Britney couldn’t believe what was happening before her eyes.
‘This is a dream. Yes, this must be a dream. If this were real, Count Green would never propose to that pathetic girl! Besides… there’s no way that stupid girl would be accepting a proposal with such confidence.’
Rishi was not flustered by Kay’s sudden proposal. She stared at Kay’s head with arrogant eyes, as if she had expected this all along.
“Please raise your head, Count.”
“I will keep my head here until Lady Iris accepts my proposal.”
“If I don’t accept, will you stay like that forever?”
“I would become a statue in this position.”
A faint smile touched the corner of Rishi’s lips.
‘What is he doing? In front of others? Why is he like this!’
Britney’s insides were boiling. By all rights, she should have been in Rishi’s place. So why was that girl sitting there, exchanging pleasantries with Kay?
“The Count of Green says it is like this….”
Rishi’s violet eyes moved slowly to rest on Glovern. “What should I do, Father?”
Britney whipped her head around to look at Glovern as well. She did not doubt for a second that Glovern would fly into a rage and throw Rishi out.
“Ahem, ahem. Well… ahem. Since the Count of Green desires you so much, why don’t you accept?”
“What is that—!” Britney sprang up.
Glovern grabbed Britney’s wrist and gave her a stern look. “You leave, Britney.”
“But Father. I am….”
*I am…*, what else could she say? That she didn’t want to give the man she wanted—that man everyone coveted—to someone like Iris? That she wanted to marry him herself? That Iris was better suited to marry a greasy old man like Alford?
Only a shred of remaining reason kept her from making a scene in front of Kay.
“Britney, leave,” Glovern said firmly.
Britney cast an incredulous look at Glovern, but he avoided her gaze. She bit her lower lip hard. There was nothing she could do by staying here. As she hurried out of the room, she brushed past Kay and said, “You’ll regret this, Count Green.”
“Well. I don’t think so.”
“Hmph.”
After Britney left, Glovern spoke. “Count Green. I grant you permission to marry Iris, so please come and take a seat.”
“I have yet to hear Lady Iris’s answer.”
“Iris, what are you doing? Answer him already.”
“Yes, Father. Count Green, I accept your proposal.”
Only then did Kay straighten his back.
“Iris, I have matters of great importance to discuss with the Count, so you should head out,” Glovern said gently.
“No, Duke. I wish to remain with Lady Iris,” Kay objected.
“Pardon?”
“We are a couple who will share everything from here on out; we should start doing so now.”
“Ah….” Glovern was bewildered. Was the man in front of him really that Count Cavebrandt Green? The Cavebrandt Green that Glovern knew was not a man who was gentle with women.
“Will you stay with me, Lady Iris?”
At Kay’s request, Rishi nodded slightly. When Kay raised his arm toward Rishi, she gently rested her hand upon it. The two sat down side-by-side on the sofa, as intimate as if they had been in a long-term relationship.
“Now, let us speak of the gold mine, Duke.”
Glovern, who had been watching Kay with suspicious eyes, changed his expression at the mention of the gold mine. Yes, the gold mine. If he could only acquire that, he didn’t care what state Kay was in.
“Once you sign this contract, the gold mine belongs to Duke Witlow,” Kay said, spreading out the documents. “And the Lady Iris here becomes mine.”
“Y-Yes, that is correct.”
As Glovern hurriedly reached for a quill to pull the documents toward him, Kay pulled them back slightly.
“I will be returning to my territory with Lady Iris today.”
“Pardon? Starting today?”
“Yes.”
“But we have to prepare for the wedding… and there is much I have to teach our Iris….”
“Lady Iris is far more lovely and delicate than I expected, and I am worried that you might suddenly change your mind and refuse to give me your daughter, Duke.”
“No, that would never happen. I am not a man who goes back on his word, Count.”
“And since we are holding hands like this….” Kay gently rested his own hand over Rishi’s hand, which was still resting on his arm. “I do not wish to let go. I will be taking her with me, Duke.”
Glovern’s eyes wavered. He had intended to send Iris away once Alford arrived today, anyway. Though part of him still wanted to seat Britney in the position of the Countess of Green.
‘No, it doesn’t matter if I send Iris away. She’ll do whatever I tell her anyway, and since the Count of Green is so taken with her, I’ll be able to use that to my advantage.’
Glovern nodded. “Very well, then do as you please.”
+++
Alford was attacked by suspicious men in masks on his way to see the flower of the House of Witlow, Iris. The timid Alford usually paid a great deal of money to hire strong mercenaries to travel with him. He had hired all the mercenaries who ranked in the top ten of the mercenary guild, but they were no match for the three masked men.
Having been trapped in the carriage for several hours, Alford peeked out through the small window. There had been two masked men, but now it seemed a third had joined them.
“Are you done with your business?”
As he listened, their conversation drifted over.
“Yeah. Let him go.”
One of the masked men walked toward the carriage, and Alford quickly slumped into his chair and pretended to faint.
