Riven hadn't expected that at all. The first words out of the strange woman's mouth after waking weren't words of gratitude to him, but—
"Your face… it's strange."
The simple remark struck his pride harder than any blade.
Riven blinked, lips twitching as he fought down irritation. He never thought of himself as especially handsome, but he was at least satisfied enough. Above average—that was how he'd always judged himself. And yet, without hesitation, this woman's first words sounded less like honesty and more like mockery.
So after all the trouble I went through to save her, the first thing I get is an insult?
His eyes lingered on her face. As much as he hated to admit it, compared to her beauty, the gap really was like that of a princess and a monkey.
Straightening his posture, he tried to push away the sting.
No. I can't let her get under my skin. If I take offense, doesn't that just prove her right?
He exhaled heavily, forcing himself to swallow his frustration. A thin, mocking smile tugged at his lips.
"You really do have a terrible attitude, don't you? Instead of thanking the person who saved you, you insult his face. I know you're beautiful… but that doesn't give you the right to demean someone else's looks."
The moment the word "beautiful" left his mouth, Ashtoria's expression shifted. Her crimson eyes, calm before, suddenly sharpened, gleaming like tempered steel.
"I wasn't insulting your face," she replied quickly, her voice flat but pressing.
Riven frowned. "Then what did you mean?"
She held his gaze, unblinking, her tone strangely steady.
"What I meant is that your face looks strange because I rarely see anyone look at me the way you do."
Few ever looked at her without fear. Yet this man stared at her as though she were just anyone else. That was why she had called his face strange.
Riven froze. Her words unsettled him, all the more because she did not explain further. She spoke as though it should already be obvious.
Silence lingered until Ashtoria herself broke it.
"Who are you, truly? Why did you save me? What is your real intention?"
Her tone was calm, but her questions cut like blades. Riven groaned in frustration. He was already tired, and now this woman was interrogating him with suspicion.
What baffled him most, however, was her final line.
"…And why did you just lie?"
Riven blinked. His eyes widened slightly, as if he could not believe the accusation. Yes, he had lied often enough in his life—but just now, he had spoken nothing but the truth.
"Lie? What are you talking about?"
Ashtoria's gaze pierced through him. Her voice was quiet, yet each word was sharp.
"You don't need to lie just to flatter my appearance. Hideous. Monstrous."
Riven's mouth fell open.
"What?"
This time, he was truly at a loss. His mind spun, trying to make sense of her words. Was she joking? Mocking him back? Or was she entirely serious? It was hard to tell, given that her expression remained utterly grave.
If her face is hideous and monstrous… Riven muttered inwardly, …then what does that make everyone else? Pigs?
He finally looked at her with sheer disbelief.
"You… are serious?"
Ashtoria nodded slowly. Her face remained calm, as though she had merely stated an undeniable fact.
Riven dragged a hand roughly across his face, his voice rising despite himself.
"Do you not own a mirror? Have you never seen your own reflection?"
Ashtoria turned her head slightly. Her crimson eyes cut through him, her voice steady, without even a hint of jest.
"Of course I've looked in a mirror."
Riven almost lost it at that answer.
"Then… why would you ever think that way?"
"Because that is the truth," Ashtoria replied. Since childhood, she had been called a terrifying child by everyone around her, and so she believed it completely.
Her tone was flat, as if she were merely stating a fact. Riven stared at her in disbelief. Did she actually believe this?
He inhaled deeply, trying to clear his thoughts. To him, her words sounded ridiculous, yet at the same time… heavy. Finally, he spoke, half in frustration, half in disbelief.
"What's wrong with your eyes?"
Ashtoria raised an eyebrow. This man truly dared much. Her irritation stirred, though her face outwardly remained cold. The conversation was only driving her deeper into the truth she had always clung to. Her face stayed blank, yet Riven caught the faintest tension at the corners of her lips.
"It's your eyes that are broken," she retorted coldly.
Riven lifted his hands in surrender, shaking his head with a sigh. What kind of strange woman was this?
"Good grief…" he muttered. Then, as though driven by irritation or sheer desperation, he burst out,
"You're beautiful! You're truly beautiful!"
The woman froze. A flicker of shock passed through her eyes, and for the first time, her stone-cold face flushed faintly—though perhaps it was only his imagination.
Riven held her gaze longer, his voice coming out half-angry, half-sincere.
"You call yourself hideous? I've seen many faces. Believe me, if you're what counts as monstrous, then I don't even know what beauty means anymore."
The woman blinked, her composure faltering. She stared at Riven as though searching for deception behind his words—yet found none.
Silence enveloped them.
Riven sighed, lifting an eyebrow.
"So… is this how you repay someone who nearly risked his life to save you?"
His tone carried both irritation and amusement.
The woman's eyes sharpened.
"I never asked you to save me," she answered coolly. "And I do not need help from someone who throws cheap lies."
Riven bit back a bitter laugh. "Oh, come on…"
The woman's expression darkened, her gaze judging him as though he were a fool.
"I am frightening. Horrible."
Riven restrained himself, then shook his head slowly, his tone shifting to something far more serious.
"You really don't see it, do you? I've seen countless faces. From simple village women to nobles who spend hours dressing up… but none of them could ever compare to you."
Each compliment was like a quiet knock against the walls she had built her entire life. Something stirred within her. Her heart beat faster, though she had no name for it. Weakness? No. Not weakness. Yet the feeling was alien all the same.
Her gaze hardened, but Riven continued, words flowing out with unstoppable conviction.
"Your face, your jawline, your skin—I don't understand how you could ever call it ugly. If you stood in a crowd, people would fall silent. You'd make everyone else around you seem plain, just by being there."
"Stop," the woman whispered sharply.
"I can't." Riven smirked, as though enjoying her reaction. "The more you deny it, the more I want to prove I'm right."
For some reason, Riven found it deeply satisfying to watch cracks form in the cold mask of this dangerous, strange woman each time he praised her. He could not resist pushing further.
He leaned closer, his voice firm.
"If you stood in a crowd, people would fall silent. You'd make everyone else look ordinary, simply by existing."
"Enough—"
Riven cut in, his voice dropping to a near-whisper.
"And if you ever smiled… I swear people would lose their words."
Ashtoria's eyes widened. Her cheeks burned red. For the first time, her blank mask cracked.
Riven groaned inwardly, slapping his forehead in his mind. Had he gone mad from everything that had happened last night? Why couldn't he stop his own mouth?
"Even with you shoving me away like this," Riven continued, "I still end up thinking, 'damn… this is the most beautiful woman who's ever treated me like this in my whole life.'"
"I said stop!"
In an instant, her hand shot out, clutching his throat with cold, unyielding force.
Riven's eyes widened in shock. His breath seized at once.
"Gkh—!" The sound caught in his throat.
The woman glared at him from close range. Her face was flushed, caught between fury, confusion, and something even she could not name. Her fingers trembled faintly, yet her grip remained strong.
Riven struggled, but his vision blurred. His breath caught in his chest, his body weakening… and within seconds, the darkness consumed him.
His body went limp.
Unconscious.