Obey Me Now

“Always with a caring heart, I leave a seed in your heart, my lady. Just as a small seed takes root and blooms into a beautiful flower, may your flower blossom too. I wish to walk alongside you in every step you take. Though far apart, I eagerly await the day we can meet again. My precious, oh so precious little violet.”

“My precious, oh so precious little violet.”

As she read the letter, she truly resembled a violet. Though pale from illness, her alabaster skin, cascading violet hair, and clear, almost otherworldly green eyes gave her an ethereal beauty. Amelia smiled softly as she gazed at the violet flower that accompanied the letter. The closing lines of her nanny’s letters, always the same, brought her courage—reminding her that it was okay to live a little longer, that she could live.

“Nanny Rosa is doing well, as always,” she murmured.

“Did Nanny Rosa send you a letter?” asked Mami, her maid.

Amelia nodded with a small smile.
“She sends one from time to time.”

“She doesn’t send me any letters. I’m feeling left out!”

“I’ll mention you in my reply. Then I’m sure she’ll write to you,” Amelia said teasingly.

Several years ago, Nanny Rosa had left the count’s estate to return to her hometown. Despite the distance, she faithfully sent letters brimming with affection, always accompanied by a violet flower—Amelia’s favorite. It was as if the vibrant flower carried the life and hope her frail heart lacked. What amazed Amelia was how the violet, despite traveling such a great distance from the northern territories, never once arrived wilted, as if enchanted by magic.

But magic that preserves flowers? She had never heard of such a spell.

“You must be a miracle. If only such a miracle could come to me, then I wouldn’t have to make him sad.”

Amelia’s expression darkened as she set the letter aside. Next to it lay another, far more extravagant one with a golden seal—a proposal letter from her beloved, Duke Edzoff Riot Bastyan. Yet her face clouded with sorrow. She couldn’t accept his proposal. Her fragile heart, cursed from birth, could stop beating at any moment.

“I can’t marry him like this.”

But rejecting his proposal outright wasn’t an option either.

“Are you feeling unwell, my lady? Your expression…” Mami asked worriedly.

“It’s nothing,” Amelia replied, quickly hiding the proposal letter from Mami’s view.

“By the way, I didn’t expect you to come all the way to the count’s estate to greet me. Thank you,” she added with a grateful smile.

Mami, a maid of House Fiore and Amelia’s only friend, responded cheerfully.
“His Grace allowed it, considering your health. I’ve missed you so much! I never imagined you’d be attending this banquet. It’s a miracle Count Cesaret allowed you to leave the house!”

Amelia chuckled bitterly at her friend’s excitement. Her attendance wasn’t out of kindness—it was her father’s demand.

“You are to accept Duke Bastyan’s proposal at the banquet. You’ve been useless so far; it’s time to become a daughter of some use. Be grateful I’m not marrying you off to the Monster Duke instead. Consider yourself lucky that Duke Bastyan would even think of proposing to a girl like you.”

Amelia wanted to be a daughter her father could be proud of, but this? Accepting the proposal wasn’t an option.

Still, the thought of seeing Edzoff again filled her with anticipation. It had been so long since she had left the estate, and the outing felt like a small thrill.

“At the very least, I’ll show my best at the banquet so as not to disgrace the Cesaret name.”

The upcoming banquet was a significant event. It was the formal introduction of the new candidates for the head of House Fiore, her maternal family. The Fiore family, known for their mastery of musketry, didn’t pass down titles by blood alone. Instead, candidates with exceptional talent in magical marksmanship competed for the position. Though Amelia lacked magical abilities, she had nominated her stepsister, Messarina, a talented mage and marksman.

Messarina, unlike the rest of her family, genuinely cared for Amelia, and Amelia adored her in return. She wanted to give Messarina everything she could before her time ran out.

“Messarina left for the banquet earlier, didn’t she?” Amelia asked.

“Yes, she mentioned she had some pressing matters to attend to. It would’ve been nice to travel together, though. It’s been a while since the three of us talked,” she said with a wistful smile.

“I’m afraid Messarina intimidates me,” Mami muttered, her tone slightly stiff.

“Don’t be like that,” Amelia replied gently. “She’s a kind and wonderful person. You’ll like her once you get to know her.”

