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(2026) - FULL ENGSUB | Reelshort Hot HD
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(2026) - FULL ENGSUB | Reelshort Hot HD
Full Chinese Movie EngSub
Chinese Drama English Sub Full HD
#shortdrama #bestdrama #actionmovie #Drama #Film #Show #Anime #Movie #cdrama #Movies #BILLIONAIRE #shortdrama #dramashort #shortfilmdrama #minidrama #shortstorydrama #webdrama #indiedrama #shortfilmseries #shortdramaseries #dramashorts #englishmovie #cdrama #drama #movieshortfull
#BillionaireObsession #VirginAuction #MrDelaney #AlphaRomance #DarkDesire #SoldToHim #DailymotionDrama
#goodfilms romance #bestfilmromance #romance #filmromance #drama
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Short filmTranscript
00:00:00My name is Kami, a stray dog who sold himself off.
00:00:06The buyer was Lady Porteria, Countess, Rose Family Bloodline.
00:00:12So I played both, and I became her lawful husband.
00:00:18Simple deal.
00:00:19She gave me money and protection.
00:00:22I was decoration.
00:00:23I didn't have a choice.
00:00:25My little sister Aria was 16.
00:00:28Sick.
00:00:28The kind of sick that costs a fortune.
00:00:31The medicine wasn't for people like us.
00:00:34Only nobles could afford it.
00:00:40Wedding night.
00:00:41Candles low.
00:00:43Porteria scribbled three lines on a note and shoved it in my face.
00:00:46I'm putting on a show for my ma.
00:00:48I own into guys.
00:00:49You're the dog I bought, stay in the lane.
00:00:53She pulled me onto the bed for the performance.
00:00:58The frame creaked loud.
00:01:00She let out soft, little gasps.
00:01:03I lay there stiff as a corpse.
00:01:04Fists clenched hard enough to breathe.
00:01:06A dog forbidden to bark.
00:01:08Her mother, Lady Katerina, held the real power in the household.
00:01:14Every visit, the same agenda.
00:01:16Pressing us for an air.
00:01:18Kaelin.
00:01:18Looking me up and down like Rive Dock at auction.
00:01:21Are you even capable?
00:01:23Portia kept her face smooth.
00:01:24Wrote on the note.
00:01:26Church medical ruling.
00:01:27He's impotent.
00:01:28We're seeking treatment.
00:01:29Disgust flickered through Katerina's eyes, like I was something the dog had dragged in.
00:01:34That night I slept in the kennel, one thought eating at me.
00:01:39Was this all my life would ever be?
00:01:42The second her mother left, Portelia dropped the act.
00:01:46The meal didn't suit her.
00:01:48Silver platter to my face.
00:01:52You're worth less than my horse.
00:01:56I slept on cold stone, not even a pelt.
00:02:02To her, I was below a rat.
00:02:08Hey baby, you at the Silver Swan Inn, wait for me.
00:02:19The Silver Swan, the most notorious tryst spot in the city.
00:02:25Something twisted made me follow her.
00:02:31I tucked into a narrow alley.
00:02:34Watched her step out with a stunning red-haired woman wrapped around her arm.
00:02:38I tucked into a narrow alley.
00:02:39The woman pressed a soft kiss to her cheek.
00:02:42Not a man.
00:02:45A woman.
00:02:46My wife had been into women all along.
00:02:49I dragged myself back to the castle like a beaten hound.
00:02:53Rage and humiliation burnt through me.
00:02:55And I couldn't say a single word about her.
00:02:58Trapped in the role of the mute.
00:02:59A few days later, she dropped a parchment scroll at my feet.
00:03:03Note attached.
00:03:04Show my ma.
00:03:05The church checked you out.
00:03:06You're born messed up.
00:03:07Can't have no kids ever.
00:03:08Tell them you're getting treatment good and hard.
00:03:10I picked it up.
00:03:11Forged seal.
00:03:12Falsified statement.
00:03:13Congenital defect.
00:03:14Permanent infertility.
00:03:15The words seared into my skin.
00:03:17The last shred of my dignity burned to ash.
00:03:20She watched me cold.
00:03:22Indifferent.
00:03:23Pleased with her little project.
00:03:26Endure it?
00:03:27To hell with that.
00:03:29Portia.
00:03:30You've made a mistake.
00:03:36My blade was never dull.
00:03:38My seed was never dead.
00:03:39You said I was broken?
00:03:44Portia threw a fake infertility certificate at me.
00:03:48Hold me to play the pity card.
00:03:51Said she'd buy my sister's medicine if I pulled it off.
00:03:55I bit my tongue and took it.
00:03:57When Katiana showed up, I played my part in the real damn thing in us.
00:04:01Groaning.
00:04:02Praying.
00:04:03Pretending to get treatment.
00:04:05She looked at me like I was a piece of shit.
00:04:07Cursed me out.
00:04:08Said the Rose family was almost ruined as me.
00:04:10The second she left, Portona tossed me a corn purse.
00:04:14Note.
00:04:14Hush money for your bruised pride.
00:04:16I held those cold gold coins.
00:04:18My chest was breaking apart.
00:04:20Did I have any pride left in her eyes at all?
00:04:23Well, that night was when I finally snapped.
00:04:26Porta brought her red-haired mistress, Sophia, home.
00:04:31Wrapped around her in the front hall.
00:04:34Walked her up the stairs.
00:04:37Into our first place.
00:04:39He's just a useless mutt I bought.
00:04:42Who cares if he sees?
00:04:47I stood outside the door.
00:04:49I could hear the bed creaking.
00:04:52The two of them laughing.
00:04:53I clenched my fists till they bled.
00:04:57Galar's forcing me to go back.
00:05:00I run the north.
00:05:04I lost my nerve.
00:05:05This woman was darker and crueler than I'd thought.
00:05:13I crawled back downstairs like a beaten stray.
00:05:17Next day, they set me up.
00:05:19Said I'd stolen Sophia's necklace.
00:05:22Of course.
00:05:23Horea slapped me across the face.
00:05:24Each word cut.
00:05:26If you live off stolen coin,
00:05:28your sister dies slow.
00:05:31I shoved past them and ran out of the castle.
00:05:41Then I thought of Aria.
00:05:43I dragged myself back.
00:05:44Found the necklace stuck in the bed.
00:05:46I thought I could prove I didn't take it.
00:05:50Portia just wrote.
00:05:52This time, I'll let it slide.
00:05:55She labeled me a thief.
00:05:58Permanent.
00:05:58The truth didn't matter to her.
00:06:01To her, I was born to be scum.
00:06:03The rage burned through every last scrap of patience I had left.
00:06:07No more pretending.
00:06:10I sketched the two of them kissing outside the inn that night.
00:06:13Paid a courier.
00:06:14Sent it straight to Katarina.
00:06:18That evening, Portia came home.
00:06:21Katarina was in a great chair, face like thunder.
00:06:24I stood off to the side, head down.
00:06:27Then slowly, let a sly little smile creep across my face.
00:06:35Portia!
00:06:36Did you really bring that shameless horn into your marriage bed again?
00:06:48Portia caught cheating.
00:06:50Mother and daughter blew up in the great hall.
00:06:54If you don't produce a grandson within a year, I'd disown you.
00:07:00Portia got beaten down by it.
00:07:02She stormed upstairs in a rage.
00:07:05Kicked me in the gut.
00:07:06Slapped me twice across the face.
00:07:08The old me would have taken it.
00:07:10Watching her come unhinged like that, I actually laughed.
00:07:12What the hell are you laughing at?
00:07:14Daggers in her eyes.
00:07:15I wrote it out.
00:07:16I'm just the neutered dog you want.
00:07:17It's only reed and broken mutt for the boss to beat his dogs.
00:07:20It's the way of things.
00:07:21The dog only gets to laugh.
00:07:22He doesn't get to cry.
00:07:23Her face went dark with rage.
00:07:25She snapped that I was lower than a stray.
00:07:28Slammed the door.
00:07:29Gone.
00:07:30That's when I figured out the game.
00:07:32In public?
00:07:33Keep playing the broken puss otter.
00:07:35Behind closed doors?
00:07:36I'd be her worst nightmare.
00:07:38That same night, Sophia showed up again.
00:07:41I eavesdrop and almost lost it.
00:07:44They were hunting whoever had drawn that picture of them.
00:07:47They suspected an old creep named Tarlin who ran a brothel.
00:07:51Thank the gods.
00:07:52Not me.
00:07:52A few days later, poor Lola got a message.
00:07:55Her face went stone cold.
00:08:03She slipped out with a dagger hidden on her.
00:08:06I tailed her the whole way.
00:08:07She got cornered by Tarlin in a private booth at the Blood and Sand Fighting Arena.
00:08:11The old creep forced spiked wine into her and started groping her.
00:08:17All that fancy training?
00:08:20Useless.
00:08:22Get your hands off her, you sick bastard!
00:08:28Grabbed a wine bottle.
00:08:29Smashed it across Tarvin's skull.
00:08:31Blood everywhere.
00:08:32I slung half-vangible's portay out over my shoulder and got us out.
00:08:37We holed up in an abandoned mill.
00:08:39When she came to, her voice was softer than I'd ever heard it.
00:08:44Who are you?
00:08:47Joker.
00:08:47My name's Joker.
00:08:48I rasped out, then turned and vanished quick into the dark.
00:08:51Got home and stashed the mask.
00:08:54Portia came back in the middle of the night, kicked me square in the gut, and told me to
00:08:57get the hell out.
00:08:59Like always, I played the obedient dog.
00:09:01But when I was eavesdropping, I heard Sophia ask her who saved her.
00:09:04Portia stayed quiet for a long time, then said she didn't know who it was.
00:09:08But I didn't hate him.
00:09:10He actually reminded me of my old man.
00:09:13Made me feel safe.
00:09:15But she didn't hate him.
00:09:16Said he actually reminded her of her old man.
00:09:17Made her feel safe.
00:09:18I almost laughed my damn head off out in the hallway.
00:09:20That smell she liked?
00:09:21It was horse shit and rust from me.
00:09:23I'm your goddamn husband!
00:09:24Next day, I took a janitor job at Blood and Sand to lay low.
00:09:31Then one afternoon, my boss told me to clean the VIP lounge on the third floor.
00:09:37I pushed the door open, and my brain shut down.
00:09:42My mother-in-law.
00:09:45Katarina.
00:09:47Shit.
