A Night Worse than Death

Chapter 3

Aleisha went to the parlor with Patricia and bit her lip.

Franz was standing in the parlor of Ambrose’s mansion, which was shabby compared to the Imperial Palace. The bright light pouring from the long window of the parlor turned into gold dust and landed on his head, illuminating his elegant and beautiful face.

There was not a single wrinkle in the navy blue uniform that covered the upper body that hid the muscles trained in martial arts and the legs that stretched out below it.

Wouldn’t it be like this if they gathered the most precious and beautiful things in the world and made them into human shapes?

‘And, if all the arrogance in the world is put together, it will be like this, too…’

“You waited a long time. I have brought the Master and Young Lady.”

Franz, who was standing in an upright posture with his back straight, turned gently when the butler announced the arrival of the Ambrose mother and daughter.

“Baroness Ambrose, Lady.”

“Greetings, Your Highness the Second Prince. May the glory of the sun stay.”

“Get up.”

An elegant bass. Aleisha, who followed Patricia and bowed her back, quietly swallowed her saliva at the sound of the voice that once made her own chest tremble.

“Lady Ambrose.”

As she stood still in her bowed position, Franz extended his hand to her.

She stood stiffly, staring at her straight hands in the white gloves.

If it had been her previous life, she would have been so moved that he reached out his hand and was at a loss for what to do. However, to her, who she was now, he was just a murderer and traitor…

‘I didn’t know we’d meet so soon.’

Aleisha hated him.

She hated him as much as she loved him, so she wanted to grab him by the neck and slap him on the cheek.

‘If you didn’t like me, you should have said it…’

She wanted to protest why he killed her.

Nevertheless, the present Franz does not know his past life.

Aleisha’s cry had nowhere to go. So, she pretended not to gaze at his outstretched hand and raised her upper body.

Franz quietly lowered his hand as he straightened his back and looked away from her. Aleisha straightened her neck even more as she watched the incontinence grow on his smooth face.

‘Did you think I was going to be grateful? Is this your first time being ignored by others?’

Well, no one would have turned away from him, who was born as the second prince of the Empire. But, that was what happened so far…

Aleisha was going to ignore Franz as much as he had ignored her.

Just as much as he did.

“I’m here to take the Lady.”

“Thank you for taking this precious step.”

She replied nonchalantly and grabbed her left wrist.

When she came back to life, the first thing Aleisha checked was not looking in the mirror, not knowing where she was or when, but…

It was just looking into her wrist.

Until her death, this place was stained with countless scars. Oh, how many tears that dirty and filthy wrist brought her. And, how much contempt he had caused her?

‘Did you hurt yourself again? Stay in custody until the order is issued.’

Franz was fed up and punished her.

However, he was wrong. She didn’t do any harm to herself. Even though she pleaded for injustice, he did not believe her. Far from believing her, he even threw her into a private palace, which had turned into a cold palace.

If he had listened to her even once, if he had believed that it was because of Aleshia’s pain. At least, the tears could have dried up a little….

Though he dismissed her words as a crude excuse.

The wounds that Franz called self-harm were all he left behind.

It had been about half a year since they got married.

From the time he made her sixth contact with him, a slash began to appear on Aleisha’s wrist. On the outside, it looked like a wound that had been cut deep with a knife. As if she had harmed herself.

The reason for the scar on her wrist was self-explanatory because it was the only place he touched Aleisha. As he grabbed her wrist, and she grabbed his when neutralizing the magic, there were traces of side effects left where he caught her.

When the first signs appeared, Franz came to her with a surprised face.

It was the day he visited the Princess’ bedroom on his own feet for the first time since the first night. He contorted his face as he saw Aleisha welcoming him, falsely judging that she was making a fuss to get his attention.

After that, it was obvious.

Every time Aleisha neutralized Franz’s mana, she was scarred from the side effects. And every time, he laughed at her.

When the Second Prince ignored the Princess, the noble ladies and their maids alike began to ridicule her.

‘There are different ways to get him attention, but the Second Princess is very special because she came from the countryside.’

‘It would be better to take care of her beauty than slashing her wrists.’

‘Can you decorate her? His Highness the Second Prince is much more beautiful!’

Aleisha silently endured all her sneers.

Although the humiliation did not end until her death, when both her wrists were shaded as if they were going to be cut off at any moment, from one moment on, the place next to Franz only caused Aleisha to suffer.

Still, she couldn’t leave him because she mistakenly thought that the pain was love. It was just stupid stubbornness and ignorance… She didn’t even know that.

‘I won’t leave such a scar this time.’

As Aleisha rubbed her wrist, Franz’s gaze naturally turned downward. It was still before the day started to get really cold, so her wrists were clearly visible.

