Chapter 87

Ever since seeing Tina’s handwriting, my sanity crumbled without a trace.

My mind was filled with countless questions, and what gnawed at my heart was confusion.

Why would Tina do this to me?

Could it be revenge for the attempted assault earlier?

I thought I had already been forgiven, but could she still be holding a grudge from that day?

I couldn’t understand it at all. Everything felt like it had fallen into a labyrinth.

I had to confirm it myself.

Mardian raised her head with a chillingly glowing gaze.

As if the weather itself was conspiring, the sky was a dull gray, pouring down heavy rain.

Mardian pulled her hood and cloak tighter and moved forward.

Before her stood a shabby tavern.

A tavern plunged into darkness, all its lights turned off after closing hours.

But this was no ordinary tavern.

It was the Camellia Gambling Den, secretly operated by the Count Aubreldein Family—a dark world where those addicted to gambling and drugs gathered.

With trembling hands, she opened the door to the gambling den.

Since all the lights were off, the interior was barely visible, but within it, her snow-white hair faintly glowed.

“Ah, you’ve arrived, Lady Mardian.”

She greeted Mardian with a smile so cold it was almost radiant.

Once, those blue eyes had seemed so lovely, but now they were devoid of any emotion, like colorless glass.

“Tina, explain yourself. Before my patience runs out.”

Mardian clenched her fists and glared sharply at her.

Tina, lounging lazily on a tavern chair, twirling her hair around her finger, raised an eyebrow slightly and stared back at Mardian with an intrigued expression.

“Are you trying to threaten me even in this situation?”

“You… Did you really send that letter to my father?”

“Yes.”

Her resolute answer made the suppressed anger slowly boil over.

I wanted to rush over and slap her cheek to vent my rage, but I barely held back by biting my lip.

“Why?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Tina lightly stepped down from the chair and began walking toward me.

If I wanted to, I could twist that small neck right now, but her bold approach, fearless and confident, was something else.

“You would’ve called me out the very next day, Lady Mardian. Because I promised to give you everything.”

“…And?”

“And of course, the perverted Lady Mardian would’ve used my body to fulfill all sorts of twisted desires.”

“You were the one who made that promise, Tina.”

“What a fool.”

Tina, now right in front of me, flashed a mocking smile.

Even in this situation, her smile looked beautiful—was this a sign that I was losing my mind?

“Do you think I’d give my body to a pervert like you?”

Her voice was cold, devoid of any life, leaving me momentarily stunned.

“Why don’t you just stick to tormenting Lillian like you’re supposed to? Why do you keep bothering me?”

“What… what did you say?”

“Or is it that Lady Mardian prefers a frail, small body like mine over a beauty like Lillian? Are you that kind of pervert?”

Tina’s eyes filled with disdain as she lightly poked Mardian’s chest with her finger.

Mardian, too stunned to speak, could only stare blankly at her.

‘Was Tina… always like this?’

I had guessed there was another side to her, but I never imagined it would be so unfamiliar.

The beloved, cheerful Pet Lady. But the person before me was completely different from that image.

Clenching her teeth, Mardian barely held onto her wavering sanity. The bitter taste of blood on her tongue slowly cleared her chaotic mind.

“So, you’re threatening me because you’re afraid of what I might do to you?”

“Well, it’s to eliminate any future trouble and destroy the evidence.”

Tina smiled faintly and looked up at me.

“Destroying evidence is something you’re more skilled at, Lady Mardian, isn’t it?”

“You….”

The murderous intent rose to the top of my head. I reached out to grab her neck, but Tina took a step back before I could.

“Lady Mardian, you’re not in a position to do this.”

“Position?”

“If something happens to me, those pieces of evidence will spread across the entire Empire. If that happens, the Aubreldein Count Family will go down in history as the family that killed the Empire’s savior.”

“….”

“And if that happens, Count Aubreldein won’t let you off easily.”

As much as it pained me, her words were undeniably true.

If I returned without Tina’s cooperation, I wouldn’t be able to escape my father’s wrath.

If that happened, not only my life as a noble but my very life would be in danger.

“Let me ask you one thing, Tina.”

“Go ahead.”

“How did you take those pictures?”

The photos that captured my every move. Judging by the angles and composition, it couldn’t have been ordinary surveillance.

Tina let out a sly chuckle, shrugged her shoulders, and answered lightly.

“You’re not the only one who’s made requests to the Black Moon, Lady Mardian.”

“You…! How do you know about the Black Moon…!”

The Black Moon.

A deeply rooted underworld organization that had existed for hundreds of years, primarily handling information gathering and assassinations.

However, its existence was so well-hidden in the shadows that finding the Black Moon’s location was nearly impossible.

Moreover, it was an organization built on strict codes and secretive rules, so approaching it recklessly could cost you your life.

Even the Aubreldein Count Family, with its influence in the underworld, had only barely managed to uncover its existence after a long time.

Tina, the daughter of a declining baron family, shouldn’t have known about the Black Moon.

“It’s a perk of being a Possessed Person.”

“What?”

