“You must become the War Demon’s bride in my place.”
Yuis Everett, who was working as a maid in the household of the Duke of Johannes due to her family’s circumstances, was offered up as a pawn in a political marriage at her employer’s whim.
Her fiancé was Edric Descartes, the Duke of the far northern empire — a fearsome man rumoured to enjoy staining both the battlefield and the bedroom in blood.
For the sake of her country’s peace and her parents’ well-being, she travelled to Kalang.
Unexpectedly, her husband turned out to be a handsome, noble-looking man.
Though uneasy, she was happy.
It felt like walking on shattered glass, but for the first time she found herself yearning for the sturdy shelter he offered. She was unaware that it would all soon be shattered.
“Live as my wife. Smile when I tell you to smile, and cry when I tell you to cry. Since you’ve already cost me my engagement to the princess of Hetar, how could you possibly repay that debt?”
At Edric’s cold words, Yuis forced a doll-like smile.
That was all she could do.
But against her will, her feelings swayed with every word and faint smile of his.
She kept her guilty love for her husband to herself — until she learned the whole truth.
***
She had to leave. Otherwise, she felt she wouldn’t be able to breathe.
She believed that if she left, she could start a new life.
She dared to hold onto that hope.
“Hello, Yuis. I’ve come to fetch you.”
At his calm greeting, as if nothing had happened, Yuis felt chills run all over her body.
The moment she saw Edric’s faintly smiling face, she realised:
There was nowhere she could run.
