The System Gave Me A Yandere Husband

Chapter 48: Marking Her

Julian still holds political leverage over your commanders," Esme said, "If we hide in this townhouse like frightened animals, he will dismantle your army through Imperial decrees and trade sanctions. He will cut off our supply lines without ever drawing a sword."

She stopped pacing and finally looked at him.

"So...we can’t stay trapped here. We need to be seen in high society to secure our assets. I need to smile at the nobles, host the galas, and play the game. I am your Duchess, Eveyr. Let me do my job."

The mere thought of letting her out into a world filled with other men, arrogant lords, and Julian’s spies made Eveyr’s skin crawl with revulsion.

Suddenly, a notification appeared in Esme’s vision.

[Agitation Level: 15%]

[Vitality Drain paused]

Esme finally breathed properly as the agonizing pressure in her lungs lifted. Finally, her strategy was working as his possessive paranoia of the outside world was the key to her survival.

"No," Eveyr replied immediately, closing the distance between the two of them in two strides. "I don’t care about trade sanctions or Julian’s leverage. After what happened at the forest...I won’t let them lay eyes on you again. You will stay here with me. Here you are safe."

"Safety?" Esme repeated and gestured towards pine trees. "Look at this room, Eveyr. You didn’t build something beautiful. You just built another cage for me. You want me to stay locked here until I die? But let me tell you...I am not a corpse to be preserved."

Pain flashed in Eveyr’s eyes that caught Esme off guard. For a second, his monster aura had vanished, leaving only a traumatized man.

"The Imperial Court is no place for your games, Esme. Just because you won a few doesn’t mean you’ll never lose. It is a slaughterhouse. And I will not let you walk into it."

She smiled and put her hands against his chest, feeling his heart hammering like a caged animal.

"Are you still doubting me?" Esme said softly, looking into his eyes. "Have you forgotten I am the only person in this entire kingdom who can control you? The woman who saved you from the assassins? The woman who bankrupted my own family?"

She slid her hands up to his shoulders, gripping them tightly.

"I am not going to be a sheep in their slaughterhouse," Esme said confidently. "I am going to be the wolf. But I cannot hunt if you keep me locked in a cage."

Eveyr looked at her, anxious. He hated the politics, the court, and most importantly he was terrified of the knives waiting for her in the dark. But as he looked at fire in her eyes, he knew she was right. She was a predator, not a prey.

"If you burn everyone, the entire empire will unite against the North," Esme added immediately, sensing his hesitation. "We will be fighting a war on four fronts. We need to force Julian to make a mistake so big that even his own father couldn’t help him. And for that...we need to play the political game, or you lose everything you have spent your life building."

Eveyr clenched his fists and closed his eyes to suppress his anger.

"If they touch you..."

"They won’t," Esme cut him off immediately. "Because I am going to make you a deal."

Eveyr opened his eyes, his brows knitting together.

"What deal?"

Slowly, Esme lifted her hand and swept her hair over her right shoulder, exposing her neck.

Eveyr’s eyes instantly dropped to her neck. His breathing suddenly turned shallow and hitched.

"Mark me," Esme murmured. "Put a ward on me. So you know exactly where I am, who I am with, and what I am doing, every single second of the day. And in exchange... you open the gates of this house."

Eveyr froze. Out of all the things, he had never expected Esme to ask for a blood ward. It wasn’t just a tracking spell. It was an intimate ward that linked the physical sensations, and heartbeat of the bearer directly to the soul of the caster.

The offer to let him physically brand her with his magic was intoxicating to him. His obsessive need for absolute control fought against his paranoia of the outside world... and the obsession was winning.

After a few seconds, Eveyr raised his right hand and traced her throat gently. His touch was burning hot against her cold skin. He could already feel her pulse dancing under his fingertips.

"Do you understand what you are asking for, Esme?" Eveyr murmured. "If I place this ward... you will never truly leave my sight. I will feel every spike of your pulse. If someone just brushes their body against yours, I will feel it."

Esme looked at him unwavering.

"I know. And I still want it," she replied.

Let them look at me. Let them insult me. Let them accidentally brush my hand. I need them to make you angry so I can live.

Eveyr’s restraint finally broke as he pressed his index and middle fingers firmly against the base of her neck. Esme gasped softly. A burning sensation suddenly exploded through her veins, different from the pain of the system’s drain.

Under Eveyr’s fingertips, an intricate magical rune slowly etched itself invisibly into her skin, binding her to Eveyr’s soul.

Eveyr then pulled his hand away, breathing heavily. He could feel the steady heartbeat of her heart echoing inside his own chest now.

In Esme’s vision, the system interface appeared once again.

[Vitality Restored to 40%]

[Notice: New point economy unlocked. Target agitation must now be generated via external societal friction and jealousy]

Esme was scared but she didn’t let that show on her face. She moved her hand and touched the burning mark on her neck. She had finally convinced him to open the doors of the townhouse.

But when she looked at Eveyr, a sudden realization hit her. She had won her freedom, only to bind herself even more tightly to the monster standing in front of her.