Portrait of An Arrogant Master - Chapter 121

Prince Benedict was still chasing after them. Macy glared, silently conveying her disapproval. However, Eren narrowed his eyes and pulled the dress straps around her waist.

‘What is he doing?!’

The cool night air brought a shiver that ran through her body. She trembled, wrapping her arms around herself, but Eren, as if denying even that, bound her wrists above her head.

A damp tongue slid up her neck, sending goosebumps all over her.

He intentionally whispered coldly against her ear, making her feel dizzy. As his hands moved from her nape, they eventually found the hairpin that held her hair in place.

Finally freed, her hair cascaded down like a waterfall. Panic-stricken, Macy felt paralyzed, unable to react.

Eren roughly pulled off the dress that clung to her waist, the fabric falling away with a soft rustle.

“Ha, where did they go?”

Footsteps sounded hurriedly, along with Benedict’s voice. He was not far off.

Macy’s face turned pale, and her shoulders trembled uncontrollably.

Eren continued to watch her intently, his lips moving in a calm manner. His gaze was as deep as the ocean, darker than any wild beast she had encountered.

The corners of his mouth curled up slowly in a cruel smile. The tension in the air felt suffocating, as if her body might crumble under it.

Worried that her breathing might betray her, she held her breath, but even in her fear, she could feel her body warming with anger.

Just when she thought it would be better to break apart entirely, the sounds of footsteps fade away, leaving an eerie silence.

The room was filled with the sound of Macy’s exhaled breath and Eren’s cold fury. He forcefully yanked the pearl necklace from her neck.

The pearls made a sharp sound as they tumbled into the dirt.

“When did I ever give permission for this? Did I not say you could only accept what I provide?”

“I don’t want it anymore. I’d rather die.”

Eren was a man who revealed his possessiveness through destruction and chaos. His selfishness made her blood boil.

If living as his mistress meant being treated like less than a person, she’d rather die than endure such a fate.

How ironic that she loved such a man, feeling physically alive but mentally crumbling day by day.

She was standing on solid ground yet felt as if she were plummeting endlessly. The pain of enduring this existence was unbearable.

If only she had never met him, she wouldn’t have known such suffering. She could have lived without this pain, and death would have been far easier.

Macy’s eyes filled with resentment and sorrow.

“You speak of dying so easily.”

After a moment of silence, Eren’s gloved hand slowly caressed her name. Macy’s heart felt as if it had been gripped by bare hands, freezing in an instant.

“Macy, it seems you’ve forgotten while living comfortably lately. Think carefully about what you thought when death was at your doorstep.”

Eren intertwined his fingers and asked, his voice delving deep into Macy’s memories.

“Limping legs, a frail body with no trace of life, fingers that had stiffened. Can you endure all of that? Are you really not afraid of death?”

The sound of a brush rolling on the floor echoed in her mind like an illusion. Her legs, numb with pain, felt alien to her.

Macy’s palms were now damp with cold sweat, and even though there was no direct contact, the name burned with an electric shock. The curse of the name still lingered in her memory, tightening around her throat. The lingering fear of death cast a shadow over her resentful gaze.

“See? It’s terrifying.”

Eren lightly probed the trajectory of Macy’s unfortunate life and laughed arrogantly. Tears, which had been hovering on the brink, finally streamed down her cheeks.

“I’ll call for the carriage, so go back.”

His grip on her hand released without hesitation, and he turned away coldly.

It was as if he was telling her to return to her place, fully aware that she was merely putting on a show. The overwhelming despair of feeling trapped, self-pity, misery, and the fear of death all pressed down on Macy.

She felt as if she couldn’t overcome it. Yet, seeing Eren’s back only intensified her sense of loss.