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Chapter 34
Inside a swaying carriage.
Sereret and Yuan were on their way to the train station to head to Mosheli.
Because she had woken up early in the morning, Sereret felt a little sleepy. Covering her mouth and stifling a yawn, she squinted her eyes at Yuan, whose gaze she had been feeling on her for some time.
Yuan had been watching her the whole time, as though observing.
“Why do you keep staring at me, as if I’m not even allowed to yawn?”
Sereret pouted as she spoke to Yuan.
Since boarding the carriage, Yuan had sat in the same position, staring at her. In his eyes flickered a light as though deeply pondering something.
“I was thinking.”
Yuan leaned back against the seat and spoke.
“While looking at my face?”
“Yes.”
“What could you possibly be thinking about while staring at my face?”
Sereret asked, frowning in distaste.
What, was he plotting which poison to use to kill me with? She sneered inwardly.
“I wanted to know whether I wanted it.”
“Wanted what?”
“The death of Sereret Inohater.”
With a voice devoid of emotion, Yuan pronounced Sereret’s death.
Her body froze stiff at those words. Her mind went completely blank, to the point she forgot how to breathe.
“W-what… what are you saying?”
Barely regaining her senses, Sereret forced out words. How dare you speak of my death. She clutched her skirt tightly.
“I dream.”
Despite her fierce glare, Yuan’s expression remained unchanged as he spoke.
“Dreams? What, did you dream of killing me?”
Her voice trembled.
“Perhaps.”
Yuan lowered his gaze, lost in thought, then lifted it again to meet hers.
“I’ve had the same dream many times. A woman lying dead. And last night, I realized who that woman was.”
“……”
“Sereret Inohater. My fiancée.”
“You look as though you’d like to make that dream a reality.”
Sereret narrowed her eyes at him warily. But no matter how long she stared, she couldn’t read his emotions.
What is he thinking? She swallowed, uneasy.
“……”
Instead of answering, Yuan simply stared at her. She too did not look away, locking her gaze with his.
How many times must he have thought of killing me to dream about my death? Does he wish to kill me as soon as possible? Bloodshot, Sereret’s eyes burned.
“That kind of reality… would be dreadful.”
Yuan muttered as if absentmindedly.
“Do you really think it would be dreadful?”
Her voice was edged with sharpness.
She wanted to scream: You wanted it, you did it, and I died because of you. Pretend all you like, but I know you still want it.
“Yes.”
His reply was short.
Lies. Sereret found Yuan Frektuster’s hypocrisy revolting.
She grabbed his hand and pulled it toward her neck. Yuan’s face darkened at her sudden action.
“How about killing me now? Then you’ll know if it’s truly dreadful.”
“Sereret.”
He pulled his hand free with a hardened expression. But she seized it again, pressing it back to her throat.
“With those big hands, a little pressure would be enough to cut off my breath.”
“What are you trying to do?”
Yuan’s voice grew sharp with anger.
“You should have killed me yourself. Not cowardly through another’s hands. That much courtesy you should have shown me.”
Her icy gaze pierced him.
To me, you were always cowardly and petty. If you had even an ounce of respect for me, you wouldn’t have handed poison to your mistress to send to me.
Hatred for Yuan flared up once more in Sereret. She wanted to strangle him herself.
“That cheap novel of yours still isn’t over?”
Yuan sneered as he gripped her wrists.
She struggled to free herself, but instead he forced her hands back against his own neck.
“How about you kill me? I’ll give you the chance.”
His lips twisted crookedly.
So, he was offering her a chance for revenge. Very well then… Her fingers tightened around his throat.
She wanted him to feel what she had felt—the pain of death. The fear and torment just before life is snuffed out.
Sensing her strength, Yuan met her gaze. His gray eyes held only curiosity and puzzlement, not fear.
That fearless look only made her press harder. It was unbearable—why did he remain so calm, so composed, even in such a moment?
They stared at each other, eyes filled with opposing emotions.
