Chapter 2

Swallowed by fear, my mind instinctively sought what the predator wanted—and my mouth began moving on its own.

“I trust you, Edwin.”

No one was more shocked by those words than me. My expression was probably calm, unaffected. The one who failed to hide his reaction, in contrast, was Edwin.

“…Truly?”

“Of course.”

I responded instantly, like a vending machine giving out a programmed reply. All for survival.

“That makes me happy.”

Though those were his words, I realized something immediately—this time, his smile was fake.

“Then why couldn’t you trust me back then?”

“…What?”

Suddenly, he yanked my hand. I was forcibly pulled to my feet, and pain shot through my arm. I looked down, startled by the warmth beneath my palm, only to see my hand swallowed between the folds of his dark coat.

My hand was placed directly over his heart.

“Hmm? Lady Ivnes?”

His eyes now burned with unhidden hatred, unlike before. I couldn’t speak. My jaw trembled, my breath came out ragged and uneven.

“I really—…”

Creak.

Before Edwin could finish, someone entered the room.

“My, looks like it’s all over already.”

A calm voice. The man speaking was none other than Duke Rosmond.

“Ah, Master.”

I was more shocked by how unshaken he seemed. My heart shriveled like a punctured balloon.

“Should I come back later?”

“No, it’s fine. Lady Ivnes hasn’t awakened anyway. Best to leave her be.”

Edwin released the tight grip on my hand. The lingering pressure on my wrist and the heat I’d felt against my palm left my heart thudding painfully in my chest.

“Is that so?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Well, she’s worth more if we sell her off in marriage anyway.”

At Father’s words, Edwin grinned widely. Then he exchanged a glance with someone behind the door Father had entered through. After that, he turned to me and said, “I’ll be back, my lady,” before leaving the room.

With Edwin gone, only Duke Rosmond and I remained.

It probably wouldn’t help, but I had to ask.

“What… what on earth is all of this?”

“I don’t need the other children anymore.”

He said that, smiling as he looked at his own children collapsed at his feet.

“But…”

“These children will become my dolls. And our family… will remain together forever.”

“They’re still alive.”

“Oh, child. Dolls aren’t made by killing them. They’re made when they’re in a vegetative state.”

Duke Rosmond’s power was puppetry. He collected those with abilities and turned them into dolls.

Why? Because if he made them into dolls while still awakened, he could even harness some of their powers.

“You, however, seem useless—since you haven’t awakened.”

He said that while gazing affectionately at Abelon, the son he once intended to pass the family on to.

“Still, you inherited your mother’s beauty, didn’t you? Be grateful you’ve got a body I can profit from through marriage.”

And so, that nightmare of a meal came to an end.

Even after I returned to my room, I couldn’t pull myself together.

Before I realized I had possessed this world, I should’ve run the moment I first decided to escape this wretched ducal house.

Instead of dawdling in the foolish hope that I might awaken, or that I might become the next duke.

I felt pathetic, finally acting on my past resolution only now. I should never have let my guard down, thinking Edwin was dead.

Even realizing I was inside a book was useless now—the story had already begun.

There was no point in regretting it. I had to try escaping now, no matter what.

Knock knock knock.

‘My lady, it’s Edwin.’

He appeared suddenly, and as if he knew I wasn’t asleep, he didn’t even ask permission before simply opening the door.

My mind went blank from shock. I frantically kicked my packed suitcase under the bed, then turned toward the door.

“I felt that I may have frightened you earlier, my lady.”

With my back to the bed, I was gasping for air, cold sweat prickling my skin. My clenched palms were damp with sweat.

‘You call that an apology?’

A deep surge of anger rose from my core. But fear scattered that rage like sand in the wind. The moment I recalled Edwin holding that blood-soaked sword, I was already forcing a smile.

“So I brought a gift.”

What he pulled from behind the door was—

“Kh—!”

Gagged, and bound in restraints from head to toe—

“Pretty, isn’t he?”

—he was glaring straight at me.

The beast-king of this story.

‘What the hell went wrong? Or… am I not even inside the novel after all?’

In the original, Edwin only captured Sethna—the queen beast—after all my family was dead and even my puppetmaster father had been killed.

It was only after Edwin became Duke Rosmond, with everything in his hands, that he captured Sethna.

And even that was just an act of boredom—a senseless whim.

So what the hell was this situation?