00:09:49What was she doing here?
00:09:52Sharon, private room manager, rounded up the staff to work as masked escorts.
00:10:00Drink and chat with rich, noble ladies.
00:10:03I grabbed a dog mask.
00:10:04Thought I was safe.
00:10:06I walked into the room and almost had a heart attack.
00:10:09Katarina was sitting right there.
00:10:18Drunk out of Katarina's mind.
00:10:20She lifted a lazy finger straight at me.
00:10:23I'll take this loyal little doll.
00:10:27My lady, he's mute.
00:10:29Mute is perfect.
00:10:31Quiet.
00:10:32I want to be.
00:10:34No way out.
00:10:34I had to stay.
00:10:35Her friend left for the next room with a man in a lion mask.
00:10:41The flirty moans kicked in immediately.
00:10:44It was just me and a dead drunk Katarina.
00:10:47She stood up, swaying, and leaned right into me, pushing me into the dark back room and shut the door.
00:10:56She yanked me down to sit, then plodded straight onto my lap.
00:10:59Her warm, soft body, smelling of wine pressed out on me.
00:11:03I went stiff all over.
00:11:04Push her off?
00:11:05My cover's blown.
00:11:06Don't push?
00:11:07This is just...
00:11:08Fuck.
00:11:08Just as I'd made up my mind, thinking, screwed.
00:11:11The mask's on anyway.
00:11:12Katarina suddenly pulled the mask off.
00:11:14Drunk, she muddled if I was really stuffy.
00:11:16And there it went.
00:11:17The mask hitting the floor.
00:11:19A light in the room.
00:11:20Fell right on my pale, frozen face.
00:11:25Dead silence.
00:11:31You?
00:11:33Kalen?
00:11:34A scream.
00:11:36A slap.
00:11:36My whole face went noon.
00:11:38You disgusting piece of trash.
00:11:40She scribbled and shoved a note in my face.
00:11:41Breathe a word of this to anyone, and you and your dying sister disappear.
00:11:45Get out.
00:11:45Don't ever let me see your face again.
00:11:47I bolted.
00:11:49Sharon slipped me some coin on the way out, totally confused.
00:11:52Lady Katarina has never acted like this with anyone.
00:11:55I stared at the money.
00:11:57Fear and frustration tangled.
00:11:58I shoved it in my pocket and ran back to the castle.
00:12:02The second I stepped inside, the air was wrong.
00:12:07Katarina and Portillo were sitting in the great hall.
00:12:09Stone cold.
00:12:10Both of them murderous.
00:12:13Porcilla saw me, and came at me like an animal.
00:12:18Hit me harder this time.
00:12:21Snatched my notebook and wrote.
00:12:23Now you're not just mute and useless.
00:12:26You're a cheap whore too?
00:12:28Katarina's voice was ice.
00:12:29Broken, worthless freak.
00:12:31Should have thrown you out long ago.
00:12:35Porcilla lost it.
00:12:36Neil, beg me to forgive you.
00:12:38Or I tear up our contract and put you and your dying sister out on the street.
00:12:43Neil, beg.
00:12:44What had I actually done wrong?
00:12:45You people drove me to this.
00:12:46You never treated me like a human being.
00:12:48Her mother is the one who pulled me into a back room and put her hands on me, then attacked
00:12:51me for it.
00:12:51Every bit of pain and anger detonated at once.
00:12:53When Portillo raised her hand to strike me again, I moved.
00:12:55I drove my forehead straight into her chest.
00:12:57She crashed to the floor.
00:12:58I didn't look back.
00:12:59I ran straight out of that cursed castle.
00:13:02I tore through the cold wind.
00:13:05Burning.
00:13:06Fine.
00:13:07You want to treat me like a rabid dog?
00:13:10I'll teach you what a dog's bite feels like.
00:13:12A cruel plan formed in my head.
00:13:14If we were already enemies, I was going to play this dirty.
00:13:17I use Sharon's coin to buy a vials of dream haze.
00:13:19The kind that fogs the mind.
00:13:21Leaves you weak.
00:13:22Desperate.
00:13:22Portillo.
00:13:23You love calling me useless.
00:13:24You hate the thought of me touching you.
00:13:25Perfect.
00:13:25I'm going to touch you.
00:13:26And I'm going to make you carry my child.
00:13:28Right that night, I snuck back into the castle.
00:13:31Slipped into her bedchamber.
00:13:33She was in the bath.
00:13:35I crept in.
00:13:37Dumped the entire vial into her water cup.
00:13:39Stirred it clear.
00:13:41And crawled under her bed.
00:13:43She finished her bath.
00:13:44Came back.
00:13:45Drank the cup down.
00:13:46A few minutes.
00:13:47Her breathing went heavy.
00:13:49She tossed in the sheets.
00:13:51Quiet.
00:13:52Needy little sounds.
00:13:54The drug was working.
00:13:56After a while, her movement slowed.
00:13:58This was my chance.
00:13:59I crawled out from under the bed.
00:14:01Slow.
00:14:01Stood over the bed.
00:14:02Moonlight on the woman who'd ground me under her boot for months.
00:14:05She was lying there defenseless.
00:14:07Nightgown half undone.
00:14:08Skin exposed.
00:14:09Her face flushed from the drug.
00:14:10Lips parted.
00:14:11Fragile.
00:14:12And dangerous.
00:14:13I swallowed.
00:14:14Hatred.
00:14:15The thrill of payback.
00:14:17Pure.
00:14:18Burning lust.
00:14:19Every doubt I had got wiped out.
00:14:21My hands were shaking.
00:14:22But I knew exactly what I was doing.
00:14:24My hands were on poor Leah.
00:14:26She was supposed to be drugged senseless.
00:14:28I reached for her.
00:14:29I touched her.
00:14:29Then her eyes snapped open.
00:14:33My hands were on poor Leah.
00:14:35She was supposed to be drugged senseless.
00:14:38Then her eyes snapped open.
00:14:39She pulled a small blade from under her pillow.
00:14:42Drove it into me.
00:14:44Pain and shock.
00:14:46Then nothing.
00:14:47Portia lost it.
00:14:50It came to tie to a chair.
00:14:57Good call warning me.
00:14:59This piece of trash actually tried to drug me.
00:15:03Lucky I had the blade ready.
00:15:05Cold smile.
00:15:06She picked up her riding cup.
00:15:09Started in on me.
00:15:12Trash.
00:15:13Animal.
00:15:14Worthless cur.
00:15:15Each lash split my skin.
00:15:17I bit down.
00:15:19Didn't make a sound.
00:15:20Half an hour.
00:15:21She kicked me to the floor.
00:15:27Taped my mouth shut with alchemist tape.
00:15:30Tied me to the foot of her bed.
00:15:32Went to sleep.
00:15:33Two days.
00:15:34Two nights.
00:15:36No food.
00:15:37No water.
00:15:38My calm crystal kept flashing on the floor.
00:15:42My sister was blowing up my line.
00:15:45I was dying inside.
00:15:47I couldn't move.
00:15:48Day three.
00:15:49Portolia came back.
00:15:50Dumped a bucket of dirty horse water on me to wake me up.
00:15:54Filthy dog.
00:15:55So desperate you drink horse slop.
00:15:59She cut my ropes.
00:16:00Left a note.
00:16:01Try that again and I kill you.
00:16:03I collapsed.
00:16:04Crawled to the bucket.
00:16:05Drank it.
00:16:06Ate scraps off the floor.
00:16:08Grabbed my crystal.
00:16:09Dozens of emergency messages from my sister and the nun.
00:16:12Aria's blood plague had flared up.
00:16:13Heavy bleeding.
00:16:14Almost died.
00:16:15No coin.
00:16:16No signature treatment was on hold.
00:16:18Looking at my sister's pale little face on the screen.
00:16:21My heart broke clean in half.
00:16:27Aria's chains had almost killed my baby sister.
00:16:30She scraped together the medical bill.
00:16:32I bit down everything.
00:16:33Crawled back to Roseman.
00:16:35Wrote a long apology.
00:16:37Cried.
00:16:37Called myself heartless.
00:16:39Portia read it and scoffed.
00:16:41At least you know what you are.
00:16:43She wrote.
00:16:44500 extra gold this month for her medicine.
00:16:46I swallowed every last shred of pride and begged for 50,000 to save my sister.
00:16:52She wrote back.
00:16:53Fine.
00:16:54Kneel.
00:16:55Call me master.
00:16:57I dropped to my knees on the cold stone.
00:16:59Bowed.
00:17:00Held up my crystal and spelled out the word.
00:17:02Master.
00:17:03Portla pressed her boot under my chin.
00:17:05Smiled.
00:17:06Pleased with herself.
00:17:07I can bend.
00:17:08I will not break.
00:17:09Every dirty thing you've done I'll pay back tenfold.
00:17:12My opening came faster than I expected.
00:17:15That night, Sophia came over crying again.
00:17:18Said Tarvin wouldn't leave her alone.
00:17:20Already handled.
00:17:22The City Watch is raiding Blood and Sam tonight for illegal contraband.
00:17:25I stood outside the door, heart racing.
00:17:29A wild plan came together.
00:17:30Was going to flip.
00:17:38Tip Tarfer off about Portia's move.
00:17:40I watched Portia and Sophia walk into Blood and Sound and take a corner table.
00:17:46They were there to enjoy the show.
00:17:50Soon the watch horns blared.
00:17:52A squad of guards rushed in, claiming a tip about contraband.
00:17:56Portia leaned forward, barely hiding her excitement.
00:17:59The guards tore the place apart.
00:18:01Found nothing.
00:18:02The second they left, Portia's face went black.
00:18:06Pure shock.
00:18:07I was hidden in the shadows.
00:18:08I couldn't stop grinning.
00:18:10Nothing felt better than watching her fall flat.
00:18:12This was just the start.
00:18:13I was going to make her fail, over and over, until she broke.
00:18:18I was already planning the next blow when Portia's eyes locked right on me, like she'd just marked her prey.
00:18:28Tarvin promoted me at Blood and Sand.
00:18:30The other workers got jealous.
00:18:35Walking home one night after my shift, somebody threw a sack over my head.
00:18:40Beat me half to death.
00:18:42Drake, Deputy Watch Captain.
00:18:44He was running the crew.
00:18:46I thought I was dead.
00:18:48Then there was fighting.
00:18:50Drake and his men ran like cowards.
00:18:52They yanked the sack off my head.
