"Haha, hahaha."
Lucas chuckled as he looked at me, who had become motionless.
'You're crazy...'
I knew he wasn't in his right mind, but I didn't think he would be this crazy.
'What did you inject me with?'
My limbs instantly froze like a block of wood. Lucas grinned and approached me, who couldn't move a single finger. Then he grabbed my arms and slowly ran them up and down.
"Wh, wha..."
"Shh, stay still."
His eyes were filled with red excitement. It seemed as if he was going crazy at the sight of me standing in front of him, unable to move. Soon, his disgusting body hugged mine tightly.
"We're the only ones here. It's so soundproofed that screaming won't do any good. Well, I won't be able to do it after a while."
"You son of a bitch..."
"Hahaha."
Perhaps it was because he was satisfied with completely subduing me, but Lucas laughed pleasantly at the swearing. He chuckled as he stroked my shoulder with his sticky, disgusting hand.
"Dante, that human butcher is obsessed with appearances, right?"
Lucas said, bringing his lips to my ear. His nauseating breath sent goosebumps all over my skin.
"There's never been a single woman who's been called by him twice. How could he tolerate another man, especially his ex-fiancé?"
The thick, hot breath on my neck was disgusting. It was the first time in my life that someone else's breath could be so uncomfortable. It was a completely different feeling from when I would automatically shrink whenever Dante whispered in my ear. It was so uncomfortable and disgusting that I almost cried.
"Don't worry, Ariana. Even if he abandons you, you still have me. I'm different from him. Even though you're already tainted, I'll gladly forgive you."
"Ugh..."
"Let's go back to how it was before. Edward and Elena, you cleaned up those stupid bastards? Yeah, good job. They were just empty shells anyway. I just need you."
The eyes that filled me were glaring with madness. I desperately bit my lips.
"W- Wow...!"
"Help me? Who the hell are you waiting for?"
Lucas grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. His eyes had gone mad and gleamed meanly.
"You're not waiting for... your husband, are you? Then you don't know men at all."
"Ugh..."
"If I have you here, he won't even look at his dirty wife. Duchess Heigenberg? Ha, don't make me laugh. You'll be thrown away in an instant."
I pretended not to notice the momentary tingling sensation in my chest. It was only a loss of hearing to listen to the madman's crazy nonsense.
'Calm down, Ariana Lopez.'
I am the Emperor's guest. Even if the Crown Prince hadn't come looking for me, I was planning to visit the palace today. The day the Emperor had requested an audience was today. Moreover, many people were watching me enter the Crown Prince's palace. The Emperor's time was the most precious resource in the empire. However, if I was late for the audience and wasted that time, the Emperor's man would come to the Crown Prince's palace to find me.
'There's only thirty minutes left until the audience time.'
I glared straight ahead, forcing my eyes. I could see the wall clock hanging Lucas' head. Besides, I had shadow knights. They were going to barge in if there was no signal in ten minutes. There were minutes left until that time.
I gritted my teeth, enduring the disgusting, wet things that were caressing my ears and the back of my neck. But whether it was five minutes or thirty, it was hard work. At the same time, I felt empty. The reason I had followed him obediently to this room was to find out what the Crown Prince was up to. If that were possible, I thought I needed to take some risks. I never thought it would be like this...
I felt bitter beyond the sense of emptiness. It was a shallow idea to think that he could just take my body. And that was actually threatening in this conservative empire. However, thinking about it calmly, it was actually a good thing. Contrary to what they thought, Dante and I were not in that kind of relationship, so I had nothing to lose and only had an excuse to counterattack.
Yes. So right now, the nausea and tears I felt were nothing.
'It was just a big bug crawling over me.'
It was meaningless and worthless...
"I love you, Ariana."
It would have been nice if even my hearing had been paralyzed. Thinking that way, I endured the wet and unpleasant whispers.
