QT: I hijacked a harem system and now I'm ruining every plot(GL)-Chapter 114: I didn’t mean to

Chapter 114 – Cedric POV

Fucking bitch.

I lean against the tree, panting. Every breath burns. My ribs scream. My mouth tastes like blood and humiliation.

She really wanted me dead.

Daphne.

That insufferable brat with her high-and-mighty eyes and that damnable strength. What kind of woman kicks like that? What kind of woman wins?

I press my hand to my side. Something’s broken. Definitely fractured.

But I’m alive.

I drag my gaze to the carriage—and there she is. Evelyn.

She stands in front of the door like a guard dog, eyes blazing, her hair disheveled and her dress stained with dirt and sweat. She looks at me like I’m filth.

So dramatic.

I smirk, ignoring the pain.

"I saw you dragging her here," I say, voice rough but laced with venom.

"Why is she the one in that state when she’s the one who did this to me?"

She flinches—but not with concern. No, she looks disgusted. Good.

"You should be thanking me," I add mockingly. "For not having her arrested. Or killed on the spot. A woman who raises a hand to her lord..."

My lip curls.

"She’s dangerous."

But Evelyn doesn’t cower. She steps closer instead, slow and deliberate.

"If you come near her," she says, her voice low and trembling—not with fear, but fury—"I will finish what she started."

I scoff, amused. She thinks she scares me?

"I was thinking," I begin, straightening just enough to savor her glare, "the whole cause of this mess... is her. I mean, I originally planned to get rid of the man—"

I reach into the torn inner seam of my coat and pull out a small dagger, thin and gleaming in the afternoon light. Evelyn’s eyes snap to it.

"Turns out the bastard is a woman, not a man. That derailed my plans for a bit." I chuckle, the sound dry and cracked with pain.

"But now—now it doesn’t matter."

My body protests, pain flaring in my chest as I push off the tree. I grunt but keep moving forward.

"Now we go back to the original plan. Get rid of her," I say, gesturing toward the carriage with the dagger, "and you’ll have no choice but to come back to me."

Evelyn’s eyes widen.

There’s horror there.

She blocks the door like she’s some kind of knight.

"Put it down," she says, trying to sound calm. Her voice shakes. "You’re not thinking clearly."

I smile. "On the contrary, I’ve never been clearer."

She doesn’t move. Doesn’t flinch. I almost admire it.

Almost.

"You won’t touch her," she says. "You won’t even look at her."

The nerve.

I lunge.

The air splits around us as the blade swings. She crashes into me before it lands. We hit the ground in a tangle of limbs and cloth, her knee driving into my side, my shoulder slamming into a root.

I grunt—pain shooting up my spine—but I don’t stop. She grabs my wrist. I twist, trying to throw her off. Her fingers are surprisingly strong, desperate. I claw at her shoulder and shove hard.

She’s small. Slippery. But she fights like a woman possessed.

"You don’t get to make me the villain!" I snarl.

She screams, "Then stop acting like one!"

We roll. I get on top. The dagger shakes in my grip as I pin her with my knee.

Her eyes—those damn eyes—blaze with defiance.

"You were mine," I growl. "Mine!"

She brings her knee up.

Pain explodes through my groin, white-hot and searing. I collapse sideways with a strangled sound, breath caught in my throat.

She scrambles to her feet, staggering. Blood on her lip. Mud on her dress. Rage in every line of her body.

She scrambles to her feet, staggering. Blood on her lip. Mud on her dress. Rage in every line of her body.

"Just leave us alone!" she yells.

My vision swims, but I rise again.

She charges first this time—unexpected. Nails raking. Hands pushing. I catch her by the waist and slam her into the side of the carriage.

She grunts. Her head hits the wood. She slumps for a moment—but it’s just a moment.

Still, she fights.

Still, she resists me.

"Still so stubborn," I pant, blade rising again. "But I’ll fix that. Once she’s gone, you’ll see sense."

She slaps the blade aside. It cuts her palm, a thin red line blooming across soft skin—but she doesn’t even blink.

She shoves me. Hard.

I stumble back, rage boiling over. That’s it. That’s it.

I lose my patience and shove her off me. She falls to the ground with a sharp cry, hitting the dirt hard.

I turn, breath ragged, and reach for the carriage door.

Just end it. Just one strike and that damn woman will be gone and Evelyn will have to come back. She’ll see reason. She’ll understand.

But then—

She jumps on me.

Claws, teeth, sheer fury.

She bites my shoulder—bites me—snarling like a madwoman. Her nails rake down my face. Her fists pound against my neck and chest and collarbone. She’s everywhere at once, sobbing, screaming, fighting.

"Agggghhh—dammit!" I roar, stumbling.

I panic.

The blade flashes.

And sinks.

Deep.

Straight into her side.

Everything stops.

Her mouth opens, but no sound comes out. Her eyes go wide. Her whole body stiffens.

And I feel it.

The resistance of flesh.

The warmth of her blood spreading over my hand.

The silence is unbearable.

Then—she collapses into me.

Her weight is sudden. Too heavy. Too real.

My arms catch her instinctively.

The dagger is still in my hand.

Still inside her.

And my mind blanks.

"Evelyn..." I whisper, shaking. "No—no, I didn’t..."

I didn’t mean to.

I didn’t mean to hurt her.

Gods—no.

I pull back. She groans, barely conscious, eyes glassy with pain.

Blood soaks her dress, pours through my fingers. I see it—spreading like ink, like guilt.

I didn’t mean to.

In a panic, I shove her off me.

She hits the ground with a horrible, wet thud, and I stare.

For half a heartbeat, I can’t move. Can’t think.

Then—I run.

Into the woods.

Blind.

Breath ragged. Branches whipping at my face. My heart pounding like thunder.

I didn’t mean to.

I didn’t mean to.

I didn’t mean—