Chapter 1 (Part 2)

“…Miss!”  

From afar, a familiar voice echoed in her ears.  

“…Miss! If you keep walking absentmindedly like that, you’re going to trip!” 

The voice grew clearer and clearer.  

“Yu…ria?”  

“What on earth are you thinking about that you didn’t even notice someone coming?”  

Standing before her was unmistakably Yuria.  

Her one and only maid who had always taken her side throughout her life, the one who had been beaten and expelled by the Countess, and whose fate—whether she lived or died—had remained unknown ever since.

As Reinis’ expression froze in shock, Yuria looked at her with concern and examined her complexion.  

“Are you… feeling unwell?”  

“How… how are you…”  

“Pardon?”  

“Back at the Earl’s manor…”  

Before she could even finish her sentence, Yuria clapped her hands and exclaimed.  

“That’s right! You came out to buy a dress because the Earl said he would be visiting!”  

“…What?”  

“Miss, really, the Earl sent a proposal letter!”  

At those words, her steps came to an abrupt halt, and her face turned pale.  

“A proposal letter… What on earth are you talking about?”  

Just moments ago, Reinis had been happily pondering which dress to buy.  

Just moments ago, Reinis had been happily pondering which dress to buy. But now, as if she had become a completely different person, her expression hardened instantly. Yuria tilted her head in confusion.

“Miss, what’s wrong? Are you really not feeling well?”  

Despite Yuria’s concerned words, Reinis didn’t answer and instead busied herself looking around.  

She stood in the middle of the capital’s shopping district. It was the only place where she could spend time alone, away from the suffocating Baron’s manor. This square in the capital, unforgettable and etched into her memory, was unmistakable.  

“Surely… from the Earl’s territory to the capital… it would take over three days by carriage…”  

Mumbling to herself, she raised her hand and touched her neck.  

‘The sensation of my neck being severed just moments ago… it’s still so vivid…’  

Since her marriage to the Earl, Reinis had never once returned to the capital. For a moment, she wondered if she had died and come to this place she had missed the most.

“Miss… Are you okay? Should we go over there and rest for a bit?”  

But the warmth of Yuria’s hand gripping her arm felt undeniably alive, and Reinis’ mind went blank. It was a situation her mind couldn’t comprehend.  

Seeing the ordinary daily lives of people who hadn’t noticed anything strange, Reinis pressed her hand to her forehead.  

“Miss?! Are you feeling very unwell? Should I call a healer? Or maybe stop by a clinic?”  

“Wait… just a moment.”  

Yuria’s continuous worrying words made her head feel as though it was ringing. She needed to gather her thoughts.  

“No… No, let’s just go back for now.”  

“Pardon?”  

Although Yuria couldn’t understand Reinis’ actions, she quickly realized that her master wasn’t in good condition. After a brief hesitation, Yuria nodded firmly, as if making a determined decision.  

“Alright. Your health comes first, Miss, so I’ll call for a carriage.”  

As soon as the hastily summoned carriage arrived at the Baron’s manor, the news of Reinis’ early return reached the Baroness, who came rushing out in a flurry.  

“How did you come back so early? Did you pick a proper dress—Oh my, Reinis!!”  

Despite the Baroness’ loud call after her, Reinis dashed to her room like a madwoman.  

She flung open the door to the most secluded room, where even the sunlight barely reached. Seeing that the room was exactly as she remembered it, she collapsed onto the floor.  

“Surely… I had everything removed when I left for the Earl’s manor…”  

Muttering to herself, she suddenly heard the Baroness’ angry voice from behind her.  

“What on earth do you think you’re doing?!”  

“Well… her complexion didn’t look good even before we arrived at the dress shop. She seemed unwell, so we hurried back.” 

Yuria quickly answered before the Baroness could start scolding.  

“She’s unwell? But she was perfectly fine when she left! What on earth did she do out there to suddenly fall ill? And you—did you just stand by and let her get like this? You’re absolutely useless!”  

The Baroness’ irritated voice berated Yuria, but Reinis managed to pull herself up from the floor.  

“I think it’s because it’s been a while since I last rode in a carriage. My head started to hurt.”  

