Ines calmly closed the Bible she was reading. And she faced him.
“That’s right. Come on, Joseph.”
I’ve been waiting for this day too. You probably can’t imagine how long I’ve waited for this moment to come.
“You’re beautiful today too. You really pissed me off.”
“Really? I’m so sorry about that.”
It was a rather late encounter considering that the security was lax at the place where he came to receive support.
Ines looked closely at Joseph. The face of the young man who had always been bright and cheerful was completely dark. His pale blue eyes, which were always full of kindness, were almost black with despair and obsession. There were only about twenty steps between her and him. Ines glanced back. If he couldn’t catch the path leading to the mountain, he would never be able to catch her after climbing the mountain.
“Don’t we have something to say?”
“What? I already wrote down everything I wanted to say to you.”
“How!”
He clenched his teeth, unable to speak out loud.
“How could you do this to me!”
Ines couldn’t stand it any longer and laughed in a very strange way. Joseph’s face, listening to a sound that was neither crying nor laughing, became more and more distorted.
How hypocritical can a human be when others assume that they don’t know their dark inner thoughts?
He now had the face of a man who had truly been betrayed by love.
“Ines, why are you doing this? We were so good. No matter how much the royal family tried to seduce you. How could you... abandon me like this!”
A man who had lost everything might have left his marriage to her as his last resort. His dream of becoming a Viscount had been dashed by the death of Count Graham, but he might have wanted to remain as the son-in-law of the Swenden family.
As a commoner, that was a good deal. So this time, he might not have pretended to die. Maybe he could have dreamed of a truly happy future with her.
“Did I... abandon you?”
“Then what is this if not abandonment? You said you loved me, and you said you would marry me!”
I’ve been waiting for this day too. You probably can’t imagine how long I’ve waited for this moment to come.
“You’re beautiful today too. You really pissed me off.”
“Really? I’m so sorry about that.”
It was a rather late encounter considering that the security was lax at the place where he came to receive support.
Ines looked closely at Joseph. The face of the young man who had always been bright and cheerful was completely dark. His pale blue eyes, which were always full of kindness, were almost black with despair and obsession. There were only about twenty steps between her and him. Ines glanced back. If he couldn’t catch the path leading to the mountain, he would never be able to catch her after climbing the mountain.
“Don’t we have something to say?”
“What? I already wrote down everything I wanted to say to you.”
“How!”
He clenched his teeth, unable to speak out loud.
“How could you do this to me!”
Ines couldn’t stand it any longer and laughed in a very strange way. Joseph’s face, listening to a sound that was neither crying nor laughing, became more and more distorted.
How hypocritical can a human be when others assume that they don’t know their dark inner thoughts?
He now had the face of a man who had truly been betrayed by love.
“Ines, why are you doing this? We were so good. No matter how much the royal family tried to seduce you. How could you... abandon me like this!”
A man who had lost everything might have left his marriage to her as his last resort. His dream of becoming a Viscount had been dashed by the death of Count Graham, but he might have wanted to remain as the son-in-law of the Swenden family.
As a commoner, that was a good deal. So this time, he might not have pretended to die. Maybe he could have dreamed of a truly happy future with her.
“Did I... abandon you?”
“Then what is this if not abandonment? You said you loved me, and you said you would marry me!”
“That’s crazy... Joseph Benoit. You can talk crazy to some extent.”
Ines stared at him with bloodshot eyes. Joseph flinched as his eyes met hers.
“You liked it? Every time I saw your smiling face, I felt like I was going to die from holding back nausea. Every time I heard the words coming out of your three-inch tongue, I felt goosebumps and thought I was going to die.”
“Ines...”
“I wanted to gouge out your eyes that were looking at me right then and there, rip open your mouth, and pull out your tongue. Do you understand?”
Having experienced everything, Ines, who returned after a long time, endured him with such feelings every day.
The belief that she could live only if she killed him. That one thing kept her going until today.
“You’ve really gone crazy.”
“Why are you the only one?”
His eyes burned with rage. If he hesitated here, he would rush at her. Ines raised her head even more firmly.
