To Those Who Wish For My Destruction - Chapter 1

No one could have imagined that two families that had been longtime enemies would be united in marriage.

 

No one remembers when or how it started, but the Heidegger and Bungler’s fights and duels were a regular occurrence.

 

The fight eventually became a problem. A Duke intervened in the fight that happened like any other day, but it became exceptionally fierce. As a result, four people were killed, and the Duke lost his arm.

 

The Emperor was so angry that he ordered a marriage to end the fighting between the two families.

 

The misfortune began with him.

 

At the time, the Young Duke Gideon of Heidegger had a woman he loved, but he could not defy the royal order. In the end, he had to leave her and take Paola Bengler, a member of his rival family as his wife.

 

Paola, on the other hand, it was the happiest day of her life, for she secretly adored the young, cold-hearted swordmaster Gideon.

 

Her parents, the Duke and Duchess Bengler, were ready to fight against the imperial order for the sake of their daughter, but Paola considered this to be fate.

 

However, her happiness was brutally trampled on on her wedding night.

 

Gideon had no regard for a bride who married without love. He took her innocence roughly without even touching her, let alone foreplay.

 

Paola shuddered with pain and humiliation in her first experience.

 

“Don’t you dare look at me!”

 

Gideon gave her a stern look and covered Paola’s face with a pillow. Then, quickly, he sprang up.

 

“I’d rather holding  a wh*re.”

 

He said, pulling on his gown and walked out.

 

The emperor, who may or may not have been aware of the situation, continued to urge the couple.

 

“You’re not just imitating the couple, are you? Don’t deceive me and show me the evidence of your unity and loyalty!”

 

He even pressured Duke Heidegger.

 

In the end, the Duke even interfered with his son and daughter-in-law’s union. Unable to take it anymore, Gideon became angry.

 

“Stop it. It’s too painful!”

 

The Duke was puzzled for a while, as Gideon wasn’t a compliant son, but they did not have a close enough relationship to cause such a conflict in the first place.

 

But his reply was calm.

 

“It’s better for you to suffer alone than the whole family has to suffer.”

 

In a word, he meant that Gideon should not complain about trivial matters.

 

Thus, the terrible nights of embracing the enemy’s daughter while missing his old lover continued for Gideon, and the miserable days of not being able to die for Paola.

 

After such a tortured time, life finally came. As if she had done everything that needed to be done, Gideon stopped coming, and Paola considered herself as a woman without a husband.

 

She had no allowance until the day her daughter was born.

 

The Duke and Duchess of Heidegger apologized again and again to the Duke and Duchess of Bengler, who were waiting for their son in law with a firm expression.

 

Still, the four of them were relieved to see the child sleeping soundly. For the first time, they were free from the Emperor’s oppression.

 

“I’m glad both mother and baby are all in good health.”

 

“Oh, my God, the baby’s hair is thick.”

 

“It’s orange like Paola’s.”

 

“It’s as clear as a lion’s mane.”

 

“Then how about ‘Leoni’?” It means to grow up to be as brave and healthy as a lion.”

 

The grandparents of both families named the child Leoni.

 

***

 

The first time Leoni met her father, Gideon, was on her second birthday.

 

Paola just stared at her while the maids surrounded Leoni and garnished her.

 

Then, suddenly, with a loud sound, the thick ebony door of the bedroom shattered.

 

“You killed her, didn’t you?!”

 

Gideon stomped in and cried out.

 

As soon as he heard the news that his ex-lover died in a carriage accident, he barged in in rage to find Paola.

 

Evidence?

 

There was no need for anything like that.

 

Gideon, who thought his heartbreak was enough, charged at Paola. Some of the maids fled in fright, while her loyal maid quickly blocked the Duke. Paola just stared at her husband with empty eyes.

 

“What’s the b*tch’s death got to do with me?”

 

Paola’s long-standing unrequited love for Gideon ended a long time ago, and now only an empty shell remained.

 

Gideon angrily approached Paola and slashed the maid’s throat with a single strike of his sword. The maid’s warm blood splattered on the young daughter’s face, but none of her parents cared.

 

He grabbed Paola’s slender neck and lifted her up into the air.  Leoni couldn’t even cry in surprise when she saw her mother hanging on the stranger’s hand.

 

If you had separated us and taken the place of the Duchess, you shouldn’t have killed her!”

 

Just before Paola was out of breath, Leoni screamed.

 

“Sir, calm down!”

 

After hearing the story of the escaped maids, the knight commander ran in and separated the two.

 

Unable to resolve his anger, Gideon gathered all his energy and swung his sword.  All the windows in the bedroom were broken and the furniture was smashed. After that, the situation was settled.

 

But after that day, Paola became ill.  Young Leoni showed a compulsive behavior of repeatedly washing her face, saying her face was hot from the blood. But Gideon did not apologize, but completely ignored the mother and daughter.

 

Osmo, an aide, who occasionally leaked news about Leoni, which could attract Gideon’s heart.

