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Episode 17: Face Hidden Behind Beautiful Mask
Bang. Isaac shut the door as soon as I followed him in. The sound was very frightening. Tears sprang up in fear, but I held back.
“Sit down.”
I shrank and sat down on a nearby chair.
Isaac, sighed as if he was trying to suppress his boiling anger, now that I see him, he was a mess.
His uniform was dirty, and his silver hair was unruly with sweat all over the nape of his neck.
“All right.”
He finally straightened up and crossed his arms and faced me directly.
His eyes that were filled with flaring anger had already subsided coldly.
“Tell me what happened.”
What’s up with this man?
I gulped down my dry saliva and began explaining in a hurry.
“We were riding together and Miss Furiana asked me to compete toward the other side of the shore, so I started first along the road she told me, and suddenly something popped out of the bushes and grabbed me by the ankle and pulled me. I-I was trying to get out, but I hit my head and

 I really didn’t do it on purpose.”
While taking a shaky breath, I was wondering if I should say that I met Popo the monster or not, but the expression on his face was unusual.
Staring at me with glaring eyes is like

.
“Freya told me that you ran into the forest to play by yourself. Even though she said no.”
“What? What’s that

.”
“Or did Freya lie to me? Is that what you’re trying to say?”
His voice, which pressed down his anger, subsided coldly.
What the hell is he talking about?
I felt like I was hit on the head.
What is this weird feeling?
Why? Why would she do that? Just because she doesn’t want to take responsibility? Because she was afraid to say she offered a match first?
No, it’s not.
She obviously didn’t show any hostility until today, so why would she do that?
She didn’t seem to care about me, but what’s with the sudden change of attitude?
She didn’t expect me to be kidnapped by a monster, but she certainly showed me the wrong way.
And now, thanks to her, Isaac misunderstood me.
Freya was in a position that was incomparable to me, and it was only natural for Isaac to trust her more than me.
Once I was already labelled, and if something similar happened again in the future, I would be swept away by an absurd stigma and drowned in mud. I have experienced this before.
Why is she messing with me like this? I’m an idiot. I can do anything for her, but if she’s interrupting my safe path like this

.
It was then Isaac, who was silently looking at me, who had been lost for a while, suddenly said in a subdued tone.
“You, just go back.”
“Pardon
?”
“Go back to Romagna. I’ll send you back without any strings attached.”


What does this mean?
Isaac agreed to marry me only to prevent Ellenia from marrying Enzo.
Everyone knew that one day there would be a catastrophe.
However, even my father or Cesare could not ask for a divorce this time, so I was stagnant, while at the same time Britannia royal family saw me as a hostage that they couldn’t let go easily.
But I can’t believe he’ll annul the marriage without any strings attached within a month of my arrival.
No matter how much he was the king’s nephew and future Duke of Omerta, it was not a decision he could make.
And if I go back to Romagna in this state

 Aside from my personal fear of the family, Ellenia, with or without me, will be married to Prince Dorias in half a year, so who will stop her from being assassinated?
Even if it weren’t for me, my father’s spies here would make things up, and if Ellenia died like that

.
If I can’t do anything like this and go home, I’ll

.
“You didn’t marry me because you liked me, and if you stay here, you won’t be able to see anything good, so go back to your house. You must have felt it, but this is not the place for you.”
It was a cold tone, as if it could cut like a knife. The calm voice that was completely drained of emotions was terrifyingly determined.
It was too unexpected for him to explode because he thought I was trying to alienate his childhood friend.
Even if Rudbeckia in the original was so vicious towards Freya, it seems that this kind of situation did not come out, but

.
Knock, knock. Someone knocked on the door.
Isaac now turned to the door, sweeping his hair with a short sigh.
“It’ll take a while for the doctor to arrive, so until then

.”
“I-I don’t want to.”
“What?”
Thump!
I clung to him, falling off the chair.
My shin ached, but regardless, I crawled and hugged his legs tightly.
First, I have to solve this misunderstanding with this damned problematic man. Even if I get hit more for lying

.
“What the hell are you doing

.”
“No, I don’t want to go back. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything. Please don’t throw me away like this

.”
I knew crying would irritate him, but there was nothing else I could do in this situation.
I sat on my knees properly, sobbing and clasping my hands.
Isaac was staring down at me with a look similar to what I saw in the stable this morning.
“I guess I misunderstood what lady Furiana was saying. How dare I said that the lady lied. I-I’ll apologise to the lady. I’ll apologise to everyone else. From now on, I won’t do anything and just stay at home. I won’t do it again, so please forgive me.”
“

