I Was Tricked Into A Fraudulent Marriage By The Obsessive Villain - Chapter 3 Part 4

“Is this a threat?”

The man met Iona’s gaze, his red eyes and her purple ones entwined in mid-air.

His red eyes curved into a smile, as if he were pleased to see Iona’s gaze upon him.

It reflected the light like the sun itself.

“I’m seducing you.”

The man whispered with a playful smile.

Iona justified herself.

I can’t help it. It’s all to protect my wrist.

If she didn’t even make excuses, she felt she couldn’t bear seeing him look so pitifully helpless again.

‘A date.’

The only date she had ever been on in this life and the previous one was with the man from Solar.

She had come down from the mountain, but she hesitated as she didn’t know what to do next.

The next moment, the man took her hand and led her.

“Please guide me to the capital. I’m not familiar with it.”

“Let’s go this way.”

Iona guided the man to a place far from Rotis Street, where the guild was located.

The gentle breeze tickled her hair, and the warm sunlight was comforting.

In this fantastic weather, the tension in her body slowly melted away.

“Why did you leave me back then?”

The man suddenly threw a bomb at Iona as he smiled in the sunlight.

“…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… do that intentionally.”

“It felt like my heart was being torn apart when you left me not once, but twice.”

“….”

“But now that I see…”

Suddenly, the man stooped down and whispered in Iona’s ear. She momentarily held her breath at the rush of his scent.

“You did it because you were afraid of revealing that you’re married, right?”

Iona blushed, feeling embarrassed by his whisper. When she tried to pull away from the man, he smiled and said,

“Don’t worry. I promised to keep this beautiful wrist from being severed, didn’t I?”

…This audacious man.

Iona rolled her eyes at the man who seemed to play with her up and down with just a few words. It’s not like she was riding an amusement park ride.

After walking a bit more, they settled on a terrace seat at a cafe that Isaac had praised.

The interior was splendid like they were in a mansion. When the man sat in the antique-looking chair, it was like a scene from a noble myth.

“…..”

Iona sighed inwardly.

Could he be a real moving sculpture?

Iona absentmindedly stared, lost in his incredibly beautiful appearance, and the man took her hand and brought it to his lips.

The sudden touch left Iona startled by its warmth.

“Why, why!”

“You look like you’re wondering if I’m breathing.”

The man smiled a melting smile as if he could read her thoughts. Iona’s ears turned bright red at the thought of being so clearly understood.

This man is troublesome in many ways.

“…Why is it so hot.”

She gazed out the window to cool her flushed face.

“By the way, isn’t it about time you told me your name? We’ve already shared a secret.”

“You know my name.”

The man already knew her alias, ‘Hinkel.’ At the mention of calling her by that name, a shadow passed over the man’s face.

“…I don’t want to address you by that name. Never.”

Perhaps because it’s another man’s name.

“…..”

It felt like her heart was sinking into the man’s sunken pupils. At the same time, inexplicable emotions surged within her. Unknown feelings flooded in.

Suddenly, a question crossed her mind.

Have I seen this expression before? In De Liberitas? …No, not there.

Further back…

The moment she was lost in thought, the man leaned in close and raised the corners of his mouth as he spoke. A glint appeared in his red eyes.

“Deals should be fair. In exchange for keeping your marriage a secret, shouldn’t you offer something back to me?”

“We agreed to go on a date…!”

Iona’s voice rose in anger when he mentioned having a fair deal. The burdens filling her mind soon scattered into the air.

I’m especially sensitive about fair deals and contracts!

Iona, deeply affected by the unfair contract, glared at the man.

“Oh, you’re not easily swayed.”

“I’m sensitive about deals, that’s all.”

“I’ll have to try harder, then. If I make enough effort to touch your heart, would you eventually want to tell me?”

“….”

“Wouldn’t the lady want to hear her name coming from my lips?”

…This man is truly dangerous.

The man knew exactly how to use his face.

“Well, you didn’t tell me your name either!”

“I’ll tell you mine if you tell yours. I hope the day comes soon when we can call each other by name.”

The man smiled picturesquely.

How does he manage to captivate people with that smile every time.

“But will you stay here all the time?”

“Why? Don’t you like it?”

“No, it’s nice to look at you face-to-face like this, but I prefer seeing you in the sunlight.”

“…..”

“I want to hold hands and take a walk together.”

…This guy is really something.

If there’s a manual on how to captivate people, those words would be written in it.

Iona, who had fallen for it, pretended to be unable to resist and took the man’s hand as they walked down the street.

The warmth she felt from their joined hands made her feel strange.

Her heart kept tingling, and the pounding of her heart sounded as if it would burst her eardrums.

What’s wrong? Do I have an allergy?

