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“Don’t go!”
Is this a dream?
“Don’t go, Dana.”
Dana blankly watched the scene before her. It was a scene where Raios was holding onto her, crying.
“Don’t leave me behind, Dana. Please stand by my side. Please.”
So, it is a dream after all.
It was that day, the memory of hesitating in front of the dimensional gate that opened for the first time in 100 years. That’s why Raios wasn’t the only one there.
“Do you really have to go?”
Rumie also grabbed her hand.
“Can’t you stay in this world, please? I’ll be very sad if you go…”
And Carl Windsor as well.
“How can you leave us behind!”
Dana watched herself in the dream. It was Danae Windsor from a few years ago. That foolish girl who was wavering without knowing anything. In a moment, she would make the worst decision of her life—to stay in this world.
She couldn’t bear to watch that scene. So, Dana tightly closed her eyes. After a moment, she opened them again.
“A possessor who took over someone else’s body dares to act so high and mighty.”
This time, Raios’s cold face appeared.
“Being treated nicely has made you arrogant, reaching all the way to your head.”
Even after being caught in the act of infidelity, his eyes were like those of a demon, tearing into her.
“Don’t blame me. Your arrogance brought about my change of heart.”
She didn’t want to see it. Dana closed her eyes again. Not knowing what would appear next, she didn’t open her eyes.
“Your sense of entitlement is suffocating.”
But Rumie’s voice, insistent, pierced through to her ears vividly.
“That’s one thing, and this is another. Did someone tie you up and prevent you from leaving?”
She couldn’t block out that voice.
“Now you can’t even return to your world. What will you do? You have no choice but to adapt.”
Dana decided to open her eyes. But this time, no one was visible. Only a dark, long corridor. The only light came from a door ajar, casting a sliver of light. From that gap, Carl’s voice flowed.
“I need to maintain my guardianship over Dana for another year. Only then will I become the number one heir to Dana’s property.”
At that moment, Dana felt as if the ground was crumbling beneath her.
“So, we have to ensure her premature death.”
No, she wished it would all just crumble. If she hadn’t truly loved them, it wouldn’t have hurt this much.
“Yeon Dana, don’t you think the fortune grandfather left behind is too much for you to keep all to yourself?”
It was no different from her own world. They were no different from those people.
At least in my own world, I never loved the trash surrounding Yeon Dana.Yet, the fact that she had loved the people of this world was humiliating. Mortifying. Loving them—sincerely, genuinely loving them—had deeply wounded her.
If only she hadn’t loved them. Then, this world wouldn’t have felt so horrifying.
“Milady, are you awake?”
Dana opened her eyes. What she found was Lethe looking down at her with a worried expression. She looked back at him and smiled faintly.
“What about the holy trial?”
“It has been postponed.”
As expected.
“Milady, how are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. When is the second trial?”
“In two days.”
“Two days,” Dana repeated the words. “Two days left.”
The holy trial was a disaster. No, it was almost a disaster. If she hadn’t opened her third eye, if she didn’t have the ability to see the past, she would have completely failed. The annulment would have been impossible.
Fortunately, it’s not over yet.There was still one chance left. Maybe that’s why. Maybe that’s why. Although her body felt heavy, her mind was clearer than ever. She had never felt so certain.
“Milady, you should rest a bit more.”
“I’m fine.”
Dana, ignoring her secretary’s attempt to dissuade her, got up and sat at the desk. As she reached for a sheet of paper from the drawer, she noticed the newspapers on the desk from yesterday and today.
The large headline dominated the front page.
A smirk crept onto her lips. The first holy trial was a failure, but fortunately, this matter was progressing smoothly.
Holding a fountain pen, Dana asked calmly. “Where are Brother Viego and Uncle Carl?”
“They’re in a meeting right now. I heard they’re discussing the removal of Carl Windsor from his position.”
Of course, she had anticipated as much. A smile finally broke through.
If Carl couldn’t resolve this matter, his dismissal was inevitable.But what’s the use if I can’t annul my engagement? The position of the deputy head won’t come to me either.
Dana pulled the paper toward her and penned a passionate sentence.
[I feel like I’m going to die from missing you.]
She folded it in half and placed it in an envelope. “Please send this to Brother Rumie.”
Lethe silently took the letter. His expression was dark, but she had no time to consider her secretary’s feelings.
“Understood.” He bowed politely and left.
Dana suddenly remembered that she hadn’t yet received the information about Lethe’s hobbies that she had asked him to get. But it couldn’t be helped. Right now, she was dealing with a life-or-death issue.
How much time is left until that day?
