In This Life, I Will Be Your Dog - Chapter 63

For a moment, Ether’s expression, stunned by Mona’s fierce demeanor, twisted into that of a demon.

It was already unbearable that Bellona had bested him, and now Mona of all people was challenging him. A murderous rage boiled within him.

He wanted to snap her slender neck right then and there, but knowing that Impes intended to use her as a tool, he couldn’t kill her so recklessly.

Struggling to regain his composure, he looked down at her, the sword against his neck trembling slightly.

Her action wasn’t threatening at all, which only fueled his anger, and he let out a hollow laugh.

From the beginning, she was just a woman he kept around to satisfy his desires. But to think she had been hiding such a nature.

‘How cunning.’

Now that her true colors were revealed, she wouldn’t obey him as before. Even so, he had no intention of letting her go quietly.

He needed to make her pay the price for betraying him, to ease at least a little of this filthy feeling.

Ether’s eyebrows, which had been raised fiercely, suddenly drooped. With a sorrowful expression, as if wounded, he pressed his neck further into the blade.

“Go ahead, kill me.”

“……!”

“I never wanted to live anyway. You were the only reason I held on, but if even you abandon me, I have no reason or will to live anymore.”

As expected, her pupils widened in shock, trembling violently.

How long had they spent together?

Even if her true nature had been revealed, it was only a part of her.

She was inherently weak and foolish. She was so timid that the only person she got close to was Eshil, due to her gloomy personality.

Lonely and fearful, she had opened up to him quickly when he showed her a little warmth, becoming blindly devoted to him.

She was surprisingly capable of accomplishing anything when given an order, which had amazed him, but he never imagined she harbored such cunning ambition.

He had planned to use her as much as needed and discard her, but his failure to properly understand her had led to the current situation.

‘Even so, you’re still in my grasp, Mona.’

Hiding his true intentions, Ether pressed his neck harder against the blade, whispering with a sad face, “I’ll consider it the price for the pain I caused you. But I never meant it. I mistakenly thought that, since you’re such a kind woman, you’d understand my pain…”

“L-lies.”

“Yes, just think of it as a lie. It’ll make it easier for you. I don’t want to be a burden to you until the very end.”

As he pressed his neck further, blood finally appeared at the tip of the sword.

Still, he didn’t stop, leaning even more, until Mona, unable to endure, pushed the blade away.

“Stop it!”

“Hah, Mona. Just kill me. Kill me and go to the crown prince!”

“No! I-I just… It’s too hard… Sob.”

Holding the sobbing Mona tightly, he stroked her head as if comforting her, apologizing repeatedly.

“I’m sorry, truly. I’ll try to do better from now on, I promise.”

“Ah, sob.”

Ether looked at Mona, who had finally burst into tears, gazing at her softly as he kissed her face.

“You won’t abandon me, right? Hmm?”

“Yes…”

“Hah… Thank you. I’ll protect you from now on, I promise. I love you, Mona.”

As he kissed her gently, her tear-soaked eyelids slowly closed.

Ether’s eyes, glinting with sadness and relief, soon sparkled with scorn.

‘I should use you to get a hold on the crown prince as well.’

Not trusting even the fickle heart of Impes any longer, Ether decided to devise a plan to ensure Mona and others would never betray him.

The man, undressing her skillfully with one hand, whispered against her neck, “No woman as beautiful as you exists in this world. You’re mine. I won’t let anyone else have you.”

As he displayed his obsession, touching on her loneliness, a satisfied smile appeared on Mona’s face.

Ether decided that now was the time to completely tame Mona, so she would never entertain foolish thoughts again.

Seeing her disheveled red hair brought to mind the woman he had never once forgotten.

‘Bellona, hurry and come. This time, I’ve prepared a grand gift just for you.’

***

Bellona, who woke up early, had completed her morning training and changed into a dress to fit her role as Grand Duchess.

