Chapter 1

My father’s dog has returned. The mad dog we thought had been disposed of after contracting rabies.

‘P-Please, don’t do this! Spare me…! Agh! Ugh…!’

How many times in a lifetime does one hear their family’s screams?

It was a voice I heard often, and yet, the fear and desperation carried within it—the pitch of it—was something I’d never heard before. For a moment, I wondered if it belonged to someone else.

But then the screams that followed pierced my ears mercilessly, as if to cruelly prove my desperate hope was nothing more than a futile wish.

‘Kyaaaaah!’

‘Agh!’

‘Help me!’

‘Kuhh…!’

‘R-Run away!’

‘Aaaaargh!’

When I realized those voices belonged to my family, my hand moved on its own and pulled at the door handle.

And through the half-opened crack, blood splattered in long streaks.

“Ah.”

Blood sprayed onto my face, and that sickening warmth made my body freeze up. I turned my head toward the source of the voices, and there stood—

“Young Lady Ivnes.”

Edwin, sword in hand, eyes shining with madness.

He hadn’t changed. As if he had come to drag me back into that old nightmare. As if he were tenderly delivering a death sentence, his face lit up with an ecstatic smile as he looked at me…

My father’s most loyal dog.

The mad hound we thought was dead.

“You were gone for so long, I started to worry.”

He said that as he grabbed the hand I had on the doorknob and pulled me into the dining room.

* * *

I have possessed a tragic BL novel titled 『Even If We Die Together』.

‘Everyone, hear this! Edwin will return tomorrow!’

Of all times, I realized this crucial fact right when I heard that Edwin—my father’s mad dog—was coming back.

If I had known sooner, I would’ve run away much earlier. But important things like this always seemed to reach me only when it was too late to change anything.

The moment I realized the truth, I decided I needed to escape. I planned to run as soon as the banquet celebrating Edwin’s return was over.

That’s why I’d already packed all my belongings before attending the banquet.

But what the hell is going on right now? How did everything diverge from the original story the moment Edwin showed up?

The scene unfolding before my eyes was nothing like what I knew from the novel.

In the original, the first person Edwin killed wasn’t my family—it was me.

I was the one who resisted, who didn’t want to lose what was mine to him, and so I was slowly, painfully murdered.

In the novel, Edwin manipulated my family, seduced my father, and seized control of the ducal house as he pleased. And then, as a warning to anyone who might oppose him, he brutally killed me.

The death of Ivnes, the Duke’s daughter in the original, was the beginning of the ducal house falling into Edwin’s hands. And I was that Ivnes. The fool who didn’t know her place, who angered Edwin and ended up dying in the most gruesome, savage, and wretched way.

Even now, my heart was pounding wildly, like it was skipping beats. It thudded in my ears like a war drum. It was so loud I was afraid Edwin could hear it too.

“It’s been a while, Edwin.”

This was, of course, not the time for such casual words. But since Edwin was holding onto my arm, I forced myself to speak as if nothing was wrong.

His expression faltered, as though he was caught off guard for a moment, but then he smiled brightly.

“I’ve missed you, my lady. Truly.”

And with that, he tugged at my arm again.

It was all so strange. That jet-black hair, those blood-red eyes, and the sculpted face like a masterpiece no artist could replicate even twice in a lifetime.

His beauty was dazzling—so much so that it felt dangerous.

I kept my eyes locked on his, not daring to look down, afraid I might die from sheer terror if I did. Edwin, looking at me with a flushed face and an excited smile, seemed either amused or pitying—maybe both.

If it weren’t for the carnage around us, I might’ve seemed like the crazy one for being so tense in front of someone acting with such innocent delight. But this situation left no room for such carefree thoughts.

“You should eat.”

The seat he led me to was the one at the head of the table.

“That’s my father’s seat.”

Could it be that, unlike the rest of my family, he plans to torment me slowly because I’m an unawakened one? My other family members were dangerous in their own ways, so he must’ve killed them first.

“The master is running late.”

Edwin said that as he came over to my side.