00:18:56The one who saved me was a woman.
00:18:59Plain white dress.
00:19:02Silver moon mask.
00:19:04Cold and beautiful as a painting.
00:19:07Are you the mute knight?
00:19:09The mysterious woman's first sentence sent a chill straight to my bones.
00:19:13She asked me if I was the mute knight.
00:19:17Was I exposed?
00:19:18Could she be one of Portia's people?
00:19:21I was scared out of my damn mind.
00:19:23But then she told me not to be afraid.
00:19:26She didn't want to expose me, she just saved me on a whim.
00:19:30That one line crushed every shred of pride I'd been building up.
00:19:34She was right.
00:19:36I was still a bug to be stepped on.
00:19:42I mumbled a thank you.
00:19:44As she turned to go, her name slipped out of me before I could think.
00:19:50You're the same age.
00:19:52Drop the formality.
00:19:54You're weak.
00:19:55Don't hate yourself for it.
00:20:01You don't need my name.
00:20:03We won't meet again.
00:20:04Goodbye for good.
00:20:06I'm just a bug she pokes at when she's bored.
00:20:09I watched her walk toward that star carriage pulled by four white horses, feeling all kinds
00:20:13of messed up inside.
00:20:15Right before getting in, she suddenly turned back and told me,
00:20:18Don't ask why I helped you.
00:20:19I'm just bored and want to see how long you'll last.
00:20:23Then she added she'd help me one more time.
00:20:25Told me to get close to Sophia and Leonard.
00:20:28Said it'd do me good.
00:20:30Her words wouldn't leave my head.
00:20:32I asked around.
00:20:34Found Leonard.
00:20:38Captain of the Nightwatch.
00:20:40Scarred face.
00:20:42One eye.
00:20:43Quiet as stone.
00:20:45I also saw Sophia again at Blood and Sand.
00:20:49She was the new headline act now.
00:20:52They called her the Phantom Performer.
00:20:57One day Tarvin called me into his office.
00:20:59Handed me a hotel key with a note.
00:21:02I set you up with a girl.
00:21:04One of a kind.
00:21:05Drives men insane.
00:21:07Don't waste it.
00:21:08Record everything on your memory crystal.
00:21:11Don't disappoint me.
00:21:19That last line was a threat.
00:21:25I already knew who it was.
00:21:27I pushed the hotel door open.
00:21:30Sophia.
00:21:32On the bed.
00:21:33Thin shift.
00:21:34Drunk.
00:21:35And dazed.
00:21:36My stomach dropped.
00:21:37Yeah.
00:21:38It was her.
00:21:39Tarvin was playing both sides.
00:21:41If I touched Porlia's lover, he'd humiliate Pornea and black rail Sophia and me with the
00:21:44footage.
00:21:45If I refused, he'd throw me to the wolves.
00:21:47Looking at defenseless Sophia.
00:21:49Honestly?
00:21:50I never hated her.
00:21:51She'd even stood up for me once.
00:21:52And the masked woman's voice was still in my head.
00:21:55Get Sophia on your side.
00:21:57Protect her.
00:21:57I betray Tarvin.
00:21:59Lose everything I've gained.
00:22:01Go through with it.
00:22:02I earn his trust.
00:22:04Get blackmail material on Poria's lover.
00:22:06I was being torn in half.
00:22:13Sophia woke up.
00:22:15Saw me.
00:22:16I froze.
00:22:18Curled up in pure terror.
00:22:25I clamped a hand over Sophia's mouth and pulled her into the hotel bathroom.
00:22:29The one place with no spy crystals.
00:22:35I wrote fast.
00:22:36Tarvin is making me record this.
00:22:38We have to fake the whole thing.
00:22:39She was terrified.
00:22:41Calmed down fast.
00:22:42Bit her lip and nodded.
00:22:44Fake action.
00:22:45Real footage.
00:22:46I wrote it out.
00:22:47She got it.
00:22:49We started the act.
00:22:50Struggling.
00:22:51Tussling.
00:22:52She screamed and cried on cue.
00:22:54I played the deaf muth who couldn't hear her.
00:22:57Tore her shift open.
00:22:58Aimed the memory crystal for the angles.
00:23:00Her acting was incredible.
00:23:02I almost bought it myself.
00:23:04Kept it up for half an hour.
00:23:05I helped her out of the room with my arm around her.
00:23:08Her wintering soft couldn't tell what was real.
00:23:10Drake was waiting in the hallway.
00:23:12Came to verify the footage.
00:23:13My hands shook as I handed the crystal over.
00:23:16Drake watched.
00:23:17The grin on his face turned creepy.
00:23:19I thought we were clear.
00:23:20Then he grabbed Sophia.
00:23:22Even a mute gets a turn.
00:23:23Why can't I?
00:23:25He tried to drag her back into the room.
00:23:27His hand went for her clothes.
00:23:29Every bit of rage I'd been swallowing for weeks blew at once.
00:23:32The masked woman's words.
00:23:33Sophia covering for me.
00:23:34Every beating Drake had given me.
00:23:35I couldn't hold it back anymore.
00:23:37I grabbed a heavy brass candlestoke off the wall.
00:23:40Smashed it into the back of the skull.
00:23:42Cracked.
00:23:42Blood everywhere.
00:23:43Drake's eyes went wide.
00:23:45He dropped.
00:23:47Shit.
00:23:47I might have just killed a man.
00:23:49Sophia was the first to recover.
00:23:50Grabbed my arm.
00:23:51Pulled me into a run.
00:23:52I collapsed on her couch.
00:23:54Shaking head to toe.
00:23:58She handed me a glass of water and wrote.
00:24:00I always thought you were springless.
00:24:01Turns out you've actually got something in you.
00:24:03I looked up at her.
00:24:04Tear streaks still on her face.
00:24:05Buttons broken on her sith.
00:24:07Collarbone exposed.
00:24:08And something complicated in her eyes.
00:24:12I left her place panicked.
00:24:17Better to beg for mercy than wait for Tarvin to hunt me.
00:24:26I dropped to my knees in front of him at Blood and Sland.
00:24:29Bowed.
00:24:30Apologized over and over.
00:24:32Said I'd let Sophia go because I was afraid Portia would retaliate.
00:24:37Said I was thinking long term.
00:24:38Gain her trust.
00:24:40Become a long term spy on poor Leah for him.
00:24:43Tarvin listened.
00:24:44Squinted.
00:24:44Wrote.
00:24:45Smart.
00:24:45As long as Sophia keeps her mouth shut, we let it slide.
00:24:49Then his face went.
00:24:49But Drake, you cracked his skull.
00:24:51He was my man.
00:24:52We follow street rules.
00:24:54Four men burst in.
00:24:55One had a heavy meat clever.
00:24:57The other three pinned my hands flat on the table.
00:25:04Lose a hand.
00:25:05Minimum.
00:25:06I was shaking my head.
00:25:07No.
00:25:08No.
00:25:08He added.
00:25:09You're useful.
00:25:10So I'll cut you a deal.
00:25:11Sign a hundred thousand gold note for Drake's compensation.
00:25:14I smoothed it over.
00:25:16A hundred thousand.
00:25:17The blade was over my pinky.
00:25:19I had no choice.
00:25:21I signed.
00:25:22Pressed my thumbprint.
00:25:23Lied that the debt was for my sister's medical bills.
00:25:26Now I knew.
00:25:27I was his puppet.
00:25:28He even said he'd cut off a finger.
00:25:30I struggled in terror.
00:25:32But they prizzed me down hard.
00:25:33The cold blade pressed against my left pinky.
00:25:36I shut my eyes in despair.
00:25:38It's Madame Sharon.
00:25:39Leaning against the doorframe.
00:25:41Make up flawless.
00:25:41Lord Tarvin.
00:25:43Ease up.
00:25:44That boy makes his living with his hands.
00:25:46Take his fingers and you push him over the edge.
00:25:49But her eyes are sharp as knives.
00:25:51Fixed right on Tarvin.
00:25:55Right when I'd given up, Madame Sharon pushed the door open.
00:25:59Lord Tarvin.
00:26:00Stop messing around.
00:26:02This boy makes his living with his fingers.
00:26:06Cripple his hands and you take his only way to survive.
00:26:10She called me her little brother.
00:26:12Said a high-paying client had specifically asked for me.
00:26:14Someone even Tarvin wouldn't cross.
00:26:16In the end, Tarvin gave her the courtesy.
00:26:19But she had to drink with him later that night.
00:26:21Sharon led me out.
00:26:22Gave me an address.
00:26:23Said there really was a client who'd asked for me by name.
00:26:25I showed up nervous.
00:26:27Found a luxury manor.
00:26:28I pushed the front door open.
00:26:30Three noble ladies were sitting in the parlor playing cards.
00:26:33I spotted one of them and my whole world stopped.
00:26:37My mother-in-law.
00:26:38Katarina.
00:26:39She saw me.
00:26:40Her face went ice cold instantly.
00:26:43The one who'd booked me was Lady Yund, the friend Karina had been with last time.
00:26:47Katarina.
00:26:48This is the mute, dog-masked night from before.
00:26:51I called him here just for you.
00:26:53How are you going to thank me?
00:26:55Katarina's face went ice cold as she kicked me out, telling the other noble women to keep
00:26:59playing cards.
00:27:00But the other two ladies were curious.
00:27:02They'd heard about the mute night.
00:27:04Thought I was safe and entertaining.
00:27:05Made me stay.
00:27:07I stood behind Lady Yund, mortified.
00:27:09Every time she won a hand, she stuffed coin into my pocket and squeezed my thigh.
00:27:16Katarina's stare could have flayed me.
00:27:17A few rounds in, Lady Yund said she needed a break, grabbed my arm, started pulling me
00:27:22toward a private room.
00:27:23Out of nowhere, Katarina shot to her feet, yanked me to her side.
00:27:26Every lady at the table froze.
00:27:28In front of all of them, Katarina pulled me close by the waist and dragged me into the
00:27:32nearest room.
00:27:33The door locked behind us.
00:27:36Then she slapped me hard across the face.
00:27:38After cursing me out, she scribbled on her notepad.
00:27:40Get out.
00:27:41Make some excuse and leave.
00:27:42I can't stand the sight of you.
00:27:43I nodded like a beaten stray.
00:27:45The second I stepped outside the room, Lady Yund blocked my path.
00:27:48Katarina.
00:27:49Sending him away so soon?
00:27:54What's wrong?