My mind was spinning, and I couldn’t help but look down at my feet. That’s when Edwin, with the hand not holding the restraints, reached toward me.

For a moment, I flinched, thinking he’d touch my cheek, and nearly stepped back. But if I showed fear, he was the kind of madman who’d devour me like a beast. So I stood still, letting the warmth of his fingers brush my skin, meeting his gaze head-on. He smiled again, sweet and fresh, as he gently stroked my cheek.

“Isn’t he your type, my lady?”

“…Is that what you thought?”

“Isn’t he?”

Not at all.

Looking at Sethna glaring at me, I felt a chill run down my spine. But more than the fact that he was the queen beast from the novel, the real issue was—

“…No, he’s not. And why… did you bring His Highness the Crown Prince like this?”

He was the Crown Prince, heir to the imperial throne. His disappearance alone would have thrown the palace into chaos.

“I heard you always had a strange look in your eyes whenever you saw him.”

“…Who told you that?”

“Young Master Abelon.”

At the mention of Abelon, I remembered him slumped over at the banquet table. My stomach twisted again, a cold dread creeping in.

“Well, if not, then I suppose it can’t be helped.”

“What do you mean, can’t be helped?”

“I have to take him to the Master.”

My father, Duke Rosmond, was a puppeteer who controlled people in a near-death state. If Sethna was handed over like this, he’d be beaten to the brink of death for sure.

“…Now that I look again, I like him.”

“Truly? Then will you accept my apology?”

Edwin stared at me with a strange expression, and I had no idea how to respond. His face was a twisted mix of expectation and anger. His eyes were smiling, but his clenched jaw and the tight set of his mouth betrayed something much darker.

“…Yeah.”

“That’s a relief.”

Edwin answered in a voice low and tense, then glanced toward my bed.

Suddenly, I remembered the half-packed luggage I had kicked under it. His eyes—and mine—moved at the same time. I could see the handle of the suitcase peeking out from under the bed. Cold sweat broke across my back.

“If you suddenly disappear…”

“…”

“…you might be accused of kidnapping the Crown Prince.”

As he said that, he gently stroked my cheek again.

“I’ll store him in the basement, Lady Ivnes.”

With that, he dragged Sethna away and left the room.

It was clear now—there was no escape today. A suffocating anxiety wrapped around my chest like a tiny birdcage.

So that’s how it would have to be.

“I need to disappear… completely.”

I’d have to prepare thoroughly—and vanish.

To a place where no one would ever find me.

Pretending to be dead might not be such a bad idea either.

Resolving myself, I struggled to steady the tremble in my breath.

* * *

I deliberately unpacked my suitcase. That said, I placed everything exactly as it had been inside the bag neatly back into the wardrobe, positioning it so I could pack again in under five minutes. Only the bag itself remained under the bed.

If I had to flee in a hurry, all I’d need to do was dump the wardrobe’s contents back into the suitcase, zip it up, and run.

Just as I finished those preparations—

Knock knock.

‘My lady.’

“Ah… J-Just a moment…!”

But the door opened on its own. It didn’t seem like Edwin had opened it. The door had simply let itself open.

The doors inside the mansion were under my stepmother’s ability. Her power allowed anyone of higher status to enter a subordinate’s room with just a declaration of intent.

Had the mansion recognized Edwin as my superior?

“I didn’t expect it to open just from knocking. But… what were you trying to hide?”

“I’m not hiding anything from you.”

His eyes darted toward the space under the bed, then shifted to the wardrobe. I didn’t know how he figured it out, but cold sweat began to form again.

“I’ll take your word for it.”

“…”

“This is the key to the annex basement, third floor.”

Edwin smiled as he handed me the key to the prison where Sethna would be held. I returned his smile with a fake one of my own.

“Let’s have tea together later.”

“At this hour, it’s a bit late, isn’t it?”

“Thirty minutes from now? How does that sound?”

“If I drink tea at dawn, I won’t be able to sleep.”

“Then please have warm milk, my lady. I’ll enjoy black tea.”

He smiled as if he had no intention of accepting no for an answer. Normally, I would’ve refused without hesitation, but the lingering image of him drenched in blood haunted me.

“…Alright.”

I ended up agreeing. I was too afraid I’d end up like the others if I said no.

“I’ll be looking forward to it, my lady.”

With that, he left.

As soon as he disappeared again, a sigh escaped me. My whole body ached. It seemed like I was constantly tensing up whenever I faced him—no wonder I was sore all over.