Her answer was hard to comprehend.

Tina smiled faintly, as if it didn’t matter, and sat back down on the chair.

“By the way, the blood of that Black Mage you bought at the auction? That’s my blood.”

She rolled up her sleeve, revealing a pale forearm.

The blue bruises on her thin arm, barely clinging to her skin, were marks from needles.

“Your blood…? You’re a Black Mage?”

“Well, not exactly a Black Mage.”

Tina rolled her blue eyes slightly, sighed, and propped her chin on her hand.

“Let’s cut the unnecessary talk. I came here to give you a chance.”

“A chance?”

“Here, take it.”

She tossed something in front of me. Wrapped in transparent plastic, it contained a fine white powder.

“It’s drugs. Inject it here, and I’ll let you live out the rest of your days peacefully in a quiet village on the outskirts of the continent.”

“What…?”

“Don’t worry about withdrawal symptoms. I’ll keep supplying you with drugs, so you can enjoy them as much as you want.”

The audacity of her proposal was so absurd it almost made me laugh.

Was she seriously suggesting I live a life addicted to drugs? Me, who freely moves between the light and dark, wielding power?

“If you’d like, I can send you a few homosexuals to cater to your tastes. Though, there aren’t many perverts with such preferences.”

“Keuk… Kehehe.”

The sheer ridiculousness of the situation finally made me burst into laughter.

“Kehehe, Ahahaha!”

Covering my mouth, I laughed uncontrollably, and Tina’s gaze gradually turned colder.

After laughing for a while, I wiped the tears from my eyes and looked straight at Tina.

“Tina, you always manage to surprise me. Who knew such a charming side was hidden behind that mask?”

“…This isn’t a situation to laugh about.”

This time, Mardian took a step closer to Tina.

As if she hadn’t expected this reaction, a look of confusion flashed across Tina’s face.

“Kneel down and beg for forgiveness now, and I’ll let you off with a suitable punishment if you serve me devotedly.”

“…Serve you?”

Mardian lifted her own skirt.

She showed Tina the black underwear she was wearing between her thighs and flashed a wicked smile.

“Lick it. Until I’m satisfied.”

“…”

“If you don’t like that, there’s a second option.”

With a faint smile, she clapped her hands twice.

At the clear sound of the clap, the tavern door opened, and men with menacing looks and weapons entered.

“I’ll cut off all your limbs here and make you my tool for sexual relief for the rest of your life.”

“…I thought I told you to come alone.”

“Do you really think I’d be stupid enough to come alone?”

These were mercenaries with thick skin from the underworld—men without flashy reputations but with exceptional skills.

Hiring them was no difficult task as long as you had the money.

As the thick weapons in their hands came into view, Tina’s blue eyes darkened further.

“My patience has already run out, so you’d better decide quickly.”

“…I’ll take the second option.”

“Second?”

Are you choosing the option of having all your limbs cut off?

“I didn’t know you had such a gory taste, Tina.”

“Don’t say disgusting things. I meant my second proposal.”

Tina stood up with a darkened expression.

Even though she was surrounded by numerous armed mercenaries, there was little fear on her face.

“The drugs were going to be forced on you anyway, and you shouldn’t expect any women or prosperous villages.”

“…You’re impossible to reason with.”

It was a shame.

I had vowed to give Tina a life of happiness as a sex slave, free from any worries, but things had turned out like this.

“Just cut off her arms and legs. We need to keep her alive, so stop the bleeding immediately.”

The mercenaries looked troubled at her command.

“If we cut all that off, she might die from shock.”

“Then just the legs. We can’t have her running away.”

“Kehehe, got it.”

The mercenaries twisted their smiles and slowly approached Tina.

Thinking about it now, watching that lovely face contort in pain and scream would be quite an interesting sight.

“Sorry, kid. You messed with the wrong person.”

The mercenary genuinely looked regretful as he gripped his sword firmly.

“I can’t promise it won’t hurt… but I’ll make it quick.”

As the mercenary raised his blade high, Tina stared blankly into the dark corner of the tavern where nothing was visible.

“…I’m starting to get scared. When are you coming out?”

“What?”

Tina’s unexpected words left the mercenaries bewildered.

Following her gaze, everyone looked toward the back of the tavern, shrouded in pitch-black darkness.

There, for a moment, a pair of purple amethysts glowed.

And in that moment.

Swish—

The hand of the mercenary who had been holding the sword fell from his arm and flew through the air.

“Kyaaah!!”

A scream filled with pain echoed as the mercenary collapsed to the floor.

In the midst of the unexpected situation, everyone was stunned, and from the thick darkness, the steady sound of hard-soled shoes echoed.

Tap, tap.

Just the sound of footsteps, yet cold sweat dripped down my back.

When the figure finally revealed itself, deep shock filled the faces of the mercenaries, including myself.

“H-how did you…!”

Amethyst-like eyes glowing faintly amidst flowing black hair like the night sky.

The war hero, Viviana Merdelia.

With a chilling aura as if death itself was approaching, she slowly emerged from the darkness.

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