To You Who Will Destroy Me - Chapter 11

<Episode 11>

If things continued this way, Louisa and her coachman could both die. The man in front of her was a cruel man who could easily do that.

Irel wanted to stop that somehow. So she quickly knelt down and grabbed the collar of the man standing in front of her, begging him.

“Please. I swear I won’t tell anyone what I saw today. So just let me go.”

Of course, there was absolutely no chance that the man would listen to her plea. In the first place, the man he had killed had begged to be spared by him until the very last moment of his life, but in the end, he ended up being a dog food.

It would be easy for him to kill two women and a servant on this deserted mountain path. Even though she knew this, Irel could only desperately cling to him and beg him. Unfortunately, there was nothing else she could do.

“If I sent you back…”

“Yes?”

“If I let you go, what will you do for me?”

The man, who had regained his original cynical smile, asked. Irel stood there blankly for a moment at the unexpected question, then cautiously opened her mouth.

“If it’s money… … .”

“Do I look broke to you now?”

Irel’s wavering eyes scanned his luxurious suit, the diamond cuffs on his wrists, and the heavy gold ring on his hand. To be honest, he looked wealthier than even the noble lady herself.

“Then, what kind of… … .”

“Should I say that to you myself? You should be the one to suggest it from the perspective of the person who is pleading.”

“If you want, I can write you a recommendation certificate, so if you send me back… … .”

“A certificate? Are you telling me to use it as a kindling?”

It was a dilemma. Louisa’s voice was getting closer, but the man in front of her was like a barrier made of ice and didn’t know how to retreat.

Irel, who was looking at him without knowing what to do, soon realized that he was playing with her. His eyes, looking down at Irel who was barely touching his chest, were smiling wickedly.

Enjoying her desperation, her earnest pleas as a snack.

‘He never intended to send me back from the beginning.’

The moment I realized this, my restless heart suddenly gave out. In particular, the red mark on the back of his head that showed a minus favorability rating was so disheartening.

“… … Please.”

Irel’s grip on his collar loosened. Tears filled her eyes as she anticipated the tragedy that was about to come.

“Please don’t touch anyone else. If you’re going to kill, just kill me… … .”

Maybe he would grant this one request. Removing one body would be much easier than removing three, and there would be no aftereffects.

“Who said I want to kill you?”

The man’s answer that came to her ear was unexpected. Surprised, Irel reflexively raised her head and asked back.

“Yes?”

“That’s nonsense. Why would I kill you?”

The man who laughed as if it was ridiculous spat out those words coldly. My heart fluttered at his words that he wouldn’t kill me. Even though I knew fully well that it was a ploy to throw me away again and make me feel even more hurt.

“I was prepared to die… … .”

The man, with his eyes narrowed, repeated what Irel had just said as if he was chewing on it. Then he smiled slowly, looking at her through his red butterfly-like fluttering eyelashes.

“Then now that life of yours is mine.”

… … Why is the story turning out like this? Irel was caught up in his pace in the blink of an eye and was bewildered. If she was going to argue back, she should do it now, but she was too scared of him, who was in front of her to protest.

“My baby, where are you? Please answer me… … .”

It was at that moment that Louisa’s sobbing voice came from just around the corner. My heart sank as the voice grew closer.

She was suddenly afraid that Louisa might have the misfortune of meeting this man and not be able to survive. Irel’s eyes, wide with fear, looked up at him. Then, unexpectedly, he chuckled and grabbed Irel’s shoulder and turned her around.

“Let’s go then.”

The words she had longed for fell from his lips. Even though she had finally received permission, Irel could not take a step forward.

‘Are you really sending me back?’

I felt a chill down my spine, as if I might be innocently going towards my mother and getting stabbed in the back without anyone noticing.

“I told you to go. Hurry up.”

The man to whom she turned around while trembling was still smiling brightly at her. Of course, he was a great man who would smile like that even when stabbing someone in the back, but there was no other way now. I had no choice but to believe what he said.

“Oh, Mom! I’m here.”

Before Louisa could turn the corner, Irelia quickly ran out. Luckily, nothing flew into her back and hit her.

“Our baby!”

Louisa’s face lit up with joy as she spotted Irel running towards her. She, who always walked lightly with the elegance of a noble lady, now took off her shoes and ran. And as if to make sure that her daughter was okay, she held her in her arms and rubbed her back frantically.

