I Was Tricked Into A Fraudulent Marriage By The Obsessive Villain - Chapter 5.1 - Banquet

“Hmm….”

The morning sunlight, like an uninvited guest, persistently poked at the corners of my eyes.

Even then, you won’t wake up? It felt like it was saying that.

She lifted her heavy eyelids that felt heavier than a thousand pounds. At the same time.

“……Hiccup.”

“Did you sleep well, wife?”

Her eyes met directly with the man sitting beside the bed.

She was so startled that a hiccup escaped her lips.

The silver hair sparkled like it was breaking apart in the morning sunlight.

The reddish eyes, illuminated by the light, gave off a subtle presence like a beautiful ruby.

He’s handsome enough to give you goosebumps in the morning.

Iona muttered to herself as she fixed her gaze on his face.

If you look closely, his face is mercilessly beautiful.

“Ah, yes…….”

She replied to the man in a voice that was still half-asleep and got up.

His large hand reached out to her waist to help her up.

Even though he must have felt her waist trembling reflexively when his hand touched it, the man seemed unfazed.

As Iona rolled her eyes, she met his bright reddish eyes.

“Are you not fully awake yet?”

The man asked with a slight smile.

Iona stared at his smile without blinking.

‘Why am I acting like this?’

She kept asking herself this question, unable to understand. Her attitude towards the man was a mix of conflicting emotions.

Fearful.

Just being by his side, or even just the slightest touch, made her tremble.

At the same time, she didn’t want to be away from him. It was truly strange.

She couldn’t close the gap in her emotions. At one moment, she was terrified of the man as if he were a madman, and at another moment, he was as tender as if she had found a piece of herself that had been lost.

One true glance, not the mask-like expression he wore, but a single point of sincerity, shook Iona.

She felt like a pendulum swinging wildly from side to side, like a seesaw tilting back and forth.

As she kept thinking, her self-reproach only deepened with her inconsistent attitude, so she decided to stop thinking about it for now.

Then, something caught Iona’s attention.

“……..”

The man was wearing a light sky-blue jacket over a white shirt.

That’s why it stood out more. There was a red mark on the shirt, near the side.

…Blood.

That was definitely blood.

Iona’s gaze didn’t seem to fall, as if it was nailed in place.

Perhaps because she noticed the blood, it seemed like a faint smell of blood was emanating from the man’s body.

It appeared to be someone else’s blood, not the man’s.

Had he been involved in a violent act since the morning?

A chill ran down her spine.

“I’ve called the maids here; they should be here soon.”

Carvain acted as if he knew nothing, pressing his lips to Iona’s hair.

“Are you starting your duties at the mansion today?”

The man asked, repeatedly pressing his lips into her wavy blond hair.

“…Yes. I think I need to focus on understanding the current situation for a while.”

“Don’t overdo it. You understand?”

“Yes. I will……”

Despite responding to the man’s words, her gaze continued to focus on the red mark on his waist.

Then the man stretched out his large hand and lifted Iona’s chin up.

“You have to look at me, okay?”

It’s saddening him that they’ll have to part ways soon.

“I’m just going to work.”

At most, they would just end up going to their respective offices. Yet, the man made a pitiful expression as if they were a separated family about to part ways.

Iona knew he was just trying to get her attention.

“It’s hard for me to be apart from you even for a moment.”

The man, with a twinkle in his eye, pulled Iona’s arm towards him and pressed his lips to the back of her hand.

The piercing gaze of his half-closed, red eyes bore into Iona.

“…….”

Facing those eyes, a sense of wariness slowly crept up on her.

The tender feelings vanished in an instant, replaced by fear and caution.

The purple irises trembled slightly. Then, the man let go of her hand.

Iona, as if she had been waiting for this moment, slowly stepped back.

“…….”

Did I move unnecessarily? This damned clumsy body.

Iona regretted stepping back without realizing it.

The man’s eyes, which had been warmly smiling, soon filled with a cold aura.

“Um, that’s… I didn’t mean to step back.”

Feeling the need to explain herself amidst the menacing atmosphere, she opened her mouth to speak, but then the man collected his gaze and resumed his smiling face.

“Ha ha, ahaha……”

Iona forced herself to smile in return.

But it wasn’t a genuine smile.

She feared she might end up like the owner of that bloodstain if she wasn’t careful.

Iona rolled her eyes around, gauging the man’s mood.

After observing Iona for a moment, Carvain squinted his eyes and opened his mouth.

“Ah. Speaking of which, I’ve sent a gift to your room.”

“A gift, all of a sudden?”

Let’s not do any surprises. Okay?

A gift from a man who had seen someone’s blood this morning. Cold sweat had already started to run down.

Someone’s head? Or is he going to cut it off in my room?

Iona had a feeling that it wasn’t going to be a normal gift.

“You don’t have to be scared. It’s nothing frightening.”

The man, as if he had read Iona’s thoughts, smiled softly and then disappeared after opening the door.

After the man left, maids came in and took her to her room.

Following the maids’ lead back to her room, the man’s gift was waiting for Iona.

“…What is all this?”

Iona stammered without realizing it.

He said it wasn’t anything scary, this man really.

The room was filled with gifts starting from all sorts of dresses to accessories and jewels.

So many that if they were stacked together, they would reach the ceiling.

“It’s clear that His Highness the Grand Duke cherishes you a lot.”

“Of course! Look, this dress is the style that’s currently in vogue in the capital, Your Highness…! It’s from a salon that you couldn’t even take a look at unless you booked months in advance!”

“Given how beautiful you already are, we always worry about how to dress you up… but now that you’ve received such precious gifts, our worries have just increased, ho ho.”

“Your Highness. How about choosing your outfit from among the gifts you received today?”

“…….”

“Your Highness?”

“…Ah. Ah, yes. Let’s do that.”

Iona, overwhelmed by the room full of gift bombs, responded lifelessly.

Drained of energy.

“Phew…”

Iona let out a deep sigh.

She had always detested social circles so much that she had skipped her debut.