Deertes clenched her fists. Feeling her fingernails digging into her palms, she desperately bit her lips. The numbness that made it hard to breathe started to spread through her chest. There used to be a time when he used to call her a forest fairy whilst blushing and kissing her.

There used to be a time when he gave her flowers every day and whispered sweet nothings in her ear and called her “My Forest Fairy” in an affectionate voice. And she did not refuse to be his either. Only now did she learn that his phrase “My Forest Fairy”, is simply a mixture of distrust and ridicule.

“Looking at your eyes, I think I can tell what you want to say, Deertes.”

Meanwhile, Lachlan’s hand went up to her chest and tightly clasped her breasts. Her face quickly distorted and was soon covered with pain.

“What do you mean?”

“You know I have to get to Bernst. So please…”

She could see the fire in Lachlan’s eyes slowly cool. The hand that was grabbing her chest was tight and before long, he began to roughly take off the rest of her clothes. No, it was closer to tearing than taking it off. Upon feeling the Lachlan’s touch, Deertes’ body trembled. Again, this is how the night begins.

Lachlan threw the undressed clothes onto the other side of the bed as if it were annoying before he proceeded to once again bury his face into Deertes’ neck.

“Why me?”

The hot breath on her skin hardened Deertes’ body.

“The king’s army is approaching and you’re the governor of Endeavour. Please, if you think of the peoples’ wellbeing before things start to get even more severe…now!”

Deertes’ eyes widened while she was talking as Lachlan started sucking on her chest.

“Ha, don’t… Ah! Ouch!”

Deertes’ body began to tremble violently on the bed. Lachlan laughed, pressing his body harder onto hers as if it were funny.

“Oh, to think the Daughter of the Countess who was so ashamed to look at me would make such an honest sound. It’s worth all the hard work that I have put into teaching you.”

After laughing for such a long while, Lachlan’s eyes changed. Grabbing Deertes’ wrists in one hand, he raised them up. Lachlan, who was preventing her from moving as if he were catching prey, grabbed Deertes’ face with his other hand. He moved his hand carefully as if he were touching a thin glass. One wrong move and she will end up breaking if too much strength is exerted.

“Deertes, you swore to me that day. You swore to be mine until the day you breathe your last breath.”

He was not wrong, she did swear a vow in order to ensure her survival. On the condition that he was to save her from that hellish desert, he would have her. No title, no fortune, just Deertes herself.

“And…”

Lachlan’s lips met hers. Something hot and damp pushed through the open lips and wandered around roughly. Soon enough, Deertes ran out of breath due to the movement of his tongue that seemed to enter deeply and explore every corner. When she started to curl up, Lachlan opened his mouth regretfully and whispered in her ear.

“…Even if you were to die, I have no intention of letting you go. So give up.”

He spoke as if he were sentencing her.

“You’ll be buried next to me, in this land.”

***

“Ugh…”

Deertes opened her eyes to the cries of the birds by the window. Looking at the window with eyes that were slightly opened, its thin curtains were fluttering under the clear sky. As the cool morning breeze blew in and reached her, she instinctively dug back into the place where the warmth remained.

“Ah.”

Pulling the fluffy blanket towards herself, she found that there was no one beside her. Somehow, she felt cool. There was no one hugging her that would not let go even if she were to have died.

But all the traces of pain he left last night remained the same. Little by little, Deertes woke up and looked at her body with nothing on. Dark marks were scattered all over the place that seemed to indicate that he had long coveted her body even after she had passed out and fell asleep.

When trying to pull the blanket as she did not want to see her body which evidently showed the events that had occurred last night, she felt a sharp pain at her waist.

She recalled what happened last night again. He had mentioned the vows again. She whispered the words that she had said ‘that day’. Her body, which cried at his voice and lost its strength to rebel, never forgot a single word. Once her body started to relax and her rebellion disappeared, Lachlan began to enjoy her body.

From then on, it was even more painful of an experience. However, if it were only pain, she would feel relieved. It was much better than when dawn approached and the sky began to brighten, she would end up finding herself yearning for him.

That moment was the most unbearable. The pleasure and frustration seemed to be eating up her entire body.

Deertes struggled to lift herself up from the bed. Her weak figure was reflected in the long mirror placed next to the bed. Deertes, who had been looking at herself in the mirror for a long time, grabbed the sheet. She remembered when he reflected himself in the mirror last night.