Am I sick? Did I eat something wrong?

Iona was good at theorizing but weak in practice.

So she walked down the street holding the man’s hand, choosing places where the guild members wouldn’t notice them.

As a native who only lived in the capital, with a man who didn’t know much about the place, she introduced various places.

“This river flows from the northern territory to the southern coast.”

“If you go across that river, there’s a new gallery…”

“Here is…”

The man silently listened to Iona’s words. Each time she spoke, he smiled faintly, as if he were pleased with her words.

…This is the axe disease. The axe disease, for sure.

Iona struggled to break through her heart’s desire to pierce the boundaries of the sky.

But the man’s attitude, which had brought him this far, was suspicious enough to make her think it was just her imagination.

Did he really come all this way because he thought he was being cheated?

If that were the case, shouldn’t he report her as a criminal instead of spending time together like this?

Her thoughts stretched out. She couldn’t understand why the man was acting this way.

She nervously fidgeted with her fingers, which were held in his large hand.

The man’s large hand tightened even more. Her heart tingled at the gentle touch between his fingers.

‘Strange.’

This strangeness made her feel like she might go crazy.

Her heart was pounding as if it would burst, and this man was also acting strange.

Her long thoughts quickly turned to the worst-case scenario.

What if she were caught by the villain?

What if she was caught in the act with this man at this moment… then the villain wouldn’t leave this man alone.

No, if people on Rotis Street saw this scene and reported it, it would be over.

Her negative thoughts spiraled.

“Ah!”

The next moment, the man pulled her closer by grabbing her hand.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Don’t think about anything else.”

The man’s red gaze pierced directly into hers.

“…….”

“Me. Just think of me.”

This man was strange. Sometimes he acted as if he could read her thoughts.

As if he had known for a long time what thoughts she would have and what expression she would make.

For a moment, a strange feeling passed through her.

Did she really meet this man for the first time?

The dream from a few days ago flashed through her mind.

— What appearance do you like the most?

“Where do you want to go?”

The voice that had echoed in her dream and the voice of the man calling her now overlapped.

Carvain unblinkingly stared at Iona, who was lost in thought.

It finally seemed like her indifferent wife had caught on.

Recognize me.

Please recognize me.

He silently urged.

If only she recognized him, he would behave more gentlemanly.

The next moment, her red lips softly parted.

Carvain held his breath and stared at her slowly parting lips without even breathing.

“Go into that store over there!”

“…Should I?”

It seemed like the man let out a small sigh for a moment.

Was I mistaken?

As she intently stared at his face, his red pupils curved into a crescent shape.

Yeah. If she had known such a handsome man, she wouldn’t have forgotten him.

Not even a fool would.

“Hey. Long time no see.”

As soon as she led the man into the store, the owner greeted them.

At the same time, the owner wickedly smiled and lifted his clothes to show off his solid brown abs.

“What, what are you doing!”

“Hehe. It’s nice, isn’t it!”

She raised her voice in embarrassment. The next moment, a large hand firmly grasped Iona’s hand.

With that rough touch, Iona quietly lowered her gaze.

“No, well, that’s….”

She didn’t know her strength would drain from that oppressive hand.

The man’s red pupils slowly seemed to sink, rolling his eyes here and there.

“Do you know this person well?”

After following the staff’s guidance and sitting down, the man asked with narrow eyes.

“It’s not like that. He’s just an ordinary regular. He doesn’t even know I’m married.”

She stammered, avoiding the man’s gaze.

“But you do know how to identify a man, right?”

“…Ahem. Ahem! Here’s our order!”

She coughed in response to the man’s words. The man stared at Iona with eyes that seemed to understand everything without even speaking.

“Oh, really. Just a little….”

“Were you staring?”

“….”

“Like you did in Solar.”

…He’s a ghost. A ghost.

The man’s gaze just didn’t seem human. For some reason, she avoided his inquiring eyes and took a sip from the glass in front of her.

“It seems you’re good at drinking.”

The man reached out his hand and twirled a strand of her lovely blonde hair around his finger as he watched Iona tilt the glass without hesitation.

“Yes. I drink well. I don’t discriminate against any kind of alcohol.”

“Then would you like to make a bet with me?”

“A bet?”

Iona’s eyes widened like a rabbit’s when she heard the words that came out of the man’s mouth.

“Whoever gets drunk first loses.”

“……Good!”

Her lips moved first in response to the man’s words.

Having lived in South Korea for 2N years, she was trained on strong liquor! She wouldn’t lose to the alcohol of this world.

Iona, who had even beaten her boss at a drinking party, was burning with the desire to win.

I won’t get drunk on this world’s alcohol!

…That’s what she said.

“……Ugh.”