Chapter 2: BWCGD

Chapter 2

From the moment Evelyn was born, her mother had already been in frail health.

It was because she had to endure Louise's abuse for bringing disgrace upon the family name.

Louise began each day by slapping her mother's face, forced her to do exhausting labor, and, as if mocking their hunger, always made them eat spoiled food.

She even committed acts so cruel that they could not simply be described as bullying.

Three years ago, in the winter when her mother's lingering illness finally left her bedridden, people from the temple arrived and loaded her onto an old cart.

It broke Evelyn's heart to be separated from her mother, but if things continued this way, her mother would not survive more than a few days.

As she blankly watched the cart disappear into the distance, Evelyn thought that if her mother could receive the blessing of the gods, it would surely be for the best.

But all of it had been a lie.

And the conversation that followed confirmed once again that it had not been a dream or an illusion.

"Make sure there are no loose ends. If that woman dies after Marcella has already disappeared, people will become suspicious..."

"Don't worry. I already have a plan. We'll make it seem like that girl slowly wasted away after enduring the cruel baron's abuse."

It was a painful memory.

Even recalling the past was agonizing. Evelyn clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms before forcing herself to stop thinking.

Just then—

Crash!

The old door was violently thrown open.

Swallowing back the tears that threatened to spill, Evelyn turned her head.

The head maid, dressed in a black robe, leaned against the doorway and clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"Did you forget it's time for the ritual? Honestly, you're so slow! Stop dawdling and follow me."

Evelyn said nothing.

She had finally been given another chance at life, only to begin it with the horrifying purification ritual.

She simply felt empty.

* * *

Following the head maid, Evelyn entered the basement beneath the eastern tower.

Prisons lined both sides of the long corridor, filling the place with an oppressive and sinister atmosphere.

"You're late."

A woman with glossy brown hair and clear blue eyes sat gracefully upon an extravagant chair as she welcomed Evelyn.

Louise Lawrence.

The Count's lawful wife and mistress of the estate.

In truth, she was the real ruler of the household.

Count William Lawrence, commander of the Holy Knights, was far too busy, and from the beginning he had never cared much for the responsibilities expected of the family head.

"Why are you just standing there?"

Her icy eyes swept over Evelyn's ragged appearance before narrowing slightly.

"Take them off."

"Everything."

Even at such a shocking order, Evelyn neither gasped nor showed embarrassment.

She did not even reveal the hatred she felt toward the woman.

As though it were nothing unusual, she silently removed her tattered dress and undergarments.

After neatly placing her clothes to one side, Evelyn stepped inside the prison cell.

She slowly knelt and rested both hands neatly upon her thighs.

The freezing stone floor chilled her skin until it spread throughout her entire body.

She shivered slightly.

'The Blood Purification Ritual.'

Earlier, she had checked the calendar hanging outside her bedroom.

She was now twenty years old.

It was early spring.

"This was after I escaped from the count's estate."

Three years had already passed since the ritual first began.

If this truly was reality, then there had never been any chance to save her mother.

And about one year from now...

She herself would die from the curse accumulating inside her body.

"P-Please... save me! No... just kill me instead! Please... it hurts so much... I feel like I'm going insane!"

The pain felt as though her heart were being sliced into pieces.

Her insides burned as if consumed by flames.

Even more unbearable than the metallic taste of blood rising through her throat was Louise's smiling face as she climbed atop Evelyn's collapsed body and strangled her.

"Did you know? Marcella had the exact same expression when she died."

"W-What... are you...!"

"Your face blackening... your stupidity in not even realizing you're slowly being poisoned by the curse... you're exactly like her."

The memory of that moment, when her hearing had faded and her consciousness had sunk into darkness, twisted her face with pain.

Thinking that everything had gone wrong, heat rushed to her head, and sweat gathered in her tightly clenched hands.

"Don't panic. I can't provoke that woman... not yet."

As Evelyn bit down hard on the inside of her lip and swallowed her boiling rage—

"Are you ready?"

A cold gaze fell upon her fully matured naked body.

After letting out a slow breath, Evelyn raised her head.

What a grotesque sight.

She stood naked, surrounded by maids.

Their bodies were completely wrapped in black cloth, making the scene even more terrifying.

