Chapter 06
Your husband comes home exhausted from work, and instead of greeting him with a bright smile, you sulk and make a sour face?
As usual that day, the demon returned home drunk and violently attacked Irene’s mother.
I’m sorry, my love. It’s all my fault.
Her mother, who had done nothing wrong, begged for forgiveness with tears streaming down her face—but the demon didn’t stop his violence or harsh words.
Irene wanted to intervene, but unfortunately, there was nothing she could do.
She remembered the last time she had tried to stop the demon and had been punished severely for it, which made her freeze in place even more.
Crouched in a corner where the demon couldn’t see her, Irene squeezed her eyes shut and trembled, waiting for his anger to subside.
Please…
Shut up!
Ah!
After the harsh shout, a faint scream was heard, barely audible.
Then came a thud, the sound of something collapsing. Silence fell.
Irene opened her tightly shut eyes.
In front of the old table, her mother lay slumped, blood flowing profusely around her head, the stench of iron-heavy blood assaulting Irene’s nose.
Her face turned pale, as if she hadn’t eaten a single meal in days.
Mom…
Rushing to her mother in a single step, Irene shook her shoulders fiercely, ignoring the blood staining her hands and clothes.
Open your eyes.
……
Please, please wake up! Mom! Mom!
She called desperately, but the long lashes remained still.
She could feel the body that had always held her gently going cold.
Her mother was dead.
The demon… had finally killed her.
As her mind grasped the truth, everything in front of her went white.
Light and darkness collided ceaselessly, and she was so disoriented she forgot where she even was. To make matters worse, her consciousness began to fade.
The last thing Irene saw before drifting into unconsciousness was the demon, eyes bloodshot, charging toward her as if to kill her.
“Don’t come!”
With a single scream, Irene awoke from the nightmare, gasping for air. Her eyes, still haunted by remnants of the dream, darted anxiously around her.
But it was pitch dark. She couldn’t see anything—not even her own hands. It was a relief that the demon wasn’t present, but being alone in this darkness was frightening.
“Ah… is there no one here?”
For the first time since meeting Karlos, Irene found herself desperately looking for him. But there was no reply. Judging by the silence, there was likely no one else either.
The heavy silence and the fact that she was alone fanned the flames of fear in her chest.
“……”
Irene felt a scream rising in her throat but swallowed it. If she cried out, it might cause even more trouble.
She decided to focus on her sense of touch to assess her surroundings.
Soft cushions beneath her, smooth fabric likely a curtain, a low ceiling, and a carpeted floor—all signs that she was inside the carriage she had ridden with Karlos.
She was certain no one else was present.
‘Where did he go?’
And why was the carriage so dark? Irene gingerly moved her hands across what she assumed was a curtain, but it made no difference—the darkness remained.
Fear grew as she continued to struggle in the pitch-black. She tried the door, but it wouldn’t open; something was blocking it.
Panicked, she pressed herself against it and struggled when a voice called from outside:
“Miss?”
It was Dewey. Relief washed over Irene’s face.
“Please open the door!”
“Ah…”
Dewey’s reluctant sigh reminded her she wasn’t entirely safe yet.
“Why… can’t I open it?”
“I’m sorry, but until His Grace the Grand Duke returns, the door cannot be opened,” Dewey explained.
“You likely know that the miss is uneasy, so he’ll return soon. Once he does, I will open it immediately. Please wait a little longer.”
“…Alright.”
Irene wanted to go out immediately but realized struggling would be useless. She decided to trust him and wait.
“Is there a problem?” Dewey asked when he heard her quiet voice.
“Nothing serious… it’s just very dark.”
“Ah, the carriage has no lighting. I should have prepared it beforehand. My apologies.”
“That’s fine. You said you’d open the door soon anyway.”
Irene subtly indicated she wanted to get out quickly. Dewey seemed to notice and smiled.
“Indeed. I’ll open it as soon as His Grace returns.”
“Where did he go?”
