[Disclaimer: This chapter contains sexual assault and self harm that some readers may find disturbing. Trust me, I do not like writing on this topic. So I tried to write it in a not so obvious way.]

It didn't take long before Millie produced results. She found me late at night with a sly smile on her face. I knew exactly what that meant. I nodded at her and together we snuck out of the dorm, making sure no one saw us.

Wearing cloaks, we made our way to Millie's secret underground dungeon. Even though Millie didn't need a light to get around down there, I did. I held a torch and followed Millie as she confidently walked through the halls. Other than water dropping, all we could hear was the sound of our own footsteps.

Millie went to her trophy room and pushed one of the shelfs to reveal a door behind it. I was surprised that none of us had realized that there was a door behind it this entire time. She pulled out a key and put it into the lock. She turned it and opened the door.

I stepped into the hidden room and noticed that it much more sinister than what I had previously encountered. There were tables full of devices of torture as well as sewing kits and jars full of strange liquids. However, I cared less about this and more about the two chairs facing each other.

Sitting in one chair happened to be a man who was tied up tightly, blindfolded, and gagged. I stopped in my tracks and clenched my fists. I could feel overwhelming anger surging in my heart. Millie noticed this and looked at me carefully, "Are you alright, Seri?"

I took a deep breath and nodded, "Yes." I took a step inside and sat at the other chair facing him. I nodded to Millie who went over and took off his blindfold and gag. He immediately glanced around in a panic. When he noticed me sitting in front of him with a blank expression, he spoke quickly.

"Do you know who I am?"

I stared at the cowardly man in front of me. My mouth tasted sour as I looked at him closely. The man had light brown hair that flipped out at the ends. He had peach colored eyes that revealed just how terrified he was. He had pale skin and his face was only slightly above average.

I smiled at him, "Of course I know who you are. That is why you are here. But that isn't important. Do you realize who I am?"

He looked at me closely before glancing at Millie. He was too panicked to think clearly.

My eyebrow twitched as I watched him look around nervously. I tapped my finger on the arm of the chair impatiently. I looked at him with cold eyes, "Look at me."

He turned to me in a panic.

I continued in a cold tone, "Look at my hair. Doesn't it seem familiar? Look at my eyes. Don't you recognize them? Now look at my face. If it wasn't for my softer features I inherited from my mother, I fear I would not look a bit like her."

A sudden realization dawned on the man and reflected in his eyes. His face paled and his mouth dropped, "No... It can't be..."

I sat back and continued to stare at him coldly, "Now you're going to sit there and listen to a story."

....

Once upon a time, there live a Marquis and Marchioness who had trouble conceiving an heir. Finally after years of trying, they succeeded. The Marchioness gave birth to a darling daughter. The daughter grew up to be fearless, stubborn, and domineering. She was feared and respected.

One day when she was a teenager, her father was swindled out of a lot of his money. The person who did this had a silver tongue, but was only a lowly merchant. The Marquis was too proud to admit he had been swindled, so he chose to ignore it instead.

The daughter on the other hand, was not as proud. She found out who the merchant was and tracked him down to get back the money. However, when she found the man all of her determination disappeared into thin air. All that was left was attraction.

The man was tall and handsome. He had fluffy curly brownish-black hair and gray eyes. He did not seem at all like a lowly merchant. Instead, he looked like royalty. The way he held himself upright. Even the way he looked at everyone else. Any could tell that he was a charismatic man who drew people to him.

The man looked at her with the same look. The two found their eyes attracted to each other as if magnetized. They both walked over toward each other simultaneously. The man bent down and grabbed her hand softly. He planted a tender kiss upon it and looked up at her with a dashing smirk.

"Hello my Lady. I am Kane. May I ask for your name?"

She was speechless for a moment before forcing herself to pull her hand away. She looked at him in fiery determination, "My name is Sharon Blythe. And you seem to have swindled money from my father, the Marquis."

Kane chuckled at her hot temper, "I did not swindle a thing. I sold him some alcohol from my company which is what I had promised him."

She clicked her tongue, "You said it was high class liquor. However, it was created by you- a lowly merchant- there is no way it could be considered high class. High class liquor is for nobles, made by nobles. This is a indisputable fact."

He reached out and brushed her hair casually. She felt her body tense up by his sudden action. He spoke in a confident tone, "High class liquor doesn't need to be made by nobles. The whiskey I sold comes from a family recipe and the drinks have been aged and stored in perfect conditions. If you were a connoisseur of fine drinks, you would know that mine are the best."

She glared at him and slapped away his hand, "Regardless of the taste, you still swindled us. I demand you return our money or else."

Kane felt intrigued as he noticed Sharon continually denying his advances. The more she denied him, the more he tried. Sharon was irritated and started slamming her heel on his foot, "Idiot! Just give me back my money!!"

Kane didn't care that his foot was being smashed, he was too busy enjoying her reddened embarrassed face. Sharon Blythe was known by all, including him. She was famous for her cold, calculating personality. Never did she show her anger or her irritation. However, towards him she was showing just that.

