So, it was a day when it rained unusually heavily. That was when the cracks began in their otherwise peaceful lives.
"Duke Randolph! Over here! We found the carriage!"
Through the pouring rain, a man in uniform shouted urgently.
Step by step, despite the torrential downpour, the man's footsteps were calm. Soon, the man called the Duke appeared, exuding a threatening aura as he stood in front of the other man.
"Is Chloe inside?"
"I can confirm that the Duchess is in this carriage."
"What about her injuries?"
"Well… it's still difficult to assess."
The surroundings were nothing short of chaos. The large carriage had overturned in the pouring rain, and inside the normally serene carriage, there was not a single sign of life.
"Is that what you call an excuse?"
The man, surveying the area calmly, spoke in a flat, steady voice.
"The carriage overturned, blocking the entrance. The ground is soft from all the rain this summer. If we go down recklessly…"
"Just give me the conclusion."
"It will take some time to secure the entrance."
Huff… Duke Randolph exhaled sharply. Immediately, he turned toward the muddy, rain-soaked ground.
"Duke! The path isn't cleared yet!"
"Step aside. I'll check it myself."
With that, Duke Randolph descended into the pit, silently observing the overturned carriage.
How much time had passed?
"Ugh…"
From the chaos of broken wooden debris came a faint groan. Duke Randolph's crimson eyes flickered rapidly.
My whole body ached as if it had been beaten. The rumors about lingering effects from traffic accidents weren't exaggerated—it was true.
Late at night, I had been walking when the headlights of a speeding truck appeared, and that was the last thing I remembered before everything went black.
Apparently, this hospital doesn't even give painkillers to patients. A groan escaped involuntarily through my split lips.
"Ugh… ah… it hurts."
I resented the unknown attending physician for the continued pain.
Everything around me was black. I tried to open my eyes, but my eyelids felt as heavy as stones.
"Please… open."
After struggling for a while, my vision cleared. But what I saw was nothing like I expected.
"What… what is this?"
The pure white hospital ceiling was gone, replaced by a tangle of broken wooden planks.
I cautiously looked around. A cramped space, barely a single pyeong (about 3.3 m²).
"Wait… is this… a carriage?"
It was hard to tell because of all the broken pieces, but there was no doubt—it was a carriage.
"Why am I here?"
The most basic question came to mind. Normally, I should have opened my eyes in a hospital. If I hadn't been transported yet, I would have been on the roadside.
Then where exactly was I?
My mind was as chaotic as my upside-down surroundings. With everything blocked, even breathing was difficult.
Then, as if a savior had arrived, hurried footsteps came from beyond the wrecked carriage.
Crack! A wooden plank facing above shattered with a loud noise.
"Haa… haa…"
I squinted involuntarily against the pouring light. When I opened my eyes again,
"Wow… Jesus…!"
A man was there, breathing heavily, illuminated by natural light.
I was speechless. No words were necessary. Even facing a life-or-death moment, he clearly looked incredibly lucky.
His black hair, tousled and damp from the rain, dripped water.
The way the drops fell was so wild and untamed that I forgot my pain, swallowing dryly.
Beneath the wet strands, thick eyebrows, slightly upturned eyes without double eyelids, and crimson eyes that seemed to burn everything they saw.
A sharp nose and full lips completed the image.
Listing each feature was exhausting—but yes, this was the classic northern-type beauty often described in novels. The perfect word to describe the man in front of me.
Thank God.
To think I could share my last moments with such a handsome man…!
Even if this place were the afterlife, it wouldn't be bad. Being in the same space as such a remarkable man, how could it be hell? This is paradise.
For a moment, I was completely captivated by his appearance.
"Chloe."
A strange name escaped his lips. As if suppressing his emotions, he pressed his lips tightly together. Soon, I felt his gaze staring at me intensely.
I didn't know who Chloe was, but I could barely resist the urge to babble that the soulmate he sought was right here.
Something trickled down my forehead. I reached up and wiped away the sticky substance.
"Huh? Blood…"
My vision flickered.
A headache set in. My ears rang, and my body ached. But the worst was thirst.
"Water… water, give me water."
My dry, cracked voice echoed in the air. The sharp pain was gone, but my body felt heavy as if soaked in cotton.
