Chapter 84
Although this was her first life as Noxia Decan, if she counted the number engraved into her soul, it was already the third.
In her first life, she had lived long and healthy before dying of old age, and in her second life, she had taken her own life.
Now, thinking that this life might be forcibly ended by someone else’s malice, she couldn’t help but feel afraid. Still, she was able to comfort herself with the fact that this wasn’t her first time.
It’s okay, it’s okay. Death is nothing. You already know, you’ve experienced twice how quickly it ends. It’ll just hurt for a moment…
Rather than the fact that she herself might die, other things weighed on her heart far more heavily.
Worry for the people who would be left behind in this life clawed at her chest, and the anxiety that she might be reincarnated again if she died like this tightened around her throat.
Elenenon, Carnen… If I die, they’ll all be sad.
Thinking of her one and only lover and her closest friend made her heart ache sharply. She also felt sorry for Riana Atmon, whom she had grown close to over the past few months, and for the people back in her hometown with whom she still kept in touch.
At least it was a relief that she had no family in this life. She wouldn’t have to carry the guilt of leaving blood relatives behind.
Last time, that was what felt the most sinful.
Noxia closed her eyes. Perhaps a great deal of time had passed since the kidnapping, because she felt hungry.
Ashamed of her simple body whining about hunger even in a situation like this, Noxia simply waited for this moment to end, for some kind of conclusion to be reached.
How much time had passed? Just as Noxia, utterly exhausted despite her horribly uncomfortable position, was about to drift off to sleep, the lid of the box suddenly opened and rough hands snatched her up.
“Mm…!”
She grimaced and instinctively struggled. Because a gag was pressed tightly into her mouth, she couldn’t even let out a proper groan.
Before she could be pulled fully out of the box, someone shoved a thick sack over her head. As her vision was blocked, her instinctive fear surged. Noxia thrashed even harder.
“Stay still!”
“Mmph—!”
Following the irritated man’s voice, someone struck her hard in the stomach. She swallowed her breath in pain and froze momentarily.
Someone lifted her like a sack of cargo. A thick arm gripped her waist and slung her over a shoulder, her legs dangling limply in the air.
“Stop resisting and stay quiet, miss. Do as you’re told and we’ll send you home nice and proper.”
A different voice than before threatened her hoarsely. Noxia wanted to figure out how many people were here, but the sack over her head dulled her hearing and blocked her vision, leaving her with no way to tell.
The man carrying Noxia walked about ten steps before coming to an abrupt stop, then set her down in a chair. Once again, he handled her without care, as if she were luggage. She dropped heavily into the seat.
“Listen carefully, miss. Today’s Friday. Friday evening. That means you were out cold for a full two days.”
Friday? Already?
As the man who had been threatening her explained bluntly, Noxia’s face, hidden beneath the sack, twisted with anger and worry.
She didn’t know what the ultimate goal of the people who had brought her here was, but one thing was certain—they had caused her to be missing for two whole days.
What should I do? Elenenon must be worried. Carnen will be suffering too…
Who would want their loved ones to agonize anxiously, not even knowing whether they were alive or dead? Thinking that she had caused them pain for two entire days made Noxia’s heart feel as if it were being torn apart.
She could have accepted her own crisis with composure. Having vivid memories of two past lives, her attitude toward life was somewhat different from others.
But as far as she knew, for Carnen Holby and Elenenon Hermeon, this was their first life.
And if their lives continued peacefully to the end, this would be their first and last.
How dare someone pour this kind of suffering into those precious lives. Why—by what right?
“Mmph, mmph…!”
With her mouth blocked, she spat out muffled curses. She couldn’t articulate clearly, but perhaps the meaning carried through in her overall attitude, because the man who had been threatening her suddenly sneered.
“Look at this one, still hasn’t figured out the situation. Or were you always this fearless?”
As the man mocked her, others joined in with laughter. The sound echoed long, as if they were inside a cave. Noxia tried again to count their numbers.
“Well, figures. A girl with this much guts would think she could hook up with royalty. Got some nerve, huh? Not even from any great family, and yet you went and seduced the prince himself.”
Noxia, who had been trying to count the kidnappers surrounding her, froze at the mention of the prince. Noticing her stiffening, the man who had been talking all along sneered again.
“There are so many noble ladies who lose their minds trying to become our prince’s partner, and yet a nobody like you plops yourself right beside him. You think their pride isn’t going to be hurt? They’re scary people, you know. And they’ve got plenty of money. And for us, that’s what matters most.”
