To Get Away from an Ex’s Obsession

“I must ask you to leave this house, Asralda.”

Asralda stood still and read the Duke Aiden’s letter, her face flushed with despair.

“I’m sure you recognize his handwriting. His Excellency the Duke has entrusted me with your disposition, Asralda.”

I didn’t know where or how it had gone wrong. Staring in disbelief at the familiar handwriting on the letter, Asralda muttered.

“But the Duke clearly said he would return today…”
“Yes, he is returning now.”

There was a subtle sneer in the voice of Raphil, one of Aiden’s close associates.

“But before he does, he told me to take care of the leeches in the house first.”

Three years ago, Asralda was captured as a prisoner by the enemy nation of Mimarit. Her father was a cruel knight who had gained fame as a noble in the small island country of Lucias.

Asralda, who had been unfortunate enough to be captured and brought to Mimarit, was on the verge of being executed. However, with the help of Aiden, the Duke of Mimarit and the Emperor’s cousin, she managed to survive.

‘I had intended to find a suitable woman and proceed with the wedding ceremony. Coincidentally, I find this woman’s appearance quite appealing. Please grant me this woman.’

When I first heard those words, I doubted his intentions. I thought it might be a simple whim or a need for a convenient target.

However, as a captive of the enemy nation, I had no doubt that I would have no meaning or power whatsoever.

Furthermore, Asralda was already in a state where she hadn’t received humane treatment from her own family. Because of that, I accepted it quietly without further questioning, with the mindset that it didn’t matter how it turned out.

Contrary to my expectations, Aiden did not lay a finger on her. The ulterior motive had vanished, and he thoroughly treated her like an invisible person, never abandoning her in this mansion. It was truly unbelievable.

“I thought I told you to put it out of sight until I returned.”

Just then, someone walked into the parlor.

Aiden.

Asralda looked at him, her face fluttering. His jet-black hair was neatly trimmed, and his eyes were cold.

His face, which had been heavily weathered, seemed colder and more unforgiving than it had been before, with thick lines and sharp features that bore the marks of the hardships of the past half year.

As he looked at her, raindrops fell on his white, smooth forehead.

Asralda stammered and opened her lips.

“Aiden… what the hell is going on….”
“Raphil, explain what happened.”

Aiden, who silenced Asralda’s voice with a scathing tone, walked into the room.

“I, I’m sorry.”

Asralda stupidly stared at him. He brushed past her, surrounded by several knights, and sat heavily on the sofa in the reception room. Then, he raised his head and gazed at her.

He exuded grandeur in his solid silver armor. A tired expression adorned Aiden’s face as he skimmed through the letter in her hand.

“It seems that the messenger delivered the message properly, but it seems the letter’s recipient didn’t understand.”

His gaze pierced Asralda.

“Let me explain it directly. To put it simply, it means that you have served your purpose and are no longer needed.”

The voice was icy and cold, and her throat tightened. Asralda struggled to speak.

“I have served my purpose….”

Aiden casually leaned back against the sofa and bluntly blurted out.

“Oscar Grantly died last night.”

At the mention of that name, Asralda’s body stiffened in an instant.

Oscar Grantly.

For a moment, Asralda’s body stiffened at the name.

Oscar Grantly.

A knight of Lucias’s, making a name for himself on the battlefield, and her only father.

‘He’s dead?’

Aiden said, stunned for a moment.

“I am on my way to personally confirm the corpse with my own eyes. It is said that he fell down below the cliff in the flood and was then attacked by the knights who were waiting above. He died instantly after being hit by a rock the size of his body.”

Aiden’s gaze was as chilling as it was dry.

“He was crushed beyond recognition.”

It was a brutally specific description for her, Oscar’s daughter.

But, unfortunately or fortunately, it didn’t hurt Asralda one bit. In the first place, Oscar had never shared any affection with her. That was the kind of man her father was.

What did not leave Asralda’s ears, however, were the words Aiden had spoken earlier.

‘You have served your purpose and are no longer needed.’

