Chapter 1

Slap!

Her head snapped to the side, a fiery pain pulsing through her.

With indifferent eyes, she turned back around and looked at her father, who was deep red in the face.

A sly, mocking laugh slipped from between her lips.

Finally, that wretched true nature of his shows itself.

Carinne found it incredibly cathartic to witness the polite and refined mask he always wore in public crumble before her eyes. She had always hated the sound of his ridiculous voice.

“You dare laugh?! Do you find this funny?! You crazy bitch!”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

As she spoke in her typical, serene manner, Carinne gently stroked her heated cheek with the back of her hand. She knew exactly how to push his buttons.

As soon as he caught a glimpse of her crooked smile, he instinctively lifted his hand—the same hand that had been gripping a sword—high into the air.

Slap!

It was the other side this time.

Despite the fact that she couldn’t stop him from continuing, Carinne refused to succumb to the searing pain that flushed her cheeks.

She tasted something fishy in her mouth. It had to be blood.

My cheeks are going to be so swollen.

Not that she would be able to step out of the house anyway.

“How dare you get pregnant! What repulsive creature have you allowed into your bed?! You crazy bitch! You’re out of your mind!”

“Well. I coincidentally bumped into him at a shabby tavern. Once we’d had a few drinks, his toned physique and deep, husky voice were particularly alluring. And he’s a night rider at that...”

Slap!

Once more, her head turned to the side. She bit her tongue by accident, making the pain even more intense this time. But Carinne did not show it.

Nothing brought her more joy than seeing the man in front of her crumble after discovering his grandiose plans were in complete ruin.

“Shut your mouth! Starting today, you are prohibited from leaving this house—not a step outside your room! Someone take this wretched girl down to the basement at once!”

“What a shame. You’ve lost the chance to profit from selling your daughter for a high price.”

“I said take her away, now!”

Only then did the onlooking servants hastily tie up both Carinne’s arms.

Carinne’s body contorted as she shot them a chilling look, her beastly yellow eyes burning with silent intensity. Her cold eyes caused the servants to pause and freeze in their tracks.

“Don’t. I will walk down on my own two feet.”

“Damn you! Damn it! You despicable bitch!”

The piercing sound of something breaking rang in her ears.

As she walked into the narrow, dark, and stale room, Carinne’s lips curled into a smile.

Thanks to this, she could now escape being married off to the repugnant count, and focus on avenging her mother’s death at the hands of the disgusting creep.

Ouch.

Having faced the blows of a skilled sword fighter, her cheeks were now severely swollen.

Carinne lowered her gaze as she stepped into the narrow basement. Her belly was too big to hide now.

Clunk!

The iron door closed and the lock clicked to trap her inside. She sat atop the worn, creaky bed and let out a short sigh.

The story of how she ended up at this point started six months ago.

Exhausted, Carinne rested on the bed and shut her eyes.

◆◆◆

“Count Bufor wants you as his mistress. The wedding will be held in six months when everything is in place.”

The sound that echoed in her head caused Carinne’s fists to clench.

Viscount Tyrian had arranged the marriage with no consideration of Carinne’s desires.

Among the nobles, it was rumored that Count Bufor was the wealthiest of the bunch. Word on the street was that he had a booming business, but Carinne had no idea what kind of business it was.

And that wasn’t the issue.

Count Bufor already had a wife and three mistresses. It was widely acknowledged that he had a peculiar temperament, and his physique was so massive that his every step reverberated on the ground beneath him.

A chill ran through Carinne’s body as she recalled seeing Count Bufor at the one and only banquet she had ever attended.

While en route to have her garments altered for the arranged date, she made a quick getaway.

Today was the day. She finally had an opportunity.

Her decision was a desperate attempt to stay alive. She couldn’t accept a life of being someone’s plaything. She would rather have no one to answer to.

Should her plan come to fruition, she could destroy the marriage plans and seek retribution against her father, Viscount Tyrian.

“Ugh... Damn it.”

