I Decided to Abandon Him Before He Abandoned Me
Chapter 1
The carriage was running along a narrow hillside road.
The faces of the young women dressed in black inside the carriage were extremely gloomy.
“Please don’t be too sad. Let’s just focus on staying alive for now.”
The maid comforted her mistress.
“Heuhuhuk… I’d rather die than be sent away to a monastery. My life is over, Stella.”
“The Duke is now the Emperor. You can start anew, my lady. I’m sure the master and madam will come up with a good solution.”
“None of it matters anymore. I don’t even want to live. Euheuheuhuk…”
Despite the maid Stella’s consolation, Kayla wept bitterly and leaned her face on Stella’s shoulder.
“It’ll be alright. Everything will be okay.”
“Stella, what did I do so wrong? All I did was love him. Heuhuk.”
Kayla seemed unable to accept the situation of being cast out by her husband. Stella held her mistress close and patted her back. Rather than maid and mistress, they looked like a naive younger sister and her comforting older sister.
‘What did I do so wrong?’
Stella recalled the words Kayla had just spoken.
‘The biggest mistake, my lady, was falling head over heels for that heartless bastard. That’s why you couldn’t see reality for what it was.’
Kayla had been nothing more than a puppet Duchess, infatuated with a man who didn’t love her. She was despised by everyone and was now being cast aside so miserably, yet she still didn’t know why. Even now, despite how she was treated, she seemed unable to let go. Having watched it all from the side, Stella felt frustrated.
‘Hide yourself away in the monastery so I never have to see your disgusting face again. I want to kill you right now, but sparing your life is my last mercy.’
The Duke had hurled venomous words at his wife, who clung to his feet and begged, then pushed her away and coldly turned his back on her.
That was the final exchange between the Duke and Duchess, and the reason the two were now being sent away to a monastery.
Stella recalled the look in the Duke’s eyes as he walked past her in that last moment. His icy blue eyes, filled with hatred, disgust, and repulsion, were utterly merciless.
There was another woman present. Not the nominal Duchess, but the real woman in his life. The one everyone in the Duke’s residence acknowledged as the true mistress—
Yelena.
Yelena was the only daughter of the Marchioness of Guineiro, a long-standing noble family loyal to the Empire of Akanis. Her father was currently the Imperial Minister of Finance.
She looked on at the pitiful scene of the Duchess being cast out with a gaze of pity, then turned away with a resigned expression, as if there was nothing she could do, quietly following after the Duke.
That was the last day and the final scene Stella remembered from the Duke’s estate.
As Stella recalled that day, a sudden scream rang out from outside the carriage.
“Eek!”
The carriage swayed violently—it was clear something had happened to the coachman. Kayla, who had been sobbing, looked at Stella with fearful eyes.
“Just a moment.”
Stella moved Kayla, who had been leaning on her, and opened the carriage window to assess the situation. At that moment—
“Aaah!”
What she thought was the wind brushing past her cheek was actually the tip of a sharp arrow. A stinging sensation spread across her face as blood began to trickle from a thin cut.
“Stella!”
Kayla’s eyes widened in horror at the sight of blood. But that was just the beginning.
As the coachman, with a blade stuck in him, fell to the ground, masked men in black riding horses began chasing the carriage.
Blades were thrust randomly into the carriage. The two women huddled together tightly, clutching each other.
“They’re going to kill us!”
Kayla screamed, and in that moment, Stella’s vision also went white.
The runaway carriage crashed into a tree, and the two women were forcibly dragged out by the bandits.
Before they could even grasp what was happening, a chilling command rang out.
“Kill them.”
“Please spare me! Sa-save me, Ricardo!”
Even at that moment, trembling with fear, Kayla called out her husband’s name. But a deep stab from a blade made her spit blood, and she collapsed to the side.
Watching Kayla’s final moments, Stella also felt a sharp pain in her back.
‘Ah… to die like this. It’s unfair. So unfair.’
