Now, any lingering attachment Yul-hye might have felt was gone.

All that remained was the bitter realization of how foolish she had been to endure and tolerate him for so long. She should have ended it much sooner.

Perhaps even Jung Dae-in and his wife would have wanted her to leave.

Maybe they would have hoped she’d find a way to save herself rather than allowing herself to be dragged into ruin by their foolish son.

“I said I’d call off the engagement, so tomorrow, I’ll send out notices to make it official. Stop all wedding preparations, distribute the banquet food to the poor, and as for the wedding gown…”

The gown had already been made, but she had no intention of wearing it.

Her feelings for Jung Do-yoon, that shameless scoundrel, had completely soured. A part of her wanted to rip the wedding gown to shreds, but it felt like such a waste.

The gown had been crafted from fine silk, a gift from Lord Ha, one of Jung Dae-in’s old friends, given with the best of intentions. How could she destroy something so valuable?

“I’ll sell it and convert it into money. With that, I’ll add to my savings and secure a small house for myself.”

For almost a year, she had been able to maintain her current lifestyle thanks to the inheritance Jung Dae-in had left her, along with contributions from his friends in Gangseo who had pooled their resources to support her.

The key to the storeroom where the rest of these resources were kept had always been safely in Yul-hye’s possession.

If she hadn’t taken control of the family’s finances, Do-yoon would have blown everything, leaving them penniless.

“I won’t take a single coin with me. None of this belongs to me.”

Yul-hye had no intention of taking any of the wealth left in the house. All the treasures and possessions were part of Jung Dae-in’s legacy, and she didn’t consider them to be hers to claim.

Instead, she planned to sell the silk wedding dress that Lord Ha had given her and the jewellery that Jung Dae-in’s wife had once given her. With that money, she could buy a small house and furnish it with the essentials.

Yul-hye was confident in her ability to live on her own. 

A government position? Such things didn’t matter to her. She had told Do-yoon time and again that with hard work, anyone could live comfortably and earn an honest living. But Do-yoon never listened; her words never seemed to reach him.

She could weave fabric, raise silkworms, and make a modest yet fulfilling living. Through honest labor, she could live warmly and fully—not just scraping by, but with dignity.

She wouldn’t bow to anyone, nor would she beg. She would live with pride, on her own terms.

The life Yul-hye envisioned for herself was one of independence and dignity – a life where she didn’t ask for help but gave it, where she didn’t depend on others but prospered through her own hard work.

“Everything will be fine.”

She told herself, pressing a hand to her forehead.

“My head… it still hurts.”

Despite taking the medicin, the throbbing in her head refused to subside. As the pounding pain persisted, Yul-hye finally decided to lie down.

“I’ll just rest for a little while. Once I wake up, the headache will probably be gone.”

She hadn’t written the letter to officially cancel the engagement yet, but there was no need to rush. She could do it after getting some rest. Even if she wrote it now, it wouldn’t be sent until tomorrow anyway.

With that thought, she closed her eyes, hoping that rest would bring clarity and relief.

If the notice of cancellation was sent out tomorrow, there would still be just enough time to cancel the wedding, even on such short notice.

“Just a little rest…”

Yul-hye closed her eyes, and before she knew it, she drifted into a deep, almost unconscious sleep.

—

“Mmm…”

She felt her body unusually heavy as she moved.

“How long have I been asleep? Surely the sun hasn’t risen yet…”

She had only intended to rest briefly to ease her headache, but now she wasn’t sure how much time had passed.

Rolling onto her side, Yul-hye blinked her heavy eyelids, trying to shake off the lingering sleep. Her vision was blurry at first, but gradually it became clearer and the shapes around her came into focus.

“What… is that?”

The first thing Yul-hye noticed was a sword she had never seen before.

It was huge, hanging on the wall. The handle alone was so large that she couldn’t use both hands to grasp it. The blade rested in a crimson scabbard decorated with black tassels.

“Why is that here? It’s not mine… why…?”

Then, all at once, it hit her.

“Where am I?”

Yul-hye jumped to her feet, her eyes darting around the unfamiliar room. Her heart pounded as she took in her surroundings, trying to figure out where she was and how she had gotten there.

This wasn’t her room. It was a completely unfamiliar place.

“How did I end up here…?”

She had no memory of coming to this place on her own. In fact, she didn’t even recognize it.

“Why…?”

As Yul-hye began to climb out of bed, a sudden thought struck her—a memory of the tonic she had drunk before falling asleep.

“Could it be… that tonic?”

If someone moved her while she was unconscious, it wouldn’t have been possible unless they had drugged her. Someone must have spiked the tonic to put her to sleep before bringing her here.

And there was no doubt as to who was behind it.

“This must be Do-yoon’s work.”

If that were true, a horrifying realization began to take shape in her mind.

“Could this place be…?

Yul-hye’s chest tightened, her heart pounding with a chilling sense of dread.

She didn’t want to believe it, but this place could very well be the residence of the new Governor – the man rumoured to be the Butcher of Men.

The thought clawed at her mind. Do-yoon had drugged her and brought her here, delivering her to the Governor like some sort of offering.

“That lunatic…”

Gritting her teeth, she rose from the bed, anger and fear coursing through her veins.

Just as her feet touched the cold floor— 

“Ah!” 

A huge shadow loomed over the door. 

Even at first glance, it was unmistakably the shadow of a man.