Free Web NovelChapter 2: Married To A Yandere
The words disappeared instantly. Esme blinked. And her vision finally cleared. She turned and saw a man standing in front of her. The breath she had been fighting for completely stopped.
Eveyr Aldric was unreal. He looked like something a sculptor had spent a lifetime trying to perfect and still had fallen short of. His dark hair framed his face, falling past his cheeks. His cheekbones were sharp enough to cut glass and his features were flawless. Esme had never seen anyone this gorgeous in her life.
But his face was expressionless. His dark black eyes were empty. There was no light or warmth in them.
Then he moved and bent down. Before she could react, he grabbed her bare forearm and pulled her to her feet. Her knees dangled in the air for a second before he yanked her forward. Her body slammed against his chest so hard that the air got knocked out of her lungs.
"Your Grace..." someone stammered.
Esme tilted her head as much as she could and saw the priest standing nearby. He was clutching an ancient, heavy scripture with his trembling hands.
"D-do you... do you, Duke Eveyr Aldric, take this woman...Esme Sterling, to be your lawfully wedded wife? To hold and to keep, in sorrow and in... in shadow, until the stars fall from...from their..."
"Yes."
The priest flinched as if he had been struck.
"And do you...Esme Sterling...take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To...to honor and to obey, in... in light and in darkness, until..."
Until what? Until he kills me?
The thought was so absurd that she almost laughed but because of the corset she couldn’t.
This isn’t real. This is a dream. I must have fallen asleep reading that stupid novel and now I’m having a vivid, HBO budget nightmare about it.
Any second now I’m going to wake up on my bed with rice on my face and my phone buzzing with another text from my cheating ex-boyfriend.
"I... yes," she said, enjoying the dream.
"Then...by the authority vested in me by the Holy Crown... I declare you husband and wife"
Wow! I never thought I’ll have a wedding dream and that too this much detailed.
"His Grace, Duke Eveyr Aldric and his wife, Lady Esme Aldric."
Eveyr Aldric?? Esme Aldric??
It was only now she heard the names carefully and a chill ran down her spine.
Wait! Is he the same creepy background character who murdered his wife on the wedding night??? I’m not the heroine??? I’m the bride?????
"Now...the vows of blood," the priest said.
Vows of what?
That definitely hadn’t been in the novel. Or maybe it had been. She had skimmed through the murder scene pretty quickly and couldn’t remember the details.
She was still deep in her thoughts, when Eveyr’s hand slid up over her elbow to the back of her head. His fingers threaded into her hair so possessively that her scalp prickled. He tilted her head and leaned down, his lips brushing the shell of her ear.
"I weld my life to your flesh, Esme," he murmured. "Until death dissolves your marrow."
Esme nearly choked.
Until death dissolves your marrow? What kind of vow is this? Maybe murderers prefer these types of vows.
Every instinct in her body screamed at her to step back from his suffocating and predatory proximity. But she didn’t. Instead, she lifted her chin, her lips brushing his jaw.
"Until death," she said without any fear.
Eveyr froze. His fingers tightened in her hair and his pupils dilated. He was surprised, clearly not expecting this level of boldness from his wife.
Interesting. The monster has feelings after all.
Then the priest awkwardly cleared his throat breaking the moment.
"You may now kiss the bride."
No.
Every ounce of bravery she had, evaporated like water on a hot stove.
Please, God, or the universe, or whatever force of nature put me here... please wake me up. Please end this dream. I don’t want to be kissed by a murderer, even though it’s a dream. I promise I’ll never complain about anything. I’ll be grateful for every single miserable day of my life if you just...
Before she could finish, Eveyr cupped her face. She froze as he leaned forward. Esme squeezed her eyes shut. She could feel his lips just a few inches from hers. She waited for them to touch hers but nothing happened. He pressed his lips gently on the corner of her mouth, instead.
"I can feel your pulse," he whispered. "It’s racing like a frightened rabbit. Are you afraid, Esme?"
She couldn’t answer.
"Good," he murmured. "You should be."
Then he stepped back and just like the wedding was over. There was no reception, no laughter or music. The cathedral was empty except for the two of them and the priest who had already ran away.
