That Lady’s Stalker - Chapter 27
I am cursed. There’s no other explanation. The sound of metal clashing rang sharply through the surroundings, but it didn’t really register.
Instead, a woman’s voice, one that shouldn’t be heard, kept teasing my ears.
‘Asher…’
White flowers like her skin, a blue lake like her eyes, and the griffin symbolizing her family swirled in front of me, blurring my vision.
I slowly closed my eyes and opened them again. In that brief moment, a woman’s face passed by, bearing a playful expression. Longing, aching… I closed my eyes again, then opened them once more. This time, for a little longer. The woman smiled at me.
‘I love you, Asher.’
“Olivia…”
The woman embraced me tightly. I could almost feel her warmth. I didn’t want to let go. I wanted to hold her delicate shoulders. But my body, so weak and uncooperative, frustrated me.
“Olivia, Olivia. Liv, Liv…”
Something hot surged within me. I couldn’t hold it back and spat it out. The moisture that came was wetting my face. Was it tears, or blood?
“Liv.”
Her laughter echoed faintly in my ears.
“I love you.”
If only I could see her once more…
The days passed by like flipping a calendar, memories of the past rushing by before my eyes. Even those horrific memories I wanted to forget, if only I could see her again, I could endure it.
* * *
976th Year of the Empire, February
I’m a cursed man. My brother and mother aren’t, though they vehemently denied it, but it’s the truth.
“Damn demon bastard.”
Splash– thick spit dripped down my cheek.
“F–king unlucky bastard.”
I am the unluckiest bastard. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been born with black hair.
When there was no response, a foot flew toward me. It was as large as my face. The large foot kicked at various parts of my body, each strike painful. It hurt so much I felt like screaming.
“Tough bastard. Walk.”
Rough hands dragged my limp body. My arms were pulled up, and cold metal cuffs were placed on my wrists. I was hung weakly, like slaughtered meat, from the long metal chain descending from the ceiling.
“You were born wrong. Because of you, I’ll be recorded as the Emperor who birthed a demon bastard. Damn you.”
I felt the tightening grip on my jaw, the pain growing more intense. My jaw ached. But I had to endure it. If I showed any sign of weakness, this bastard would go even crazier.
“Let’s see how much you can take.”
The only light in the dark cellar flickered ominously, glowing brighter than before, as if it sensed something bad. The shadow of the object the man held stretched toward my dirty feet, long and snake-like. It seemed like it would wrap around my body and snap my limbs at any moment.
I wish he would just end my miserable life swiftly, so that I wouldn’t even have the chance to scream in my final moments. The man swung his arm violently. The tough leather grazed my body, leaving painful marks.
“If only you weren’t here. If only you weren’t here!”
The face that once smiled kindly now looked at me with a disgusted expression, as if seeing something filthy. And that disgusted expression turned into a demonic grimace when we were in the cellar.
Even as the pain of his strikes burned my skin, twisting my mind, I knew. I knew that this hateful black hair, this very hair, probably came from this man. Not from my fragile, pitiful mother, but from this fearful man.
Look at those black eyes, gleaming with hatred.
Though they appeared dark gray in the light, his eyes were unmistakably black.
“What are you looking at? How dare you… how dare you…!”
At the moment our eyes met, I quickly lowered mine, but it was already too late. The man, unable to control his excitement, threw aside the weapon in his hand and lunged at me.
“Bastards born with black hair deserve to be punished!”
The man hit me wildly. The sound of his blows echoed in my ears, and a sharp ringing began to shake my head. I couldn’t focus. Having been accustomed to violence, I had accepted my filthy life, but sometimes I felt unfairly treated.
I hated the goddess who had draped me in black. I hadn’t done anything… truly nothing.
When that unjust feeling finally turned into hatred, my mind cleared. It was because of this country, because of the wickedness in this country that I wore black.
I closed my eyes, accepting my father’s just punishment.
After enduring it for long, a faint sound broke through the ringing in my ears. The moment the hands and feet striking me stopped, I struggled to open my eyes. It was the sound of shoes.
My mother. As always, her face was pale. The two of them started arguing.
I could barely hear what they were saying, the ringing in my ears still relentless. From the way their voices rose, they seemed to be shouting, but I couldn’t hear a thing.
It was a relief. From experience, I knew it was better not to listen. The violence that had poured down on me stopped, but the pain in my body intensified. I gritted my teeth, but a soft groan slipped out.
Perhaps hearing that faint sound, my mother approached.
A fragrant scent, completely out of place here, tickled my nose. The moment I recognized it, the cold metal gripping my wrists loosened. As the support was gone, my body collapsed to the ground. Perhaps because of that, the constant ringing in my ears finally stopped.
“Asher, wake up.”
