TSMT 67

Chapter 67. 

Three Years and Four Months

Diana thought to herself.
Why did Ghiscar Lodbrok want to marry her?
Of course—it was to torment her.
To punish her at her side.

Diana went over this reason again and again.
Ghiscar had tormented her in her previous life. The source of her unhappy past life was punishment.
Punishment for the sin of being born with that bloodline.

In this second life, paradoxically, Diana had come to clearly understand Ghiscar’s pain.
So she couldn’t help but understand his revenge. She would have done the same.

Yes—if it were her, she would have.

So now he was taking revenge on her.

In her twisted, distorted thoughts, her state of mind was already a mixture of her previous life and her second one.

Because she had experienced it, she truly believed in her “past life,” and her present misfortune only reinforced that belief.

So she thought of everything as punishment.
If she shared the same fate, perhaps she would feel at least a little more at ease.
If he became angry and killed her, maybe that would even be better.

“Three years?”

“…Yes.”

“Why?”

“That’s the length of time our family wronged you.”

Diana gave a gloomy smile.
When she mentioned it, Ghiscar said nothing. But the fury blazing in his eyes hinted at those years.

“The punishment you’ve given me—I’ll accept it.”

“Punishment…”

“No matter how painful it is, I’ll endure. But… I don’t want to die like this.”

“Painful things…”

Ghiscar looked at Diana, trembling like an abused puppy.

“There’s supposed to be something like a sentence, right? I know I’m shameless. This crime can’t be repaid even with a lifetime.”

“……”

“I understand you.”

At those words, Ghiscar was silent. An icy smile settled on his face.

He seemed to be lost in thought for just a moment. His violet eyes measured her. Those eyes were terrifying. But she held no hidden intentions.

At this rate, it was suicide.

The abuse against her would continue regardless, since Ghiscar had no intention of forgiving her.

If things went this way, she might bear a child. And if she did, she could lose that child to Lady Levian. Could she kill Lady Levian instead? Couldn’t she change her fate?

Fate—was it something that could be changed so easily?

She no longer wanted to try. She had already suffered too much despair. She had tried to change something once, and that was why “that” happened. Why she had been betrayed, and why she had been so miserable.

Pain suddenly shot through her body. She remembered the agony of broken bones.

She remembered being trampled, crushed.
If there was a reward at the end of all this suffering—if it would all end—perhaps she could breathe a little easier.

“And if you don’t… what then?”

“Then I’ll just die.”

Diana spoke flatly. And she meant it. Beyond this point lay only death. Even as she said it, fear crept in. What if Ghiscar’s mood twisted? If he cut off her limbs and gagged her, she wouldn’t be able to die.

“They” had threatened like that—and had even shown her such people.

She didn’t want that. It would be horrific. She regretted her words instantly. Her life had no value. Why had she used it as a bargaining chip?

What she wanted was very small.

She just wanted a slightly better life.
She didn’t want to die miserably, like in her past life. That was all.

Diana looked fearfully at Ghiscar.

He opened his mouth as if to speak, then closed it again. His eyes bore into her, brimming with violent anger.

What if even this attempt backfired? What if this time he used violence against her? Her thoughts grew darker. Terrified, Diana added quickly:

“I asked you not to forget the kindness I showed you.”

“……”

“You didn’t listen to that, did you?”

Her tone was pleading, as though begging for her life. Diana lowered her head. She shut her eyes tightly, bracing for a blow.

She pretended to be composed, but she still hated pain. Even though being beaten was better than rotting away in an inescapable prison, she still feared it.

It was the gamble of her lifetime. Since the only ending was death, she might as well make a final attempt.

“Exactly three years and four months.”

Diana’s eyes flew open. What had he just…?

“Keep your promise.”

Light returned to her hollow eyes. No way… no way… Her expression changed. Ghiscar looked her straight in the eye.

“For that time, you will be wholly my wife.”

“……”

“Do you understand what that means?”

Diana nodded.

“I won’t neglect the duties of a wife.”

She had carried out those duties even in her past life. This time, she intended to do them even more diligently. Three years—exactly three years and four months—and then she would be free.

“You’re not planning to kill me after that, are you? Or do something worse…”

A sinister thought flashed through her mind. What if, by trying to change fate again, she brought about another bad ending?

“What do you take me for…”

His voice came out in a growl. His face twisted with rage at her pathetic suspicion.

Ah—thank goodness. He’s serious. He has no intention of killing me. Relief flushed her face.