A low groan slipped from her lips as she straightened her previously curled body.

Carinne had stayed hidden somewhere in town until nightfall. As the night descended, she slowly got up.

“Agh...”

She was pondering where she could go to meet a man when a voice that echoed from the alley startled her. Her gaze instinctively shifted in that direction.

A man?

His dark indigo hair and red eyes caught her attention. His eyes were out of focus, and his features were twisted in a grimace of agony.

Should I help him and then ask for his help?

Under Viscount Tyrian’s commands, Carinne was only allowed to leave her room for special events, and thus lacked the common sense required in situations like this.

In a split second, she weighed the enduring short-term humiliation versus achieving her long-term goals and made her decision.

She made her way into the narrow alley.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Agh, who are you?!”

The man frantically waved his hand in the air.

She observed the man closely and saw that he could not focus his eyes.

“Are you not able to see?”

“…”

“I have a question. I’d like to help you in return for your help later. Is that alright with you?”

“What?”

The man was taken aback by the sound of someone’s voice directly in front of him.

She was clearly hesitant to ask her question without giving anything in return, thus she proposed helping him first.

The man was surprised at her directness and at the same time, suspicious of her.

“Is there something wrong with your eyes?”

“Yes. I need a place to stay for the night.”

The man had no other option. He told her what he needed.

He lost his vision every month on the night of the New Moon. Typically, he made sure to keep track of the date and avoided going out on those days.

However, in this world, there were days when the beautiful moon suddenly vanished.

The unpredictability of these sudden New Moon nights often resulted in unexpected occurrences like this.

“I see.”

The man furrowed his brow as he listened to the woman speak, sounding somewhat awkward and imperious.

“If I remember correctly, travelers can spend the night in a place called an inn, right?”

“Yes.”

“There’s one not too far away from here. I can help you get there. Are you able to walk?”

“If you offer me your hand, I can walk in your footsteps.”

“Alright.”

Carinne nodded her head right away. Without any hesitation, she reached out and firmly took the man’s hand.

The man’s body briefly flinched before he released the tension and relaxed.

“It’s this way.”

She tugged him along and the man trailed after her, a robe draped over him. Even while he made an attempt to remain inconspicuous, he surveyed the area with his acute senses.

I hope she’s not taking me to a dangerous place.

However, his worry quickly dissipated. Suddenly, the aroma of food and the sound of chatter filled his ears.

Without any hesitation, Carinne made her way into the sizable inn, which was packed with hungry guests and weary travelers.

“Would you like to spend the night here?”

“Yes.”

“Just one room?”

The employee’s eyes darted between Carinne and the man behind her as he inquired.

After taking a moment to consider, Carinne gave a slight nod.

“It’s 60,000 pesos.”

“Umm... You don’t have anyone with you, do you? Do you have any money?”

The man gave a nod of affirmation to Carinne’s hushed inquiry.

“I’m by myself.”

As he answered her, the man retrieved a pouch from his robe and handed it over to Carinne.

Looking down, she furrowed her brow.

Was a silver coin worth 10,000 pesos?

Utilizing the knowledge she’d gathered from reading, she arranged six silver coins on the table.

Luckily, the employee gave her the key without uttering a word, which meant that she had paid the correct amount.

“Have fun.”

“Huh? Oh, okay.”

With a tilt of her head, Carinne responded to the employee’s greeting and grabbed the man’s hand once again.

“Okay, let’s go.”

He trailed behind Carinne as she ascended the staircase.

She inserted the key into the lock of the room with the same number and guided the man inside. After shutting the door, she set the money pouch on the desk in the corner and observed as the man removed his robe.

“Oh, from where you’re standing, you can either go straight to reach a bed or turn left to find a desk. I put your money bag on the desk.”

“Thank you for your kindness.”

“Don’t mention it. I did it because I want something from you,” Carinne said, gently shaking her head.

“So, what do you want in return?”

“Can you tell me where I can go to meet men?”