At first, the dresses had been uncomfortable, but now she seemed to have gotten used to them.

Roughly twisting her long hair up, Bellona hurried downstairs to oversee Caelus’s breakfast.

Eshil, who had already come down to direct the servants, bowed respectfully. “Your Grace, shouldn’t you rest a bit more?”

“Is breakfast ready?”

“Yes, it’s almost done.”

“Alright, I’ll go and fetch His Grace.”

Eshil watched Bellona leave with a worried expression.

Eshil, perceptive as always, had noticed immediately that there was something wrong between the couple.

Since the wedding, they had shared a room, but for the past two days, they had been sleeping apart.

Even Bellona, who usually hid her feelings well, had worry written on her face, which was unusual.

It meant that whatever was going on between them was serious.

Despite that, Bellona acted as if nothing had happened, which Eshil found admirable in its own way.

“I’m sure she’s deeply hurting inside. Sigh…”

Feeling worse, Eshil clutched her chest as she turned around the corner.

“Oh! What… What’s this?”

“Is breakfast ready?”

Before she knew it, a large figure had approached and was standing right behind her. Eshil clutched her chest in surprise and looked up at him.

As she glanced sideways at Akon, who was staring blankly down at her, she took a step back and grumbled, “I told you knights aren’t allowed in here.”

“I’m here as His Grace’s aide.”

“…Who said anything else?”

Eshil, loyal to Bellona, vented her frustration on Akon, resenting Caelus for making Bellona suffer.

Moreover, she had heard from Net about his rude behavior toward Bellona before the wedding, which made her dislike the man before her even more.

Akon, aware of Eshil’s past as an Imperial knight’s squire, was also irked by her attitude.

Seeing a woman who wouldn’t even have dared look at him in the palace now glaring at him, he couldn’t stand it.

Still, she was the head maid of the Grand Duke’s residence, and she was doing her job well, so he couldn’t say anything.

They glared at each other, not bothering to hide their feelings.

“Seriously, you’d think I was caught sneaking food or something.”

“If you don’t want to give that impression, leave. Your presence is making the servants uncomfortable.”

Akon frowned at her blunt dismissal, about to say something more when a cold voice interrupted.

“What’s going on?”

Both of them jumped, immediately bowing their heads at Caelus’s stern voice.

Bellona, standing behind him, tried to step forward, but he held her back, approaching the pair.

“Were you arguing?”

“N-no, Your Grace. I have no reason to argue with the head maid.”

“Eshil.”

Bellona called out from behind, and Eshil forced a smile, awkwardly explaining, “Yes, exactly. Why would we argue?”

“Then what were you discussing to make the atmosphere so tense?”

At Caelus’s persistent questioning, they glanced at each other, and Eshil reluctantly offered a flimsy excuse.

“I was asking Sir Akon to teach me swordsmanship, but he said he was busy…”

“You refused?”

Taken aback by the sudden question, Akon’s eyes widened.

He looked at Eshil, then, caught off guard, awkwardly played along.

“W-well, there’s so much to prepare for the expedition…”

“You can teach her after you return.”

“Pardon?”

“You’re quite unkind. It wouldn’t be that difficult, would it?”

Akon pouted, feeling wronged, and turned his head away.

“Your Grace, let’s have breakfast.”

“Alright.”

Thankfully, Bellona’s intervention shifted Caelus’s attention away from them.

Akon glanced at Eshil with a disgruntled expression, quickly bowed to the couple, and left the dining room.

Eshil, her expression back to normal, bowed formally. “I’ll bring breakfast shortly.”

Watching her disappear in quick, small steps, Caelus muttered as if for Bellona, who was sitting beside him, to hear.

“Akon can’t handle her.”

Bellona responded calmly with an unfazed expression, “So what can you do? If you sulk and avoid the situation during an important moment like that, there’s no solution.”

“Sulk?”

The man frowned, catching onto the word she used.