The Cruel Aesthete
“You may all leave now. No one is to approach this area until I give the command.”
Tesid Bayliss spoke as he reached a clearing where the sun beat down fiercely, having passed through a thick, wooded forest.
His eyes, visible above the smoothly swaying ruby veil, were redder and fiercer than the ruby itself.
The escort knights quickly lowered their heads. They feared their own unsightly faces would displease him.
‘The prince whose beauty takes your breath away.’
This was the epithet that followed Tesid Bayliss.
Famous for his dazzling beauty since childhood, he was the most desirable bachelor any woman in the Duchy dreamed of marrying.
When rumors spread that Tesid had reached marriageable age and was searching for a bride, everyone was filled with rosy hope.
That is, until the breathtakingly beautiful prince literally started taking the breath away from his brides.
At first, they thought it was merely a coincidence. Perhaps a lady, naturally frail, had sadly died on her wedding night.
But when that coincidence happened once, twice… and then a staggering five times, the Bayliss Duchy was gripped by terror.
“Come to think of it, hasn’t anyone seen Tesid-nim’s face properly since he became an adult?”
“He always wore a veil, even at official events.”
The fear directed at Tesid only grew.
Nevertheless, the red eyes of Prince Tesid Bayliss, visible through the veil, remained just as beautiful. Furthermore, his tall, muscular physique was not concealed by the veil, which only amplified people’s expectations and curiosity.
Along with this, the horrifying rumors swelled in size.
“They say he covers his face because he hates for the gaze of commoners to touch his own exceedingly beautiful face.”
“He kills a bride if she is not more beautiful than him, as he can’t tolerate it.”
“No, it’s that the brides die because they can’t withstand their first night with the exceptional Tesid-nim.”
The Cruel Aesthete.
It was Tesid’s new nickname—sinister yet beautiful.
“If I become Tesid-nim’s bride, I’ll be able to see the face behind the veil, right? How wonderful that would be.”
Some naive noble ladies entertained these absurd dreams. However, no parent would permit their precious daughter to risk her life just to satisfy curiosity.
The existence of ‘Tesid Bayliss,’ once the object of everyone’s admiration and yearning, had now become a symbol of terror.
“What are you doing? Get out of here immediately.”
“Yes, Your Highness, understood!”
When Tesid frowned and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, the escort knights shrieked and scrambled out of the forest.
“It’s quiet now.”
Tesid untied the cord of his robe. Beneath it, his sculpted, muscular body was revealed.
Lying on the sunbed without a stitch of clothing, Tesid finally reached up and placed a hand on the veil covering his lower face.
His face had been praised as beautiful since he was a child, but Tesid was actually hiding a secret beneath the veil.
It was the mark of a terrifying curse that he never wanted to reveal to anyone.
“Haa.”
Tesid sighed briefly and slowly pulled back the ruby veil.
This was the only time he could fully undress and be free, but it was also a time accompanied by excruciating pain, requiring him to prepare himself mentally.
Tesid soon closed his eyes and sank into the period of suffering. His skin burned red and felt agonizingly prickly, but he grit his teeth and endured it.
A moment later.
“Aaaah!”
Tesid immediately bolted upright at a scream coming from somewhere. What was that?
Thud.
At that moment, something fell through the thick foliage of a tree.
“Who’s there!”
Tesid jumped up, quickly wrapped his veil back on, and threw on his robe. He then grabbed his sword and cautiously approached the base of the tree, maintaining his guard.
Swish—
Between the dense leaves, a small foot wearing a lace stocking appeared.
“…A woman?”
Tesid frowned, squinting his eyes as he looked up into the tree.
Snap, thud—
A branch, unable to bear the weight, broke, and a cascade of a voluminous dress tumbled down. Tesid instinctively stretched out his arms and caught the falling woman.
“Hey, wake up!”
Tesid gently shook the woman, who lay limp in his arms, and looked down at her face.
Long lashes rested on her closed eyes, and the tip of her delicate nose was slightly rounded. Her cherry-red lips beneath were small and plump, and a slight bead of blood on them was strangely beautiful.
‘Beautiful, you say. What am I even thinking, looking at a woman who’s lost consciousness.’
Tesid shook his head to clear the irrelevant thoughts. It was the first time he felt surprised, as he had never found anyone beautiful other than the image he saw in the mirror.
As he violently shook his head, his gaze landed on the woman’s forehead. It seemed she had hit something while falling, as the upper part of her fair, straight forehead was torn and bleeding.
‘…Is she dead?’
Tesid placed his fingers beneath the woman’s nose. He felt no reaction. He looked around with a troubled expression, but since he had chased his escorts far away, there was no one nearby.
The golden window for emergency treatment was four minutes. It would be difficult to call for his escorts within that time.
‘It’s bothersome, but I have no choice. This is strictly a medical procedure.’
Tesid reluctantly lowered his lips toward the woman.
As he pulled back the flowing red veil and his lips touched hers, a refreshing sensation—like a cool herbal scent clearing his mind—enveloped his body.
‘What is this?’
Tesid, startled, broke the kiss. His eyes caught the sight of the woman’s eyelashes trembling.
‘Ah, wait, this isn’t the time for that.’
Tesid lowered his lips again, covering hers and breathing a breath into her.
Instantly, an even stronger and more refreshing energy enveloped him than before. The heat from his stimulated skin, which had endured the painful sunbathing, immediately subsided.
‘…What on earth is this?’
Tesid pulled his lips away, shocked.
At the same time, the woman’s eyelids twitched again, and she coughed, letting out a breath. Then she slowly lifted her long eyelashes and gazed at Tesid with emerald-green eyes.
Blink.
Blink.
After blinking a few more times, her eyes snapped open, and the woman’s finger pointed at Tesid.
“The answer is correct! A man wearing a ruby veil… you’re… Tesid? Tesid Bayliss! Right?”
No one had posed a quiz, yet she suddenly shouted “the answer is correct.” Furthermore, her interrogating tone made Tesid’s face crumple.
No one called him that except for his mother when she affectionately called him in his childhood. And certainly, no one pointed a finger at him.
Ignoring his feelings, Lilliana was lost in her own thoughts and wore a distressed expression.
I’m doomed.
I remember it now.
The title of the novel I transmigrated into finally came to mind.
The title, which felt like a massive spoiler for her own life, was: <After the Elder Sister Died, I Married the Brother-in-Law.>
