Chapter 12

Back in the bedroom, Estelle stared at the new engagement ring on her finger. Her fingertips trembled. Raphael had given her notice.

He would do whatever it took to lay the groundwork and push through with the wedding… And holding the wedding in the Imperial Bishop’s Hall, where no one could celebrate them, showed Raphael’s determination to make it lavish.

As if, if no one would welcome their marriage, he’d force applause even if it meant shedding blood… It was a way of thinking only possible for someone with such relentless obsession toward Estelle.

She bit her nails as she paced around the bedroom. Something should be delivered to her soon. Was it too difficult to bypass the surveillance of the western villa, or was Emily betraying her again by not sending the goods? Anxiety grew.

But since she was confined in the western villa, she couldn’t check the situation outside. She felt suffocated. She made threats she normally wouldn’t, even issued harsh warnings. At that moment, she had no hesitation in using intimidation. Since she realized Emily had betrayed her, the ending with Raphael had become faintly visible.

Now that Raphael wanted a child and even yearned for her to be his legitimate wife, the shock was beyond imagination.

‘If the goods don’t arrive, I can’t just wait forever.’

She couldn’t just stay idle here; she had to try something. Unfortunately, what Estelle could do was extremely limited. Even if she succeeded in escaping, her options were few… And in Raphael’s grasp, even fewer.

The despair weighed so heavily her legs trembled. Estelle tried to sit down for a moment to rest. Just then…

“My Lady, I’ve brought the dessert you ordered.”

The voice of the servant Raphael had assigned to her came from beyond the bedroom door. Estelle tilted her head, since she hadn’t ordered any dessert herself.

The attendant who served her during her stay at the western villa had been with her even before Raphael arrived. Not once had this person made a mistake.

So, as Estelle was about to send the attendant away—

“‥‥‥!”

Suddenly, a possibility crossed her mind. Because there were always two knights stationed outside her bedroom door like guards, outsiders could never enter. At the very least, only those whose identity was verified could cross the threshold.

So even if goods were delivered, wouldn’t an outsider have to sneak in to hand them over? She had vaguely thought so….

‘Could it be that they succeeded in recruiting someone?’

Estelle swallowed nervously and allowed the attendant to enter. The attendant, holding a tray, crossed the threshold and bowed deeply. As always, the attitude was polite.

The dessert on the tray was a canelé topped with lemon cream. It looked nothing out of the ordinary.

Estelle instructed to set it down on the sofa table.

The attendant set it down without a word, bowed again, and withdrew.

Estelle wondered if it was just her imagination that the attendant gave no explanation. Clinging to tangled hopes, she wondered if she was expecting too much from an unintentional mistake.

Still….

‘As long as Raphael is here, the other servants wouldn’t dare mess up the job.’

Even the ones who served her closely. She didn’t think he would be so lax.

Estelle fixed her gaze on the canelé and picked up a tea spoon. She could have been given a fork or a small knife, but nothing sharp was ever provided, perhaps to prevent her from trying something extreme.

Even her teacup and dishes could only be used in Raphael’s presence. It was a strict control.

She pressed the center of the canelé with the tea spoon. The diamond ring on her ring finger still sparkled. Anxiety surged over her.

And then….

“‥‥‥!”

Inside the neatly cut canelé was a small candy. Estelle carefully lifted it with the spoon, afraid it might break.

It was a deep violet color—not an ordinary candy.

She felt relief knowing she had finally received the item she so desperately wanted. Emily had not betrayed Estelle a second time. They had truly succeeded in recruiting someone.

Estelle exhaled deeply and wrapped the candy carefully in a handkerchief. It was her only hope.

***

Four days had passed since Raphael gave her the engagement ring. During that time, Estelle spent every night in Raphael’s bedroom. She couldn’t even touch contraceptive tea, so every time his seed filled the space between her legs, she flinched. Even when she pretended to be indifferent, the increasing frequency of their intimacy made it impossible to escape her anxiety.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be strange for a child to take root in her womb. The time spent at the western villa made her feel endlessly powerless. Yet that time passed swiftly, almost mockingly.

She didn’t want to return to the main residence of the dukedom, but wondered if she could ever escape this place…. Estelle gradually began to doubt, then soon erased those thoughts from her mind.

Raphael would take Estelle to the capital for the wedding, even if he didn’t head to the main residence of the dukedom. He would never let her spend her entire life in the western villa.

Even knowing that, Estelle suffered from deep nightmares whenever she fell asleep after their intense intimacy. She wondered if she would spend an unbearably long time trapped in his grasp, but ironically, that wasn’t the case. It was the opposite.

In her dream, Estelle went up to the capital with him and headed to the main residence. Her father, witnessing their unhealthy relationship, clicked his tongue and had a fit, calling it madness. He insisted it must not happen. It was a perfectly normal reaction.

But Raphael, regardless of whether Duke Pellia allowed it or not, pushed ahead with the wedding. He instantly cut down Duke Pellia’s neck with a blade for opposing him.

Afterward, the Imperial Family tried to hold him accountable for the crime of kin-slaying, but he refused and eventually started a rebellion. It was as if he was rewriting a bloody history, with the screams and bloodstains of nobles scattered everywhere.

Raphael, smiling at Estelle, had his face covered in red blood. Estelle turned pale at that grotesque sight.

The one she loved had finally been ruined.

With a face soaked in blood, he whispered quietly. Estelle’s lips trembled.

— I love you, let’s be together until the end.

“‥‥‥!”

Overwhelmed by a massive sense of pressure, Estelle suddenly opened her eyes. In the pitch-black darkness, only the cold moonlight streamed in through the large window, sharply illuminating her vision. Lying in the wide bedroom, Estelle turned her head slightly.

She saw Raphael, asleep with his face half-buried in her red hair.

He was quite different from the Raphael she had just met in her nightmare. Deep in slumber, Raphael’s face was peaceful. The one who had relentlessly pursued her until she lost consciousness had, after their union, fallen asleep right away.

At a glance, his expression was full of satisfaction.

His firm skin was pressed against her soft flesh. Their bodies shared warmth.

Estelle couldn’t take her eyes off his face, and soon found herself feeling relieved. How foolish and stupid could she be… She felt self-loathing, but there was nothing she could do.

If she could control her emotions, things wouldn’t have gone this far. She would have desperately tried to destroy her relationship with Raphael.

Of course, she couldn’t even imagine herself doing that.

‘It’s scary, but I don’t resent what’s happened. So please, don’t do anything foolish. Don’t give me any choices that leave me with nothing.’

Knowing it was pointless, Estelle still muttered it endlessly in her heart. The use of the candy later would depend entirely on Raphael’s actions. She already knew it was highly likely she would have to use it, but she still placed her hope in the slim chance.

Otherwise, she felt she might cry right away. She didn’t want to wake Raphael, who was sleeping deeply….

She carefully turned her body on the bed and snuggled into Raphael’s arms. If he were awake, she would never have approached him first, but Raphael was unusually still.

She closed her eyes, hoping she wouldn’t have another nightmare. The heavier she nestled into his arms, the more his scent lingered at her nose.

Eventually, Estelle fell asleep again. Soon, as her breathing became regular, Raphael lifted one hand and gently brushed her hair.

He hadn’t been asleep. Even before she snuggled into his arms, Raphael’s mind had been wide awake. With his eyes half-open, Raphael looked down at Estelle.

At that moment, a stronger certainty set Raphael’s heart ablaze.

‘I know you like me, Estelle.’

That was why Raphael was willing to stain his hands with blood.