My Husband Never Dies - Chapter 24
Slowly, Evelyn stood up. Her clothes, soaked in blood she couldn’t even identify, clung to her skin. But she didn’t care about that anymore.
Against her will, her hand reached out on its own and took the duke’s, following his lead as he escorted her out of the underground cell. In the madness of it all, the bloodstained clothes seemed like nothing.
The feeling of her body being controlled by someone else was filthy and suffocating. Clenching her teeth, Evelyn forced herself to suppress the fear-riddled instinct that screamed within her.
“Let me walk on my own.”
The duke ignored Evelyn’s request, continuing to walk, his footsteps echoing through the stone floor of the underground cell. With each step, the sound of his boots seemed to reverberate through the prison, as if the stones themselves were trembling in fear. Evelyn couldn’t bear it any longer and shouted.
“Let me walk on my own!”
Stopping abruptly, Calix tightened his grip on her hand, squeezing it enough to crush it. Just as her gaze was about to fall on their intertwined hands, he spoke again.
“You can’t run away anymore. You can promise me that, can’t you?”
His soft whisper lingered in her ear, and at the same time, Evelyn felt the invisible strings of a marionette being pulled, snapping with an eerie sense of finality.
Standing still, Evelyn shifted her foot, her body moving in compliance with an invisible force. For a fleeting moment, she felt a strange sense of relief flood her.
“You’re mine.”
With his words, a mist began to swirl around them, creeping in with a chilling presence. Evelyn glared at the cursed fog with a sense of foreboding before shutting her eyes.
Her mind was spinning. Confusion, anxiety, fear, and a sense of hopelessness tangled together, mixing in a way she couldn’t untangle. Life, which had always felt so clear and direct, now seemed lost. It was as if she were trapped in the thick, suffocating fog that surrounded her.
* * *
Evelyn opened her eyes, staring blankly at the high ceiling above her.
“Haha… damn it.”
Had she lost consciousness? No, that was impossible. She had merely closed her eyes in despair and opened them again, only to find herself in a completely different place. Gone was the grim underground dungeon of Lovent. In its place, she found herself in the cozy bedroom of the Duke’s residence.
Her clothes, soaked in blood and sweat, had transformed into a comfortable indoor dress, and the shoes caked in dirt and blood had been replaced with soft slippers.
She lay in a bed, and judging by the light coming through the curtains, it was probably morning.
The most absurd part of all, however, was that her hair, which she had roughly cut off with a dagger, had somehow returned to its previous fullness. The silky strands, shining and flawless, were unmistakably hers. When she tugged on the ends of her golden hair with her fingers, the pain was real.
With a sudden burst of energy, Evelyn sat up, her fingers tugging and pulling at her golden locks as if she intended to tear them out. The thought of them irritated her deeply; it felt as though her hair was tightening around her throat.
In the midst of her frenzy, a voice interrupted her — Laura’s voice.
“My lady! You’re awake?”
Without letting go of her hair, Evelyn answered weakly,
“Come in.”
The door creaked open quietly, and Laura cautiously stepped into the mistress’s bedroom. Upon seeing Evelyn tugging at her beautiful golden hair in distress, she froze in shock, rushing to her side.
“W-What is this…! My lady!”
Unable to touch her mistress, Laura could only stamp her feet in panic. Evelyn’s vacant gaze met her, and she slowly asked:
“Why?”
“Ah…”
Laura, looking uneasy, alternated her gaze between Evelyn’s hands. Evelyn finally lowered them, and Laura sighed in relief. Only then did Laura politely hold out the black velvet box with both hands.
…It was the box containing Adrian’s left eyeball.
“The master is already back. As expected, he’s brought gifts for you! Please, open it!”
“Why? Did he stuff the prince’s right eyeball in there this time?”
“…Huh? What do you mean by that?”
Laura, caught off guard by Evelyn’s sarcastic comment, responded with confusion.
What good would it do to talk to Laura, after all? Evelyn didn’t say another word and simply took the delicate velvet box into her hands.
There was no trace of blood on it this time.
Still, Evelyn didn’t open it. Her eyes, vacant and distant, remained fixed on the case as she stared at it, lost in thought.
Suckerforshipping
time reversal! perhaps he uses this on his body so that he’s essentially immortal 🤔