For some reason, Zico felt his heart tremble when he heard Nara's request and saw the hopeful look in her eyes. It reminded him of his mother.
"All right. Let's get married," he replied.
Nara jolted. She immediately lifted her head and looked at Zico, who was staring at her impassively. Nara felt relieved and sad at the same time. She was relieved because it meant her principle of only allowing her husband to touch her was still intact, but she was also sad because she was going to marry a man she didn't love and who didn't love her either—especially since the man who would become her husband was the demon who had slaughtered her entire family.
"Thank you," Nara said softly.
Zico crouched down and looked at Nara again with his sharp gaze. "I'll marry you, but you'll only be my bed warmer. Nothing more," he said coldly.
Nara didn't react at all after hearing Zico's words, because she already knew that the only reason they were getting married was for physical contact, nothing more. She truly had to prepare herself and her heart so she wouldn't be affected by the demon of a man in front of her. She especially couldn't let herself fall for him. That would only hurt her heart—and hurt her, too. Nara was certain that no matter how long she lived with Zico, she would never fall for him. Zico was a cruel demon who had slaughtered her parents and younger sibling.
"And just so you know, tomorrow's wedding is the kind no woman would ever dream of. You'll have the worst wedding imaginable. There won't be a reception or any guests. Just you and me. I'll make sure you never get the wedding you've always dreamed of, because after you marry me, you'll never get the chance to marry anyone else. Once I'm done making you suffer, you'll end up as nothing but a corpse." Zico flashed his demonic grin again after saying this.
Gulp!
Nara swallowed with great difficulty. She couldn't deny that Zico's words were cruel and terrifying, but no matter what, she already knew how this would end: Zico would definitely kill her. She just still didn't know what her family had actually done to him for him to slaughter them so mercilessly.
"Tonight, I'll let you go. Get ready for tomorrow's wedding. I'll make sure you feel real pain tomorrow." Zico stood and left the room, leaving Nara still sitting limply on the floor.
"Sob, sob... Papa, Mama, what really happened? What did Papa do? Papa couldn't have done anything bad. Nara trusts Papa so much. That demon is just looking for an excuse to quench his thirst for killing and torturing people. But why my family? Why...!" Nara cried throughout the night, wanting to release all her grief and fear. She also wanted to soothe her heart, which felt unbearably wounded after the day's events had left her in shock. In a single night, her life had changed completely. Her family, once filled with happiness and warm smiles, was gone. They had left her all alone, and now she had to accept that she would be living with a demon who could kill her at any moment.
Zico walked straight from his room to his office. When he opened the door, Jo was already standing there waiting for him.
"Sir." Jo bowed when he saw Zico arrive.
"Have you taken care of it?" Zico asked Jo as he picked up a glass and poured alcohol into it. He sipped the liquor slowly while listening to Jo's answer.
"Everything is done, Sir. You don't need to worry."
"Good," he said. He then walked toward the large glass window in his office and looked out at the night. "Dad, Zico has avenged you. Zico has eliminated the person who destroyed our family. Zico even wiped out his entire family. And his daughter..." Zico didn't continue. He felt furious again as he remembered what had happened to his father because of Adinata Wijaya. He gripped the glass of alcohol tightly in his hand. "And his daughter—the eldest daughter of Adinata Wijaya—Zico will make her feel as though she's living in hell. Even after Adinata Wijaya is dead, his soul won't be able to rest, because he'll see his beloved daughter suffering."
Crack!
The glass Zico had been holding shattered into pieces as he squeezed it with all his strength, channeling the rage boiling inside him.
Jo remained silent because he already knew what his master was like. All he could do was watch his master without saying or doing anything. He would act only when Zico ordered him to, and speak only when Zico asked for his opinion.
"Jo, prepare my wedding for tomorrow!"
"Yes, Sir."
"You understand what kind of wedding I want, right?"
"I understand, Sir." Jo bowed again and left Zico's office.
Zico returned his attention to the view beyond the glass window in front of him. With a smirk, he said, "You were the one who asked me to marry you, so don't even think about regretting it afterward. You dug your own grave, woman!"
The next morning.
The sound of knocking woke Nara from a deep sleep. She blinked and sat up, then looked around. Nara felt as though she had dreamed something horrible. She had seen a group of men dressed entirely in black come to her house and kill her parents and younger sibling.
"Miss, are you awake?" someone asked from outside her bedroom door.
"Miss? It's weird hearing Auntie Sum call me that. She usually calls me 'non.' Why is Auntie Sum acting like one of those servants from rich people's families on TV?" she muttered.
"If you're awake, I'll come in, Miss," the person outside Nara's room said again.
Click!
The door opened. The servant was startled to see Nara sitting on the floor, her confused face turned toward her.
"Miss, what are you doing on the floor? Did you sleep there last night?" the servant asked as she approached Nara.
"Who are you? Are you a new maid here?" Nara asked in return, still looking confused. "And your clothes are different, too. Did Mama have new clothes made?" she continued.
The servant looked confused by Nara's words. "What do you mean, Miss? I'm not a new maid here. I've been here for two years," she replied.
"Two years? But why am I only seeing you now?"
"Of course you're only seeing me now. Didn't you just arrive here last night, Miss? I'll help you get ready now. Sir is waiting for you because the wedding ceremony will begin shortly."
Nara was shocked by what the servant in front of her said. "Wedding?" she murmured. She remembered what had happened the night before, the nightmare she had just assumed was a dream. "So it wasn't a nightmare. My family really is gone. And I... I'm going to marry the demon who slaughtered my family because I was the one who asked him to." Tears streamed down Nara's face again as she realized that the horrifying events she had experienced the night before were reality, not a nightmare. And now she had to get ready to marry a demon who could kill her at any moment.
"Come on, Miss. Sir will be angry if you're late and make him wait too long."
The servant helped Nara to her feet, but Nara looked completely drained of strength. She was so weak that she seemed like nothing more than a living corpse.
The servant then supported Nara and led her to the bathroom. She would get Nara ready as beautifully as possible for her wedding ceremony.