Leah, completely frozen, couldn’t even blink and swallowed her breath.
“She was once his fiancée, but to end up like this in an instant…”
“What can you do? From the beginning, this was the position that suited Leah. It’s just returning to its natural order.”
Soon, the footsteps of the maids faded away. However, their words continued to buzz in Leah’s ears.
Mistress.
Taking in that word made her head spin. Leah swallowed a sob and barely exhaled.
She wanted to collapse, but her knees were too stiff to even do that.
‘Even if we break the engagement, you will remain under my authority.’
She finally understood what Caius had meant when he said those words long ago.
From the moment Caius held her before their engagement, this situation had been inevitable.
“Ha…”
Leah let out a hollow laugh and covered her eyes. She thought there was no place left to be hurt, but that wasn’t true.
Caius was cruel to the very end.
Her legs gave out as strength drained away. Leah, finally collapsing, couldn’t move from that spot for a long time.
“Lord.”
Two knights of the Seobyeolgung Palace saluted with upright postures. Caius, nodding slightly, asked a question.
“Leah Ainel?”
“The princess has remained in her chamber the whole time. She hasn’t come down to the hall.”
In response to the answer, which indirectly stated that she had been quiet, Caius curved his lips in a faint smile and walked through the hall.
Next week, he would go on a tour. He would be away for about a fortnight, so he wanted to see her as much as possible before then.
Wanting to see her a lot…
Caius found himself laughing at the thought as he headed to her chamber without any sign of haste.
He soon arrived at the door and knocked lightly, but there was no response from inside.
Without much hesitation, Caius turned the doorknob.
Through the half-open door, he saw Leah Ainel crouched in front of the fireplace.
She slowly turned her head, which had been staring blankly at the fireplace.
Her clear, tear-filled eyes soon glared at him resentfully.
Unconcerned, Caius walked inside and approached her.
As he stood blocking the fireplace, her head lifted slightly.
Her reddish, swollen eyes and tear-filled, amethyst-coloured pupils came into view. Caius tilted his head to capture the sight clearly.
‘She must have cried for sure this time.’
An unfailing faint sense of satisfaction washed over him. Yet, in a rather soft tone, he asked,
“Why did you cry?”
Leah, who had been silently looking up at him, soon lowered her head. Her hands, which gently grasped her knees, trembled slightly.
After hesitating for a while, she forced out a painful question from her dry lips.
“…Are you going to keep me as your mistress?”
Caius’s gaze shifted slightly.
Mistress.
In the end, that was what she had to be called, but for some reason, he couldn’t answer right away.
When he tried to say it clearly, it didn’t feel pleasant.
“Yes.”
Despite everything, he answered firmly.
Leah, as if shot down by his confirmation, closed her eyes tightly with pursed lips. Her clenched knuckles turned white.
“How… how can you be so cruel?”
Her slowly opening eyes trembled endlessly. Caius, watching the tears well up, chose to remain silent.
He could willingly accept her resentment. After all, this woman would remain by his side, so there was no need for pointless quarrels.
“Please, just send me back to Ainel.”
However, her resolute plea twisted Caius’s once merciful heart in an instant.
Raising one eyebrow, Caius looked down at her coldly. She still had her head bowed, her shoulders trembling.
“And what if I can’t do that?”
Hiding his twisted feelings, he asked calmly, and finally, Leah lifted her head.
Despite the trembling in her eyes, she continued firmly.
“You don’t need me anymore. You still don’t remember me, and you… don’t love me.”
“But you love me.”
At his arrogant dismissal, Leah shook her head blankly and murmured.
“No…”
“Yes, you do.”
Caius mocked her in a cold voice.
The woman who loved him would ultimately remain by his side. As she had been until now, quiet and lovely.
From the beginning, when he didn’t remember her, this was where she belonged.
“The man I loved… wasn’t like this.”
Leah denied his words, whispering faintly. Her voice, which seemed to be disappearing, forced strength into it.
“The man I loved isn’t who you are now.”
The trembling in her eyes gradually subsided as she looked directly at him. She strained to make it seem as if she were sincere.
Although he could see her lie clearly, her persistent resistance displeased him. Caius narrowed his eyes and looked down at her quietly.
The silent stare between them lasted for a long time. Soon, Caius’s mouth formed into a crooked smile.
With a light laugh, he slowly ran his hand over his face. The sneer disappeared, leaving his face cold and rigid.
“Leah.”
In a cold tone, Caius slowly ground out his words, as if coaxing her.
“Then and now, I am who I am.”
“No, you’re different.”
“The man standing before you is the man you loved.”
“No, he’s not…!”
She shouted in defiance, abruptly standing up. The proximity made the tears welling in her eyes even more evident.
Only after seeing that did Caius feel more at ease, loosening his rigid expression.
“Denying it won’t change anything.”
