Chapter 4.5

“What do you mean you didn’t rush? Even if you rode the fastest horse, it’s impossible to cover the distance from the capital to here in that time.”  

Although she had never been to the capital herself, she knew it took at least two weeks, including breaks for eating and sleeping. Even riding at full speed, it would take nearly a week.  

“There’s a way, Livie. Besides…”  

“Besides what?”  

“You were going to marry another man.”  

His voice dropped ominously.  

“So nothing was impossible. Not when it came to coming for you. Nothing could stop me.”  

“Boris.”  

“I hold the appointment letter as the lord. Everything in this land belongs to me. So you don’t need to worry about a thing.”  

Was his boundless confidence truly derived from the King?  

But she was certain of one thing: the King could not have foreseen this situation when granting him such authority. He couldn’t have imagined Boris would arrive in Tiso Village in just three days.  

And if the King found out about this situation…  

Her thoughts tangled in confusion.  

Suddenly, she felt a firm grip on her chin.  

Lifting her face, Boris gazed down at her with deep eyes.  

“Livie, have you not thought about me at all?”  

“…” 

Livie couldn’t answer his question.  

It was strange. Truly strange.  

That was exactly what Livie found strange as well.  

How could someone so vivid—his intense gaze, his voice, his gentle gestures—have nearly faded from her memory?  

As if someone had deliberately erased him.  

“Boris, I… we’ve been apart for so long.”  

Livie muttered under her breath.  

“And the King didn’t expect you to reach me so soon, and then…”  

That foolish King.  

He had no idea the permission he granted would lead to such a catastrophic situation.  

He had ordered a political marriage for peace, yet he had inadvertently sabotaged it.  

And now, Livie was left to deal with the aftermath.  

Duke Resette would undoubtedly seek revenge. Judging by his words alone…  

“You… are you really going to exercise the right of the first night on me?”  

“…”  

Seeing his silent face, Livie felt an even deeper fear. Silence often meant affirmation.  

“Do you not want me?”  

He immediately asked in a voice tinged with vulnerability.  

“Do you not want to share your first with me?”  

“T-That’s wrong. The right of the first night… it’s a terrible practice.”  

Livie stammered, grasping at any words she could find.  

In truth, calling it “terrible” wasn’t entirely accurate, as she knew such customs still existed in some villages. It all depended on the discretion of the lord governing the village.  

“Livie…”  

His voice, cold yet filled with sorrow and a mix of emotions, called her name.  

At that moment, Livie realized.  

She was trapped.  

Utterly confined.  

This time, there was no escape.  

“Oh… oh, oh no…”  

“Livie?”  

“You’re scary… so scary…”  

“Hmm?”  

“You’re terrifying…”  

This time, real tears began to flow.  

Tears welled up and spilled over, as if every tear duct inside her had burst open.  

What started as quiet sobs quickly turned into uncontrollable wailing.  

“I-I was wrong.”  

He hurriedly apologized.  

“Forgive me, Livie.”  

He even knelt on the ground.  

The sight of the large man kneeling and begging for forgiveness stirred a strange emotion in Livie.  

It was like seeing a massive, gentle dog bowing down to plead for mercy.  

“You can hit me more until you feel better. Just don’t cry, okay?”  

But even as he pleaded, Livie couldn’t stop crying.  

Seeing her tears persist, Boris grew increasingly flustered.  

He picked up the pillow and handed it to her, as if offering himself for punishment.  

Then, closing his eyes tightly, he waited.  

Livie, sniffling, took the pillow he offered and raised it high.  

“…”  

Like a martyr awaiting her fate, she froze in place, pillow raised high above her head.  

For a moment, silence filled the room. Only the sound of her ragged breathing broke the stillness, marking the passage of time.  

Kneeling upright, her chest heaved violently as she gasped for air, in stark contrast to Boris, who remained as motionless as a fossil. The only sign of life from him was the occasional tremor of his tightly shut eyelids.  

‘No way.’  

Watching him, a memory surfaced in Livie’s mind.  

‘Is he scared?’  

Back when they used to play together, whether it was racing or arm-wrestling, the loser would have to close their eyes and endure a flick to the forehead. Boris’s trembling eyelashes had always seemed so cute and endearing to her that she often dragged out the punishment, pretending to flick him but never actually doing it.  

