CHAPTER 4:
The Mad Dog (Part 2)
“For someone known as the Emperor’s mad dog, you don’t seem to like the Emperor very much.”
Celiyah tested Dietrich with her words, keeping her gaze fixed on his face.
However, the man in front of her showed no reaction to her comment. Whatever he felt inside, nothing showed on his face.
He simply kept his lips tightly sealed as he watched her. Celiyah continued in a soft voice, as if she never expected a response in the first place.
“Despite the rumors that you worshipped the Emperor like a dog, you didn’t even spare a glance at his corpse.”
As she finished speaking, Celiyah smiled, her clear eyes narrowing faintly, and her green irises curving like crescent moons.
Dietrich slowly examined her face. As though searching for something, he stared at her as if trying to see through her completely before finally opening his mouth.
“You seem to have forgotten what I said earlier.”
His gaze shifted from her smiling face to the line of her neck.
“When someone talks too much, they don’t tend to live long—that was meant for you.”
Instead of responding, Celiyah stared at Dietrich’s right hand. He had it clenched into a fist, and to her, it looked as though he was desperate to wrap it around her neck.
“If you kill me now, you’ll regret it.”
At her words, Dietrich narrowed his eyes.
“Regret, huh…”
His gaze remained fixed on one spot. As he stared at Celiyah’s slender neck, a faint smirk formed on his otherwise expressionless face.
“Then how about I kill you and see if I regret it?”
Dietrich acted on his words instantly. His strong hand closed around Celiyah’s neck in a flash.
He hadn’t earned the nickname “mad dog” for nothing. Anyone who dared harm him paid for it many times over.
He had never once regretted his actions.
The Emperor shouldn’t have died. He should have died more cruelly, more miserably—by Dietrich’s own hand.
But this woman had ruined the plan he had spent ten years preparing in the blink of an eye.
He hadn’t killed her yet only because it would cause an uproar.
Given the circumstances, killing her now would bring him no benefit, so Dietrich had only intended to scare her.
He’d wanted to correct the arrogant attitude of someone who dared to look down on him.
Yet even as he choked her, Celiyah didn’t moan in pain. Instead, she smiled at him.
Then her small, snow-white hand touched Dietrich’s cheek.
The moment her hand brushed his skin, a floral scent that couldn’t possibly exist in a prison suddenly filled the air.
The fragrance of hyacinths enveloped them both. It was so strong it made him dizzy, and Dietrich’s pupils trembled like a stormy sea just before a typhoon.
“!”
Dietrich instantly released his grip on her neck. In just a few seconds, a red handprint had bloomed on her pale skin.
Celiyah gently touched her bruised neck, looking at Dietrich with wide, astonished eyes as if he were some strange creature. Her large, green eyes—like a startled deer—met his uncomprehending gaze.
“You’re not affected?”
Her voice, filled with disbelief, echoed through the cell. Just as she finished speaking, the hyacinth scent disappeared as if it had never been there.
Dietrich glared at her murderously.
“How… how can you use a supernatural ability?”
Brillion Viscount Family.
It was hard to believe this was once a nearly collapsed family that could barely afford to pay its servants. Their grand estate was filled with luxurious items.
Fountains with lion statues spouting water, angel statues sculpted by famous artists, and a garden overflowing with exotic flowers—everything screamed opulence.
Inside the estate, in a spacious room, sat the lady of the house: Hariel Brillion.
Her deep navy-blue hair, the color of a faded river, was styled into an elegant updo—currently all the rage among noblewomen in the capital.
It was hardly a hairstyle suited to a noblewoman with three grown children.
But Hariel always tried to look young. She followed every fashion trend from the capital, acting more refined than anyone else.
She now reclined on a plush sofa, receiving a foot massage from her maid, Lisa.
“You’re doing well today.”
It was rare for the stingy Hariel to praise anyone, but Lisa noticed she had been in an unusually good mood lately—ever since sending Celiyah to the imperial palace.
Lisa watched her mistress cautiously. When the viscount and his two sons were away, Hariel had practically sold Celiyah off to the aging Emperor.
Lisa had known Hariel disliked Celiyah, but she hadn’t expected her to be that cruel.
Lisa pitied Celiyah deeply. She knew all too well how poorly the girl had been treated.
The Brillion estate, located far from the capital, had only gained wealth and fame because of Celiyah.
After she was adopted, people began visiting the estate in droves just to catch a glimpse of her.
