The System Gave Me A Yandere Husband

Chapter 13: Dying Again

Esme walked out of the Imperial Gardens looking calm and composed though her heart was racing unbelievably faster. She stepped past the palace guards and entered into the carriage.

As soon as she closed the door, Eveyr’s arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her onto his lap.

"What did he want?" Eveyr murmured, burying his face in the crook of her neck to check if her skin had another man’s scent.

"Crown Prince Julian didn’t want anything," Esme replied, leaning back against his chest. "He just wanted to deliver the news himself. The Emperor is officially appointing you as the Supreme Commander of the Southern Campaign."

Eveyr lifted his head, his eyebrows knitting together.

"The South? The border has been quiet for months."

"He says you depart in three days," Esme continued, turning her head to watch his reaction. "For a year."

Eveyr stared at her. Then he chuckled. He was amused.

"Julian is playing a childish game," he said dismissively, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "He is trying to get a reaction from you. And look at you...you are already trembling. Are you really that terrified of being separated from me?"

"I am not terrified," Esme snapped, trying to pull away from his grip. "I don’t care where the Emperor sends you."

But Eveyr’s grip on her only tightened. He smirked, completely unbothered by her coldness.

"If you really don’t care, wife, then I guess it shouldn’t matter to you if I pack my sword and disappear for a year. Perhaps the southern air will bring me some good."

Esme glared at him. He was teasing her. He thought Julian was lying so he didn’t take the news seriously. And because of that his obsession meter wasn’t rising. Her system points remained stagnant which frustrated her even more.

But Eveyr’s amusement vanished completely that evening. He sat behind his desk in his private study, reading a scroll bearing the Emperor’s official seal.

Julian hadn’t been joking. The Emperor was indeed sending him to the southern border in three days.

Eveyr leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing and fingers tapping slowly on the armrest. He knew Esme had originally been planted in his estate as Julian’s spy. If she had successfully tamed him in front of the world, the most logical move for Julian would be to keep them together, using Esme as a leash to control him.

But he was trying to separate them. If Julian was deliberately tearing them apart, it meant one of two things: either Julian considered Esme a failed spy who had defected, or he considered her a threat who needed to be isolated and eliminated.

No!! I would rather slaughter the entire Imperial Council before I leave her alone in a city full of wolves.

The following morning was the Imperial Hunt. It was the last public event before the military deployments began. The sprawling autumn forests outside the capital were filled with aristocrats, pavilions, and the sound of hunting hounds.

But for Esme, it was a battlefield. A blaring warning flashed in her vision. She had only 280 points. She had spent the last evening scrolling through the system shop to find something that could prevent Eveyr from leaving.

After hours of scrolling, she had found a ’Proximity Tether.’ It was a magical item that would physically prevent Eveyr from leaving her side. But it was very expensive. She needed a huge jealousy trigger today to farm the required points, or she would be dead within days.

She spotted her target standing near the stables. Prince Alistair of the Western Isles, was a visiting royal who was young, handsome and very charming.

Esme approached him with a bright and dazzling smile while Eveyr was busy with another nobles.

"Prince Alistair. I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced," she said warmly.

He turned, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Duchess Aldric! The woman who tamed the North’s monster. It’s an honour to finally meet you."

Esme took a step forward, invading his personal space so that they’d look intimate to anyone watching them.

"He is my husband, not a pet. Your Highness," she laughed.

Alistair chuckled, completely captivated by her beauty and charm.

"Of course, forgive me. Though I must admit, I expected his bride to be intimidating. But you...you are an absolute vision, Your Grace."

"You are too kind," Esme replied.

As a stable boy brought over her white mare, Alistair immediately stepped forward to help.

"Allow me, Duchess."

Esme smiled and put her hands lightly on his shoulders, letting him grip her waist as he lifted her into the saddle. She held his gaze the entire time, intentionally letting her hands rest on his coat for a second too long.

Come on, Eveyr!

She braced herself for his violent reaction. She waited for the temperature to drop. But nothing happened.

Fifty yards away, Eveyr sat perfectly calm on his black horse. He was watching her flirt with the foreign prince. But his eyes weren’t filled with uncontrollable rage. Instead, they were icy, sharp, and analytical.

He watched the way Esme laughed and noted how forced and hollow it sounded. He watched her lean into Alistair’s space. But he also noticed how her eyes kept nervously darting towards him.

She wasn’t flirting. She was doing that to check his reaction.

"It’s a performance," he muttered under his breath. "She isn’t smitten by the foolish prince. She is intentionally trying to provoke my obsession. For some reason, she wants me to lose control."

Instead of summoning his magic, Eveyr made a different and calculated move. He smoothly pulled on the reins and turned his horse around. He completely ignored Esme and rode in the opposite direction, pulling up beside Lady Vespera, a beautiful woman who was his commander.

He gave her a rare, charming smile and started a deep conversation with her, turning his back on Esme.

Esme sat frozen in her saddle. Eveyr was laughing with another woman. He had recognized the game, and had refused to play. Suddenly a jagged red alarm tore across her vision. It was so bright that it almost blinded her.

CRITICAL NOTICE: TARGET HAS ACHIEVED APATHY.

Obsession Meter Dropping

Vitality Drain Level 4 Initiated

Esme gasped aloud. She felt as if a sharp blade had pierced straight through her chest. Her riding crop slipped from her trembling hand, clattering on the ground. She gripped the saddle tightly and forced herself to breathe. But each inhale felt like swallowing glass.

Oh god!! No!!! I’m going to die again!!!