CH 66

“…….”

A suffocating stillness descended upon the inside of the carriage as time passed.

I was not pulled or pushed by Ian in any way.

This kind of reaction is completely outside of my scope of comprehension in every possible way. Because I was so confused, I leaned in towards him to get a better look.

‘… … Looking at your skin.’

When I got too close, unnecessary things started getting into my eyes.

For instance, it is difficult to believe that a man’s clear skin or a jawline that connects smoothly but firmly was the cause of those characteristics.

‘I always think about it, but one face is really.’

He was the type of person to whom I could not utter an expletive in his presence, even if he pointed out hundreds of flaws.

Even if you compare him to Elliott, the man who played the male lead in the story’s original version, this man will shine brighter.

Understandably, the protagonist’s first love and the final boss of the work were in risk, which is why it was challenging, but this was an extreme example of going too far beyond what was necessary.

For a while, it was as if I were appreciating a piece of art; I was mesmerised.

It took a few seconds for it to register in my mind that my nose was very close to making contact with Ian’s cheek.

‘Huh?’

Looking at Ian, who came right before me, I was taken aback.

‘You’re not pushing me?’

When someone of the opposite sex gets this close, it’s only natural to try to push them away or act seriously, especially in light of Ian’s reaction so far.

Because there was no one else in the carriage with us, there was no need to pretend to be a married couple in order to avoid drawing attention from other people. But at this very moment, Ian is not exhibiting even the slightest sign of movement.

Are you really a puppet?

As goosebumps began to rise on my arms, I fixed my gaze on Ian’s eyes.

His eyes had become as hard as tightly packed sapphires.

Even though I had been with Ian for a long time, I couldn’t read it.

“……That is.”

Ian finally said something. A low whisper came from lips that were too close together.

“What’s it all about?”

What does it mean?

I blinked, mulling over his words.

This question came as a surprise. It wasn’t how the real Ian would act, and it wasn’t how a fake Ian would act, either.

It was time to look up at Ian with blank eyes in bewilderment.

The carriage stopped smoothly as if he had arrived at the destination.

At the same time, a familiar voice came from outside.

“Madam Irene! Oh, you’ve finally come back! Oh my goodness! I apologised!”

I heard Annette screaming from outside the carriage.

Judging from her hasty apology, it seemed that he had seen us while we were riding in the carriage through the window of the carriage.

When I thought I had caught this little girl close to Ian, my whole body felt hot.

“I am truly apologise. It’s time for me to get up – whoops!.”

Oops, without even noticing it, my whole body shifted toward Ian in the blink of an eye.

‘No!’

I stretched out my arms instinctively. However, my body had already completely collapsed due to gravity.

The momentary effort was overshadowed by my unsightly pouring onto Ian’s body. At the same time, my lips touched something warm and hard.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

My entire body started to feel hot when I had the thought that I had caught this little girl who was very close to Ian.

“Pardon . I have to get―Oops.”

Because I arose in such a hurry, my feet got all twisted up.

Whoops, I had unintentionally positioned my body so that it was leaning towards Ian.

‘Oh no!’

I instinctively stretched out my arm. However, gravity had already caused my body to collapse completely.

Even though the momentary effort was not worth it, I ended up pouring on my body to Ian in an awkward way. At the same time, my lips touched something warm and hard.

“Heok, sorry. I’m sorry.”

My mouth accidentally made contact with Ian’s neck.

As I bowed my head in contrition, I caught a glimpse of something that completely blew my mind.

There are still marks of the light pink lipstick that Annette painstakingly selected for today, and they look like flower petals scattered across Ian’s neck.

“W-Why is this here…….Sorry. I’ll wipe it right away!”

It was unheard of for a knight like him to have such clear skin, so the light pink shade of my lipstick stood out more against his complexion.

Somehow, it felt even more sensational because these marks were buried on the person who seemed to be the most reluctant in the world.

Embarrassed by the visual shock,  I kept apologising for it.

“I’m truly sorry. I’ll clean it right away.”

I quickly rubbed the nape of Ian’s neck with the palm of my hand in an attempt to remove the lipstick marks, but instead of removing the marks, they became even more widespread.

‘W-Why can’t this be erased?’

It amazes me that I can’t seem to get rid of the lipstick.

It turns out that the technology used in the production of cosmetics in this world has experienced significant advancement.

‘Somehow, no matter how much tea I drank, I couldn’t erase it from my lips…… No, not that.’

This is not the time to be joking around or messing around. When I looked down at Ian’s neck, where the mark of my lipstick was smeared all over the place, I couldn’t help but be completely astounded. The situation has become much more serious than before. It almost looked messy now.

