MHR 02

Chapter 2

Of all days, it had to be that day—I waited for Damon and ended up completely drunk.

“You’ve got money, you’ve got a house, you don’t even need to worry about the future, so why make your life harder than it needs to be? Let’s have a child, raise a dog, and live happily together. I’ll be good to you. Please?”

I put on a dreamy expression, genuinely imagining how nice it would be to live like that.

And then, pathetically, I burst into tears.

Before possessing this body, I’d been abandoned as an orphan and raised in a children’s home.

After becoming an adult and striking out on my own, I’d struggled just to survive, juggling two or three part-time jobs at once.

Because I’d lived such a lonely, exhausting past life, I longed for a warm, happy family.

If Damon changed his heart, it wouldn’t be an impossible dream.

“Damon… please…”

Without even wiping away my tears, I begged him.

“Have you already forgotten why I married someone like you?”

Damon glared at me with utter contempt before turning his back on me. A cold wind brushed past my nose, and my chest collapsed inward.

“You were the one crying and clinging to me, saying you’d do anything if I married you. If you won’t play your role properly, then go back to your family—Mercia, the mongrel dogs.”

Clarissa’s Mercia family had served as stewards to the empire’s one and only Laction Ducal House for generations.

To Damon—who lived solely to bring that house to ruin—Clarissa had been useful.

That was the only reason he’d shown her any interest. But naïve Clarissa mistook it for affection, fluttered with hope, and fell completely in love.

Her love for Damon was absolute—pure devotion itself.

He never whispered sweet words of love to her. He didn’t care whether she was sick or dying.

Even though they were married, they never shared a bedroom. Even at parties, he wouldn’t let her touch his hand.

And yet—she threw away her life for him.

Though I now inhabited Clarissa’s body, I never wanted to live like that.

Even in my previous life, I never clung desperately to things I couldn’t have.

If anything, I gave up quickly—but that was the only way to avoid getting hurt over and over again.

So even after being possessed into another world, if I wanted to protect myself, I had to give up on Damon.

I fangirled over him for a bit, sure—but I don’t love him enough to die for him. I should divorce him before things get worse.

“Damon. Let’s get a divorce!”

It was late at night.

After wandering outside endlessly, Damon was rarely home—but I finally managed to catch him. I couldn’t miss this chance, so I shoved the divorce papers at him without even asking if he’d returned safely.

Damon’s expression twisted violently.

“Have you finally gone insane?”

“Of course not. I—I know it’s sudden to bring up divorce the moment you come home after so long, so it must be shocking. But I didn’t know when I’d see you again, so I had no choice.”

Damon disappearing without notice was the norm. Even when he returned, he’d only change clothes before heading straight back out.

Worried, Clarissa used to cling to the window, waiting desperately for his return.

But I knew exactly what he was doing.

Bound by a contract with Duke Laction, Damon worked nonstop as the duke’s hunting dog.

Many of the duke’s orders were life-threatening.

Yet for the sake of his grand revenge, Damon never complained.

To keep the duke reassured, he played the loyal servant, doing every filthy task without hesitation.

Serving the very man he wanted to kill—it was only natural that the stress was unbearable.

That’s why whenever he returned to the estate, Damon was always razor-sharp.

Now, with me suddenly thrusting divorce papers at him, his irritation clearly exploded.

“So this is about me not coming home? How tiresome.”

He brushed past me without a second glance.

The divorce papers fluttered helplessly from my hand and fell to the floor.

“Damon, don’t go. I couldn’t even sleep properly waiting for you.”

“I never told you to wait.”

“I needed to see you. Please—just divorce me.”

“Don’t bother me, Clarissa. I’m exhausted.”

Not from work—but from Clarissa’s obsession. That was what his tone implied.

“Then let’s divorce.”

“Milan. Take the madam away.”

Damon’s personal attendant, Milan, stepped in front of me.

“Milan. Move.”

I glared at him sharply.

After hesitating, Milan seemed to decide it wasn’t his place to interfere in a marital dispute and stepped back.

“Damon.”

He didn’t even respond.

I picked up the divorce papers and chased after him.

“Wait! I’m not finished talking. I spent half the day riding a carriage to the temple just to get these papers. Do you think I did that for fun?”

“So?”

