Later that evening.
「At the edge of a bamboo forest outside Breckland City.」
"You should be glad you're Jocelyn's cousin. Otherwise, for a malicious woman like you, I'd have just thrown you to the Demonic Beasts."
"This woman is all yours."
A man and a woman stood before her. Judging by their attire, they seemed to be disciples from a proper Cultivator Sect, but their words were utterly inhuman.
Celeste Grant was groggy, having been dumped on the roadside. Not far away, several Evil Cultivators were walking toward her.
Her cousin tossed a few Spirit Stones on the ground.
"These Spirit Stones are for you. Make sure you 'take good care' of her."
"My dear cousin here just loves doing that sort of thing with different men. Don't hold back."
The two then departed via Sword Control.
A chill ran down Celeste Grant's spine.
'This unavoidable plot… am I really going to have to experience the part from the book where the female side-character gets thrown to roadside Evil Cultivators and violated?'
'The female lead, is it!'
'As long as I don't die, I'll kill you and every last one of your lovers.'
"You… just you wait."
'If the protagonist from an annulled engagement plot can wait three years for his revenge, so can I.'
Watching the approaching men, Celeste Grant pushed herself up from the ground. She stumbled and ran straight into the nearby bamboo forest.
"Stop! You dare run?"
"Damn, this woman's gorgeous. Just look at that body. We really lucked out today."
'I can't fall into the hands of these Evil Cultivators. I know better than anyone what would happen.'
Her strength was gone. Celeste Grant didn't get far into the bamboo forest before she fell, gashing her calf and drawing blood.
She pulled a dagger from her storage bag for self-defense, preparing to fight for her life.
"Go on, run. Let's see you run now."
"Little beauty, let me have a good time with—"
The voice stopped abruptly.
Celeste Grant turned her head to see the Evil Cultivators who had just been behind her. Their heads were cleanly sliced off, and their bodies fell stiffly to the ground.
Blood splattered everywhere.
"So noisy."
A man's deep voice drifted from the depths of the bamboo forest.
In an instant, he was right in front of her.
The newcomer had long, unbound hair and wore moon-white robes, a greatsword in his hand. A black and red aura, thick with killing intent, swirled around the blade. The man's eyes were cold, flashing with crimson light from time to time.
Celeste Grant just stared at him.
'He killed those Evil Cultivators.'
'Who is he?'
"Thaaank you…"
The moment she spoke…
…her voice sounded strangely flirtatious.
She wanted to get up and leave, but her body had no strength, and a faint blush spread across her beautiful face.
'That bastard and his bitch… they were too cruel. In my current state, even though I didn't fall into the hands of those Evil Cultivators…'
'…if I don't… with someone… I'll die here anyway.'
'No, I can't die.'
Her consciousness began to fade.
'What do I do?'
She looked up at the man who was holding his sword, about to leave. She had only one thought.
'Don't let him leave.'
On pure instinct, Celeste Grant reached out and grabbed the man's clothes.
"Don't go."
'Since he didn't hurt me, he's probably not an Evil Cultivator, right?'
'The plot is still progressing with its powerful inertia, but there's been a deviation.'
'At least I didn't end up being violated by seven or eight Evil Cultivators.'
She grabbed the man's wrist.
Using his hand to pull herself up, she stumbled and threw her arms around his waist.
"Mister…"
"Forgive me."
He didn't push her away.
Emboldened, Celeste Grant reached out and unhooked his sash…
For a moment…
'I feel a flicker of regret.'
'Maybe it would've been better to just die.'
'This man… is he ever going to finish?'
It went on until dawn.
The next day, she scrambled to her feet, threw on her clothes, and ran away trembling, not daring to spare him a single glance…
「After that encounter.」
Celeste Grant became pregnant.
「Eight months later.」
For certain reasons, she had no choice but to go search for the father of her unborn child, despite her large belly.
When she found him…
…the man was lounging on a throne.
He was dressed in black robes, surrounded by a menacing, black and red aura. Even the throne he sat upon was made of several unidentifiable skulls, a terrifying sight to behold.
"I hear… you were looking for me?"
The moment he spoke…
…though it was just a casual question, Celeste Grant felt a chill shoot straight to her scalp. The very air around her seemed to freeze.
Just as she remembered from that night, the man was as handsome as a painting, with alluring phoenix eyes and a face that blended coldness with a hint of wickedness.
'If this were the modern world, he could definitely make a living with that face.'
Meeting his emotionless eyes, Celeste Grant's calves began to tremble.
'The good news was, I'd found my baby's father. The not-so-good news was, his identity had caught me completely off guard.'