As the blade pierced her body, Stella instinctively knew she was dying.
She could see the blue sky and white clouds. Her vision blurred, and then she saw a face, as if someone had come to confirm her death.
Filled with resentment toward the Duke who had promised to spare her only to kill her, deep regret gripped her heart.
Faces of a few people who had treated her warmly came to mind, and among them was the blurred image of one man who had always treated her with special kindness.
‘If I had only listened to him back then… would I have avoided this miserable death? Would he still remember me?’
.
.
.
And so, Stella’s world turned completely black and silent.
Sniff.
It was the first time I’d ever cried in my sleep.
As I wiped the damp pillow, I slowly opened my eyes to find the room completely dark.
‘What a bizarre dream.’
To be possessed by a character from a book I read before bed—and even feel all her emotions. And not even Yelena, the Duke’s lover, or Kayla, the Duchess—but the maid, Stella.
I had woken from the dream, but my chest still felt heavy, like a stone weighing me down.
The web novel I was reading before I fell asleep was a medieval fantasy romance titled The Unbreaking Blade. Set in an imperial court full of plots and schemes, it told of bloody power struggles for the throne. Maybe there was a bit of romance sprinkled in?
To be honest, war and politics weren’t my favorite genres. What drew me in was the cover.
The male lead was totally my type. His looks were just overwhelming.
‘Let’s see… was this rated 19+?’
Expecting something steamy, I checked, and yes—it was 19+. But not because of any steamy content; it was due to the excessive bloodshed and constant profanity.
Still, like anyone would, I read on, hoping for those scenes. At first, it was just curiosity, but soon I was completely engrossed.
‘I didn’t know I liked this kind of story.’
There were lots of characters—loyal retainers, arrogant royalty, greedy nobles, and of course, the sweet, beautiful heroine.
But strangely, I found myself relating to a minor character: the Duchess’s maid, Stella.
She was smart, quick-witted, and kind. The kind of person I’d want to be friends with in real life.
The Duchess, Kayla, who was constantly belittled by her husband and those around her while foolishly trying to harm the heroine, felt frustrating.
And yet, Stella took care of that foolish Duchess like a cherished younger sister. At times, I thought Stella should’ve been the Duchess instead. Then maybe the Duke wouldn’t have hated her so much.
At one point, Stella had a chance to leave the Duke’s estate. I silently screamed at her to take it. But she chose to stay by Kayla’s side until the very end.
That was the most frustrating moment for me—but maybe that’s why I liked Stella even more.
But just before falling asleep, I ended up throwing the book.
“Ugh, this is so annoying! What the hell!”
It was that very scene I’d just dreamed about. The tragic death of the two women.
The original story hadn’t ended yet, but I lost all interest after Stella died.
I must’ve related to her more than I thought. With my favorite character gone, I didn’t even care how it ended.
Ricardo Zenkis would probably become Emperor, marry the beautiful Yelena Guineiro, and live happily ever after.
That’s probably why, even in my dream, I felt Stella’s emotions so vividly—so much that I cried in my sleep without realizing it.
As I turned in bed, replaying the dream in my mind, my surroundings slowly became visible.
But something was off.
My eyes widened.
‘Wait. I’m not awake yet?’
I rubbed my eyes hard, scanning the room under the dim moonlight.
Unfamiliar room. Unfamiliar curtains. Unfamiliar furniture.
“Where… am I?!”
Startled, I bolted upright. At that moment, I heard a heavy thud from the next room.
Creak—clank.
The sound of someone forcefully opening a window.
“What the hell is going on?!”
I slapped my cheeks and pinched my arm—but this wasn’t a dream.
To figure out what was happening, I rushed to the next room where the noise had come from.
There was no time to check a mirror for the usual regression or possession moment seen in romance-fantasy novels.
Click.
As I carefully opened the door—
I was so shocked, I had to cover my mouth with both hands.
