CH 2

When she turned around, Diello shook his head.

“…You’re asking me to unbutton your dress, even though we met for the first time?”

“I gave you the permission. More than that…”

As she looked back at him, she brought her slightly lifted hand toward him. At once, she could see her reflection in his blue eyes.

“This is a matter of your fate and Argenta’s. Shouldn’t you check it yourself?”

“….”

Diello paused and was silent for a moment.

After a while, he stood up from his seat.

Tap, tap.

Turning her back on him again, the sound of his footsteps rang loudly in the room.

“….”

His slowly approaching hand soon touched her back. Even though he only touched the buttons, a strange warmth rose on her back. She couldn’t tell if it was because of the tension or Diello’s ability to control fire.

Tuk.

His hand slowly unbuttoned her dress. After a while, Krua could feel the area around her neck and back, where his name was engraved, exposed.

“Look carefully. It’s proof that I’m a fake.”

Although she bit her lips due to nervousness, it was something she must do. She clenched her fist without realizing it.

Krua Alors could control water.

While she was weak and couldn’t control it properly, she should be able to move the blood in her body. Even if it was hard, she had to do it!

The moment she thought so, a pale blue light came out of her hand. She almost paused due to surprise because it was easier than she thought… Or, was she actually better than what was described in the novel…?

Moving blood inside her body was as simple as moving a finger. Did something change because she possessed the body?

Meanwhile, Diello’s expression was changing by the minute.

It was natural.

It was because on her exposed back, around the nape of her neck and back, his name must be blurry now.

“This…”

If she were truly the real Ferro, his name wouldn’t be blurry like this. Nevertheless, she didn’t have time to worry about her loose clothes, and she looked back at him. It was the right time to convince Diello again.

“The Duke of Alors forced me to put your name on my body.”

With the Alors’ ability to control water, there was no way they couldn’t manipulate blood.

“It’s proof that I’m a fake.”

Krua immediately gazed at his blue eyes.

“So, do you feel like doing business with me now?”

Wouldn’t he want to try trusting her?

Bump.

After she asked, she placed her hand on the table.

Because of him, she felt pain as her blood was moved. Still, it was a relief because she came to her senses due to the pain.

“The Duke of Argenta deceived you with a fake Ferro. You must be surprised to hear it.”

She showed him her hand and continued.

“In other words, not even the Duke of Alors and the Alors family knows what I’ve said to you.”

Diello stared at her as if he tried to read her thoughts before he slowly opened his mouth.

“Fake Ferro… I know Alors family is looking down on me but not this much.”

His blue eyes stared at her.

“Do you think the Argenta family will release someone who deceived the head of their family?”

“No, they won’t let me live.”

Even though Diello was gentle, she knew he wouldn’t let her live.

“So I’d like to offer you a deal… I want to live.”

He glanced down at the rather cold teacup at her words and asked back, “So, are you saying that I have a reason to continue this marriage even though you’re a fake Ferro?”

“Yes, there are two reasons.”

When she answered him proudly, Diello raised his eyebrows slightly.

“First…”

She said while gazing into Diello Argenta’s eyes.

“Argenta’s family head is the weakest among other heads. That’s why Alors, who controls water, and Cartiel, who controls wind, looked down on you. He even tries to deceive you with a fake Ferro.”

Krua went on.

“If you marry me, you can pretend to be deceived by them. So, until you find the real Ferro and gain strength, I will buy you time to let their guards down.”

It was because the moment she married him, the Duke of Alors would think Diello was deceived by the fake Ferro.

“And second…”

She looked down at her fingertips.

“Argenta protects the sea, but I heard the defense is becoming difficult because of your Ferro, who’s yet to come.”

Her eyes were set on him.

“Until the real Ferro is found, if I could fully inherit Alors’ ability, I would be able to help you protect the sea.”

In the original story, Krua Alors was said not to be born with the ability to control water.

However, the author also stated separately that their ability would be amplified if they had many sources of power. Of course, in front of a sea overflowing with water, at least, she could move a little bit of water. So with that, she could gain power.

She peered down at the teacup in front of her.

If she showed him how she could control water freely, Diello could be convinced. In the original, Krua’s ability was so weak that she could not even move spilled water. But, when she tried a while ago, she could freely move her blood.

What would happen this time…?

Splash!

The tea inside the teacup bounced and turned into a teacup shape…

…Was this considered to be a weak ability? It was not difficult to move a cup of tea, so how come she couldn’t control spilled water? Nonetheless, there was no more time for her to be surprised. She had to be a trustworthy person at this moment.

