6: Cage Rusell

Since she spent the better half of her first married year looking up and down for the elusive man, she could recognize him and his route even in her sleep. No one was assigned to help her so she bent her back to find and persecute Cage. Even the lowly guards of Traisen mocked her, the duchess who chased after another man. There were rumors that he was her secret lover. The descent of her reputation started from there.

“I wish I were his lover. He is a better man than Fredrich would ever be”

When she finally met Cage, he eluded her grasp more than one. He said his hobby was messing up noble ladies, seeing them descend into depravity, giving them the pleasure their uptight husbands couldn’t give. Because she was so intent on finding him, it made her his next target.

Natalia fell for his sweet words and started to look forward to seeing him more. She had her dignity as a noble so she didn’t fall for him but the pleasure that Fredrich couldn’t give her tempted her. It was sad that he was her first kiss. He kissed so lovingly and gently, she thought he truly cared a little for her.

It came crashing down in a few more weeks. She was chasing Cage through the town with a concrete plan, thinking she would finally be able to catch him. She was lured with an aphrodisiac and he almost had his way with her. The duke burst in with his guards at that moment, arresting Cage and leaving her there to deal with the effects of the aphrodisiac by herself. Her reputation then was finally ruined. Everyone in the capital began to gossip about the impotent duke and the wayward duchess.

‘This time, Cage, it is you that would be caught in my trap’

She walked freely in the direction of the less appealing side of Traisen. She caught gazes as she walked by, a delicate young woman walking into the jaws of a tiger. It was the same in the past except she wasn’t looked upon delicately because of her ‘masculine’ appearance.

She soon reached her destination, a small bar without a garish sign atop. She walked in and was greeted with foul heat, the scent of various guards after returning from an expedition into the forest of damnation. It would’ve been the vilest thing she smelt if she didn’t go to war.

She walked up straight to the barkeep, staring into the eyes of the young frail boy that stood there. That young frail boy was the accountant for the bandits. The bar was a front used to gather information from the drunken guards. It was the perfect disguise hard to see through.

“What can I do for the beautiful lady today?”

“I wish to order the purple rose”

Those small shaky hands became still. He searched her face for doubt but Natalia’s cold eyes bore down on him. He looked at the drunken mess and looked at the man seated beside the counter. He nodded at him and he invited Natalia behind the counter to a hidden door.

There were stairs that led down below, illuminated by a faint lamp. The boy kept his ear peeled for the sound of her footsteps, hoping she wouldn’t disappear. Even if she tried to hide it, her pale supple skin gave her away; she was a noble. For a noble to seek out his master, they were looking for unimportant information and would pay an exorbitant price. His bonus depended on the safety of the young lady.

“The master is just beyond this door. He…..”

She didn’t wait for him to finish, walking in. Cage was the same as always, a pale-skinned muscular man that spent most of his time doing dangerous things. He had strikingly handsome grey eyes and facial structure, his wavy brown hair the cherry on top.

“Just what god did I please today to bring such a beautiful young woman to my place today?”

He started with flattery, which would’ve made any young lady swoon. Natalia wasn’t buying it. The only reason she thought Cage was better than the duke was that unlike him, he made her feel wanted. It was a nice, fluttering feeling.

“Upon you, Cage Rusell, I place a curse of compliance. Before the world order and the fairy mother, I bind you to me in absolute loyalty until the day you die. You will serve me with your body and mind, bending only to my command”

He groaned, falling to his knees. His whole body shivered under the immense power of the fairies that she held. For someone as lowly as him, it was more than he deserved to live. She wished every last man in the kingdom would die.

“Cage Rusell, from now on, I am your master”

“W-Who are you? Why are you doing this to me?”

“I’m only doing what you deserve. For the thousands of lives you’ve ruined, this is only natural. My name is more than you deserve”

In a flash, she was back in the bathroom. She went out, surprised to see yet another person trespassing in her room. Unfortunately, it was the master of the house. She held her dress and curtseyed.

“I greet you, your grace”

“I heard you want to go out of the castle”

“I only wanted to see how the dukedom looks like and resolve the issues that ail the duke to prove my worth. I don’t know if it’s against the rules”

“It’s not. I’m not a jailer you can go out tomorrow I’ll send guards with you”

“I thank the duke for his generosity” she bowed once more. He glared at her one final time and left. Once he was out of sight, her legs buckled and gave out, bringing her to her knees. She thought he came back to renew his vows. She knew her actions had been irregular since she returned to the past. Thinking about it, it was a kind of luck that she returned before her body could remember the pain of being raped once or several times.

She waved her hand. There was a green flash and a small blue pouch appeared on her hand. She opened it and dipped her finger in it. The content of the pouch was a black powder which surprisingly didn’t stain her hand.

“How lucky. It isn’t every day that one obtains a Basilisk's breath”

The Basilisk was one of the numerous monsters that lived in the forest of damnation. It was dangerous to kill, even for a knight, especially with its poison gaze and breath. Obtaining it without the help of the fairy queen would’ve been too hard for her.

It was soon time for dinner, which meant it was time to test her poison. The application was tricky. She couldn’t sprinkle it on the food or put it on the utensils because they were wired to detect poison. Thus, the best place to put them was across her lips. Licking her lips while she ate wouldn’t be suspicious.

Like always, he was there, waiting with a scornful look. She greeted him with a smile and together, they began to eat. Having applied the poison to her lips beforehand, she ate the subpar food, wondering which one would kill her first.

After dinner, she ran to her room again, vomiting everything she had forced down. It made her terribly ill, keeping her dry heaving even after her stomach was emptied. She washed her face and drug herself to her bed. Waving her hand, a spread of snacks and food, all wrapped up, appeared in front of her. She dipped her hand into a pie and tasted it, relishing in the divine taste.