IDEFYEM - Chapter 7
Black Man, I'll Do Everything For You Except Marriage!
"Enri, wake up. We're almost there."
"Hmm. Already...?"
The sun was already setting outside the window.
'Wow, didn't I sleep in an ugly state?'
I wiped my mouth and recalled the dream I had just had.
It was a really strange dream.
A dream in which the Grand Duke and the villainess, who were friendly in the original, fight as if biting each other.
"Where am I...."
When I inadvertently turned my gaze to the side, I saw a dazzling building.
I'm sure it's not that one.
The carriage continued to run along the wall, where the buildings continued endlessly.
It was larger than the Duke's residence and the beautiful decorations caught the eye.
"Wow."
I let out an exclamation without realizing it.
Putting aside my brief suspicion, the carriage stopped right in front of me.
I blinked and asked, wondering if this was some childish prank.
"Is the Count's mansion really this fancy?"
"Well, what's left is money."
That line is something I wanted to say someday!
Kael quickly got out of the carriage and spoke to me.
"Let's get off. Let me hold your hand."
I held his hand without hesitation more than last time. It was big and strangely cold.
"Why are your hands so cold?"
"If it bothers you, I'll let it go."
"That's Okay. If I catch it, it will get warm."
After getting off the carriage, we still chatted without letting go of our hands.
"Kael, where did I hear that... Do you know why your hands are cold? Isn't it because of poor blood circulation?"
I looked pitifully at the romantic-destroying man for a moment and said,
"It's because my heart is warm."
"That's a different interpretation. So, you have cold hands but a very warm heart."
"Your hands are warm, so your heart must be very cold."
"Oh, even if you say really nice things!"
When I finally raised my voice, he burst out laughing. In the meantime, we had almost reached the gate of the Count's residence.
Sarah, who got off the horse and followed us, looked around and said.
"It's not bad."
The inside wasn't bad, but it was just as amazing as the outside. The floor was so clean that it shined, and the decorations and paintings looked like they had been received as gifts.
Kael guided us to the second floor, receiving familiar greetings from the employees.
"Just think of this whole place as yours."
The intimidating feeling of hearing these words while actually standing in front of a gorgeous space was incredible.
I opened my mouth with a pale face.
"I just need a small room. This is so...."
While looking around, I noticed something strange and suddenly spoke.
"But the furniture looks really new? Like you just made it up."
"Haha, thank you for the compliment."
He laughed in a calm tone.
"It's not a compliment... Um, no."
I tried to dig deeper but stopped.
'Well, who would buy new furniture just to bring me back?'
While I was shaking my head at the absurd imagination, Kael began to guide me.
"This is a parlor, but very few people visit. You can come here whenever you want to have tea."
Is it okay for a living room that is rarely used to be this big?
"This is the library. It's small, but I'd be happy if you stop by often."
It's small in size, so I don't think it would be inferior to the imperial palace.
"This is a space suitable for use as your study...."
"Ugh, stop!"
I, who was not used to excessive luxury, struggled to stop him.
"Where is my room? So, it's just an ordinary bedroom."
"It's right here."
He pulled the door open smoothly and without a sound.
My eyes widened in an instant.
"Kael, that...."
"Yes."
"Am I being threatened?"
"Yes?"
He asked back, sounding unusually absurd, but that wasn't what was important right now.
"Aren't you doing this because you have something to gain from me? Otherwise, how can the house be like this?"
I lost all face and immediately ran and jumped into the ivory bed.
'Wow, it's fluffy.'
Kael, who was watching this, responded in a voice filled with laughter.
"You've been using your imagination in strange places since last time."
"The Duke of Wintersoar is also famous for commerce, but not to this extent. I know that ordinary Count's don't live in places like this."
The wallpaper sparkles as if it had just been reapplied, and the space is spacious enough to run.
A carpet that was clearly placed with great care, several beautiful masterpieces, and a cute table.
The difference between my room in the Duke's residence was literally heaven and earth.
"Some of it was inherited, but most of it was raised through personal business and investment."
It was a story about a self-made rich man. Is it okay to spend that kind of money on me?
I rolled my eyes and thought about it, but it was a problem with no answer anyway.
"I will tell you to prepare dinner soon. Come down slowly."
After saying those words, Kael left the room without any regrets.
The only people left in the large space were me and Sarah. I muttered absentmindedly.
"Sarah, life is changing so quickly. It's like a dream."
"I see. Even a popular play in the capital would develop more slowly than this."
Sarah pulled the chair in front of the dressing table towards me as if to tell me to sit down.
"I'll comb your hair before you go down to the dining room."
I was worried about his face, which must have looked matted after falling asleep in the carriage.
