Obey Me Now

“Mami, check the carriage. See if it’s still usable.”

“What? But—” Mami glanced uneasily at the man.

Amelia reassured her with a gentle smile.
“It’s alright. We can’t just stay here like this.”

“…Alright, my lady,” Mami replied reluctantly and moved toward the carriage.

Amelia took a step forward, but a sharp pain shot through her chest.

“Ah!”

Clutching her heart, she stumbled. The man’s expression instantly hardened, and in a single, swift motion, he closed the distance between them.

“Pardon me,” he said curtly.

“What—?”

Before she could react, he slipped an arm beneath her knees and another around her back, lifting her effortlessly into his arms.

Startled, Amelia squirmed.
“No! I’m fine! I can walk—”

But the man tightened his grip, his tone firm and unyielding.
“If we linger here, night will fall. That would put both of us in danger.”

Amelia blinked, her protest caught in her throat. His unwavering determination left no room for argument.

If night fell in the mountains, it would be dangerous. He didn’t seem like the type to abandon her, but she didn’t want to waste any more time and put him in a difficult position.

“Then, if it’s not too much trouble, could you take me to the carriage?”

To make it easier for him, she held tightly onto his broad shoulders, bringing her body closer to his unintentionally.

“Is this better? It should make it easier for you,” she asked innocently.

The man stiffened slightly but quickly composed himself, nodding silently. Though being carried by a stranger initially felt awkward, she gradually relaxed as he seemed to make an effort not to make her uncomfortable. There was also a faintly familiar scent of violets coming from him. She noticed his ears turning red, betraying his own tension, and the sight made her lips curl into a small smile.

He carefully placed her into the carriage. While the horses had survived the bandit attack, the coachman had fled. Mami, who knew how to handle reins, took charge of the horses. The man silently closed the carriage door, but Amelia quickly called out to him.

“Thank you so much for your help. May I ask where you live? I’d like to repay your kindness someday.”

For a brief moment, his eyes met hers. She had initially thought his gaze was sharp and unsettling, but now, she found it mesmerizing.

“His eyes are so beautiful. That blue is fascinating.”

After a pause, he murmured softly, almost to himself, “Your thanks is enough.”

“Pardon?”

Without another word, he shut the carriage door firmly and stepped away. Amelia found herself unable to stop thinking about him.

Moments later, a knight in full armor approached him.

“Your Grace…”

“Shh.”

The man quickly silenced the knight with a cold glance. The knight hesitated, then glanced at the departing carriage and lowered his voice.

“Who is that woman? And why—”

“Mind your words,” the man interrupted icily.

Ignoring the knight, he mounted his horse.

“I have business to attend to.”

“Business? Aren’t we heading back to the North?”

“Not yet. Those men—”

His tone turned even colder as he recalled the bandits swept away in the landslide.

“Kill them all.”

“…Pardon?”

“No. Leave one alive.”

“What? Your Grace—!”

But before the knight could finish, the man, addressed as “Your Grace,” disappeared into the distance. The knight was left behind, looking bewildered.

When Mami and Amelia arrived safely at the duke’s estate, Mami still trembled, unable to believe what had happened.

“Bandits! That area is usually safe because so many people travel through it!”

The mention of the “bounty” the bandits had spoken of lingered in Amelia’s mind, but she chose not to dwell on it.

“Thankfully, the landslide happened when it did. And we were fortunate to meet such a kind man.”

“I was honestly scared of him. I thought he might be working with the bandits,” Mami admitted.

“No, he was very kind. And…”

“His eyes were beautiful.”

Amelia couldn’t shake the memory of his piercing blue gaze.

“I’ll have to repay him somehow if we ever meet again…”

“If His Grace the Duke knew about this, he would’ve been furious,” Mami said.

Duke Fiore was currently away at the royal palace on business, leaving the estate temporarily unattended.

“Since we’re both safe, let’s not tell Grandfather. I don’t want to worry him unnecessarily.”

Mami was in awe of Amelia’s composure.

“You’re amazing, my lady. I was so scared I couldn’t stop crying, but you didn’t shed a single tear.”

She didn’t know that Amelia had risked her life to save her. Amelia simply smiled faintly, choosing not to share that detail.