00:27:55Afraid the ladies might find out he's your mute son-in-law?
00:28:04Katarina went deathly pale.
00:28:05Lady Yund laughed.
00:28:07Triumphant.
00:28:07Turned out she and the other two had set this up together.
00:28:09They'd recorded the whole thing on their crystal, the mother-in-law calling her own
00:28:13mute son-in-law to serve her, and were planning to blackmail Katarina with it.
00:28:16Watching Katarina get cornered like that, rage burned through me.
00:28:19I couldn't stand there and let her get destroyed.
00:28:20Her downfall was tied to mine.
00:28:22I rushed forward before Lady Yund could react.
00:28:25Slapped her across the face with everything I had.
00:28:27Smack.
00:28:28The whole room froze.
00:28:30I grabbed the stunned Katarina's arm and bolted out of the manor.
00:28:35We ran and ran.
00:28:37The world was ours.
00:28:39We took her four-horse carriage.
00:28:40Dead silence the whole ride.
00:28:42She didn't even hold the reins.
00:28:43Just stared straight ahead, her chest rising and falling with rage.
00:28:46I didn't dare look at her.
00:28:47My palms were drenched.
00:28:49After a long, quiet stretch, she picked up her quill, wrote a single line on parchment,
00:28:53held it up in front of me.
00:28:54Kaelin, you're not broken.
00:28:57You're perfectly capable of carrying on the bloodline, aren't you?
00:29:01My stomach hit the floor.
00:29:03She knew.
00:29:03She'd known the whole time.
00:29:05Every bit of humiliation.
00:29:06Every torture.
00:29:07She'd seen through it all.
00:29:10Katarina took the reins and drove us off.
00:29:13Heavy silence in the carriage.
00:29:15She wrote on parchment with her quill.
00:29:18Kaelin, you're no broken failure.
00:29:20You're a real knight.
00:29:22You can father heirs.
00:29:23Tell me the truth.
00:29:24I hesitated a long time.
00:29:26After what she'd just been through.
00:29:28Cornered, humiliated, blackmail bait, I made up my mind.
00:29:31I wrote the whole truth out.
00:29:33I'm completely normal.
00:29:34Portia lied to you.
00:29:36The whole marriage was a fake contract.
00:29:40Katarina read it.
00:29:41Sighed heavy.
00:29:43Wrote back that she would handle Portia.
00:29:45Told me not to worry.
00:29:46Then ordered me out of the carriage.
00:29:58I wandered the streets.
00:30:00Drake, Tarvin, Lady Young, Portia.
00:30:04Any one of them could kill me without breaking a sweat.
00:30:07Drowning in it, I remembered the masked woman's advice.
00:30:10Get Sofia on your side.
00:30:12I went straight to Sophie's loft.
00:30:17Just before I climbed the stairs.
00:30:21I heard her arguing with someone.
00:30:24I ducked into the shadows.
00:30:27The man's name is Gawick.
00:30:28Blonde, handsome, dressed like nobility.
00:30:30He begged Sofia, saying planting her near Portia was a last resort, but he's always loved her.
00:30:34I was struck dumb.
00:30:36Sofia isn't a lesbian.
00:30:37She's a spy this man planted to watch Portia.
00:30:39Who the hell is Portia to be watched this closely?
00:30:43Gawker grew more frantic.
00:30:44Pinned Sofia against the wall.
00:30:46Tried to force a kiss.
00:30:47Sofia fought back.
00:30:51When I saw she was about to lose, I didn't think.
00:30:54Grabbed a heavy wooden club from the corner.
00:30:56Get your hands off her!
00:31:00I slammed into Gallant.
00:31:01Knocked him off her.
00:31:02He stared at me.
00:31:03Pure shock.
00:31:04Sofia froze too.
00:31:05When she realized it was me, her eyes filled with something complicated.
00:31:08Gallant recovered fast.
00:31:09Cold, hateful eyes scanned me up and down.
00:31:11I gripped the club.
00:31:12Stood between him and her.
00:31:13Heart pounding.
00:31:13I didn't back down.
00:31:14I swung the club at him.
00:31:16He ducked easily.
00:31:18No!
00:31:24You think you can touch me?
00:31:26Tackled him to the ground.
00:31:27Started beating him.
00:31:28Stop it!
00:31:29He's deaf and mute.
00:31:30He can't hear you.
00:31:31You think I'd believe that?
00:31:32Sofia tried to tell him I was deaf and mute.
00:31:34He didn't buy it.
00:31:35Accused us of sleeping together behind his back.
00:31:37Actually, I kinda like him.
00:31:38Sofia said that just to piss him off.
00:31:39Told him she kinda likes me.
00:31:41That set Gawick off.
00:31:42He started beating me harder.
00:31:43Aiming to kill.
00:31:44Stop!
00:31:44Stop!
00:31:44Stop!
00:31:45I won't spy on Portia for you anymore.
00:31:48You bitch!
00:31:53He backed off.
00:31:54Kicked me one last time.
00:31:56Stormed out cursing.
00:31:59I lay on the floor.
00:32:01Beat to a pump.
00:32:02A dead dog.
00:32:04Sofia helped me back to her place.
00:32:07Cleaned my wounds.
00:32:08Changed into a sheer nightgown.
00:32:10Moved soft and gentle.
00:32:13But her eyes were full of teasing.
00:32:15She leaned in close.
00:32:16Her breath warm against my ear.
00:32:18Thinking I couldn't hear, she teased without holding back.
00:32:21Called me a cute little preacher.
00:32:23Said she'd never been with a man before.
00:32:24Wondered if it'd be exciting to sleep with me.
00:32:26I stayed stiff, pretending not to understand.
00:32:29But inside I was churned.
00:32:30But then she said she's got a cleanliness thing.
00:32:32Her first time has to be with a perfect man.
00:32:34Not a cripple.
00:32:35That word stabbed right through me.
00:32:38Just as she turned to grab the first aid kit.
00:32:40Her back to me.
00:32:41I took a sharp breath and made a choice that could damn me forever.
00:32:44Or be my only way out.
00:32:45I reached out.
00:32:46Grabbed her from behind.
00:32:47And yanked her tight against me.
00:32:49She gasped.
00:32:51Struggling in my grip.
00:32:54I leaned down.
00:32:55Lips right against her ear.
00:32:58I'm not asking you to forgive me.
00:33:00In a low, rough voice.
00:33:02Slow and clear.
00:33:03I spoke for the first time.
00:33:06Oh yeah?
00:33:08Sorry to break it to you, Sophia.
00:33:10I'm not deaf.
00:33:12And I'm not mute.
00:33:21I came clean to Sophia.
00:33:23Told her I'd been faking the whole time.
00:33:27After the shock wore out, we struck a fragile alliance.
00:33:32The next afternoon, I was woken up by yelling downstairs.
00:33:37Katerina and Portia were going at it.
00:33:40Katerina was grilling Portia.
00:33:42Asking if she and I were just faking the whole marriage.
00:33:45Portia kept denying it.
00:33:46But that only made Katerina even more furious.
00:33:49And she flat out said I was the one who told her.
00:33:52My heart dropped.
00:33:54I'm screwed.
00:33:55Don't you dare hurt him.
00:33:58He's under my protection now.
00:34:01You have a problem.
00:34:03Take it up with me.
00:34:04Mom, we had a deal.
00:34:06Stay out of my life.
00:34:07I'll give you an heir, but you keep meddling again and again.
00:34:10An heir?
00:34:12How?
00:34:17Be honest with me, Portia.
00:34:19You find that whole thing disgusting.
00:34:22You will never carry a child.
00:34:24Will you?
00:34:25Dead silence in the great hall.
00:34:27I was hidden around the corner of the stairs.
00:34:30Holding my breath.
00:34:31Then Katerina said if Portia doesn't have a child with me, she'll have one with me herself.
00:34:36Words that shattered everything.
00:34:37Leaving me stunned.
00:34:39My mind completely blank.
00:34:43Terrified.
00:34:44I ran straight to blood and sand to lay low.
00:34:47The next few days, Portia didn't come for revenge.
00:34:51Instead, she gave me a vial of life essence.
00:34:54Told me to take it daily to build up my body.
00:34:56She was taking matching medicine herself.
00:34:58Was she actually serious?
00:35:00About having a child with me?
00:35:02Shock and wild hope.
00:35:04I took those pills every single day.
00:35:06Like a beggar waiting for a miracle.
00:35:08Counting down to her fertile window.
00:35:10Maybe a child was my one chance to turn this whole mess around.
00:35:13Down at the arena, I started building quiet ties with Leonard, the night watch captain the masked woman had told
00:35:18me to find.
00:35:19He kept to himself.
00:35:21Barely a word out of him.
00:35:22Sophia went back to performing every night.
00:35:25On the surface, everything was calm.
00:35:27That night, I got cornered in the back alley by Drake.
00:35:30Fresh out of the hospital, he brought three guys with him.
00:35:34Without a word, he hurled a stinking leather bag full of horse shit at me.
00:35:38You little shit!
00:35:39Eat this bag of crap, or I'll end you!
00:35:42I glanced at Leonard nearby.
00:35:44He was my only owl.
00:35:45But he acted like he saw nothing.
00:35:47Just stood up, dust himself off, and started to walk away.
00:35:51My heart sank.
00:35:52This is the guy the mystery woman told me to win over?
00:35:55A coward?
00:35:56The hell you starring at, mute?
00:35:58Eat it now!
00:36:00Humiliation, rage, despair, all turned inside me.
00:36:04Was I really going to be forced to eat shit?
00:36:06My jaw clenched, fists tightened, just as Drake shoved me down again, my face nearly hitting the filth.
00:36:12Leonard, who I never even saw come back, stood there with a freshly lit pipe between his teeth, hands in
00:36:18his pockets, looking down at us like we were bugs.
00:36:21Drake paused, then started sneering.
00:36:24Little coward grew a spine, you want a piece too?
00:36:27Listen close.
00:36:28In places like this, the more you crawl, the more they treat you like a stray dog.
00:36:32Tonight is your choice.
00:36:34Keep crawling and live like trash.
00:36:38Stand up.
00:36:40Fight like a knight.
00:36:43Drake was forcing me to eat horse manure.
00:36:46Trash-talking my little sister area the whole time.
00:36:49They had me pinned.
00:36:51I broke down on the ground in pure despair.
00:36:54Right then, Leonard, the night watch captain, came back.
