Chapter 35 – You Took Me In, so Now You Must Take Responsibility

“….!”

Evelyn lost her balance and stumbled straight into the arms of her fiancé. Her face, unintentionally pressed against the solid plane of his chest, flushed as she swallowed hard. In the quiet of the room, the only sound was the thunderous pounding of a heart, though she could not say whose it was.

Amidst it all, Axion’s form, now so close, seemed like a work of art, sculpted with painstaking care.

‘No. What am I thinking?’

Snapping herself back to her senses, Evelyn quickly lifted her head. Her gaze met his, and he was watching her with an intensity that made her breath catch.

‘Hup—’

She drew a sharp breath, her eyes darting nervously before she spoke in a voice just barely trembling.

“You… why are you acting like this all of a sudden?”

At her question, the crimson glint in Axion’s eyes shone even brighter. A faint, knowing smile curved at his lips as he leaned in and murmured, his words brushing against her ear.

“Evelyn, is this enough for you?”

“What…?”

Her eyes, which had been fixed as if spellbound by her fiancé’s striking features, wavered ever so slightly. For a fleeting moment, she really believed there was nothing in the world more beautiful than the man before her.

Axion’s lips parted slowly as he gazed at her in silence.

“I don’t think I can stop myself.”

“….!”

Sensing instinctively that the situation had turned dangerous, Evelyn quickly pulled herself away, her expression turning serious.

Surprisingly, Axion let her go without resistance. Even though she wanted to ask him what had gotten into him, for some reason, the words wouldn’t come out. With a tension between them like a taut wire, she could only avert her gaze, careful not to cross that invisible line.

In the suffocating silence, he let out a soft, amused chuckle.

“Why are you so tense?”

It was only then that she realized she’d fallen for his teasing.

“You… you!”

Just moments ago, she’d been fretting over how to escape the situation, but the man before her remained infuriatingly calm and collected.

Irritated, she glared at him, her eyes sharp with frustration.

At that moment, Axion’s fingers gently touched the messy ribbon of her dress, and then, ever so subtly, he loosened the knot.

“….?”

‘What is he doing now? Why is he like this?’

Evelyn instinctively flinched, her eyes wide with startled confusion. Seeing this, he only tightened the ribbon so the knot wouldn’t come undone.

“We still have plenty of time.”

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

It was well past midnight by the time Evelyn returned to the marquis’ estate after the party aboard the ship. Weariness weighed down her steps as she trudged quietly through the halls. It was then that Viaton, who was reviewing documents in the drawing room, looked up with a puzzled expression and called out to her.

“Just getting back now?”

“Mm…”

She gave a vague nod, her face still dazed. Viaton tilted his head, studying her.

“Your face is a bit flushed, isn’t it?”

At those words, her green eyes went as round as lanterns. She shook her head vigorously at her brother and quickly replied.

“Flushed? Nonsense!”

“If you say so.”

He replied with a shrug, turning his attention back to his papers.

Once in her room, Evelyn made her way straight to the bed without even bothering to change out of her dress.

‘This is all because of the imprint.’

As she recalled what had happened in the guest suite with her fiancé, her brow furrowed involuntarily.

“Is he actually… insane?”

Pressing her aching temples, she bit down hard on her lower lip.

How could he repay kindness with such insolence? At the time, she had been so caught off guard that she hadn’t managed to say a word in protest. But now, all the retorts she should have made came flooding to her, and it left her feeling all the more indignant.

As she decided that Viaton’s earlier remark about her flushed face was simply a side effect of this bottled-up frustration, that thought brought a slight sense of order to her tangled emotions.

‘Axion Valentino… just who do you think you are?!’

She had a sinking feeling that she wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight.

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

Not even a day had passed since the marking, and now Evelyn found herself seated across the table from her fiancé.

“First, thank you for accepting my invitation.”

That morning, she had sent an urgent messenger to House Valentino, and, to her relief, Axion had agreed to meet. He inclined his head, a lazy half-smile touching his lips before he answered, his voice unexpectedly gentle.