Chapter 4

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 4

Chapter Title: How to Survive as the Wife of the Monster Duke 4

-----------------------------------------------------------------

It's okay.

Ilrin plugged her ears and squeezed her eyes shut.

There had been no dream of her dying.

No dream featuring monsters either, and in her precognitive dream, she herself had been perfectly fine, without a single scratch.

—Kyaaak!

—Kyaak!

Something roughly scraped against the carriage wall.

The scraping stopped as the carriage sped up even faster, but the monsters' shrieking roars continued unabated.

"It's okay."

Her heart pounded like mad.

It's okay.

I'll be safe.

She exhaled again.

At the very least, she wouldn't die before the first night, as foretold.

Bam!

Startled by the sudden thud against the window, Ilrin opened her eyes.

Without thinking, she glanced outside and locked eyes with a bright red creature.

Next to its black sclera-only eye, red scales were visible.

White pus oozed from between the scales, making it look like a mottled blotch of red and white.

Even in that brief moment, she could see the pitch-black pupil darting around.

The excited monster gaped its mouth wide.

"Kyaaak!"

At that instant, the carriage swerved sharply, and the monster, unable to keep its grip on the speed, fell away.

As if desperate to hold on to the end, the scraping sound against the wall passed by the window and trailed off toward the rear of the carriage.

Fortunately, the window remained intact, though harsh scratches marred its surface.

—Grreeek!

Goosebumps rose on her skin as if it had been scraped itself.

Cold sweat broke out, and her body trembled.

Ilrin thought again.

I haven't died yet.

Still, she was scared.

Scared.

Whether from the cold or fear, her body shook uncontrollably.

She squeezed her eyes shut and plugged her ears again.

She didn't know what might leap out from where.

There was no way she could shake off monsters that could keep up with a carriage at this speed.

"Hiiing!"

The excited horse didn't slow down, charging onward.

That was when the castle walls came into view beyond the scratched window.

Without realizing it, Ilrin half-rose from her crouched position.

There was only one castle in these Winter Lands.

They had arrived at Biplten Castle.

Now it was a safe zone.

Or so she thought.

"Damn it!"

She clearly heard the coachman's curse.

Ilrin couldn't believe her eyes.

The things scaling the castle walls were identical to the red-scaled monsters that had clung to the carriage earlier.

Monsters were trying to breach the walls ahead, while those pursuing from behind surrounded them.

The coachman veered sideways.

Attempting to flee far from the walls.

—Kyaaak!

Kkiiigigik!

The clear sound of monsters clawing at the rear of the carriage rang out.

Her body lurched toward the wall, and Ilrin's shoulder slammed into the carriage handle.

"!"

No scream escaped her.

If they realized she was inside, those red claws would mercilessly tear the carriage apart.

"Kyaa!"

Then the carriage tilted sharply, skidding before burying itself in the snow and coming to a halt.

And through the window, Ilrin saw the coachman fighting off monsters outside.

Clang!

The monsters' claws clashed with his sword, producing a sharp metallic ring.

Ilrin's body went rigid.

The coachman was skilled with a blade.

But there were far too many monsters.

He was strong enough to protect himself amid the horde, but not to safeguard the massive carriage as well.

—Kyaaak!

Unfazed by the coachman, the monsters turned their attention to the carriage.

Realizing this, Ilrin gripped the door handle with trembling hands.

If things went south, she'd have to abandon the carriage.

She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.

She wouldn't be able to escape.

How could she outrun monsters that chased a speeding carriage?

No, I haven't dreamed of dying yet.

Even without the dream, Ilrin didn't want to close her eyes and await death.

If she had, she would have killed herself back at the mansion long ago.

She had endured nearly twenty years of contempt, treated as a monster for her horrific visions of the future, because she lacked the courage to hang herself and wait out those final moments.

Death was frightening.

She hated the thought of loneliness and desolation.

Bam!

Monsters slammed into the carriage.

In that instant, Ilrin flung open the opposite door and leaped out.

"!"

She stopped the breath she had been about to draw.

Her exhaled breath turned to frost beyond the blue cloth draped over her face.

The biting wind clawed at her bare hands.

The snow wasn't soft; it was sharp.

Red welts instantly appeared on her delicate hands, but Ilrin couldn't stop.

I have to run!

Her feet sank deep into the piled snow, making it hard to run, but she poured strength into her legs and dashed forward.

That was when it happened.

Plop. Something touched her face.

It was cold on the outside but better than the blizzard.

Startled, she pulled away, and the blue cloth slipped off and fell to the ground.

"......What is this."

She saw decorations with red tassels over a black uniform.

It was a vivid red that would stand out even in the middle of white snow.

The low, clear voice that pierced her ear carried a feral growl, like a beast's.

No protection covered his exposed neckline; he didn't seem to feel the cold.

A chiseled masculine jawline, a proud bridge of the nose proclaiming arrogance, and cold, indifferent blue eyes.

