Revil was crouched in front of the bed, clutching his head, while Mirea was about to throw the object in her hand at him without hesitation.
Shocked by the chilling scene, I ran to Revil and embraced him.
I thought he would be trembling, but Revil’s body was completely still.
For Revil, this small child, this absurd situation and the violence that shouldn’t exist were familiar.
Erina’s body trembled.
“Revil…”
Surprised by the warm embrace shielding him from the cold air, Revil looked up.
Brilliant golden eyes brimming with moisture met Revil’s gaze.
It was just like that day in the garden when Erina first reached out her hand.
The sun-like salvation that Revil had drawn hundreds and thousands of times in his mind had come to him again.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Revil stretched out his arms that were wrapped around his head and hugged Erina.
“I’m sorry I’m late.”
Erina’s heart ached for the tiny hands that couldn’t grip tightly or let go, as if holding onto the only thing in the world.
Revil was only 8 years old now.
He was a child who barely reached waist height, much smaller than others his age.
With no fat on his already small frame from not eating properly, how could anyone raise a hand against such a small child?
“It’s okay. It’s okay now.”
As she comforted Revil by patting his back, Mirea, who had been threateningly looming over them with an object in her hand, flashed her eyes.
“Birds of a feather flock together, how remarkable.”
“What on earth are you doing?”
Erina stood up, hiding Revil behind her, and looked at what Mirea was holding in her hand with a distorted face.
It was an ordinary brown boy’s shoe.
Erina had given the shoes to the child as a gift last night while talking about leaving this place together with Revil with new hearts. She had sold all her wedding gifts to buy them, not wanting anything tainted by Yolls’ money to leave this mansion with them.
None of the children’s items Peiron had bought for show fit Revil anyway.
So she had gifted the shoes to leave for a better place with Revil. They were meaningful items for both Revil and Erina.
One of those shoes was already strewn at Erina’s feet, apparently having been thrown and hit its mark, while the other was in Mirea’s hand.
“Are you insane?”
“What? You must be the crazy one!”
“Madam Yolls!”
Erina couldn’t hold back and shouted at Mirea.
She had planned to leave the mansion quietly.
Although she knew Mirea was there, Erina had expected her not to care what she did, since she was already out of favor with many and shunned from social circles.
It was a terrible miscalculation.
Mirea, who should have been lying low, had turned Erina’s room upside down and resorted to violence against Revil as soon as she returned to the Yolls mansion.
Moreover, judging by the maid standing in front of the room and Revil’s attitude, it wasn’t the first or second time she had raised a hand against Revil.
“I will not let this slide.”
“How dare you?”
“Yes. As Erina Brill Medelia, I will formally protest to the Yolls family.”
“What?”
Erina took Revil’s hand, who was standing quietly behind her, and left the room.
It was unbearable to stay even a moment longer in this place where it was difficult to even breathe.
“Let’s go.”
“Where do you think you’re going! You keep crawling up because I let you!”
Erina tried to hurry out of the room with Revil, ignoring Mirea’s nonsensical ranting.
As they were about to exit through the door, she felt Revil’s footsteps hesitate as he followed her holding her hand.
Revil’s gaze turned to the one shoe lying in front of the bed and the other still in Mirea’s hand.
To Revil, those shoes were an irreplaceable gift.
Although he knew they needed to leave this mansion right now, he simply couldn’t bear to abandon them.
Erina noticed what Revil was thinking as she saw his wavering pupils.
Seeing Revil unable to let go of his attachment to the shoes, Erina bent down and said to him:
“Once we get out of here, let’s go buy shoes first thing.”
At Erina’s gentle whisper, Revil nodded with teary eyes.
Revil’s hesitation disappeared.
As the two walked out of the room, the maid who had been anxiously pacing outside was startled.
Erina glared silently at the maid who had allowed the violence, when suddenly she sensed something flying out of the room and quickly pulled the child aside.
“Kyaa!”
The maid standing in front screamed as she was hit by what Erina had hurriedly dodged.
Mirea, who had been watching the two leave the room, had thrown the shoe she was holding.
“How dare you, you lowly creatures, ignore me?”
“The lowly one is you.”
“How dare you…!”
“You’re the lowest, not even realizing your mistakes and thinking nothing of violence!”
Erina, who had been holding back her anger until now, shouted at the trembling Mirea.
Mirea’s mouth closed in shock at her daughter-in-law’s shout, who had always responded quietly and never raised her voice before.
Although Erina had lost her parents early and grown up under her uncle’s family, she remembered everything she had seen.
Her mother had shown respect and courtesy to her grandmother, and her grandmother had respected her mother in return.
