Chapter 06
Seeing the unfamiliar look on Lucasâs face, Marsha instinctively took a step back.Â
But Lucas grabbed her forearm.
âMarsha.â
âW-What are you doing?â
When Marsha tried to shake off his hand, he pulled her toward him.Â
Her slender body was dragged helplessly.
âUghâŠ!â
âWhere do you think youâre going?â
The eyes that were always so gentle now burned with a chilling flame.
âThis is your home, Masha.â
âItâs not anymore.â
âWhy isnât it? Iâm permitting you!â
Lucas suddenly shouted.Â
Masha flinched at his raised voice.
âWhy⊠why are you acting like this all of a sudden?â
âShouldnât I be asking you that? Are you saying nonsense because of Rosna? Did she finally tell you to leave or something?â
Marsha frowned at his sudden swearing.Â
She couldnât believe Lucas would use such crude words, especially toward his fiancĂ©e.
âHow can you talk like that?â
Marsha spoke as she pulled her arm away.
Lucas covered his eyes with his now-empty hand.
 After a short sigh, âHooâŠâ he slowly lowered his hand, revealing his cold, sunken eyes once again.
âMarsha. If this is about Rosna, donât worry. Iâll take care of it. So stay where you are.â
âNo, IâŠâ
âJust listen to me for once!â
Lucas harshly cut her off.
âHow do you plan to survive on your own?Â
Huh? What exactly do you think you can do?!â
Letting out a deep sigh, he brushed his hair back and continued.
âYou know it too. Youâll starve to death without my help. Thereâs no one else who can help you but me.â
ââŠâ
Marshaâs body trembled a bit as she lowered her head.Â
Her face burned with shame, and tears welled up in her eyes.Â
But⊠he was right.Â
She didnât know how to do anything.
Even now, all she could do was ask Lucas for help.
At that moment, Lucas gently patted her shoulder with his usual warm smile.
Goosebumps ran all over Mashaâs body in an instant.Â
Lucas was not someone who casually touched her.
Even a simple handshake never happened unless Marsha asked for it first.
âMarsha. You were startled, right? Iâm sorry I spoke so harshly. I was just surprised when you suddenly started saying nonsense.â
ââŠâ
âYou donât have to worry about anything. Iâll protect you, no matter what.â
He spoke kindly, just like the Lucas she used to know.Â
Then, he hugged her gently, as if she were something precious.Â
But Marsha felt extremely uncomfortable with both his kind tone and his unwanted embrace.
âSo you justâŠâ
His voice whispered near her ear.Â
If he leaned in just a little closer, his lips might touch her face.
â⊠Iâll take care of my own life.â
Marsha pushed him away as she spoke.
â⊠â
Lucas stared at her with a stiff, cold gaze.Â
Just then, a footman approached him.
âMr. Lucas? Itâs time to leave. Youâll miss the train.â
Lucas turned away, as if holding back a sigh or words he wanted to say.
 He spoke without looking at her.
â⊠Weâll finish this conversation when I get back.â
âLucas, Iââ
âEnough!â
Lucas shouted sharply.
 Marsha flinched in surprise, and Lucas said firmly,
âDonât try to leave. Just stay put. Otherwise, IâllâŠâ
Lucas shook his head.
â⊠Iâll see you in three days.â
With heavy, determined steps, Lucas left the room.
 As soon as the door closed, Marsha gasped for air as if sheâd been running.Â
Had she been holding her breath without realizing it? Or was it just the shock?
âWhatâs happening to him? Heâs like a completely different personâŠ!â
It wasnât just unfamiliarâit was terrifying, like a snake tightening around its prey.Â
It made her skin crawl.
Did Lucas lose control of his emotions simply because he was worried?
Or was it just frustration for his foolish friend that made him say such harsh words without thinking?
No matter what Lucas was thinking, Marsha had no intention of staying here.
âLiving alone will be hardâŠâ
But if Marsha stayed here, Rosna and Lucas would continue to argue because of her.Â
Marsha didnât want to be the cause of their problems, and she didnât want to live in this house that had been changed to suit Mr. Poudelâs tastes.
âWhy canât they just understand how I feelâŠâ
Marsha bit her lower lip.
â⊠Iâll talk to Lucas again when he returns.â
Right now, Lucas was probably confused too.Â
If they talked later, even if he couldnât support her, at least he wouldnât block her with such harsh words.
âYes. Iâm sureâŠâ
Suddenly, the image of Lucas from earlier flashed through Marshaâs mind, and she shook her head.
âLucas only acted like that because he was confused.â
Yes, yes.Â
That must be it.
Marsha desperately tried to erase the frightening image of Lucas from her mind.
But just three hours later, something happened that snapped her back to reality.
Slap!
A loud, sharp sound echoed through Marshaâs room.
