In This Life, I Will Be Your Dog - Chapter 94

Early in the morning, Bellona visited the Crown Prince’s palace and silently gazed at the sleeping man’s face.

The once proud and beautiful figure was nowhere to be seen. In just a few days, Impes’ face had become gaunt to the point of pity.

Lifting the blanket slightly, she found his bandaged hand. Her brows furrowed as she stared at the empty space beneath the wrappings.

How much must it have hurt?

This must be the first time he had ever experienced such pain.

He was a man who once called upon the palace physician over the smallest wounds, yet he had endured even the loss of a finger. She almost felt like praising him for his resilience.

With a voice laced with feigned concern, Bellona murmured softly, “It’s a relief, Your Highness. That it was only this much. If your entire hand had been severed…”

‘Your frail self might not have survived. I momentarily overlooked that.’

Her lips curled slightly before she swiftly composed herself. Leaning in close, she whispered into his ear in a voice filled with genuine-sounding warmth.

“Hurry and recover. Return to your former self. That way, I can…”

‘Drag you into hell without hesitation. Look forward to the gift I’ve prepared for you, Impes.’

“When I return… what will you give me?”

A deep voice asked suddenly, his eyes slowly opening.

Still groggy, his heavy eyelids fluttered as if weighed down by exhaustion.

“Your Highness, are you awake?”

“Haa… My head feels foggy, as if trapped in a haze. Maybe that’s why. Today, you feel even more distant.”

He furrowed his brows, sounding almost forlorn.

She had known that Mona frequently visited this place, but it seemed they had grown even closer than she had anticipated.

To assess his condition, Bellona picked up the prepared glass beside her.

“Drink some water first. It will help clear your head.”

Supporting him upright, she handed him the glass. Familiar with the routine, Impes drank without hesitation.

As she set the empty glass down and attempted to lay him back down, he suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist, clinging to her with a childish pout.

“Haa… Mona. Waking up to you here makes me so happy.”

“……!”

“Last night… were you okay? I didn’t hurt you too much, did I? I’m sorry… if I did.”

Bellona barely suppressed the urge to scoff aloud, biting back a laugh.

‘Ha! Mona, you never fail to exceed my expectations.’

She had thought Mona was merely mimicking her, but for Impes to be calling out her name so naturally—she never would have imagined.

Just in case, Bellona gently ran her fingers through his silver hair and asked sweetly, “Your Highness, what is my name?”

“You keep asking. I won’t make a mistake this time. Mona. My dear, beloved Mona…”

Seeing the man completely tamed by Mona left her feeling both dumbfounded and strangely unsettled.

Had he always been this easy to manipulate?

Of course, if Mona had been alone in the past, things would have played out differently. It would have been Mona who was controlled, not him.

But now, the circumstances had changed.

This entire game was something Bellona had orchestrated.

Yet, the thought that Mona was now enjoying the stage she had so painstakingly set irritated her in a way she hadn’t anticipated.

Above all, seeing Mona achieve so effortlessly what she herself had failed to do in the past left her feeling utterly foolish.

If she had played the fox back then, would things have been different?

Only now did she fully grasp just how useless and naive her upright, stubborn nature had been.

Watching the man rub his cheek against her thigh with a serene smile made her blood boil.

‘Foolish idiot.’

She had half a mind to discard Mona immediately, but she couldn’t afford to. For now, Mona was still a useful pawn.

Suppressing her irritation, she forced a smile and stroked his cheek. “Your Highness, this Bellona is always on your side. You know that, don’t you?”

“Huh…?”

Startled, he glanced toward the door before narrowing his eyes and whispering, “You shouldn’t say your name out loud. If that bastard Caelus hears, he might hit you.”

“……!”

“You were the one who told me to be careful…”

He playfully narrowed his eyes at her before chuckling, once again nuzzling against her thigh.

Bellona’s gaze sharpened dangerously. Not only had he fallen completely for Mona’s act, but now, even Caelus was nothing more than a ‘bastard’ in his eyes.

