Chapter 20

“An hour should be enough, right? Sir Gideon is waiting for me.”

Of course, it was just an excuse, but she did feel a little guilty toward her escort knight.

Axion let out a small laugh. It was a strange expression, somewhere between a scoff and a smile.

“What’s that laugh for?”

“You haven’t changed.”

‘Is he teasing me for being overprotected?’

Evelyn wanted to say something back but couldn’t come up with a retort, so she decided to change the subject.

“Come to think of it, you seem pretty busy these days.”

Axion paused with his tea, raising an eyebrow as if surprised.

“Were you worried about me?”

“What are you even talking about?!”

Evelyn scowled, exasperated by her fiancé’s absurd comment.

Almost like he had expected that reaction, he faintly lifted the corner of his lips.

“I haven’t been feeling well these past few days, so I’ve just been staying at the mansion.”

‘Ah…’

She couldn’t bring herself to ask why. If things were going like the original story, he must’ve been in agony from his abilities going out of control.

A heavy, awkward silence settled between them.

Maybe thinking she was being a little too nonchalant, Axion rested his chin on his hand and spoke in an indifferent voice.

“You’re not asking for the reason.”

“Well, that’s…”

Sometimes, pretending not to know is its own form of consideration.

As Evelyn trailed off, he gazed at her for a moment and then murmured.

“It doesn’t matter. You’ll find out soon enough anyway.”

“Soon enough…?”

Axion’s lips loosened into a small smile as he gathered his magic effortlessly, then showed her his big, solid hand. A sigil had appeared on the back of it.

“The mark has manifested on the back of my hand.”

“What?”

Her eyes widened in shock, and she couldn’t hide how stunned she was. The sigil was a snake coiling around a staff. Perhaps because it resembled its owner, it looked anything but ordinary.

While she stood there speechless, Axion’s dimples grew even more pronounced.

“Take a good look. You’ll be getting one yourself soon enough.”

“What are you even saying…!”

‘Is he trying to curse me, this jerk?’

As Evelyn instinctively rubbed the back of her own hand, a dangerous glint flickered in Axion’s red eyes.

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

Maybe because she’d had such a long day, Evelyn’s eyelids grew heavy and she was about to drift off to sleep—

“Aack—!”

—When suddenly, a sharp pain shot through the back of her hand.

The throbbing was so intense it instantly shattered her drowsiness, forcing her upright in bed.

‘What’s happening all of a sudden?’

A moment later, it felt like needles stabbing into her skin, making her brow furrow involuntarily.

“Ugh, what is this…!”

She quickly looked down at her left hand, only to see a red glow spreading across the back of it. Evelyn’s eyes began to tremble with anxiety.

This must be the manifestation of the sigil.

‘I wasn’t even mentally prepared for this.’

But there was no time for that thought. The pain only intensified, and all she could do was writhe in agony. A burning pain, as if her left hand had been scorched by fire, shot through her. Her whole body grew hot, and cold sweat ran down her skin as she began to sob in misery.

“This hurts… it hurts way too much!”

After writhing in agony for what felt like an eternity, she sniffled. The red glow and pain wrapping around her left hand were gradually fading.

‘…Is it finally over?’

Swallowing nervously, Evelyn checked her sigil with trembling eyes.

“Wha-what is this?!”

She stared in horror as if seeing something unthinkable, then hastily covered her mouth, worried her voice might leak out. It was because the sigil that had appeared on the back of her hand was a snake coiled around a staff.

‘No way. That’s the same mark as Axion’s…!’

Thinking that maybe this was all a dream, she desperately pinched her cheek, wanting to escape this nightmare as soon as possible if she could.

Ooww—

But no matter what she did, she couldn’t wake up from this absurd dream.

“This… isn’t a dream?”

Realizing it was real, her eyes darted around in panic. The vivid sigil etched on her hand felt just like Axion’s crimson eyes staring back at her.

‘What… what is this?!’

Flustered, Evelyn hurriedly covered the back of her left hand to hide it. There was no doubt that something had definitely gone wrong with the sigil.