I dreamed of my past life, the one where everyone abandoned me. I saw Duke Reshaniel reaching out his hand to me, his gaze cold. Like a doll, I just stared back at him.
“Giselle.”
“…Yes.”
“There’s no one but me who will embrace you now that you’re tainted.”
Everyone was pointing fingers at me. I desperately screamed, saying never to do that, never go to him, shouting until my throat burned, stamping my feet in anxiety. But it seemed that voice couldn’t reach ‘me’.
“Become my mistress.”
Duke Reshaniel’s lips curved into a gentle smile. As he stroked my hair, he whispered affectionately.
“You have nothing left, do you? Nothing but the last shred of my affection.”
“D-Duke.”
“If you lean on me, everything will become easier.”
That version of me looked up at Duke Reshaniel with trembling eyes.
N-No…! No matter how desperately I screamed, no matter how hard I struggled to break free, I was trapped in the mire. The pain was so unbearable that it felt like my whole body was burning. I scratched at my skin, thrashing wildly. But no one cared about my suffering.
Before I knew it, Duke Reshaniel’s figure faded into the darkness. Now I stood in a ballroom, surrounded by stinging gazes, eyes full of ridicule.
“Why on earth is Lady Giselle like that? She’s from a noble family, yet she wants to be someone’s mistress.”
“Her behavior is just…”
“…Disgusting. She’s basically thrown filth at the family that took her in. Pathetic.”
Seeing ‘me’ trembling violently, I had a full-blown breakdown. The more eyes there were condemning me, the more I began to doubt myself. Did I really do something wrong? Am I really a decent person? Endless distrust and suspicion swallowed my mind whole.
I thought I’d forgotten all about that wretched past.
When my mind was breaking, when I wrote my will… Had I just been running away from the pain of those days?
Curled up tightly, I breathed quietly as I listened to the honed voices. A formless voice slowly echoed through the air.
“Why hasn’t she woken up yet? Do you want to die?”
“Syster Giselle, please wa-wake up…”
“If my daughter-in-law doesn’t wake up, I’ll have your head.”
I looked around, desperately searching for the source of the voices calling out to me. They had no form. But…
“I hope Madam Giselle wakes up soon.”
It was the first time in my life I’d ever heard such a gentle voice. Are they… worried about me?
Still curled up, I cautiously lifted my head. Then, the people who had been casting mocking glances at me began to look as if cracks were running through a mirror. The moment this illusion started to break apart, it felt like the whole world was crumpling up like a sheet of paper. Barely able to catch my breath, I listened intently to the voices drifting through the air.
“Wake up, Giselle.”
It was a familiar voice.
As darkness suddenly closed in before my eyes, a pain like my whole body was being scraped raw washed over me.
* * *
“…Hah, haah.” Gasping for breath, I snapped my eyes open to find myself lying in bed. I tried to move, to sit up, but I couldn’t even twitch a finger. No, I actually knew the reason. It’s probably because I’m completely out of mana…
I bit back the curses I wanted to spit out and coughed again. “Cough, cough!” Once more, blood spilled from between my lips.
“Giselle, you’re awake!”
I saw Duke Kalinos’s face go pale, and at the same time, my vision came back into focus.
Alright, calm down. Forget about that shitty dream…Still, after having that damned dream about my past life, I realized something. Up until now, I’ve changed countless fates. I dealt with Mariposa, handled Marquis Berto, and even saved my father-in-law after coming to this mansion. Now, there’s only one thing left in front of me. Regretful male lad #2, Duke Reshaniel! All that’s left is to take care of that b*stard who sucked up my mana like a mosquito.
Fueled by the urge to fight, I clenched my fist, then opened it again, staring into the empty air. That’s when I met Duke Kalinos’s steady gaze.
“Duke, what happened to Hwairi?”
“She’s already dead. Her body was shattered.”
“Ah, I figured…”
That’s usually how it ends for most divine power dolls. When a person with insufficient divine power tries to wrap their entire body in an overwhelming divine power, they have no choice but to draw on their own life force. That’s why it’s considered forbidden magic. Judging by the look on her face as she faded away at the end, she probably didn’t even realize it herself.