Mami sighed but nodded.
“I’ll try.”

Amelia looked out the carriage window with a faint smile. Despite the rocky mountain road and the modest, almost shabby carriage provided for the journey, she remained positive.

“Even if I can’t accept the proposal, I’ll do my best at the banquet.”

Suddenly, a loud BANG! shattered her thoughts.

“Ahh!”

“Mami!” Amelia shouted as the maid’s scream echoed through the carriage. The carriage tipped violently, halting with an ominous explosion.

“What’s going on?!” Mami stammered, her voice shaking.

Amelia forced herself to stay calm and opened the carriage door to investigate.
“What in the world—” she began, but her words were cut short by a gruesome sight.

The severed head of one of her guards rolled to her feet. Blood painted the ground, and bandits surrounded the carriage.

“Is it her?” one of them asked.

“Yeah, that’s the one,” another replied.

Their eyes locked on Amelia as they approached. Her legs trembled, but she held her head high.
“What is the meaning of this insolence?!” she demanded, only to be silenced when one of the bandits yanked her hair and forced her to her knees.

“My lady!”

“Stay back!” Amelia shouted, trying to stop Mami, but the maid had already rushed out of the carriage to shield her. The bandits quickly seized Mami, dragging her away.

“Ahhh!!!”

“Mami! What are you doing? Let her go this instant!”

Amelia’s sharp cry echoed, but the bandit only smirked lecherously.

“Well, look at that. She’s got some fire in her—must be a noble’s brat, after all.”

“I’m warning you! Let her go right now!”

“Sorry, but your life’s worth too much for us to stop now.”

The ominous words sent chills down her spine.

“Worth too much?”

“Let’s deal with her first, and then—”

“No! If it’s my life you want, take me instead. Just let her go!”

Her unexpected courage made the bandit pause. Amelia deliberately kept her voice steady and her demeanor composed.

“Release her. If you do, I’ll willingly give you my life.”

The bandit seemed amused, watching her tearless resolve with interest.

“A noble, trading her life for a servant’s? You don’t even seem scared. Or maybe you’re just used to situations like this?”

“…”

“What a pitiful life. Well, if you’re so eager to die, I won’t complain.”

As the bandit raised his blood-stained blade toward her, Amelia’s mind went blank, and she instinctively shut her eyes.

But suddenly—

“What the—?!”

The ground began to shake violently. Loud thuds reverberated as the earth quaked beneath them.

“An earthquake?! No, no, no—ahhh!”

Loose soil and debris cascaded down the mountainside in a landslide, burying the bandits one by one.

“Help me! Someone, help! Ahhh!”

Strangely, the chaos seemed to bypass Amelia entirely, sparing her while targeting only the bandits. Wide-eyed, she let out a trembling breath as the surreal scene unfolded before her.

“What… what just happened…?”

In mere moments, all the bandits had been swept away. The earthquake subsided, leaving the area covered in dust and debris. Yet Amelia remained unscathed.

“Hah… hah…”

She sank to the ground, her legs too weak to hold her. Mami, who had been dragged away moments earlier, rushed to her side, shaking with concern.

“My lady! Are you alright? What in the world just happened?”

“I… I don’t know. I really don’t…”

At that moment, a man emerged from the haze of dust. Upon seeing him, Amelia’s heart skipped a beat—his presence was even more startling than the bandits’.

He was clad in thick animal hides, an odd choice in the sunlit southern regions, and his rugged black hair fell over his brow, partially hidden beneath a dark hood. Only his piercing blue eyes shone brightly, like ice, capturing Amelia’s gaze with an inexplicable force.

The man stepped closer, scanning Amelia intently. Instinctively, she flinched, and he stopped in his tracks.

Mami quickly moved to shield Amelia, shouting at the man.
“Stay back! Do you have any idea who this lady is?”

The man hesitated briefly, then spoke in a deep, calm voice.
“Are you alright?”

Amelia was taken aback by the gentleness in his tone, so at odds with his rough exterior.

“Ah, yes… I’m fine.”

Realizing he meant no harm, Amelia slowly got to her feet, her nerves calming slightly.

“He doesn’t seem like a bad person.”

Though his appearance was suspicious, she couldn’t help but feel reassured. Turning to Mami, she spoke softly.