Chapter 3 …

The Villain’s Future Is Making Me Uneasy

As I was treating the stable keeper and returning to my room, I ended up witnessing something I really shouldn’t have.

Perhaps because the weather was nice, the lord was outside handling official business. The moment he saw me, he greeted me familiarly.

“Lady. It’s hard to catch a glimpse of you.”

Maybe he wanted to play the role of a husband in front of his vassals for once. He held out a hand and called me over.

I quickly erased the disgust from my face and approached him wearing Garnet’s elegant expression.

He was smiling as slyly as ever, but I immediately sensed something strange.

‘…What happened?’

It felt as though some unsettling conversation had taken place between the lord and his retainers just before I arrived.

‘Huh? That person!’

One of his subordinates was kneeling on the ground, his face beaten beyond recognition.

With a tense expression, I glanced at him before taking the hand the lord offered.

“Where were you headed, Lady?”

“I heard there was a patient with an injured leg, so I stopped by to take a look.”

“You always work so hard, Lady.”

The lord curled his lips into a satisfied smile.

His gaze slowly swept over me from head to toe.

It was murky and sticky.

I knew exactly what he was thinking.

It was a waste to kidnap the daughter of an old widower only to keep her as a decorative wife.

The Garnet I had possessed was young, beautiful, and exceptionally skilled in medicine.

If it weren’t for the ill-tempered mistress living in the annex, he would have forced himself on me long ago.

The way he clung to my hand like a disappointed mutt revealed his true intentions.

“May I ask what happened while I was away?”

I subtly withdrew the hand he was gripping tightly.

The way his eyes burned more intensely than usual today made me sick.

The lord smacked his lips in disappointment before whispering into my ear.

“You arrived at the perfect time. Since you’re here, you should watch as well. See what kind of end awaits those who defy their master.”

Turning back toward his subordinates, he casually raised one hand as if issuing a command.

Two rough-looking soldiers standing behind him stepped forward with swords in hand.

As if sensing the shadow of death looming over him, the subordinate shouted in a despairing voice.

“You foolish lord! If you turn your back on Grand Duke Shiraz now, you will shed tears of blood!”

“Silence! How dare someone like you presume to advise me!”

The moment the name Shiraz left the man’s mouth, my breath caught in my throat.

“Just wait and see. Today my head will fall, but soon the heads of everyone in this castle will fall as well. All because of our foolish lord!”

“Y-you…! Kill him at once!”

The subordinate closed his eyes, as though he had already accepted death.

The instant the lord lowered his raised hand, the soldiers’ blades swung toward the man’s neck.

‘Ugh.’

I turned my head away and squeezed my eyes shut.

Everything happened too quickly for me to leave.

“Hear me! Deliver the letter I personally wrote to General Marcus immediately through a messenger!”

“Yes, my lord!”

Apparently pleased with his decision, the lord smirked as he looked upon the dead man.

Blood spread across the ground, staining it red and creeping toward my feet.

A world where human lives were treated as insignificant as insects.

A world where a blade could descend upon your neck at any moment.

Only then did I truly understand where I was.

This was not some romantic fantasy world filled with balls and glamorous court life.

This was the heart of a war.

After the Emperor’s assassination, two great factions clashed endlessly, drowning the land in bloodshed.

I had thought the novel Flowers Blooming in Darkness would be a beautiful romance fantasy simply from its title.

I had been wrong.

Whenever I had free time in my previous life, I stubbornly read the novel chapter after chapter because I always finished what I started.

As I turned one page after another, I found myself completely immersed in the story.

At some point, I stopped caring much about the romance between the male lead, General Marcus, and the heroine.

I skimmed through those parts.

What I really wanted to know was how the cruel villain, Shiraz Rudkayev, would die.

I wanted the satisfaction of seeing justice served.

I never asked to be thrown into the story myself…

In any case, the world I had fallen into was truly as dark as its title suggested.

“I… I’m not feeling well, so I’ll return to my room now.”

“Of course, Lady. I’m sorry you had to witness such an unpleasant sight.”

Turning away from the lord, I clenched my fists and quickly left.

Once I was completely out of his sight, I came to an abrupt stop.

“Is something wrong?”

The maid looked at me curiously after I suddenly halted.

“It finally happened.”

“Pardon?”

The maid stared at me strangely as I muttered to myself.

Ignoring her, I looked up at the sky.

The heat of summer had faded, and a cool autumn breeze now drifted through the air.