Eveyr without wasting a single second intertwined their fingers and began walking towards the cathedral’s exit. Esme had no choice but to follow.
Why is this dream not ending??
She looked around the cathedral once more, then at Eveyr dragging her. It felt too real. Slowly, dread settled into her stomach.
Am I really dreaming? Or is it real? Transmigration?? And that blurred text earlier was real???
She had read about transmigration a hundred of times and had spent entire weekends buried in Webnovel stories about ordinary women dying and waking up inside fictional worlds. It was one of the most popular genres on the entire platform, and she loved it.
The main character always gets a system and wakes up at a critical plot point. And then she has to change the story to survive.
Cathedral doors swung open as Eveyr approached them, pushed open from the outside by the servants. The cold night air hit her face like a slap. Outside, a black carriage was already waiting for them.
Eveyr put his hand on her back and pushed her inside the carriage. She stumbled and landed on the dark velvet seat with a soft thump. Eveyr climbed in after her and sat beside her.
His shoulder pinned her against the carriage door, making her trapped between the carriage door and the duke with nowhere to go and no room to breathe.
The carriage slowly rolled forward. He didn’t speak or look at her. He sat perfectly still with his hands resting on his thighs and looking ahead.
Esme had so many questions but no one to answer. She didn’t want to die even before the wedding night by asking anything from Eveyr. So she kept her mouth shut.
System will explain everything to me. If I really have transmigrated, then system will help me.
After a few minutes, the carriage stopped. Eveyr stepped out first. Then he turned and offered her his hand. She took it hesitantly as he helped her down from the carriage.
Aldric Keep rose before her like a dark, massive and intimidating castle.
Of course he lives in a gothic nightmare castle.
They entered through the main gates. Servants appeared and vanished like ghosts. None of them spoke or looked at her directly. They were terrified.
Eveyr led her up a grand staircase, still holding her hand tightly. After walking for a while through the endless corridors, he finally stopped in front of a massive doors.
Eveyr pushed the doors open and they stepped inside. The suite was enormous. High ceiling, cozy fireplace, dark floor, and a huge bed.
Eveyr released her hand and walked towards the nightstand. Esme’s heart stopped when she saw him picking up a dagger from a small tray. It was the same dagger he had used to kill original Esme in the novel.
OH MY GOD!! HE IS GOING TO KILL ME!!
He walked to her in two strides and stopped so close that his breath stirred the loose hairs at her temple, caging her against the wall. Then slowly, he placed the dagger on her throat.
"You didn’t shake at the altar, Esme," he murmured. "Why aren’t you crying? Why aren’t you begging me for your life?"
Esme’s heart was pounding. She was scared but she also knew that showing a single sign of weakness would be the end of her. So, she slowly lifted her hand and grabbed his wrist, surprising him.
"Because my corset is too tight for me to waste breath on crying, Your Grace," she replied, looking straight into his eyes. "Cut the laces of my corset or put the blade away."
His gaze dropped from her eyes to her mouth. Then he smiled. It was the most unsettling thing Esme had ever seen in her life. But yet it was beautiful.
Stop it! He is holding a knife to your throat. Focus.
Eveyr lowered the dagger. Esme barely had time to feel relief before he moved behind her. He touched her back, his fingers grazing her corset’s laces. Then in one swift motion he cut them.
Esme gasped as the dress fell down, pooling around her feet, leaving her standing in a thin, translucent white silk slip.
Eveyr then dropped the dagger and moved his hands from her waist to her bare shoulders. He turned her, pulling her body against his.
Before she could see him, a blue light exploded in her vision.
[SYSTEM ALERT: Obsession Meter: 1% → 18%.]
CRITICAL WARNING: Target’s murderous intent has mutated into absolute fixation.
Threat Level: PREDATORY
The text hovered in the air for three seconds. Then it vanished.
What??
Esme was still trying to understand what that meant when Eveyr leaned forward. His hair brushed her cheeks. She could feel his pounding heart against her chest.
"A magnificent invitation," he whispered as he tightened his grip on her shoulders and pulled her even closer. "Let us see if you can survive the consequences of my hunger, wife."
