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There was no warmth on Etienne’s face.

I began to doubt if he had really come to rescue me.

Was he just here out of boredom, to stretch his muscles? It seemed like he didn’t care about my life at all.

The man in the black mask seemed to have a similar thought. He shouted with a more urgent voice than before.

“Step back!”

He exerted force on the hand holding the knife. As a result, the knife pierced through sensitive skin. Warm blood started to trickle down my neck.

Etienne’s eyes focused on my throat.

I recalled the sparkling, twinkling eyes of a cat I had seen in an animation. And with all my strength, I sent a pleading gaze.

Your Highness Etienne. Even if it’s not clear who has the upper hand, wouldn’t it be better to let him go for now?

Otherwise, I feel like my neck will be severed immediately. It’s so thin, even a little force would cut through it, you know?

Even though he probably couldn’t hear my words, surprisingly, Etienne swiftly released his grip.

Donin, who had been hanging by the scruff of his neck, fell to the ground with a thud.

“Keuk, you son of a bitch…!”

Donin gasped, his breath mixed with curses. His legs were slowly scrambling to escape, but he was clearly struggling.

The man in the black mask, after confirming Donin’s complete disappearance, moved towards the door.

Hey, hey, if Donin is gone, you should let me go too, right? Why are you taking me with you? Let go of me!

However, the man seemed unwilling to let me go.

Excuse me, Etienne? I’m being dragged away. If it’s not too much trouble, could you please finish rescuing me? Since you’ve already started this, it would be refreshing to see it through, right? I’m your wife, you know.

Even if I shouted internally, Etienne remained silent.

I guess I have to save my own life after all. Sigh. This is a cruel world.

No longer able to rely solely on Etienne, I stood upright, then hunched my shoulders as much as possible. I even made a groaning sound to make sure the man in the black mask heard me, which startled him.

“What’s wrong? Walk quickly!”

“Ugh…”

The masked man forcefully grabbed and dragged me, causing pain in my throat from the pressing blade.

But no, not yet. Just a little more…!

I shook my shoulders as if in even greater agony. The black-masked man scrutinized me, but not yet. Not yet.

I held my breath. As soon as his face came close to the back of my head, I would strike upwards with all my might.

Let’s see if your face is stronger or the back of my head!

The masked man drew closer and closer. One, two, three…!

Holding my breath, I forcefully hit his face backward.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

It was a success. He staggered. I turned around and struck his face once more time with my elbow.

Thanks to the rope that had been previously tattered by my wriggling motion similar to a possessed person in a horror movie, tied around my wrist, it became possible to do.

Crack!

This time, there was a sound of something truly breaking.

“Ah!”

In pain, he released his grip on me.

It’s good that I’m free… but my legs are still bound!

Losing my balance, I clumsily tumbled to the side. Etienne, who had suddenly appeared, wrapped his arms around me.

I roughly pulled out the dirty gag that had been in my mouth and pointed toward the door.

“Chase after that person! Catch him!”

The masked man was fleeing outside, but Etienne seemed to have no intention of pursuing him.

“Hurry! He’s getting away!”

“Quiet down.”

I turned my gaze towards him at his low voice. His blue eyes, staring down at me, shimmered like a stormy night sea. He seemed conflicted. Why does he have such eyes?

As if in response, he pressed firmly against my waist. I suddenly felt the pain that I hadn’t realized before. My head involuntarily fell backward. It hurt so much that my mouth opened wide, but no screams came out.

I felt hot liquid on me. My hand was stained with a red color. It was blood.

In the moment when I struck the masked man’s face, he also stabbed me in my side.

Realizing this, the pain surged even more intensely.

“Bastard…”

Despite the agony, I struggled to open my mouth.

“That Bastard… catch…kill him…”

As soon as I finished speaking, everything turned black before my eyes.

* * *

With one hand gripping my side and the other clutching onto the bed, I managed to stand up.

Compared to the first day, the pain was bearable, but it still throbbed with every movement.

“It’s painfully sore. That bastard was really skilled, huh?”

Muttering to myself, I made my way toward the mirror in the room. It was only a few steps, but it felt like the most intense exercise I had done recently.

Oh, well, besides that, I had been working hard on some other exercises. Chin-ups, sit-ups, push-ups.

Thanks to my diligent workout routine, I had gained some weight, and in the mirror, I looked like a plump worm emerging from a well-ripped chestnut.

My smooth skin glowed with healthy radiance, making me look like someone who had been well-fed. I appeared completely different from when I first returned from the monastery.

I tugged at the beige chemise with delicate lace, examining the waistline that was being slightly pushed out by the presence of a newfound belly.

“Being confined to this room, eating and sleeping, it’s no wonder I gained weight. I’m all healed now, so why are they still keeping me trapped?”

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