“A while? Didn’t you ride a carriage just recently? Ugh… The Earl’s marriage proposal is under discussion, and if he hears you’re unwell and cancels it, what will you do? No, this won’t do. I’ll call a physician.”

“I just… I just couldn’t sleep well. I think I’ll be fine after some rest.”  

At Reinis’ urgent tone, the Baroness looked at her with eyes full of suspicion. There wasn’t a hint of concern for her daughter, Reinis, in her gaze.  

It was a bitter reality, but right now, such things didn’t matter to her at all.  

“I was just so excited… I couldn’t sleep at all. I’d like to rest quietly for a bit, so please, I’d appreciate it if no one came into my room until I wake up.”  

Though suspicion lingered in her eyes, the Baroness waved her hand dismissively, as if she couldn’t be bothered.  

“Fine. But if you can’t even take care of yourself and the marriage proposal falls apart, what do you think will happen? There isn’t a single family that would take in a girl like you. If you still feel unwell when you wake up, call for the physician immediately.”  

With that, the Baroness left the room.  

After finally persuading Yuria, who insisted on staying to nurse her, to leave, Reinis sat on the edge of her bed, lost in deep thought.  

“Could it be… that I’ve returned to the past?”  

She calmly reflected on the hellish life she had endured. The horrifying misfortunes that still felt vividly real couldn’t possibly have been a dream.  

At that moment, another emotion welled up within her mind.  

“Marriage… Do I have to go through that again?”  

Murmuring softly to herself, she furrowed her brow.  

“I don’t want to…”  

She had never once disobeyed the Baron or the Baroness’ orders, nor had she ever considered that she could.  

The abuse, violence, and harsh words that had started long ago—ever since her father, Jackley Martin, remarried the current Baroness, Elina—had continued relentlessly.  

Even when she said the right things, they would claim she wasn’t listening, leaving her locked in a room, bloodied and bruised.  

No matter how dangerous a wild beast might be, if it is beaten and trained harshly from a young age, it will live its entire life without ever baring its teeth at its trainer and die that way. Rebellion or resistance becomes something unimaginable.  

That didn’t change even after she married the Earl… No, the Earl made her life even more miserable.  

‘There was no light, no hope…’

The scars etched into her mind had made it impossible for her to live a normal life. Even now, having returned to this time, she couldn’t imagine escaping marriage to the Earl.  

A person who wants to run away but cannot. Like a well-trained livestock animal, too terrified of the retribution that would follow to move, even when the leash is untied.  

‘How dare someone like you.’

‘A worthless existence.’

Her ten years of hellish married life. Despite it all, the words the Baroness had spoken before her marriage remained vividly in her mind. Those words had been deeply engraved in her consciousness and had become a part of her.  

When Reinis, who had never even seen the Earl’s face, heard that the proposal had been accepted, she asked if the marriage wasn’t happening too soon. The Baroness had replied:  

‘You’ll have to get married someday. Isn’t it good to become a Countess? Back in the day, many people got married at your age.’

To this, Reinis had said she didn’t want to marry someone she had never even met.  

The Baroness hardened her expression and shouted in a furious voice.  

‘Do you think we can keep supporting you forever?! Do you think you’re worthy of becoming a Countess? It’s only because George Plarad, the Earl, is willing to take you as his bride! You should be grateful!’

It was only after that outburst that the two of them had their first meeting. The nauseating memories of those days flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern.  

Reinis was twenty years old, just about to come of age. At that moment, she wondered if her misfortune had already been destined from the start. She decided to organize everything she remembered.  

Shoving the books that cluttered her desk to one side, she began filling the blank sheets of paper. Even though she hadn’t been allowed to leave the Earl’s manor, she wrote down every trivial detail she could recall, and before she knew it, the pages exceeded a dozen.  

As she continued writing, Reinis’ hand suddenly froze in midair.  

“…I don’t want to live like that again…”  

Drip.  

The ink that fell to the floor spread like the darkness that seemed to engulf her heart.  

“But… I don’t know what to do…”  

Even in this life, she couldn’t think of any way to avoid experiencing such a hell again. Her desperate wish to escape that cycle was fleeting, collapsing in an instant. She felt as if she were trapped forever, unable to find an exit.  

No one knew better than Reinis herself how utterly despairing the future awaiting her was.