TSMMT Ch 106

Why Did She Do That?

Emil? Is he waiting for me?

Her heart pounded wildly. Her pupils contracted and dilated. Mirva smiled with satisfaction upon seeing her reaction.

[Mirva] "Do you think I don't know the people of that house? I know them best. You set Herya's son free. Do you think the Duke left you alone after that? I know exactly how you were treated."

Herya.

Dianna gasped at that name.

Herya, Herya.

She had heard that name countless times. It was the name of the woman her father had obsessively fixated upon.

Because of that woman... because of her......

[Mirva] "You put on airs, pretending to be the real master of that household, yet you knew nothing about that family!"

Mirva cackled with laughter. Then, she pressed something against Dianna's mouth. A foul stench hit her.

Sillobin......

A strange, pungent stench clung to her nose. A drug that caused unconsciousness. Worse yet, inhaling the scent trapped the victim in horrific hallucinations. Using an expensive drug like Sillobin solely for an anesthetic revealed Mirva's deep malice.

Dianna thrashed, but Mirva forcefully pressed the drug-soaked handkerchief over her mouth. Her vision blurred. Her heart thudded violently. She fought to remain conscious, but her eyes closed.

Ah, no. If I lose consciousness here......

Her disrupted energy might cause the spirit she had summoned with such effort to vanish.

Her mind turned hazy. The crack of a whip echoed clearly in her ears.

Mirva was right. She knew nothing.

No matter how authoritarian her father was, and no matter how much he prioritized himself and the family over Dianna, she believed he still viewed her as a daughter.

No matter how often her brother put Dianna in danger, she had believed Emil's claims—that he only intended to scar her face or cripple her—were genuine.

There were moments when her father had stroked her hair or turned back with a smile when she called to him. They had shared delicious meals together, laughing, and he had praised her. Memories remained of tight embraces and running through the garden together.

Though imperfect, she had believed that as a family, they wished for one another's happiness. She had believed that blood relatives were the sole, absolute presence that would never harm her.

Yet...... it was a lie.

Beholding her gasping for breath, Mirva smiled cruelly. Covering Dianna's mouth, who had lost her focus and her ability to scream, she whispered:

[Mirva] "After Young Master Emil finishes educating you, you will be sold into slavery once again."

Her cackling echoed as Dianna's muffled screams escaped past the gag.

There was nothing to worry about.

Dianna knew Revius controlled the capital, ensuring no carriage could pass through the city gates. She knew Leonie and Revius were pursuing them.

She even knew that the Queen's disappearance would ignite unprecedented chaos inside the royal palace, guaranteeing that this carriage would be discovered.

Yet why did despair consume her?

The drug was potent, forcing her to collapse into unconsciousness.

---

[Emil] "You came?"

The moment Dianna opened her eyes, she recoiled in terror, scrambling backward across the floor.

In a dusty, pitch-black room stood Emil.

Where is this place?

This was Panborough's living hell. With that realization, the room transformed into Emil's bedchamber.

[Dianna] "Sob, hnggg!"

She thrashed, shuddering violently.

This couldn't be happening. Emil stood as a vibrant young man, observing her face with a smirk. Tears trickled from her eyes.

Here, Dianna was neither the brilliant young lady of a ducal house nor the Queen of the Lodbrog Kingdom.

Trembling violently, she stared in terror at the man looking down at her.

[Emil] "Father died, Ann. Did you hear?"

He stepped closer and grabbed her by her hair.

[Emil] "Did you hear me, you crazy bitch? Should I use the whip again?"

She thrashed, trying to break free from his grip.

[Dianna] "Ah...... ah......"

[Emil] "Come here, I said come here!"

Emil shouted at Dianna. She resisted, but sharp pain erupted in her head from a sudden blow.

[Dianna] "Ah, it hurts!"

Violence strips away human language. Violence weakens human will. Violence tramples human pride. Violence turns a human into a beast.

[Dianna] "I-I was wrong, I was wrong! Please!"

She pressed her hands together, begging. If she acted more servile, she might avoid further beatings. Emil had always enjoyed seeing her beg with clasped hands.

How can I avoid offending him? How can I minimize the pain?

[Dianna] "Ah, ahhh!"

[Emil] "Ann, look here. Father arrived. He must have climbed up from hell to educate his unfilial daughter."

He snickered. Dianna stared at the figure standing beside her with a horrified expression.

It is her father. Her father? Why?

[Duke] "Ann, my shameful daughter."

Expecting the imminent pain, Dianna suppressed her scream. Her father stomped down on her kneeling thighs, crushing them underfoot.

He loathed screaming. He loathed loud noises. She had to swallow the agony desperately and beg for forgiveness. Both Emil and her father loved it when she begged.

[Dianna] "I-I was wrong."

[Duke] "Ann."

Tears streamed from her eyes. Her vacant pupils held no life. She loathed being called Ann.

[Duke] "Ann!"

She hated "Ann." They called it an endearment, yet why was the love they bestowed so cruel?

[Dianna] "I-I was wrong, I will not do it again."

[Duke] "......"

[Dianna] "I will not do it again...... I was wrong. It hurts. Father, I am sorry."

She sobbed hysterically.

