Just hearing those words felt as if her ears were being defiled.

What words had Do-yoon used with that despicable man to bring her into this room?

It was as if Do-yoon had fattened her like an animal to sell to this man, hoping to receive a large sum of money in return.

Slowly, Yul-hye rose from the floor, keeping her head down as she stood before the man, her hands resting on the ties of her clothes. 

‘They’ve even changed my clothes…’ 

She only noticed it now, but the clothes she was wearing were not the ones she had been wearing before she fell asleep. The clothes she was wearing were the kind that opened as soon as she untied them. There were no buttons, no belt. 

‘I have no underwear either.’ 

She wasn’t even wearing the proper undergarments—not even a simple slip beneath her skirt. It felt as if she had been stripped completely and brought here in this state.

For a moment, Yul-hye hesitated before pulling at the ties of her clothes. As the top opened, her prominent br*ast was exposed. The gaze that settled on her bare skin felt piercing and cold, an unsettling sensation that made her acutely aware of being watched.

Thud.

When the top fell to the floor, her pale torso was revealed, and goosebumps rose along her arms and shoulders like tiny grains of rice. But it wasn’t the cold causing them—it was fear.

Without even lifting her head, Yul-hye could vividly imagine the way the Governor looked at her. At that moment, he was the perfect predator and she was nothing more than prey caught in a trap with no way out.

That night she was the victim of merciless tearing and trampling. Instead of covering her br*ast with her hands, Yul-hye untied her skirt and let it fall to the floor.

Gently lowering her hands, she looked down at the floor beneath her feet and straightened her back. Her n*ked body was now fully exposed to the Governor’s gaze. There was nothing to hide, nothing she could hide.

“Lift your chin.”

The Governor’s voice remained firm and commanding. Reluctantly, she raised her head, and the very eyes she had desperately avoided meeting locked onto hers, sharp and predatory like those of a beast.

It was only now that she could truly see the Governor’s face. From a distance, his fierce eyes and brutal demeanour had seemed to fit perfectly with the rumours of him being a human butcher. But now, up close, his features weren’t as ruthlessly harsh as she’d imagined.

Thick, dark eyebrows framed an intense gaze that was enough to strike fear into the hearts of those who dared to meet it. His face wasn’t handsome in the conventional sense, but it had strong, defined lines that gave him an undeniable air of authority and power.

This was not the face of a man who would bow down to anyone. Rather, it was the face of a man born to lead, not to be led. His face told the story of a life untouched by defeat or shame, and instead of appearing as someone who could be taken advantage of, he exuded the presence of someone who takes whatever he desires.

She had met many powerful men before, but he was the only leader she had ever encountered with such an overwhelming and terrifying presence. His towering height and broad build, almost reaching the ceiling, only amplified the intimidating aura he carried. Suddenly, the reason for the sword hanging on the wall became perfectly clear.

When she first saw the sword, she briefly thought it was too big to be practical, perhaps just a decoration. But now that she saw this man, she realised that the sword was not for display; it was certainly something he could wield with ease. A man like him could easily grasp the big sword with one hand and swing it effortlessly.

‘Can I survive tonight…?’

She struggled to stay composed, but the trembling of her lips betrayed her fear. For the first time, the thought that she might truly die tonight crossed her mind. Even if this man didn’t plan to kill her, the idea of being under his control, spending the night at his mercy, made her certain that her small, fragile body might be completely broken.

‘Should I just pray to survive…?’

Had the man noticed her trembling? He reached out, his hand gently brushing her slightly trembling lips.

“Are you afraid of me?”

Was that even a question? Of course, she was. Who wouldn’t be, standing before a man like him?

“If I say I’m afraid, will you let me go?”

It was unlikely, but she figured it was worth asking.

“Why? Are you afraid I might kill you?”

His voice was deep and heavy, like thunder rumbling through a dark night—low, commanding, and savage.

On top of that, it carried a trace of cruel mockery, as if to say, Do you really think someone like you could even hope to escape?

His voice was deep and heavy, a weight that seemed to press down on her, suffocating in its intensity.

That predator’s smirk appeared on his face—the kind born of cornering its prey in an inescapable trap, brimming with twisted amusement. His gleaming eyes seemed to savor the moment, as if contemplating how best to torment this small, helpless prey.

“I’ve killed plenty of women, but I don’t dirty my hands with blood without reason. So don’t be too afraid. I don’t do anything as crude as staining my bed with blood, after all.”

“How reassuring.”

As if those words could calm anyone. Who needed a blade to kill? His massive build alone was enough to crush several people to death on a bed.

“Your body has ripened nicely.”

His hand moving slowly downward from her lips until it reached Yul-hye’s n*pple.

His fingertips were rough and blunt, a texture Yul-hye recognised immediately. It had been a long time, but they reminded her of her late father’s hands – hands that had spent a lifetime as a warrior wielding a sword. Her father’s hands had been coarse, calloused and worn from years of use.

Now the Governor’s fingertips felt exactly the same. They were a testament to the countless hours he had spent with a sword in his grasp, rarely, if ever, letting go.

“How could your future husband let something as precious as this n*pple fall into my hands?”