Chapter 1

Translator and Editor: Effe and Yonnee

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────Chapter 1 – Prologue

The sound of a sharp, skin-splitting weapon stopped at a certain moment. Then, with the sound of heavy footsteps, dim orange torches crossed the hall.

The castle, which had been devastated by the war, had been chilly for a long time. Tessa was shaking uncontrollably. The only thing she wore over her nightgown was a thin, dark green, outdated shawl. It was different from all the other wives who wore fur.

Tessa caught a glimpse of her reflection in the shards of broken glass rolling across her floor.

Dry lips and darkly gloomy eyes. The red, ginger colored-hair, of which she had prided herself in, had long since become dull, and her lively skin was pale and sickly.

The woman, who could not withstand the winds and waves of life, was slowly falling apart like those broken shards.

Tessa, who looked shabby even when her future life or death was unclear, felt pathetic and miserable.

Idiot. She tries to whisper quietly in a cracked voice. It was a life far from happiness until the end. Even her imminent death would be nondescript. There would be no one to cry for her. Just as she was born and abandoned, she would also be abandoned when she died.

“…”

There was the sound of clattering armor in the distance. Barely holding back the tears that were about to come out, Tessa grabbed her shawl tightly.

It wasn’t the time for her to be completely lost in thought. It was time to find out the face of the new lord who killed her old husband, whom she did not want to wed. The new lord could also be the one who would put an end to her miserable life.

Tessa raised her head and looked at the person’s feet as they approached her. The armor, drenched in blood, made a terrifying noise. It sounded like the wailing of those who collapsed without having the chance to utter their final words. Then, as the man moved, dark red blood dripped to the ground and left clear marks on the white marble floor.

How many people did the man kill to come here?

Tessa’s husband must have also been killed by the person’s ruthless sword that was splattered with blood. Had her old husband resisted and swung his sword even once? But she knew that couldn’t be the case.

There was a lot of talk about the man who attacked the Euthert estate. He was a prisoner from that notorious prison, but he was called out to war and was forgiven for his sins by cutting down numerous enemies and bringing back their heads. A person who became a knight in a short time after Marquis Borwen, the king’s right-hand man, had found him. A man with a cruel heart and was called a murderous war maniac…

In fact, the outcome of this territorial battle was natural in a way. It was impossible for an old man who enjoyed his life and was addicted to alcohol and drugs to win against the man who came back alive after storming through numerous battlefields. From the moment her husband’s close associates fled one by one, Tessa had expected victory or defeat in the war.

With the tacit permission of the sickly king, small wars over each other’s territories were bound to end in the death of the loser. Even if the life of the heir who will inherit the family and title is guaranteed under the kingdom law, everything else will be lost. In such a world, who would risk their life to stand on the side of the loser?

The problem was the disposition of the old lord’s many wives and children, including herself. Rumors circulated that even the women and children were brutally murdered. Do the men kill them by their own hands? Women who lived like plants in a greenhouse were useless. They were just a burden.

Especially if they’re in a position like Tessa, who isn’t a noble or anything.

While Tessa was thinking, the man approached. Nervous, Tessa swallowed a gulp and plucked up the courage to raise her head. If this is the last time, she thought she had to die after seeing the face of the person who was going to kill her.

However, the moment she met the man’s cold eyes, her breath was caught.

‘It, it can’t be…’

Blue eyes, glazed with frost, seemed to drag Tessa into the abyss.

Clang!

When their eyes met, the man violently threw the sword from his hand. Amidst the suffocating silence, the sword made a roar as it rolled across the floor.

A man walked forward carrying with him the scent of blood.

There was only one person at the end of his gaze.

Tessa.

The man made his way in front of Tessa, shoving the other wives in the way. He stretched out his hand to her, who seemed to have lost her mind in her chaotic situation, and gripped her chin violently.

The man said in a more eerie voice than ever before.

“Long time no see, Tessa.”

Hert, who she thought had died, returned.

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