Her blue eyes, lit up by the dawn light, watched the heavy snowfall.
The weather was not ideal for running away.
Sveta carefully rose from the bed. The firm arm that had encircled her slipped away.
Her eyelids, which had seemed as though they would remain closed forever, slowly lifted. Meeting Aiden’s hazy gaze, Sveta wrapped her loose night robe around herself.
“Sleep a little longer.”
Judging by the way he blinked, it seemed that he had not yet recovered from the effects of the drug.
He pressed his cheek against the spot where her warmth still lingered.
Her gaze drifted over his straight back, broad shoulders, thick neck, and the golden locks spilling across the pillow.
“Sleep more, Aiden.”
“…You.”
His voice, though rough with drowsiness, was gentle.
“I will, once Your Grace falls asleep first.”
He slowly lowered his gaze and smiled faintly.
Courteous Aiden. Gentle Aiden.
And cruel Aiden.
She would never speak his name again.
Sveta quietly lifted the lid of the incense burner and lit the potent sleeping incense. A heavy, cloying sweetness spread swiftly through the room.
Gradually, the man’s breathing began to steady into a rough rhythm.
“…”
She trembled faintly at the chill. Late autumn and early winter seemed to pierce her skin all at once.
Perhaps it was fear.
Or perhaps regret.
“I will become Your Grace’s mistress.”
“In return, spare me for just one year.”
She was just his mistress.
No matter how many nights she spent in his bed, she could never truly own him. Ruin was always going to be the inevitable end.
For now, though, they lay in each other’s arms, sharing warmth. Once the faintest trace of that warmth had faded, however, the outcome would be clear.
The world he had promised her was no more solid than a sandcastle.
Alyona Matwood. The Marquis of Matwood. Lady Noma. And the old duke.
The overwhelming tide was crashing towards her.
She had to leave now.
Sveta pressed her lips together.
Wrapping a thick shawl tightly around herself, she stepped out of the bedroom without hesitation.
Pailin, stationed at the entrance, was fast asleep.
Looking at the knight who had devoted himself to her, she whispered softly.
“I’m sorry, Sir Pailin…”
The uneasy chill returned. She dropped the shawl from her shoulders to the floor.
She would acknowledge both her fear and her lingering attachment.
Only then could she move forward.
Steeling herself once more, Sveta cut through the dim dawn light and ran towards the stables.
“I’m here.”
At her soft whisper, the brown mare snorted harshly, as though waiting for her signal.
She quickly changed into the clothes she had hidden in the corner. They were men’s clothes, which hung loosely on her slender frame without hindering her movement.
Exhaling quietly, she pushed aside the pile of hay and retrieved the large leather pouch she had concealed there. She fastened it securely around her waist.
The pouch sagged heavily under the weight of the jewels inside. She adjusted it several times to steady it.
“Be good. Take me far away from your master.”
The horse huffed and tossed its head.
It almost seemed to say, “You can do it.”
Perhaps it was only her imagination, though. But she was so desperate that she found meaning in even the slightest movement.
Sveta mounted the horse and gripped the reins with all her strength.
It was time to say goodbye.
***
A brittle stillness pressed against his cheek.
He opened his eyes and rubbed his throbbing temple.
The spot where Sveta had been lying was empty.
“…Sveta.”
She was gone.
Only the thick, lingering smoke from the incense burner remained.
A strange sense of loss crept along the edges of his vision.
He threw on a grey robe and flung open the bedroom door.
“Pailin.”
At his lord’s call, the knight assigned to guard her woke instantly.
“Have you seen her?”
Understanding the situation at once, Pailin’s face drained of color.
“Find her. Immediately.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Aiden picked up the shawl that had once been wrapped around Sveta.
The air was cold. She had suffered a severe bout of high fever the previous year.
Wasn’t she the kind of woman who hated the cold above all else?
Where could she have gone alone in this unfamiliar castle?
Aiden’s straight brows knitted sharply as a sense of dread rose within him.
He commanded the steward, the head maid, and the knights who had rushed to his summons.
“Find Sveta.”
Before they could fully scatter, his aide came running with a single sheet of paper.
“A letter has arrived urgently from the ducal estate.”
He took the letter that Ivan had sent.
[The fact that the young lady miscarried your child last year has always been on my mind. I am sorry to confess it only now. I will explain everything once I arrive…]
A storm surged within his chest. His pulse pounded violently.
‘The fact that she miscarried your child last year has always weighed heavily on my heart.’
When?
When had that happened?
Aiden tried to recall times when she had been unwell.
He could not pinpoint a single instance. Sveta had fallen ill often enough, and in every one of those memories, he had been careless.
But when?
He hadn’t even known she was pregnant.
Had he really been that cruel to her? That cold?
Pailin returned and said something, but Aiden could barely make out the words.
“…It’s serious…!”
His brow deeply furrowed, he reread the same sentence repeatedly. A harsh breath tore from his throat.
Pailin raised his voice again.
“My lord, the old duke has disappeared with several knights.”
“…What?”
“The young lady’s horse from the stables is gone as well.”
In this situation, the disappearance of Charles Strilland—his father—meant only one thing.
Aiden strode back into the bedroom and dressed quickly.
“Prepare a horse at once. We will find her first.”
