‘I can’t take a woman who can’t even use her legs with me.’

Those were the last words he left her with before he departed. No, since she was abandoned on their wedding day, perhaps he couldn’t even be called her husband.

“……”

Ines, with a bitter smile, stared blankly at the empty room. Until just this morning, it had been bustling with maids and servants, but now a heavy silence lingered.

Today was supposed to be the wedding day of Ines Claudia, the legitimate daughter of the Claudia family, and Joseph, the King of Tezever.

But on the day that should have been filled with congratulations, the illegitimate son of the former king staged a rebellion.

Her half-brother’s blade was aimed at his older brother, King Joseph, who fled without even mounting a proper counterattack.

He left the new bride, Ines, abandoned in the castle, without a single guard by her side.

Amidst the sound of clashing weapons and rampant screams, Ines walked over to the dressing table. Her left foot dragged along the floor with every limping step.

She had long given up on hiding or escaping. As Joseph had said, with this leg, even leaving the castle was a daunting task.

So all she could do now was quietly wait for death here. Eventually, Ines’s face appeared in the mirror in front of the dressing table.

Her golden hair resembled sunlight on a sandy beach, and her eyes held a pure, serene hue that contrasted with it. Though the light had faded, her beauty, once called the flower of Tezever, had not withered. Only the vitality had disappeared.

As she looked at her own face, devoid of any smile, Ines slowly began to touch up her makeup. Outside, cries for mercy and the sound of flesh being cut by blades filled the air, but Ines’s hands did not falter as she adorned herself.

There wasn’t much time left.

Soon, the tightly closed door would burst open, and the knights would storm in. They would likely behead her as they had been waiting to do.

Or perhaps, since she was to be a queen, they might construct a fitting execution platform to decapitate her there. Would people spit and mock her as they watched her disgrace?

“Ha.”

A bitter laugh escaped Ines at the predictable future playing out in her mind. She had grown weary of people’s ridicule, yet to face death amidst jeers was something else. Feeling a moment of bitterness about her life, she shook her head.

Breaking free from the chain of thoughts, Ines resumed moving her hands. There was no hesitation in her actions as she touched up her makeup and styled her hair.

It was as if she had anticipated such a day would come. After finishing with her hair, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. The dress, said to be meticulously embroidered by an artisan for today’s wedding, was now just a meaningless piece of white cloth. The absurdity of the situation tugged at the corners of her mouth.

Bang!

The closed door swung open with a loud noise. Cold air, along with the smell of blood, invaded the room.

Sensing that the time had come, she quietly closed her eyes. Finally, death had come for her.

“There you are.”

A deep voice, reminiscent of the depths of a cave, echoed through the room. It was a familiar voice, one that had once whispered kind words to her.

Thud, thud.

Death approached with steady steps.

Ines lowered her head.

The sound of armor clashing and heavy footsteps grew closer.

One step, then another.

Death, now close by, whispered to her.

That her end was near.

Ines slowly opened her eyes. Then she raised her head to look at the man’s face reflected in the mirror.

The man, always with a handsome face, looked very different from before. For Ines, who only remembered him as the boy from eight years ago, his current appearance still felt unfamiliar.

The man, standing crookedly as if uninterested in her feelings, ran his hand through his hair.

“I thought you might try to run away.”

His black hair, reminiscent of a pitch-black night, fell through his fingers. His red eyes, like they were soaked in the metallic scent of blood that filled the air, gleamed as if they might devour her.

Carlos Ivan.

The son of a king, yet scorned and belittled by all because of his lowly mother.

“Ah, with your leg like that, you couldn’t have run away.”

Now, he stood before me as a conqueror, here to kill me.

Ines turned away from Carlos, whom she had been staring at vacantly. She had long since prepared herself mentally. Soon, Ines’s blue eyes and Carlos’s blood-red eyes met.

“It’s all over now,” Carlos said, his expression showing a hint of amusement.

“Your husband has abandoned you and fled, and the once-great Claudia family has fallen.”

His deep voice echoed through the room, carrying a slight tone of self-mockery. Then, just as she realized he was holding something other than a sword, it dropped with a ‘thud’ right in front of her.

“This is the proof.”

Something rolled like a ball and stopped at her feet. As Ines looked down to see what it was, her face hardened.

“Shouldn’t you say goodbye to your father?”

It was her father. Or rather, it had been her father… now just a head reduced to a piece of meat. Ines quietly gazed at her father’s face, unable to close his eyes.

No sorrow, resentment, or any emotion arose within her about her father’s death. Instead…

‘He dies too.’

To her, her father had been more terrifying than a king and higher than a god. But here she was, looking at the head of her father, who had once scorned and despised others, now severed by the hand of the dog he had belittled. Everything felt futile.

Carlos’s eyebrows twitched as he observed Ines’s face.

“You don’t seem sad, even though your father, who cherished you dearly, has died.”

His gaze was drawn to the woman who showed no reaction. Her composure, even after witnessing her father’s death, was unsettling.

He had expected her to scream or curse him in despair. Yet, true to her noble nature, she remained beautiful even when faced with death, like a lotus blossoming elegantly in the mud.

Carlos’s gaze shifted to the dress Ines was wearing. He frowned momentarily, reminded that today had been her wedding day.

After a brief silence, he moved closer to Ines. Despite the chaos, she still appeared stunning, and he extended his sword towards her. The bloodstained tip of the sword touched her chin.

“And here you are, all dressed up while everyone else is dying…”

The tip of his sword gradually moved down along Ines’s neck, nearing her chest.

“Are you planning to sell yourself to me, begging for your life?”

Carlos taunted her with insulting words, his eyes narrowing as if challenging her.

“Go ahead, try. Who knows? I might let it slide for old times’ sake.”

With that, he cut the string tied around Ines’s chest. The front of her dress, unsupported, fell open under its weight.

“We did have some good times back then.”

A short laugh escaped his lips. The stark contrast in their circumstances seemed amusing even to him.

Ines listened quietly to Carlos’s words, not bothering to fix her dress, and sighed, feeling resigned.

“Just finish it quickly.”

Her voice was indifferent as she asked for death.

“For the sake of the old times we shared…”

She hoped he would kill her without pain.

She wasn’t begging for her life. She thought he might at least grant her the mercy of a painless end. But that was a grave mistake.

“Sorry, but I don’t plan to end this quickly.”

Carlos had no intention of granting her request. At his firm refusal, Ines lifted her head. Carlos withdrew his sword and knelt to meet her eye level.

“You will be my wife.”

He caressed Ines’s cheek with his hand. She felt the cold touch of the man.

“Everything my brother had is now mine.”

The blood of someone smeared on Carlos’s hand stained Ines’s cheek.

“Naturally, my sister-in-law should be mine too.”

It was a vulgar proposal.