“After that, I won’t care about you at all. I’ll erase you from my life as if you never existed.”

“……”

“So, for three years and four months, you are my complete woman.”

“……”

“You mustn’t even glance at another man. Only look at me. Only consider me your husband.”

Ghiscar strode toward her, grasping her wrist as she instinctively tried to back away. She felt his hand on her waist. His arm tightened around her. Diana realized he was holding her in his arms.

“And remember this. Don’t even dream of suicide ever again.”

“……”

“If you die, I don’t know what I’ll become.”

At that threat, Diana meekly nodded.

***

Diana’s face looked noticeably lighter. She had gained a sliver of hope. In three years and four months, Ghiscar had promised to release her from this marriage.

Three years—she just had to endure three years.

Maybe I should write to Alexa.

While she was on the run, she hadn’t been able to write even once. She had begged her grandfather to sneak Alexa away during the war. How had Alexa grown up? She had begged so much to debut in society… but now she was no longer a noble. A surge of longing welled up in her.

Then thoughts of Philip came. What had become of Philip? During the war with the Lodbrok Kingdom, Diana had urged him to surrender.

After all, there was no chance of victory. But she had found no record of him, the royal, in the newspapers. No record of Count Kalkos either.

Surely they hadn’t been wiped out? She prayed that wasn’t the case.

Could she contact him? If she asked Ghiscar, he would surely be furious.

Diana thought and thought again.

“My lady, please choose your dress.”

Mabel broke her reverie. When she turned her head, the maids were holding up dresses.

Every one of them was pure white, colors drained away. The gowns cinched below the chest and puffed out like bells, far plainer than Panborough fashion. But still, they were not quite the same.

“What’s the occasion?”

They looked like day dresses, but slightly more elaborate. Not evening ballgowns, though.

“Well… it’s for you to become Plüser. Ah—you don’t know, do you?”

Diana frowned, puzzled. Was there something she didn’t know? As her eyes narrowed, Mabel explained.

“You don’t know, my lady, but here in this kingdom, when King Arunkel, the founder, proposed to the Lady of Flowers Plüser who came from the Valley of Dragons, he placed a flower crown upon her head.”

“Not a ring, but a flower crown?”

“Yes. Unlike Panborough, the Lodbrok Kingdom’s land was barren and poor.”

Indeed, the Lodbrok Kingdom had not advanced culturally like Panborough. The harsh land and repeated civil wars had held it back.

“And the founding king had nothing at all to offer. He had nothing to give the Lady of Flowers.”

“……”

“So with bloodstained hands, he plucked flowers and wove them into a crown. Beneath the mistletoe tree, he placed it on her head.”

Diana thought she might have heard this story before. But why was Mabel telling it now? What did it have to do with her?

“Wait… don’t tell me… Ghiscar is going to give me a flower crown?”

In her shock, she accidentally referred to the king not as “His Majesty” but by his name, Ghiscar. Mabel’s face froze at the impropriety, and Diana realized her mistake.

“It is a ceremony performed by all men of the Lodbrok Kingdom. There are no exceptions—not even His Majesty.”

“…But…”

But in her past life, he hadn’t done it. Diana furrowed her brows.

“This is just to humiliate me!”

She suddenly remembered a day when she had trampled a flower crown that had been delivered to her, having gone completely mad.

So that was why she hadn’t known. Because she had thoroughly destroyed it before it even began. She had even trampled the bouquet too. This time, she mustn’t do that.

“Usually, the bride and groom’s friends witness it and celebrate. But since this is the king’s ceremony, the Vargh Hati knights and nobles close to him will attend.”

So it was, essentially, an occasion to boast of one’s spouse. Not so different from Panborough after all.

In Panborough, nobles proposed with expensive gems and diamond rings, flaunting their wealth. Men and women alike boasted of their spouses and their own lofty status in a grand display.

And yet… perhaps a handwoven flower crown was better than wasting needless riches. Having erased any sentiment she had for marriage, Diana found the simplicity tolerable.

“They say the flower crown has already been prepared. Please choose a dress that matches the flowers.”

Mabel brought out a box. What kind of crown had Ghiscar prepared? Out of pure curiosity, Diana opened it.

“……”

At once, everyone fell silent. Not with admiration, but with a chill of unease.

The flower crown was simple. White blossoms mixed with tiny bluish flowers decorated it.

But the problem was… it had been trampled.