Tamed Monster - Chapter 161

At last, dawn broke.

On the promised Monday morning, the Grand Duke and Duchess departed their domain at first light and arrived at the imperial palace around ten o’clock. Yet they were made to wait in an empty audience chamber for quite some time without seeing the Emperor.

There was no need to ask why. The Emperor had overslept.

Neither of them questioned the maid who brought tea. They simply sipped the jasmine brew—neither of them particularly fond of it—in silence, doing their best to appear composed.

Sylvia, who had managed to sleep deeply in the carriage, at least had enough strength not to let her hands tremble.

How could she not be tense? Her husband might not be, but she truly was.

Soon, chaos would erupt within the palace. From there, the turmoil would spread like wildfire beyond its walls and engulf the entire Empire. While that happened, she had to escape the capital as quickly as possible and meet her sister at their agreed location. Days earlier, she had already conveyed everything through a coded letter.

The monster was still under a great misunderstanding—that she would follow him after all this. Of course she would have to leave the Grand Duke’s castle. But she would never follow him. As long as he was a monster, there could be no lasting bond or future between them.

“Once in a while, I’ll let you leave my territory to visit your family.”

He had said that behind her as she wrote her final letter, as though bestowing an immense favor. Sylvia had not responded. It was nonsense unworthy of reply. Perhaps he took her silence as agreement; he had stroked her hair once and, that night, left her alone in bed.

Only to torment her cruelly two days later, as if carving flesh from her bones.

Even now, she still ached between her thighs. Hidden beneath her voluminous skirts, her tightly crossed legs went unnoticed, but concealing the movement did not solve everything. If her expression slipped, it would be over.

Maintaining her calm face required tremendous mental discipline. At that moment, she felt she could kill her husband. Unlike her strained composure, he showed not the slightest tension.

He drained the last of his jasmine tea in one long gulp and muttered loudly enough for the maid to hear.

“Damnably slow.”

At that very moment, the chamber doors burst open.

The tardy Emperor strode in with full confidence. The Grand Duke and Duchess rose out of courtesy, both giving identical expressions as they faced him.

The Emperor looked at the Grand Duke with open displeasure.

“Why are you here?”

His gaze was as sharp as if addressing an unwelcome intruder ruining an intimate meeting. Kuinan discreetly covered the veins bulging in his fist with his other hand. When he glanced sideways as if to say, See how well I’m holding back? his wife let out a quiet sigh and gave a small nod.

Turning forward again, he replied,

“My wife asked me to accompany her.”

It was a lie, but Sylvia—being on his side—had no choice but to support whatever nonsense he said.

“…Did she now?”

“…Yes. I wished to show my husband the land of my birth. If his presence is not permitted, I will go alone.”

Most likely, the Emperor would refuse. Even so, Kuinan’s chances of infiltrating the treasury were extremely high. All he needed was for the door to open. Whether he was allowed inside or not, the locks would remain disengaged the entire time Sylvia was within.

Without a second’s hesitation, the Emperor coldly declared that accompaniment would not be permitted. Kuinan exaggeratedly slumped his shoulders in disappointment.

“Well, it can’t be helped.”

He then turned to Sylvia, clasped her hand with almost painful intensity, and said,

“Come back unharmed.”

He acted as though she were being sent into mortal danger merely to look at a few paintings. The Emperor watched the overly dramatic farewell with bafflement.

But Kuinan had always behaved unpredictably; the Emperor’s suspicion faded quickly. With a weary air, he rubbed the bridge of his nose.