“Oh my goodness, thank you. Thank you, thank you so much… … !”

Louisa’s face brightened when she realized that Irel was unharmed. But that was only for a moment, and soon tears of belated relief and resentment poured down and covered her.

“You poor little squirrel! Do you have any idea how worried I was?!”

“I’m sorry, Mother.”

“Why did a you wander… wander around like that! Without knowing how dangerous it was!! I thought my heart would stop because I was worried something would happen!!”

Louisa slapped Irel’s arm while sobbing. But even the slap didn’t hurt at all, so Irel felt a little sad.

What if they were Rae-yeon’s real parents? They probably wouldn’t have searched for their daughter when she disappeared, and they would have just gone home, while being thankful that she left on her own. If Rae-yeon had somehow returned home, they would have made an indifferent expression and would have asked her why she came back.

It was the first time in my life that I had received such affection. So, even though I knew it wasn’t mine, the warm embrace felt especially special.

“I’m really sorry for worrying you. Since you didn’t come back for a while, I went out to look for you and… … .”

Irelia almost burst into tears, unable to continue speaking. As she recalled the horrific events she had experienced, tears finally leaked out of her eyes, which she had been holding back so well.

“We both arrived safely, so that’s okay. Why are you crying like an idiot? You’re hurting your pretty face.”

Louisa stopped scolding her daughter and wiped her face affectionately. The love she felt from her fingertips did not stop her tears, but rather overflowed even more.

“Easy, don’t cry, my princess. Let’s go home now.”

“Yes. Let’s go back together, Mother.”

Irel wiped away her tears and smiled with a red face. She was so glad that Louisa was safe. She was truly glad that she could ride home with her in the carriage.

But I couldn’t help but feel a heavy feeling in one corner of my heart. It was because of the man’s face, which seemed to be engraved behind my eyelids.

‘There’s no way you’re going to let me go like this.’

Instinct whispered a warning, but Irel tried hard to ignore it. The carriage homeward rattled as before, but she didn’t feel motion sickness. She was just grateful that each turn of the wheels was taking her away from this nightmare and that scary man.

“But, Mother, may I ask why you were at the herbal medicine shop for so long?”

Irel suddenly became curious and asked in the carriage on the way home.

“Don’t talk about that nonsensical place, my child.”

Louisa, who belatedly remembered what she had experienced, was indignant. She, too, had her own reasons for being late.

Of course, she wasn’t unlucky enough to encounter a man-eating monster like Kitan on her way. She and her coachman took the right path, and there really was an apothecary there.

The herbalist was very flustered when he saw Louisa and the coachman suddenly barging in. He wasted time trying to find the item. Louisa and the coachman, who were frustrated by this, strongly tried to dissuade him and was about to leave but were held back by the herbalist, even though they wanted to leave.

It was as if there was something they shouldn’t see.

“He was really strange! His behavior was extremely suspicious.”

Louisa was furious, saying that it was obvious that they were smuggling. She was very anxious about her daughter who had been left alone in the carriage, but she couldn’t do anything because the apothecary was acting like he would come get the goods at any moment.

“If someone saw him, they’d think he has buried something under the store. It’s so ridiculous, wow!”

Louisa firmly declared that she would report him to the police as soon as she returned to the mansion. Hearing this, Irel sighed as she realized that she somehow understood what the apothecary was trying to hide.

‘I guess you’re in cahoots with that guy.’

The herbalist was probably one of his subordinates, so he must have been desperately trying to stall for time, fearing that Louisa might catch him ‘working’ in the nearby warehouse.

‘I didn’t know that and went out of the carriage and ran into the man.’

The face that had let her go, as he told her to go was smiling meaningfully. That made it even scarier.

Irel, who was shivering, leaned back against the backrest and closed her eyes. Although she didn’t feel any motion sickness again, she wanted to shake the fearful memories out of her head.

“Okay. You must be tired. Get some sleep, baby.”

Louisa gently patted my shoulder from the side. As I focused on that soft touch, my mind began to relax a little and I began to feel sleepy.

Irel yawned and soon fell asleep, so she didn’t notice the cold, sharp gaze following her behind the carriage.

“… … Are you going to let her go like this?”

His confidant, who was watching Irel’s carriage moving away, asked. Then, the red-haired man, Barkan, smiled sadly and gave instructions with his fingertips.

“No. Chase after her.”