“Ale—”

“You’ve come all the way here, so let’s have a meal and go. I will tell them to prepare dinner right now.”

Excited to invite the Royal Family to a family meal, Patricia intervened. However, Franz shook his head lightly.

“We are waiting for the Lady in the Imperial Palace, so we must leave quickly. I am grateful for the heart, Baroness.”

“…Yes, Your Highness the 2nd Prince.”

“Okay then, Lady Ambrose. Shall we go?”

He reached out to her, as if trying to obscure Aleisha from Patricia’s view.

At that, she glanced at Franz’s large hand.

Once a month, it was a precious hand that was barely reached out when neutralizing magic. But, today, he was giving it out to her twice. What kind of wind is blowing?

“Yes.”

She responded obediently and took Franz’s hand.

At his cold body temperature, she swallowed a bitter laugh. A cold enough to feel through her gloves…

The magic seemed to have increased significantly.

The Ostache Imperial family was gifted with powerful magic from generation to generation. Therefore, they had to find someone who would neutralize it, regardless of the nature of magic consisting of light, darkness, fire, ice, and wind.

That was because they had to neutralize it, so they didn’t get devoured by the magic.

In the Laureutz Empire, a person who perfectly matched magic was called the ‘bond of souls.’ The compatibility of magic was so important.

Neutralizing the magic of others could be done even with a small contact like only a hand can touch. So, it seemed easy at first glance, but there are side effects. The more inconsistent the match, the greater the side effects are revealed.

In the worst case, everyone who gave and received magic lost their life.

The First Prince, Creighton, was compatible with his wife, Princess Glena. Franz was the only one who could not find the bond of soul even after reaching adulthood.

So, the Imperial Family was focused on finding someone who matched Franz’s magic.

Until now, he had barely suppressed his magic with his powers. However, he never knew when the magic would freeze him. Franz, who had been holding on to his will, realized that the limit had come.

Seizures, the first sign of death, occurred.

Eventually, the Empress held a ball for her second son to invite all the young ladies of the Empire.

Aleisha also received the invitation and was directed to the Imperial Palace.

She went to the beautiful Imperial Palace with a fluttering heart, hoping that she would meet the Second Prince.

Although what faced her was a magic stone.

The Second Prince was extremely reluctant to meet people, so he had no choice but to give out magic stones. Aleisha naively thought, ‘How delicate and sensitive the prince is.’ Looking back now, he was just a mysophobic.

In any case, she resonated with the magic stone according to her destined fate.

As a result, she was honorably chosen as the Second Princess.

‘If we were going to move on to the past, it would have been better two months ago.’

She thought bitterly. If she had, she would have missed the ball at all costs, but she woke up after everything had been decided. Aleisha was preparing for the marriage when she accepted the new reality.

If there was one comfort, was it about the fact that she had a clean body without the side effects of magic?

“Let’s go.”

Aleisha gazed at Franz with cold eyes, who was hastening her departure.

She wondered why he came all the way here, though it seems that he has very little patience in this life.

At least in his previous life, Franz waited for the neutralization ceremonies until his wedding. At this rate, she might have to neutralize his magic in the carriage going to the Imperial Palace.

‘You must feel betrayed this time, Franz.’

With that thought, she glanced at the side face of the beautiful Franz and raised one corner of her lips slightly.

There was only one reason she went to the Imperial Palace.

Revenge.

Aleisha would only pretend she neutralizes Franz’s magic. He wouldn’t notice it at first, but he would find out by the time his heart began to harden.

The fact that his magic was not neutralized at all.

Then, it would all be too late.

If Heaven helped Aleisha, he would die before he even met his lover, Lady Niris.

Franz’s regrets would be too late to ask Aleisha for mercy.

Even so, it didn’t matter. She was not going to show him mercy anyway. Nevertheless, the question was, would she be able to survive undetected for two years…?

However, if Franz noticed this quiet revenge before that, there would be nothing Aleisha could do otherwise. It was not enough that she just didn’t neutralize.

Because once, Franz noticed, it would be all in vain.

So, Aleisha had to find another way to fulfill the curse of misfortune, which would have vanished with her turning back time. She still didn’t know what the method would be.

‘There is plenty of time. There is nothing to be anxious about.’

Aleisha took a deep breath as she left the mansion.

As she left the entrance to the mansion, she heard the voice of a desperate man.

“Lessa!”

As soon as Aleisha and the eyes met, the man smiled brightly and started running. He had silver hair and pale gray eyes resembling Patricia, which was distinctly different from her.

“…Caleb?”

She looked at her half-brother and narrowed her brow.

The moment Caleb’s name came out of her lips, Aleisha didn’t even know that Franz’s straight eyebrows had frowned.