“Khuk…”

Of all people, it had to be Abelon, the eldest, who lay slumped over on the right side of the head seat. When our eyes met, Edwin grabbed him by the waist and tossed him carelessly onto the floor, then took the now-vacant seat.

Seeing the blood soaking into the table and chairs, it felt like all the blood was draining from my own body.

“Please eat, my lady.”

At his words, I looked at the plate set in front of me. There were distinct bloodstains on the food cover. My hands trembled—perhaps because I could still see the dead bodies of my family nearby.

“I have no appetite.”

It felt strange that he was speaking to me so politely. The way he addressed me with such respect, just as he had before, only made it more terrifying. Like a lion toying with a doe, that’s what I felt like.

“You should eat anyway. You look pale. Eating now will help you regain your strength.”

He said this, pulling out his chair and sitting down with his chin resting on his hand. There was food in front of him too, but with traces of Abelon everywhere, it didn’t look like it could be eaten.

“I made sure only your dish stayed clean, my lady. Even kept the cover on.”

With that, he removed the silver cover. A steaming plate of steak was revealed beneath.

Clatter—

He stood from his seat and came closer to me. My whole body froze up, and my heart started its erratic pounding again.

“I’ll cut it for you, Lady Ivnes.”

He picked up the fork and knife closest to him and began slicing the steak, then held out a piece to me.

“Here, have a bite.”

“…I’m not hungry… mgh…”

As he suddenly pushed the piece toward me, it touched my lips. The warmth and rich aroma reached my nose.

I kept my eyes fixed on Edwin on purpose. If I didn’t, I felt like I’d faint.

I was terrified of everything, but I knew one thing for certain—I must never show Edwin my back.

‘People who turn their backs… I just want to kill them.’

‘What are you saying? That you want to kill me?’

‘No. You’re the only one who never turns your back on me. That’s why I don’t want to kill you.’

‘You just can’t see it because I’m tied up.’

That was the kind of thing he used to say.

I had clearly underestimated everything. I thought it would be fine as long as I ran away before the story followed its original course.

When Father mentioned yesterday that Edwin was returning, I thought I could escape at my own pace.

It was all just my delusion.

“Does the steak not suit your taste?”

“…I said I’m not hungry.”

My eyes kept drifting toward the sword he’d left lying carelessly nearby. The fact that he hadn’t sheathed it was bothering me more than I could admit.

“Ah, is the sword bothering you?”

Of course, he was as perceptive as a predator—always ten steps ahead.

He said that and picked up the sword he had left unattended. The stench of blood clinging to it seemed to pierce into my lungs. It felt like the sword itself was warning me.

Tap, tap—

He flicked the blade through the air a few times, then finally sheathed it before turning his gaze to me. Again, my whole body froze.

“Now… do you feel like eating?”

“…Yeah.”

There was no other choice. It’s come to this.

I have to escape, no matter what.

I never thought I’d have to use the emergency funds I prepared before recalling the plot, but I had hidden accounts under false names—so it didn’t matter when I ran. What mattered now was surviving by playing along.

All I had to do was survive now. Just endure this moment.

The urgency of survival weighed heavily on my chest, suffocating me with fear.

“I’ll cut it for you again.”

“I can do it my—… Fine.”

He had already taken the fork and knife from me again, so I forced a smile and nodded. At that, he stared at me blankly for a moment, then smiled again—as if putting on a mask.

“Ah.”

Just as the sound of the utensils scraping to a stop faded, he handed me a piece of meat.

I was sure I’d get indigestion if I ate in this state, but there was no way I could refuse.

He made me eat every last bite of the steak on the plate, then moved even closer.

“You’ve got something on your lips, my lady.”

He seemed about to wipe it away, but paused when he realized his gloves were already drenched in blood. Then, as if it were the most natural thing, he wiped my mouth with his sleeve.

The problem was, his clothes weren’t any cleaner than his gloves.

“But, my lady… why haven’t you asked?”

“Asked what?”

Edwin grinned, his expression bathed in rapture, and answered.

“You don’t wonder what I might’ve put in your food?”

Tl/N: Hello peeps I’m back with an obsessed manic novel, if you guys read DKOM then this is for you. Enjoy another crackhead male lead