Chapter 442 - 442: Substitute Bride of the Demon King (46)

And yet, for reasons he couldn't fathom, she haunted him relentlessly. Why was it so difficult to get Leila from his mind?

Silas's head began to throb again, an intensity that felt almost unbearable, and beads of cold sweat trickled down his forehead, mingling with his troubled thoughts.

No, he could not go on like this, not anymore.

The man suppressed all the increasingly depressed and painful emotions in his heart, pressed on his temples and forehead hard to repress the ache that pulsed through his skull, and then rose to his feet. With a deep, shuddering breath, he made his way to Ellie's bedroom, each step heavy with the weight of his turmoil.

…

Ellie tossed and turned throughout the night, the weight of her thoughts pressing heavily on her mind. She felt that she was responsible for Silas ending up like this.

A turbulent mix of guilt and regret washed over her as she replayed the fateful day of her wedding— the day she had fled, leaving Silas standing there, bewildered and alone. In that moment, she couldn't shake the feeling that her actions had set off a chain reaction.

She might not find herself in this tricky situation now if she had not escaped her marriage.

As the night wore on, she couldn't escape the realization that she had a hand in shaping the chaos between Silas and Andre. Their relationship, once a bond of mutual respect, had devolved into a tangled web of hatred and misunderstandings, and she knew she bore a part of the blame.

The indifference, paranoia, and irritability that Silas showed when she was around were partly her responsibility. If only she had taken the time to communicate her feelings and clarify the misunderstandings instead of retreating to avoid the problem by creating another one, perhaps things would have turned out differently.

There was obviously nothing between her and Andre in the first place.

When Silas came into her room, Ellie felt a wave of determination wash over her. She had already made up her mind: if she ever hoped to break free from this place, she first needed to find a way to placate Silas.

He was a man with a volatile temperament, quick to anger, and the slightest provocation could set him off. She reminded herself to tread carefully, choosing her words with caution to avoid sparking his ire. The last thing she wanted was for him to confine her even further, locking her away in a prison of his making, where escape would be nothing more than a distant dream.

"You want to see me?" Silas asked.

Ellie took a deep breath and said, "Yes, I want to make things clear to you." She breathed in and out before continuing, "Right now, this situation," she pointed to him and herself, "should not be like this between us."

Silas pursed his lips. He was expressionless, but he felt a little impatient. "What do you want to say?"

"Shall we get married?" Ellie had meticulously weighed her options and felt that this method could best soothe Silas's volatile mood. Only in this way could she have a glimmer of hope— a fleeting chance to escape once more from the constraints that bound her.

As the words left her lips, Silas's face suddenly turned strange.

He had never imagined hearing such a declaration from Ellie; it was a stark contrast to the memory of their wedding day, when she had dashed away, leaving him stranded and heartbroken, accompanied only by a substitute meant to fill the void she had created. The weight of that day hung heavy in his heart, turning into a deep obsession, making this moment feel all the more surreal.

In the original storyline, Silas wanted to rekindle his relationship with Ellie after snatching her back, envisioning a future where they would unite once more in marriage. And it was he who took the initiative to propose it. Now, the outcome remains the same, but it is Ellie who takes the initiative to propose the marriage, not him, Silas.

"I know that I ran away from our marriage… I admit it. It was my fault, but nothing really happened between Andre and me," Ellie started to explain, her brows furrowed a little. "I always treated him as a brother, and our marriage was also fake, so… I want to make up for my mistake. Then, shall we marry each other once more?"

Silas could not quite place the reason, but a flicker of irony stirred within him. He looked at Ellie, taking in the way her brow furrowed with uncertainty and her lips parted as if she were struggling to find the right words. He immediately understood that she had something else to say and thus asked, "What is it that you want me to agree to?"

"I want to go and see Andre," Ellie said. As soon as she stated her purpose, she noticed that Silas's face suddenly turned cold, and she quickly explained, "Do not get angry; I am just doing it out of friendship. After all, he was so badly injured, and I am also responsible for it. If you are worried, you can go with me. Is that okay?"

Originally, when Silas heard Ellie mentioning her plan to meet Andre, a chill swept across his features, freezing his expression into a mask of cold indifference. However, when Ellie suggested they go together, he…

An unexpected jolt surged through him— a visceral shudder that reverberated within his chest, as if a floodgate of long-suppressed emotions was on the verge of breaking free.

With a reflexive motion, the Demon King pressed his palm against his heart, feeling the rapid beat beneath his fingertips. There was an unsettling mix of anticipation and dread swirling within him. Finally, he forced the words out, his voice tinged with an unusual quality, as if the very act of speaking was drawing forth feelings he had tried to keep buried.

"Alright, I promise you," he replied.