“He stepped out briefly to check on something.”
Irene remembered the strange rabbit that had attacked her. Could it have been a monster? She wasn’t sure, as this was her first encounter with one.
“To prevent fear in this dark carriage, I will keep you company until the Grand Duke returns.”
“Thank you.”
“Not at all. I’m merely doing my duty.”
Dewey’s voice grew slightly louder, either because he stepped closer or simply spoke more forcefully.
“What shall we talk about? Ah, perhaps I should tell you about the Esper territory where you will be staying.”
The word staying made Irene’s heart race, and she clasped her hands over her chest.
“Alright.”
“The Esper territory is a vast land located in the northern region of the Luman Empire. Its area is larger than the capital, but one-third of it is snowy mountains. The habitable land is actually smaller than the capital.”
‘Habitable land’—was he emphasizing that, or was it her imagination?
“Because it’s a cold region, crops like wheat, barley, and corn are scarce. But there are many rare minerals and herbs. You’ll also find loot from monsters and beasts.”
So that meant monsters and beasts were abundant in the surrounding territory.
“Isn’t it dangerous to live there?”
“Not at all. We don’t kill monsters or beasts; we coexist and collect their loot.”
“Is that possible?”
The common knowledge was to kill monsters immediately upon discovery.
Yet Dewey said they coexisted. Irene couldn’t understand.
“You’ll see once you arrive in the Esper territory.”
Dewey’s voice suddenly stopped mid-explanation.
Without his chatter, the darkness around her felt even heavier.
“Hey, where did you go? Please answer me!”
Irene pressed against the door, calling desperately. The door suddenly opened, and her body sagged forward without support.
“……!”
She reached out instinctively and grabbed something solid, preventing herself from falling face-first onto the floor.
“Hah.”
Relieved, she realized she had grabbed Karlos’ arm and quickly let go.
Karlos glanced at her indifferently and boarded the carriage.
Irene tried to follow, but Dewey blocked her.
“I’m afraid we must depart immediately. We need to reach the village before it gets too dark to avoid spending the night outside.”
“…Alright.”
Returning to her seat, Irene glanced at Karlos, who was leaning against the carriage wall with arms crossed. His face, eyes closed, looked extremely fatigued.
She decided to stay quiet, not to disturb him. Surprisingly, he spoke first.
“Your injuries?”
Remembering them, Irene looked down at her ankle. It had hurt too much to step on initially, but now it only throbbed slightly.
“I’m fine. Thank you for worrying.”
“I’m not worrying.”
His curt response left her speechless. She lowered her gaze.
Karlos, now with his eyes open, watched her quietly and then spoke again.
“Baron Silas is dead.”
“Huh?”
Irene blinked, startled.
“Not just Baron Silas—his entire family burned to death.”
Even though the Baron had seemed fine when she left his territory, the fact that he died suddenly was shocking. And burning to death—terrifying.
What if people think I caused the fire that killed the Silas family?
Worried, Irene opened her mouth to ask Karlos for more details, but his body suddenly appeared semi-transparent, as if ghostlike.
What? She rubbed her eyes, but he remained translucent.
As he became increasingly transparent, fear gripped her.
She could not let Karlos—the presence that bound her like a noose—disappear.
Desperately, she reached out and grabbed his semi-transparent arm.
Immediately, her strength drained. She tried to pull her hand back, sensing something was wrong, when—
“……!”
Karlos pulled her toward him instead.
Irene was flung into his arms, eyes wide as saucers, body stiff like stone.
He pressed his face against her shoulder and inhaled deeply, gradually making his semi-transparent body solid again.
Dazed and startled, Irene felt dizzy, head drooping, soft whimpers escaping her parted lips.
“Ah…….”
At that moment, Karlos’ hands left her waist. She exhaled sharply, looking up at him with clouded eyes.
“Don’t look.”
A large hand covered her eyes. Deep darkness and a rough voice seeped into her mind.
“Because I can’t hold back.”