Dana glanced at the calendar. Roughly two months remained. Two months until the day Carl Windsor’s five-year guardianship would be fulfilled. Two months until he would have her killed. Only two months left.
There’s no time to waste.If she couldn’t end her engagement at the second holy trial in two days, she would have no way to annul it within the remaining two months.
Dana now knew what exactly she had to do.I should have lost my chastity a long time ago.A sneer escaped her lips.
Raios and Allice this and that. The first night this and that. The potion this and that. It wasn’t meant to gamble her fate on something she couldn’t control from the start.
I should have handled it myself.
She would leave this body behind anyway, so why did she hesitate, pretending to protect its chastity?Besides, this isn’t even my body. It’s just an empty shell without its original owner.
If she had decisively lost her virginity from the start, she would have been able to annul the engagement with Raios by now. Knowing this, she still didn’t choose that path.
I’ve become too complacent lately.
Dana knew the reason.
“Do you like me?”
Because Carl was kind.
“Call my name, Dana.”
And Rumie was kind too. She unwittingly melted into their warmth. Like a fool, pathetic idiot. Just like that moron who turned away from the dimensional gate for fake love.
Thinking this, a frigid rage surged through her, freezing her to the core. She would never be that fool again. Never.
It was then.Knock, knock. The sound of knocking could be heard.
It was Carl’s voice.
“Are you awake?”
For a moment, her heart sank, but Dana responded calmly. “Yes, Uncle. Come in.”
But the door did not open. After a brief silence, Carl’s voice came again.
“I heard you collapsed. Are you feeling better now?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Why wasn’t he coming in?
Dana spoke again. “Come in, Uncle.”
“It’s fine.”
What do you mean fine?
For some reason, instead of entering, Carl continued to speak from outside the door.
“I know you’re busy, but take care of your health, alright?”
“Uncle, come inside and let’s talk.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll be going now. Rest well.”
He’s leaving just like that?
But she couldn’t hear any footsteps walking away.
Feeling uneasy, Dana got up and approached the door.Creak—She twisted the doorknob and pulled it open. As expected, a large shadow immediately swallowed her whole.
Carl was still there, leaning against the doorframe with his head tilted. It was absurd. Wasn’t he leaving? Why was he still standing here?
“What are you doing without coming in?”
His appearance was unusually disheveled. His shirt was partially unbuttoned, three or four buttons left undone, and his tie was completely undone, hanging loosely around his neck. It seemed he didn’t even have the energy to dress properly.
Dana felt a perverse satisfaction at his disheveled state. But she forced herself to put on a concerned expression.
“Why is your hair so messy?”
Dana reached out to touch his hair. Like a tamed beast, Carl obediently lowered his head. She ran her fingers through his disheveled, platinum-blond hair, brushing it back.
Their eyes met. Beneath his golden eyelashes, those green-colored eyes were weighed down with a heavy, oppressive intensity.
“The tie too.” Carl’s voice was low, his gaze fixed solely on her. “Tie it for me too.”
For some reason, her breathing became cautious.
Dana raised her heavy-feeling hand and touched his collar. “Yes.”
Did he still not know how to tie a tie?
Before tying his tie, Dana began fastening his shirt buttons one by one, moving upwards. As she did, she thought.Two months left until that day. How was this man planning to kill me?
“Yes.” His low, rough voice rumbled from his throat.
After fastening the last button at his neck, Dana grabbed his tie. “I heard the news.”
“Did you?”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
It was the first time she had seen Carl Windsor so utterly disheveled. Right now, Carl Windsor was completely cornered. He was probably desperate enough to grasp at straws.
“If you need it, I can lend you as much money as you need,” Dana spoke softly as if she were only focused on tying the knot. “I can give you more than enough to settle this matter. As you know, I have a lot of gold coins just sitting in my vault.”
There was even the only map to the treasure island in that vault.You’d want to get your hands on it badly enough to kill me, wouldn’t you?
For a brief moment, the urge to yank the tie tight and strangle him surged through her. It was so strong that her fingertips twitched involuntarily.
“Think about it, Uncle.”
Fortunately, her hand remained gentle.
Dana finally finished tying his tie neatly and patted it lightly with a smile. At that moment, Carl looked as relaxed as a cat basking in the sun.
He looks pleased.It seems her offer caught his interest.
Dana suppressed her sneer and continued smoothly. “All you have to do is leave one collateral.”
“Collateral?”
“Yes. Nothing else is necessary, just…” Dana took his hand. She gently lifted it and gazed at the amber-colored ring gleaming on his finger. “This ring will be enough.”