Chapter 22

As she quietly watched the man who had taken the seat beside her, a spontaneous sense of admiration slipped out. He practically glowed as if a god had crafted him by hand.

‘No wonder he’s the male lead.’

“You’re really handsome.”

She muttered it under her breath, then immediately clapped a hand over her mouth, startled she had said it out loud. Khalid, who clearly heard her, just offered an awkward little smile.

Flooded with embarrassment, she scrambled to gather her books and stood up.

“It’s getting late, so I should get going.”

She gave him a quick bow, and Khalid returned it with a polite nod.

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

Evelyn, clutching her head in the bedroom as she read through the ancient books, had no choice but to admit it at last. The fact that she had ended up with the same mark as Axion, regardless of her own will.

She let out a sigh so heavy it felt like the ground might cave in at this deviation from the original story.

She knew full well that the engagement between Valentino and Inevasel was purely political. Marquis Inevasel, who had lost his little sister to the imperial family’s schemes, wanted to protect his house from another tragedy. He did so by allying with the only family strong enough to stand against the imperial authority: the Duchy of Valentino.

Thanks to this arrangement, the Valentino family was granted mining rights to the magic ore in Inevasel’s territory. For those who could use magic, magic ore was an extremely valuable resource.

Even though the engagement was unavoidable due to both families’ interests, she had never once thought about going through with the marriage.

Her views on marriage had never changed, not since she was a child.

But if, by any chance, Axion ever found out they shared the same mark…

“We’d need to prepare.”
“Prepare for what?”
“Our wedding.”

A forced marriage ending out of nowhere? No, she absolutely refused.

Evelyn shivered at the thought, rubbing her arms, her eyes steeling with resolve like never before.

“So, it’s probably best to keep this a secret for now, right?”

Even so, she had no intention of simply standing by and watching Axion suffer. As someone who bore the same mark, she felt at least some sense of responsibility. She was determined to find a way to stop her fiancé from going berserk without actually going through with the imprint.

“Ugh, this is really the only way, isn’t it…?”

Among the books she had borrowed from the Imperial Library, there was only one method written that could help him without forming the imprint.

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

As always, three o’clock on Sunday afternoon arrived.

Evelyn, who had arrived at the meeting spot first, gazed nervously at her teacup.

‘Is this really okay?’

Before Axion showed up, she had gone ahead and ordered coffee for him… and spat in his cup. According to the books, the only way to calm a rampage without physical contact was with the saliva of someone bearing the same sigil.

‘I only spat a little, just to ease my conscience…’

Now that she actually had to make him drink it, her conscience pricked at her. She was agonizing over what to do when—

“You’re early for once.”

At some point, Axion had arrived and was now standing at the table, a smirk painted on his face. Evelyn, whose mind was going blank for a second, forced herself to respond as casually as she could.

“Well, I can be early sometimes.”

He tilted his head skeptically, as if he didn’t quite believe her.

“You?”

She was almost always the one to arrive later than her fiancé for their weekly tea time. Unable to deny it, she gave a small, awkward cough.

“Ahem. I just had something to take care of nearby.”

She was pretty sure she’d managed to sound casual enough.

Axion gave a small nod, then turned his gaze to the teacup in front of him. The coffee she had ordered in advance was still steaming.

‘He doesn’t… suspect anything, does he?’

As Evelyn watched the cup, she started to sneak a glance at her fiancé—

‘Huuk—’

He was already staring right at her. Who knew how long he had been watching? Axion gazed into her trembling eyes and raised the corners of his mouth in a faint smile.

“So that’s what it is.”

“…What is?”

When she swallowed nervously and played dumb, he continued in a surprisingly gentle voice.

“I just thought maybe your mark had finally manifested.”

‘He really is freakishly sharp.’