Wicked Husband-Chapter 25 - 24

Eileen recalled her childhood memories vividly, especially those involving Cesare. They were all happy moments for her.

But one memory stood out among them, clear and distinct.

"Eileen."

As her eyes adjusted to the sudden light, she saw Cesare standing there.

At that moment, twelve-year-old Eileen experienced the most complex and overwhelming emotions of her short life. Unable to sort through the tumultuous thoughts in her mind, she blurted out a strange question.

"Why did you come...?"

Instead of a simple thank you, her response was a bewildering question. In the face of this nonsensical inquiry, Cesare slowly closed and opened his eyes.

"That’s right."

He regarded Eileen as if she were an enigma. His calm red eyes shimmered with emotions unknown to young Eileen. Cesare muttered to himself, seemingly unable to comprehend.

"Why did I come?"

After a moment of contemplation, he silently sat down, untied Eileen’s bound hands, and enveloped her in his embrace. Eileen clung to Cesare with all her might.

Her hands, weakened from being bound for so long, lacked strength. She grasped Cesare’s clothes with trembling fingers. Though she believed she was holding on tightly, in reality, she was merely scratching at the fabric with her nails.

Cesare gently wrapped his hand around Eileen’s trembling one, which was slipping away. Comforting her trembling hand, he nonchalantly spoke.

"Let’s go back."

She had heard that the Crown Prince had gone to war. How had he managed to come all the way here? Neither her parents nor the police had been able to find her, so how had he succeeded? It made her wonder how significant she was to him, for him to journey so far to find her.

She had many questions she wanted to ask, but she couldn’t bring herself to voice any of them. She blacked out for a moment, and when she came to her senses, she found herself back at home.

She had heard that Cesare had been admitted to the palace and then returned to the battlefield. She worried if it was safe for him to wander around during the war, but he didn’t offer any explanation even when she asked the soldiers.

With unanswered questions lingering in her mind, Eileen recorded the day’s events in her diary, accompanied by detailed drawings. She depicted the image of the Crown Prince, who was like a starlight illuminating the darkness.

"Crown Prince..."

Eileen murmured as she woke up with a groan. But everything around her was blurry. She blinked several times to clear her vision.

Gradually, she began to make out her surroundings. It was an old house, likely unused for a long time. Furniture was draped with white cloth, and dust coated the floor. Only moonlight filtering through the window and a small oil lamp placed far away provided illumination.

Eileen placed her hand on her forehead, feeling mild dizziness.She had learned from the medical books that compression of the carotid artery could cause fainting, but she couldn’t believe she had experienced it herself.

As she touched her forehead, she realised something was missing from her face. Her glasses were gone. They must have fallen somewhere when she was brought here. It felt like the shield that had been hiding her had disappeared.

Her chest tightened with tension and fear. Then, amidst the noisy chatter, the door opened, and nearly a dozen men entered the small house.

"Are you awake?"

The man who seemed to be their leader smiled at Eileen. With a frivolous demeanour, he approached her arrogantly. Eileen sat on the floor, looked up at him, and spoke.

"...I don’t know what you want."

She tried to speak clearly, without stuttering, pronouncing each word distinctly.

"You must know, don’t you? His Majesty is a rational man. No matter how much of a Grand Duchess I may become, he won’t negotiate at the cost of unreasonable loss. He would rather accept another woman as his wife than suffer such a loss."

Eileen asserted her value to Cesare’s clear enemy.

"I am a worthless hostage."

The man sniffed and cleared his nose, standing with one leg crooked.

"I thought so too, but I guess not?"

He muttered something incomprehensible.

"They said the reason Cesare defected was because of you."

Defected?

Eileen’s eyes widened at the unfamiliar word, but the man didn’t bother to explain further. He continued speaking, sniffling throughout.

"To be honest, I don’t want anything. I just want to cause chaos."

He squatted down, spitting thick saliva on the floor.

"My life was ruined because of him, so he should lose something too for it to be fair."

His eyes, brimming with malice, were consumed by abnormal madness.

"If, Eileen?"

Eileen thought of Cesare and the lessons imparted to her after her kidnapping at the age of twelve.

"If you sense danger when caught by someone else, don’t resist; just stay still."

He warned against provoking her captors, as it could lead to something worse than harm, such as death or irreparable injury.

Unlike the many threats she had endured, Cesare’s words always ended with gentle reassurance.

"But I promise. Such a thing won’t happen."

"If you wait quietly, I will come and save you."

He urged her not to act rashly but to trust that he would arrive in time to prevent any harm. Eileen repeated Cesare’s words to herself, trembling all over.

’He will definitely come.’

’If I wait quietly, he will come and save me.’

Contrary to her firm belief, her body had already been completely eroded by fear. The man pushed Eileen backwards, causing her to fall, and loosened her trousers.

A string of curses erupted from the man as he fumbled with his belt. He eyed Eileen with a grimace

"Damn it all," he spat. "Cesare, the bastard, must have exquisite taste. Even this... he takes what he wants."

He barked an order at the others. "Get her hair out of the way. Let’s see what we’re dealing with."

Two figures materialised at her sides, pinning her arms roughly. They hauled her upright, shoving her hair aside with a violent gesture.

"..."

In that moment, the interior of the old house was steeped in silence. Eileen instinctively turned her head, only to have the man’s hand firmly grip her chin.

The man gazed at Eileen with incredulity, appearing lost in a daze, as though he had temporarily lost his sanity, and then suddenly muttered.

"Was there a reason for this, right?"

The movement of his hand, now caressing her chin, took on an odd shift. He stroked her cheek and traced the curve of her ear’s shell. A sly smile played across his lips.

"Don’t cry, alright? Let’s find comfort in each other amidst these circumstances."

Eileen pursed her lower lip and shot a glare at the man. Just in case, although it was unlikely, even if Cesare failed to come to her rescue.

She resolved never to say or do anything that would dishonour him. There would be no reaction that would grant them the satisfaction of humiliating the Grand Duke’s woman.

Eileen clenched her jaw, a silent scream trapped in her throat. Just as the man let out a guttural moan, his face inches from hers, a voice sliced through the air.

"Eileen."

She heard a voice, reminiscent of an auditory hallucination. Eileen summoned all her strength and called out to Cesare.

"Your Excellency..."

Her voice, quivering with fear, sounded as if she were a mere twelve-year-old girl. Despite its small and faint nature, it was enough.

Bang!

Shattering the stillness, a volley of gunfire erupted. Kidnappers crumpled like marionettes with their strings cut, one by one. The old house, once a silent sentinel, became a cacophony of terror. Shrieks pierced the air as those struck in the legs writhed on the blood-slick floor, their moans a grotesque chorus.

The men gripping Eileen convulsed in a horrifying dance, their hands releasing their hold like dying flies.

The only person who remained unscathed was the man standing right in front of Eileen.

"F*ck!"

He swiftly seized Eileen, using her as a shield and forcing her to step back. Shortly after, the gunfire ceased, replaced by the sound of approaching footsteps.

With a resounding crash, the door, riddled with bullet holes, was kicked open and collapsed. A lengthy shadow from outside engulfed Eileen and the man.

The silhouette belonged to Cesare, his figure silhouetted against the moonlight as he stood in the doorway.

***