Chapter 7

Even if my reason was a foolish misunderstanding, I truly loved my fiancé. To me, Linus was the perfect man. Maybe not just to me.

There were many women who liked him. Women who were prettier than me, who had better family backgrounds. They tried to attract him all the time. Even though I was his fiancée and had the right to stand by his side, I started to become nervous and sensitive.

But Linus didn’t even want me. Still, I acted like a guard dog, growling and barking to protect him. Looking back, that’s probably when he stopped pretending to be polite. He began ignoring me openly, even in front of others. That showed just how much he hated me.

The way he looked at me—like I was a bug—was real. To him, I was probably just a parasite trying to cling to him.

Still, first love was sweet.

Honestly, I was used to giving love without getting anything back. Except for my grandmother, no one ever returned my love. I followed Linus around, and I got jealous of the women who tried to get close to him. But I swear—I never hit anyone, no matter what the rumors said.

Of course, nobody cared about the truth.

To everyone else, I was the dumb fiancée chasing perfect Linus.

My reputation got worse and worse. People started feeling sorry for Linus for having to deal with me. Thinking back now, I wonder why Linus never ended the engagement if he didn’t want it.

Maybe the story needed a “fiancée who didn’t know her place” to make the real main character look better.

It was my 18th birthday.

No one celebrated it. No one said “Happy Birthday” to me. That’s because the day I was born was also the day my mother died—she was the great spirit user and the beautiful Marchioness Seymour.

Some girls get big parties. Even common girls get a little special treatment on their birthday. But for me, birthdays were a day to hide in my room and pretend I didn’t exist.

I wasn’t even allowed to eat. My family didn’t want to be reminded that I existed.

On that day, I was supposed to disappear.

“Florence, my only flower. I love you.”

That was a letter my grandmother gave me when I turned four. It was the only birthday message I had. I never even heard it read out loud by anyone else.

I thought I’d be alone again, like every birthday before. But then I heard a knock at the door. I didn’t answer right away. If someone spoke to me today, they could lose their job. So I waited until the person went away.

Outside the door was a big basket of flowers and a card.

“Happy 18th birthday, Linus.”

Just one sentence.

Linus didn’t care. He probably sent it just because he had to, as my fiancé. I didn’t even know if he wrote the card himself. But at that moment, I truly fell in love with Linus.

He would never know how much that simple message meant to me. That one small gift was enough to turn my innocent crush into deep, serious love.

Did I hug the flowers and cry, hoping something would change? Maybe I believed it was my one and only hope. That Linus might save me… maybe…

But the truth?

Linus knew that Jang Hyun-ji’s soul was in my body—and he still loved her. He never once worried about whether I was okay or even alive. Instead of saving me, he choked me the moment he realized I wasn’t her.

I let out a bitter laugh. I sat in front of the mirror. Just like Jang Hyun-ji used to do, I stared at my reflection like I was someone else. There were clear hand marks on my neck. Even if he didn’t choke me with all his strength, his anger left marks on my skin.

“Not exactly a warm welcome after five years.”

If Jang Hyun-ji could hear me, maybe she’d be laughing. Maybe she’d be thankful to Linus for trying to take revenge for her.

I thought I knew that no one wanted me to come back.

But deep down, I still hoped.

Did I want Linus to apologize? To feel guilty, even a little? Maybe I hoped he’d see me and be shocked… and then say he was sorry…

Even one word would’ve been enough.

Foolish me.

I remembered Linus choking me. I remembered the tears and the pained expression on his face. The tears fell like clear scales.

I got chills. Even if I was desperate for love, falling for that kind of man was pure madness.

On the outside, Linus Shane Lindquist looked cold and emotionless, but not evil. He was the leader of the royal knights, a high-ranking noble, always calm and polite. He helped the weak, respected women, and was loyal to his ruler—like a perfect knight.

I believed that once, too.

But in the story, when Linus ended up with the main character Lila Green, the truth came out. He beat out all the other men who loved her because of his dark and obsessive nature.

Linus didn’t feel guilt.

Maybe it was because he had everything from birth—love, talent, wealth. Even with loving parents, he didn’t feel strong emotions. Nothing excited him. Even great achievements felt boring and normal. He never failed, so maybe that’s why.

Lila Green was the only one who matched his level. He became interested in her. He loved her. And to win her, he killed everyone who got in the way.

He made the deaths look like accidents. So Lila wouldn’t be sad. So she’d focus only on him. If he couldn’t kill someone, he’d trap them with tricks. He even drugged a man and made it look like he cheated in front of Lila. He kidnapped families and threatened them.

As long as Lila didn’t find out, it was fine.

Linus was cruel and heartless. He acted like a proper knight only because it helped him. It made it easier to keep his power and status.

“That kind of man… to think I once loved him enough not to want him dead.”

Maybe it was lucky. If I hadn’t loved him even a little, maybe I wouldn’t have survived my reckless actions. I forced myself not to throw up again. Just thinking of what they did to this body made me sick.

Jang Hyun-ji stole my body and even married him.

I used to want so badly to be near him. But now, Linus disgusted me. Maybe Jang Hyun-ji was truly the only one who could be with him. Lila Green didn’t know the truth and still loved him. But Jang Hyun-ji loved him even though she knew everything.

Before Linus could recover from the shock of her disappearance, I had to act.

I couldn’t just get killed after finally getting my body back. He didn’t kill me yet, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t hurt me. The bruises on my neck proved that.

 

I wanted to live. I wanted to take back what was stolen from me—while I still had my body.