Although her uncle’s family had taken everything away, they were no different in this regard.
Her grandmother had passed away less than a year after her uncle became the head of the family, but her aunt had served her grandmother just like her mother during that one year.
So Erina thought it was natural.
She had grown up learning and seeing that the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was based on mutual respect and consideration.
But the Mirea that Erina met after marriage showed a side of a mother-in-law that she could never have imagined.
“You’ve really gone mad.”
Despite Erina’s outburst, Mirea remained unmoved.
Realizing once again that she was dealing with someone beyond reason, Erina ignored Mirea and moved, holding Revil’s hand.
She didn’t want to stay here even a moment longer.
She wanted to quickly escape from this Yolls prison where all normal common sense and right actions were excluded.
“Stop right there!”
Sensing Erina’s urgency, Revil pattered his small feet, trying to move faster.
In an instant, Erina and Revil came down the stairs, opened the mansion door, and headed for the Marquis’ carriage parked in front of the main gate.
They could hear Mirea’s voice shouting and following behind them, but they ignored it all.
Then someone called out to the two as they were about to pass through the main gate.
“Erina!”
Behind the Marquis’ carriage parked in front of the gate was the detestable Yolls Count’s carriage.
Erina recognized the voice calling her as Peiron’s and ignored it.
As she headed towards the Marquis’ carriage with Revil, Heila and Sandes, who had been riding in it, got out.
“Erina!”
Heila greeted Erina with a bright voice as she approached.
At the same time, Peiron, who had called out to Erina in a loud voice while getting out of the Yolls Count’s carriage, also approached her.
Erina was quite annoyed at why she was encountering faces so frequently today that she couldn’t see before even when she wanted to.
After expending considerable mental energy dealing with Mirea while bringing Revil from the Yolls mansion, facing Peiron again made her feel nauseated.
“Erina, let’s talk.”
Ignoring Peiron, Erina approached Heila and Sandes.
Heila then exaggeratedly greeted Erina and Revil with enthusiasm.
“We’ve been waiting! Welcome, Revil.”
Peiron was upset that everyone in front of him was blatantly ignoring him as if he didn’t exist.
“Heila, get in the carriage with Revil first.”
At Erina’s words, Heila agreed and got into the carriage with Revil.
Peiron could no longer contain the anger that had been building up as he watched Erina quietly standing in front of the Kerennik Marquis’ carriage, observing Revil boarding it with Sandes.
“Erina!”
As Peiron called out to Erina again, Sandes extended his hand to help her board the carriage.
As Erina took Sandes’ hand with her right hand to get into the carriage, Peiron grabbed her left hand and yanked her hard.
This caused Erina’s body to sway greatly.
Sandes gently wrapped his arm around Erina’s waist to prevent her from falling.
Erina, caught in Sandes’ arms, was startled for a moment, but her arm ached as it was twisted backwards due to Peiron still not letting go of her hand.
As Erina carefully stepped out of Sandes’ embrace, she shook her left hand forcefully to shake off Peiron’s grip.
Turning her back on Sandes, who was openly showing a regretful expression, Erina faced Peiron.
“What are you doing now?”
“What are you doing?”
“What’s wrong with leaving a day early from a place I was going to leave anyway?”
“Are you serious about the divorce?”
It seemed like mother like son when it came to being obtuse.
Erina wondered if the man who was asking if she was serious about what she had said in front of all the nobles and the Emperor’s proclamation was in his right mind.
“What an incredible family.”
“I’m asking if you’re serious right now. Divorce so suddenly!”
Erina was dumbfounded by Peiron’s angry outburst.
It was absurd to see him getting angry and pressing her when he should be apologizing and begging for forgiveness given his position that would change tomorrow.
“You suddenly brought your mistress too. What’s stopping me from suddenly divorcing?”
“Why didn’t you say anything about the mine? If you had told me about the partner application first…”
Erina sighed as she faced Peiron, who was only saying what he wanted to say.
“Would you have said anything if you were in my position?”
“If you had told me…!”
“If I had told you, would it have ended up any differently than the Yolls family taking it away?”
“Taking it away! Don’t say such nonsense.”
If he was genuinely asking, Erina sincerely wanted to applaud him for being so remarkable.
“Do you really think that? Honestly?”
When Erina asked with a distorted face, Peiron couldn’t answer readily.
He must have thought of the greedy Mirea.
“Hah…”
Erina let out an audible sigh, frustrated by his stupidity.
Her head ached from Peiron trying to give her one last headache on this eventful day.
“Listen well, Peiron. I’ll only say this once.”
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