Mashaâs trembling hand touched her burning cheek.
 Her cheek, which had only felt hot, now stung painfully.
Marsha forced her head, which had snapped to the side, to face forward again.
Rosna stood there, breathing heavily as if she had run up the stairs, her flushed face twisted with rage.
âWhat do you think youâre doing?!â
âSo, you planned to sell your body to stay in this house, didnât you?â
What?
Marsha frowned at the disgusting, completely incomprehensible accusation.
âWhat are you talking about?!â
âDonât play innocent! You slept with Lucas, didnât you?!â
For a moment, Marsha thought she had misheard her.
âWhat⊠what did you say?â
âDonât pretend you donât know! How dare you use Lucasâs feelings and do such disgusting things!â
âI used Lucasâs feelingsâŠ?â
Marsha couldnât make sense of what Rosna was saying, but first, she had to deny this ridiculous nonsense.
âI donât know why youâre saying that, but I didnât do anything like that!â
âHa! Someone saw him coming out of this room early in the morning!â
Thatâs what made her come up with this ridiculous idea?Â
Marsha couldnât believe what she was hearing.
âHe just came to talk before leavingâŠ! How could your mind immediately jump to something so dirty?!â
âDirty? Ha, dirty, you say?! Whoâs the dirty one hereâŠ!â
There was no way to have a proper conversation.
 Marsha suddenly remembered the footman who came to find Lucas.Â
He might be able to testify that Lucas had only been in her room for a short time.Â
But when she looked out the wide-open door, the footman was among the gathered servants, whispering to them with an amused expression.
âListen carefully!â
Rosna grabbed Marshaâs shoulders roughly and spoke through gritted teeth.
âDo you think just because Lucas likes you, heâs going to protect you forever?â
âWhat⊠what are you talking about all of a suddenâŠ?â
âStop pretending. You know it already. That Lucas likes you. Thatâs why you keep smiling sweetly at him and playing with his feelings. And now, look what youâve done!â
Marshaâs eyes widened.Â
Lucas liked her?Â
She had absolutely no idea.Â
And she never did any of the things Rosna was accusing her of.
âIâŠâ
Just then, Rosanna suddenly shoved Marsha.
âUgh!â
Marsha fell to the floor.Â
Rosna looked down at her with a twisted smirk on her face.
âDonât think Lucasâs affection will last long. Heâs just obsessed with what he canât have. After playing with you a few times, heâll get bored and throw you away like nothing.â
Rosna let out an exaggerated laugh and spun her head around dramatically.
âOh, and of course!â
The bizarre laughter disappeared instantly, replaced by cold, murderous eyes staring down at Marsha.
âBefore that happens, Iâll drag you down into the gutter myselfâŠ!â
Marshaâs eyes trembled.
âWhatâŠ?â
âWhat? You think Iâm joking? Then stay right here and find out.â
With those final words, Rosna turned and walked out of the room without hesitation.
When she asked the gathered servants, âDid something happen?â they followed behind her, replying,
âNo, nothing happened.â
Marsha trembled on the cold floor.Â
There was something she had always wanted to ask Rosna: Iâve always liked you and treated you kindly, so why did you hate me so much? But now, she felt like she had her answer.
Because Lucas likes meâŠ
Marsha recalled her conversation with Lucas from earlier.Â
His actions werenât out of concern or care.Â
He was angry because something he finally had in his grasp was trying to leave.
âUghâŠâ
Marsha vomited.Â
She hadnât eaten anything, so nothing came up, but the nausea wouldnât stop.
I have to leave.Â
Immediately.
Rosna wouldnât stop at threats.Â
Lucas wasnât someone she could reason with right now either.
If I want to survive, I have to escape!
Marsha quickly packed the few pieces of jewellery she owned.Â
Selling them would allow her to survive for a while, though sheâd need to find work as soon as possible.
This ringâŠ
Marsha tightly held the small ring case her father had left her.Â
This was the one thing she would never sell.Â
Even if she starved to death, she intended to keep it with her.
⊠Iâll survive.Â
And Iâll find the person who did that to Father.
With determination, Marsha carefully placed the ring case into her coat pocket.
She waited for nightfall.
 Though she wanted to leave immediately, she had to slip away as soon as possible.
Rosna would probably be happy to know she was gone, but Marsha was worried the news might reach Lucas.
If he comes looking for meâŠ
Would he go that far?Â
Maybe not⊠But she couldnât be sure.
 And if he caught her, she might never escapeâstuck in this house where no one loved her, treated like this foreverâŠ
The world was now covered in deep darkness.
 In the quiet of dawn, when everyone was asleep, Marsha took a deep breath and turned the doorknob.
â!â
Marsha almost let out a scream.
Someone was standing in the hallway where no one was supposed to be.
âYoung lady, where are you going?â