Without its owner, the duke’s residence was no different from easy prey to Max. There was not a single being that noticed him jump over the wall, pass through the garden, and head towards the main building.
Surveying the outside of the building, Max’s eyes landed on a balcony with a large window.
‘That must be it.’
Max moved stealthily towards his objective, climbing the jutting structure and landing on the third floor balcony.
‘Is it locked?’
Though skeptical, he gave a little push against the transparent glass doors. The doors easily opened, allowing the lace curtains behind them to flutter. He silently snorted.
‘To be this defenseless–I have no words.’
Stepping into the dark room, Max could vaguely make out the figure of a woman lying in her bed. He approached the bed with silent footsteps.
‘Looks weak.’
He thought she would resemble his teacher, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. Unlike Regis, who was firm and had a tall stature, this woman was thin and delicate.
‘She obviously looks like she won’t be able to learn any sword fighting so I don’t think he (Regis) is thinking about making her his successor…’
Max couldn’t understand his teacher at all.
‘Why is he so obsessed with this useless thing?’
He only held those thoughts for a brief moment before raising one side of his mouth into a crooked grin.
‘If this thing were to disappear….how would that man react?’
Even in the dark, Max was able to catch a glimpse of the woman’s slender neck. It was thin to the point where it looked like it would snap easily even if squeezed with just a little bit of strength.
His eyes were scrutinizing the figure of the woman in the dark when a sudden voice shattered the quietness.
“I don’t know who you are, but I believe you’ve come to the wrong house.”
Max became startled as he heard a woman’s voice which, despite the situation, sounded awfully calm.
‘She was awake?’
How do normal people usually react when they come across an intruder? They typically screamed instinctively, fought back because they didn’t want to die or trembled in fear while begging for their life.
“This is the residence of the Duke of Floyen.”
‘What’s with this woman?’
Max creased his brows, experiencing an unfamiliar feeling for the first time. He had seen plenty of people before, all of which bowed their heads before him – wanting to please him. Of course, there were a couple who were insolent, but none were as carefree as this woman.
‘Does she have someone backing her?’
Someone like Duke Floyen would undoubtedly be a solid backer, but Max knew his teacher was absent at the moment. Coming to the conclusion that the woman was actually scared but was covering it up by bluffing, he responded with a sneer.
“No, I came to the right place.”
He had expected her to be going down on her knees and begging for her life, but her reaction was quite different from his expectations.
“Is that so? How about you change your mind? I think you’ll regret it if you don’t.”
The woman quickly moved to sit up on her bed. The moonlight streamed from the large windows, penetrating the room and revealing an ethereal face. Though there was an air of exhaustion present, it still fit well with the woman’s overall laid-back atmosphere. Despite her poor reputation, she was still the envy of many due to her well-known beauty.
Nevertheless, Max wasn’t very impressed. If you took away her exceptional beauty, she didn’t look like she’d be of any use in his eyes.
‘She’s nothing special.’
When he heard her sigh, Max unconsciously fixed his gaze on the woman’s face. Not too long after, her lips, which were as red as pomegranate seeds, parted slightly.
“I still have a year left before I’m supposed to die.”
She muttered in an extremely dry and chilling tone that did not match her face. The words were spoken quietly, as if talking to herself, but he could clearly feel the coldness behind it.
‘Does she not understand what’s going on?’
It irked him. She was foolish to the point where she did not even grasp the situation she was in – being so relaxed and even getting up and stretching her body without fear.
Max furrowed his brows as an uncomfortable pounding started in his chest.
‘Well, she’s just bluffing.’
He recalled all those who had ever acted conceitedly in front of him. A look of murderous intent flashed over his face.
‘I’m sure that act of hers will crumble once her life is threatened.’
Max planned on threatening the foolish woman but stopped when he saw her move to light the candle on her bedside table.
‘How dare…’
He was about to blow the candle and knock the woman down but froze when the candlelight revealed a clearer view of her face. She had a delicate and beautiful appearance like a doll, but it was her eyes that caught his attention.
‘You…’
Max unknowingly took a step forward. He thought he was seeing things when, at that moment, her doll-like face suddenly lightened up.
“Oh, Father’s apprentice.”
He had fully intended on inducing fear, but that plan was forgotten as he stared at the smiling face of the woman before him.
<Well, you see…the thing you’re trying to buy is actually what I was looking for.>
The woman whom he had run into only briefly yet had constantly appeared in his thoughts, bothering him to no end.
She was right in front of his very eyes.
* * *
A sudden thirst woke me up from my slumber. My throat was dry and parched, making me speculate that I had caught a cold.
‘I’ll have to check it out in the morning.’
I opened my eyes with the intention of getting a glass of water.
‘Hm, what’s that?’
When I saw a dark figure staring down at me, I honestly thought I was in a state of <b>*</b>sleep paralysis but the slight chill coming through the open windows were telling me that this wasn’t a dream.
There were only two possible reasons for someone to trespass into another’s room at such a late hour. It was either a robbery or…
‘Don’t tell me…am I going to be assassinated?’
