Thud. Thud.
Medea opened her eyes as she felt as if she was landing somewhere.
"Get down."
Medea was dragged away by Jared with her arms tied.
In the dark forest, hidden between the giant trees, a small chapel was visible.
A sharp wind, howling eerily through the trees, struck Medea's ears.
Bam.
The two doors of the chapel swung open. Jared strode into the eerie interior.
She was greeted by a faint candlelight and a faded red carpet.
The ceiling of the chapel was made of old, cracked stone, beneath which could be seen a faded curtain bearing the symbols of the Holy See.
In the center was a marble altar and on it sat a small, barely put-together statue of a goddess and an old wine goblet.
An old priest was waiting beside the altar.
The faded eyes, half-mad with fear, did not even look at Medea.
In front of the priest was a quill and an inkwell for writing the marriage vows. Next to them were two gold rings.
"It's nice to see you. As expected, beauty is something that is recognized."
When Jared forced the veil over Medea's head, she burst out laughing.
"You are the one who does all the dirty, mean, and contemptible things in the world."
"Oh my, how can you talk to your husband like that? I'm going to have to fix that after we get married."
"I guess that's what you can't help since you grew up watching and eating like that. Since you were born a lowly servant, you can only be exploited by others your whole life."
When Medea calmly pointed this out, Jared's once confident face distorted.
"Shut up."
"Last time, you lost your hand and sword to the Fourth Princess. What will you lose this time? Jared, are you confident enough to handle it?"
"I told you to shut up!"
Jared raised his hand in anger at Medea's provocation.
Then, he quickly caught his breath and suppressed his anger.
"No, this won't do. You need to come to your senses. I don't necessarily need to take care of you right now."
The wedding will be simple and quick, and the Princess before his eyes will have no choice but to submit to all these circumstances.
It'll take a while to find this place thanks to the magic circle that's been cast with an untraceable spell. By then, the marriage contract will have already been signed.
"Once the covenant is concluded, you will be mine. That wonderful Princess of Valdina! You will become the wife of this worthless worm and help her husband recover."
Jared's eyes already saw a dazzling future shining brightly on this faded red carpet.
By stepping on that woman, he will regain his lost glory.
The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fulfill both revenge and ambition has finally arrived for Jared.
"Even though you were in that high position, from now on you will be under my feet. Even if you despair and struggle, I will have no choice but to accept you."
I didn't know things would go so smoothly. Without their help, I wouldn't have gotten this far.
Jared was very satisfied with the moment.
So, he felt generous enough to take care of his own romanticism.
"Princess, I could have just trampled you. But I'm treating you well, so you should be grateful."
The wedding preparations are complete, and the Princess cannot escape.
However, the stubborn gaze that did not waver even when the situation reached its end was annoying.
A cruel and powerful urge to break the woman overwhelmed him. But...
'Whew. Not yet.'
Jared swallowed and whispered to himself.
"Let's get started."
When Jared didn't give in to her provocation, Medea clicked her tongue inwardly.
The longer he doesn't lose his senses, the less likely it is that she will be able to escape.
Medea's green eyes quickly scanned the interior of the chapel.
Passing by two tall windows that seemed difficult to access, her gaze lingered for a moment on an old wooden door on the left wall of the chapel, then disappeared.
"Princess. I will give you a lifetime of married life more ecstatic than death."
Clunk, clunk.
Meanwhile, Jared rolled two gold rings in his hands. There was a sound like chains clinking.
He smiled sinisterly.
"This, this, quiet night. Uh, we, under the blessing of God, intend to unite these two people."
The priest placed his hands trembling over the golden Bible.
It seemed as if he didn't care about the contradictions of a forced marriage that didn't seem like a blessing no matter where you looked.
"We, in this chapel, certify that man is joined as one body and one soul. This path, sworn under the goddess is inviolable, and no one can separate it."
As the priest continued speaking, the corners of Jared's mouth went up without limit.
'There is a reason why I came to the chapel.'
The oaths sworn under the Goddess are considered sacred throughout the Continent.
If the Princess's brother were to try to break off this marriage, he would have to deal with the Catholic Church and its millions of followers before Jared.
