“Hmm, a woman who is used as a scapegoat — a beautiful sacrificial lamb who ought to become a wife of mine. Ah, for someone who was abandoned by your family, why is it that you detest me and not them?”

He kneels in front of you, slender fingers reaching forward to tip your chin up. He looks almost kind, almost a husband who bears a lovesick expression.

“Ah, that’s right.” He grins, gaze void of emotion. “This was my plan from the start.”