"The fact that I briefly fell for Elena, when I think about it, was because of the similarities between you, Ari. That's how much I love only you-"
Lucas was talking nonsense and trying to pull my collar up.
Kkwang!
A loud noise pierced my eardrums. At the same time, something silvery broke through the door and rushed in...
"Keuk!"
Lucas' shoulder was pierced.
"Ke, keuk......!"
Lucas was pushed back a few steps, grabbed his shoulder, and spat out blood. I held my breath when I saw Lucas' shoulder being pierced. A long, sharp silver blade. The emblem of the only dukedom in this empire was engraved on it.
"Ariana!"
A rough roar gripped my spine. My head was stiff, so I couldn't turn to where the voice came from. But I could feel it with my whole body. The swelling presence of the man who had kicked open the door and appeared.
"You, keuk, how did you get there already..."
Lucas's eyes, nailed behind me, widened as if they were going to tear.
"Ariana."
The footsteps got closer in an instant, and a large, warm hand turned my shoulder. Only then did I see Dante's face. It was much more distorted than I had known, but it was still him. Ironically, the moment I confirmed that fact, a dizzying sense of relief came over me. Maybe I was waiting for this person, not the Emperor's soldier or the Shadow Knight. Just like Lucas said.
"Uh, uh..."
I barely moved my lips, but no words came out.
Crunch.
An eerie grinding sound came from Dante. He glared at Lucas with eyes as cold as frost.
"You bug."
Dante, spitting out his rough voice as if chewing it, strode toward Lucas. Strong arms easily grabbed Lucas by the collar.
"Ku, keuk......"
"This is how you protest when I didn't cut your neck."
"P, please... give me the sword..."
Lucas begged for the sword embedded in his shoulder to be pulled out. The sight of the man who had tried to subdue me by force, trembling and submitting to greater violence. It was more sad than exhilarating.
"Sword?"
Dante grabbed the blade and pulled it out.
"Kuaaaak!"
Blood gushed out from Lucas' shoulder. Lucas groaned in pain and fumbled with his eyes half-unconscious.
"How the hell... you couldn't have come already..."
Lucas muttered meaningless words as if he wanted to deny reality.
"Madam! Oh, madam!"
Rio rushed in and hurriedly diagnosed my condition.
"Your heartbeat is normal and you don't have a fever. That's fortunate. Really fortunate."
Seeing Rio sobbing and feeling relieved, an unfamiliar emotion prickled my heart. Dante took off his coat and draped it over my shoulders. Then he glared at Lucas again.
"You."
Lucas flinched at the chilling voice, even as he vomited blood.
"You better be prepared to pay the price for daring to do something like this."
Dante said that and quickly carried me out of the room.
"Your Highness the Duke!"
The palace soldiers rushed in and blocked his way, trembling.
"Oh, oh, why are you doing this? His Highness the Crown Prince said not to let anyone in-"
"Get out of the way. If you don't want to die."
"But, Your Highness the Crown Prince..."
The palace soldiers stammered their lips a few times and eventually stepped aside. Dante passed them without hesitation.
"Just stop the bleeding."
Dante nodded to Lucas, who had fallen to the ground, holding his shoulder, and said bluntly.
"I won't kill you easily."
He carried me and passed through the palace hallway with wide strides. Wherever he walked, people looked back at us with surprised eyes.
"...Ariana Lopez."
The low, eardrum-scraping voice sent shivers down my spine.
"What were you thinking? Going into that madman's den alone."
Even though we were still inside the palace, his blunt tone made me sweat. I forced my numb lips to speak.
"Crown Prince, I have the order to..."
Dante's expression instantly became even more fierce.
"You should have refused!"
I held my breath at the harsh voice that burst out.
"But, but..."
"If you had said you wouldn't go, my knights would have stopped you with force!"
... But if I had, things would have gotten out of hand. I blankly looked up at Dante, and his gaze fell on my torn collar. The place was tattered because Lucas had grabbed it and ripped it the moment Dante barged in.
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