She bit her lower lip and lowered her head.

"Yes."

Louise elegantly sipped her tea before speaking again.

"Very well. Let's begin."

"Yes, my lady."

As soon as someone answered, the maids approached.

They seized both of Evelyn's arms with brutal force.

Their grip was so tight that their fingernails dug into her delicate skin, leaving scratches behind.

A bottle was uncorked with a click.

Then the crimson liquid they called holy water was poured over her head.

Its thick, heavy scent flowed from the top of her head, down her entire body, and onto the floor.

Evelyn's eyes widened.

"This is...!"

It was the exact same scent as the liquid Louise had forced down her throat while strangling her in her previous life.

"You're stubborn until the very end. If you'd died quickly like your mother, I wouldn't have had to go through all this trouble."

Louise was not compassionate enough to pour holy water into the mouth of someone who was dying.

Then this medicine...

It had to be deeply connected to the curse.

"Mm...!"

When Evelyn tightly shut her mouth in resistance, Louise smiled coldly.

"Don't resent me too much. This is all to cleanse your sins. Once your body is filled with true devotion, Marcella's illness will disappear as though it had never existed."

A slight frown appeared between Evelyn's brows.

"How dare she speak Mother's name with that filthy tongue."

Unaware of Evelyn's thoughts, Louise set down her teacup and continued.

"You were born borrowing the body of someone beneath your station, yet carrying the noble bloodline's umbilical cord. You inherited the family's symbol—those green eyes. Offering your filthy blood to God is only natural. Pray sincerely and repent."

Ever since childhood, Evelyn had listened to those words over and over.

She had firmly believed that only by purifying her filthy body could her mother's illness be cured.

"But not anymore."

She swallowed the disgust twisting her insides.

Not the slightest emotion appeared on her face.

She simply looked at Louise with an expression that resembled her mother as closely as possible.

"..."

For a brief moment, surprise flashed through Louise's cold eyes.

Seeing that expression made Evelyn both despise her and feel strangely empty.

"The murderous intent was so obvious... Why didn't I suspect her back then?"

She wanted to bite through her own tongue in frustration at her past foolishness.

Just then—

"Hmph! What are you all waiting for? Begin at once!"

At Louise's sharp command, the head maid stepped forward.

A perfectly sharpened blade gleamed in her hand.

Although Evelyn had prepared herself, her tightly clenched jaw trembled against her will.

"May this pain end today. Through my repentance... may Mother's soul finally find peace..."

The instant she shut her eyes tightly—

A horrifying pain shot through her wrist.

"Ugh...!"

The blade split her tender flesh.

Warm blood poured steadily into the silver basin below.

It felt as though every drop of blood in her body was draining away.

Her consciousness slowly faded.

At the same time...

A crimson moon appeared within her blurred vision.

It was always the final sign before she lost consciousness.

With that final image, her shattered awareness sank into endless darkness.

* * *

"Damn it... It's burning hot. Are you trying to melt me alive?"

She silently stared at the man looking down at her with blazing golden eyes while both of her wrists were bound.

Black hair.

Golden eyes that shone like those of a wild beast.

A black serpent mark engraved over his left chest.

Unlike his savage appearance, the hands that tore apart her thin clothes and caressed her slender body were as gentle as though they were handling fragile glass.

"Ah... ahh...!"

Every time he thrust his hips like a man possessed, Evelyn's waist arched beautifully into the air.

Even as overwhelming pleasure consumed her and desperate moans escaped her lips, they were nowhere near enough to express what she was feeling.

"Ah... I think I'm going crazy. Stop... please, stop..."

Their desperate movements grew more passionate.

The sensations were so vivid that it was impossible to believe this was only a dream.

They completely swallowed her whole.

"Ah... I can't hold back anymore..."

The moment they finally reached the peak of ecstasy...

The tears she had desperately held back slowly rolled down the corners of her eyes.

* * *

"Hah...!"

Evelyn abruptly opened her eyes.

The crimson moon.

The passionate union with the mysterious man.

Whenever she fainted during the purification ritual, she always dreamed the same dream.

Before, she never understood what it meant.

But after dying and returning...

Everything was different.

It was a prophetic dream.

Because the man in that dream...

...was the one who had saved her from hell in her previous life.