The corners of Asralda’s eyes flushed red. Her voice trembled, though she tried not to show it.

“So… you’re saying that you needed me because of my father?”
“There was a diplomat who had visited Lucias a long time ago, and he said that if I were to have Oscar’s daughter, he would obsess over her obsessively.”

He was right. Oscar was a ruthless father who never showed affection, but ironically, he was frighteningly obsessed with Asralda.

Because of that, Oscar was often portrayed as a father who loved his daughter terribly. However, contrary to what was known, it was an entirely different kind of obsession.

“If he truly loved his daughter, I thought you would be a way to establish contact. That’s why I was considering a suitable method to keep you by my side.”

And that method was none other than marrying her.

Asralda listened absentmindedly to the words pouring out like arrows. She asked, as if her mind had gone blank. Even though she had already heard the answer, she couldn’t let go of the reins until the end, foolishly holding onto them with her own hands.

“So you took me… as your wife only because of my father….”

Caught in confusion, unable to finish her sentence, he willingly confirmed the end for her, bringing her relief.

“It was to use you as bait.”
“…….”
“Even though it’s all for naught now.”

Aiden laughed coldly. It was a mocking laughter, but it wasn’t directed at her. It was more of a self-deprecating laugh about his past choices.

However, that mocking laughter pierced Asralda’s heart like a stake.

Aiden glanced wearily at Asralda, who stood motionless without a word. Then, he briefly turned to Raphil and spoke.

“It seems she has understood enough, Raphil. Now take her out of here.”
“Yes.”

Soon, Asralda’s arms were grabbed and she was pulled outside dumbfoundedly. Her lips quivered, but no sound came out.

But Aiden…

‘There is no other reason.’

You said that to me when you first brought me to this house.

‘I just like the way you smile. That’s all.’

Tears fell onto her dry cheeks. Asralda surrendered her body to the knights, devoid of all willpower.

Even though she had been abandoned in complete indifference, it was still fine. Others might point fingers and label her as a traitor who sold her body and soul to the enemy, but at least he didn’t starve or beat her.

Was it because of that?

Despite the pitiful treatment, she held him endlessly in her heart. Like a fool.

She never confessed to Aiden, but her eyes always followed his back. Even during the months of war when they only met face to face a few times, her feelings only grew stronger and never diminished.

When she realized that he held feelings for another woman, not her, and when he threw divorce papers at her feet…

Always the same.

The knights led Asralda, who seemed half out of her mind, deep into the forest. Darkness descended, and silence enveloped the surroundings. Raphil, who had been wandering around, spoke to the knights.

“This should be enough.”

Upon hearing those words, the knights promptly pushed her roughly to the ground.

Soon, Raphil drew his sword from his hip.

“Carry out the order.”

The sharp blade soon touched Asralda’s neck. She looked at them with unfocused eyes.

“Even if she is a wife brought from the enemy nation, she cannot shed blood in this mansion, can she? The Duke is concerned that it may cause unnecessary suspicions.”

She thought it was the end, but there was still more to come. A bottom even lower than this.

“Besides, since the war is not yet over, it was better to just kill her instead of risking potential repercussions by letting her live.”

“….”

“In the forest, hungry beasts abound, and it would be the perfect place to dispose of the body.”

Raphil laughed as if he truly pitied her.

Finally, the sword swung through the air. A futile smile crossed Asralda’s lips. She had no strength left to resist. Everything felt powerless. Asralda, finally letting go of everything, closed her eyes.

In that brief moment, the day she first met Aiden came back to her, distant in her mind.

‘If I hadn’t been caught by you that day.’

Suddenly, a cold sensation mercilessly sliced through her neck.

‘If I were given another chance.’

She fell to the ground, her eyes losing focus as she gazed up at the sky. She could feel blood gushing out. The searing pain in her throat, the overwhelming ache in her chest.

‘I won’t give my heart to you again, even if given another chance.’

It was a pitch-black darkness, with no stars in sight. In that darkness, Asralda died a lonely death.

It was a silent, miserable death.