Since most of their games ended with her winning, Boris had no choice but to endure the penalties she doled out.  

“…”  

Livie quietly lowered one foot to the floor. Still, he didn’t move.  

“I’m going to hit you. For real this time!”  

She raised her voice deliberately as she planted her other foot firmly on the ground and slowly stood up.  

“Okay.”  

He squeezed his eyes shut even tighter.  

“When should I hit you?”  

Turning her head quickly, she checked the door. Seeing that the latch was undone, a surge of joy welled up from deep within her.  

“You know you can’t open your eyes until I hit you, right? That’s cheating.”  

She swung the pillow around, making whooshing sounds as she took a few steps back. Even as she did so, she couldn’t help but feel ridiculous for going along with such a mad plan.  

But after seeing the crazed look in his eyes earlier, her fear had overridden everything else, leaving her with only one thought: to escape.  

Just as she turned to make her move—  

Thunk.  

A hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her back. Before she could even process what was happening, her body was helplessly dragged back into his arms, trapped once more. His dark, violet eyes, filled with shadows, loomed over her.  

“Where are you going?”  

“…”  

“You said you’d punish me. I was waiting.”  

Gulp. The sound of her dry throat swallowing was all that filled the air. She didn’t even dare to try prying his hand off her waist.  

Time seemed to stretch endlessly as the silence dragged on.  

“Ahhh!”  

Suddenly, Boris fell forward with her still in his arms. Livie, pinned beneath his heavy body, squawked like a duck stuck in a pit.  

“Let me go! Let go, now!”  

“If I let you go, you’ll run to the window again. You’ll say you’re going to jump.”  

His tone was soothing, as if he were trying to calm her down, but his actions were anything but gentle. He grabbed her wrists with one hand, his movements starkly contrasting his tender voice.  

“The window is dangerous, Livie.”  

‘You’re the dangerous one.’  

She swallowed the words that rose to her lips and watched as he pulled out a long cord. It looked as if it had been prepared in advance, as if it had always been there.  

“Why… why do you have that?”  

Livie stared blankly at the cord in his hand. 

What was he planning to do with it? Surely not… surely not.  

“B-Boris?”  

Her worst fears were confirmed.  

“What are you doing?!”  

She twisted her body this way and that, but it was no use. Having already witnessed her escape twice, Boris wasn’t about to let her go so easily. No matter how much she struggled, he didn’t give her an inch.  

“Stay still, Livie. You’ll get hurt.”  

With the ease of someone handling a dead animal after a hunt, he tied her wrists together.  

Before she knew it, the cord binding her wrists was secured to the bedpost, leaving her completely immobilized.  

“I didn’t want to do this.”  

“Then don’t!”  

Her voice rang out in disbelief, but he only looked at her with sorrowful eyes. She tried pulling at the cord just in case, but it was no use.  

Her hands were bound, and above her loomed a man who resembled a wild beast.  

The only difference was that this beast seemed to be watching her closely, gauging her reactions.  

“Let me go, Boris.”  

She spoke with a hardened expression. He hesitated for a moment but then shook his head.  

“Why are you doing this? What’s the point?”  

She tried to remain calm. Ever since she had been abducted, she had failed to maintain her composure, but she refused to give up on reasoning with him.  

Sure, her father had always said the world was full of lunatics, but this was beyond anything she had imagined.  

“Don’t you know why I’m doing this?”  

“No, I don’t. I really don’t. So please, untie me.”  

Her words alternated between pleading and threatening, but all she got in return was a firm 

“No.”  

And so, tied up, she continued her back-and-forth struggle with Boris.  

Just as she was about to lose her patience with his automatic “No” responses—  

“Boris, let me go. Don’t do this. Let us talk, okay? Please?”  

“…Us?”  

She didn’t miss the way his despair-filled expression softened, if only for a moment.  

Yes, maybe…  

“Yes. I’m hurt, Boris. Look, my wrists are red.”  

“It hurts…?”

He looked down at her, his face filled with uncertainty.  

“Yes, it hurts. Ow, ow.”  

His pupils wavered, unable to find focus.  

“Livie… you’re hurt. Because of me…”  

Yes, this was it. She wanted to clap her hands in triumph at the sudden realization.  

Seeing how easily he faltered at the mere mention of her pain, she felt she might finally have found a way to reach him.