00:36:58He moved like a furious lion, took down Drake and his crew in a few hits, then warned them.
00:37:04If they ever insult someone's sister again, they'd get ten times worse.
00:37:08Before leaving, he wrote on the wall.
00:37:11Helped you, cause you're still a man.
00:37:17I knew it then.
00:37:19He's not simple.
00:37:21Once my cuts healed, Tarvlin called me in.
00:37:24Pulled out a small crystal vise.
00:37:27Clear liquid.
00:37:28Smirked.
00:37:30Wrote.
00:37:31Tonight, unlock Portia's bedroom door for me.
00:37:35Use this to knock her out.
00:37:36Don't worry.
00:37:38She won't remember a thing.
00:37:46I saw through it instantly.
00:37:48The sick bastard wanted to drug and assault Portia.
00:37:52I shoved the door wide open.
00:37:54He was staring at her unconscious form.
00:37:56You fool.
00:37:57Portna is the one I've been planning to take down all along.
00:38:00That look on his face.
00:38:02He saw it was me.
00:38:03Glared.
00:38:04Wrote.
00:38:05You want a turn?
00:38:06I'll let you have the leftovers when I'm done.
00:38:08I stood frozen, gripping the small bottle in my pocket.
00:38:11A third of it left.
00:38:13Tarvlin's face went cold.
00:38:14He wrote again.
00:38:15Backing out?
00:38:16Don't forget your sick sister.
00:38:17And your hundred thousand gold debt.
00:38:19Slowly.
00:38:20I pulled the small bottle out of my pocket.
00:38:22Twisted the cap.
00:38:23What are you doing?
00:38:24He wrote.
00:38:25Suspicious.
00:38:26I didn't answer.
00:38:28I lunged forward.
00:38:29Splashed the drug straight into his eyes.
00:38:30He screamed.
00:38:31Clutched his face.
00:38:32I grabbed a heavy brass ornament off the wall.
00:38:34Smashed it into the back of his head as hard as I could.
00:38:36Bang.
00:38:37He stumbled.
00:38:38Dropped.
00:38:39I was breathing hard.
00:38:42Cleaned up every trace.
00:38:44Wiped the drug.
00:38:46Tied his hands behind his back with his own belt.
00:38:49Taped his mouth shut.
00:38:53Then I looked at Portia.
00:38:55Unconscious in bed.
00:38:57I'd almost destroyed her with my own hands tonight.
00:39:07I leaned against the wall and put on the mask.
00:39:11Pale face.
00:39:12But the fire in my eyes was burning.
00:39:16I dragged him to a deserted spot.
00:39:18Used his own memory crystal to record a warning.
00:39:21And told him if he ever touched Portia again.
00:39:23Next time he'd end up a corpse.
00:39:25I ran home.
00:39:26Hoisted the unconscious Portia onto my back.
00:39:29And carried her to the abandoned mill.
00:39:30She stirred awake on my back.
00:39:32Her expression dazed but bright.
00:39:34Joker.
00:39:35Is that you?
00:39:36You saved me again?
00:39:37Glad you're awake.
00:39:38You were drugged.
00:39:39Carrying you kept you warm.
00:39:40She stayed quiet for a long time.
00:39:42Asking me over and over who I really was.
00:39:44Why I kept saving her.
00:39:45I never answered.
00:39:46In the night wind I was the mysterious powerful hero in her eyes.
00:39:49And she'd never know I was the mute husband she humiliated without a second thought.
00:39:52That contrast.
00:39:53That control.
00:39:53Filled me with a twisted thrill.
00:39:55I stood up to leave.
00:39:56Portilpa suddenly wrapped her arms aground my waist from behind.
00:39:59Her voice choked with tears.
00:40:00Saying she wanted to see my face.
00:40:02My body froze.
00:40:03Portia if you saw this face.
00:40:05Would it break you?
00:40:06I pried her hands loose.
00:40:08Shook off her embrace.
00:40:09And vanished into the dark.
00:40:15I sat at a street corner till sunrise.
00:40:19Back at the castle.
00:40:20I changed into the drug stained clothes.
00:40:23Then I cut a deep gow across my chest with a dagger.
00:40:26Sharp burning pain.
00:40:27It snapped me fully awake.
00:40:28I needed the wound.
00:40:30To sell the lie.
00:40:31That Kaylin had been hurt fighting to save Portia.
00:40:33I lay on the floor moaning.
00:40:35Portia came home.
00:40:36Saw me.
00:40:37Froze for a second.
00:40:38She knelt down, raised her riding boot and kicked me twice right in the wound.
00:40:41Agonizing pain shot through me.
00:40:42At least a dog can guard the house.
00:40:44What good are you, you trash?
00:40:46A useless waist like you trying to save someone?
00:40:48Just go die.
00:40:49I lay there.
00:40:50Drowning in my own blood.
00:40:51Upstairs I could hear her on the calm systole with Sophia.
00:40:53Soft and vulnerable after the scare.
00:40:55Gushing about how brave the Joker was.
00:40:57I wanted to laugh.
00:40:58All that came out was dry, ragged gasps.
00:41:00Tears mixed with dirt on my face.
00:41:02Maybe I really should just die.
00:41:03Take every beating.
00:41:04Every dirty job.
00:41:05For her.
00:41:05The hero she's obsessed with is just a sad joke I'm performing in blood.
00:41:09I dragged myself up, stumbled to the bathroom.
00:41:10The man in the mirror was pale.
00:41:11Chest covered in dark, dry blood.
00:41:13Eyes empty.
00:41:14I splashed freezing water on my face.
00:41:15Hard.
00:41:15I lifted my head.
00:41:16The look in my eyes sharpened again.
00:41:18Burning with something dangerous.
00:41:21Chest wounds still bleeding.
00:41:22I curled up in a storage closet of blood and sand.
00:41:26Portia hadn't come for me.
00:41:27Left me there to rot.
00:41:29Sophia pushed the door open, flipped the lock behind her, and walked soft to the bed.
00:41:32She lifted my chin with her fingertips, lend in close to my ear, and whispered just loud
00:41:36enough for me to hear.
00:41:37Complaining that lately Portia's been totally hooked on that Joker who showed up out of nowhere,
00:41:41going cold on her.
00:41:42She wants Portia's attention back.
00:41:44And she needs me to help her do it.
00:41:47I started to say no, but then...
00:41:49Sophia leaned in, all tempting-like, saying if she'd wanted to hurt me, I'd be dead already.
00:41:53She wasn't just leaving me alone.
00:41:55She wanted to help me get back at Portia.
00:41:57I cut her off before she could finish.
00:41:59I didn't buy it.
00:42:00Her smile dropped, and a flash of hatred sharpened her eyes.
00:42:03I knew it was a deal with the devil, but what choice did I have?
00:42:06I reached out and took her cold hand.
00:42:08She looked at my hand, then back at me, and smiled, satisfied.
00:42:14Later that night, Sophia snuck over again, hinted that a crew of thugs was going to wreck
00:42:19blood and sand.
00:42:20Said Portia was probably the one who'd given the order.
00:42:23I tipped Leonard off ahead of time.
00:42:25Before dawn, thugs stormed into blood and sand, wrecking the place.
00:42:30I hid in the bathroom, but got cornered and beaten.
00:42:34The leader pulled out a dagger, sneering as he pointed it at my crotch.
00:42:39Stop!
00:42:40You dare touch Portia's husband?
00:42:41Got it wrong?
00:42:42It was Lady Portia herself who ordered us to cut this bastard's balls off tonight.
00:42:46Fear choked my throat.
00:42:47The blade kept creeping closer.
00:42:49Sophia suddenly stepped in front of me.
00:42:51The leader clearly hesitated, thrown off.
00:42:52His men started whispering to each other.
00:42:54She said her husband's useless.
00:42:55That thing's just for show.
00:42:57Always gets on her nerves.
00:42:58Teach him a lesson tonight.
00:42:59Make him behave for good.
00:43:01I don't care what she said.
00:43:02I'm ordering you to get out as her lover.
00:43:04I'll deal with her myself.
00:43:06Touch him, and I swear you won't last a week in the north.
00:43:10Sophia stepped in hard.
00:43:12Portia called the goons off.
00:43:14I went back to the castle with Sophia.
00:43:16Portia sat stiffly in the hall, face pale with anger.
00:43:22When she saw me, her eyes looked ready to kill.
00:43:25Thinking I couldn't hear, she snapped at Sophia,
00:43:27asking if she'd lost her mind, defending trash like me against her.
00:43:32Sophia talked smooth, said keeping me alive was actually better for Portia.
00:43:37After all, this useless, spinless husband was the perfect shield against Katerina.
00:43:43Portia was furious.
00:43:44But the logic landed.
00:43:46You're lucky you didn't die today, you waste.
00:43:51Sophia, we'll go with plan B.
00:43:53Plan B?
00:43:54I glanced at Sophia.
00:43:56She winked at me.
00:43:56A small, secret smirk.
00:43:58Portia headed up to her room.
00:44:00Sophia pulled me down to sit beside her, lowered her voice, and explained.
00:44:05Plan B is actually good for you.
00:44:07Portia agreed not to touch you for now.
00:44:09But she needs a kid to keep her mom off her back.
00:44:12So.
00:44:15Portia's plan B turned out to be a surrogacy scheme.
00:44:18The surrogate she found was Cynthia, a girl from my own village.
00:44:22In the cold, sterile room at the church, I was treated like an object, going through the
00:44:27collection process.
00:44:29Portia never once looked at me.
00:44:30Just talked details with Cynthia, then told me to get back to the stables.
00:44:34I dragged myself back to the castle's storeroom like a stray.
00:44:38Collapsed on a thin mat of cold hay.
00:44:40Humiliation and rage gnawed at me like venom.
00:44:43I'd fought so hard.
00:44:45Endured so much.
00:44:46I'd even let myself daydream about a normal life.
00:44:48About a child of my own with her someday.
00:44:51But to her, I wasn't worth a single touch.
00:44:54The only way I was allowed to give my seed was on a cold medical table.
00:44:58She'd rather pay a fortune, use a stranger's womb, than let her lawful husband touch her for
00:45:03real.
00:45:03This, more than the beatings, more than the insults, smashed whatever dignity I had left
00:45:09as a man.
00:45:10She wasn't trying to have a child.
00:45:12She was using this to declare that Saren, in her life, was just a disposable tool, worthless.
