AMOTGD

CHAPTER XVll

One night, Luina shook her head in disbelief as she lay down.

What happened was, the maid didn’t show up the entire night of her own wedding, and the next day, his brand new husband was immediately conscripted into the military camp. Afterward, Ernst kept calling the maid to his study or bedroom.

What did that mean? It meant he finally used force to have her. Despite his insistence on conveying his sincere feelings, he couldn’t stand seeing her taken by another man.

“Well, I’d be the same. If someone tried to take my man…”

Luina bit Kainri’s lips, saying she’d rather kill someone than let him be taken. He just laughed, thinking he felt the same way. Who could blame Ernst?

For a while, everything seemed to be going well.

Then, unexpectedly, good news came.

“I’m pregnant, already three months along.”

Kainri never thought Luina could get pregnant so quickly. They were all genuinely happy about it, including Ernst. Though, his focus of joy was somewhat unusual.

“Take good care of the baby when it’s born. I’m leaving.”

Perfect. Now that there was an heir, everything was complete, he said. At that moment, it became clear to Kainri. Ernst had planned this all along.

The proxy marriage and all that was just a means to dump the tedious responsibilities onto someone else while he escaped. If he just left, retainers and relatives would cling to him.

“You sly bastard! What about the Elva Marquisate?”

“Have another child.”

“Do you think I’m a baby-making machine?!”

“Not my concern. What more do you want?”

From the beginning, all he needed was ‘that woman’.

Surely, the wealth of the Grand Duchy wasn’t all there was. He had assets scattered all over the world. Hiding from the world as if he were dead wouldn’t be a big deal for him. He just wanted to be free from the shackles of formality.

He didn’t tell her the truth for this reason. She wouldn’t understand how much he was obsessed with her.

She was a commoner. How could she understand that he would easily give up all his honor and power just for her? Could she ever comprehend the weight of his sincerity?

“If she knew, she wouldn’t have done this.”

Kainri never imagined she’d run away from him. Despite his love-filled confession, it seemed his true feelings never reached her.

“If she had waited just a little longer, things might have been different.”

Who should be blamed? Should it be his pure heart that couldn’t confess the truth, or should it be her rationality that couldn’t believe his sincerity despite his desperate confessions?

“Get out there and find her immediately!”

…Or perhaps all that’s to blame was this guy’s cursed personality.

“Why are you yelling at the wrong person?!” Luina shouted back.

“If anything happens to Julie, you’ll be thrown out too.”

“Throw me out then, you prick. I’d rather walk out on my own.”

“Both of you, just stop!”

The shouting from both sides made Kainri’s head pound. So, he prayed to the sky.

Please let her return safely.

He earnestly hoped and prayed that she would come back and take in that damn troublesome man who no one else would tolerate.

***

Had it been half a day since I left the estate?

Once I passed through the organized city center and reached the outskirts, the streets already looked grim. Not only was there a foul smell, but people who were hungry and destitute were begging even though the sun hadn’t risen yet.

“Miss, please spare just a piece of bread.”

“Please, show some mercy.”

“My child is shivering in the cold.”

Though the civil war had ended, life hadn’t returned to how it was before. The destroyed buildings and impoverished lives had embedded deep, unseen cracks in society, regardless of the civil war.

Poverty, hunger, looting, lawlessness, violence.

While the city center was somewhat controlled by the capital guards, it was practically impossible to maintain order beyond that. Especially when the rebels could launch guerrilla attacks at any time.

‘This is why I didn’t want to leave.’

Even though I left to avoid a death flag, surviving would have been equally difficult if I had left the estate years ago. With shops and markets all collapsed, what means did powerless women and children have to survive besides begging?

Turning my head slightly to look at the dimly lit alley at dawn, I saw women wrapped in blankets peeking out. They were waiting for men who would buy them for a few coins, a harsh reality.

Taking a deep breath, I realized that could have been my fate.

If I didn’t want to end up like that, I needed to keep my wits about me. I should hide what I had and get as far away from the city to a rural area. The rebels seldom raid poor rural areas.

Fighting and looting tend to happen where there are things worth taking. So, until it’s safe, I should hide in a small village…

“What’s this? That bundle looks quite hefty.”

…Or so I thought.

Suddenly, what’s going on?

Isn’t this supposed to be the tutorial stage in a game first? Why am I already encountering armed groups? Why? This isn’t fair.

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