I quickly came to the worst-case scenario and took a moment to contemplate over who might’ve been behind it.
Damn it. It was useless, there were too many candidates. Why did I live so immorally?
‘Oh younger me, why did you live your life so thoughtlessly?’
I was having a moment of self-reflection but then I suddenly remembered – I was not just some minor character in this novel.
‘That’s right, I still have many more scenes left to appear in…’
All fictional novels had a rule.
The rule that the main and supporting characters, as well as the villain, never died in the beginning of the story. In other words, I, the main villainess, would not die before the incident at the princess’ coming-of-age ceremony.
‘This might have been something that was supposed to happen in the original story anyway. Don’t be scared.’
Smothering my apprehension, I narrowed my eyes at the suspicious shadow in front of me.
‘I feel like I’ve seen that figure before. Who is this person?’
Trespassing at a late hour like this, this intruder was most likely either an assassin or a thief. But what was more certain was that regardless of the profession, this person was definitely not sane. A normal person would never aim for the house of my father, the strongest person in the empire.
“I don’t know who you are, but I believe you’ve come to the wrong house. This is the residence of the Duke of Floyen.”
“No, I came to the right place.”
I had asked just to make sure but his answer made it clear. He was either crazy or just recklessly bold.
“Is that so? How about you change your mind? I think you’ll regret it if you don’t…”
Feeling sorry for him, I I tried to get him to change his mind, but the man didn’t answer and remained silent.
I let out a small sigh while mumbling something quietly to myself.
“I still have a year left before I’m supposed to die.”
Of course, I didn’t intend on giving up and dying here, even if he was planning on killing me, nevertheless, I was still relieved. It was a blessing that I still had a chance to improve and change my fate.
‘I won’t lose my opportunity this time.’
I quietly rose up and stood in front of the candle. This was my chance to alert the guards at the front gate that something had happened in my room. I snuck a glance at the man while picking up the match. I wondered what kind of thoughts were going through his head while his lips remained shut.
After lighting the candlestick on the table in front of the window, the light allowed me to finally see the face of the intruder.
Ah, how could I forget that face?
A man with black hair, fair skin and an overall appearance that was exceedingly pleasing.
“Oh, Father’s apprentice.”
It seemed he did come to the right place then.
‘What a relief.’
I was relieved to find out the identity of the intruder – who was neither a thief nor an assassin. I had been able to remain calm by telling myself it wasn’t time for me to die yet, but I was actually terrified inside. I also learned an important lesson.
‘I’ll have to make sure my doors and windows are properly locked from now on.’
Losing the strength in my legs, I plopped down onto my bed. I didn’t know how long my father’s apprentice had been staring at me in a daze before his eyes moved to the candle, giving it a dirty look.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
‘To think he’d speak to the esteemed daughter of a duke so rudely.’
By insulting the nobility, he would have been subjected to more than just punishment. He would’ve been sentenced to death. He was only left unscathed because it was me and not some other nobleman. I decided to give him a warning for his own sake.
“Excuse me. Why are you talking to me so casually?”
He glared at me with frigid eyes.
“Because it’s a given.”
On top of his arrogance, his way of talking also lacked emotion – just like my father.
‘But father isn’t to that extent. This man is definitely worse.’
I didn’t know if it was because I was feeling relieved that I was safe, or because the flow of the conversation was cut abruptly, but I suddenly burst into a fit of laughter.
“So what was your name again?”
Instead of answering my question, he scowled at me. Becoming somewhat embarrassed under his stare, I tried to explain why I was asking for his name.
“Ah, you see, I didn’t mean to forget your name on purpose but–”
I was interrupted by a sudden knock.
“Milady, is everything all right?”
The voices of the knights outside my door were reassuring, but there was one problem. The tip of a sword was being pointed right against my neck. I stared at my father’s apprentice who was holding the sword.
‘Is he scared..? How hostile.’
His crimson eyes showed he was not the least bit fazed. Only a threatening and violent air surrounded him. Looking into his eyes, I understood what he wanted me to do.
‘Seems like he wants me to put up an act.’
That I could easily do.
“Ah, I had a nightmare so I turned on the light for a moment.”
Others would have accepted it and left but Geraldine, my cousin, asked me in a serious tone,
“What? Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m not feeling sleepy right now so I thought about reading a book.”
I was actually exhausted, but because I didn’t know what my father’s apprentice may do, I gave a rough lie.
“It’s not good for your health to sleep late. Hurry and go to bed.”
In the midst of all this, Geraldine was unyielding as always, even giving me advice.
“Alright. I understand.”
Unable to hear any sound from the other side of the door, it seemed the knights had finally left. I couldn’t tell if they had actually left or not but my father’s apprentice continued to glare at me without lowering his sword. Looking straight into his eyes, I spoke in a calm manner.
“I did what you wanted so could you remove this sword?”
His face became distorted as soon as he heard the words that left my lips.
T/N: sleep paralysis — if you didn’t know what this was, it’s basically being unable to move when you’re falling asleep/waking up. It can be accompanied by hallucinations of a demon (which is what Juvel thought Max was) — look up sleep paralysis/가위 if you’re curious