Krua stared at Diello again.

“….”

As she moved the water, his eyes followed her movement. From his point of view, since he had to deal with endless water with fire, her ability should be coveted.

Let’s see.

Would he fall for it?

As soon as their eyes met, Diello opened his mouth.

“…Apart from your abilities, I’m not a strong family head like you said. You won’t be able to stop Alors even if you make a deal with me.”

He smiled mournfully.

However, that was acting. She knew he was lying.

“No, you can stop him.”

She stubbornly said to him. The evidence was there even without her reading the original.

“You’re known to be weak. If that really were the case, most of Argenta’s people would have left already.”

Regardless, Argenta still remained an influential family until now. That meant the benefit given by the Argenta family was abundant. Nevertheless, the reason why he was treated as a weak head was because he couldn’t control his power skillfully.

But, she knew because she read the original.

He would be the most powerful head of the Argenta family in history. He merely waited for the right time to attack. Actually, she didn’t read it until the end though that would be the case unless the synopsis and reviews lied.

If she didn’t erase his Mark of Lilies, he could be the most powerful head from the start… the problem was buying time until then.

“The Duke of Alors is already suspicious of you.”

People who have done bad things would understand it well.

The Duke of Alors looked down on Diello but did not ignore the sense of incompatibility that he implicitly felt. Even though he was known as a weak head, none of the families had cut ties with him. So, despite the fact that the Duke of Alors was suspicious, he still daringly carried out the crazy act of creating a fake Ferro.

If Diello was really weak, then he must’ve wanted to take this chance to beat Argenta.

Krua leaned toward him and saw his sharp jawline and high nose bridge, which seemed as if it was carved specially by God. Diello Argenta was called a handsome man because of his features since childhood.

Anyway, she was almost there. It was the perfect time to convince him again.

“I really have no intention of seducing you, Your Excellency.”

Diello’s eyes were on her.

“If I take away your ability and possibility as the Duke of Alors had planned, I will become someone who won’t be welcomed at Argenta and Alors.”

She would be someone useless in Alors, and she would be known as an unscrupulous person who took away Diello’s ability.

“What are you going to do if I didn’t believe your words, even after you come here?”

His careful gaze was on her again.

“I thought you’d be wise enough to accept this offer.”

Krua let out a breath. If she failed to make this deal, then it meant that she would die. Because of that, she needed to be as confident as she could.

She straightened her back.

“Like what I said before, let’s get married.”

She needed to get married to him.

“Let’s spend the night together like what Alors wanted.”

Diello’s expression visibly hardened, but she continued to speak softly.

“Instead,”

She reached out to his pale hands.

“Hold my hand.”

Let’s pretend to have a night together to buy some time until the real Ferro is found.

Diello opened his eyes wide at her words as Krua persisted.

“We’ll lower Alors and Cartiel’s guard until your real Ferro appears, and then you can dominate them with your real Ferro.”

According to the original, the real Ferro appeared about two months after Krua came in as a fake Ferro. So until then, they could lower their opponent’s guard.

She opened her hand.

“You have the ability to do so.”

This would be an attractive deal the Duke couldn’t refuse.

In the first place, there were many people who were targeting him, and there was no one who wanted to be on his side. Yet right now, the person who was on his side was his opponent’s hidden card, Krua Alors.

“Is that the terms of your deal?”

His blue eyes stared at her as she nodded lightly.

“Yes, in exchange for this contract marriage, please attack Alors and protect me.”

Diello touched his mouth as if he was agonizing over it.

A long silence filled the room.

When she thought that his eyes, which were clearly pale blue, were a shade darker like the deep sea, Diello opened his mouth with a soft smile.

“Okay, you can call me Diello from now on.”

Eventually, he held out his hand to her.

“Then, as promised, I will marry you, and we will have our first night together at the upcoming wedding.”

His blue eyes closed slowly.

“And after that day, I will gradually lose my ability, ” His mournful voice rang out. “…Pretending to lose my ability.”

Diello, who said so, approached her.

Krua was surprised and took a step back without realizing it. Still, he kept approaching her and touched her back.

“Please let me give my due politeness to you, lady.”

He smiled lightly.

“…Ah.”

At those words, she relaxed for a moment and dropped her shoulders.

Tuk.

The button he released himself was put back on again. When she shivered from the strange heat and tension, he took off the jacket he was wearing and put it over her exposed back, and warmth instantly enveloped her.

He smiled at her, indicating that it was a deal.

…Hence, today marked the day the original story became twisted.