Chapter – 01
“Fedi. Tonight is going to be intense.”
“What?”
Has this man lost his mind? What’s wrong with him all of a sudden?
“Hot things are always good. Because they’re intense.”
As Ferdia carefully examined his face and noticed his dark crimson eyes, she clicked her tongue softly.
“Is it that day again?”
“What do you mean that day?”
At the man pretending not to know, Ferdia let out a deep sigh and began unbuttoning her clothes one by one. As she threw off her light dress, a smile appeared on Ereb’s lips.
Greed colored his expression, and Ferdia shook her head as if she found it ridiculous.
“I won’t go easy on you tonight.”
“As if.”
Ferdia answered indifferently as she completely removed her dress and loosened the corset that had tightly bound her waist. Now freed, she glanced over her body and smiled faintly. Only a white silk slip remained on her, faintly revealing her skin underneath.
Her marine-blue hair, soaked in moonlight, fluttered in the wind. As a soft fragrance drifted from her flowing hair, a rough smile appeared on Ereb’s lips, like someone who had found the perfect partner to satisfy his desires.
His eyes curved as they traced the long, straight white lines of her legs beneath the dress.
“Tonight will be long, Fedi.”
“Prepare yourself.”
The moment she finished speaking, he lunged.
At that exact instant, Fedi drew the sword hanging on the wall and swung it fiercely. Even in that dangerous moment, Ereb only smiled, his eyes shining with what looked like satisfaction.
“Let’s enjoy this, Fedi.”
“Haa…”
And that thing is supposed to be my husband.
A deep crease formed between Ferdia’s brows. How on earth had she ended up marrying a man like that? As she recalled the events from two months ago, she swung her sword again.
***
In the middle of a battlefield filled with horrifying screams, Ferdia lay collapsed, her eyes trembling.
This can’t be happening.
That was the only thought running through her mind.
With a metallic clang, a silver sword appeared before her eyes. Its blade was so sharp it looked ready to sever her neck at any moment. The cold gleam of the blade made her throat feel as if it were being struck by something hot.
Ferdia slowly lifted her gaze from the blade and met the red eyes looking down at her.
Cold eyes.
His face showed no emotion at all, not even the slightest sign of someone who had just won a war.
Master of the Bloodstorm. Human Butcher. Owner of Corruption. Master of the Silver Sword. Lord of Desire.
He had many titles, but people usually just called him:
“The Duke of Grixia…”
At Ferdia’s voice, his red eyes shifted slightly. At the same time, the blade lowered toward her heart.
In that chilling moment, as her heart seemed to freeze, her mind still repeated only one thought.
This isn’t how it’s supposed to go…
The story she knew did not unfold like this.
Being transported into her favorite novel because of something she had jokingly tried after reading it online had been shocking enough. But after realizing she couldn’t return no matter how hard she tried, she eventually decided to adapt to this life. It had already been six years.
Ferdia Arde Poeheim.
The eldest daughter of the Marquis Poeheim family. In the novel, she was a woman powerful enough to become the commander of the knight order.
After possessing Ferdia, she spent a year confirming her abilities.
Fortunately, even if her mind didn’t understand everything, her body remembered. Step by step, she improved her skills.
Just like in the novel, she joined the knight order at 18 and became its commander at 20. That much had been almost inevitable.
There were no villains. No one bullied her or treated her badly. No one dared oppose Ferdia, the prestigious noblewoman and knight commander.
As time passed, the war—the novel’s highlight—left a deep impression on her. Experiencing the final arc of a story she had once only read felt meaningful.
Standing on a battlefield could have been terrifying, but fortunately her mentality seemed to have fully adapted to Ferdia’s. She didn’t panic or lose her composure.
Thanks to that, victory followed victory. As she defended the kingdom from imperial invasion and approached the novel’s ending, she found herself wondering something.
When the war ends, the story ends too. What happens to me then?
Maybe she could return to reality.
With that hope, she continued fighting and commanding her troops.