“Ines, what on earth happened to you? Did I do something wrong? We were lovers. Now that I’ve been given the title of Baron, there are no barriers between us anymore.”
“...”
“But why...?”
He relaxed his clenched fists as if giving up. He took a couple of steps back and held his hair with both hands. Even from a distance, she could see his hands trembling.
“No, that won’t do. Poor Joseph Benoit. You shouldn’t give up so easily.”
She put a knife in her mouth to spur her drying anger.
“Saying things like love. Even a passing dog would laugh at that. No matter how much you tried to pretend to be a knight, it was useless.”
“Ines, stop.”
“Do you know how ridiculous your clumsy imitation of a nobleman was?”
“Please, stop!”
“You can’t even imagine how grotesque your body creaked every time you made an example.”
“...”
“No matter how hard you tried, the smell of horse dung coming from your body never went away.”
Ines covered her nose and mouth at the same time as if she was still getting goosebumps. At that moment, Joseph’s eyes completely rolled back.
“Ines!”
As soon as he shouted, she turned around and started running toward the mountain. For a moment, he was dazed, unable to judge what had happened, and then instinctively started chasing after her.
If I can’t have her, I’d rather catch her and kill her. That was the only thought that filled his head.
Ines didn't even look back. She couldn't beat the man's running speed on the flat ground. When she reached the entrance of the mountain, Ines jumped over the part she had marked. And immediately Joseph stepped into the hole she had dug.
Ugh, he fell forward with a sound. Ines ran up another ten steps and looked down at him.
When their eyes met, Ines snickered. Then she grabbed her skirt and started running up the mountain again. At that sight, Joseph got out of the hole and ran like a madman.
However, no matter how hard he ran, it was not easy to close the distance between him and her on the mountain.
She didn't completely disappear from his sight. She looked back every now and then and provoked him. As if she wanted him to follow her.
Ines stared at him with bloodshot eyes. Joseph flinched as his eyes met hers.
“You liked it? Every time I saw your smiling face, I felt like I was going to die from holding back nausea. Every time I heard the words coming out of your three-inch tongue, I felt goosebumps and thought I was going to die.”
“Ines...”
“I wanted to gouge out your eyes that were looking at me right then and there, rip open your mouth, and pull out your tongue. Do you understand?”
Having experienced everything, Ines, who returned after a long time, endured him with such feelings every day.
The belief that she could live only if she killed him. That one thing kept her going until today.
“You’ve really gone crazy.”
“Why are you the only one?”
His eyes burned with rage. If he hesitated here, he would rush at her. Ines raised her head even more firmly.
“Ines, what on earth happened to you? Did I do something wrong? We were lovers. Now that I’ve been given the title of Baron, there are no barriers between us anymore.”
“...”
“But why...?”
He relaxed his clenched fists as if giving up. He took a couple of steps back and held his hair with both hands. Even from a distance, she could see his hands trembling.
“No, that won’t do. Poor Joseph Benoit. You shouldn’t give up so easily.”
She put a knife in her mouth to spur her drying anger.
“Saying things like love. Even a passing dog would laugh at that. No matter how much you tried to pretend to be a knight, it was useless.”
“Ines, stop.”
“Do you know how ridiculous your clumsy imitation of a nobleman was?”
“Please, stop!”
“You can’t even imagine how grotesque your body creaked every time you made an example.”
“...”
“No matter how hard you tried, the smell of horse dung coming from your body never went away.”
Ines covered her nose and mouth at the same time as if she was still getting goosebumps. At that moment, Joseph’s eyes completely rolled back.
“Ines!”
As soon as he shouted, she turned around and started running toward the mountain. For a moment, he was dazed, unable to judge what had happened, and then instinctively started chasing after her.
If I can’t have her, I’d rather catch her and kill her. That was the only thought that filled his head.
Ines didn't even look back. She couldn't beat the man's running speed on the flat ground. When she reached the entrance of the mountain, Ines jumped over the part she had marked. And immediately Joseph stepped into the hole she had dug.
Ugh, he fell forward with a sound. Ines ran up another ten steps and looked down at him.
