Chapter 4
***
The man caught Lily as she fell like a flower petal with ease. He propped up her weak body with the steel-like arms he had hidden under the flapping cloak.
Lily whimpered under the pressure that tightened her ribs.
The man finally got a good look at Lily in his chest. Lily could finally see him properly.
Perhaps it was the hollow eyes, or the sharp nose, or those red eyes, but the man had a gloomy impression.
Perhaps it was because she was looking at him so openly.
He turned his head quickly, as if he was taking the reins from her. Their gazes, which had been linked like candy, broke off.
Even though they were only facing each other for a moment, Lily’s face heated up.
Her heart pounded, perhaps the shock she had received when she fell from the horse was serious.
“Thank you….”
Lily was about to say thankfully when her lips quivered.
After a few moments of steaming, the man untied his cloak from around his shoulders and wrapped Lily in it. He wrapped her meticulously as rolling the dough, then tossed her onto his black horse.
After all, he was quite rude. Still, there was a point to being polite, so Lily did her best to be polite and asked,
“Are you switching horses?”
The man looked at Lily indifferently, but silently came up behind her.
He wrapped the reins in one hand and Lily’s waist, which was wrapped like a cocoon in the other, and pulled her toward him.
‘Is he trying to ride with me instead of switching the horses?’
“Excuse me, driver. My hands are kind of uncomfortable..”
She was wrapped like a cocoon so she couldn’t move. Trying to get comfortable, Lily wiggled back and forth. But the more she did, the more she stirred up trouble for others.
“….”
The man waited until the squirming between his thighs stopped.
When the wiggling stopped, he finally grabbed the reins and slowly put pressure on his heels.
“Hyaa!”
The huge black horse lifted its legs, stomping its feet with all its might. Then it galloped off again like a gale, cutting through the autumn wind.
***
“Breathe.”
Hm?
“While looking at me…”
Lily couldn’t quite hear what he was saying.
“Me. Look at me and breathe.”
“Aah!”
As soon as Lily exhaled, the golden canopy entered her eyes.
She fainted. Her head hurt like it was going to split open.
Lily turned over and looked around under the bed.
There was an empty golden glass lying on the red carpet.
‘Why am I still here? I’ve certainly done everything you asked.’
“Miss, please help me.”
That was when someone called out to Lily like a buzzing mosquito.
“Miss, save me….”
Lily turned her head to the side and saw a maid with auburn hair lying face down on the bed. With a pale face, she prayed once more for help.
The young maid, who was trembling incomprehensibly, reached out her hand to Lily. The moment when Lily tried to grab her hand…
Bang!
A bolt of lightning flashed before her eyes.
Like the golden glass, Lily was lying on the carpet when the flash disappeared.
The right cheek burned hot. As she fumbled along the side of her face, her cheek swelled up like freshly baked bread.
“You just sit there and wait.”
She heard the sound of clenched teeth from above her head. Lily tilted her head to look up and saw blazing blue eyes staring at her. The anger that had blossomed was soon transferred to the maid.
As soon as the Emperor grabbed a handful of the maid’s curly hair, a scream came out of her mouth.
“No! I didn’t do it on purpose!”
She shouted loudly, waving her arms. The noise continued incessantly.
She didn’t know why and her fear doubled. Lily crawled over to the side of the bed, curled up, and covered her ears.
“Do it again.”
The Emperor ordered, loosened his grip from the maid’s hair.
The maid sobbed in an overly friendly voice to be called an order.
“Uh, I’m …. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
“Again.”
“It was a mistake, I’m sorry.”
“Again.”
“I’m sorry. Please!”
“Again.”
“My Lady ! Please help me! Don’t just look at me…!”
‘I don’t know.’
Lily shook her head.
‘Why am I here, why is the maid screaming like that, and why is the emperor so angry?’
She had no idea.
“Miss! Don’t you know! When the Lady…door….to…..”
The syllable was cut off as soon as Lily raised her gaze and made eye contact with the maid.
Crack! The maid’s head rotated in the opposite direction, making a dull rupture.
The maid’s relaxed body slid down the bed as if it were melting.
The maid was slumped over, looking at Lily. Her dazed eyes were unfocused.
Then the Emperor stood up, shaking his hand. As if nothing had happened, he walked to a basin built into the wall and washed his hands.
The sound of water being poured into the bowl and colorful flower petals were sprinkled on it was heard. The Emperor dipped his hands into the water.
The sound of compulsively rubbing flesh and water was becoming scary.
“Run away.”
The maid, who was lying motionless, opened her mouth to Lily.
“Don’t make a sound.”
She cracked up as if she was trying to finish the words she couldn’t.
There was a throaty scream. Lily covered her mouth with both hands and lay on the floor along the maid.
Tears fell on the carpet, but she didn’t make a sound, she didn’t want to be found out, so she swallowed them. When she lowered her body and crawled towards the door….
“Where are you crawling, like a bug?”
The Emperor, who was wiping his hands, asked without looking at her.
“Do you want to go back to your father?”
He grabbed a white hand towel and wiped between his fingers. There was a faint smile on his face as he spoke.
Lily’s legs were stiff and she couldn’t move. She couldn’t move as if someone had grabbed her ankles.
“Not so fast.”
The Emperor quietly approached and grabbed Lily’s wrist. Lily instinctively stared at the maid.
“Get up!”
The maid’s bright blue lips let out a silent scream. Her eyes widened and she screamed.
“Run away! Run away! Run away!”