Just then, something pressed against her. Fearing another wave of violence, Dianna flinched. Yet what touched her shivering frame was a warm body. Warmth enveloped her. Tears spilled from her eyes.

[Guiscard] "It is fine."

[Dianna] "......"

[Guiscard] "It is fine, My Lady."

Dianna rested blankly in the arms of the person lifting her. She felt his breathing and his rapid heartbeat.

My Lady.

Hearing that voice, focus returned to her eyes.

Neither Emil nor her father stood here. Everything was her hallucination. The person standing before her was her slave, carrying a familiar scent.

[Dianna] "Guis......card?"

Paradoxically, the moment she heard the title My Lady, she recognized Guiscard's embrace.

Ah, it is you. You arrived. You finally came for me.

She wept silently.

[Dianna] "Guiscard?"

She called his name once more.

[Guiscard] "Yes, My Lady."

[Dianna] "......I waited for you."

Tears fell from her eyes.

[Dianna] "I waited for you for a very long time."

Her silent weeping turned into a river of tears. Dianna gently closed her eyes.

Ah, she felt safe at last.

---

Revius stared at the closed door.

The March Parade had transformed into a march of blood. The King tortured those who had taken his Queen, keeping everyone involved barely alive.

[Revius] "It was a good thing I told you in advance."

He had spoken to Guiscard the moment he heard Dianna's plan. Guiscard had flown into a rage, but Revius had persuaded him.

[Revius] "Are you going to interfere with Her Majesty's plans again? Don't interfere. What will you do if she despises you even more? We agreed to let Her Majesty do whatever she wishes."

[Guiscard] "I will handle the tracking."

[Revius] "That is precisely why I am telling you this."

No one knew what Guiscard was thinking. Though his fists trembled, he unleashed no further anger. He kept his knowledge of her plan a complete secret.

Then, during the parade, Guiscard sprinted like a madman to join Lady Kragel and Logaple. Yet a problem arose. Due to the crowds packed into the capital, numerous carriages crowded the streets, and the mark Dianna had promised was missing.

The carriage carrying Dianna mingled with others in utter chaos. When the order to seal the city gates was issued, the kidnappers abandoned her inside a deserted barn and fled.

Thus, she was discovered trapped in her hallucinations. Hearing that her condition was abnormal, Guiscard entered the barn. After witnessing her state, he and the knights maintained strict silence regarding Dianna's condition.

[Revius] "Phew."

Using herself as bait to drag out the mastermind was clever. Yet becoming a hostage carried far too great a risk.

[Revius] "Her Majesty was foolish this time."

Revius muttered to himself.

Dianna had not awakened, remaining in a deep sleep. Mable, the Head Maid, attended to Dianna devotedly at her bedside, and even the maids who had previously turned their backs now worried for her.

Officially, Mirva had kidnapped Dianna. She had secretly administered a drug that caused Dianna to lose her senses, coaxing her out of the palace. Thus, the King personally captured the kidnappers and conducted the interrogations himself.

Revius observed Guiscard approaching Dianna's bedchamber.

Revealing the brutal nature of his "interrogations," Guiscard was drenched in blood. The maids guarding the door flinched in horror.

Vibrant purple eyes gleamed through his unkempt bangs. Carrying the eyes of a slaughterer, the man approached the door of the room where Dianna lay.

[Revius] "Your Majesty. Do you intend to see Her Majesty in that state?"

At his words, Guiscard inspected his own condition.

[Guiscard] "Why are you at her door?"

[Revius] "Because I am worried."

[Guiscard] "Ha."

Guiscard let out a cold laugh. At Revius's persuasion, he refrained from stepping inside the room. Instead, he leaned his exhausted frame against the wall. The murderous glint vanished from his eyes, replaced by bitter torment.

[Guiscard] "Why did she do it?"

[Revius] "Hmm?"

[Guiscard] "Why did she do that? She could have asked me for help. Why did she do it?"

[Revius] "......"

The blood-drenched man stared at the door before him. Though his face remained expressionless as always, Revius observed a man desperately enduring an agonizing heart. He saw a man unable to contain his simmering emotions over a woman who failed to understand his heart.

[Guiscard] "Why... why did she do it?"

He could ask nothing beyond that single question.

[Revius] "You can ask her when she awakens."

At his words, Guiscard shook his head.

[Guiscard] "She will not answer me."

That was the fundamental fracture between them. Revius wore a pained expression upon witnessing it. The two could never trust one another.

[Revius] "Yes, you are enemies to each other. It can't be helped."

[Guiscard] "......"

Though it was a painful truth, Guiscard remained silent, staring at the door. Then, he slowly closed and opened his eyes.

[Revius] "Still, ask her. You must. Don't get angry, just listen."

[Guiscard] "What if she still doesn't answer?"

Revius spoke to him, who was wiping his face with dried, bloodstained hands.

[Revius] "Then you must find the answer yourself."

[Guiscard] "......"

Guiscard offered no response for a moment, lost in thought.

[Guiscard] "......Very well."

He looked up at the ceiling.

[Guiscard] "Revius, invite all the surviving nobles of Panborough right now."

[Revius] "Huh?"

[Guiscard] "I must prepare a gift for my grieving wife."

Muttering incomprehensible words, he walked away from his wife's bedchamber.

---

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