To Get Away from an Ex’s Obsession

Asralda bit her lips until they bled. She couldn’t understand why he was telling such lies when all he needed was a bait.

His shameless face was disgusting, and she couldn’t bear to look at it.

“Just kill me!”

I don’t know where I got the strength from. Maybe it was because I had already experienced death once. Asralda glared at the emperor and cursed him.

“Just kill me!”

Her outburst made the attendants even more enraged. They were ready to rush forward and beat Asralda to death, thinking he was insane.

Surprisingly, the emperor remained calm. He seemed to be watching between Aiden and him as if he was dozing off, but unexpectedly nodded his head.

“Fine. I’ll give you the last word.”
“Your Majesty!”

The aide next to him shouted, but the emperor spoke while staring at Aiden.

“However, you have ten days. If you can’t tame him within that time, he will be executed according to the law.”

Aiden looked coldly at Asralda and whispered.

“Will there be a choice?”

With the situation as it was, even the attendants couldn’t say anything.

After Aiden formally thanked the emperor, he ordered Asralda to be taken away.

The knight forcibly dragged Asralda, who was struggling fiercely, outside the palace.

She resisted with all her might, but it was no use. Asralda was dragged helplessly outside the palace.

She discovered a familiar carriage that made her tremble with fear in front of the palace. It was the carriage in Aiden’s ducal estate. She used it often when she was alive.

Yes, I remember this too. When I left the palace in the past, this carriage was waiting for me.

Asralda laughed with anger as she stupidly stared at the carriage.

It was ridiculous to confirm that everything about what he had done was a puzzle.

Asralda erased her laughter and glared at Aiden. Just before getting on the carriage, she snarled at Aiden like this,

“Even if you kill me, you won’t be able to tame me.”

Never again.

Instead of retorting, Aiden coldly looked at her. Then, he ordered the coachman to depart.

The carriage immediately left the palace and headed towards Aiden’s mansion.

***

“Um… Your Grace, isn’t this room too luxurious for that prisoner? Would it be better to keep him in the basement?”

The knight, who didn’t expect the enemy prisoner to be moved into a luxurious bedroom inside the mansion, cautiously spoke up.

After arriving at the mansion by riding on different carriages, Aiden gave a blunt order to the knight.

“Stop talking nonsense and bring her in.”

Finally, the knight forcibly dragged her into the room.

Meanwhile, Asralda was in a state of shock.

It was because the room that he brought her into was the room she used to use when she was alive.

Aiden’s actions, which were no different from the past, were so terrifying that it gave me goosebumps.

It was a feeling of being constantly reminded that there was no room for emotions towards me.

The endless floor, the floor, and even the floor below that.

Asralda trembled with pain that seemed to have no end. Then she heard Aiden’s voice from behind.

“Untie thr leash.”

As the knight approached to untie her leash as ordered, Asralda quickly reached out to the knight’s waist.

It happened in a split second. She had taken the sword out of the knight’s waist.

Asralda held the handle of the sword tightly with both hands and threatened Aiden and the knight with a menacing shout.

“Don’t come any closer!”

Aiden, who was standing still for a moment, soon noticed the trembling tip of the knife. He chuckled.

“What are you going to do with that? Are you going to stab me?”

Asralda stared at him and asked.

“Why, can’t you do it?”

“Have you ever handled a knife before?”

Of course, she had never done it even once. This was also the first time she had ever held a sword handle like this, besides a small knife.

The knight, who felt that the atmosphere was not good, tried to block Aiden’s path. But Aiden reached out his arm and stopped him.

Then he approached her with the tip of the sword handle, as if he was saying that she should try if she could. The sharp end of the blade touched his firm chest.

Asralda hesitated for a moment, looking surprised. But soon she gritted her teeth and held the knife tightly.

In that moment when the sharp blade was about to cut his chest, Aiden quickly moved and stood next to her. Then he lightly hit her hand holding the knife handle with his palm.