Kane spoke in an alluring tone, "I will give you back your money." She ceased her stomping and glanced up at him in surprise. He continued with a smug smile, "On one condition. You go out to dinner with me."

She blushed abruptly at his sudden question. She took a few steps backwards feeling flustered, "D-Dinner?! No way! Don't you realize who I am?! I am the daughter of the Marquis! I couldn't go on a date with a- a-" She looked at his handsome face and blurted out, "Lowly merchant no matter how handsome he may be!"

Kane chuckled and grinned larger, "So you think I am handsome?"

Feeling as if she had lost, she turned around to leave. However, she paused. Without thinking it through, she spoke over her shoulder. "Next Thursday. Meet me at Leshufs."

He watched her storm off and shouted, "But I have plans that day!"

She shouted back, "Then cancel them!"

This was the beginning of their whirlwind romance. They were infatuated with each other so completely that the rest of the world meant nothing to them. Kane would continuously dote on Sharon and buy her anything she wanted. Despite not being a noble, he had collected excessive amounts of wealth due to his charisma and business ventures.

Sharon, who had never felt such unconditional love before, soon found herself intoxicated by it. She no longer cared about her reputation or her family's pressure; she only cared about him. Many people envied the way they looked at each other. They were truly in love.

However, they didn't have luck on their side.

The Marquis figured out just what his unfilial daughter had been up to. He was enraged and inconsolable. The Marquis was a proud man, and as such, he always placed his reputation before anything else. This was something he tried to force onto his daughter, which stuck to some degree. However, she refused to give Kane up.

His infuriation reaching it's peak, he came up with a plan. A nasty plan.

He forced his daughter into an engagement with a son of an Earl. The Earl's son was excessively rich and owned a lot of land. Since position of the Marquis was a step up on the social hierarchy, he would undoubtedly accept. Both the Marquis and the Earl's son were misogynistic to a terrifying degree. As such, they never even thought to ask Sharon Blythe nor her mother for their permission.

The daughter of the Marquis was going to be forced into a loveless marriage. Even though she too valued reputation because it was drilled into her as a child, she did something no one saw coming. She fervently denied the marriage.

She even threatened to elope.

This only enraged her father more. So he decided on a much nastier, much more vile plan. And the son of the Earl was more than happy to oblige.

One night, as she packed her bags and planned to run away, the Earl's son entered her room without permission. One look at him and she immediately felt her blood turn to ice. Her face however, remained fierce despite the fear she felt in her heart.

She cussed. She screamed. She fought back.

But in the end, she was still just a weak woman against a strong man.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

She forced herself to dream.

In her dream, she was with her beloved. Kane loved her deeply, doting on her as the perfect husband. Together, they had children. Their children soon had grandchildren. Then, she was an elderly women surrounded by her family.

A loving family.

The kind she had always wanted. She wanted to stay in this dream forever. However, she knew that in the end....

It was still just a dream.

When she finally opened her eyes, she was alone in her room. She was broken. Destroyed. Ruined. The entire future she had seen was now forcibly stolen from her. Now she would be forced to live in a life devoid of love.

What had happened to her was not unusual during the time she lived in. Even if anyone knew about what had happened to her, they would not do a thing about it. The nobles would judge the man who did what he did, but the man would not be punished for it. After all, they were still engaged. Now, they definitely had to be married.

Society wouldn't accept anything else.

Instead, only Sharon would be the one punished. Feeling herself dragged into the marriage, her once fiery nature disappeared. She grew listless... Lifeless... Unable to face Kane after the incident, she cut off all contact to him.

It was the day of the rehearsal ceremony. The night before the wedding.

The rehearsal only had the immediate family of the Earl and the Marquis. As they practiced the ceremony, Sharon walked down the aisle with her father. Ahead, she could see the smiling face belonging to the Earl's son. She felt sick. She felt disgusted by herself. Her trauma kept replaying in her head.

Over and over.

Until she was unable to handle it any longer. She steeled her heart and looked at the Marquis as he handed her to the one who destroyed everything she had ever desired.

Finally, a smile crossed her face. This was the first time any had seen her smile in a while. The Marquis and her husband-to-be took this as a good sign. They thought she had finally realized what was good for her.

She spoke in a soft tone, "Fiancé."

"Yes?" He asked. A tone that made her want to vomit.

She spoke devoid of emotion, "I will never marry you."

His face fell. The Marquis shouted, "Sharon! What is wrong with that worthless brain of yours?!"

Her smile grew as if she had suddenly been released from her torment. She pulled out a blade that she had hidden under her sleeve. She repeated in a determined voice, "I would rather die than be married to a monster like you."

Before anyone could stop her, she swiped the blade across her throat. She collapsed on her back and stared wide eyed at the ceiling. She didn't hear the cries or shouts. She didn't see the worried faces calling for a doctor.

All she saw, was Kane's smiling face. She felt the warmth behind his eyes and found herself drifting off to sleep. A sleep where she could forever dream. A sleep where she could hold her beloved's hand for all eternity.

However, this too had just been a dream.