They said anyone who saw her fell in love. Even the coldest man would become lovesick.
And it made sense. The reason Viscount Brillion adopted her in the first place—when she was filthy and digging through trash—was because not even grime could hide her beauty.
But it wasn’t just the viscount. His two sons, too, looked at her with lust.
Hariel went a step further. She allowed the wealthiest men to buy a chance to speak with Celiyah, as if doing them a favor.
When Celiyah came of age, men lined up to throw fortunes at the family. Hariel accepted every single gift, secretly stashing the treasures for herself.
Afraid Celiyah might say something to ruin it, she always assigned a maid to shadow her—her eyes and ears.
Celiyah’s consent was never considered.
Though the viscount and his sons resented Hariel’s behavior, none of them stopped her.
They saw the old, decrepit estate turn into a lavish palace before their very eyes.
They chose silence and complicity.
Truly selfish people. Lisa thought they weren’t even human.
Yet Lisa couldn’t judge too harshly either. She’d stayed with Hariel for years because the pay was better than anywhere else.
Hariel feasted daily on rich meals with meat.
Meanwhile, Celiyah was told to eat bland porridge made from grass and leaves, lest she gain weight and lose value.
Lisa still remembered Celiyah’s small back as she quietly ate food that even stray dogs wouldn’t touch.
Maybe that’s why Lisa, uncharacteristically, spoke up.
“…My lady, when the viscount returns, he will surely be furious. To send the young miss to the palace without discussing it with him was rash.”
Hariel’s mood, bright moments ago, darkened immediately. She snapped irritably:
“What nonsense are you spouting?! Celiyah went to the palace because she wanted to.”
“…”
“I didn’t send her—she went of her own accord. Even a pretty girl like her must crave power, I suppose. She said she liked the Emperor. What could I do but let her go, even though it broke my heart?”
Hariel lifted her teacup, filled with jasmine tea, and spoke nonchalantly.
“Watch your mouth, Lisa. You know I care for you deeply.”
At the veiled warning, Lisa nodded and silently resumed the foot massage.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
Knock knock.
“Mother, may I come in?”
At the sound of the voice, Hariel beamed.
“Come in, Gabrielle.”
The door opened, and a young woman stepped in, clad in a mermaid gown adorned with genuine rubies—the only one of its kind in the empire.
That extravagant dress had originally been a gift from a suitor madly in love with Celiyah. Yet Celiyah never even saw it before she was shoved off to the palace.
And it wasn’t just the dress. The opal earrings, pink diamond necklace, and butterfly hair ornament Gabrielle wore—all had originally belonged to Celiyah.
“Gabrielle, you look especially beautiful today.”
Gabrielle smiled at the praise.
“It feels like this dress was made just for me.”
With her mother’s dark blue hair and charming demeanor, Gabrielle was Hariel’s precious youngest daughter. Unlike her unruly older brothers, Gabrielle was smart and poised.
But after Celiyah was adopted, Gabrielle was overshadowed by her beauty.
Hariel couldn’t stand it. She knew her daughter wasn’t as beautiful as Celiyah—but couldn’t bring herself to accept it.
To make things worse, her husband and sons lusted openly after Celiyah.
Gabrielle was the only person Hariel could trust.
And so she had conspired to isolate Celiyah completely within the estate.
Gabrielle had once pleaded:
—Mother, Celiyah is family too. Please don’t be too cruel to her.
Hariel had been hurt, thinking her daughter didn’t understand her heart. But then Gabrielle added with a gentle smile:
—If you’re really worried, why not open the mansion to suitors? She’s beautiful, so men will come from everywhere to see her. It’ll expand her narrow world too.
Thus, the mother and daughter used Celiyah to amass wealth and prestige.
It was also Gabrielle’s idea to sell her off to the old Emperor while the viscount and his sons were away.
—Celiyah is a proper adult now. She can’t live under the family’s protection forever. And if she must go, why not to the most powerful man in the empire? I’ll write to the palace for you so Father and my brothers don’t find out.
And so they sent her away to a seventy-something Emperor.
But today, Gabrielle didn’t look pleased.
She glanced briefly at Lisa.
“Mother, I’d like to speak with you alone.”
Hariel gestured for Lisa to leave. Lisa bowed and quietly exited the room.
As soon as the door closed, Gabrielle approached and spoke softly.
“Mother, did you hear the news?”
“…What news?”
