Chapter 23
“…What? You’re saying you would have sold me even if you didn’t get paid?”
“I have a rather personal grudge against your mother, miss.”
Even in the dark, the butler’s brown eyes shone strangely.
The clear hatred in them made Damia’s whole body feel frozen.
“So please don’t resent me too much.”
“What are you talking about? Was it a lie that Romy got hurt too?”
“And don’t expect anyone to come save you. I’ve already prepared a very believable reason for your disappearance.”
“You always did everything carelessly—why are you being so thorough today?!”
“If you meet the Duchess in the afterlife, please give her my regards.”
Bang!
As soon as the door shut, the carriage started racing forward at an incredible speed.
Damia, who had been thrown onto the floor, slammed her back against the bottom of a seat.
“Ugh…!”
As expected, the ride was terrible.
Holding back the urge to vomit, Damia barely managed to climb onto the seat.
She had no idea how the butler dared to do something like this.
And a grudge against her mother?
He had never said anything like that in her previous life!
“Wait, wait!”
Damia banged on the ceiling of the carriage.
She had to get the driver’s attention and find some way to escape.
“Stop for just a moment!”
Straining, she pushed the window open and shouted desperately.
She had thought about just opening the door and jumping out, but at this speed she might actually die.
“We’re going to Count Pavron’s estate, right?”
At her sudden question, the carriage slowed down.
The driver let out a quiet, creepy snicker.
‘What is that? Why has he been laughing like that this whole time?’
Goosebumps rose on Damia’s arms.
The driver didn’t seem sane, but she had to try negotiating.
“Take me to the Duke of Sarkis’s estate instead. I’ll reward you well.”
She shouted out the window.
“I’m the young duke’s fiancée. If I disappear like this, the ducal family won’t stay quiet.”
“……”
“No matter where you take me, you’ll be caught in the end!”
The driver didn’t answer.
Only the sound of a whip cracking echoed through the silent forest.
Did he think she was bluffing?
“I’m not lying!”
Damia was no longer just an ordinary fiancée—she was the only one who could extend the young duke’s life.
Just by holding his hand, she had been able to ease his curse, even if only for a short time.
No matter what Count Pavron had offered the driver, she could offer more.
“Lord Cassian will make sure you’re well rewarded. I promise!”
Screeech—!
As if Cassian’s name were some kind of signal, the speeding carriage came to a sudden stop.
The impact made Damia hit her head against the wall.
“Ahh…”
Soon, the driver opened the carriage door.
Through her tear-blurred vision, she saw a very tall man.
“You’re really damn noisy.”
The man took off the hat he had pulled low over his face and smiled.
“And you even dared to say that irritating name.”
The driver was not a shabby middle-aged man.
The face hidden under the hat was pale and smooth.
And dangerously beautiful.
“Why did you have to draw attention to yourself?”
The man, who had been pretending to be the driver, leaned into the carriage.
The moment Damia saw his clean white face up close, her heart dropped.
“Tell me, little girl. Why did you give that useless medicine to the young duke? Hm?”
“W-What are you talking about?”
“I already know everything. Don’t pretend.”
“Who… who are you?”
“Do I really have to answer that?”
The way he smiled looked strangely familiar.
It reminded her of the most perfectly shaped person she knew—Cassian Sarkis.
But unlike the real one, he felt twisted, like a crooked imitation.
Even his tone was completely different.
‘The young duke doesn’t have a brother…’
Whatever he was, this man was dangerous.
An instinctive fear made her mouth go dry.
“You’re not someone Count Pavron sent, are you?”
“Oh? Smarter than I expected. They still believe that, though.”
He stepped closer and lifted her chin with the tip of his whip.
“So this is what you look like? To human eyes, you’re not bad.”
“Let go!”
“Tsk, speak nicely. I came all this way because I was curious about you.”
Damia’s lips trembled.
“Why so cold? I even went out of my way to wear a face you like.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Come on, take a good look.”
Up close, his pupils were long and vertical.
And they shone in the dark.
Damia gasped. He didn’t look human at all.
“Y-You’re not human, are you? What are you?”
“What do you think?”
A calm smile spread across his bloodless face.
There was nothing human about him.
He looked like a monster wearing a mask shaped like the young duke.
“Little girl, Cassian Sarkis must die as soon as possible. That’s my mission.”
“…What?”
“Do you know how long we’ve worked to wipe out the cursed Sarkis bloodline?”
His cold words made her heart tighten.
‘I obviously don’t! What are you?’
She twisted her head, trying to escape him.
The carriage was too small. He was too big. There was nowhere to run.
“Think carefully. We’ve hated the Sarkis family for a very long time.”
In the Velotea Empire, the Sarkis family was almost absolute.
Their ancestor had killed a raging mad dragon and saved countless lives…
‘Wait.’
A sudden realization struck her.
Damia stiffened and looked up at him.
Oval pupils. Intense glowing eyes. And now that she looked closely, faint traces of scales near his eyes.
“Looks like you figured it out. I don’t dislike clever children.”
His eyes slowly turned bright red.
“That’s impossible. I heard dragons were completely wiped out.”
Her lips trembled.
“Your ancestors must have thought so too. They never imagined that we, who carry dragon blood, would survive by pretending to be disgusting humans.”
She had once heard a legend about beings born from the mad dragon’s blood calling themselves the Dragonkin.
She had thought it was just a myth.
Or maybe this man was just insane.
“Stop spacing out. Look carefully, little girl.”
He pointed to his own face.
“I even copied the face of this cursed bloodline. With this determination, what couldn’t I do?”
“Why… why the young duke’s face?”
“Why? I told you. Since I came to get you, I used a face you like…”
“That’s not the only reason.”
“You’re too sharp. Do you really want to know? It would be better not to.”
“Tell me.”
A crooked smirk appeared on Cassian’s copied face.
“Fine. After that brat dies, we will… Ah, want to guess?”
Damia’s breath caught.
They knew Cassian didn’t have long to live.
Did they plan to replace him after he died?
“What do you think we’ll do?”
He tilted his head and smiled.
“We’ve been holding our breath and waiting our entire lives. Can you imagine how long a lifetime is for beings like us?”
“……”
“Especially for me.”
His shoulders shook unevenly.
She thought he was laughing, but when he raised his head, his teeth were clenched tight.
He was holding back rising anger.
‘What do I do? Should I beg him? Say I’ll do anything if he spares me?’
“Little girl, don’t overthink.”
“Ugh!”
He lashed the whip against the window with a loud crash.
The old carriage shook violently.
Damia, who had already hit her head earlier, felt dizzy again.
“Now, I’ll give you a choice.”
Suddenly?