***
The moment Sveta entered the foothills on the border, a group of her pursuers caught up with her.
Her plan had been exposed.
Suddenly, an arrow flew towards her. She ducked down quickly.
The red fletching on the arrow made its origin clear. It was the old duke.
As Sveta urged her horse forward, the brown mare galloped wildly. Arrows repeatedly grazed past her as she reached the middle of the mountain slope.
‘This won’t work.’
She deliberately guided the horse towards rough, uneven terrain. The further she strayed from the main path, the more challenging the ride became.
But it would be just as difficult for her pursuers.
If she could just go a little further, she might escape their pursuit.
When the forest became dense and overgrown, Sveta dismounted quickly.
There was no time for a proper goodbye. She cast one final glance at the horse.
Then she ran.
Crunch. Crunch.
Dry leaves splintered beneath her feet. Out-of-season snowflakes swirled wildly through the air.
Whish—
Another arrow cut through the wind.
“Ah—!”
Something hit her leg with great force, causing her to collapse.
A searing pain surged through her leg.
Sveta grasped the arrow embedded in her calf with trembling hands and looked down.
“Ah—!”
She bit down on her lip until it bled, snapping the shaft.
The sound of trampled leaves echoed through the air as she saw the old duke on horseback in the distance, surrounded by his knights.
“No.”
Muttering to herself, Sveta forced her trembling body to stand up straight. Thankfully, the wound did not appear to be fatal. She could still take a few limping steps.
Pressing herself against the rough bark of the trees, she moved forward.
At the old duke’s command, the knights raised their bows in perfect unison. Dozens of arrows were poised to be released at any second.
This time, they would not miss.
Would her heart give out under this suffocating pressure?
She clenched her fists tightly.
Just as the arrows were about to fly—
Thud!
The old duke fell heavily from his horse.
The knights’ attention snapped towards him in alarm.
Then a familiar black horse surged into view, blocking their path.
It was him: Aiden Strilland.
With a fresh arrow drawn taut against his bow, he aimed straight at his father. His voice, thick with fury, split the air like thunder.
“Attend to the old duke. If any of you take a single step forward, I will not forgive it.”
The power carried in his voice sent a cold numbness through her veins.
‘How did he know…?’
It was a plan that had been in the making for a long time. An escape that cost her her life.
Yet not even half a day had passed before she was standing before him again.
The realization that she could never escape the Duke tightened around her.
Limping, she forced her steps to quicken.
Crunch.
The dry sound of leaves betrayed her position.
Footsteps echoed behind her, slow and unhurried, as though someone were out for a leisurely stroll.
All the while, the snowfall grew heavier.
The rustling stopped. The desperate cry of withered leaves fell silent.
At last, she reached the end of the fallen leaves.
“Sveta.”
“……”
Aiden dropped his bow. The long sword at his waist fell to the ground with a dull thud.
Sveta stared at him, the cliff behind her. Her legs trembled unsteadily, threatening to give way.
As he approached her, he removed his black leather gloves one by one.
“You deceived me—for this?”
“……”
“Sveta.”
Was it her imagination? Her name sounded like a sigh.
“You must answer me.”
“…Don’t come any closer. Let me go…”
A sharp pain shot through her, threatening to make her collapse to one side. Swaying like a candle flame, she struggled to maintain her equilibrium.
“It’s dangerous. Come down first. We can talk.”
“Stop coming closer!”
He extended a large hand carefully toward her.
“You must stand beside me. Only then will you live.”
A sharp pain shot through her, threatening to make her fall over. Swaying like a candle flame, she struggled to stay upright.
“No. No, Your Grace. You cannot protect me from anyone.”
“Is that why you intend to die?”
“I’m trying to leave you. Because I want to live.”
Aiden stepped forward with long strides. Sveta edged backward.
A cold wind swept at her back. Snow lashed against her neck.
“I cannot allow that. Your place is beside me.”
“No…!”
Her trembling legs moved a fraction farther back.
“There is nowhere left to go.”
He offered his hand gently.
If she took it, he would forgive her.
But she didn’t want to go back to him.
Her heart was shattered beyond repair. Even if her body broke now, she was no longer afraid.
“Is there truly nowhere?”
When she lifted one foot into empty air, Aiden’s face twisted in horror at last.
“Very well. I will do as you wish.”
“……”
“Please.”
A strange sensation washed over her.
Didn’t he sound like he was begging?
‘You, who had always been so upright and flawless? You, who had always been indifferent?’
It was a shame that the last image she would have of him would be his face contorted in anguish.
Sveta curved her lips gently.
In an instant, the color drained from his face. As though he had sensed it.
She leaned back slowly.
The fall was instantaneous.
“Sveta!”
For a moment, she caught a glimpse of Aiden’s handsome face through the strands of hair fluttering around her face.
He called her name over and over again.
Sveta held onto the memory of the man she had once loved until the very end.
Her vision went dark.
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Danes96
Aiden debió hablar más con Sveta, aclararle lo que realmente sentía con el paso del tiempo juntos. Sin embargo, opto por un compromiso con otra mujer, si bien le dio tiempo, solo te trajo humillación y dolor a Sveta. Él solo decidió que la tomaría como esposa pero no se lo contó a ella, dejando que su ansiedad y miedo la orillara a preferir morir que seguir como su amante encerrada