“So?! That’s how desperate I am for this divorce!”

“Desperate?”

Damon scoffed, as if the idea itself were ridiculous.

“Yes! You don’t even treat me like your wife. Sure, I begged you to marry me—but that doesn’t mean you get to avoid being a husband. Since we married, have we ever once lived like a married couple?”

“……”

“We’re married but living like strangers. This relationship is wrong. It has to end.”

Who would dare speak so bluntly to Damon Craig?

As expected, he reacted with displeasure, running a hand through his hair.

Then his golden eyes—sharp as drawn blades—fixed on me.

Fear surged through me, but I steeled myself.

“I know you don’t like me at all. I know I annoy you.”

My shoulders involuntarily shrank.

You always grow smaller in front of someone who despises you.

My eyes burned.

“You married me because you thought the steward’s daughter of the duke you hate would be useful—but I’m not useful at all. I’m sorry. Saying I’d help you somehow was a lie.”

“……”

“I won’t help your revenge—not even a little. So please, divorce me.”

My pleading voice trembled pitifully.

“If you divorce me, I’ll never bother you again. I won’t even return to my family, considering how often you visit the duke’s estate. I can handle that much.”

“……”

“Of course, for that to be possible, you’ll need to give me a lot of alimony. But considering your finances, it won’t hurt you at all. In exchange, you’ll be rid of a useless, annoying woman—so it’s a good deal.”

I respectfully held out the divorce papers.

Damon took them, skimmed the contents, and snorted.

“So you’ve changed your plan now?”

“……What plan?”

“The plan to get my attention. Just recently, you were pestering me about having a child.”

My face flushed as I remembered.

That was right after I possessed this body—I hadn’t understood the situation yet!

I’d been completely taken in by Damon’s looks and strength.

And suddenly becoming a wealthy noblewoman had awakened desires I’d never had before.

A warm family—something I’d never even dared to dream of in my past life.

The alcohol hadn’t helped either.

“I’m sorry about that. The idea of a child between you and me—it’s absurd. You hate even brushing against me.”

Though Clarissa was only a minor villain, she had gentle eyes and a slender figure that stirred protective instincts.

When I first saw my reflection—golden hair and violet eyes—I’d been stunned.

I wasn’t even the female lead—was it really okay for me to be this pretty?

And yet Damon not only ignored such a beautiful wife who adored him—he mocked her.

“So you thought asking for a divorce would make me interested? Did you think I’d hug you?”

He chuckled arrogantly, clearly amused, then slowly lifted his gaze to me.

His black hair, damp with night dew, shimmered in the candlelight.

With his chin slightly lowered and his eyes raised toward me, his gaze was so sensual it made my breath hitch.

He looks like a vampire.

The image of a beautiful, seductive vampire made my neck tingle.

At the same time, icy fear raced down my spine.

“Clarissa.”

He spoke my name in a low, husky voice.

It felt like a spell pressing down on my entire body—I froze completely.

All I could do was look up at him with frightened eyes.

“Come closer.”

He crooked a long, pale finger.

When I hesitated, Damon reached out, grabbed the back of my head, and pulled me in.

He whispered into my ear from within his arms.

“There are only two ways to get my attention.”

His voice was thick, sweet, and dangerously intoxicating.

“Bring me the duke’s head—or find the forbidden grimoire he’s hidden. If you can’t do that, live as if you don’t exist. Understand?”

It was a warning: don’t bother him unless I could give him what he wanted.

Threatening, dismissing, crushing his wife like this—simply because she asked for a divorce.

I wanted to escape his arms immediately, but with his hand gripping the back of my head, I couldn’t move.

After struggling helplessly for a while, I went limp.

I realized I could do nothing unless he let me go.

Satisfied, Damon pressed his face close.

“Be grateful that I’m even letting someone as useless as you live, Clarissa.”

“……!”

“Don’t ever think of bringing this kind of paper to me again. Understood? Say it—‘I understand.’ Now.”

His grip tightened, forcing my lips apart.

His gaze slid slowly down to my mouth.

That violent stare lingered there, as if he might devour my lips at any moment.

I couldn’t even breathe properly—my chest heaved.

At that moment, two words surfaced in my mind.

Revenge.

I’ll make you pay for this helplessness I feel today.