"When this wedding... is over, these two, these people will be husband and wife forever. No one can break, severe this sacred union."
The priest took a deep breath to suppress his fear and spoke tremblingly, his eyes still fixed on the Bible.
"Now, you two, exchange rings."
"Oh, of course."
Jared put on the ring as if showing it to Medea, giggling.
"Madam, I will do very well for you."
That too, on his right hand, with the troll's finger grafted onto it.
He wanted to see the eyes of the Princess, who had become the master of these terrible hands, fill with despair.
Even the priest turned his head away, unable to look at the disgusting hand any longer.
But Medea just stared at him with cold eyes.
"It's your turn. Ah. Since you look like that, I'll let you go."
It was the moment when Jared untied the ropes that bound Medea to put the ring on her.
Phew-!
"This crazy bitch-!"
The dagger in Medea's arms pierced Jared's shoulder.
At the same time, she kicked the statue of the goddess off the altar and it struck the priest on the head.
"Ugh...!"
The statue of the goddess shattered into pieces and the priest fell to the ground, bleeding.
Medea was already running towards the wooden door. The dagger was aimed at Jared's heart, but he twisted his body for a moment, so It only pierced his shoulder.
'Just a little more...'
Just as Medea was about to kick open the wooden door, a tremendous force grabbed her by the nape of the neck and struck her down.
Medea crashed into the wall of the chapel and fell down.
It was such a shock that she was momentarily dazed.
"I, uh... I'm so mad, I don't need to be polite to you, you bitch..."
Jared, his face flushed with anger, walked over to Medea, grumbling. He pulled the silver dagger from his shoulder and threw it on the ground.
The priest who was supposed to conclude the covenant was struck in the head and lost consciousness, and Jared's left shoulder, pierced by mithril, seemed to scream in pain.
"That's right. I forgot for a moment that you were such a vicious bitch. You just need to get married, don't you? It was just a waste of consideration. Right?"
Jared's shadow stretched out as his anger grew stronger.
It was a shadow so large and overwhelming that it completely covered Medea.
There was still no sound from outside. It seemed that Neril and Agema had not yet figured out where this place was.
There were only her and Jared in the chapel.
Medea took a breath.
'Keep calm. Don't be shaken.'
She knew that one day, things wouldn't go her way.
God can't always be on her side.
She bit her lip as she looked at the broken statue of the goddess on the floor.
She didn't intend to let it go like this.
Medea felt around. She caught a piece of the statue that had been thrown towards her.
The sharp edges of the broken pieces cut her flesh, but Medea did not stop.
Her hands kept slipping because of a liquid that she couldn't tell if it was sweat or blood.
"Stop."
As Jared approached her menacingly, Medea placed a sharp piece against her neck.
"If you take one more step, I'll die."
"Don't talk nonsense..."
As he took a step forward, Medea pressed the broken shard a little deeper into her skin.
"Would you still be able to negotiate with Peleus while carrying my corpse?"
The hot stream of blood flowing down the white neck looked even more vivid due to the contrast of colors.
The green eyes were unwavering.
Even when she heard the wedding vows just a moment ago, and even now when she was cornered and at a dead end with no hope, the Princess did not break down.
Now, it was not just disgust, it was anger. Jared ground his teeth.
"You wicked woman. I've been to and from my continent and been through many life and death situations, but I've never seen anything like you."
Then, suddenly as if he was thinking about something, his eyes took on a cruel look.
Yeah. If it doesn't break, I'll have to break it and show you.
"Yes. Since you are the Princess of the empire, I must be prepared for the worst. Let's see who wins."
There was no longer any hesitation in him.
Medea mustered all her strength to keep herself from collapsing as Jared approached her.
She held her head in her hands, dizzy from the physical shock of the collision, and tried to move somehow.
Don't give up. Think. What do I have left? Where did I put the poison? What was his weakness?
Medea, think about it. How can I kill him and get out of here?
Kkieeek-!
Then, with an ear-piercing sound, the chapel door slammed shut. The faded iron door blew down like a gust of wind and fell upon Jared.
"What-!"
Before Jared could even open his eyes wide after being hit by the iron door.
Quagmirak-!
Someone strode toward him and grabbed him by the collar.
Comments
Post a Comment