Chapter 3
This is… social death…
Along with the junk inside, Mia’s pride came crashing down to the floor.
A glove Assad had once lost. A napkin he had used to wipe his mouth. Even a crumpled pamphlet he had left behind after watching a play. All kinds of random things related to Assad spilled out.
There were even more than ten pen nibs engraved with the Ulliel family crest.
“What is this?”
Frowning, Assad picked something up from the pile with his fingertips.
It was a shiny fork.
His sharp-eyed aide, Shuri, answered.
“It looks like cutlery from a café Your Grace visits occasionally.”
“Ah.”
As if he had touched something filthy, Assad dropped the fork back into the pile with a clatter. It seemed he suspected Mia had put it in her mouth after he used it.
“What is your name?”
“The eldest daughter of the Lisitsa family, Mia Lisitsa.”
Mia answered in a voice that sounded like she had given up on everything.
Assad glanced at the cheap locket in his hand, then slowly looked over her shabby clothes. After that, he briefly glanced at Valentina’s luxurious dress.
“Mia Lisitsa… It’s hard to believe you’re a noble with that appearance. Your behavior matches it.”
Mia bit her lip. It was frustrating—but she couldn’t deny it.
Shuri, who had been standing with a grim expression, spoke.
“Your Grace, shall we take the culprit to prison?”
Culprit?
Mia felt her heart drop.
Something was definitely going wrong.
Did the original Mia do something else too…?
“Culprit? I understand theft or harming a royal, but…”
This time, it was her father, Lisitsa, who spoke up.
For the first time, he looked confused.
Even if he’s cold… I still have someone on my side.
Mia felt a strange sense of relief.
Assad took out the threat letter and held it in front of Lisitsa.
“I needed confirmation anyway. Have you seen this handwriting before?”
The moment Lisitsa saw it, his lips pressed tightly together.
His body trembled—then he suddenly turned toward Mia.
His eyes were filled with anger.
“You foolish girl! In the end, you’re ruining your sister’s future!”
“F-Father…”
Mia’s face turned pale.
Assad looked at Lisitsa with disgust.
Mia, who lied shamelessly, was one thing—but a man who lashed out at his own daughter without thinking was just as unbearable to him.
He suddenly felt tired.
He just wanted to finish this quickly and leave.
“Shuri, take this woman—”
“Your Grace, please show mercy!”
As a last resort, Mia begged.
It seemed she had no one on her side anymore.
Assad’s black eyes were filled with contempt.
They were so cold that Mia couldn’t even make a sound—only her lips trembled as she pleaded again.
“Please…”
“Take her away.”
His voice was firm and without hesitation.
The moment the order was given, Mia’s vision went dark.
She screamed and struggled, but a rough sack was forced over her head and tightened mercilessly. Her arms were seized, and thick ropes bound her tightly.
She was dragged somewhere she didn’t know.
Like baggage, she was thrown into a carriage.
And in the shaking darkness—
She lost consciousness.
A foul smell filled her nose.
Mia opened her eyes, her cheek pressed against a damp stone floor.
Is it night?
There was no light at all—no sunlight, no lamp.
She could hear faint scratching sounds, like insects crawling, and distant cries echoing somewhere.
Where am I…?
Terrified, Mia pushed herself up.
Her whole body ached, as if she had been curled up for a long time.
She was still wearing the same rough dress.
The sack and ropes were gone, but her wrists still felt numb.
She rubbed them hard.
The walls around her were made of stone, and one side had iron bars.
“Ugh!”
As she felt around, she gagged.
Something sticky and foul-smelling was smeared on her fingers. One wall was covered in filth—likely left by previous prisoners.
Then she heard a strange groan.
“…An animal?”
Her legs trembling, Mia approached the iron bars.
Holding onto them, she listened carefully.
It wasn’t an animal.
It was a human voice.
“Ugh…”
“Is someone there?”
“You… must be the new prisoner.”
The voice was faint, like a dying candle.
Still, Mia felt relieved she wasn’t alone.
“You sound like a noble. What crime brought you here?”
“…Harming a royal… threats… I’m not even sure.”
As soon as she said it out loud, tears burst from her eyes.
The man seemed to laugh faintly.
“So you’re the bold lady who injured the Grand Duke. The guards were making a fuss.”
Mia sniffled instead of answering.
“If you’re his enemy, then you’re my ally. He is… a monster.”
“A monster?”
Mia stopped crying and looked up.
The prisoner continued weakly.
“The Grand Duke took my fiancée… and made it so I can’t use my legs.”
This wasn’t in the original story.
Mia’s face turned pale.
Maybe Assad Ulliel was far more terrifying than she thought.
She wanted to know more.
“The Grand Duke… did something like that?”
“Yes. My fiancée was very beautiful—famous in our town. Just before our wedding, he came with his knights.”
“If you don’t pay the marriage tax, he said he would claim the right of the first night.”
“The right of the first night…?”
Mia searched her memory.
Then she remembered.
Her hand flew to her mouth.
The lord’s right to spend the first night with a bride instead of her husband.
“That’s… disgusting…”
“I had no money to pay, and no intention of losing her. I resisted—but it was useless. That night, in the interrogation room, both my legs were broken…”
Mia looked down at her own feet.
Fear crept in.
What if he cripples me too…?
Shivering, she pulled her feet under her dress.
The prisoner continued.
“My fiancée spent the night in the Grand Duke’s bedroom… while hearing my screams.”
This world—unlike the novel—was filled with horrors she had never read about.
A cruel Grand Duke who took women as playthings and crippled men.
The same man she had admired—
Assad Ulliel.
“So prepare yourself. You’ll be called soon. Either to the interrogation room…”
Mia placed her hands over her chest. Her heart was racing.
“Or to the Grand Duke’s bedroom.”
Her blood ran cold.
“I’ll take today’s bath duty.”
“You did it three days ago! It’s my turn today!”
The bathhouse of the Ulliel mansion was always noisy with arguments.
Young maids fought over the chance to see their master while he bathed.
Shuri sighed as he walked past them.
Among them was Sophia—the one he liked.
The gods are unfair. Status, wealth, looks, body, swordsmanship, popularity… why give everything to one person?
With a bitter expression, Shuri entered the bath.
Inside, Assad was lying half-submerged in the steaming water, looking indifferent.
The Ulliel bath was magnificent.
White marble floors and walls imported from foreign lands, trimmed with gold. The bathtub, engraved with the family’s heroes, was large enough for several people.
Every evening, it was filled with hot water and seasonal flower petals.
Candles and fragrant wine helped ease tension.
No matter how luxurious the bath is… it’s nothing compared to the man inside it.
Seeing Assad, Shuri couldn’t help but admire him—even as a man.
Today’s petals were jasmine.
Amid the swirling scent, Assad rested lazily in the bath.
Strange… He’s usually so strict and rigid, but in the bath, he looks completely relaxed.
Just then—
Knock, knock.
Someone entered.
Through the faint steam, a young woman’s silhouette appeared.
