I Was Tricked Into A Fraudulent Marriage By The Obsessive Villain - Chapter 1 Part 6

Chapter 1 Part 6

“Hurry, hurry!”

“Okay, okay. Don’t push me!”

With a fierce look, Iona pushed her back and headed for the second floor.

Guild members were crowded in front of the office door, listening intently with their ears to the door at the news that a rare case had come in.

“Oh! It’s the boss!”

“Boss, boss. Are you going to accept this case? Yes?”

“Cheating is our specialty! How bad is it if his wife ran away? Huh?”

“You talk like you’re a professional.”

She was already feeling down, like she was crawling on the floor, but this was such an annoying request.

Iona sighed deeply inside. It felt like the dark circles around her eyes were reaching down to her chin.

Why is today such a long day?

The lingering effects of being denied a divorce still hadn’t left her mind. She just wanted to lie down in bed right now.

And on top of that, Iona didn’t particularly enjoy handling cheating cases.

Austin, the vice leader, surely knew that, but he called her to come…

Iona pushed past the guild members who were standing by the door and stepped inside.

When she opened the door, Austin was sitting there.

And on the opposite side, there was a man wrapped in black from head to toe.

“Boss! I… um!”

Runkel also tried to come in and pushed his face forward.

Iona pushed Runkel’s chin away and slammed the door shut.

Sitting next to Austin, the man glanced around and opened his mouth.

“You’re the famous Mrs. Hinckel, right?”

“Famous? What… Why did you come? I heard it was related to your wife.”

“Yes.”

“…….”

“Please find my wife.”

“…Is that all?”

“Yes.”

Without any explanation, the man’s request to find his wife left Iona speechless for a moment.

Usually, when someone comes to make a request, they would explain everything. It was customary to spill everything from head to toe. But even though it was often difficult to proceed with the request properly, this attitude…

“What is the exact situation? I need more detailed information.”

Austin, who had been silently observing the situation, spoke up.

“After a long business trip, my wife disappeared.”

Contrary to expectations that he would provide a more detailed explanation this time, the man only uttered brief words.

“…Is that your only answer?”

“Yes.”

“…….”

Austin couldn’t continue speaking due to the man’s attitude.

‘What is this? Is he telling us to do the job or not?’

Iona let out a small inward sigh and spoke up.

It seemed like this client was the type who needed to be explained everything from A to Z.

“What does your wife look like? Like her hair color or eye color.”

“She has blond hair and purple eyes.”

“Surely you’re not telling us to find her with just that information.”

“……”

“There must be at least a few people in the country with blond hair and purple eyes.”

Iona, who was one of the few people with blond hair and purple eyes, spoke up.

Sharply, the man took something out of his pocket and placed it on the table.

“Please take this.”

“This is… a couple’s stone?”

A couple’s stone was a common item that any married couple would have. 

It was a conservative item that was commonly used as a wedding gift in this country, which was highly influenced by Eastern etiquette. 

It involved carving the magical power of the husband and wife into a pair of magical stones. 

When the owners of the magical power got close enough, the stones would resonate and emit light.

Contrary to the promotional slogan, ‘You can feel each other’s presence!’, the couple’s stone had nothing to do with romance.

It was mainly used for tracking purposes when one’s spouse was suspected of cheating.

‘I think we have a conclusion.’

Just the fact that he brought the couple’s stone meant that the conclusion had been reached. Even if they didn’t know who it was, it was clear that this man’s wife had cheated on him.

‘She must have cheated on him while he was on a business trip. Tsk.’

As Runkel had said, this man was undoubtedly a pitiful man.

“Are you really telling me to give this couple’s stone to every blond-haired, purple-eyed woman in the country?”

Austin, who was holding the couple’s stone, spat out harshly.

“There is one more piece of information.”

“What is it?”

“My wife is quite fond of men.” 

“……”

At the man’s words, Iona narrowed her eyes for a moment.

‘She’s quite fond of men,’ he said.

“Hey. First of all, when you come to a place like this to make a request, you have to follow the basic rules from one to ten…”

“That’s not much information.”

Iona blocked Austin’s words.

“Where was your wife, why did she disappear, and are there any witnesses who saw her disappear?”

“……”

“We don’t even know what the client looks like.”