.”
“I-I’ll do whatever you tell me to do. I’ll take any punishment quietly. As much as I’ve done wrong, I’ll take beatings until you feel better.
.”
His face, which seemed half-frozen, slowly distorted.
The next moment he grabbed my shoulders and lifted me up. At that moment, I closed my eyes tightly because I felt like he was going to slap my cheek.
“I hate you so much.”
Hiccups came out at the sound that pierced my ears like an awl.
I know it well, you bastard!
Although it was a fact I already knew very well, it was the first time he had spoken to me in such a determined and vivid way that in an instant, I was half-frozen.
Isaac looked into my eyes with eyes like blazing flames, and growled one word at a time.
“I’m so annoyed with you.”
“Hic
”
“All the arguments until this night, worrying over you when it should not matter to me whether you die or not..
 Everything that you have done was unpleasant to me, but damn it, I’m insanely annoyed because I can’t figure out why I am bothered by everything. Why don’t you just walk around with your nose up like you supposed so? Why the hell are you acting like this! Every word coming from your mouth is nonsense, but why am I— I’m always mulling over what you’re saying
!”
What
?
“I’m going crazy because I don’t know. That’s why I hate you and I’m annoyed.”
I’ve been suffocating. The waves of emotions flowing out of him were so intense that I couldn’t breathe properly.
While there was a heavy silence, we both looked at each other.
Despite his blazing eyes, somehow I felt like I could not take my eyes off him.
Suddenly a cool sense of relief struck my heart.
He didn’t mean to send me just because of Freya. It wasn’t like that. He wasn’t fed up with me.
First and foremost, the fact that he was a little shaken by my words despite the words of his childhood friend who was by his side for ten years, was important.
A ray of light seemed to shine in the dark.
Whether the piece of emotion he’s feeling is pity, interest, or an agglomeration of something else

.
There was still hope for me in such an intense feeling.
As the unknown author indicated, I already know that the BlueBeard and the Shining Knight are the same person[1].
“I-hic-tell me what to do. I’ll do anything. I’ll do everything, so please don’t throw me away.”
Isaac slowly removed his hand from me.
It was me who was shivering and whispering, but somehow his red eyes looked painfully distorted.
The moment I opened my lips again, he turned around first.
Bang, The sound of the door slamming rang out loud.
And that’s how the best knight of the north fled from the scene.
* * *
What was Freya’s character like?
A dignified, witty, gentle, aristocratic young girl who was loved by all.
Other than that, there was no prominent description. Besides, it was a novel I read a long time ago, so my memory is blurry in many ways.
Of course, it was impossible to know Freya’s detailed characteristics because most of the narratives were centred on the plot of the Borgia family and the Northern Knights, including Isaac.
However, even if Rudbeckia attacked, Freya responded wisely every time, and if there was likely to be a disturbance, she intervened first, which seemed to be impressive.
Furthermore, although I do not remember anything more than friendship, I had thought that there would be no variable even if she and Isaac had more than friendship, as she is the main character’s childhood friend and the main character in the epilogue. [2]
Because I’m a fake wife who’ll be thrown out at any time and everyone knows it enough for sure.
I thought it would be fine if I didn’t look like I was bothering her or jealous like the original story.
But why is Freya— in the original who acted elegantly and smartly towards the original Rudbeckia— is now doing this to me even if I didn’t do anything to her and pretended that I can’t attack her?
She would have been fully aware of the danger of getting lost there, wandering around and encountering the monster.
Though she didn’t expect to be attacked by a vines monster in that short period of time.
So she went back and told such a lie right away


.
Did she expect to find me soon and brand me as a spoiled liar in front of so many northern nobles?
Why the hell?
I didn’t think she had any animosity towards me from the beginning. However, it’s a different story for her brother

.
She would have thought I wasn’t worth caring about, but it didn’t seem to be the case, so I could only conclude that she was really starting to get bothered by my presence.
Whatever it may be, it would be difficult if it continues like this.
Even if it’s not a big deal, even if it’s childish and trivial, considering my situation and circumstances, it can’t be said to be insignificant.
My conviction hardened the next day when Freya personally visited me.
***
[1] Here the unknown author is the author of ‘Sodom and the Holy Grail’. In case readers don’t know who BlueBeard is: he is a serial killer who used to kill his wives who disobeyed him. Now for Rudbeckia, she is prepared to live with the BlueBeard (Isaac) and obey him. As y’all know BlueBeard used to kill his wives because they disobeyed him and opened the forbidden door(?).
Now what the unknown author indicated (according to Rudbeckia) is: there are two famous theories regarding the real identity of BlueBeard and one theory actually connects to the Duke of Britannia (Brittany).
The theory is that a man [Gilles de Rais] had saved the Duke of Brittania’s life at the age of 16 (pay attention that Issac also got fame during this age frame) and quickly rose in ranks by fighting wars and became rich but he soon he left all the fame and riches at the age of 30 and started to divert his attention to black magic and sacrifices, it is said that he is killed almost 140 people, assaulted them and what not. Later he was killed but it signals the fact that he is related to the Duke of Britannia (Brittany). He could have been adopted also, so who knows?
So the author tried to indicate (according to ruby) that Isaac is actually a psychopath and all (of course it is not, it’s just Rudbeckia is misunderstanding it)
So for Rudbeckia—right now Isaac is no less than a psychopath, a serial killer, an assaulter, that’s how seriously she is scared of him.
(Imagine yourself living with a psychopath with no way to escape from him, you’ll have mental breakdowns everyday.)
[2] Freya became the female lead in the epilogue (married him) even in the manhwa it was shown in first chp.
Left side: Isaac.
Right side: Freya (proof that she is Freya- the hair is wavy, Ellen doesn’t has wavy hair, and she doesn’t uses that hairstyle)
Middle (both behind them and in front): Rudbeckia
PS: For your information, BlueBeard is not a real person and according to those famous two theories, it is believed that the character ‘BlueBeard’ is derived/inspired from those psychopaths.
PSS: These theories are in no way real, these stories in no way give us any morals of the story (maybe curiosity leads to regrets?)