Surviving As A Cannon Fodder

CHAPTER 47

"What!"

Husband?! Who?!

My face twisted from hearing his words.

"His Grace Edward Frost"

Of course, I know who he is. Edward Frost was one of the male leads from the cursed book I read just before a car blew the living lights outta me.

'The Hero of Orion'

Wait a second... Orion! I recognized that name.

Isn't that the name of the country I'm currently living in?

'Am I dying again? Is that why I'm dreaming about this cursed book?'

I felt a chill run down my spine.

"This must be the wife" 

A man with a large white beard in a priest outfit walked towards me. He was smiling while running his fingers through his long beard. 

Behind him was a group of people dressed in a similar way but seemed less important compared to him.

"Ho ho... Now that you are here, my job is done" His eyes creased as he smiled and continued talking.

"Then I will be leaving"

"Thank you for your benevolence High Priest Thesser" 

The butler bowed.

"Ho ho... No need for any thanks. Besides, I got to see something interesting" 

High Priest Thesser smiled at me one last time before leaving with his entourage.

Meanwhile, I was still processing everything.

Did Santa just call me the male lead's wife?

"What happened to him?" 

My hand trembled as I pointed at my so-called husband. My voice was broken and I was pretty sure my brain would be the next victim.

The butler opened and closed his mouth like a fish.

"His Grace is a valiant man. He stands on the side of justice..." 

Instead of answering my question, he went around the topic purposefully as if to confuse me.

My mouth started twitching from hearing all the nonsense.

"I'm not asking for a certificate of conduct. What. Happened" I pressed the butler, massaging my throbbing head.

"His Grace was cursed" The butler's face clouded with a dark expression.

The Serpent Curse.

I remember reading about it. In fact, it was one of the few well-detailed concepts in the book. I had to reread it a few times to make sense. It is a cruel curse that sucks out a person's life force from the inside.

The ritual required complex incantations and a lot of resources. It was not an easy feat to successfully complete the process. There were a few conditions that needed to be fulfilled to invoke the curse. In other terms, a few sacrifices need to be offered.

One whose life is about to begin,

One whose life is about to end, and

One who's living a prosperous life

A newborn, a dying person, and a healthy one. Three lives needed to be given in exchange for one. This was to please the serpent god 'Havu' and have him descend on the cursed person's body to drain out their mana. 

Once the curse was placed there would be no way back.

As a sign of Havu being summoned a large serpent would appear on the body of the cursed person. The stronger the serpent grows the weaker the person becomes till they eventually perish.

However, Edward would be fine. After all, he was the almighty male lead. The only one capable of ruining him was himself and I doubt he will ever do that.

On more pressing matters...

If that man was the male lead and I was his wife, then I will...

'I need to wake up! Now!'

"I...I... I need to wake up" 

Panicking, I turned around unable to comprehend the situation. My hands started to tremble and I could not think straight.

"Madam, are you alright?"

In a futile effort to wake up, I slapped my face with both my hands. But it was not working. My cheeks started to sting from the pain cementing my fears.

'Maybe I should try jumping out of a window' 

I searched for an open window only to find that all the windows in the estate shut like an iron fortress. I frantically looked around to find any other alternative ways.

Right then, an attendant walked in with what looked like boiling water in his hands. It was just the thing I needed.

"Madam?" The butler looked at me with confusion as I strode towards the attendant.

The attendant placed the bowl of boiling water on a table near the door. It was probably brought in for cleaning purposes. 

'But who cares, my life is on the line here!'

The attendant took a stop back surprised by my sudden appearance.

I took a deep breath to prepare myself. It was not the time to chicken out. 

The main problem was that I was a deep sleeper. So if I sleep, I sleep like a dead person. Which will become a reality if I don't wake up soon.

I closed my eyes and put my hand into the bowl, hoping that this was enough to wake myself up.

"OUCH...!! Ow... Ow!" 

I blew my hand that stung from the pain. It turned red from touching the boiling water.

"!"

I collapsed to the ground like a puppet whose strings were cut.

"Madam!" The butler ran to my side.

"Your hand!" 

He kneeled beside me and looked at my burned hand.

"Bring first aid!" 

He instructed the attendant who had turned pale.

"Where?" My voice quivered.

"Yes?"

"Where am I?" 

I grabbed the butler by the collar with my trembling hands.

"We are currently in the Frost residence in the capital Volos" The butler stated with a startled expression,  obviously surprised by my sudden outburst.

"Why am I here?" I inquired, shaking him by the collar.

"Madam is His Grace's wife. You were married two days back" He answered, raising his hands in the air as if to avoid touching me.

"!"

I started hyperventilating from the sudden surge of information. 

'I'm not dreaming. I'm here in real life!'

But married? The last thing I remember was talking with my brother over a cup of tea.

Suddenly the world started revolving around me as everything started to make sense.

"Madam!"

"Ah sh*t"

I passed out from the cruel reality.