Chapter 120
“…….”
“Go ahead.”
“…….”
“It seems you’re even trying to get me pregnant now……, but even if you do, it can always be undone. Go ahead.”
“Ha.”
As he let out a hollow laugh, lost for words, she sneered at him.
“Or, why not just torture me? Like the torture Ruon endured. Who knows? Maybe I’ll break under the pain and spill Mathes’ secrets.”
The more she provoked them to resort to torture, the more they would stick to their current methods of breaking her down. She was confident of this, which was why she could make such a statement.
A cold silence settled between them. Even the smirk had vanished from Serdin’s face. His voice, now dangerously low, fell over her like a shadow.
“You should know when to stop being stupid, Psyche.”
His hand slowly reached out and gripped the back of her head. It wasn’t an overwhelmingly strong grip, but it wasn’t gentle either—proof that she couldn’t break free even if she tried.
“With that naivety of yours, I guess you can’t even begin to understand that what’s been done to you so far has been merciful.”
He pressed his forehead fiercely against hers, tightening his grip on the back of her head.
“You think doing something worse wouldn’t faze you?”
“Ah…!”
“There are countless methods of torture in this world that you can’t even imagine.”
His anger burned through—through his forehead, his grip, his gaze, his voice.
“Do you really think you could endure that and come out unscathed?”
Even his ragged, uneven breaths carried his fury.
“Your body might survive. Even if you’re maimed, we can just use healing ability. But what about your mind? Do you really think your mind would survive?”
He released her head with a shove and took a quick step back. Huu— Covering his eyes with his hand, Serdin let out a long breath, a self-deprecating smile flickering at the corner of his lips. But it vanished as quickly as it appeared. His sharp gaze turned back to her.
“And. If you get pregnant, you won’t be able to get rid of it.”
Unless you kill yourself. His muttered words were chillingly cold.
“But we won’t let you abort it, and we won’t let you kill yourself either.”
Taking a large step forward, he stood in front of her again and suddenly reached out. His tanned hand, veins prominent, completely covered one side of her pale cheek.
“I can already see it so clearly—what your face will look like when you find out you’re pregnant. Can’t you see it too?”
He rubbed her cheek with his thumb, whispering as if threatening her. She raised her arm to push his hand away, but at almost the same time, Serdin grabbed her arm and slammed her against the wall.
Thanks to his hand cushioning the back of her head, she didn’t hit it, but her arm, trapped in his grip, and her back, pressed against the wall, ached. Serdin glared at Psyche, who let out a small whimper, and spoke through gritted teeth.
“Drop your pride and accept the offer now. If you cross this line, you won’t be able to handle it.”
“……No, Serdin.”
Psyche, who had been hunched over, slowly raised her head.
“No matter what you do, even if it breaks me.”
Her eyes met his directly.
“I can’t do something like that.”
Her voice was resolute, leaving him speechless.
“As long as I am Mathes, and you are Arje.”
“…….”
As long as I am Mathes, and you are Arje.
Serdin couldn’t possibly misunderstand what those words meant.
They were a declaration of her deep-rooted pride in Mathes and her equally deep-seated disdain for Arje. A statement that laid bare the two opposing emotions firmly entrenched within her.
Of course, those emotions weren’t truly rooted in her heart. Perhaps they once were, but not anymore. Still, there was no better justification for rejecting their offer—and no better way to provoke Arje.
The provoked family heads would surely try to humiliate her further. That was exactly what she was aiming for, and Serdin’s expression showed he had taken the bait.
“You’d rather be broken than cooperate with scum like us……. I knew you looked down on us, but this is beyond imagination. Your loyalty to Mathes is also beyond f*****g imagination.”
He let out a bitter laugh, pressing the back of his hand against his mouth. His gaze was fixed on empty space, not her.
“…….”
Soon, all expression faded from his face. He seemed lost in his own thoughts. When his eyes finally met hers again, he nodded as if he had realized something and muttered,
“Now I understand why you were abandoned.”
For a moment, her expression froze.
“The Mathes bastards knew. They knew that even if they abandoned you, you would never abandon Mathes.”
“…….”
“They knew that no matter what kind of dog-like treatment you endured here, your dog-like loyalty to Mathes would never disappear.”
Staring straight into Psyche’s wavering eyes, he emphasized each word.
“That’s why you were abandoned, Psyche.”
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