Judging by the aches, I hadn't died.
Suddenly, my closed eyes opened, revealing mysterious violet irises darting rapidly.
"Where… am I?"
As my busy eyes paused, my paper-thin body sprang upright. At the same time, the wet towel on my forehead fell.
"Mm."
The damp towel must have awakened the girl sleeping beside the bed. With a soft whimper, a maid in uniform rubbed her eyes and got up.
"M-Ma'am!! You've woken up?"
"...?"
"Thank goodness. We were so worried—we thought something terrible had happened!"
'Yeah… I guess something did happen.'
As I listened to the incomprehensible words, my brow furrowed deeply without me realizing it.
What was with the ridiculous outfit of the woman sitting across from me? And "madam"? What was with this fantasy-like scenery around me? Before I could even begin to find answers, the maid in front of me continued.
"What on earth were you thinking, leaving the room with something so important behind? Do you have any idea how furious Duke Randolph was?"
"Duke Randolph? Who… is that?"
At my question, the maid's face instantly turned pale.
"Y-You're asking who the duke is? If you keep acting like this, Madam… I might really die."
The woman, who looked barely twenty, wiped away tears repeatedly as she spoke, trembling with fear.
"All the servants who helped with Madam's escape were dragged off to the underground dungeon. The guards who were protecting the estate were all dismissed for neglecting their duty. I… I don't want to go through something like that."
The terrified maid scrambled to her feet. Glancing around nervously, she said,
"I-I'll go bring His Grace the Duke. He's been waiting for you to wake up. Please, just stay here."
Huh? Wait, who even are you…?
What did I even do?!
Before I could voice the words swirling in my mouth, the maid rushed out the door. Left alone, I was just about to organize my thoughts and figure out what on earth was going on—
Bang!
The closed door burst open, and a familiar face entered my view.
'The ridiculously handsome guy?'
It seemed that the Duke Randolph the maid had gone to fetch was the same ridiculously handsome man I'd seen earlier. At least seeing a familiar face cleared my muddled head a little.
"Y-You. You're the one I saw earlier—!"
I tried to greet him, but it didn't seem to reach his ears.
In an instant, Duke Randolph closed the distance between us, radiating a dangerous aura. His towering height, broad shoulders, and even beneath his thick clothing, the solid, tightly packed muscles were evident.
'Wow… there's not a single flaw anywhere.'
I was internally admiring his perfect appearance when—
His large hand swept roughly through his neatly styled hair. Then he began pouring out words I couldn't make sense of.
"Did you hate it that much? Life here? Enough to abandon your husband and try to run away?"
Husband?
I don't even have a boyfriend, let alone a husband. My clear eyes blinked repeatedly as I looked up at Duke Randolph.
Perhaps he failed to notice my expression, because he continued, his eyes bloodshot red.
"You didn't seriously think you could escape me with such a sloppy method, did you?"
As if his world had collapsed, his eyes were glistening with moisture.
"Then you've underestimated me, Chloen. We've spent three years together, and you still don't know your own husband?"
His shout made my shoulders flinch.
'Why are you yelling? I have no idea what you're even talking about!'
At the same time, was it just my imagination, or did the cold red eyes waver slightly as well?
"Um… I've been quietly listening because I honestly have no idea what's going on, but… I think you might have the wrong person. I'm not Chloen. And… I don't have a husband. I don't even have a boyfriend."
"What? You're not Chloen? And what? A boyfriend?"
As if dumbfounded, Duke Randolph let out a hollow laugh, repeating my last word.
"Yes. I have absolutely nothing to do with whatever you're talking about. I don't even know where this place is… haha."
Before I could finish, the duke's handsome brow cracked like a shattered jar.
His bright red eyes slowly turned toward me. They burned like blazing embers, and I instinctively shrank back.
'This isn't fear. It's just… a little cold, that's all…!'
I could feel the tremor in his gaze as it met mine. As if answering the question of what had angered him so much, Duke Randolph's lips quivered before parting.
"So now you're going to pretend you don't know me at all? If you deny me, does that make our relationship disappear?"
Raising his voice, Duke Randolph pulled a single sheet of paper from his chest.