“Mona… When Mother comes later, can you tell her I’m unwell? I don’t want to take that medicine…”

As he held her waist even tighter, his shoulders trembled slightly.

For a moment, Bellona recalled Mona’s words and, stroking his back comfortingly, casually asked, “Why? Are you afraid you’ll see something frightening again?”

“Yeah… I don’t want to go back to that house. Every time I do, Mother locks me in the wardrobe.”

“…The wardrobe?”

“Yeah. There… it’s completely dark, not even a single light. I can’t see anything. And then, after a while, Mother starts screaming. That’s what scares me the most.”

As if reliving a memory, he clung to her tightly.

Narrowing her eyes, she continued to soothe him gently while probing further.

“Besides you and Her Majesty, was anyone else there?”

His trembling suddenly stopped.

After a brief silence, a chilling voice escaped his lips.

“Graeme. That bastard was there. He always buried his face between Mother’s legs, making her scream.”

“……!”

“Heh… hehehe.”

He suddenly let out a bizarre laugh, turning his head to meet her gaze before murmuring something strange.

“You know what’s funny? The moment I step out of that house, I become the most precious person in the world again.”

Burying his face against her once more, he slowly slid his hand up her skirt as he continued speaking.

“When she was with that bastard, she locked me in the wardrobe all day without even looking at me. But the moment we left that house, she would smile at me. Like I was the most lovable thing in the world.”

Shocked by this previously unknown truth, Bellona stared blankly at the man who seemed utterly deranged.

At that moment, she suddenly snapped back to her senses as she felt his hand creeping up her thigh.

Quickly grabbing his wrist to stop him, she forced an awkward smile and coaxed him gently.

“Our dear crown prince must have been so scared.”

Frowning slightly in displeasure at being denied his prey, he instead nuzzled against her, pressing his face into her.

“Yeah… So please, talk to Mother for me. Tell her I’m sick.”

Just then, a faint knock sounded from outside.

It was the signal from the Imperial Guard she had bribed—someone was approaching.

“Your Highness, I’ll do my best to talk to her. But if it doesn’t work, just say ‘yes’ and nothing else. If you do that, it’ll be over quickly.”

“Are you leaving?”

Suddenly, he sat up and grabbed the hem of her skirt. His desperate gaze pleaded with her, but she gently removed his hand and stepped back without hesitation.

Still, she scrunched her face as if reluctant to leave.

“I’ll come back soon. But in return, promise me one thing.”

“What?”

“Don’t tell anyone I was here today. Not Mona, not even me.”

“Huh?”

His dazed, bloodshot eyes blinked blankly, as if he didn’t understand.

Stepping closer, she leaned down to meet his eyes, stroking his cheek as if soothing a child.

“Let’s play a secret game. A game where neither of us remembers today. So, we never met. Understood?”

“Ah… Alright. If Mona says so, I’ll do it.”

Smiling brightly, he rubbed his cheek against her hand. In his drugged state, his mind seemed no different from that of a young child.

***

It was certain.

Impes had received the same education from the Empress that she had.

More than anything, it was clear that from childhood, he had suffered horrific abuse at Violentia’s hands.

If it was happening now, it must have happened in the past as well.

Ever since she had awakened in this timeline, things had begun to change, but before that, events had unfolded exactly as before.

Why hadn’t she realized it sooner?

Why hadn’t Impes shown signs of this in the past?

Not once, even after she became his knight and later his mistress, had she ever seen him display such instability.

What had changed?

What was different from before…?

“Your Grace.”

Net’s voice pulled her from her thoughts, making her come to an abrupt halt.

Lifting her gaze from the ground, she found Caelus standing before her.

His expression was dark with fury.

Letting out a small sigh, she moved to continue walking, but suddenly, her vision spun.

“Your Grace!”

Stumbling as if about to collapse, Net quickly caught hold of her.