She took out the tail comb she had brought from the Duke's residence and suddenly asked me.
"Miss, will you grant my wish?"
"Yeah, what is it?"
Sarah's expression in the mirror across from me changed strangely.
Only then did I realize that I had stupidly and inadvertently answered the question the villain asked.
The worst scenarios imaginable ran through my mind.
"I-I don't have any money."
"Do you really think I would take the money off my nose?"
"I didn't bury my nose!"
When I suddenly refuted loudly, Sarah made a humming sound.
Oh no, you shouldn't offend me. I crouched down again and asked cautiously.
"So what is your real wish?"
"I'll tell you if you promise to grant me your wish."
"I promise that I will listen to you only if I know what it is, no. Huh... Okay. Say it."
I met her eyes which were sharp as if they would cut me, and I said, trying hard to hold back tears. But the words that came out of Sarah's mouth were very unexpected.
"You will be mad at me."
"Why am I mad at you?"
"Something might happen to make you angry. I lied, or I hid something very important from you."
Well, it's not as big a deal as you think. I relaxed and spoke.
"Okay, I won't get angry no matter how big a lie you tell."
Sarah's face changed complicatedly.
"Why are you looking like that? What's going on?"
"No, it's nothing."
If only I had known what was going to happen.
At this point, I probably should have questioned Sarah and heard the truth.
***
I went downstairs and sat down at the table. Kael kept looking at me, and as soon as my eyes met hers, she smiled.
"Why are you laughing?"
"I like having you in my house."
It would be normal to get excited when a handsome man with a face like that says something like that.
By now, I was used to hearing his words come out from time to time as a habit, so I wasn't impressed.
As I looked around the dining room, which was decorated as splendidly as the rest of the Count's residence, I didn't see any servants waiting around.
'Hey, how much is this?'
However, the large table was filled with plates of food that were neatly placed.
I cut a piece of meat closest to me and put it in my mouth. I chewed and savored the soft texture before swallowing my food and saying.
"We have a lot to talk about."
"Is that so?"
I've waited a long time for this. I planned to ask all the questions I had until now at this event.
"What I'm most curious about right now is why Kael wants to marry me."
The man's eyes stared at me.
"It was love at first sight."
"Cough cough!"
I heard Sarah and hurriedly looked for water.
Kael stood up from the seat across from me came over to me and handed me a glass.
I took a gulp of cold water and asked him with a puzzled look on my face.
"Are you serious?"
"Well, to be exact, it would be closer to love at first sight."
What kind of bullshit is that?
Kael slowly opened his mouth as I looked at him like he was looking at a crazy person.
"I am actually under a curse."
My eyes opened wide. In the world I originally lived in, I would have thought you had a great imagination and moved on.
In this world where magic exists, curses are more common than you might think.
"I need your kiss to lift the curse, Enri."
The man said with a serious face.
I was so embarrassed. I asked, not wanting to believe reality.
"Well, that's a lie, right?"
"Yes."
What?
I blinked my eyelashes absentmindedly. It took a few seconds to figure out the situation.
He shamelessly quickly returned to his usual expression and was twirling around.
"This person...."
I can't take it anymore.
I jumped up with the intention of giving him a peck.
"Enri, Enri. Wait for a moment."
"Scammer, don't call my name!"
The man shouted as I approached him, truly angry.
"It is true that I am under a curse. I have no heart!"
The steps stopped.
"I was joking because I thought you might be surprised if I said it suddenly. Sorry."
Kael took advantage of the opportunity to continue speaking.
"That made me even more surprised!”
I raised my eyes and sat back down.
The man apologized again, cleared his throat, and began to speak.
"I was cursed from birth without a heart. My mother closed her eyes early and I couldn't even ask why."
Ah.
I felt sorry because I realized then why he had made the joke in the first place.
Kael's situation was more complicated and serious than expected.
"Try it with your hand."
Kael, who seemed to have sensed my agitation, got up from his seat and came closer.
And I placed my hand on his strong chest.
"Ahh! What now... uh?"
It was definitely a place where you had to feel your heart.
But as he said, I couldn't even feel the slightest beat.
"Do you believe it now?"
"... Yes."
Strangely cold hands, not even a heart that doesn't beat. It was evidence that I had no choice but to believe.
"How are you alive if you really don't have a heart?"
"It is as you said. My body without a heart is practically a corpse."
He answered calmly as if he were not particularly impressed by the tragedy.
"But I was able to force it to move by infusing magic inside it."
"..."
"That will soon reach its limit."
At that time, words rang out that were more shocking than all the facts I had just heard combined.
"One year. If I don't break the curse within that time, I will die."
Comments
Post a Comment