Autumn was my favorite season.

But this was the first time its arrival had frightened me.

“On that clear autumn day when Grand Duke Shiraz reduced Lord Willinger’s castle to ruins, the sky was covered entirely by flocks of crows. The place became one enormous grave.”

The line from the original novel struck my mind like a bolt of lightning.

That idiot lord had finally done it.

He ignored the advice of the one intelligent subordinate he had left and crossed the line.

The day Shiraz learned that the lord had sent a letter pledging loyalty to General Marcus would be the day this castle held its own funeral.

‘I can’t just stand around in shock.’

Realizing I didn’t have much time left, I immediately returned to my room.

I began estimating how long it would take for the lord’s letter to reach Marcus’s faction and for Shiraz to discover it.

‘I have to escape before Shiraz finds out.’

A few days later, a party would be held in the castle to celebrate the lord’s birthday.

The castle would be crowded.

Everyone would be drunk and stumbling around.

That would be my opportunity.

* * *

Rumors spread through the small rural village that Grand Duke Shiraz Rudkayev would soon pass through the area.

Every household locked its doors and stayed silent.

Praying that his army would pass by safely, the villagers hid themselves away, afraid that even a glimpse of their hair might attract attention.

The demon who had brutally murdered his own uncle, the Emperor, and plunged the Empire into terror.

The butcher of blood.

Terrifying rumors about him accumulated layer upon layer until he became a monster in people’s minds, spreading across the continent like wildfire.

As if proving those rumors true, not even an ant could be seen where the army of the Black Lion passed.

The soldiers didn’t even need to control the crowds.

People instinctively shrank back in order to survive.

Clop. Clop.

An army flowing steadily like a black river.

Even though the endless ranks stretched beyond sight, not a single idle conversation could be heard.

The discipline of the army inspired awe.

“Your Grace.”

Mikhail, the commander of the knights, rode forward in haste and bowed his head.

“There is something you should see.”

Shiraz lowered his eyes calmly toward what the commander held out.

Hughie, the aide riding beside the Grand Duke, watched the scene.

“We captured a suspicious man traveling around the village. He was carrying this.”

A letter sealed with a red crest.

“The crest of the Willinger family.”

Without hesitation, Shiraz broke the seal.

As his eyes swiftly moved across the contents, his golden eyelashes cast shadows across his sculpted face.

His platinum-blond hair glittered brilliantly beneath the sunlight, and his tall, straight-backed figure atop the horse drew everyone’s attention.

“Hm.”

After finishing the letter, a cold gleam appeared in Shiraz’s eyes.

‘What happened?’

Hughie felt the Grand Duke’s mood darken and immediately became tense.

“Willinger has mocked me. That rat.”

“Your Grace. Has he joined Marcus’s side?”

Hughie asked, guessing the contents of the letter.

He clicked his tongue.

He had always known Lord Willinger was a cunning man, but he had thought the lord at least possessed some survival instincts.

Instead, Willinger had chosen to invite his own death.

“We’re turning back.”

Slowly crushing the letter in his hand, Shiraz twisted his lips into a smile.

“I suppose I should send Willinger’s head to Marcus. If he wishes to go to him so badly, I ought to grant his wish.”

Even the wind passing through the army seemed to carry the scent of blood.

* * *

The castle had been bustling for days.

The lord had ordered a grand banquet, since not only outside guests but also his relatives would be attending.

Watching him, I secretly smiled.

‘That’s right. You don’t have long left to live, so enjoy yourself while you can.’

Though the approaching birthday filled me with dread, part of me wished the day would arrive sooner.

At last, I would be able to escape this miserable place.

To do that, I needed to review every detail of my plan.

There could not be a single mistake.

I devoted all my attention to the preparations.

And so, the day before the lord’s birthday finally arrived.

I got up at my usual time, dressed neatly, and sat before the vanity.

“I’ve brought your meal.”

As always, the maid Rosaline placed the food on the table with an indifferent attitude.

Normally, the lady of the house would sit across from the lord and eat breakfast with him.

But that seat belonged to the red-haired true mistress of the castle.

That was why I had to eat cold food alone like an unwelcome guest.

Not that I minded.

If I had to look at those two while eating, I probably wouldn’t be able to swallow a single bite anyway.

Rosaline, who had to bring my meals every day, wore an irritated expression from the very start of the morning.

Ignoring it, I brushed my hair and said,

“I should go take a look and make sure preparations for the guests are coming along well.”