How could he dare to say such a dirty word? Unless his brain was toasted with electricity.

No matter how much Edith wasn’t the Marquis’ daughter, she was a member of the Abina family, who was registered to the family records.

“I looked it up, and such cases aren’t that uncommon at all.”

When the Marquis’ hot breath touched my face, my blood went cold but instantly boiled at his suggestion. I felt as if my ears were melting, so I pushed his hand away from my chin and wrapped both my hands at the side of my head.

“What the hell are you talking about?” I shot back at the Marquis.

He was trying so hard to find reason with his babbling. The Marquis stammering mouth opened, showing a bit of embarrassment at my cold tone.

“If you take your daughter as your wife… a few generations ago it spread among aristocrats like a trend-”

“Have you gone crazy?”

I wasn’t even treated as the Marquis’ daughter. I was an illegitimate child whose mother married him and had another man.

The Marquis glanced at my shocked face, and added belatedly, “A mistress, uh, maybe not necessarily a wife.”

Didn’t he know what a mistress meant? The more he talked the more he was burying himself alive.

“In the past, there were many cases of bringing and sponsoring women the age of their children…”

Lunatic.

It was clear that his head was filled with melted sundaes instead of a brain.

The Marquis’ excuse amazed me, but the situation prevented me from laughing. Instead, a stony smile spread across my face.

“Marquis, you must have been in delirium.”

“You’ve been talking a lot since then. Didn’t I know you weren’t mine from the moment you were born?”

Guessing from the Marquis’ tone, it seemed like he already made a similar offer to Edith before. She probably turned him down too.

I frowned as I stared at the Marquis’ ugly face, which didn’t look human to me anymore.

“So what?”

“So, there’s nothing wrong between you and me except a matter of useless formality or social views.”

Angered at the Marquis’ ridiculous claim, my voice raised as I said, “You don’t think there is a problem? Then think of the Marquis’ age! Even if I am not related to you by blood, how can I be your mistress?!”

“Oh, I’m still in full swing!”

Is this old coot for real?

I was so disgusted that I didn’t even want to talk to him and stepped back with the duster in my hand.

“Where are you going when you’re still talking with me?”

He stepped forward and grabbed for my hand as if trying to catch me from taking a step back. I sighed and whipped the duster at his hand in disgust.

“Dirty! Get away from here!”

SCREAMING!

The Marquis didn’t let go of my wrist, even though his hands must’ve been flaming hot from being hit by a maid with a considerable level of stamina.

“Huh, I cut you some slack because you were cute, but you must’ve forgotten your place again. You need to go to the punishment room.”

“Let go! Let me go, you crazy bastard!”

“Seeing you rebel so vehemently after a long time, I guess it’s time to write ‘it’.”

What’s ‘it’? My toes trembled with fear. Instinctive fear took over, but what felt more desperate was the rejection left in Edith’s body.

<WARNING> The room of punishment approaches. Edith Abina’s sanity is shaken.

<WARNING> Edith Abina’s body is stained with fear. The player’s sanity is also affected.

<WARNING> Abnormal Status: Hyperventilation, Stiffness

No, no, no, no!

I squeezed out the last of my strength and pushed the Marquis as hard as I could, but it wasn’t enough to completely beat him, who seemed to have become three times bigger than me.

<WARNING> Edith Abina’s mental strength has temporarily collapsed. You cannot move your body due to abnormal conditions.

My body completely froze as the system window dyed my eyes white. I could barely breathe out of my mouth which I couldn’t close.

“It’s been a while since you were in the Punishment Room, yes.”

It was at that moment when his yellow teeth and gross smile showed as he dragged me heading somewhere while I struggled.

“Marquis.”

The door to the study, which had been tightly closed, opened suddenly. The Marquis let go of me just in time, and I sprawled on the floor as I gasped for air.

“…Edith?”

Curtis, looking alternately at the Marquis and me, frowned at what looked like a bad scenario. His feet were crossed in the hallway, as if he didn’t dare to enter the room without the Marquis’ permission.

“Oh, you’re here.”

The Marquis smacked his lips briefly as if he’d made a mistake with Curtis’ appearance. His usual relaxed expression returned, and he shrugged his shoulders as if dismissing my situation.