“…… What are you doing?”

Since the beginning of the empire, the faithful Commander of the Holy Knights — who is widely believed to be the most powerful of all the Holy Knights —  has been promiscuous. It was an adjective that should never be used.

“ … What exactly are you up to?”

At long last, Ian made a sound with his mouth. It was a very hushed voice, almost as if it were expressing unease.

“M-My lipstick marks are here. I’ll clean it up real quick.”

“All right. What is that?”

Ian could say such a thing because he couldn’t see himself right now. Just because of the lipstick stain, the current Ian looked like a macho man on the street rather than the commander of the Holy Knights. A bit too handsome.

Ian coldly glared at me as I lifted up his collar, which was dishevelled from rubbing.

“I’ve never met someone as unpredictable as you.”

“……”

“Don’t do something weird out of the blue, and don’t rub someone’s neck hard enough to tyre them out.”

“…….No, I’m very worried.”

“All day long, what kind of thoughts are going through that head?”

I was choked up for a moment when I was treated as a troublemaker.

You didn’t know I was doing it for your own reputation……!

Seeing that he only picked such mean words, Ian in front of me now must have been the real person.

Thinking like that reminded me of the spell they carried out earlier, and my eyes closed tightly.

Yes. Even Ian would have suspected that I had taken the drug if I had suddenly clung to me and gave me a coy look.

When I finally got around to thinking about it, I noticed that my face started to get hot.

“…… I had a reason for that too.”

It was a voice that no one could believe.

It was the moment when I opened my mouth to explain seriously.

“Anyway, there are many circumstances that I deserve to be heard from you.”

“Why did you want to go to the dark auction, and why was it so important for you to keep it a secret from me? I wish I could listen carefully to everything.”

I firmly clamped my lips together.

Never before has the concept of the right to remain silent on Earth been so desperately needed.

***

“Shit!”

A sudden, piercing noise echoed through the air, accompanied by a string of profanities.

Even though shards of broken glass frames grazed his cheeks, Number 4 did not move from his kneeling position.

“How much do you have to handle things like a dog to fail miserably like this?”

As soon as he heard the angry voice, Number 4 bowed his head.

Literally, what he went through today was the worst failure, so Number Four couldn’t come up with an excuse.

“What the hell does that b*tch mean? How dare she betray us as a slave? Dispose of her immediately!”

Unable to control his anger, the leader shouted.

“It’s easy to get rid of her. You only need to turn on the stigma on the body of number 76. But, master. Think about it again.”

“Who do you think you’re trying to teach? You dirty bastard!”

The number four’s cheek made a slapping sound as it turned to the opposite side. Number 4’s face started to turn red and swell up where he had been hit, but he kept going as if nothing had happened.

“Number 76 wouldn’t know that today was Nine’s plan. Because I never shared it.”

The main cause of today’s failure was definitely Nine’s Number 76 slave, who wore the shell of Irene Grace.

It was a well-thought-out strategy.

At first, there were rumours that members of cults would be present at the Dark Auction. Knowing that Ian Esteban would be stranded in the capital for the first time in a while, this was a plan that had a good chance of succeeding.

They didn’t know how painstakingly the rumours were spread in order to entice someone who wasn’t as prudent as that human being.

A magic circle of that size was too expensive even for Nine to afford, but Nine had recently been receiving astronomical financial support from their ‘sponsor’.

Nightmare, who had been summoned in advance as planned, consumed some of Ian’s power, and in the interim, the enchantment was activated. If only they had been able to cast the spell to the end, they would have been able to obtain the strongest knight ever.

But they failed. With success just one step ahead.

Because of Irene Grace, the 76th slave was wearing the mask of a saintess.

It was a surprise to see Irene at the underground ball. But they wouldn’t have changed their plans even if they had known. A fake saintess without divine power couldn’t have interfered with their plans.

But she did it with pride.

“Damn it. Cheeky bitch!”

The leader grumbled out his anger. Even though he rationally knew that Number 4 was right, he gave Number 4 several wild kicks.

After a while, the leader seemed to have lost his temper and spat on the floor.

“Even if this is a coincidence, it is true that slave has not made very much progress in her mission. You never know. She may have had a different mind.”

“If her life is worth it, she won’t be able to harbor a rebellious heart easily.”

The stigma curse that the Nine casts upon their slaves was their worst invention.

Because it was a curse that the dark magicians of Nine had crafted themselves, they were the only ones who understood how to cast it.

It was impossible for a mediocre slave to find a way to do it, even if the person who was trying to do it was a legendary genius wizard.

“Tools should be useful. Otherwise, it will just be discarded.”

The leader gave an order.