locked onto her reflection. The version of herself in the mirror whispered to Alyssa.

“Monster.”

Bumps began to rise on Alyssa’s body. As her hair fell out, the grotesque face was revealed in full.

A bizarre laugh rang out loudly. Her distorted face seemed to melt away.

Alyssa screamed. No. I don’t want to see it.

“Face it head-on! Look at your ugly face. Then go tell your father that you, who bear no resemblance to me, are not my child!”

The wicked voice pierced her eardrums. Alyssa twisted her body in agony, but the woman’s grip held firm.

Mother, mother. Please have mercy on me.

I know better than anyone that I am horrid.

Father doesn’t listen to me.

Tears streamed down her face. No matter how much she struggled, she couldn’t escape from her.

Ah, if I open my eyes, will you be there again?

“—Alyssa!”

In that moment, a clear voice cut through the nightmare.

Alyssa was suddenly pulled out of her dream. Her blurry vision flickered several times before clearing, revealing the dimly lit room and the person who had woken her.

“Are you okay?”

Deep green eyes looked down at Alyssa.

Just like that, the whispering voice in her ear and the mirror that felt like it would swallow her whole disappeared in an instant.

The surroundings fell silent. Everything blurred, and the only clear thing was the person in front of her.

Alyssa thought it felt just like a dream.

It had been that way from the very first moment she saw him. He effortlessly accomplished things she had never even dared to imagine.

He always felt like a dream—like a dazzling miracle, but one she would inevitably have to wake up from.

It was still midnight. Even after waking from the dream, it would continue like this.

But as if to contradict Alyssa’s thoughts, warmth began to mix with the light streaming in through the window.

The darkness, which felt like it would never end, faded helplessly in the presence of the rising sun. The sky, now cleared of the bluish dawn, appeared pure white.

Morning was arriving after a long night.

 

---

 

A few days later.

“…Your Excellency.”

“Yes, yes!”

Startled by Kieran’s call, Alyssa dropped her knife as she was quietly cutting the meat.

Noticing her tense demeanor as if she had committed a grave mistake, Kieran let out a small sigh.

“Are you still worried about it?”

“Well, um…”