3 The Mysterious Man

CREAK

Edna hastily turned to find Uncle Jo standing with a candle in his hand. The man stared at Edna in puzzlement, while Edna stiffened in her place. The door that she believed to be locked was wide open. Then, she could see the knife in Uncle Jo's hand. It seemed he used it to break the lock off the door.

"Edna? You-"

Edna, who was afraid of being caught, didn't care about Uncle Jo anymore. Fear overtook her, and her body reflexively wanted to run away as fast as possible. However, Jonathan's long strides could catch up to Edna, and he pulled the girl's body away from the window easily.

"Let go! Let me go!" Edna growled, trying to break free from Uncle Jo.

"You want to run away, huh? I will report this to your parents!" he threatened.

Edna still tried to break free, but Jonathan's grip was too tight. Jonathan, with all his might, held Edna who kept kicking him relentlessly. He pushed Edna onto the bed and held her feet as well as her hands, so the girl wouldn't be able to move.

"Uncle Joe! I will scream! Everyone will know that you are always trying to break into my room!"

"Oh, shout to your heart's content! I will tell your father, as well as your stepmother that you plan on running away," Jonathan replied with a nasty grin.

He leaned in, inhaling the sweet scent of Edna's neck. This girl... made Jonathan want to do more. Besides, this way, Edna would have no other choice but to marry him. The hell with his promise to his brother-in-law. He would make Edna his tonight.

Hopelessness slowly enveloped Edna's heart. This was not what she had planned. She was sure that she had locked her bedroom door. She even checked it twice! How could that man break the lock on her bedroom door without her knowing about it?

"Ack!" Edna tried to shake off her uncle's hand that was trying to touch her breasts. She couldn't hold back her tears any longer. It was really disgusting. She felt like vomiting any minute.

With a mind that had lost its rationality, Edna reached for the scissors that she put in her trouser pocket. She somehow found the courage to defend herself for the first time. She raised her hand high, then she thrust the tip of the scissors right into Jonathan's chest.

STAB!

Jonathan's body instantly fell on Edna's body. Seeing it, Edna fell into a dilemma…

"Wh-what have I... done?" she muttered after realizing what she had done to her uncle.

With trembling hands, Edna pushed Jonathan's body away until it fell onto the cold floor. Her clothes were dyed with blood. So were her hands and face. If anyone saw it, Edna would be dragged off to prison immediately.

Or at worst… she would be beheaded in the middle of the plaza.

Edna closed her eyes tightly. She ran as fast as she could towards the window and then grabbed her bag, which had been hidden behind the bushes.

She knew the ins and outs of the Westfall residence. The guards in this residence were not too tight. Because they were nobles whose social status was not too high, security was not the main thing they prioritized.

Edna made it out of the Westfall residence after successfully climbing over the wall of the collapsed gate at the back. She fled towards the settlement. In the middle of a cold night, Edna walked down a very quiet street.

She had to find a river immediately to wash away the traces of Jonathan's blood that covered all over her body, as well as her clothes.

Tomorrow morning, Edna would definitely be made a fugitive. Overnight, she had become a killer. Even though just a few hours ago, Edna was still struggling with her family's bookkeeping. She could never come back after this. She had to escape from this kingdom.

Edna couldn't stay in this city or kingdom any longer. Even though she was a hidden child, her father had many acquaintances in this kingdom because many nobles knew her father. If her father asked for their help to find her whereabouts, it would be the death of her...

Her stepmother, Marchioness Westfall, would never forgive her.

Edna momentarily stopped when she saw a shadow in front of her. In the middle of the bridge stood a man in a red robe, all by himself. He stared at the river below with a sorrowful expression while the dazzling moonlight shone on him. For a few seconds, Edna was bewitched by him.

She even forgot the fact that she could be accused of murder with her current messy appearance.

The street lights, as well as the moonlight, helped Edna see the man's sorrowful expression more clearly. His long red hair blazed like flames. Blown by the night wind, it swayed beautifully, like tongues of flame spreading in a fireplace.

In his right ear were three long earrings that collided together, forming a gentle tinkling sound.

Feeling someone's gaze, the man turned to Edna. His firm brows were slightly furrowed, while his brilliant golden irises pierced Edna's heart and even her soul, making it hard for her to breathe.

Edna held her breath as the man sized her up from head to toe.

Then he walked closer without taking his eyes off her. For some reason, Edna suddenly felt her face heat up. Even her heart was pounding hard, as though there was a small drum beating near her ear.

The closer the man walked, the more Edna realized that he was huge. Edna was no longer in awe. The handsome face of the man turned scary, giving her a cold chill. His sorrowful expression vanished and was replaced by an angry expression.

The man looked furious. Edna could even feel a cold-chilling sensation seeping into her bones, and her legs suddenly turned like jelly. She was trembling and could fall to the ground at any moment.

"I-"

The man, however, passed Edna like she was invisible, and Edna eventually fell to the ground. The domineering aura surrounding the man prevented Edna from moving. She had never felt so intimidated before. Even the fear she felt for her stepmother or Uncle Jo had never been this strong.

The man gave off a true killing aura. Edna's instincts told her that she shouldn't get involved with the mysterious red-haired man.

Edna turned around. The mysterious man was no longer seen. No matter how much she tried to enhance her vision, she found no trace of him. The man seemed to disappear out of thin air.

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From Gigi:

Welcome to my new book. Meet Edna and Maximilian in my first dark romance. This is a new sub genre for me and I am excited about the journey I will embark with you all. Please show your support by giving this book a review, and of course your votes will be much appreciated.

This book is also my entry for WSA. Though I join late, I hope I can still compete with the others. Huhuhu... wish me luck!