“If I had panicked, you would’ve lost your composure completely. I had to pretend I was okay.”

“I’m sorry, my lady. I should’ve been the one to protect you.”

“Don’t think that way, Mami. You’ve always been there to help me. It’s my duty to protect you in return.”

Amelia’s steady gaze reassured Mami.

“That’s what nobles are supposed to do. Besides, I like you a lot, so of course, I’d protect you.”

Mami couldn’t help but admire Amelia. Though her heart was frail, her spirit was anything but. In fact, she was stronger than anyone Mami had ever known—always striving to smile, never succumbing to her fate.

“Just like her mother, Lady Ailie, the genius musketeer.”

But there was one thing that could weaken Amelia: her lover. Mami’s expression grew thoughtful as she spoke.

“By the way, my lady, while retrieving your belongings from the carriage, I found this.”

Mami held up a letter—the proposal.

“T-that’s!”

“Is it true? Did His Grace, Duke Bastyan, propose to you?”

Unable to hide it any longer, Amelia nodded.

“Yes. Father sent me to this banquet to accept His Grace’s proposal.”

“Then why did you hide it? Don’t tell me you dislike His Grace?”

“Of course not!”

“Of course,” Mami said with a nod. “Duke Bastyan is one of the most powerful contenders for the throne. Not to mention his looks, character, and status—he’s flawless.”

Edzoff Riot Bastyan. Amelia’s lover and one of the most promising heirs to the Solan Empire’s throne. The Emperor had two sons, but Edzoff’s half-brother was considered a monster due to his tainted blood, leaving Edzoff as the strongest contender.

“Yes, he’ll be a magnificent emperor. Someone like me doesn’t deserve him.”

For the first time, Amelia’s voice wavered, a stark contrast to her usual composure—even when facing bandits.

“After all… I won’t live much longer.”

“My lady! Don’t say such things! You’ll live a long, happy life—you must!”

Mami’s words were kind, but Amelia knew better. Her heart’s constant, agonizing pain was a cruel reminder that such miracles weren’t meant for her.

“I just want him to be happy,” she murmured. “I don’t want him to hurt because of me. He loves me so much, but I have nothing to offer him in return… nothing at all.”

Mami felt a pang of sorrow for her mistress, who blamed herself simply for being loved. Trying to lift her spirits, Mami held out something else.

“I also found this in the carriage.”

“A violet! It hasn’t wilted!”

The violet Rosa had given her, untouched by the chaos, had somehow found its way back to her, fresh and vibrant.

“See? Even this flower has such strong life. You must be like this violet—never give up, my lady. Live long, love deeply, and be loved in return.”

Amelia offered a faint smile at Mami’s encouragement.

“Could a miracle like this violet ever come to me?”

Later that night, after convincing Mami to rest, Amelia stepped out of her room to find Messarina. Though her stepsister had left for the estate earlier, she hadn’t shown up to greet Amelia upon her arrival.

“Strange. She must’ve heard I arrived.”

In her hand, Amelia held a silver musket with an intricately designed floral grip. It was her late mother’s keepsake, an heirloom of House Fiore. Amelia wanted to give it to Messarina before the banquet began.

“I hope she becomes the new head of House Fiore.”

Carrying this thought, she approached Messarina’s room, excitement fluttering in her chest. But as her hand reached for the doorknob, a familiar male voice stopped her.

“Come closer… Yes, that’s it. Just a little more.”

Her breath caught.

“That voice… no, it can’t be.”

And then—

“I love you, Your Grace.”

The whispered words clawed at Amelia’s ears, leaving her stunned. Her fingers trembled as she pushed the door open slightly, dreading what she might see.

“Ah… ah!”

The sounds were clearer now, sharper. Her vision blurred as her mind reeled. She wanted her eyes to shut, to never see what lay beyond the crack in the door.

On the bed, Messarina was nestled in the arms of a man, her crimson hair spilling around her like a blooming flower.

“Your Grace… if you hold me like that, I—ah!”

Amelia’s legs felt weak as she stared, unable to believe her eyes. The man holding her sister so intimately, like a beast, was none other than her lover.

“Duke Bastyan?”