00:45:18I bit down hard on my jaw.
00:45:20A cold, twisted thought slowly took root.
00:45:24Portia, you're obsessed with that masked clown, aren't you?
00:45:27Soft for the mysterious savior.
00:45:29Ready to beg him for what you won't give your husband.
00:45:32Fine, I'll make you fall hopelessly in love with him.
00:45:35I'll make you pour all your softness, your hope, your weakness, into a phantom mask.
00:45:39And then, when you're at your happiest, fully obsessed, defenseless, I walked over to the
00:45:44water basin.
00:45:45My reflections stared back.
00:45:47Dark, hollow eyes.
00:45:48A small, cruel smile starting to pull at my mouth.
00:45:54Cynthia secretly aborted the embryo.
00:45:56Got me drunk.
00:45:57We slept by accident.
00:45:58I had no choice.
00:46:00Just had to pray she'd get pregnant naturally and keep it from Portia.
00:46:04Right then, I got a message from Sophia.
00:46:06Little monk, Porphyia hasn't visited in a long time.
00:46:09Come keep me company.
00:46:10Something felt off.
00:46:11I went to her apartment.
00:46:13She wore a sexy nightgown, reeking of alcohol, and locked the door from inside.
00:46:16She handed me a glass of wine, asked me to drink with her.
00:46:19After downing it, she leaned against my shoulder, trembling and crying.
00:46:23She told me Gawick had come back.
00:46:25Tried to force himself on her again.
00:46:27Gawick, the one pulling strings behind the scenes.
00:46:29Watching Poria, Sophia's old boss.
00:46:31I tried to comfort her, promised I'd protect her.
00:46:34But she just gave a bitter smile and said I couldn't even protect myself, that hiding
00:46:37behind my son-in-law title couldn't keep her safe.
00:46:39She leaned in, her red lips blushing my ear.
00:46:42I envy Portnia.
00:46:43She's got it all.
00:46:44A husband.
00:46:46And some no-name hero willing to wear a mask and watch her back in the shadows.
00:46:50She told me how trapped she was.
00:46:52Just Gawick's pawn.
00:46:53Then, Portia's plaything, an ally Saren only remembered when he needed one.
00:46:57I tried to say something, but Sophia cut me off.
00:46:59She offered a real deal.
00:47:01Help her break free from Gawick.
00:47:02And she'd help me win Portia for good.
00:47:04Her finger trailed down my chest as she said I must hate Portia too.
00:47:07That just making her love me before leaving her was too light.
00:47:10We should take everything from her.
00:47:11Leave her with nothing, just like we are now.
00:47:13My heart hummed.
00:47:14The offer was insane.
00:47:16Dangerous.
00:47:17Tempting.
00:47:17But why pick me?
00:47:18She gave a sly, wicked smile.
00:47:21Said we're the same kind.
00:47:22Both of us clawing in the dark.
00:47:24Both wanting to crush the ones looking down on us.
00:47:27And she believes in me.
00:47:28Believes I'm the kind of guy who'd stab if I had to.
00:47:31And what I feel for Portia, it's not just hate.
00:47:34That twisted bit of care.
00:47:35It's my sharpest weapon.
00:47:37And my biggest weakness.
00:47:38Teaming up with Sophia, we'd hold each other's secrets.
00:47:41Keep each other in check.
00:47:43That's the strongest kind of alliance there is.
00:47:45I closed my eyes.
00:47:47Flashes rushed through me.
00:47:48Portia's icy face.
00:47:50The Joker's mask.
00:47:51Cynthia's eyes.
00:47:52My sister's sickly look.
00:47:53I opened them.
00:47:54Picked up the glass.
00:47:55Drained it.
00:47:56Then clicked it against hers.
00:47:58Sophia.
00:47:59Pleasure doing business.
00:48:01She smiled.
00:48:02All charm and deadly chill.
00:48:04Late that night, Sophia messaged me to come over again.
00:48:08I got there.
00:48:10She kept teasing.
00:48:11Flirting non-stop.
00:48:13I was already on edge thinking about what had happened with Cynthia.
00:48:16Then sudden knocking at the door.
00:48:19Portia.
00:48:19I panicked.
00:48:21Hit in the bathroom.
00:48:22That's when I realized.
00:48:24Sophia had known Portia was coming.
00:48:26She'd set me up.
00:48:27She wouldn't let me leave.
00:48:28Wrapped herself around me instead.
00:48:30Just as Portoia pushed the door open suspicious, she walked right into us tangled up.
00:48:34In a flash, Sophia switched faces.
00:48:37Playing the victim.
00:48:38Sobbing that I forced her.
00:48:39Portia exploded.
00:48:40Knocked me to the ground.
00:48:42And turned on Sophia.
00:48:43Sophia played the poor vulnerable victim.
00:48:45Explaining she'd been so desperate for Portia.
00:48:47And since Saren was mute and couldn't spill secrets, she'd made a mistake.
00:48:50Then she added she actually thought I was kinda handsome.
00:48:53Portia was so furious.
00:48:54She slapped Sophia across the face.
00:48:56Then stormed out.
00:48:58Slamming the door.
00:49:00Alone in the bathroom, Sophia dropped the act.
00:49:03I stared.
00:49:04Stunned.
00:49:04And demanded to know why she'd set me up.
00:49:07Having fun?
00:49:08But she just sneered, saying everything she did was for my own good.
00:49:12I was still shaken after being framed by Sophia for cheating.
00:49:16But she explained it was for my own good.
00:49:18Once Portia finished the surrogacy plan, I'd be a useless fake husband.
00:49:23Likely disposed of.
00:49:24By enraging her with infidelity now, she'd keep me alive just to torture and humiliate me slowly.
00:49:30That buys me time to plan a way out.
00:49:32I'd barely stepped back into the castle when I saw Portia's carriage crashed by the road.
00:49:36She'd been drinking and driving reckless, heartbroken over Sophia's betrayal.
00:49:41She wasn't seriously hurt, but she was curled up crying alone inside the wreck.
00:49:46I knew right away.
00:49:47Perfect chance for the Joker.
00:49:49I pulled on my mask, slipped into her carriage.
00:49:54Held my fingers up like a gun pressed to the back of her head.
00:49:59She mumbled I could take all her money.
00:50:01I wrapped my arms around her from behind instead, and whispered,
00:50:05I want to steal your sadness.
00:50:07I wish you could be happy.
00:50:09Portia instantly recognized the Joker's voice.
00:50:12Stunned and flustered, she quickly wiped her tears.
00:50:15I brushed her cheek, scolding her for not value her own life.
00:50:18She broke down completely, sobbing as she asked,
00:50:21why I'd be so good to her if I didn't even like her.
00:50:25I stayed mysterious.
00:50:27Telling her the reason I don't like her is because she's a married woman.
00:50:31Being good to her, that's my choice.
00:50:34Portla seemed stunned by my boldness.
00:50:36I told her to go home, but she refused,
00:50:39saying there's someone disgusting there,
00:50:41and asked me to take her to a hotel instead.
00:50:44The Joker carried drunk, heartbroken Portia to a private hotel room.
00:50:48I tucked her into bed, pressed a soft kiss to her forehead,
00:50:53left a note with my private contact info, and walked out.
00:50:57A perfect gentleman who didn't cross any lines.
00:51:01That pure, disciplined restraint buried itself deep in her mind.
00:51:08After that, Portia, codename Rose, started reaching out to the Joker first.
00:51:13Updated me on her every move,
00:51:15even talked about going to night training camp.
00:51:18Her tone got softer and softer,
00:51:20like a girl falling in love.
00:51:23I kept up the secret correspondence as the Joker.
00:51:25Half a month later, blood and sand reopened.
00:51:29Madam Sharon forced me to take a last-minute escort job.
00:51:35I showed up,
00:51:36and the clients were Lady Yoon and her noble friends,
00:51:39the same woman I'd slapped before.
00:51:41Their plan was to film dirty footage of me serving them,
00:51:44to humiliate Katerina at the Territory Council meeting.
00:51:48Big men held me down.
00:51:49No way to run.
00:51:51I had to play along.
00:51:52In the middle of that forced escort,
00:51:54I overheard a massive secret from Lady Yoon and her friends.
00:51:58A secret that would become my key.
00:52:01To gain Katerina's full trust,
00:52:04win her over for good,
00:52:06and flip every rule of this game.
00:52:10Lady Yoon was still missing a trap to kill Katerina.
00:52:14I bailed.
00:52:16I used my Joker alias to get Porteria to send men in.
00:52:19Took out the mole inside.
00:52:20Next day, I stormed into the council hall in my mask.
00:52:23Foss was forcing Katerina to step down.
00:52:25I kicked the door open,
00:52:27slammed a dagger into the table,
00:52:28and growled that her son-in-law, Saren, sent me,
00:52:30who said the Rose family has no man.
00:52:35The insiders flipped on the spot, backing her.
00:52:38Foss was done for.
00:52:40Katerina invited me into her study.
00:52:42Her gaze complicated.
00:52:44She asked who I was,
00:52:46how Saren could know someone like me.
00:52:48I walked closer,
00:52:49explaining we are just friends.
00:52:52Your son-in-law is more interesting than you think.
00:52:54She smiled,
00:52:55asked if I was helping her or just returning a favor.
00:52:58I caught her hand as she reached for my mask,
00:53:01leaned in close,
00:53:02and whispered suggestively,
00:53:04that what I want,
00:53:05she can guess.
00:53:06Helping her keep the trading house is not all I am after.
00:53:10The air turned charged.
00:53:13Her eyes flickered,
00:53:15a tempting smile on her lips.
00:53:18She knew the game had just leveled up.
00:53:22I deliberately got close to her in the council,
00:53:25and she played along,
00:53:26shutting Foss down with just a few sharp words,
00:53:29smoothly diffusing the crisis.
00:53:31She asked again,
00:53:32Who are you, really?
00:53:33I told her I am a friend of Portia,
00:53:34but I have been watching you.
00:53:36Just call me Joker.
00:53:37Then she pressed about me and Polia.
00:53:39I laughed, mocking.
00:53:41Miss Portia and I are close,
00:53:42but I do not like them young.
00:53:43I prefer a woman like you,
00:53:45mature.
00:53:46A faint blush touched her cheeks.
00:53:48She touched my mask.
00:53:50Ask why I wear it.
00:53:52Nervously,
00:53:52I said my face is scarred.
00:53:55Did not want to scare people.