“Ugh…”
“You can’t return to Ainel.”
As he drove the final nail, the tears in her eyes finally spilled down her cheeks. Caius reached out and wiped her tears willingly.
Her tears grew larger under his touch. Feeling a twisted satisfaction, Caius regained his composure.
Now he understood why he didn’t mind her tears.
Those transparent tears felt like her blind love for him.
He didn’t mind her tears because, ultimately, he didn’t mind the woman who loved him no matter the circumstances.
“…Please, Caius.”
Leah, as if she had never resisted, murmured in a quiet voice.
Unable to push him away, she looked at him with a pitiful expression, still stunningly beautiful at this moment.
“You’re right. I still love you. And that’s why… that’s why I can’t stand it anymore.”
“….”
“Please, don’t make me more miserable… just let me go.”
A glimmer of something new appeared in Caius’s once calm eyes.
Unfortunately, her emotional plea didn’t affect him at all.
Hearing her declare her love for him only intensified his twisted desires.
And somewhere deep within those desires lay a sense of guilt.
Ignoring the remnants of his useless past, Caius pulled her in for a kiss to momentarily quench his burning lust.
As their lips parted, a cruel conclusion escaped between them.
“Leah Ainel, you must die here if you die at all.”
The voice, which sounded almost gentle, completely shattered Leah’s remaining hope.
* * *
Before leaving for his tour, Caius visited Leah every day.
Sometimes in the morning, sometimes late at night. He came whenever he pleased and threw Leah onto the bed.
Her desperate plea to not be made more miserable proved to have no effect on the cruel man.
There was no meaningful conversation during their encounters anymore. They were solely consumed by physical pleasure.
It was as if he was reminding Leah of her role as his mistress.
As if to say her place was here and her role was nothing more, he poured his unfiltered desires onto her without hesitation.
Under him, Leah endlessly trembled and broke. However, the time spent physically intertwined was bearable.
If she superimposed the voice whispering her name with past memories and let her mind drift, during those moments, she couldn’t think of despair, pain, or anything else.
The sensation of being filled to the point of suffocation. The bodies clashing violently. The hot pleasure spreading.
All of this helped Leah escape reality.
But upon opening her eyes, she was always alone.
What tormented Leah was the moment she was left alone in the bed.
Each time she looked at the clear marks left on her body, the reality she had forgotten in pleasure came crashing back, unavoidable.
Afterward, deep self-loathing dragged Leah into the mire.
Leah, completely frozen, couldn’t even blink and swallowed her breath.
“She was once his fiancée, but to end up like this in an instant…”
“What can you do? From the beginning, this was the position that suited Leah. It’s just returning to its natural order.”
Soon, the footsteps of the maids faded away. However, their words continued to buzz in Leah’s ears.
Mistress.
Taking in that word made her head spin. Leah swallowed a sob and barely exhaled.
She wanted to collapse, but her knees were too stiff to even do that.
‘Even if we break the engagement, you will remain under my authority.’
She finally understood what Caius had meant when he said those words long ago.
From the moment Caius held her before their engagement, this situation had been inevitable.
“Ha…”
Leah let out a hollow laugh and covered her eyes. She thought there was no place left to be hurt, but that wasn’t true.
Caius was cruel to the very end.
Her legs gave out as strength drained away. Leah, finally collapsing, couldn’t move from that spot for a long time.
“Lord.”
Two knights of the Seobyeolgung Palace saluted with upright postures. Caius, nodding slightly, asked a question.
“Leah Ainel?”
“The princess has remained in her chamber the whole time. She hasn’t come down to the hall.”
In response to the answer, which indirectly stated that she had been quiet, Caius curved his lips in a faint smile and walked through the hall.
Next week, he would go on a tour. He would be away for about a fortnight, so he wanted to see her as much as possible before then.
Wanting to see her a lot…
Caius found himself laughing at the thought as he headed to her chamber without any sign of haste.
He soon arrived at the door and knocked lightly, but there was no response from inside.
Without much hesitation, Caius turned the doorknob.
Through the half-open door, he saw Leah Ainel crouched in front of the fireplace.
She slowly turned her head, which had been staring blankly at the fireplace.
Her clear, tear-filled eyes soon glared at him resentfully.
Unconcerned, Caius walked inside and approached her.
As he stood blocking the fireplace, her head lifted slightly.
Her reddish, swollen eyes and tear-filled, amethyst-coloured pupils came into view. Caius tilted his head to capture the sight clearly.
‘She must have cried for sure this time.’
An unfailing faint sense of satisfaction washed over him. Yet, in a rather soft tone, he asked,
“Why did you cry?”
Leah, who had been silently looking up at him, soon lowered her head. Her hands, which gently grasped her knees, trembled slightly.
After hesitating for a while, she forced out a painful question from her dry lips.
“…Are you going to keep me as your mistress?”
