“What are you talking about? Why would I kill Your Highness? I’m not a scoundrel who kills the one I love.”

In a situation where she could do nothing, Hinael broke down in tears.

“Come, take my hand.”

When she only trembled, Chetter forcibly grabbed her hand.

Then, he blew on her icy hand and frowned.

“My goodness… Your hand is like ice. How could you be barefoot on a day like this?”

Chetter examined Hinael’s condition and grabbed her chin.

“Why is your neck…”

When she glared at the man with squinted eyes, he quickly made an excuse.

“I was in such a hurry to escape that I didn’t have time to pay attention.”

“Still, you shouldn’t have hurt her. Did you hold a knife to her neck?”

“She resisted fiercely, so… I apologize. But please consider that I did my best and forgive me this once.”

The man smiled obsequiously. Realizing he had angered Chetter, he bowed as politely as possible.

“I’ll be on my way now. So, the remaining half of the payment… I’d appreciate it if you could give it to me now.”

“I’ve got you, you b*tch.”

“…What?”

“You, you bastard. How dare you call my woman a ‘b*tch’?”

It was when the man let his guard down. A dagger flew from Chetter’s hand.

The man couldn’t even scream as he fell backward with the dagger lodged in his throat.

Blood spurted like a fountain, staining her face and white negligee. As the warm liquid ran down her face, Hinael screamed.

“Ahhh! Aaaah!”

“Sorry you had to see that. There’s no need to be scared since I’ve dealt with that scoundrel.”

He spoke calmly with a neat face, like someone from another world.

He looked like a possessed soul, lost in a sinister belief.

It felt like Chetter’s madness was reflected in the blood that dotted the white snowfield.

Chetter took off his cloak and covered Hinael with it, then lifted her up. It was so repulsive that all the hairs on her body stood on end, but she couldn’t move a finger.

She might end up dead like that man if she resisted. She decided to stay quiet to buy some time.

Her body trembled with fear, but Chetter thought it was due to the cold.

“Tsk, tsk. How pitiful… I’ll take you to a safe place quickly.”

A safe place? Then maybe they wouldn’t go to the ice wall. It was a small relief amidst the misfortune.

‘Your Highness… Please help me.’

The only person she could think of was Lutz.

He had the power to save her and could threaten Chetter. She hoped he would come quickly.

She sobbed quietly.

She was sorrowful about the repeated misfortune and resentful of her situation, where she had no choice but to kneel before the fear of death.

After moving for a while, Chetter put her down.

It didn’t seem like they had walked for long, yet they had already reached their destination?

Her body was so cold that her senses were dulled. Her cognitive abilities seemed to have declined, making her sense of time hazy.

“Your feet are bleeding. And they look like they’re getting frostbitten. Ha… It’s really upsetting.”

Only then did she realize she was sitting at the base of a tree. It was the place where she had rested while the carriage was being repaired in her previous life.

The situation was slightly different, but the location was repeating itself. The repeated experiences caused sharp emotional fluctuations.

Hoping, then despairing.

A surge of will to live, then the despair of inevitable death.

“I need to warm your feet like this first.”

He suddenly opened his coat and loosened his shirt, then stuffed her small feet into his chest.

He shivered as her icy feet touched him.

At that moment, Hinael considered kicking him away but changed her mind. She needed to be in good condition to either escape or be rescued.

‘If I want to survive, I have no choice but to endure, right?’

Even though physical contact with Chetter was worse than death, she could endure it if she thought of it as stealing his body heat.

Hinael closed her eyes tightly and waited for her senses to return. Soon, her swollen, red feet warmed up and tingled.

It didn’t hurt much, so it seemed she could walk without issues.

‘I’ll play along as long as you show goodwill. But now I’ve built up another grudge, if I get the chance, I’ll definitely kill you.’

Unaware of her gritted teeth, Chetter felt contentment from their skin-to-skin contact. A lazy sigh escaped from between his teeth.

“Ah. Now it feels real.”

“Where do you plan to go? Are you going back to Sarr?”

“Taking Your Highness to Sarr would be troublesome. With the upcoming wedding, I have to be mindful of His Majesty.”

It meant he intended to marry Mie.

Shameless bastard.

Well, would a beast in human skin care about such things?

As soon as Hinael thought of Mie, she was overwhelmed with an inexplicable sense of guilt.

She hadn’t done anything improper with Chetter and was clearly the victim, yet she felt as if she had stolen Mie’s husband.

Just being alone with Chetter in a place where no one else was felt like a sin. Thinking of Mie, she truly couldn’t bear to stay with Chetter for even a moment.

“So where exactly are you planning to go?”

“I have a villa in Smao Castle.”

“Did you just… say Smao?”

A distant relative of Chetter resided in Smao Castle. He had sent Hinael there for childbirth and then killed her with his own hands.

But to think that Chetter had a villa in Smao.

As she looked at him, pale as a ghost, he added with a smile.

“Let’s stay at the villa first, and once we find a place, we’ll move there. I’m planning to build a house for just the two of us deep in the mountains where no one can find us.”

Anyone who saw this would think he was with his beloved wife. It was laughable how he pretended to be a villager searching for a peaceful home.

Chetter, excited on his own, was about to kiss her slender ankle but then smacked his lips as if he was saving it for a later feast.

“Instead of dawdling here, let’s get going.”

Then he unwound the shawl from around his neck and wrapped it tightly around Hinael’s feet.

Suddenly, Chetter’s sticky gaze crawled over Hinael’s body. His eyes lingered on her blood-stained face and clothes, her elegantly stretched neck like a deer’s, and stopped at her chest.

He stared at one spot, as if caressing it with his eyes, eager to touch the rounded curves and protruding points visible through her clothes.

Hinael gathered the open cloak around her. Seeing this, Chetter scratched his forehead and chuckled.

“Don’t worry. I also don’t want to consummate our marriage in a place like this. We might freeze in the middle of it, you know? Haha!”

He made a crude joke and laughed so hard his shoulders shook.

Chetter picked Hinael up again and headed towards where the horses were tied. Fortunately, it seemed she wouldn’t die in vain this time.

* * *

Chetter quickly crossed Nuhol Mountain and entered the Smao region.

By the time the sun was high overhead, they arrived at a villa beyond a small path. It was a modest house built for leisure purposes.

“We’ve arrived.”

Warm breath spread over her neck. Chetter whispered kindly and jumped off the horse.

Then, checking if her hands and feet were cold, he wrapped them in his warm hands before helping Hinael down.

Hinael felt like she was watching a madman’s play.

He was lost in his own world, designing every situation as if it were fake. He was a happy man, and Hinael was his beloved wife.

He maintained an excited expression as if he had returned home after a long journey.

“I’ve sent away the villa keeper and the servants to avoid any disturbance. We have enough food, so we won’t go hungry. Oh, and I’ll personally heat the bathwater for you.”

He carried Hinael up the stairs and pulled the door handle.

“Since we’ll be staying here for a while, it might be better to give you a tour first.”

“I want to rest.”

“Oh… Then rest in the room. I’ll prepare the bathwater soon.”

“No. I didn’t sleep all night riding the horse. I just want to sleep.”

Seeing her haggard face, Chetter nodded. Although he seemed eager for the intimacy they would share after the bath, he appeared to restrain himself for future satisfaction.

He licked his lower lip as he looked down at her. If he lowered his head a bit more, his lips would touch her forehead.