00:53:57She nodded.
00:53:58Then turned and said she wanted me as her personal secretary.
00:54:02I was tempted but scared of being exposed,
00:54:05so I turned it down,
00:54:07saying I would rather just be her friend.
00:54:09Then made my exit.
00:54:11She called me back,
00:54:12handed me a gold voucher,
00:54:14the password her birthday.
00:54:16I took it.
00:54:18Money.
00:54:18That is what I came for in the first place.
00:54:22Then she added me to her contacts.
00:54:24In the days that followed,
00:54:25I stayed in touch with both Portia and Katerina.
00:54:27Oddly enough,
00:54:28I ended up talking more with Katerina than Portia.
00:54:31Portia was tied up with training.
00:54:33Katerina had more free time.
00:54:35Messaging under two identities was a rush.
00:54:37Dangerous.
00:54:38Thrilling.
00:54:39Playing this big,
00:54:41one slip,
00:54:41and it is over.
00:54:42Right after I finished a message to Katerina one night.
00:54:48Joker,
00:54:49get to the harbor now.
00:54:50I need help.
00:54:52Portia called for help on the comm crystal.
00:54:55My blood went cold the second I saw the distress call.
00:54:58Then I thought about it.
00:55:00If she was actually in danger,
00:55:02she wouldn't only call me.
00:55:03This was a test.
00:55:04I put on the Joker mask,
00:55:06hit up my crew leader for a few men,
00:55:08headed to the rundown warehouse at the docks.
00:55:11I spotted her men right away.
00:55:13Yeah,
00:55:13it was an act.
00:55:15I told my men to back off.
00:55:17Strapped homemade firebombs all over my body.
00:55:20Charged in alone.
00:55:21She was tied to a pillar.
00:55:23Yelling for me to run,
00:55:24I shouted back.
00:55:28I'm here!
00:55:30And I'm taking you out of this place!
00:55:32The bald leader demanded I kneel before he'd let her go.
00:55:35I glanced at Portia,
00:55:36eyes red,
00:55:36and pretended to kneel.
00:55:37But just before my knees hit the ground,
00:55:39I lunged,
00:55:40slammed into the bald guy,
00:55:41locked an arm around his neck,
00:55:42and squeezed the fuel patch I'd rigged,
00:55:44threatening to burn us all if he didn't release her.
00:55:46He didn't think I'd dare.
00:55:47The moment I lit it,
00:55:49he backed down.
00:55:50She broke into tears.
00:55:53After they'd gone,
00:55:54I untied her.
00:55:56Through her tears,
00:55:57she asked if I'd really die for her.
00:55:59I didn't answer,
00:56:00just patted her cheek and said we'd both make it.
00:56:02She looked down,
00:56:04said she was sorry.
00:56:05It was all a setup.
00:56:06Before she could finish,
00:56:08I kissed her.
00:56:08She stiffened at first,
00:56:10then responded comesily.
00:56:14When I pulled back,
00:56:15I gripped her chin and told her it was a punishment.
00:56:18In my head,
00:56:19I was roaring.
00:56:20This scene.
00:56:22I fucking won.
00:56:25After I got back,
00:56:26that kiss was all I could think about.
00:56:27She sent a coded message saying she had a surprise tomorrow,
00:56:31then pressed me about my face.
00:56:32I told her it's scarred,
00:56:34that's why I wear the mask.
00:56:35She insisted on a portrait.
00:56:36I said she'd see it when the time came.
00:56:38Then asked,
00:56:39what if I'm ugly?
00:56:40Her reply,
00:56:41men usually disgust her,
00:56:42but I'm different.
00:56:43I tested the waters.
00:56:44What if I look like your husband?
00:56:46She shot back,
00:56:47disgusted.
00:56:48Don't mention that useless waste makes me sick.
00:56:50That answer dragged my heart down.
00:56:52She still despises me that much.
00:56:54She told me to meet her tomorrow moon
00:56:55at the Golden Rose Tavern for the surprise.
00:56:57I decided to go.
00:56:58Next morning,
00:56:59Portia woke me up
00:57:00and said she was taking me to a fancy dinner.
00:57:02First time she'd ever taken me out in public.
00:57:04I was hyped.
00:57:05Then it hit me.
00:57:06Her surprise for the Joker was at the same tavern.
00:57:09Same time.
00:57:10Shit.
00:57:10Was she gonna put my real self in the Joker face to face?
00:57:13She handed me a written confession.
00:57:15A full character asasolation of myself.
00:57:18Painted me as worthless trash.
00:57:20I saw red.
00:57:22She typed,
00:57:23I'm dumping you in front of everyone today.
00:57:25Divorce in public.
00:57:27She wanted to crush me completely.
00:57:28Get 500,000 when it's done.
00:57:30You cripple could never make that in your whole life.
00:57:33Take the money and get lost.
00:57:34Go treat your sister's illness.
00:57:36500,000 gold.
00:57:38My sister's life.
00:57:39I held back the tears.
00:57:41Copied that humiliating confession word for word.
00:57:43Each line was a knife in my chest.
00:57:45While I wrote,
00:57:46she got dressed up in a stunning white gown.
00:57:49Drop dead beautiful.
00:57:50I knew she dressed up for the Joker.
00:57:52I slipped my Joker mask into my pocket.
00:57:54Quiet.
00:57:55Followed her out the door.
00:57:57This little show of hers
00:57:58was far from over.
00:58:01At the Golden Rose Tavern,
00:58:02Portia announced the divorce.
00:58:04In front of the whole crowd.
00:58:05Held up my handwritten confession.
00:58:08Screamed I was worthless trash.
00:58:09The crowd booed.
00:58:11Laughed.
00:58:11I bit down and took every insult.
00:58:13For 500,000 gold in my sister's life.
00:58:16Gawick and Tarvin shoved me to the ground.
00:58:19Stepped on me.
00:58:22Forced me to crawl between their legs.
00:58:25Cynthia tried to save me.
00:58:27They dragged her away.
00:58:29I snapped.
00:58:31Bit Gawick on the neck.
00:58:35They beat me half to death for it.
00:58:39Sophia begged them to stop.
00:58:41Portia slapped her across the face.
00:58:43Had her dragged off too.
00:58:45Just as they were about to drag me off,
00:58:47Isabella appeared.
00:58:48Iron Ange Wren right behind her.
00:58:50This man is under my protection.
00:58:52He is my friend.
00:58:53She spoke up.
00:58:54Called me her friend.
00:58:55The whole place went dead silent.
00:58:57I went from gutter mutt to stargazer's friend.
00:58:59Portia froze.
00:59:00I was stunned.
00:59:01It felt fucking amazing.
00:59:03She led me away.
00:59:04By the river,
00:59:05she asked why I followed.
00:59:07I said thanks.
00:59:09She gave a light laugh.
00:59:10Shook her head.
00:59:13Do small people not deserve to be my friends?
00:59:16If I didn't say that,
00:59:17who'd remember you?
00:59:19Even the humblest should have pride.
00:59:22A stray dog can sometimes bite a mountain tiger to death.
00:59:26I only half understood.
00:59:27As she turned to leave,
00:59:29I asked if we'd meet again.
00:59:30She looked back,
00:59:31warning me not to think I were safe.
00:59:33She might be hurting me.
00:59:34Hoped I'd live.
00:59:35Maybe surprise her.
00:59:36No surprise,
00:59:37no more meetings.
00:59:38I smiled bitterly.
00:59:40Is she just playing a game with me?
00:59:42I pulled out my crystal,
00:59:44saw Portia's message to the Joker.
00:59:46I've finally gotten rid of that disgusting husband.
00:59:49I'll make us official today.
00:59:50Will you have me, my love?
00:59:52Waves of humiliation.
00:59:53I shook with fury.
00:59:55Cynthia was right.
00:59:56I couldn't be a pushover.
00:59:58Sophia was right.
00:59:59I'm not lower than these stuck-up snobs.
01:00:01And Isabella was right.
01:00:02I was going to be the stray dog that took down the tiger.
01:00:04I texted Portia back as the Joker.
01:00:06I watched every second of that little show.
01:00:09I'm seriously disappointed.
01:00:11Saren never did a single thing wrong.
01:00:13You took it way too far.
01:00:14I'm leaving.
01:00:16Reply came back fast.
01:00:17I'm hurting too.
01:00:18I just needed you to know.
01:00:19I can throw any man aside.
01:00:20Except you.
01:00:22Maybe you're just waiting for someone to change you.
01:00:24Came back instantly.
01:00:26Joker,
01:00:26will you be the one to fix me?
01:00:29Wait for me.
01:00:33I changed clothes.
01:00:35Pulled on the Joker mask.
01:00:36Headed straight back to the Golden Rose Havern.
01:00:38I stood at the doors.
01:00:40Fists tight.
01:00:41Portia,
01:00:42your Joker is here.
01:00:43Today,
01:00:44I'm going to make you watch with your own eyes
01:00:45the useless husband you throw away,
01:00:47rise up as a hero,
01:00:48and take everything you have.
01:00:51I slipped into the tavern wearing the Joker mask.
01:00:54Portia was on stage,
01:00:56eagerly scanning the crowd for the Joker,
01:00:58proudly declaring her love,
01:00:59vowing to marry him.
01:01:01Just as her hope was fading,
01:01:03I pushed the door open,
01:01:04walked up,
01:01:05and stood beside her.
01:01:07Her eyes welled up.
01:01:08She beamed,
01:01:09hooked her arm in mine,
01:01:11and announced to the whole room
01:01:12exactly who I was.
01:01:14This is the man I love.
01:01:18Will you marry me?
01:01:20I almost ripped the mask off right then.
01:01:21To show her the hero she so deeply loved
01:01:24was the useless husband she'd just divorced.
01:01:26But I stuck to the plan
01:01:27and gently pushed her hand away.
01:01:28Her face went pale,
01:01:30but I didn't look at her.
01:01:31Instead,
01:01:32I turned to Katerina in the audience
01:01:34and invited her onto the stage.
01:01:36Once Katerina was up,
01:01:37I took the mic
01:01:38and calmly told Portia no.
01:01:40The one I really loved was Katerina.
01:01:43The whole room went dead silent.
01:01:46Portia's face was ghost white.
01:01:48I slowly turned,
01:01:49met Katerina's eyes
01:01:50and poured out the most heartfelt confession,
01:01:53staring right at her.
01:01:54Portia looked shattered.