 

“Sir, every tutor praises the young lady to the max!”

 

“She’s smart and has a beautiful appearance, which is a big blessing.”

 

Gidon’s friends also stepped in.

 

“No matter how much you hate her, isn’t she your only child?”

 

But Gideon was sullen.

 

“She looks just like her mother. It’s terrible.”

 

In his eyes, Leoni’s brilliant orange hair and the dense facial features that resembled Paola were simply disgusting.

 

It was the same with Paola.

 

“Ah! Help me. He’ll kill me.”

 

Paola said Leoni’s dark green eyes were exactly the same as her husband’s, and every time she looked at Leoni, she screamed at her. She wasn’t a very friendly mother to start with, but as she fell ill from her last shock, Paola had seizures whenever she saw her daughter.

 

If Leoni was born in a different house, people would love and care for her as she was a sweet and gentle child with her lovely appearance. Unfortunately, in this house, her parents abandoned her without a blink of an eye. So it was only natural that Leoni was always longing for love.

 

Did she forget the wounds her father gave her because it happened at such a young age? Or was she just attracted to him because of blood related?  Leoni often hung around Gideon.

 

Then the surprised Osmo came running.

 

“Lady, you are very busy.”

 

The child said with an angelic smile.

 

“Osmo, I’m sorry.  I’m going to go hunting.”

 

“Lady, have you ever ridden the wooden horse that I put in the bed?”

 

“Is that what my father bought?”

 

At that question, Osmo nodded his head slightly with a bitter face.  In fact, Leoni clapped and smiled happily, not knowing that Osmo was ordering toys for her on a regular basis.

 

But how could her toys take the place of her parents?  After visiting Gideon and being interrupted by Osmo, Leoni hovered around Paola’s room again. Then, this time, the caregiver coldly threw her out.

 

“Miss, safety comes first. You don’t want it to get sick, do you?”

 

Then, Leoni shed tears with her innocent eyes, and shook her head.

 

Leoni was quite clever. She began to cling to her paintings as she faintly realized that no matter how hard she tried, she could not win the love of her parents.

 

It started when she was four years old, when her tutor accidentally gave her a chalk. She drew a knight with a sword at once. She drew with lines, but it was well-characterized.  Above all, the momentum of swinging the sword felt dynamic.

 

“It’s really great. With just one line!”

 

“I drew my father.”

 

“Why don’t you show it to him right away?”

 

When the teacher saw her picture, she was very excited, but Leoni shrugged her little shoulders and shook her head. She knew instinctively that even if she showed him, he wouldn’t bother to look at it.

 

Regardless of Gideon and Paola’s apathy, Leoni’s talent was in full bloom. She held the brush in her fern-like hand and drew constantly, as if trying to fill the void of her parents with painting.

 

***

 

A lot happened when Leoni was ten.

 

First, Gideon inherited the title. At the age of thirty-five, it felt a bit late compared to the achievements he had made so far, but it was all because he didn’t have time to wander the battlefield. The party that started with his inauguration ceremony continued for a full month.

 

As he was busy receiving guests every day, the attending physician ordered Paola to prepare for her final days. She was now thirty.

 

Leoni cried for several days after receiving the diagnosis. In the midst of anger, Leoni went out horse riding and fell unconscious.

 

Osmo was the only one who cared about her injury. With the attending physician, he diligently went back and forth between the Duchess and the Princess. Fortunately, Leoni woke up two days later. As soon as she woke up, she went to Paola’s bedroom.

 

“Miss, now is not a good time…”

 

As always, Leoni was blocked by Paola’s caregiver. Even if she whined like a pathetic puppy.

 

The caregiver raised an eyebrow and laughed. But that laugh soon disappeared. It was because it seemed that an unknown chill was emanating from the little girl who was much smaller than her peers.

 

Looking up at the bewildered caregiver, Leoni said softly with a cold voice she had never seen before in her life.

 

“Is beating a medicine for a dog that blocks its owner?”

 

The caregiver was the Duke’s subordinate, and she had thick bones. She knew it better than anyone that Leoni was nothing more than a piece of garbage in this family.

 

Still, it was an unbearable feeling of intimidation. The caregiver had no choice but to back off unconsciously.

 

As Leoni entered the bedroom, some of the maids panicked, packed their vials and small items, and quickly disappeared.

 

“Duchess.”

 

Paola’s gaze met Leoni’s for a moment as she was lying like a corpse on her bed. She hadn’t seen her daughter in years, and there was no trace of childlike innocence in her. She had a cold, icy expression and voice, and even a strangely mature appearance. The way Leoni did her greetings was impeccably perfect.

 

As soon as that gaze was removed, Leoni approached Paola’s bed. Paola, engulfed in a deep illness, was almost unconscious.

 

Leoni lowered her body and whispered softly to the gasping Paola.

 

“Are you having a hard time?”

 

There was not a hint of love in Leoni’s eyes as she looked at her mother. It was just a look of pity for a human being.

 

“I will bring him despair.”