If possible, she planned to attempt her escape on the way to the Grand Duke’s estate.

The possibility of Hayden personally coming to fetch her was extremely slim.

Unless absolutely necessary, he had no obligation to come get her himself when she’d already been his fiancée for three years.

‘Besides, he’ll try to refuse somehow.’

That would be enough.

If he wasn’t in the carriage with her, an opportunity would present itself somehow.

So if he would just give permission.

“The relationship between Your Grace and I won’t change.”

When no answer came readily, she spoke first.

If Hayden was reluctant to have her come to the Grand Duke’s estate, that would ultimately be the reason.

Since she had no intention of setting even one foot inside his mansion anyway, Serena opened her mouth confidently.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what I said. I only want to escape this place. Your Grace can go on not even knowing whether I’m there or not. We don’t even need to have these meetings once a week.”

He’d found even meeting once a week excessively bothersome.

So she thought it was a proposal tempting enough to sway him.

“I’ll think about it.”

After his deliberation, words of refusal burst from his mouth.

Like that was the end of it, he rose from his seat and straightened his clothes.

“Ha.”

A low scoff flowing from her mouth as she watched him was, in a way, only natural.

“The fact that I’m being abused doesn’t seem very important to Your Grace.”

That might be true.

A life that just needed to be offered up anyway.

Perhaps he thought the Count and his wife would naturally manage to keep her alive at least.

Opportunities to manipulate Hayden weren’t common.

That’s why she’d played her strongest card.

But it seemed insufficient to draw out what she wanted.

“…I just need a little time to think.”

Even at the sharp accusation, Hayden answered politely.

His chillingly neat blue eyes gazed at her oppressively.

“The promised wedding isn’t far off. So please wait just a little longer.”

Your death isn’t far off, so endure just a little more.

The true meaning hidden behind his courteous words reached Serena’s ears, interpreted raw and unfiltered.

Hayden left the Count’s estate just like that.

What would happen to her, left alone after such a request—that wasn’t in his consideration.

‘I wasn’t completely certain, but I didn’t think it was impossible.’

Confessing the *buse to Hayden was clearly a dangerous choice.

Since he was in league with the Count and his wife, the possibility he’d inform them of her transgression wasn’t small.

But she’d believed that if he took marriage even slightly seriously, he’d have no choice but to take definite action.

Losing his wife in just one night after the wedding wouldn’t damage his honor at all, but the day it became known that the bride was a “defective product” abused constantly, his honor would plummet.

Because Hayden had such a cold and clear personality, Serena judged he wouldn’t overlook even the slightest possibility.

‘Plus, the condition I offered should have been tempting.’

With just over two months until her nineteenth birthday, by keeping her for a short time, he could escape the bothersome obligation of these meetings.

She thought someone who valued practicality like him would take the bait.

‘I was wrong to expect anything from a beast.’

He who regarded humans not as humans but as sacrifices was, in the end, no different from a beast to her as well.

Tinnitus disturbing her mind rang in her eardrums.

She’d ultimately arrived at the last option she hadn’t wanted to choose, and her breath inevitably caught.

But time was short.

It didn’t seem like Hayden, who’d left so coldly, would suddenly return.

Even if he changed his mind, she couldn’t just wait indefinitely for his decision, not knowing when it would come.

Serena didn’t even have the luxury to be hurt by the response worse than a beast’s from the man called her fiancé.

‘I’ll have to humor you people a little.’

Having lost the only possibility of someone reigning above the Ashertons who could extract her, Serena had only one choice left.

Entangling herself directly with the demons with her own hands.

Facing the Ashertons herself.

That didn’t mean she planned to bow her head to them.

Not even slightly did she intend to endure everything she didn’t need to endure like before, embracing her shattered soul alone.

Serena planned to use them.

‘Even the Ashertons have weaknesses.’

Bartholomew Ashterton, Olivia Ashterton, and Kyle Ashterton too.

The festering wounds they’d sewn up tight, ready to burst with just a little twist—she could see them all clearly.