There’s only one person around me who’d stoop to using such trash magic. Duke Reshaniel. That damned b*stard regretful male lead #2.
Just then, Duke Kalinos gently laid me down and whispered, “Please lie down again. You’re a patient. And you need absolute rest.”
“Mmm… But I don’t feel sick at all now.”
“It may have been just a brief bout of coughing up blood, but you never know.” He looked like he was determined to hunt down every last hidden illness in my body. “According to the doctor, they’ve even discovered a grave, incurable disease that could viciously harm both your body and mind.”
Wait, what? Did I suddenly become terminally ill? Don’t tell me this world is about to throw a terminal illness arc at me…
“So, w-what’s the diagnosis?”
“Dry eye syndrome.”
My jaw dropped. Is he out of his mind? Who the hell describes dry eye syndrome like that? And the way he looked so genuinely sorry over something as trivial as dry eyes… He’s going to be absolutely shocked if he ever finds out I cough up blood regularly. But there’s no way he’ll ever be surprised. I have no intention of letting anyone catch on that I regularly cough up blood!
I lowered my gaze, took a deep, dramatic breath, and let it out again. Somehow, just knowing that Hwairi had been dealt with made it feel like the sense of being mentally cornered was finally fading away.
“Alright. Then, I’ll rest a little longer.” I closed my eyes and began to drift off.
“Yes, from here on out, I’ll take care of everything.”
As that chilling voice echoed in my ear, I slipped back into unconsciousness as if I’d fainted.
I caught a glimpse of someone’s silhouette flickering near the door. Squinting, I saw Garno hesitating in front of the door. But I was too weak to care about what he was feeling.
I shut my eyes tightly and thought to myself. Yeah, it’s time to get some real rest now.
* * *
After Hwairi disappeared, Vientin issued a strict order forbidding Garno from approaching Giselle. He’d never seemed particularly affectionate toward his family to begin with, but now his attitude was so cold it was hard to believe he was dealing with his own grandfather.
Count Teren, who watched Vientin check on Giselle’s condition every single day, spoke seriously to Neslan. “My brother is half out of his mind. He’s taken care of everything before we could even step in.”
“Yeah. He was already 180 degrees crazy to begin with…”
“If you think about it, he’s probably up to 270 degrees by now.”
“You’re really getting precise with the numbers. Are you starting to take after your brother?”
“Please, don’t say anything that terrifying.”
Watching Vientin busily come in and go from Giselle’s bedroom, Count Teren stroked his chin. “Hmm, but you know, my brother’s actually handling daily life pretty steadily. Maybe he hasn’t completely lost it yet.”
“Well, of course not. His feelings haven’t fully ripened yet.”
“Hmm, really? But didn’t he fall for Lady Giselle at first sight and immediately propose?”
“Well… A father can usually see things that others can’t.”
Count Teren tilted his head, watching Neslan chuckle softly. “At times like this, I almost wish I were Brother’s father. Then I could’ve knocked some sense into him since he was a kid… No, that’s not the point. Father, what exactly are you trying to say?”
“People’s feelings don’t just mature with time. Sometimes, it takes a catalyst, something that suddenly sparks them to grow.”
“Oh, a catalyst?”
“Yes. Like a rival who makes you jealous. That boy doesn’t have any rivals around him right now, does he? So how are his feelings supposed to develop?”
At this unexpected comment, Count Teren looked thoughtful, then his eyes widened. “Wait, don’t tell me…!”
“Don’t tell you what?”
“Did you go through the same thing, Father? Did you go wild because of a rival?” Count Teren found himself getting way too invested in this surprising story about his parents, his palms starting to sweat. “I heard there’s a huge secret behind Father’s outrageous slave-like marriage contract!”
“Yes, a rival… That’s how it happened. Maybe it was just the recklessness of youth.”
Seeing his father nod so seriously, even as Count Teren called himself a slave, made it even harder to imagine. I really can’t picture Brother ending up like Father, being a doormat for his wife. He was deeply doubtful.
Count Teren stroked his chin, lost in thought. No matter how I look at it, I just can’t see Brother losing control because of love. Unless, like his father said, a rival suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
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