My Villainous Husband

76

I was in the back of the prayer room inside Seraphina’s room the whole time.

“You’re going to be in trouble if the Actilus army sees you, right? Stay here. Nobody comes here.”

I nodded my head at Seraphina’s words.

The prayer room was the space granted to only me. The room was colder and stiffer than I had thought. Unlike Seraphina’s bedroom, which was cozy and neatly decorated, it was almost oppressive.

The ceiling was incredibly high, and there were only two small windows near the ceiling. It was impossible to look outside from the room, and the only indication of the weather outside to some extent was based on the thin sunlight streaming down from the tall window. The window wasn’t closed, so it seemed that rain or snow would come right through.

It had been several days since I had been staying in Seraphina’s room like that.

Through the curtains hanging on the window of her room, I watched as the Actilus army approached the temple. At the forefront, Raniero was riding his cherished black horse. Even his appearance, dressed in a black fur coat, was splendid, and my gaze kept lingering on him alone.

As he approached closer, I quickly pulled the curtain shut and sat down.

My heart was pounding.

‘…It’s truly the beginning now.’

I’ve read 「 Flowers Bloom In The Abyss 」 over and over again, especially the introduction. From the Actilus army’s retreat to the scene where Angelica’s neck is severed in the Empress’s Palace in Actilus.

Sitting on Seraphina’s bed, I curled up into a ball and traced my fingers along the letter as I followed the story. Even though it was only just a few lines in the book, the situation unfolded at a rapid pace. As Raniero gazed at Seraphina, he saw his own reflection in her clear, cold eyes. He trembled, enveloped in self-loathing, as he became mesmerized by her.

He wanted to prove that he wasn’t ugly.

Soon, he approached, holding her cheek in his grasp. And then, the scene immediately shifted because Seraphina was being abducted and heading towards the Actilus Empire.

While the novel was concise, the reality was much more complex and longer.

I looked outside the window to see the priests clearing the snow.

Three days had already passed.

For three days, Raniero hadn’t entertained the thought of leaving here. I didn’t know the reason either.

On the other hand, Seraphina told me not to come out, and since leaving this room, she hadn’t shown her face even once, so in the meantime, I didn’t talk to anyone. When the time came, food for me was placed in front of the prayer room. However, even after bringing the food, I would eat it without appetite, and it often ended up getting cold or turning hard.

Crushed under the suffocating tension, I cried several times.

I had no idea how the story was unfolding because I was unable to leave the room. I just wanted to know something, anything, so I stayed close to the door of the prayer room, hoping that if I sensed the presence of a priest bringing food, I could open the door and talk to him.

How much time had passed?

Hearing a knocking sound, I flung the door open.

“Uh…”

I thought there would be a stranger, but it was a familiar face. He didn’t even have food in his hands. While I was momentarily frozen, he, too, looked surprised when he saw my face.