Valetta remembered the flood of letters she had received. Several a day, messengers arriving one after another. And she had refused them all. She found it unbearable. Everything to do with Carnies filled her with disgust.

“I even came to see you in person.”

The day Leonard had visited the count’s estate, she’d hidden in the cathedral’s prayer room to avoid him. If he really was cursed, and if she really had the power to lift the curse, she wanted nothing to do with it.

Even in the dim candlelight, Leonard’s eyes were sharp. Valetta pressed her lips together in fear. The natural pressure he exuded was not something an ordinary person could withstand. One corner of his mouth curled into a smile – a slight, dismissive smile, as if to say he hadn’t expected her to be so insignificant.

“Well then. Let’s get on with our wedding night.”

Then he said:

“Take it off.”

“W-What do you mean…?”

Ignoring her confusion, Leonard began to undress. There wasn’t a trace of hesitation in the way his hands moved to undo the buttons of his jacket.

Valetta, flustered, opened and closed her mouth, unsure of what to say. The words ‘wedding night’, ‘marriage’ – it all felt like a joke. Was this really happening? Wasn’t this a nightmare?

By now Leonard had removed his jacket and tossed it carelessly to one side. The soft yellow candlelight flickered over the white shirt he wore underneath.

“Y-You…”

He began unbuttoning the white shirt at the collar, one button at a time. Valetta screamed in panic. This situation frightened her more than anything else.

“What are you doing?!”

Leonard replied calmly.

“What do you think a married couple does on their first night together?”

Unlike Valetta, who was still dazed by the fraudulent marriage, Leonard spoke in a detached, cynical tone, as if looking at the whole situation from a distance.

Perhaps it was the calm air of someone in power. Valetta, startled and panicked, shouted again.

“What are you saying?! Stop it! Stop it!”

She clutched the front of her dress and backed away.

A thud.

Her back hit the closed door. She felt the cold, hard surface through the fabric of her dress. Valetta’s trembling hands clenched harder. By this time, Leonard had removed his shirt completely. The candlelight flickered over his toned torso, now fully exposed.

His abdomen, chiselled like polished marble, was tight and lean, with deep shadows accentuating the well-defined muscles.

His shoulders, broad as a doorframe, bore the sturdy presence of someone who used his body professionally.

The thick, solid chest made him look almost animal-like. Although his muscles were well toned, his arms gave the impression of being long and agile, flowing seamlessly into large, elegant hands.

“This must still seem like child’s play to you.”

Leonard’s deep voice carried the weight of a predator’s warning. The candlelight revealed numerous scars, large and small, scattered across his skin – but Valetta didn’t notice.

She was too focused on his voice, clutching the front of her dress tightly. Her throat was dry with tension. Her heart was pounding and her breath came in short, quick gasps.

“Valetta Irpman. Call it betrayal, call it whatever you want.”

He took another step towards her. His voice, primal and deep, echoed through the small, dark storeroom.

“But there’s nothing you can do about it now.”

He held out his hand. The tip of his thick, long finger brushed her neck. Valetta flinched instinctively, her shoulders trembling. His fingers trailed slowly down the curve of her neck.

Valetta shivered under the overwhelming pressure he exerted.

She felt like a deer caught in the claws of a beast. She was now in the predator’s domain – he had the power to tear her apart, to sink his teeth into her delicate flesh, and she had no means of escape.

A tear rolled down one of Valetta’s cheeks. Leonard’s fingers stopped just below her collarbone. His gaze was fixed on that single tear.

His golden eyes shone with an unreadable light – part satisfaction of a predator toying with its prey, part mockery, or perhaps a bitter sneer at the situation itself.

“Are you going to undress, or shall I do it for you?”

Valetta couldn’t answer. Both options were too humiliating to choose.

She sobbed quietly and stared at him with sad defiance. Their eyes met. Although her body was shaking violently and she could barely breathe, she didn’t look away.

That alone piqued his interest. But that was all. Leonard scoffed and began unbuttoning her dress from top to bottom.

As he undid the top button, the lace collar around her slender neck came undone. His golden eyes traced her cleavage.

The nape of her neck, now exposed, was strikingly pale and smooth, like a ripe fruit.

