~Chapter 53~
“The Beast in Chains”
“Damien!!”
From the corner of Damien’s right eye, thick tendrils of black curses writhed and shot outward—so intense it seemed unbearable for any human.
‘What on earth…!’
The curse tendrils surged toward one spot in the garden—a strange black mass, also squirming.
[I’m scared, save me, scared, save me.]
[It hurts, it hurts!]
[It’s hot, hot, hot!]
It wasn’t a curse.
The curses launched toward it, fighting over the target. They bit it. Tore it apart. Devoured it like ravenous beasts.
‘This… this is a rampage.’
I instinctively understood: Damien was losing control.
“Dami—”
I reached out, trying to calm him before the rampage fully took over.
“No. Ruby, run. Get away from me!”
Damien shouted, backing away to keep me at a safe distance.
“But Damien—!”
The curses thrashed violently around us.
One of them twisted toward me.
“Disappear!” I yelled, activating my power.
A small part of the curse broke off and crumbled like ash—but the rest remained massive and terrifying.
A wide-mouthed curse lunged toward me.
BOOM!
“RUBY!!”
Damien screamed, pain written all over his face.
He grabbed the curse tendril with his bare hands, ripping it off and twisting his body to deflect its path—just to protect me.
I looked down at my trembling, curse-stained hand.
‘My power’s not enough…’
“Ruby! While I’m in this state, you won’t be able to stop me. Just wait until I calm down—go now!”
I could feel it—I’d have to touch Damien himself to truly stop the rampage.
But the curses were too fast, too large.
‘What do I do…?’
Suddenly, I sensed movement on both sides.
“My Lady, you must evacuate.”
“Please, come with us.”
Damien’s servants appeared, already trained for this.
They weren’t panicking—they had done this before.
They formed a perimeter, trying to contain Damien.
“No, I can’t—Damien is still—”
“You must go.”
The head butler said it firmly.
And then—Damien groaned in pain.
“Ugh…”
The servants struck with sharp hooks, aiming to pin him down.
He didn’t resist.
He let them hurt him—just to keep everyone safe.
Three hooks pierced his body. He collapsed.
“No—wait—Damien!!”
“RUBY!!”
For the first time, Damien raised his voice at me.
“Get out. NOW!!”
Thump.
My heart sank.
“My Lady,” the head maid said, her voice heavy.
Tears blurred my vision, but I tried to think clearly.
“I understand. I’ll go.”
They weren’t trying to harm him—just subdue the curse, to buy time.
And if I got hurt, Damien’s recovery might be delayed even further.
So I obeyed.
Even as we fled to the far side of the estate, I couldn’t stop looking back.
Damien lay collapsed, bleeding, with a syringe in his neck.
‘Go… please…’
Even at the end, with trembling lips, he told me to escape.
And finally, the light in his amethyst eyes faded.
I swallowed my sobs and forced myself to walk away.
Later
“The Master has been subdued.”
The butler and head maid reported calmly.
Damien was unconscious from the tranquilizer.
The curses didn’t vanish, but they stopped moving for now.
The staff had 4 minutes after the shot to safely transport him to the special prison built just for him—one resistant to even the strongest curses.
“Based on experience, it takes about a week for him to recover enough to speak normally.”
“You said about a week. That means it could take longer?”
The butler nodded, his wrinkles deepening.
“Yes, My Lady. Before you arrived, the recovery time kept getting longer. The worst was nearly a month.”
A month? I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving him like that for so long.
“Butler, you know I can suppress curses, right?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Then what if I go into the prison before a week passes and use my ability on Damien directly?”
“There’s a chance it could work. But I can’t recommend it.”
The white-haired butler adjusted his glasses, clearly conflicted.
“When in rampage, the curses are much stronger. Your power is incredible, My Lady, but… there are too many unknown risks.”
“And?”
“And during this period, the Master… is not quite the man you know.”
He hesitated before continuing.
“He refuses to let anyone see him like that. If someone tries to enter, he becomes hostile—violent, even.”
Now that I thought about it, early in our relationship, Damien hated showing the effects of his curse—even when he was in control.
Now that it had fully taken over… it made sense he didn’t want anyone to see.
“That’s why we advise against it.”
I bit my lip in frustration.
‘The curse responded to something earlier—it ate something.’
It had eaten… fear. Human fear.
I’d need to investigate why something like that was in the garden—but stopping the rampage came first.
‘If the curse fed on fear, my powers are the only real way to stop it.’
So many worries ran through my head.
But one thing was certain:
‘Damien is suffering right now.’
I could feel it in my heart.
“I understand.”
I couldn’t just sit and do nothing.
‘It’s a gamble… but I have one idea.’
Meanwhile – In the Prison
A dark underground cell, where no sunlight reached.
This wasn’t built for criminals. It was made to contain Damien, the Duke of Maledictus.
In the center, shackled in chains, Damien groaned like a beast.
The curse ravaged his mind.
He could barely think straight.
He wanted to taste blood.
He hated himself for it.
Then—
“…Damien.”
A soft voice reached him.
He jolted awake.
“Ruby, go. You shouldn’t be here.”
Moments ago, he’d been snarling like an animal.
Now, he forced himself to speak clearly, human again.
But his voice trembled with pain.
“Damien, I wanted to see you.”
That terrified him.
Part of him wanted to hide his monstrous self from her.
Another part wanted to wrap her in curses and never let go.
“Damien… if you just let me—”
“DON’T COME IN!!”
He screamed.
Right after, regret flooded his face.
‘If I apologize, she’ll soften.’
He couldn’t let that happen.
If he hurt her—he’d never forgive himself.
That’s when—
Creeaak—
The door opened.
“I said DON’T—”
But then he saw her.
Standing in the doorway—
And he froze in shock, unable to finish his sentence.