Maybe it was because he did not like her holding back her moans so he pushed further and did not let go until she had shouted.

When she instinctively clung to him harder for fear of falling to the floor when he let go of her hand. He was satisfied with her appearance, gasping like a wild beast, he put more strength in his arms that were holding onto her waist. Eventually, she screamed loudly at his body that touched her deeper.

Her voice, which had been shouting for help, was now crying with pleasure. Only then did a smile grace Lachlan’s face. For a moment, Deertes thought that he would stop smiling like the good old friendlier days. He stopped.

Moreover, Lachlan brought her to the mirror to look at herself by holding her chin.

“Look at yourself, Deertes.”

“…Stop…”

“Are you not curious as to what people would think if they found out that the Forest Fairy that all of them worshipped was gasping like a wild beast under me?”

“Please, stop…”

Deertes voice was again filled with sadness. However, Lachlan started moving again, as if he were enjoying Deertes’ reaction. Her memory turned hazy there, but what was certain was that she was not able to fall asleep until the break of dawn.

Deertes, who was gnawing on her lips, got up from the bed. While she was asleep, the maids must have come in. The clothes that he ripped off last night were no longer there and comfortable clothes were instead placed neatly on top of the drawer.

After dressing up, Deertes approached the window. Beneath it, she could see the garden that she had walked through yesterday. A garden where the once dead plants were now growing. Beyond the fence of the garden, there were hundreds of trees growing thick dark green leaves.

There, a tree named Karan which grows only on the continent of Saul, served as a great prison for Deertes as it prevented her from going outside.

The Karan tree, which had once dedicated everything to her, now no longer even heard her voice.

Even further away from the forest that surrounded the mansion, there was a harbour. A ship that had not existed until yesterday entered the port.

A familiar flag was hung on a familiar type of sailboat. At the top of the sailboat, the flag of Ramedes was seen fluttering in the dry wind.

Around it stood soldiers armed with guns, and in front of them, the people on the ship slowly made their way down. The people’s appearance was so impressive that even she was able to see it from a distance away.

She knew those people. They were from Ramedes.

Wearing clothes that were worn, torn, and covered in dirty stains that could not be washed away. Their smell of a long voyage seemed to travel all the way here. It was that scent that came in mind which made Deertes sigh.

Those that were sent away to foreign lands as a way to seek forgiveness for their sins.

She was like them. She had come to this land to be pardoned for the sins that her father had committed as the heir to the family.

Deertes recalled the day she arrived here.

Chapter 1 – The Governor’s Bride

“We’re reaching land!”

The sailor positioned at the watchtower shouted as they rang the bell. Before long, sailors from all over the deck appeared upon hearing the sound. Soon, the captain made their way down, looked at a faraway place using his telescope before raising his hand. Then, the sailors cheered with joy.

After a long voyage, the transport ship, Baiyan, finally reached the continent of Saul.

The religious sailors immediately looked up at the sky and drew the sign. It was a prayer of gratitude for the grace of God that led them to arrive safely at their destination. When they finished praying, they approached the captain and asked him while pointing their fingers to the floor.

“What should we do? Should we bring them out?”

“Sure, bring everyone out and let them see where they’ll be living in future. Don’t forget to fasten the shackles. We don’t want another crazy one jumping into the sea like last time.”

The crew moved quickly once the captain had granted them permission. Soon, the ship was noisy as they went under the deck. Occasionally a scream and or a cry could be heard. But before long, one by one, the people came up to the deck, some limping slowly.

Once they entered the deck, they all huddled around quietly at a corner. In contrast to the sailors who were extremely happy to have arrived at their destination, their faces held little to no joy. The captain went and stood in front of the people gathered together. He seemed to smile satisfactorily upon noticing the many fearful pairs of eyes that were on him.

Ship Baiyan.

More precisely, the ship that transport prisoners and supplies the Lermel, finally arrived in the span of 84 days. The once 135 prisoners that were on board were reduced to 125. The captain was very satisfied with that. After all, only 10 prisoners were lost during the 84-day voyage. It had set a new record.

However, that was not the result of coincidence or luck. The captain did not forget the officials’ request when he left Ramedes.

“You know how valuable women are there. We ask you to pay close attention to that on-board.”

There, Saul. A colony of Ramedes. The land of demons, the land of opportunity, the land of prisoners and the land for granting pardons.