A few strands of her soft hair clung to his fingertips, shimmering like golden threads where they touched her skin.

His hand moved down again. This time it reached the buttons around her collarbone.

One button caught on the delicate lace trim. His rough hand brushed the soft skin of her neck. The unexpected smoothness of her skin made Leonard stop, slightly surprised.

Meanwhile, a muffled sob slipped from Valetta’s tightly chewed lips.

“Hhhk…”

She didn’t have the strength to face him as he slowly undressed her. Finally, she closed her eyes and turned away.

As the buttons covering her collarbone were undone, the thick lace parted to reveal the curve of her chest. Her neckline, slim waist and otherwise slender figure seemed to contradict the striking depth of the exposed cleavage.

As the cold air touched her bare skin, Valetta found herself unable to stand. Her knees buckled and her body swayed. It was then that Leonard quickly caught her around the waist.

She could feel every contour of him – his muscular arms, calloused hands and firm skin.

“I’d rather die…”

Valetta forced the words out, her cheeks wet with tears. Leonard replied.

“Even if you’re going to die, you might as well make the marriage worth something first.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Leonard lifted her weakened body effortlessly and placed her on Valetta’s narrow bed. His huge frame loomed over her.

Loomed again, heavy and imposing. Valetta’s complexion grew pale. His piercing golden eyes landed on her pale, delicate skin.

“Your dear uncle, Count Dampierre, has pocketed a million berks for this marriage.”

A million berks – an absurd, astronomical sum. The very idea was incomprehensible.

Valetta’s mind went blank; her breath caught in her throat and her chest dropped with a jolt. It was then that she realised her situation.

She had been sold—for one million Berks.

The Irpman family was known for producing children of strong bloodlines, and perhaps she even held the key to breaking the curse. In the end, she was nothing more than a prized broodmare and a potential cure, bought because she was useful.

Such arrangements were common among nobles, but to really feel the weight of it on her skin made her not only horrified, but miserable. She wanted to bite her tongue and die. But when it came down to it, she didn’t have the courage to end her life. And she hated herself for it.

“You’re… trash…”

Her voice cracked as she choked back sobs, but Leonard replied indifferently.

“Yes. I’m well aware of that.”

The next button was over her br*ast. His large hand moved to her br*ast. This time he had no intention of undoing it slowly – he grabbed the fabric and ripped the button off in one motion.

Valetta instinctively struggled but she couldn’t move an inch under his massive weight.

Leonard quickly pulled the dress off her. Her br*asts, now covered only by her underwear, were completely exposed. Cold air brushed against her bare skin. The shock of being seen like this overwhelmed Valetta and brought her to the verge of sobbing. And then –

“…Ah…”

Leonard bit his own finger. Hard enough for blood to drip from the wound.

He smeared the blood across the sheets of her bed.

Too stunned to process what he was doing, Valetta could only watch blankly. Red blood soaked into the fabric, forming dark stains. Then Leonard climbed off her.

“How long are you going to stay like this?”

Leonard’s cynical voice snapped Valetta out of her daze. Only then did she realise what he had done.

In the Empire, it was traditional for the groom to undress the bride on the wedding night. And it was the bride’s duty to prove her chastity.

Leonard had staged the wedding night. Torn dress and bloodstains – everyone would naturally assume that the marriage had been consummated.

“I have no desire to sleep with a woman who cries before anything begins. Besides, there’s no rush.”

Leonard leaned back and sat on the edge of the bed. Crossing his arms over his chest, he closed his eyes and feigned sleep.

Only Valetta remained awake—tense, silent, her tears slipping down without a sound. Her heart pounded in her chest as she struggled to steady her breathing.

Nothing made sense.

Why had he pinned her down, only to walk away like it meant nothing?

Why was the man she was supposed to marry suddenly someone else?

Everything was spiraling out of control.

Nothing had gone the way she wanted.

‘Not a single thing.’

But there was one thing she understood.

She was grateful that Leonard hadn’t gone any further.

In the end, all she could do was dry her tear-stained face. She looked at Leonard. Whether he was really asleep or just pretending to be, he wasn’t moving at all.

Swallowing her sobs quietly, she stayed awake all night, afraid that Leonard might change his mind – until someone from outside finally came and unlocked the door.