“!”

As a result, the sword fell to the ground due to the recoil.

Asralda, who was surprised, quickly bent down to pick up the knife, but it was impossible. Aiden lightly hit her back with his elbow this time.

It was already difficult for her to stand on her feet as she had accumulated a lot of fatigue from being dragged here. Even though it would have been a pretty weak hit, Asralda had no choice but to fall to the ground without any strength.

The knight, who had been watching the tense scene, sighed with relief and admiration. Just as he approached to forcibly lift Asralda up,

“Don’t touch her.”

Aiden suddenly spoke sharply.

“What?”

The knight asked in confusion, and Aiden silently gestured towards the door as if telling her to leave.

‘Me, leave?’

The knight looked at Aiden with a bewildered face. She had not been able to understand Aiden’s behavior since earlier.

Not only did he give her such a nice room, but he also knocked out the man who dared to wield a sword in front of her without a scratch. And he just told her to leave instead of tying her up again?

Moreover, Aiden’s gaze was fixed straight on Asralda. He seemed to be about to sit down, but he reached out his arm and shamelessly lifted Asralda, supporting her waist and head.

“!”

The knight became even more confused, but he could only watch.

When he stood still without leaving, Aiden looked at the knight nervously. The knight finally regained his senses and bent over.

“Th-then I’ll go out!”

With a sharp voice, the sound of the door closing was heard. When the room became completely quiet, Aiden approached her while holding her and went to the bed. Then he carefully laid Asralda on the bed.

Asralda’s face was very bruised from the long journey. Her hands and feet were covered with wounds, and there was not a single spot that was not injured.

Aiden looked at her bruised face and then reached out his hand quietly. Then he gently touched her wounds with his palm, which had been caused by her fall earlier.

In that state, he could not take his eyes off Asralda for a long time, as if he was tense.

Soon, a faint groaning sound came from her. At that moment, Aiden let out a relieved sigh as if he could hear it. Then he sat on the chair across the bed with a tired expression and leaned against the back of the chair.

He looked up at the ceiling and put his palm on his forehead.

Asralda’s voice that had echoed in his ears three days ago still lingered in his mind.

‘My sister died. Eight years ago.’

Aiden’s voice echoed in the silent room.

“Asralda….”

It was completely incomprehensible.

“Why did you lie…?”

***

Asralda had a dream.

It was a dream of dying alone in a quiet forest with no one around.

It was a dream of slowly dying in pain until the blood flowing from her throat hardened in the darkness where no sound of animal cries could be heard.

‘Huh!’

Asralda woke up with a gasp and grabbed her neck.

What she saw was not a forest that was coldly surrounding her, and there was no wound on her neck.

She shuddered and looked around. She was in a very familiar room.

‘…My room?’

At that moment, memories of the past three days flooded Asralda’s mind. At the same time, she was surprised to find a man sitting next to her bed.

It was Aiden.

“Are you awake.”

Asralda quickly fell back onto the bed and trembled, glaring at him.

He had been sitting with his arms and legs crossed. His expression was so calm that it was frightening.

The two of them stared at each other without saying a word. Silence filled the room for a while.

Aiden was the first to break the silence.

“I haven’t heard your name yet.”

Asralda tried to read his thoughts with a question she hadn’t thought of.

‘Is he trying to persuade me this time, since threats didn’t work?’

Asralda replied without letting her guard down.

“I’m going to be executed in ten days anyway. Is there a need to know my name?”

It was a provocative and sharp retort, but Aiden showed no particular reaction.

Instead, he stared at her quietly.

Asralda unconsciously gripped the end of the blanket tightly. It felt like he was staring straight into her black pupils.

‘Did he touch me while I was unconscious?’

Yes, that was a possibility. And if that were the case, he might have already found out that she was a woman.

Asralda tensed up, watching Aiden’s motionless lips. Then he said something completely unexpected.

“I’ve met your sister before.”