Path To Godhood Begins With Marrying Wife And Gaining SSS Rank Skill - Chapter 285:An Act?

Chapter 285: 285:An Act?

Countless thoughts churned inside her mind.

The reason was simple. It was all because of the man she had been thrown away to.

She closed her eyes, yet she could still hear the nanny’s voice echoing clearly in her heart.

[One day, the most handsome prince in the world will come and save you.]

When those words collided with the cold disgust and pure hatred she had seen in that man’s eyes, she could no longer hold it in. A hollow laugh escaped her lips.

“Hahahaha…”

“Yes, you were right about marrying a handsome man,” she muttered bitterly, “but you were wrong about everything else.”

Her laughter slowly died down, leaving behind an aching silence that pressed against her chest. She looked around the empty carriage. It was quiet.

Too quiet. The silence felt heavy, almost suffocating.She would not even be surprised if she had already been abandoned.

Slowly, she stood up. As she did, a coat slipped down from her shoulders and fell loosely around her arms. She froze.

“This coat…”

Her eyes trembled when she recognized it. It belonged to him.

She did not even know his name. She only knew that he was from the Blanks family.

Her heart wavered. Should she stay inside the carriage or step out? Would leaving anger them? Would it bring punishment?

Then she laughed softly at herself.

Why should she care?

What was there left to fear?

’If he kills me, then it would be the greatest blessing of my life.’

With that faint and broken expectation, she pushed open the carriage door.

What greeted her was not abandonment, but a small campsite. Several armored men were sleeping nearby, their spears still clutched in their hands. Even at rest, they looked alert.

She tilted her head slightly as she looked at them. Legends said armored knights were brave and strong. To her, they looked distant and unreal.

She carefully stepped down from the carriage.

Thud!

The small sound echoed.

In an instant, the armored men sprang up.

“Enemy!”

“Where is it?”

“Damn it! I can’t even nap for a se—”

They stopped mid-sentence.

Their eyes landed on her.

Claira raised her head slowly. Only then did she realize she had forgotten to cover her face with the veil.

Her heart clenched.

She already knew what would come next.

Curses. Disgust. Maybe even blows.

She braced herself.

But instead—

“My Lady is awake!”

“Quickly, call the Lord!”

“Go, bring the maids!”

“Fuck, where are the maids?”

Their voices overlapped in panic.

Claira staggered back in shock, confused by their reaction.

Before she could speak, one of them pulled out a trumpet-like object and shouted loudly.

[My Lord! The Lady has awakened!]

BOOOOOOOM!

A deafening sound shook the entire forest.

Claira gasped as a massive beam of light erupted from the far end of the woods and shot straight toward them.

Before she could react, a figure slammed down in front of her. The ground trembled, and a wave of force pushed her back, forcing her to close her eyes.

When she opened them again, her breath caught.

A tall, lean man stood before her. He wore a white shirt and dark pants, with a belt strapped across his shoulder. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing firm muscles and veins beneath his skin. Sweat clung to his shirt, outlining his strong physique.

Attached to the belt was a hunt that the man might have captured.

Then there was his face.

It was as if the gods themselves had carefully sculpted it and placed two blue jewels into his eyes.

Claira had not seen many men in her life. She did not know if he was truly the most handsome man in the world, or if strength itself simply looked like this.

Yet despite her racing heart, she felt no warmth. There was only a chilling coldness.

The man put down the hunt and unbuckled the strap from his shoulder.

Her body stiffened. Fear surged again. Yesterday, those same hands had grabbed her throat.

She prepared herself.

But instead, he bowed.

Deeply.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Huh?”

Claira stared at the man in front of her, her brows knitting together in confusion. She did not understand what he meant. For a moment, she simply looked at him, unsure how to respond.

After a brief pause, she lowered her head slightly. “Sorry if I offended you by sleeping.”

“No. It is completely all right,” Ethan replied quickly. He hesitated for a moment, then continued, “You are thinking about what happened yesterday, right?”

Claira stiffened. Her fingers curled unconsciously, and her shoulders tensed.

Ethan stepped forward and gently reached for her hand. The moment his fingers brushed her skin, fear surged through her body. She tried to pull away, her heart pounding hard against her chest.

“All of that was an act,” he said calmly. “I do not loathe you.”

“Please rest assured,” he added quickly, his voice low and sincere. “I know what you are thinking, but I will not harm you.”

He lifted her trembling hand and pressed a soft kiss to it, slow and careful, filled with respect rather than possession.

“My Lady, I apologize for what I did yesterday,” he continued. “Everything you saw was an act.”

“An act?” Claira whispered. Her eyes shook as she stared at his face, trying to read his expression. “An act?”

“Yes,” he replied without hesitation. “An act to deceive them. If I treated you warmly in public, the King and the nobles would not accept it. I do not care about the people, but your father…”

His jaw tightened, and his eyes darkened for a brief moment.

“I needed to deceive him. That is why I behaved that way.”

Claira’s lips parted, but no sound came out. Her mind struggled to process his words. Before she could say anything, Ethan suddenly bent down and wrapped one arm around her back and the other under her knees.

She gasped softly as he lifted her off the ground.

“W-What are you doing?” she asked, panic rising in her voice.

She instinctively struggled and tried to twist away, her hands moving to cover her arms and face. Fear took over her body, and old instincts screamed at her to hide the scars she had been mocked for all her life.

At that instant, a pillar of light erupted around them.

The light burst outward, bright and warm, swallowing everything in its glow.

The soldiers nearby gasped in shock, shielding their eyes.

When the light finally faded, the sight before them shook them to their core.

…..

Here is the bonus Chapter for 200 GT as promised.

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