Their filthy true nature, barely hidden while abusing her.

‘Shall I poke at it a little?’

Serena leaned her thin shoulders against the backrest and slowly tilted her head.

She rested her head on her long, slender fingertips and gazed at the mansion with a cool gaze.

Soon her red lips curved alluringly, having spotted her prey.

* * *

The maids who’d seemed ready to appear at any moment with Olivia in tow remained quiet.

‘Because Kyle’s involved.’

Since he’d said he would punish Serena, there was no place for mere maids to interfere.

So what was strange instead was the fact that Kyle, who she’d expected to come right after Hayden left, remained quiet.

She wondered if he’d already left since he never stayed long at the Count’s estate anyway, but judging by how servants still busily passed by his room, that didn’t seem to be the case.

‘Is it because I’ve changed?’

If memory served, Kyle should have already left the Count’s estate.

If he was still staying here, there was only one reason she could think of.

To punish her.

‘How tiresome.’

It was so tediously predictable she almost laughed.

Why was he so desperate to kill her?

What had she done to him?

“Ha.”

Serena let out a short scoff like a sigh and stopped before the heavily closed door.

Knock knock.

Beyond the neat knocking sound, footsteps light as air could be heard.

The maid attending Olivia tilted her head unconsciously upon seeing Serena.

That reaction wasn’t unreasonable.

Though Olivia had barged into Serena’s room recklessly many times after even removing the lock, Serena had never come to find Olivia first.

Unlike before, Serena stood with her back straight and looked down at the maid silently.

“Ah.”

Only then remembering what she should do, the maid bowed her head and opened the door.

Upon entering the room, Olivia glared at her with venomous eyes.

“What brings you here?”

“I came to see Mother.”

“Your time to die must really be approaching.”

Olivia sneered at her while spitting out cruel words.

Though nausea surged, Serena lightly suppressed it and gently curved the corners of her eyes toward Olivia.

“It’s gotten quite cold lately. I remembered how you always coughed around this time, so I brought tea.”

Wearing a harmless smile, she took one step closer to Olivia.

Olivia furrowed her brow at her unusual attitude and snorted.

“Since when have you cared about my health?”

“I was too weak to take care of you first. But I was always thinking of you. I’m sorry.”

Serena, who’d added an unrequested apology, lowered her trembling eyelashes.

To make it look like she feared Olivia.

So Olivia would dismiss her as nothing but a sacrifice, unable to even suspect her.

Step by step, her footsteps approached without hesitation.

Smack.

“Don’t act on your own.”

Satisfied at having trampled Serena, Olivia smiled contentedly.

The fact that Serena’s cheek she’d just struck was already swelling red was rather enjoyable to her.

Her cheek burning, Serena bit down hard on the soft flesh inside her mouth.

The teacup in her hands couldn’t hide their trembling and rattled on the saucer.

Olivia gazed with a satisfied look at Serena’s hands soaked in fear.

This should be sufficient torment.

Since she was actually thirsty anyway, her hand naturally moved toward the teacup.

Through her trembling eyelashes, Serena watched the tea travel down that pale white throat.

At the corner of her red lips, an unconcealed smile appeared.

* * *

The fact that Olivia had an affection deficit was an open secret everyone in the mansion knew.

‘Though she probably thinks no one knows.’

Because Bartholomew Ashterton and Kyle Ashterton, the targets from whom she craved affection most, ignored her.

To Olivia, for whom their attention was more important than anything else in the world, she couldn’t see anything else.

Though called *buse, unlike Bartholomew who leaned toward neglect, her behavior of directly stepping forward and even dragging in the maids to torment Serena also stemmed from twisted deprivation.

Because of the pathetic expectation that doing so might make Bartholomew pleased.

Even if he didn’t show a proper reaction, at least Priest Bateron never spared her praise.

‘Because he needed to keep Olivia bound that way to continue receiving donations.’

In the end, he was essentially exploiting Olivia’s deficit too.