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Chapter 01
“Where could she be hiding? What is this, a game of hide-and-seek like children? Cough!”
A raspy voice, clogged with phlegm, fumbled through the darkness. Eliana shrank into herself as the formless echo scoured the room.
The Marquis’s gaunt back, hunched like a cripple, swayed as his bloodshot eyes glistened.
“Today, it seems my wife is determined to provoke me. Cough, cough.”
Dragging his feet, the Marquis clung to the wall and coughed violently. His hunched back heaved with the force of it.
“Huff, huff…”
His reddened eyes darted around, alert. Though not even a mouse could be seen in the darkened room, he kept searching for something—relentlessly.
BOOM!
A thunderclap tore through the sky, soon followed by lightning.
But the man’s red eyes didn’t waver despite the terrifying roar. The curtain in the windless room gently swayed. In that moment, his eyes gleamed.
He began dragging his feet in that direction. Like a predator that had spotted its prey, his eyes glinted. The faint smile curling on his lips was terrifying.
“…Wife. Where are you?”
Though he called softly, the whip in his hand dragged across the floor, creating a chilling sound with every step. Eliana clenched her eyes shut at the eerie noise.
BOOM!
With each flash of lightning, the man’s vile figure emerged from the dark, only to be swallowed again.
Each time, he scowled at his shadow. His crooked back, short legs, and long torso—his disfigured face didn’t match. And whenever he saw his own image, his eyes filled with loathing.
The Monster Marquis.
Dubbed the ugliest man in the empire, he adored beauty more than anyone. His only hobby was collecting the most beautiful things in the world and locking them in darkness.
On the surface, he was a lover of culture and art—a generous patron to struggling artists.
But inside, he harbored a perverse desire to ruin beauty. And the one who had stolen his wicked heart at once was Eliana Hoffman.
The most beautiful woman in the empire—the Empire’s Flower.
“Are you in here?”
The Marquis flung aside the swaying curtain. But she wasn’t there. Gritting his teeth, he glared around the room.
“A filthy little rat hiding in a sewer? Come out now!”
Having shed his ‘kind husband’ mask, the Marquis now revealed his true, vile nature and shouted.
At his roar, Eliana, who was hiding under the bed, held her breath.
Her eyes were soaked with fear. The scream rising in her throat felt ready to burst out, betraying her will.
With every flash of lightning revealing the man’s form, she tried her hardest not to breathe, just to stay hidden.
“What’s this? I warned you so many times, and yet here you are again, carelessly dripping everywhere.”
Spotting drops of red on the floor, the Marquis’s eyes gleamed. He licked the blood off his fingers with his tongue, then quickly began to move.
The whip trailed behind him, drawing a red line across the floor. It had tasted blood once—its scratching noise was deafening.
“Ahh!”
With a scream, the figure curled beneath the bed was yanked out. The hand clutching Eliana’s ankle gripped tighter as she struggled.
“Stay still!”
Twisting her ankle, the Marquis shouted. Her fingernails scraped the floor as she fought to escape, blood seeping from her fingertips. The pain was unbearable, but fleeing from him came first.
“You wicked thing!”
As her dress flipped up, revealing her bare white legs, the Marquis’s eyes burned brighter red.
With power and wealth, he’d acquired the most beautiful treasure in the empire. But he hadn’t truly possessed her. Years of medication and aging had left him impotent.
He had barely obtained what he wanted, yet couldn’t enjoy it—his delusions grew worse with each passing day.
“What exactly is your relationship with that man? What were you two doing alone?”
Eliana shook her head frantically at his fury.
“I’ve told you so many times—there’s nothing between me and Rodin!”
With each thrash of her body, the wounds on her back—already lashed by the whip—split open again.
BOOM!
Her scream was swallowed by another thunderous roar.
Though she was in his grasp, not even slightly his, the Marquis looked down at his young wife with glimmering lust.
“I heard from the viscount’s people that even during your first marriage, you always sided with him.”
“Please!”
Eliana shook her head, covering her ears. No matter how many times she denied it, the Marquis never believed her.
“If your plan was to drive me mad with jealousy, it worked splendidly. My dear wife.”
With a vile smile, he dragged the whip across her pale leg.
“…”
“Beautiful. All bloodied, trembling like that… it’s a sight worth keeping forever.”