“Boss. What…”

“……”

Sharp, purple eyes pierced through the man.

The man locked eyes with Iona without saying a word.

“Considering that you couldn’t come here in person, you must be a valuable person who can’t afford to personally handle such a humble place like this. Seems like you haven’t treated your wife well?”

The way he pushed his insistence on the couple’s stone made it seem like he couldn’t stand to lose.

Noticing Iona’s attitude, which seemed as though she had realized that he was just a substitute, the man furrowed his brows slightly.

Eventually, the man gave up on hiding and spoke directly.

“All I can tell you is this.”

“……”

“The Hinckel Guild is known as the most capable guild in the capital. I have high expectations.”

“……”

“I hope you won’t disappoint my employer.”

The man took out a large pouch from his embrace and threw it onto the table.

Thump.

“This is the advance payment.”

“…… All of this?”

Her mouth fell open at the sight of the gold coins overflowing from the large pouch.

It felt like her spine, which had been straight all along, was bending towards the man on its own.

Austin, too, had eyes like a startled rabbit.

“And he also told me to deliver this message.”

“What…?”

“If you fail to find his wife, he might reveal something that could greatly disappoint you.”

“What does he know?”

“For example, that someone of high status is hiding their identity within this guild… That kind of information.”

“……”

His words instantly silenced her. It felt like a shiver ran down her spine.

“Well then.”

The man who gave a small greeting left the room as it was.

“……?”

Someone of high status is hiding their identity.

‘…It’s me!’

I screamed inwardly.

From the moment I left home, I had abandoned the name Hardin.

I wanted to live freely, but I didn’t want to harm my family, or Johanna.

So I used the alias Hinckel…!

Where on earth… How did they find out?

The common people wouldn’t know the faces of high-ranking nobles, so it couldn’t be something they heard from people on the streets.

Besides, I hadn’t made my debut in society, and I had no interaction with other nobles, so my face wasn’t known.

I didn’t resemble my sister Johanna or my younger brother Isaac.

So how did they figure it out?

Various thoughts tangled up in my head.

“Hooh…”

Iona let out a deep sigh and buried herself deeply in the sofa.

She would do anything except kill people, but her principle was to avoid getting involved in messy cases.

Thanks to the TV show ⟨See You in 4 Weeks⟩ she occasionally watched in her past life, she was well aware of how dirty and despicable divorce cases can unfold.¹4주 후에 뵙겠습니다 is a famous line from the TV program ‘부부 클리닉 사랑과 전쟁’ (Couple Clinic: Love and War). It’s an omnibus program that realistically reconstructs cases of couples on the brink of divorce and suggests solutions to marital conflicts through a clinical process of reconciliation, mediation, and resolution.

But she couldn’t refuse this time, could she?

“Holy XX…….”

She raised her hand and messed up her hair. Her neatly styled curls became a mess.

Her purple eyes sank deep.

As long as the man held her secret.

There was only one choice she could make.

Apart from trying to uncover how the man knew her secret.

“Let’s do it.”

“Um… Yes, yes?”

Austin stuttered, uncharacteristically flustered, as if he’d been lost in thought. Like he was hiding something.

“Let’s do it. He must be a well-off noble, considering he used a substitute and even offered such a large sum of money as an advance. Looking bad in front of him is not a good look.”

“Yes. That’s true. But the information… It’s too… lacking.”

Ha. Austin let out a sarcastic laugh.

“Blonde with purple eyes, a married woman who loves men very much…”

I tapped Austin’s shoulder as he recited the clues handed to him.

“If it’s a married woman who likes men, I know it well. Here.”

Iona handed him the newspaper she received from Rosen.

“This is?”

“If that person is like that, they will definitely be there. There’s no way they would miss such an opportunity.”

For a married woman who wants to meet a man while keeping her wrist intact, the destination was obvious. Just like what she wanted herself.

“…….”

The headline of the newspaper caught Austin’s eye.

⟨De Libertas: The Masquerade of Freedom⟩

***

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  4주 후에 뵙겠습니다 is a famous line from the TV program ‘부부 클리닉 사랑과 전쟁’ (Couple Clinic: Love and War). It’s an omnibus program that realistically reconstructs cases of couples on the brink of divorce and suggests solutions to marital conflicts through a clinical process of reconciliation, mediation, and resolution.