Caius’s gaze shifted slightly.
Mistress.
In the end, that was what she had to be called, but for some reason, he couldn’t answer right away.
When he tried to say it clearly, it didn’t feel pleasant.
“Yes.”
Despite everything, he answered firmly.
Leah, as if shot down by his confirmation, closed her eyes tightly with pursed lips. Her clenched knuckles turned white.
“How… how can you be so cruel?”
Her slowly opening eyes trembled endlessly. Caius, watching the tears well up, chose to remain silent.
He could willingly accept her resentment. After all, this woman would remain by his side, so there was no need for pointless quarrels.
“Please, just send me back to Ainel.”
However, her resolute plea twisted Caius’s once merciful heart in an instant.
Raising one eyebrow, Caius looked down at her coldly. She still had her head bowed, her shoulders trembling.
“And what if I can’t do that?”
Hiding his twisted feelings, he asked calmly, and finally, Leah lifted her head.
Despite the trembling in her eyes, she continued firmly.
“You don’t need me anymore. You still don’t remember me, and you… don’t love me.”
“But you love me.”
At his arrogant dismissal, Leah shook her head blankly and murmured.
“No…”
“Yes, you do.”
Caius mocked her in a cold voice.
The woman who loved him would ultimately remain by his side. As she had been until now, quiet and lovely.
From the beginning, when he didn’t remember her, this was where she belonged.
“The man I loved… wasn’t like this.”
Leah denied his words, whispering faintly. Her voice, which seemed to be disappearing, forced strength into it.
“The man I loved isn’t who you are now.”
The trembling in her eyes gradually subsided as she looked directly at him. She strained to make it seem as if she were sincere.
Although he could see her lie clearly, her persistent resistance displeased him. Caius narrowed his eyes and looked down at her quietly.
The silent stare between them lasted for a long time. Soon, Caius’s mouth formed into a crooked smile.
With a light laugh, he slowly ran his hand over his face. The sneer disappeared, leaving his face cold and rigid.
“Leah.”
In a cold tone, Caius slowly ground out his words, as if coaxing her.
“Then and now, I am who I am.”
“No, you’re different.”
“The man standing before you is the man you loved.”
“No, he’s not…!”
She shouted in defiance, abruptly standing up. The proximity made the tears welling in her eyes even more evident.
Only after seeing that did Caius feel more at ease, loosening his rigid expression.
“Denying it won’t change anything.”
“Ugh…”
“You can’t return to Ainel.”
As he drove the final nail, the tears in her eyes finally spilled down her cheeks. Caius reached out and wiped her tears willingly.
Her tears grew larger under his touch. Feeling a twisted satisfaction, Caius regained his composure.
Now he understood why he didn’t mind her tears.
Those transparent tears felt like her blind love for him.
He didn’t mind her tears because, ultimately, he didn’t mind the woman who loved him no matter the circumstances.
“…Please, Caius.”
Leah, as if she had never resisted, murmured in a quiet voice.
Unable to push him away, she looked at him with a pitiful expression, still stunningly beautiful at this moment.
“You’re right. I still love you. And that’s why… that’s why I can’t stand it anymore.”
“….”
“Please, don’t make me more miserable… just let me go.”
A glimmer of something new appeared in Caius’s once calm eyes.
Unfortunately, her emotional plea didn’t affect him at all.
Hearing her declare her love for him only intensified his twisted desires.
And somewhere deep within those desires lay a sense of guilt.
Ignoring the remnants of his useless past, Caius pulled her in for a kiss to momentarily quench his burning lust.
As their lips parted, a cruel conclusion escaped between them.
“Leah Ainel, you must die here if you die at all.”
The voice, which sounded almost gentle, completely shattered Leah’s remaining hope.
* * *
Before leaving for his tour, Caius visited Leah every day.
Sometimes in the morning, sometimes late at night. He came whenever he pleased and threw Leah onto the bed.
Her desperate plea to not be made more miserable proved to have no effect on the cruel man.
There was no meaningful conversation during their encounters anymore. They were solely consumed by physical pleasure.
It was as if he was reminding Leah of her role as his mistress.
As if to say her place was here and her role was nothing more, he poured his unfiltered desires onto her without hesitation.
Under him, Leah endlessly trembled and broke. However, the time spent physically intertwined was bearable.
If she superimposed the voice whispering her name with past memories and let her mind drift, during those moments, she couldn’t think of despair, pain, or anything else.
The sensation of being filled to the point of suffocation. The bodies clashing violently. The hot pleasure spreading.
All of this helped Leah escape reality.
But upon opening her eyes, she was always alone.
What tormented Leah was the moment she was left alone in the bed.
Each time she looked at the clear marks left on her body, the reality she had forgotten in pleasure came crashing back, unavoidable.
Afterward, deep self-loathing dragged Leah into the mire.