His eyes gleamed strangely as he stared at the blood-soaked Eliana.
“…”
“You look like a deer on the verge of death. Do you know, my dear wife, how beautiful a deer’s eyes are when it’s been struck by an arrow and bleeds out?”
“…”
“They look just like yours.”
The Marquis smiled as their eyes met.
In that moment, Eliana shut her eyes tightly. It was clear who the whip in his hand was meant for.
“That foolish viscount may not have known your filthy nature, but you can’t deceive me. How dare you try to trick me?”
Rising to his feet, the Marquis raised the whip high.
BOOM!
Thunder and lightning struck once more as his shadow loomed over Eliana. Curled tightly on the floor, she instinctively pushed him away.
“Argh!”
Having concentrated all his strength into the whip, the Marquis lost balance and fell backward.
CRACK! The sickening sound was buried beneath the thunder. Eliana froze.
The sticky red liquid beneath her feet wasn’t hers. The Marquis had hit his head on the bedpost—blood gushed from the back of his skull.
“M-Marquis…”
At her call, his reddened eyes flicked toward her. He reached out a hand.
“Hrk…”
Eliana stifled her sobs with her hands. Her eyes fell on the whip lying beside him.
‘I don’t want to be hit. The pain is unbearable!’
“P… Please spare me.”
As her husband called, Eliana backed away.
For the sake of his dark nights, all the servants in the mansion turned a blind eye. So, no one stopped Eliana as she fled through the silent halls.
Nearly losing consciousness at the blood trailing behind her, Eliana stumbled through the rain with a deathly pale face.
“Where are you rushing off to?”
A man snatched Eliana’s wrist from the shadows, grinning at her. His eyes were out of focus, as if lost in a daze. Despite the chilling wind off the river, her mind felt fogged, like a thick mist had settled inside.
“Whoa. She’s gorgeous. But looks like she’s into some rough stuff, huh, lady? Heh.”
Noticing her appearance, the thugs whistled crudely.
Anichi Bridge—one of many spanning the Lawrence River—was the only link between the slums and the noble-lined Vanne Street. Rumors claimed rich nobles built it for their secret indulgences.
No noblewoman walked there alone after sunset. So the thugs never imagined Eliana was nobility. They figured she was just another woman discarded from some brothel.
“Let’s have some fun first!”
One of them, gripping her like a doll, cackled as he reached for his pants.
Their noisy delight drew the attention of a man named Gredy.
“What the hell are they so happy about?”
His head throbbed from downing too much strong alcohol. Furious over Rosella’s absurd request, he was itching for a fight.
“What’s with that woman?”
Seeing her soaked, limp body barely resisting the men, Gredy tilted his head.
Her pale cheeks looked like moonlight. Despite her condition, there was still a noble air to her face. But when he looked lower, he clicked his tongue.
Her dress was shredded. One tug more and it would fall apart. Worse, red lash marks covered her skin—as if whipped repeatedly.
‘So that’s her kink, huh? Rougher than she looks.’
He gave a bitter chuckle and followed her gaze.
Though harassed, her eyes were fixed on the dark river below.
The rain had slowed, but the river surged. The current looked ready to swallow a woman whole.
“Is she trying to die?”
Though drunk, Gredy could see her face clearly. As the thugs jeered, she crept closer to the water’s edge.
“Let’s go somewhere fun, yeah?”
A thug guided her hand toward his groin.
“Wow, your body’s freezing. Don’t worry, I’ll warm you right up. Kekeke.”
Then it happened. Her aimless gaze locked with Gredy’s.
‘Ask for help.’
He mouthed the words to her.
And waited—for a desperate scream to break from her throat.
But even as their eyes met, her gaze remained hollow. No plea. Only rejection.
“She’s curious, huh? But go any closer, and you’ll die.”
One thug laughed.
Eliana closed her eyes. Rain and the roar of the river swallowed her whole.
She let her body fall forward. Just as she was about to tumble—
“Damn it!”
Gredy finally acted.
“What the hell, who are you?”
The startled thugs blocked Eliana. With a smirk, Gredy calmly replied,
“Her husband.”
Eliana flinched. Her eyes flew open at the word husband.
And at that moment, Gredy’s lips curved into a knowing smile.