The outline of the incident she had already roughly grasped began to grow clearer. News of a romance between a nation’s prince and a commoner girl had apparently offended more big shots than she’d thought.
If a lady who coveted the position of future princess—or that lady’s family—had truly made up their mind viciously, it wouldn’t have been so difficult for them to throw around money and hire mercenaries from the underworld.
At last, Noxia fully understood the course of events. And she realized the true purpose of whoever had gone so far as to scatter dirty money and have her kidnapped.
Not elimination, but a warning.
There are two ways to deal with a commoner woman who presumptuously takes the position of a royal’s lover. First, eliminate her outright. Second, scare her so badly that she runs away on her own.
If the person who ordered the kidnapping had chosen the first method, Noxia wouldn’t have been left locked in a box for the past two days. Instead of keeping her alive until now, they would have disposed of her cleanly long ago.
So it was more convincing to believe the kidnappers had chosen the second method. Kidnap the target, imprison and beat her, then dump her back in front of her house—that would be an effective tactic in its own way.
The man’s deliberate habit of repeatedly mentioning the prince solidified Noxia’s certainty.
They want me to get scared and give up on my own. After I get out of here safely, if I’m the one who asks to break up first, there’s no way the prince would refuse…
That kind prince was probably drowning in self-reproach right now, unable to sleep properly.
Thinking of Elenenon deepened Noxia’s anger. She felt intense disgust toward the people who had kidnapped her.
How dare they use me to hurt him like that? My lovely, gentle lover?
Even a lifetime wouldn’t be enough to give him only happy memories. Yet instead of good memories, she had burdened him with horrific guilt, and even though Noxia knew this wasn’t her fault, her chest still ached painfully.
Meanwhile, the mercenary who had kidnapped the prince’s lover with money from someone powerful kept prattling on.
“Behave yourself from now on, miss. Since this is your first time, we’ll be generous. But if something like this happens again, there’s nothing we can do. So make sure there won’t be a next time—live within your place, got it?”
Noxia didn’t answer. The gag prevented her from replying, and even if she could speak, there was no reason to respond to such rude nonsense.
Once she became certain that killing her wasn’t their goal, she felt a small measure of relief.
Earlier, she had barely been enduring with composure thanks to memories of her past lives. Now, genuine relief welled up, and some of her tension eased.
But it was still too early to let her guard down. She was still surrounded by strangers in an unfamiliar place, with her wrists and ankles tied, and it was still unknown exactly when she would be released.
Moreover, even if she were freed safely, the problem would remain. Just because she escaped here without major injuries didn’t mean the psychological wounds for herself and others would disappear.
“Well then, looks like we’ve said everything we needed to, so it’s time to give you a final gift.”
A sickening sneer mixed into the man’s hoarse voice. When someone suddenly grabbed Noxia’s shoulder, she flinched and twisted her body.
“…!”
Just like when they had pulled her out of the box earlier, rough hands grabbed her collar and tore it violently. As her shoulder was exposed, cool air touched her bare skin, and Noxia was horrified.
Terrified, she struggled wildly and nearly fell off the chair. But several hands pinned her down, forcing her to remain seated.
Soon, a sharp burst of pain exploded in her shoulder. The pointed tip of a cold blade tore into her flesh and dug inside.
“Mmph…!”
A crushed scream slipped through the gag. Noxia squeezed her eyes shut from the pain and struggled to shake off the many hands holding her, but she was outmatched in both numbers and strength.
The mercenary carved deeply into her shoulder without hesitation. This, too, was according to the request.
Leave a scar on the target’s body, so that she would never forget what happened this time.
Not only that, but by leaving a vivid mark of pain on his lover’s body, the client intended to pressure the prince indirectly.
“Ugh…”
As one shoulder grew wet and sticky with hot blood, moisture also shimmered at the corners of Noxia’s eyes. They were purely physical tears brought on by the pain.
Noxia soon stopped resisting, squeezed her eyes tightly shut, and desperately waited for this moment to end.
The end of the pain came sooner than she expected.
“Aaagh!”
Someone screamed, and someone else shouted. Along with the horrifying sensation of the blade being yanked out of her shoulder, she heard the clang of metal hitting the floor.
Dazed from physical pain and psychological pressure, Noxia caught a sharp, acrid stench through the sack covering her head.
The smell of burning flesh.
A chill ran down her spine. Her mind snapped into clarity.
At the same time, the many hands holding her disappeared, and without the force supporting her, her body slumped weakly to the side.
