The Bride Of The Devil-Chapter 53: Trapped In The Mind pt1

Ivan didn’t realize how hard he was gripping her until he reached her chambers. His arms shook slightly as he laid Lydia gently on her bed. She looked too still, too pale, and his bloodied hands trembled as they pulled back from her.

His heart pounded in his chest, deafening in his ears. His face was still splattered with the blood of the man he’d killed, and his palms, sticky and red, hovered in the air like he didn’t know what to do with them.

The servants in the room stared in silence, unsure of what they had just witnessed. Their gazes flicked between Lydia’s still body and the Grand Duke who stood over her like a lost child.

Katherine was already there. She had been standing silently at the side, watching everything unfold. Her eyes shifted slowly from Lydia to Ivan. There were a thousand things behind her eyes—panic, disbelief, fear. But not a single word left her lips. Her hands were clenched so tightly that her knuckles had turned white, but her voice stayed trapped in her throat. What could she say?

Down in the library, Tatiana was flipping through old scrolls—documents about the old Grand Duchess, trying to understand the duties Lydia was expected to take on. It was peaceful. Quiet. Until Yelena came rushing in, panting, her hands shaking.

"Your Grace! The Grand Duchess—she collapsed!"

Tatiana shot up, her heart stopping. She didn’t ask anything. She ran.

When she arrived at Lydia’s chambers, the first thing she saw was Ivan—his body stiff, his eyes wide and filled with something close to horror. He looked like a man who’d just watched his world fall apart. Lydia was lying motionless on the bed.

He tried to speak when he saw Tatiana.

"I-I didn’t mean to... I didn’t mean—"

Tatiana didn’t respond to that. She walked past him, straight to Lydia. Her hand reached out to check her pulse, her forehead, her breathing.

Then, calmly but firmly, she said, "Your Highness should go wash himself. I’ll take care of her."

Ivan looked like he didn’t hear her. He stood there, frozen.

"Go," Tatiana said again, her voice sharp now. She turned to Yelena, who was hovering nervously by the door. "Don’t just stand there. Get a physician. Now."

Yelena ran off immediately.

Ivan barely made it to the nearest washroom. The cold water hit his hands, and blood swirled down the bowl. His fingers wouldn’t stop shaking. He scrubbed harder, but it felt like it would never come off. The blood. The memory. The way she had looked at him.

Like he was a monster.

He splashed water on his face. It didn’t help. He gripped the edge of the basin, chest heaving.

She had looked at him like she didn’t know him. Like she feared him.

And maybe she should.

He didn’t know which was worse—that she saw him kill a man in cold blood, or that the fear in her eyes before she collapsed was because of him.

All the strength he had, all the pride he wore like a second skin—it all crumbled with her gaze. She hadn’t screamed. She hadn’t spoken. But her silence was louder than anything he’d ever heard.

Hours seemed to pass in seconds. When he returned to Lydia’s chambers, he didn’t step in. He just stood outside the door, watching.

The physician was already there, sitting beside Lydia’s bed, frowning deeply.

Tatiana and Katherine were standing close, both of them watching every move he made.

"Is she injured?" Katherine asked quickly.

The physician shook his head, puzzled. "No. There’s no injury. No bruises, no cuts. Her breathing is stable. Pulse is normal. Everything is normal."

Tatiana stepped forward. "Then why isn’t she waking up?"

The physician rubbed his neck. He looked helpless. "That’s the part I don’t understand. It’s like... it’s like her mind doesn’t want to wake up. Her body is fine. But her mind—her spirit—it’s... stuck somewhere."

Katherine’s face went pale. "So what do we do?"

"We wait," the physician said softly. "She might wake up by morning. Or not. We can’t force it."

Ivan stood by the doorway, silent. Every word cut into him like a blade.

Because of me.

It was his fault. She had shut down because of him.

The physician eventually left. Katherine too. It was just Tatiana now, sitting beside Lydia, wiping her hands gently with a damp cloth.

"Your Highness," she said suddenly, without turning. "Are you going to stand there all night like a thief?"

Ivan said nothing.

"Come in. Sit by her. She’s your wife, not mine."

Still, Ivan didn’t move. He couldn’t. He didn’t deserve to.

"I can’t," he said quietly.

Tatiana stood. "I’ve done what I can. But it’s not my place. She needs you. Not me."

She walked over to him. Her eyes were tired.

"It’s not my duty to look after your wife. It’s yours. Either go to her and give her some comfort, or stand there like a criminal. The choice is yours."

She turned to leave, but Ivan’s voice stopped her.

"This happened because of me. I can’t face her."

Tatiana didn’t reply. She just walked out.

And he stayed.

He stood by the door, his hand barely brushing the frame. Lydia lay there in bed, her face soft, still, and far away. His throat tightened.

He didn’t even realize he was crying until a tear dropped down his cheek, cold and sharp. He quickly wiped it away, ashamed.

Katherine stood far behind, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her eyes fixed on the broken man by the door. Her gaze was unreadable, but her lashes trembled, and a single tear slipped down her cheek before she quickly wiped it away.

"I warned her," she whispered, the words laced with bitterness and something deeper—pain, maybe even regret. "But she didn’t listen."

Her fingers dug into her sleeves as her voice dropped to a murmur, almost like a curse.

"Both of you will burn... and suffer for your foolishness. Mark my words. This is only the beginning."

Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m