Become The Duke's Wife Or Die

Mr. Pinn almost had a heart attack.  Suddenly the door of his house was broken down, after being knocked on several times.  Terrible vibrations, in the unaided darkness.

"Who knocked on the door?"  shouted the old man, stooping over to peek through a hole in the door.  "Did the giant do it?"

"Gerald isn't that stupid, sir," said Weggie, appearing out of nowhere.  "He will only come to make up for the debt you owe.  After that, he'd better sneak if he wanted to take his friend away.  How could he be banging on the door?"

"Then who is it?"  whispered the old man while peeking.  His eyes couldn't see clearly.

Weggie took his place, peeking through the door.  Her body backed away in shock shortly after.

"What is it?  Are there robbers outside?"  asked Mr. Pinn after seeing Weggie running to a corner for a broom.  Then he did the same thing, even though he only found a duster that looked worn out.

"Looks like they're the bad guys, sir," she whispered, pushing the door slowly, hoping she could wake up whoever was around them if bad things happened.

But, back then it was different.  Even one's death would never be exposed even if the entire village witnessed it.  It's just a matter of influence and also one's power or money.

The opened door gave a gaping space, like the mouth of a hungry crocodile.  In a great maneuver, Weggie managed to retreat while preparing the horses, risking the martial arts she had hidden all this time.

Mr. Pinn huddled behind the door, hoping that Weggie would be killed first.  You shameless old man!

Tension was at its peak when a sword was pointed at Weggie's neck, stabbing and nearly slashing him.  There was no resistance, she backed away with both hands raised.

But she's not stupid.  She did it after seeing someone behind all of this.

A man appeared who suddenly entered Mr. Pinn's house to drag Tania out.

Mr. Pinn glared at that, but his figure was still hiding behind the door.  Weggie gritted her teeth, wanting to fight back but the risk was too great.

"Weggie!  Mr. Pin!"  Tania screamed, failing to struggle because a dagger was pointed at her neck.  Whereas the dungeon in Mr. Pinn's residence is very hidden and also winding.  Then why did the foreigners find Tania?

Weggie had noticed the oddity, especially after seeing several men dressed in black, a covering made it difficult to identify them.  However, it was not difficult for her to recognize them.

"He is a coward," she cursed, unable to help Tania at all.  "He should have come over nicely and talked to Mr. Pinn."

Mr. Pinn doesn't want to know about Tania anymore.  But a second later his eyes widened as he remembered about Baron Jason and the fee he had paid the nobleman.

With difficulty, the old man came out of hiding, had almost fallen because of tripping by his own feet.  His back was bent, forming the door leaf.  "Hey, give her back!"  His wrinkled hands waved, his face confused.  "She is the guarantee of my debt!  Hey!"  Then his scream turned into a shriek for help, hoping for someone good to come as a savior.

"Quick, call someone!"  Mr. Pinn ordered Weggie, tugging at his gray hair as if to make it bald.  "Call Olo!  Ask him to see Lord Jason immediately!  We must report this matter immediately."

"Lord Jason won't do anything," Weggie growled, eyes burning with cursing.

…

"Who are you?"  Tania squealed as her body bounced on the back of a crazy horse.  "You guys are not normal kidnappers!"  Her throat had just healed, having recently been screaming for someone's help.  "You guys have been stalking Mr. Pinn's house for a long time right?  Who ordered you?  What do you want?"

Her screams were muffled after the men stuffed her mouth with something, completely blocking her voice access.

The galloping horse thumped her eardrums, and the faint wind all around, the broken branches, the damp earth that drowned everything.  Her eyes filled with relief from the blindfold that blocked her from the world, making her a high wall.

No sound at all, except the night birds.  It seemed that the foreign men were passing through the deserted and dark forest paths, avoiding settlements, while avoiding crowds and attracting attention.

Her body swayed back, down from the back of a sturdy horse, floating with the strong arms that lifted her.

Her mind was confused by various possibilities.  'Am I going to be executed?  But why?  I didn't even get into trouble with anyone.  Does this have anything to do with Lord Jason?  Or does this have something to do with Lord Kleo?  Gerald?' But all the possibilities have no answer at all, one.

Her blindfold was removed as her back was pushed from behind, disrupting the defenses of her legs, nearly knocking her over.

"Go ahead!"  Those were the only words she had heard throughout this kidnapping.  The foreign man's deep voice, his unrecognizable figure.

Now Tania was descending the rocky stairs, the darkness and humidity stinging all her senses.  The torchlight became the only savior she had.

Until finally her leg hit the barrier of the prison door, which was gaping waiting for her to enter.  Worse, squalid, and more terrible than the prison in Mr. Pinn's house.

"At least the prison at Mr. Pinn's house has been secretly cleaned by Weggie," whispered Tania, as the prison door closed, leaving her alone after some of the strangers who escorted her away left her, without saying anything, after locking the prison door.

Footsteps drifted away, along with the pounding of her heart.  Now she was abandoned as if dumped, by those who were supposed to protect her. She… messed up.

As the question popped up, suddenly the footsteps approached.  Tania lifted her face, waiting nervously.  There was a dagger in her possession, which Gerald had given her.  But it had been taken by some strangers who had come to kidnap her as if they knew nothing about her.

"Is this all Gerald's doing?"  she asked hopefully, praying to clasped her hands.  It seemed like this was the only hope she had.  "But he's not the type of guy who likes to give surprises, in any case."

The lock and the prison door opened, bringing the mysterious person closer.  His figure looked stout, though not very tall, wearing iron shoes that gleamed in the night, illuminated by the moonlight.

"Who are you!"  Tania inched backward, dragging her clothes across the cold and dirty prison ground.  "Are you…" Her lips almost said Duke Kleo's name, but suddenly her voice sank after seeing the face of the man who approached her.  "You…"

"How do you feel?"  asked the man, grinning at Tania.  "You will stay here until I get your friend," he said again.  "Until she died horribly."

***