SEM 15

#015

“What’s going on?”

“What do you think? I came to check how the new bride is doing.”

Gready sat on the bed where Eliana was lying and looked down at her.

Eliana bit her lip under his gaze. Her face burned under his look of contempt as he stared at the wounds on her back.

“The new bride’s tastes are so scandalous that the empire’s newspapers are all in an uproar. Including your father.”

Gready shook his head. He had to deal with Viscount Hoffman in his robe early that morning.

“My father?”

“He came by at dawn and threw a tantrum, demanding his daughter back.”

His tone was casual, but he couldn’t hide the exhaustion around his eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

“Yes, you should feel a bit sorry toward me.”

Gready’s blunt words pierced Eliana like an awl to the chest.

“You’ve heard when the wedding is, haven’t you?”

“…Yes.”

“I didn’t expect it would cost this much to marry a twice-widowed bride.”

Gready laughed hollowly as he looked down at her.

Her hair, twisted up due to the injuries, revealed a graceful neckline. His eyes naturally drifted to her shoulder blades that resembled wings and her smooth back. If not for the lash marks, it would have been even more beautiful.

“Your taste is something else.”

“What did you say?”

“So pretty, and yet ended up so cruelly whipped because she met the wrong master. Tsk tsk.”

A chilling breath swept across her back. It wasn’t pain, but another sharp sensation that made her hairs stand on end.

Eliana flinched and tried to shrink away from Gready’s gaze. But her body didn’t move as she wished.

“If you move like that, the wounds will ooze again. My million-gold-coin bride.”

“What?”

Gready removed his gaze from her back and pulled something from his back pocket. It was crumpled from being shoved in carelessly.

“Raola’s Diary is coming out with an extra edition every day now.”

Raola’s Diary was a gossip tabloid published at the whims of Lady Raola. Sometimes it was once a week, sometimes only monthly.

Now it was being published daily. That had never happened before.

[Raola’s Diary of the Day]

Eliana Hoffman’s Third Marriage!
To marry her, the Duke of Crayver donated a million gold coins to the temple!
What in the world is Eliana Hoffman’s charm?!
And get this—
This is top secret from Raola:
Not only the Duke of Crayver, but another high-ranking imperial figure also wants her!
Can this marriage really happen?

“Doesn’t it feel like she’s watching us from the side?”

Eliana bit her lip at Gready’s words. For a guess, the diary matched the current situation disturbingly well.

“When news came out about our marriage, the emperor threw his seal at me.”

Gready tapped the bandage on his forehead with a chuckle. Eliana, unsure what part of this was funny, kept her lips shut.

“A lot has happened in just two days.”

“I guess I’m marrying a pretty impressive woman.”

“Do you regret it?”

“If I said I did, would you cancel everything?”

Gready’s playful smile made Eliana’s heart sink.

He was her only escape—her only lifeline.

If he withdrew now, she would be dragged back to the Hoffman estate with no chance to resist.

Panic rushed in without warning. Misfortune, always waiting with jaws wide open, felt like it would pounce if she let her guard down even for a second.

‘What’s this? Those terrified eyes came out of nowhere.’

Seeing her shrink like a frightened animal, Gready clicked his tongue.

As much of a scoundrel as he was, even he wasn’t stupid enough to walk away at this point.

“…You really are a seductress.”

Eliana’s expression turned cold at Gready’s muttered words, amused by how quickly she turned into a demure lady.

She slowly lifted her gaze. But his eyes were now fixed on the terrace doors, tightly shut.

“I didn’t expect to hear such words from Your Grace. Haven’t you had countless relationships yourself?”

Her trembling lips twisted into a forced smile.

Gready was the empire’s notorious womanizer. From widows to high-class courtesans—he was known as everyone’s man. Being called a seductress by him felt unjust. Still, Eliana didn’t bother defending herself.

“None of them had been married twice.”

Gready loosened his cravat and tousled his hair.

“…”

“Nor had two husbands die on them.”

He unbuttoned his shirt and loosened his belt, letting his pants hang on his hips. He turned and gave Eliana a playful smile.

Swish!

Gready boldly drew the curtains and flung the terrace doors open. Brilliant sunlight poured in, far brighter than the room’s lights.

Eliana flinched at the screams that came along with the light.

“Your Grace! Don’t marry her!”

“Eek!”

As Gready waved and smiled at the women shouting not to marry, the chorus of screams grew louder.

He sat leisurely on the terrace and looked down at the women chanting his name.

“Your Grace, marry me instead!”

At one naive young lady’s cry, Gready blew her a kiss. The screams became deafening.

‘What the hell is he doing?’

Without time to even enjoy the breeze, Eliana had to lie there, bearing the scorn of women she’d never even met.

She knew Gready was popular, but not this popular.

“Are you really going to marry that seductress?”

“She’s a witch!”

The insults escalated. Just as Eliana’s frown deepened—

“So what if she’s a witch or a seductress? My heart already belongs to her.”

“No way!”

Gready winked at the shouting ladies. The very image of a classic playboy.

Eliana clicked her tongue at the clear voices echoing even from the third-floor suite.

“Go home, all of you.”

“No!”

Shrugging at the shrieking crowd, Gready reached a hand out to Eliana.

“Looks like I need your help.”

“…Huh?”

Eliana, who had her face buried in a pillow to escape the noise, raised her head. The firm hand reaching toward her felt unfamiliar.

“If this keeps up, we’ll be kicked out of the hotel.”

She had to agree.

The Mendis Hotel was the most prestigious in the empire, and its guests were all nobles. The restaurant on the first floor—run by a former royal chef—required six months’ advance reservation.

Now screams were echoing through the place. No matter how reputable, the hotel couldn’t let her stay much longer.

“I’m not in a condition to stand.”

She was shirtless due to the wounds on her back, barely managing to cover her chest with the blanket.

“Perfect timing. If not for the wounds, I might’ve pounced on you.”

Gready grabbed her hesitant hand and pulled her up. With one hand caught, she scrambled to gather the blanket to her chest.

“Aah!”

In an instant, she was swept up. Before her feet could even touch the carpet, she was carried from bed to terrace.

Seeing this, the women below screamed like their hearts were being ripped out.

Gready stood on the sunlit terrace while Eliana stayed just inside, behind the sheer lace curtain. From that distance, no one could clearly see her injuries. Still, someone sharp-eyed might notice she was bare-backed.

“Just right.”

With his hand on her waist, Gready looked down at her. The thin blanket and her flushed face made the scene look like something out of a racy magazine.

Flash!

The watchers weren’t just Gready’s fans—cameras started flashing from all directions as Eliana appeared.

“W-Wait!”

Gready, skilled in such moments, wrapped his arm around her waist and tilted her head. To onlookers, it looked like they were about to kiss.

Everyone stared at the silhouette of delicate Eliana behind the curtain.

“This is the path you said you’d take.”

Despite their flushed bodies pressed together, Gready’s voice came out cold.

“…”

They were so close their lips could meet with the slightest move. It was a provocative scene, yet Eliana’s mind was going colder by the second.

“You’re good at pretending to be innocent at the critical moment. But that won’t work on me.”

“What do you mean?”

Startled, Eliana tried to pull away, but his strong grip held her firm.

“You and your father raised your value this way, didn’t you? Have you forgotten? The price I already paid to marry you?”

Though their bodies were steaming with heat, his words were colder than an arctic wind.

“…”

“So now you’ll have to prove you’re worth what I paid.”

His gray eyes were like frozen steel as he looked down at her. The brush of his lips was soft enough to bring tears to her eyes.