Vulgar Marriage - Chapter 15

Chapter 8.1

“…It’s nothing—”

Dominic grabbed the hem of her wrinkled dress and waved it in front of her face. A visible stain remained where she hadn’t managed to brush off the dirt.

“You call this nothing? Is the princess of the East so frail that falling and rolling on the ground is just a regular occurrence now?”

He grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her face close. Their eyes locked, only inches apart.

“Tell me who pushed you.”

“…”

“Fine. I’ll figure it out myself.”

“Wait—ah!”

Before she could protest, Dominic scooped her up in his arms. Livi’s eyes widened in shock, and she began to flail. Unbothered, he casually slung her over his shoulder.

“Let me go! Put me down!”

He completely ignored Livi’s fists pounding against his back. With every long stride Dominic took, her head bobbed, making her dizzy.

She was holding on through sheer willpower, but after the grueling ordeal of the previous night, it was a wonder she wasn’t in worse shape. Fortunately, Dominic stopped before she could vomit.

“Open your eyes.”

He set her down on the horse, unceremoniously plopping her down as if she were no more than a sack of grain. She scowled.

“Stay put, wife. Don’t go falling off again.”

“What are you going to do…”

Dominic ignored her and called the knights over. Those who had been saddling their horses quickly lined up in front of him.

In a low, commanding voice, he addressed them.

“Who laid a hand on my wife?”

“…”

“I won’t ask again.”

The knights shuffled uncomfortably until one of them stepped forward. It was the same knight who had rudely shoved past Livi earlier and walked off without a word.

“Spare me the excuses.”

Dominic unfastened the scabbard from his belt, gripped the blade, and swung it hard. The blunt side struck the knight across the head with a resounding whack, and he staggered before collapsing.

“Get up.”

“…Yes, Your—Ugh!”

Before the knight could fully rise, Dominic kicked him hard in the stomach. He doubled over, clutching his belly as saliva dribbled out of his mouth. This time, Dominic didn’t bother telling him to get up. He delivered a few more brutal kicks until the knight lay crumpled on the ground.

“Dump him back in the inn. As of today, he’s no longer a part of my knights.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Even though their comrade had just been beaten to a pulp, none of the other knights dared say a word.

Livi was stunned. She had no personal connection to the knight, but her heart raced at the scene before her. How could they all be so indifferent to such violence?

Dominic secured the scabbard back to his belt and walked toward her. As she lay awkwardly slumped over the horse, her body stiffened. He picked up on the small movement immediately.

“What’s the matter? Scared?”

Dominic leaned in close, his face mere inches from hers. It was the same expression he had worn the night before when he relentlessly tormented her in bed. It was the cruel look of someone who enjoyed her fear and confusion.

Livi deliberately looked away.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh? So you can handle this much? Good to know.”

He smirked and swung up onto the horse behind her.

Livi shifted, swinging her legs over one side of the saddle. She knew how to ride properly, but the pain made it impossible to straddle the horse in a stable position. Dominic noticed her discomfort and wrapped an arm tightly around her waist, pulling her against him.

“There’s no carriage. We’ll be riding fast, so hold on as best you can.”

As soon as the other knights mounted their horses, Dominic spurred his forward. The horse galloped off at a speed much rougher than before. The world was blurring past so fast that Livi’s stomach began to churn.

Pale-faced, Livi clutched the reins tightly. She had no idea horses could run this fast. She had seen young lords race for fun a few times before, but this was nothing like that.

She fought to keep the nausea at bay, determined not to let Dominic see that she was struggling. It was the last shred of dignity she had left.

But it was a battle she was destined to lose. Dominic rode on without the slightest regard for her, and she nearly slipped off the horse more than once.

Eventually, despite her best efforts to hold on, Livi passed out before half the day had passed.

When she regained consciousness, the horse had come to a stop. Slowly, Livi blinked her stiff eyes open and pushed herself up from where she’d been slumped over the horse.

What she saw through her crusted eyelids was an entirely unfamiliar landscape. Gone were the barren plains. They had entered a thick forest. Startled, Livi quickly straightened up, almost slipping off the horse again.

“Whoa, careful…”

A hand steadied her as her body tilted precariously to the side.

“Take it easy. Even if you’re awake, your body might not be fully recovered.”