Run! Get up and run! Lily shook her head vigorously and sat up.
bowed her head firmly and sat up. She shook off the Emperor’s grip on her wrist, squeezing his arm as hard as she could.
It was the last gasp she could muster. ‘I can’t be dragged away. I can’t die.’ Lily struggled desperately. Nail marks were scratched on the red carpet, and a faint scent of roses spread through the air.
“I want to live! I want to live!”
Lily couldn’t tell if the crying out screams were from the maid or herself.
“Wait.”
The Emperor held Lily’s hand roughly with force.
“Stay still.”
But the resistance did not stop.
“Once, just once. Save father.”
“Don’t make a sound.”
“Glory to your family, honor to your father, proud daughter.”
The spell Lily had repeated so many times had long since been swallowed by instinct. Lily bit the Emperor’s arm. His skin tore and he bled. His chest, which had been white, was now stained with nail marks and blood.
“Stay still!”
A boiling sound was heard from the neck of the Emperor, and his left hand went up high. He lifted Lily’s small face as it was. Lily flew out the door like a scrap of paper and tumbled down the hallway.
“Please help me.”
The fallen body did not move. The dazed guard didn’t move a muscle.
“Save me ….”
There was the smell of fishy blood in the short, short breath.
‘I want to live. I want to live. I want to live.’
Fear ravaged her heart constantly.
It pounded furiously at her brain, telling her to get up and run.
Her breathing swelled. It expanded and expanded and tried to go off instantly.
“Hic….”
Lily stood up. She barely managed to get her shaking legs back up. And then she ran. She ran out of the palace, through the taxidermy of servants and endless corridors.
“Father, father!”
The tears she had been holding back gushed out.
Her blood stained naked body glistened in the moonlight.
Her dilated pupils were as black as the night sky, and her tears broke into stars.
Shattered glass embedded in her bare feet.
With every step, every stain of blood on the cold stone floor, her gray hair fluttered and danced like a ghost.
“Save me!”
Lily stretched out her hands into the air.
As the maid did, seeking mercy. Asking for forgiveness.
“Please help me!”
An old carriage was waiting outside the gate.
One of the old carriages was waiting outside the castle gates.
Lily threw herself into the carriage as if collapsing.
***
“Lily…!”
The Baron replaced his rage with his daughter’s name. The fiery yell caused even the hair on the top of his head, which didn’t have much left, to shudder.
“Just once! Just once!”
The father knelt down to his daughter and asked if she could do it once more.
Lily’s face twisted as it became mangled with swelling.
“Huh, just once. Oh, no, it wasn’t…!”
It didn’t matter if it was once, twice, or how many times.
“The Emperor twisted her neck!”
What mattered was death. The horror that death had imprinted.
“There was a cracking sound. Then she fell… Mouth! She opened her mouth. Her eyes were huge!”
As soon as Lily got back to the house, Lily rambled a bunch of nonsensical words. As if that wasn’t enough, she waved her hands while opening her eyes and mouth wide.
“Then she screamed. Run! Wake up! Please help me!”
“What a crazy girl…”
The Baron pushed his daughter hard on the shoulder.
The Baron pushed his daughter away with a shoving motion. Like her mother, she has psychosis, no, she was swearing and opened her eyes wide. Lily’s shirt, which was supposed to shine brightly, was now empty.
“The brooch! Where’s the brooch?”
“Broo….broo…..?”
Were accessories a problem in this situation? It seemed to be a problem. Lily pushed up the cane in her father’s grip as best she could.
‘’I lost it!”
Lily hastily blocked the top of her head. Seeing her shrug with her head in it like a turtle, the Baron felt nothing but anger and indignation.
“Useless girl, do you know what kind of brooch that is! “
It was a family heirloom that he had boldly given to his daughter who was entering the palace, hoping that she would return home in glory. However, it wasn’t enough that she lost the perfect opportunity and even ran away, she had also lost the treasure.
“I raise you….but you don’t return the favor. What kind of a daughter would send her father to his death! “
“….”
“I should have burned you, Gypsy, I really should have burned you.”
Lily’s shoulders, which had been huddled by the bad words her father spit out out of anger, stopped.
She was used to her mother, she always looked at her like she was a bug. But not her father. Even if he was not as good as other parents, he still came to see her from time to time and brought her things to read.
He would even let her out in the garden on days when he was in the mood for a glass of wine. He was like that…
“You should’ve held it in, you punk. All you needed to do was to endure it once!”
Should I have? Should I have endured it?
Until the Emperor grabs my head and twists it.
Until each bone goes off with a dull sound.
“Put on your makeup. And redo your hair.”
The fiery Baron’s demeanor instantly changed and he patted Lily’s face.
“Go and beg him. Apologize until your feet are on fire, it’s the only way you and I will live.”
“Huh, but father….”
“Shut up! Even the dogs and pigs know grace!”
Is this how you would feel if every drop of blood in your body was drained?
He said go and you can live, but in fact, she was told to go die without mercy.
“Run! Run away without making a sound!”
Lily could hear the blue cries echoing in the sky again.
She finally understood now.
She never had a choice in the first place. There was no such thing as freedom or will.
“Oh, and by the way……. be sure to pick up your brooch.”
“….”
“It’s no ordinary accessory. The heirloom of Paulman’s family, and father’s honor. In other words, it’s more important than your life. Do you understand?”
Pushing these nonsense words out of her ears, Lily walked up to the attic.
Stunned in the middle of the room, she hurriedly opened the jewelry box and swept up the precious metals. There was no time to waste. Dawn would soon come, and if she wanted to live, she had to escape.
And now was the only chance to run away.