As Sereret looked at his unflinching face, she wondered: If I kill Yuan Frektuster here, will I be happy? Will this tattered heart find some healing? Will I finally be free of the past?
No. It would bind me to the past even more.
Her grip slackened.
A man she wanted to kill—yet could not. Escaping from him was the only choice.
Lowering her hand from his neck, she glared at him. He caught her wrist again and slid over to sit beside her.
“Not an opportunity that comes often.”
“Let go.”
She twisted her wrist.
“That look in your eyes—that’s truly the gaze of someone who wants me dead. More certain than waving a flower vase around.”
His continued mockery drove her to snatch her hand free and grab his throat with one hand.
“I really could strangle you.”
Her eyes blazed with fury. Yuan smirked, taking her other hand and placing it on his neck too.
“……”
“One hand won’t do. You need both hands for a higher chance of success.”
“……”
“Did you know? You have to squeeze until the neck bones snap if you want to cut off the breath for good.”
Whispering, Yuan wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. Her hands slipped away from his neck.
He caught her hand and playfully bit her index finger.
“Ah…”
She let out a frail sound, and he chuckled.
“With these slender fingers? It seems impossible.”
“You’re mocking me.”
Her angry voice quivered. She couldn’t bear how her death had become his constant subject of ridicule.
“Sereret.”
Yuan breathed out her name like a sigh. Strange yet familiar. Familiar yet strange.
There was nothing as confounding to Yuan these days as Sereret Inohater. Someone who should have meant nothing but had entangled herself in his life, disturbing its once-perfect order.
Naturally, he should have discarded her without hesitation. And yet, he did not want to.
All he needed from a wife was to bear children and continue the Frektuster line.
That was all. And yet, he wondered: could he really take as his wife a woman who filled his life with chaos?
Did this woman have any worth to him as a wife?
“What value do you have to me?”
He tucked her tousled hair behind her ear.
Her blue eyes, burning with anger, wavered. They were so beautiful he suddenly wanted to kiss them.
If those eyes, so full of shifting emotion, were to look upon another man—he couldn’t bear it.
With that thought, Yuan knew. Her only worth as his wife was simply to stay by his side and look at him with those beautiful blue eyes. And that was enough.
“You’re always the worst, Your Grace.”
Being weighed and measured for her “value” right before her eyes made Sereret furious beyond words. She struggled against his hold.
But Yuan embraced her and sat her on his lap. He wanted this woman who so desperately wished to flee from him. Even if she had no value as a wife, he no longer cared.
A jewel that could not be given into anyone else’s hands. He began to crave her—that her blue eyes would look only at him.
“Let go. I said let go!”
She thrashed against him.
Then Yuan pressed his face against her shoulder. Feeling his breath on her, she froze.
“Stay by my side, as Sereret Frektuster.”
He lifted his head, locking eyes with her.
Don’t die. Don’t go to another man. Shine only beside me, under the name of Frektuster.
“……”
In his gray eyes, for once, she saw sincerity. A genuine wish for her to remain by his side.
Impossible. And yet, her gaze faltered.
“Please.”
“…Pathetic.”
She whispered, not tearing her eyes away.
To Yuan, Sereret Inohater was always meant to be someone who would eventually die.
And yet, knowing and having lived through that, here she was—hoping to find sincerity in his words. That was pathetic.
She hadn’t read sincerity in his eyes. She only wished his words were sincere. Foolish Sereret Inohater.
“Pathetic?”
His brows furrowed.
“Yes. I’m pathetic. A truly pathetic person.”
Tears welled up in her eyes.
His eyebrow twitched. Indeed, no one unsettled him like Sereret Inohater.
How was he supposed to understand her? As he stared, she spoke with newfound resolve:
“I’m going to live. I’ll live long, and I’ll live happily, very happily.”
I’ll live well, just to show this man. I’ll live properly as Sereret Inohater, away from him.
“I hope you do.”
Yuan nodded.
Your happiness or misery doesn’t matter to me. As long as those blue eyes stay fixed only on me. Possessiveness etched itself deeper into his face.
(To be continued in the next episode)
