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Castle of the Monster (1.2)
Shilok’s eyes gleamed. He knew about his daughter’s weakness too well.  “Your younger siblings don’t know what poverty is. As the eldest daughter, will you really let your younger siblings starve miserably?”
Her shoulders unmistakably relaxed with resignation
“But if you really don’t want to get married, you don’t have to. I can’t force the eldest daughter to get married, even though it does feel like a refusal to do your duty.”
“If I’m really cursed… If I get married and my husband dies again…”
“If you’re worried about that, give birth to a child as soon as possible. Whether your husband is ugly or not, you must be able to tolerate it. You’ve been through this before. Also, if you manage to conceive a child, you’ll live your life as a noble lady, then you won’t have to marry for the fourth time.”
Lily’s last recollection of that day was when Shilok gently stroked her chin. To her father, she was no different from a broodmare in the stables. The only reason for her existence is to have her body used by an aristocrat and give birth to a baby.
“…Why do all men like it so much?” she murmured to herself as she gazed at the lush nighttime view.
The nanny raised her head at Lily’s words. “Women don’t feel much pleasure when they do that. That’s why the first night is important. It would be nice to have children immediately rather than to suffer.” The nanny sighed.
“Don’t be rude to your new husband. You know about the duke’s notoriety, don’t you?”
“I know. He’s the war hero who conquered four kingdoms.”
“Yes. Additionally, he’s an illegitimate child with the blood of a lustful woman who seduced His Majesty. It was a rather sordid affair.”
Lily smiled. “Then we’re similar. I’m an ungodly woman who is not innocent.”
Seeing her nanny fiddle with her dress, it was clear to Lily that she was on the verge of reprimanding her, but she pretended not to notice since she didn’t know anything about her nanny’s personality and habits.
Nevertheless, the reason Lily brought up the duke was because of the fear of entering the estate of her husband.
“The imperial family loathes gods and priests, but be careful with your mouth. I heard the duke enjoys eating human flesh, so his face is as ugly as a monster.”
Although Lily didn’t reply, she was curious. She had never seen her new husband’s face before.
***
It was morning when Lily woke up in the chapel. She bathed and freshened up, and warm soup and food had been carefully prepared for her when she finished. However, the duke was not anywhere in sight.
Even when she was back in the carriage, travelling to the duke’s estate, she remembered what she did with him.
The most shocking thing was the memory of the sharp and vicious pleasure that dominated every single nerve in her body.
Lily became curious, wondering if other women knew how sex felt like. She quickly became embarrassed by such thoughts and shook her head to clear them.
People would say that the more noble the woman’s soul is, the lesser amount of sexual desire they feel. It was basic knowledge.
Experiencing that feeling that she had never felt during my two marriages made her feel dirty.
Her thoughts ended at that due to the sudden shouting of the mercenaries hired as escorts.
“It’s just a monster! Damn it, what’s wrong with this monster that ‘s heading directly for the castle!”
“It’s because of you! I wouldn’t have come here if it’s not for more money!”
Soon after, the eerie sound of a beast’s cries pierced their eardrums and spooked their horses. The sun had already set and the forest was dark. And perhaps due to a loose wheel, the carriage Lily was in fell over.
The nanny and Lily screamed and rolled out of the carriage.
Lily didn’t know that the shock of falling to the ground would hurt this badly.
At the same time it felt like her scalp was on fire as her head was yanked upward as someone grabbed her by the hair.
“Ugh! What are you doing!”
“It’s because of this bitch. It’s clear that this bitch was the one who called out the monster! You have to slice her throat right away so that the monster will go away!”
“Are you crazy? She’s the duchess! The reason we’ll fall behind isn’t because of the monster but you!”
“I can die by the duke’s hands, but not by this monster! I don’t even think we can live before getting out of here!”
Rather than resisting, Lily was too overwhelmed to understand the situation.
The sky was dark, and the surrounding area was like a battlefield due to the cries of horses, shouts of mercenaries, and the roar of the beast.
In the meantime, the rough hand painfully pulled her like a sack by her hair.
Lily tried to grip the hand in her hair with her own delicate one.
There was no mercy in the fearful hands. Regardless of his colleagues trying to convince him to let Lily go, he pulled out a dagger and placed it on Lily’s neck. The serrated blade reflected the cold moonlight.
“Wa-wait…!”
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The blood drained from her head in an instant.
Is this how I’ll die?
As she thought of death, Lily suddenly heard something flying through the air.
The man gradually lowered his dagger.
No mercy was shown.