*Bang!*
The masked man roughly opened the carriage door and poked Alford’s thigh with his scabbard.
“Aaaaah!” Thinking he had been stabbed by a sword, Alford shrieked.
“What’s wrong with him?” Hearing the commotion, another masked man approached.
“I just poked him lightly and he’s acting like this. What a coward.”
“Ah, let’s just go quickly.”
“Fine, fine. Hey, we’re leaving, so live a good life from now on, alright? And don’t be so obsessed with women.”
Long after the masked men had giggled and left, Alford remained huddled inside the carriage, trembling. Having barely regained his senses, Alford fled to the Witlow Duchy, only to be hit with the shocking news that Iris had already become another man’s wife.
+++
As soon as she entered the carriage, Rishi pulled her hand away from Kay’s arm. Kay had treated her much better than she had anticipated. The moment Kay proposed to her, she had enjoyed watching Britney’s face crumple with pure delight. Britney, who had always been the protagonist wherever she went thanks to her doll-like beauty, must have felt like an extra for the first time today.
‘This is only the beginning, Britney Witlow.’
In their past life, the House of Witlow had gone on to prosper, using the Lavent gold mine they received in exchange for selling Rishi off. While Rishi was living a desperate life unable to even die, Britney had held everything in her hands and tormented Rishi until the day she died.
‘This time, you won’t have anything to hold in your hands.’
+++
Kay did not speak until they arrived at the Count of Green’s estate. Rishi also had much to think about, so she was grateful for the heavy silence that had settled inside the carriage.
“Lady Witlow.”
When she came to at his voice, Rishi was standing blankly in the middle of his room. Because of the shadows cast by the sunlight streaming in from the window behind him, Kay looked like a massive beast.
“You can call me Rishi.”
“Very well, Rishi. You may call me Kay as well.”
“Understood, Kay.”
“From today on, you will sleep in this room with me. In the same bed.” Kay’s hand pointed toward the large bed.
“Understood.”
“Is that all?”
“What else is needed?”
He stepped forward. Sure enough, he smelled of the forest.
1. Chapter 1
“You should know what it means. Oh, perhaps you don’t, having grown up naively as the flower of the Witlow Duchy?”
Rishi let out a soft scoff. “I’m not an idiot, Kay.”
Rishi knew, perhaps all too well, what it meant for a man and a woman to sleep together. While some women might consider that act truly precious, Rishi did not. In her past life, and in this life as well, it didn’t matter to her one way or the other.
“That’s a relief.”
Kay’s palm touched the nape of Rishi’s neck. Rishi flinched instinctively at the searing heat of his skin.
“It’s not my preference to teach a foolish woman everything from scratch.”
Kay lowered his head. His breath grazed Rishi’s earlobe and cheek as he leaned in.
“The sun hasn’t even set yet…” Rishi muttered.
“As you know, I am a bit of a beast.”
“Ah, speaking of beasts…” Rishi politely but firmly pushed away Kay’s face from her neck. At her detached rejection, Kay narrowed his eyes as if he found it rather amusing.
“Can you show me?”
“Show you what?”
“The beast.”
“You’ll regret it.”
“I don’t do regrets.”
“Very well. My wife, whom I brought here for the price of a gold mine, wants to see it, so I suppose I must. Step back.”
Rishi backed away toward the corner. Her heart swelled with anticipation for the scene about to unfold before her.
Kay’s shadow, cast by the sun behind him, began to grow. His back hunched, and his sculpted face shifted in form.
*Rip—*
The sound of fabric tearing echoed in the room. A moment later, a massive black wolf sat quietly in the spot where Kay had been. Even while sitting, the wolf was as tall as Rishi. As if worried that Rishi might be frightened, the wolf sat perfectly still, like a well-trained dog.
When she had drifted through the darkness of death, Rishi had witnessed the end of this wolf. The betrayed beast had struggled desperately until the very end, meeting a horrific death.
Rishi slowly approached the wolf. She hadn’t noticed it before, but there was silver fur growing above the wolf’s brows. Rishi cautiously reached her hand toward the wolf’s snout. The wolf slowly rubbed its snout against her palm.
“You’re huge.”
“Are you not afraid?”
The voice of Kay, now in wolf form, was deeper and thicker than when he was human. It carried a resonance that sounded like a beast’s low growl.
“You’re cute. Especially these round brows.”
Wrinkles formed on Kay’s snout as his long, sharp fangs were exposed. It didn’t look like he was angry; it looked like he was smiling.
“You have no fear.”
“I have nothing to be afraid of.”
After all, she had already died once.
Kay’s ears twitched, and suddenly, with a soft shimmer, he returned to his original form. Rishi’s eyes widened at the sight of Kay reclaiming his human appearance. Looking down at the frozen Rishi, Kay smirked.
“I told you, you would regret it.”
She should have anticipated it when she heard the sound of his clothes tearing. Just because he returned to human form didn’t mean the clothes that had been shredded during his transformation would magically restore themselves.