When their eyes met, Ines snickered. Then she grabbed her skirt and started running up the mountain again. At that sight, Joseph got out of the hole and ran like a madman.
However, no matter how hard he ran, it was not easy to close the distance between him and her on the mountain.
She didn't completely disappear from his sight. She looked back every now and then and provoked him. As if she wanted him to follow her.
However, Joseph, whose eyes were wide with anger, could not figure out her intentions.
After running up for a while, a basin-shaped land finally appeared.
Ines turned her head toward the sky. Ha, a white steam rose from her mouth as she let out a sigh. A cold wind had already begun to blow on the mountainside.
“Perfect.”
The clouds in the sky were truly far away. It was a clear day rarely seen in the rainy Landhill. It was an excellent day for Ines to perform her last rites.
When she heard the man’s panting breath behind her, Ines slowly turned around. Then she moved her body toward the thick trees.
Joseph, who saw her right in front of him, laughed bitterly as if he were certain of his victory.
That laugh was exactly the same as that day. The smile had formed like a scar in Ines’ narrowing vision as she lay on the ground after being hit by the carriage.
“Is this the only place you ran away to?”
He grinned as he looked around.
“You’re going to be my woman today. You’re going to get married anyway, so it doesn’t matter. Right?”
Ines didn’t answer him and immediately turned around and ran with all her might. Then he ran toward her at the same speed. As she turned around in front of the reeds that were now completely brown, a final scream as if stabbed by a knife, was heard.
“Ahhhhhh!”
Ines stared at Joseph, who was hanging upside down from the tree with his feet caught in the noose, with indifferent eyes.
“What the hell is this? Aahhhh!”
“Don’t move, it’ll hurt more.”
Joseph’s eyes filled with shock and fear as he watched her calmly say this. The noose, tightly woven with rope, would tighten around him with every movement.
Now that all the weight was on him, he must have felt the pain and fear of his legs falling off.
After running up for a while, a basin-shaped land finally appeared.
Ines turned her head toward the sky. Ha, a white steam rose from her mouth as she let out a sigh. A cold wind had already begun to blow on the mountainside.
“Perfect.”
The clouds in the sky were truly far away. It was a clear day rarely seen in the rainy Landhill. It was an excellent day for Ines to perform her last rites.
When she heard the man’s panting breath behind her, Ines slowly turned around. Then she moved her body toward the thick trees.
Joseph, who saw her right in front of him, laughed bitterly as if he were certain of his victory.
That laugh was exactly the same as that day. The smile had formed like a scar in Ines’ narrowing vision as she lay on the ground after being hit by the carriage.
“Is this the only place you ran away to?”
He grinned as he looked around.
“You’re going to be my woman today. You’re going to get married anyway, so it doesn’t matter. Right?”
Ines didn’t answer him and immediately turned around and ran with all her might. Then he ran toward her at the same speed. As she turned around in front of the reeds that were now completely brown, a final scream as if stabbed by a knife, was heard.
“Ahhhhhh!”
Ines stared at Joseph, who was hanging upside down from the tree with his feet caught in the noose, with indifferent eyes.
“What the hell is this? Aahhhh!”
“Don’t move, it’ll hurt more.”
Joseph’s eyes filled with shock and fear as he watched her calmly say this. The noose, tightly woven with rope, would tighten around him with every movement.
Now that all the weight was on him, he must have felt the pain and fear of his legs falling off.
Haak, haak, haak.
The man’s heavy breathing echoed through the silent mountain.
“Why on earth are you doing this to me?”
Ines approached him without answering. He swung his arms to grab her. But it was impossible while hanging in the air. She strode toward the other side of the tree where the noose had been placed. And with a groan, she pulled something out of the grass.
At first glance, it looked unusual, and Joseph had never seen it before. It was a strange shape, a large wooden barrel with a handle attached. Every time she pulled the barrel, he could hear the sound of metal clashing.
“Do you think you’ll be okay after doing this?”
“Why on earth are you doing this to me?”
