I Was Tricked Into A Fraudulent Marriage By The Obsessive Villain - Chapter 4.1 - Grand Duke Thanatos

’Can you sign here for me?’

’I will have to kill you.’

‘Things you shouldn’t see…….’

The voice of the villain reverberated in her ears.

The floor she stood on seemed to crumble to pieces. It seemed to be falling into a distant underground.

She couldn’t even scream as she felt a vivid sense of dread eating away at her from her toes.

Swallowed by the gaping mouth of darkness.

‘Don’t abandon me.’

‘Lady.’

“…Huff!”

A strange ceiling came into view.

“……Ugh.”

Iona tried to catch her breath, breathing roughly.

As if it were reality, not a dream. The sensation of being swallowed by darkness was vivid.

Her fingertips were trembling.

She breathed heavily as if her lungs would burst at any moment.

Iona looked around, raising her purple gaze.

“You’re finally awake.”

“…….”

Carvain, who was sitting by the bed, came into view.

How long had he been sitting there watching her.

Meeting his red eyes, it felt as if her bones were turning to ice.

Her mind blanked out, whitewashed, devoid of any thoughts.

She will be devoured.

Just like this, she will be devoured to the bone.

A profound fear took over Iona’s mind.

Instinctively, Iona moved her body to the other side of the bed.

At that moment, the man’s eyes softened as he watched her move.

“…….”

For a moment, Iona felt a chill down her spine.

It was the face that had deceived her so many times before.

“I don’t feel good about you avoiding me like this.”

Carvain grabbed Iona’s hand and kissed it.

“What…! My lord, please don’t do this…!”

She tried desperately to pull her hand away from the rough touch on the back of her hand, but she couldn’t resist the strong force.

“You suddenly become very formal. Didn’t you call me by my name a little while ago?”

In an instant, a strong force squeezed her hand.

Iona, who had been avoiding eye contact, reflexively stared at the man because of the rough force.

“Ah…!”

“Carvain. Say my name.”

The man’s red pupils flashed.

Every hair on her body seemed to stand on end.

At that moment, Iona realized that her feelings towards the man’s actions had changed.

Yes. There was a time when such behavior from the man would make her stomach flutter and her heart race.

But now…

“Oh my. Are you cold? Your body is trembling.”

Her entire body was shaking so violently it felt like she might go mad.

This was undeniably fear.

Like a prey in front of a predator.

Like a herbivore facing a carnivore. She couldn’t control her fear.

She felt like she would be swallowed up right away. She wanted to avoid those shining red eyes that seemed to be saying they wouldn’t allow her to avoid their gaze.

Carvain, who was staring silently at the fear-filled Iona, opened his mouth.

“Wife. Iona.”

“…….”

“Are you afraid of me?”

Yes! Incredibly terrifying! …she wanted to scream, but she bit her tongue, fearing her throat would be slit if she spoke out.

As she remained silent, the man approached even closer, his gaze intense.

Simultaneously, he squeezed her hand tightly, as if daring her to try to escape.

The red and violet pupils intertwined in mid-air.

She couldn’t help but stare at the engulfing crimson eyes.

After what felt like an eternity, Iona slowly spoke.

The man watched without blinking as her lips parted.

“…..Why did you hide this from me?”

“I didn’t hide anything. You just didn’t recognize me, wife.”

“……!”

“I thought you’d recognize me at first sight. Just like I did.”

This human is playing games.

She was 10 years old; how could she recognize him when he’s so big now!

As she silently raged, Carvain opened his mouth.

“I was quite hurt that you didn’t recognize me.”

The man’s red eyes were creating a creepy atmosphere.

The atmosphere, once warm and inviting, now felt drastically different, sending shivers down her fingertips.

The eerie ambiance created by those crimson eyes seemed suffocating, as if the air was slowly being cut off.

“Why are you so nervous, wife?”

The trembling in her fingertips seemed to be transmitted to the man as well. He kissed each of Iona’s fingers and soon moved on to her wrist.

“I said I wouldn’t let this pretty wrist fall off, didn’t I?”

Yeah. It’s not going to fall off! Because the other person is her husband!

She felt like she wanted to punch her chest in this frigid situation.

If the man hadn’t been holding onto her wrist, she would have acted immediately.

Finally, she realized it. The man was a predator with hidden fangs, slowly encircling his prey, preparing to sink his teeth into the prey’s neck.

Unaware of this, she had willingly fallen into his trap.

Although she felt her eyes trembling, she couldn’t control it.

With just a gesture from the man, she felt like her life could slip away in an instant.

But wasn’t there a saying that even when entering a tiger’s den, one should keep a clear head to survive?

Iona bit her lip tightly, trying to gather her thoughts.

“What do you want from me?”

She asked in a tense, clenched voice.

“What do I want?”

The man whispered with a smirk, drawing a line with his lips.

His picturesque smile exuded a chilling sensation.

“Love.”

“…….”

For someone whispering about love, his eyes were merciless, unmatched in severity.

The man’s red eyes were shining in various ways.

It was the gaze of a fierce beast that looked like it would bare its teeth and tear her throat at any moment.

Uh, it seems like the genre is a bit off…

Inwardly muttering these words, the man began to close the distance between them.

“Ahaha…”

Iona let out a small laugh to hide her confusion and took a few steps back.

However, no matter how hard she tried to retreat, the man kept advancing.

“Why… Why do you keep coming closer?”

“Why? Now I can touch you legally, can’t I?”

After all, you are my wife.

The man, who had touched Iona even when it wasn’t legally acceptable, said with a smirk.

Drawing a line with his lips, he seemed quite pleased.

In that moment, a scene from an animal farm she had seen in a past life flashed through her mind.

His appearance perfectly overlapped with that of a fierce predator in the animal farm.

Yes, playing with prey that was no match for him.

While the predator might have been enjoying himself, Iona, now his prey, found nothing enjoyable about the situation.

Cold sweat trickled down her spine.

She struggled to control the continuing tremors.

As she faced the man’s gaze, looked into his eyes, and heard his voice, the image of death whispering in her dreams overlapped with reality.

The man, who had been silently observing Iona, reached out and gently touched her head.

“Why are you so afraid?”

The man, reading the deep-seated fear beneath her purple eyes, asked.

Yeah! Who wouldn’t be scared if they were in her shoes!

Think about what you’ve done, you deceiver!

…She wanted to say, but the tiny Iona remained silent, unable to utter a word.

“I don’t remember doing anything wrong to my wife…”

“Excuse me……?”

She tried to remain silent, but she felt a sudden chill down her spine at the man’s words.