After two months of war, according to the original story, the imperial commander should have been captured. Ferdia would return home victorious and live happily ever after.
But—
Why did we lose?
That was the problem.
It wasn’t really her fault. Troops stationed elsewhere had been ambushed and collapsed, exposing her main force from behind and leading to their annihilation.
A scene that had never even existed in the novel.
Ferdia panicked. Still, she fought desperately to survive until she was ultimately blocked by the Duke of Grixia before her.
And defeated.
“You fought well.”
“…Is that a compliment?”
“Call it respect for an enemy who kept her sword raised until the end.”
His voice was completely emotionless. Ferdia bit her lip.
While living as Ferdia, she had believed she might have no equal.
The overwhelming mana flowing through her body and her natural ability to control it allowed her to surpass physical limits. Combined with her innate sword talent, she was undeniably extraordinary.
In fact, the novel had described Ferdia as nearly flawless and unbeatable.
But—
What is this man?
He did exist in the novel. But not as a main character. Not even a supporting one.
Just a name mentioned once.
And yet that very man now held her life in his hands.
Damn it. Why is he this strong?
Too strong.
She had never considered herself weak. But in front of him, her confidence felt like arrogance.
I was supposed to win…
Defeating him and winning the war was how the story should end. But just one page before the ending, she had fallen to her knees.
No matter how much she denied it, his unmoving gaze told her the truth.
“Any last words?”
“….”
In books, when protagonists offered enemies a chance for last words, it always seemed noble.
But hearing it yourself was different.
It felt like a death sentence.
Her blood seemed to dry up. Her lips felt parched. She could feel the color draining from her face.
“None?”
She finally realized how tense she had been when a deep sigh escaped her and her heart pounded violently.
“…Is that respect too?”
“You could say that.”
His voice was cold and dried of emotion. Ferdia shut her eyes tightly.
I’m going to die.
This is the end.
Forget the novel’s ending—her story would end here.
She had never seriously feared death before. The story already had a fixed ending, and she knew it.
At least, until now.
“…You won’t spare me?”
“Even if I did, you’d be executed as a prisoner. You know that.”
Would they really spare the enemy commander who had slaughtered at least a thousand nobles and soldiers?
She’d be lucky not to end up as a public example on a spike.
She inhaled deeply.
“It would be better to die peacefully here.”
“…That’s respect too?”
“Let’s not waste time on useless thoughts.”
For a brief moment, his lips moved into what might have been a smile.
She swallowed.
“No last words.”
“Any belongings to send to your family?”
“None.”
His eyes widened slightly at her firm answer. His brows lifted in mild surprise. But he didn’t ask further questions.
He wasn’t the type.
“Then let’s finish this.”
Her heart pounded wildly at the sharpness of his blade. She desperately searched her memories for any overlooked detail or possible escape.
There was none.
The cold edge touched her neck. She felt warm blood begin to flow and squeezed her eyes shut.
The blade would cut her throat. She would bleed, suffer, and die.
Remembering the people she herself had cut down, her body trembled at the coming pain.
It’s going to hurt. How much will it hurt? Will I scream?
She just wanted it to end quickly.
Then—
What?
She slowly opened her eyes.
The pain she expected never came.
Confused, she looked at the Duke of Grixia.
“….”
His red eyes were fixed on her, as if lost in thought. He didn’t even seem to notice she had opened her eyes.
What is he doing?
Carefully, she shifted backward, trying to move away from the blade.
As soon as her neck left the edge, his eyes moved.
His hand moved too.
“…Ah.”
This is it.
She shut her eyes again.
“I’m really going to die now—”
“Stop!”
A sudden voice rang out.
Ferdia opened her eyes again.
The Duke had already turned toward the source.
“What is it?”
A knight who had ridden up in haste handed him a letter.
“A message from His Majesty.”
“…A message?”
He frowned slightly, opened it, and read. Then he sighed quietly.
As Ferdia watched in confusion, his red eyes returned to her.
His lips parted.
