Remove the Veil
Freya glanced at Tesid, then quickly lowered her head at his intense gaze.
‘To be… devoured? Surely not.’
A shiver ran down her spine. What on earth had she done in front of the world’s greatest villain, who had killed five brides on their first night?
‘But I am a villainess in this novel, too! I can’t back down now. I must survive somehow and get my revenge on Sylvia and Hans, as a proper villainess would.’
Freya clenched her fists and bravely faced Tesid.
Although she didn’t know the exact reason why the Princess Consort candidates kept dying, he was likely the one who needed a Consort the most.
As the illness of the current King, Ruman Bayliss, worsened daily, the succession to the throne became urgent. However, Tesid had not yet become the official heir.
In the Bayliss Duchy, the right to succeed the throne was granted only to those who had been married for a year.
‘So Tesid needs me, too. Since he probably won’t kill me immediately on the first night, I must be the most promising candidate so far, right?’
Freya composed herself and spoke, trying hard to look unfazed.
“Alright. Then let’s hear your proposal on how you intend to use me.”
Tesid’s eyes curved as if he found her amusing. Then, adopting a serious expression, he spoke.
“I would like you to use that ability of yours for me. There is a place that needs purification.”
“Ah, if that’s all, there’s no problem! Leave it to me.” Freya replied immediately, relief washing over her face. She had expected something much more terrible when he said “use.” This much was easy.
It must be a spot in the palace that needs cleaning or purification, right?
“You won’t even ask what part of my body it is?”
“Pardon?”
But when Tesid lowered his voice and asked with a hint of secrecy, Freya flinched.
‘A body part, he says… I haven’t mentally prepared for that yet.’
Freya swallowed hard.
‘B-but, it might be… possible? No, it’s something I absolutely must do, isn’t it?’
She glanced briefly at the noticeable bulge in Tesid’s trousers and desperately tried to think positively.
‘I came here prepared for the first night. It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m an adult now.’
Freya solidified her resolve and nodded.
“Any… any part is fine. As long as you spare my life.”
“Spare your life, you say.”
Tesid frowned.
Why did she keep asking him to spare her life? He had no intention of killing her.
‘It seems the rumors about me are quite grim.’
Well, he did always cover his face with a veil, and Princess Consort candidates were repeatedly carried out unconscious after the first night. Such rumors were bound to spread.
Tesid, who was about to correct her assumption that he would not harm her, suddenly changed his mind.
‘If ‘sparing her life’ is the condition she wants… then I can simply grant it, can’t I?’
And in return, he would receive the purification from her.
Afterward, he would not only grant her continued life but also the status, power, and ultimate wealth of a Queen.
‘That shouldn’t be a losing trade for her.’
If she could erase the mark of the terrible curse, he would do anything for her.
However, now was not the time to reveal all his cards. Tesid lifted his chin, lowered his eyes, and spoke in a low voice.
“Then, it seems our deal is struck. Shall we begin the time for healing?”
After some time had passed.
“…Then, remove it, please.”
Freya took a deep breath and spoke, responding to Tesid’s instruction that he would remove it when she was ready.
“The mark of the curse…”
Tesid put his hand to his veil and continued, his eyes heavy.
“…is so large that I worry you will be startled.”
Tesid’s words didn’t quite register with the highly tense Freya.
‘So large that I’ll be startled? Oh no, what should I do…’
Yet, for some reason, her eyes were glittering.
“I’ve taken everything off. You may look at me now.”
“Yes.”
Freya, her cheeks flushed, lifted her face and slowly turned toward Tesid.
Freya’s gaze darted downward first. But seeing the silk pants still covering his lower body, she blinked and slowly raised her head upward.
“…Ah.”
He hadn’t removed… that part.
Simultaneously with this belated realization, Freya stared blankly at his bare face, revealed as the red ruby veil was drawn back.
‘The prince whose beauty takes your breath away.’
She had wondered why, of all the epithets, that inauspicious one was attached to him. Now, Freya understood why.
It was because no other expression was more fitting. Facing his bare face revealed beneath the veil, his overwhelming beauty literally stole her breath away.
‘In fact, could the real cause of death for the previous Princess Consort candidates be this beauty? That their hearts stopped the moment they saw the face behind the veil. Yes, that must be it.’
As Freya silently agreed with herself, Tesid was carefully observing her reaction.
He had expected a scream to burst from her immediately upon seeing his unveiled face.
But Freya only uttered a small, unidentifiable gasp of admiration. He was perplexed by her reaction—she just stared intently at his face, as if she were under a spell.
“You are the first woman to not scream upon seeing my face beneath the veil.”
“…Is that so?” Freya muttered, still looking spaced out with a dreamy gaze. She was barely holding back the urge to scream because he was so handsome.
Tesid was perplexed by her reaction. Was she too shocked by his terrible appearance to react normally?
“Look at me properly.”
“Yes, I am looking.” Freya replied, her eyes never leaving him. Their gazes intertwined under the soft lamp light.
“No, don’t just look at my eyes…” Tesid said, turning his head away, embarrassed by her overly intense stare.
“Yes, your jawline is also magnificent.”
Freya was in awe of the sharp angle of his prominent jawline as he turned his head.
‘Magnificent jawline, you say!’
Tesid froze, looking shocked. Then, he remembered the repulsive marks of the curse spreading across his jawline.
“You are deceiving me.”
“Why?” Freya blinked.
Ah, perhaps ‘magnificent’ wasn’t a strong enough expression. That must be it.
“I think your slightly angular, clean-cut jawline is a work of art. The angle is so sharp, I think it could cut paper.”
Tesid’s gaze turned icy as he looked down at her.
‘Ah, did I overdo it?’
This was the first time in her life she had seen such a handsome man in person, and her control was failing.
“Are you deliberately pretending not to notice the terrible marks?” Tesid said, lifting the lamp from the table closer to his face.
“Ah…”
The marks were clearly visible to Freya, of course.
‘The lamp being close does make the skin a little clearer.’
The red marks covering Tesid’s face were revealed more distinctly under the flickering light.
‘So that’s why he chose to make the veil out of red rubies.’
It was probably so that if his skin happened to be visible when he moved, people would mistake it for the shadow of the red rubies.
‘But who would have the leisure to observe the skin beneath the veil? Besides, it’s not as serious as Tesid makes it sound—it’s just slightly red.’
The moment one faces Tesid, one is immediately suppressed by his overwhelming aura and utterly lost in his eyes, which shine deeper than the dozens of rubies embroidered on his veil.
His beauty wasn’t limited to his face. His entire presence was beautiful, so the skin hidden by the veil was insignificant.
‘It is true that the red veil adds a sensual and decadent atmosphere. A handsome man behind a veil stimulates the imagination.’
But his beauty revealed beneath the veil was beyond imagination.
Freya, feeling dizzy from the merciless attack of his good looks, violently shook her head. Focus.
“It’s not terrible at all. You can easily heal this much.”
Freya approached him without hesitation and cupped his cheek with both hands.