Ines approached him without answering. He swung his arms to grab her. But it was impossible while hanging in the air. She strode toward the other side of the tree where the noose had been placed. And with a groan, she pulled something out of the grass.
At first glance, it looked unusual, and Joseph had never seen it before. It was a strange shape, a large wooden barrel with a handle attached. Every time she pulled the barrel, he could hear the sound of metal clashing.
“Do you think you’ll be okay after doing this?”
Joseph gritted his teeth at the voice that was trembling so much that it was painful even to himself. Blood rushed back to his eyes, and all the blood vessels burst. But what he was most afraid of was the woman’s behavior, which showed no signs of wavering.
“Blood rushing back? I really hated that feeling.”
Ines grimaced as she pulled out a rope that looked like something you would see on a gallows from the object. He could not express any emotion other than discomfort at the woman walking toward him with it.
Was she really the Ines he knew?
“What, what are you doing?”
He fought back, waving his arms with all his might, but Ines lightly slapped his hand away. Then she held the rope tightly in her hand.
“Stay still.”
“Are you really trying to kill me?”
“Yes.”
“Why on earth? What did I do so wrong that you’re doing this to me?”
“You didn’t do anything wrong to me either.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“...”
“Ines! Th-stop it. What are you doing? Is it a crime for me to love you?”
When he shouted, Ines lifted one shoulder slightly as if her ear hurt.
“Shut up, Joseph. You’re just going back to how you were supposed to be when you died. And guess what? If you die here, you might actually be born as a Viscount’s son next time.”
“...What?”
“Your red-haired lover said that. No commoner can become a Viscount when they come back from the dead.”
He remembered exactly when he had heard those words from Lady Graham. Joseph’s mind went blank as he realized that. Then could it be that Ines had been in the lounge at that time?
“T-Ines, that was a misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding?”
“Yes, that was a misunderstanding... Where is the handkerchief I gave you?”
“Of course, it’s in my inside pocket...”
His mouth, which had been hastily reaching out to feel his chest, closed. Ines let out a snicker at that sight.
“You gave it back to me, but you were swinging a knife at my father.”
“That wasn’t me. I wasn’t the one who tried to kill your father in the carriage!”
“How did you know it happened in the carriage?”
She approached the object she had taken out of the grass.
As she began to turn the handle, a creaking, creaking, unpleasant sound grated on his nerves.
“Ugh, what are you doing? Ugh!"
“Blood rushing back? I really hated that feeling.”
Ines grimaced as she pulled out a rope that looked like something you would see on a gallows from the object. He could not express any emotion other than discomfort at the woman walking toward him with it.
Was she really the Ines he knew?
“What, what are you doing?”
He fought back, waving his arms with all his might, but Ines lightly slapped his hand away. Then she held the rope tightly in her hand.
“Stay still.”
“Are you really trying to kill me?”
“Yes.”
“Why on earth? What did I do so wrong that you’re doing this to me?”
“You didn’t do anything wrong to me either.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“...”
“Ines! Th-stop it. What are you doing? Is it a crime for me to love you?”
When he shouted, Ines lifted one shoulder slightly as if her ear hurt.
“Shut up, Joseph. You’re just going back to how you were supposed to be when you died. And guess what? If you die here, you might actually be born as a Viscount’s son next time.”
“...What?”
“Your red-haired lover said that. No commoner can become a Viscount when they come back from the dead.”
He remembered exactly when he had heard those words from Lady Graham. Joseph’s mind went blank as he realized that. Then could it be that Ines had been in the lounge at that time?
“T-Ines, that was a misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding?”
“Yes, that was a misunderstanding... Where is the handkerchief I gave you?”
“Of course, it’s in my inside pocket...”
His mouth, which had been hastily reaching out to feel his chest, closed. Ines let out a snicker at that sight.
“You gave it back to me, but you were swinging a knife at my father.”
“That wasn’t me. I wasn’t the one who tried to kill your father in the carriage!”
“How did you know it happened in the carriage?”
She approached the object she had taken out of the grass.
As she began to turn the handle, a creaking, creaking, unpleasant sound grated on his nerves.
“Ugh, what are you doing? Ugh!"
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