Their eyes met.

Ilrin froze for a moment but then felt relieved.

Was it because every man in Biplten reminded her of Aden de Biplten himself? For an instant, she thought he was the duke.

But since meeting his eyes hadn't caused any issue, he clearly wasn't the duke himself.

The man's black hair whipped wildly in the blizzard.

"A woman?"

It was the moment he glanced at the carriage.

The monster pursuing Ilrin lunged at her from behind.

Before she could even turn, the monster's fetid, humid breath enveloped her neck.

The man swung his sword without hesitation.

Caught between the monster and the man, Ilrin saw the blade flash and squeezed her eyes shut.

She could only think that this was the end.

"Kieek!"

At that moment, a shrill scream erupted right beside her.

The man grabbed her face and yanked her away from the monster.

His large hand covered her face.

It didn't seem like he meant to cover her eyes.

It was merely like brushing aside an annoying object.

But the warmth inside that hand made Ilrin open her eyes without thinking.

Through the gaps in his fingers, she saw the monster collapsing.

"Ah......"

The man, who had stabbed his sword into the ground, looked down at the spot beside Ilrin instead of her.

"This is—"

Narrowing his icy blue eyes, he leaned toward her.

As his large frame, which had been shielding her from the wind, moved away, the snowstorm battered her body fiercely.

Her cheeks froze solid in an instant.

"If you don't want to freeze solid right there,"

The man dropped the blue cloth over her head with his gloved black hand.

He had just picked it up from the ground.

Only then did Ilrin realize she had dropped it in shock.

"Keep a good hold of this."

As her vision was shrouded in blue once more, color returned to her frozen cheeks.

"Your Grace!"

Your Grace? In Biplten, only one person was addressed that way.

The Duke of Biplten was nearby.

Don't meet his eyes.

Ilrin closed her eyes and lowered her gaze.

In that instant, the man beside her let go and vanished.

As if he had never been there.

The icy wind howled fiercely, threatening to rip the blue cloth away.

Ilrin hunched her shoulders.

The battle seemed to be winding down amid the surrounding clamor.

One knight spotted her, glanced at the carriage to gauge her status, and escorted her inside the walls.

Even wrapped in a blanket, her body still felt like it would freeze.

The only warmth came from where the blue cloth covered her.

Biplten, veiled in blue, seemed even more chilling.

Still, Ilrin gripped the cloth tightly, afraid it might fall off.

'I couldn't even say thank you.'

Those deep blue eyes, needing no added hue, lingered in her memory.

The man who had picked up the cloth had already vanished without a trace.

The knights clearing the area around the walls moved with disciplined precision, but they paid her little mind.

They had noticed her shivering from the cold and returned her to the carriage, but that was it.

"Please wait a moment."

His polite speech suggested he knew who she was.

Yet she was left alone for quite a while.

Only after a long time did Ilrin feel the carriage move as she thought to herself.

Such indifference was nothing new anyway.

It was better than the outright hostility at Viscount Arlen's estate.

Ilrin arrived at the Duke of Biplten's residence a few hours later.

"Welcome!"

It was a fervent greeting absent at the walls.

The man rushing toward her wore unusual attire.

A wide cloth draped over what looked like formal wear.

Because of the cold region?

Ilrin glanced at the blue cloth still on her head.

It was different from the one she wore.

"How could you leave the lady standing out here like this!"

The elderly man fumed, jabbing a finger at a passing maid.

Blue tassel decorations swayed wildly on his clothes.

"......I'll guide you."

The startled maid finally approached with a reluctant expression to escort Ilrin.

Red decorations dangled from the maid's unbound black hair.

That was fine, but Ilrin wasn't the only one being guided by the maid.

The man who had accompanied her bowed deeply to her in front of the room the maid indicated.

"This will be your room for the next week."

A week? Ilrin tilted her head.

"What happens after a week?"

"Oh dear. Did no one explain anything to you?"

The coachman had been a man of few words.

They had raced nonstop since boarding, only to face the monster attack, and now this.

Ilrin had heard nothing.

"I haven't heard a thing."

The elderly man clicked his tongue.

His graying hair shook as he shook his head.

Ilrin clearly heard his mutter under his breath.

Useless Delroz brats.

Delroz? Was he referring to the knights or coachman? Sometimes families had specific names for their knight orders or guards.

Did House Biplten as well?

"Ah, I haven't introduced myself."

The man said with a start.

"I am Ridan of Azure Noz."

"Azure Noz?"

He didn't look like a knight.

Even Ilrin, ignorant of swords, could distinguish a trained body from an untrained one.

The man who called himself Ridan had no muscular build and carried no blade.

"Oh my...... Ah, I heard you went through hell outside. I'll make arrangements for our children to escort you and explain about Biplten."

He seemed about to explain something, but in the end, said only what he wanted.