6. Without Preamble 

"You?"

Orella instantly drew her dagger and released the man. She recognized the man she had been struggling with. She took a step back and sat down on a nearby sofa.

"You seem to know every corner of the Ludovic family residence," Orella said as she looked at the man in front of her.

She couldn't possibly forget that man because he had brought her to meet the masked man that night. Orella was still staring at the man as she waited for him to say something.

"My master gave me orders to give this to you," the man said as he handed Orella an envelope. After that, he left the room quietly.

Orella frowned as she felt that the man was indeed part of the Ludovic family. Her curiosity grew about the man and the masked man.

Without opening the envelope, she ran out of the room. She immediately followed the man. She easily managed to follow him and arrived at a garden.

"Is that where he's hiding?" Orella muttered as she continued following the man until she was near a vine-made maze.

She continued to follow the man without entering the maze because he was walking next to the maze wall. Orella stopped her steps when she saw the man enter a small, worn-out house.

Orella approached a window and looked inside. She was surprised to see someone who turned out not to be the masked man but Dante Laurenzo Ludovic.

'What is he doing here? Where is the man I was following?' Orella asked herself as she continued to look at Dante and try to hear what he was saying.

Although she tried to focus on hearing what Dante was saying there, she still couldn't hear him, but she could clearly see the sad look on his face. Orella accidentally touched the window and made a sound.

"Who's there?" shouted Dante as he immediately ran towards the sound he had just heard.

Orella quickly ran away from the building. She was finally in her room, and she picked up the glass of water on the nightstand with a gasp. Then she drank the water in the glass until it was gone.

"What exactly is he doing there? Looks like I'll have to go to that building again," muttered Orella, who was still curious about the building.

She heard clattering footsteps approaching her room. Orella quickly laid down on the bed and pretended to sleep.

Not long after, the door opened, and a man walked in. The man approached the bed and finally stood right next to Orella, who seemed to be asleep.

"Until when are you going to pretend to be my dearest wife?" the man asked in a pressing tone while strangling Orella's neck.

Orella opened her eyes, and she held onto Dante's hand while trying to let go. She saw clearly from the look in the man's eyes that Dante was going to finish her.

"You can't kill me," Orella said with heavy breathing.

She saw Dante smirk. Then the man let go of his hand. Orella quickly changed her body position to sit. She also looked at Dante, who was sitting next to her.

"I know the reason you married me. Are you sure you can carry out all the plans you've made?" asked Dante in a flat tone without looking at Orella.

"What do you mean?" Orella asked back while holding her neck, which was still sore from Dante's recent choking.

"You've chosen the wrong opponent. I'm not sure you can avenge your brother's death," Dante replied, no longer exchanging pleasantries with the woman beside him.

Orella was silent and she clenched her hands together as if she was holding back her anger. While continuing to listen to everything Dante said that felt threatening to her.

"Choosing the wrong opponent... maybe that's what I should have told you. You've already finished Juan, and you'll suffer before I finish you," Orella emphasized, who also wasn't going to mince words with the man.

It was so obvious that Dante's oppressive aura made Orella step back. She was again surprised by Dante, who grinned as he prepared to finish off the enemy in front of him.

"Interesting. I want to see how far you can make me suffer and die," Dante said in a cold and pressing tone.

She was about to back away again when Dante brought his face closer. However, for some reason, her body felt stiff, and she felt the man's oppressive aura.

Dante grinned again and stuck out his hand. However, Orella, who had managed to control her body, brushed off Dante's hand and showed that she was not a weak woman.

"I'll wait for the breakthrough you're going to show me," Dante said again then he laid his body on the bed.

Orella was just transfixed by what the man near her was doing. It didn't even occur to her to close her eyes because she kept watching Dante, who had closed his eyes.

"Go to sleep! I don't want to make trouble tonight," Dante said, and then he gave Orella a sign.

Orella looked in the direction indicated by Dante. She was surprised to see that a camera was probably monitoring her.

Her eyes widened as Dante pulled her hand and made her fall asleep next to him. Orella stared intently at the man in front of her, still closing his eyes.

"The camera just turned on. Prepare your mind and energy for tomorrow morning! I'm not going to finish you off while you're asleep anyway," Dante said in a low tone, but Orella could still clearly hear it.

Orella remained silent and stared at the face of the man in front of her, wondering who had installed the camera in the room. Many questions popped up in her mind, but she couldn't find the answers.

'What will happen tomorrow?' Orella asked in her mind.