01:01:55She'd braced for rejection,
01:01:57but never imagined I'd be in love with her mother.
01:02:00Katerina's cheeks flushed,
01:02:01basically admitting I had a chance.
01:02:03I kept pouring my heart out to Katerina.
01:02:06Chaos below.
01:02:07Katerina hurrously said we should step down.
01:02:10Portia lunged to hit me,
01:02:12but Katerina stopped her.
01:02:13Seems she really did have feelings for the Joker.
01:02:15Finally,
01:02:16I told a broken Portina I'd disappear.
01:02:19Hope she'd take care of herself from now on.
01:02:21Then,
01:02:21under everyone's stunned stairs,
01:02:23I turned and walked out.
01:02:32Back at the castle,
01:02:33waiting for the 500,000 gold coins.
01:02:37Porta!
01:02:38Portla and Katerina returned.
01:02:40You're trash!
01:02:41Portla grabbed my hair,
01:02:42called me trash.
01:02:43Is this how you feel better?
01:02:45Bullying a crippled?
01:02:46Katerina stopped her,
01:02:47mocked her for only being able to bully a crippled to feel better.
01:02:50Each word a stab.
01:02:51The two started arguing fiercely.
01:02:53Portla demanded to know if Katerina was aware the Joker liked her.
01:02:57Katerina's cheeks flushed as she admitted she knew,
01:03:00but not that her daughter liked him too.
01:03:02Hearing that,
01:03:03Portla snapped.
01:03:04She swore she'd find out who the Joker was
01:03:06and make that person's life hell.
01:03:08I quickly wrote asking for the money.
01:03:10She kicked me,
01:03:11calling me useless,
01:03:12but threw the voucher at me anyway.
01:03:20I grabbed my bags and left that home.
01:03:22At a nearby inn.
01:03:24Sophia suddenly covered my eyes from behind,
01:03:26teasing,
01:03:27asking me to guess who.
01:03:28Then she let go,
01:03:29winked,
01:03:30leaned in close,
01:03:31and blew a warm,
01:03:32suggestive breath against my ear.
01:03:33Got kicked out?
01:03:35Don't go.
01:03:36Stay.
01:03:36I'll take care of you.
01:03:38Sophia said she'd take care of me,
01:03:40and I was tempted.
01:03:41Being with her felt easy.
01:03:43When we got to her place,
01:03:44she told me she'd just been released after getting caught,
01:03:47and came straight to me.
01:03:48That warmth hit me.
01:03:49I thanked her seriously,
01:03:50promised I'd pay her back.
01:03:51She just smiled lightly.
01:03:53I was afraid she knew about the Joker.
01:03:54I tested the waters.
01:03:56She called the Joker a big bastard,
01:03:58but felt something was off.
01:04:00Suspected he had a grudge against Portia,
01:04:02was deliberately provoking her.
01:04:03White heart dropped.
01:04:05This woman's too sharp.
01:04:06But she laughed and said,
01:04:07forget all that.
01:04:08Other people's heroes didn't matter.
01:04:10She had her own little hero.
01:04:11Me.
01:04:12I almost blurted out.
01:04:13I am the Joker.
01:04:14I'll be the hero just for you.
01:04:15But I held back.
01:04:16The Joker's in the past.
01:04:18I just want to start over.
01:04:19I hate myself for not being able to protect her.
01:04:22Gawker suddenly started banging on the door.
01:04:24I hid in the liquor cabinet.
01:04:26But he knew I was there,
01:04:27charged right in.
01:04:29Sophia!
01:04:30I'm disappointed!
01:04:31Falling for a cripple?
01:04:33I'm here to catch you two,
01:04:35taking that trash with me.
01:04:36I burst out of the cabinet,
01:04:38tackled him.
01:04:40And more guys rushed in,
01:04:41threw a sack over my head,
01:04:43and dragged me off.
01:04:47I was dragged to an abandoned factory.
01:04:50Gawker held a knife to my throat.
01:04:52Beside him stood a man in a Joker mask.
01:04:55Kevin.
01:04:55They were planning to impersonate the Joker
01:04:57to trick Portia,
01:04:58while using me to threaten Sophia.
01:05:01Gawker made a video call to Sophia.
01:05:02The blade pressed to my neck.
01:05:04Sophia saw and started sobbing.
01:05:05Then Gawker's smear
01:05:06dragged the knife across my throat,
01:05:08shifted it to my pinky,
01:05:10and hacked it off.
01:05:11Sophia screamed wildly.
01:05:13Sophia, you brought this on yourself!
01:05:14I'll make you watch him bleed out!
01:05:16Don't!
01:05:16What do you want me to do?
01:05:18Get Portia to Moonlight Garden tonight!
01:05:19If you can't,
01:05:20I'll start with his fingers!
01:05:21He didn't even blink.
01:05:26This guy...
01:05:27might not be simple.
01:05:28Sophia, sobbing, agrees.
01:05:30I'm desperate,
01:05:31but I can't speak.
01:05:32Kevin and Gobbler leave,
01:05:33four guards watching me.
01:05:35Portia and Sophia are in danger any second.
01:05:38My mind's on fire.
01:05:39Just as I'm debating
01:05:40whether to break my silence and bluff,
01:05:42the factory doors smash open.
01:05:44Leonard stands silhouetted in the doorway.
01:05:50After Leonard saved me,
01:05:52I begged him to help rescue Sophia
01:05:54and Poria, too.
01:05:56He refused,
01:05:56but handed me a letter from Isabella.
01:05:59She said she was hurting me,
01:06:01but gave me a chance,
01:06:02and told Leonard to look after me.
01:06:04My head's a mess.
01:06:06What does she want?
01:06:08Just bored,
01:06:09watching the show?
01:06:10Leonard parked outside Moonlight Garden,
01:06:13tossed me a spiked club,
01:06:15and kicked me out of the car.
01:06:17Told me to save them on my own.
01:06:19Warned that on a narrow road,
01:06:21only the brave win the prize.
01:06:23Lose,
01:06:23and I'm not cut out for it.
01:06:25I gripped the club tight,
01:06:27one thought burning in my head.
01:06:30Sophia,
01:06:31Portia,
01:06:31I'm coming.
01:06:35Today,
01:06:35I'm done playing the coward.
01:06:39I crept upstairs,
01:06:40saw them drogued,
01:06:42being dragged to the third floor
01:06:44by a few drunks.
01:06:50Soon,
01:06:50the fake joker Kevin
01:06:52rushed into Portia's room
01:06:53to save the day.
01:06:54I charged in with the spiked club,
01:06:57just in time to see him
01:06:58about to kiss Portia.
01:07:01Dammit!
01:07:02I nearly died for one kiss,
01:07:04and you're trying to slide
01:07:04right into home base?
01:07:05I burst in,
01:07:07smashed him down
01:07:07with the spiked club.
01:07:09Portia saw it,
01:07:10yelled at me,
01:07:11calling me useless,
01:07:12demanded to know
01:07:13how I dared touch her man.
01:07:15Was I trying to get myself killed?
01:07:17She forgot I'm mute,
01:07:18fumbled for parchment
01:07:19to write me an insult.
01:07:21I'm risking my life to save you,
01:07:22and you're cursing me out?
01:07:24My heart froze,
01:07:25but today,
01:07:25I'm all in.
01:07:27I stomped on Kevin,
01:07:28ripped off his mask.
01:07:40See clearly.
01:07:48I
01:07:49am the joker.
01:07:53I lunged at Kevin,
01:07:54but he shoved me off.
01:07:55I stunned him again
01:07:56with the spiked club,
01:07:57but a sharp pain exploded
01:07:58in the back of my head.
01:07:59Portia had smashed a vase over me.
01:08:01She snarled a warning,
01:08:03hurt Kevin,
01:08:03and she'd end me,
01:08:05completely forgetting I'm mute.
01:08:09I licked the blood off my hand,
01:08:11shoved her back onto the bed,
01:08:13ripped off Kevin's clown mask,
01:08:15and put it on my own face.
01:08:18Forlia froze,
01:08:19struck dumb.
01:08:22I gripped Kevin's throat,
01:08:24voice ice and cold.
01:08:25The choker isn't just anyone to copy.
01:08:27I'm the one and only.
01:08:29After I roared,
01:08:31the room fell dead silent.
01:08:33Portia's calm crystal
01:08:34clattered to the floor,
01:08:35her face ghost white.
01:08:37I walked to the bed,
01:08:39pinned her down,
01:08:40stared into her eyes,
01:08:41and confessed.
01:08:44I am the joker.
01:08:46Her whole body shook.
01:08:48I went on.
01:08:49Today,
01:08:50this guy tried to trick you,
01:08:52pretending to be me.
01:08:53I came to save you,
01:08:54and you hit me with a vase.
01:08:56A drop of blood from my forehead
01:08:57fell onto her neck.
01:08:59I wiped it away lightly,
01:09:00but it doesn't matter anymore.
01:09:02I don't hate you.
01:09:04From today,
01:09:06the joker is gone.
01:09:08I hoisted her onto my back.
01:09:10Her body went rigid.
01:09:12For the first time,
01:09:13she called my name without contempt,
01:09:15asking what I was doing.
01:09:16I said I was taking her away
01:09:18from this dangerous place.
01:09:20A shiver ran through her.
01:09:22Clearly,
01:09:22she hadn't expected me
01:09:23to still save her.
01:09:24I think I'm a fool too,
01:09:26but I can't bring myself
01:09:27to be ruthless.
01:09:28And I asked,
01:09:29am I the same joker smell
01:09:31carrying you now?
01:09:32She stammered,
01:09:33gave no answer.
01:09:34Outside Sophia's room,
01:09:35I heard Gawik's lewd laugh
01:09:37and Sophia's tearful pleas.
01:09:39I kicked the door in,
01:09:40hit it Gawik unconscious,
01:09:42stomped on his gut,
01:09:43and roared,
01:09:44How dare you touch Sophia!
01:09:46Go to hell!
01:09:47Hearing my voice,
01:09:48Sophia's eyes lit up,
01:09:49a relieved smile breaking through.
01:09:51I walked over,
01:09:52took her hand,
01:09:53and deliberately raised my voice
01:09:54so Portia outside could hear.
01:09:56From now on,
01:09:57the joker is no longer
01:09:58Portia's great hero.
01:10:00He's just Sophia's little hero.
01:10:02I wasn't I?
01:10:04I was.
01:10:05I wasn't.
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