Chapter 22

Strange things I’ve believed in (10)

Seeing Annabelle and Robert having friendly conversations had made Ian strangely upset.

Annabelle looked as beautiful as a goddess.

Even when she was next to the prince, she wasn’t awkward at all.

It was very painful to see the two of them bumping wine glasses and having a friendly conversation.

He felt like he was going crazy, but she was smiling while looking at another man…

He wasn’t impulsive enough to leave his father behind and run out of the theater to be irritable for no reason.

Ian was a very normal, common-sense person, and could easily handle his unprovoked anger.

He thought of his personality and calmed his mind.Of course, the only place he could go to relax for a while during the performance was the bathroom.

He washed his face with cold water and ruffled his dripping bangs.

‘Why are you so angry?’

Now, just looking at Annabelle’s face made him angry.

Was he angry because he was not the one she chatted with?

Every time they met, they came face to face with their swords.

She was obviously pretty, but today she looked even prettier, and that made him even more angry.

Maybe that was why it made it even worse.

‘Calm down.’

He sighed.

Seriously, he shouldn’t care about Annabelle and Robert anymore. He would just watch the stage.

He would no longer be angry with Annabelle and would strongly ignore her as he had always done.

That was when he managed to calm down and get out of the bathroom.

“Oh, there’s a full moon. What a beautiful night.”

The Aria on the stage kept singing what now sounded like background music.

Right in front of the bathroom, outside the beautiful big window door, there was a full moon, and a woman sitting on the window frame who was more beautiful than the full moon.

The window frame was so high that even Ian had to look up.

The woman, who kept stealing his gaze while laughing next to another man, was now alone with him.

“Ian Wade.”

Annabelle, who was waiting for him, grinned.

Then she jumped from the window frame.

Ian couldn’t help but avoid it.

~*~

“Tell me, how did you end up like this? It’s not like you.”

“Then what am I like?”

The singer sang incredibly well in the background, but my attention was focused on Ian, who was still like a stone.

My heart pounded at the thought that I could finish all this work if I somehow quickly fed him the antidote .

From the moment I remembered my past life, I became a new person.

Sure enough, Ian stood up quietly in the middle of the opera after drinking so much water.

‘Yes, if you’re human, you should go to the bathroom.’

Everything was going as planned.

I whispered to Robert as soon as Ian disappeared.

“Prince, I need to go to the bathroom.”

“Why don’t you wait a little?”

I was about to get up immediately, but he grabbed my wrist.

Then he spoke quietly.

“The opera is about the hit the climax scene.”

“I’m going to climax soon.”

I was talking about the climax of my plan today, but Robert put on a puzzled look for a moment as if he had mistaken it to mean the climax of my bladder.

“Wow, uh, okay. Bye.”

He eventually let go of my wrist.

Then he asked me sarcastically since I was carrying a glass of wine.

“But why take that?”

“Oh, I might be thirsty on my way back.

I answered whatever came to my mind and hurried out to pursue Ian.

As expected, Ian turned the corner and headed into the bathroom.

‘How did things turn out so well?’

I followed him to the front of the bathroom and looked around the hallway, but there was no one there.

After all, as Robert said, the climax was coming soon, so who was going to come out of the arena and walk around?

I jumped and sat on the window frame right in front of the bathroom.

Now, when Ian came out, all I had to do was rush in, put the glass to his mouth, and pour down the wine with the antidote.

‘Why isn’t he coming out?’

I crossed my legs and waited quite a while.

The dress that wrapped around my legs, high heels, and ruffled accessories were more uncomfortable than usual.

“Oh, the full moon has risen, what a beautiful night.”

The singer’s voice was so good that it rang in the hallway. While I was silently listening to the song, Ian came out.

Up until a while ago, he had combed his bangs straight and pulled them back, but now he looked somewhat disorganized.

As far as I know, he always looked neat even during his training.

“Ian Wade.”

I jumped off the window frame and pushed him against the wall with a glass of wine in one hand.

He was unexpectedly docile, since I thought he would avoid my movement.

Rather, he just looked at me with blank eyes.

“Annabelle?”

After murmuring for a while, I felt a little embarrassed. It felt like I just pushed him against the wall and locked him up unilaterally.

‘Why are you making such an obedient expression?’

In this atmosphere, it would be a bit odd for me to just pour wine out of nowhere.

So, very politely, I handed him a glass of wine in one hand.

“Drink.”

“What?”

“This is very tasteless. Tasty alcohol should be drunk by others.”

Ian looked down at me as if it was ridiculous.

I know it was stupid too, but I couldn’t help it.

“You don’t think it contains poison, do you?”

Watching him not even touch a wine glass, I even showed him taking a sip of wine.

“I came here with the intention of feeding you something that is really not that tasty.”

“Here, now?”

“Yes.”

“…Okay then.”

Ian glanced at me with the expression as if he were seeing a really strange child, sighed, took the glass of wine from my hand, and brought it to his lips.

At this point, I hit the glass of wine and its contents poured into his mouth.

“…You!”

Ian looked annoyed as if he was dumbfounded.

Most of the liquid was swallowed, but the wine that was left spilled on his clothes, and made a mess.

However, that was none of my business.

‘You’re going to be successful in the future, so you should be able to get through this kind of ordeal.

Anyways, he drank it.

Ian Wade took the antidote.

I checked it with my own eyes.

To the best of my knowledge, there was no one else in this hallway.

This was the end of all my missions.

Without Reid’s knowledge, Ian was perfectly saved from all danger and thus covered up our crimes.

‘It’s all over now!’

I took the wine glass from his hand while he was still looking at me with unknown eyes.

‘Now, Ian Wade, I really don’t have to see you anymore.’

‘You’ve had a hard time accepting Annabelle’s eccentricities, Ian.’

I couldn’t convey it, but I turned around without regret, quietly reciting my true feelings.

‘I’m sorry for everything. I’ve done a lot of bad things to a gentlemanly nobleman like you.’

Even now… didn’t I spill wine on his clothes and make a mess?

‘I won’t do this again. From now on, you should meet the wonderful heroine and live a good life with a normal love.’

Of course, I was going to meet a compatible man and love him normally and live well too.

As I was taking refreshing steps to get out, I suddenly heard a dreary voice behind me.

“Annabelle, wait.”

Maybe it was too much to spill wine on him and turn around without saying an apology.

He must have been angry because I messed up his clothes at a social event like this.

I thought I should just get hit if he does hit me, so I turned around a bit nervously.

“…What?”

“You’re going to go back like this?”

“Huh?”

“You can’t just turn around like this.”

I blinked my eyes.

But it would hurt a lot if Ian hit me properly…

“Well, if I don’t go back after a long time, the prince will be waiting for me…”

Ian’s expression got worse.

He was usually strict with chivalry, so he must have hated my vulgarity to lean on authority figures.

So, I was very shy to open my mouth.

“Well… actually, I’m really sorry…”

He took one step closer to me.

“You were more gentle than anyone else.”

I quickly shut my mouth at how terrifying his expression was, and the magnificent opera singer’s voice echoed through the hallway again.

“Annabelle.”

“Yes? What…? Do we have any more business?”

“Are you not going to hit me anymore? You won’t swear either?”

My mouth opened wide.

It was the last time, so I forgot to pour out curses to stop doubts.

He might’ve found it suspicious, so I quickly said something.

“I’ve been laughing all day, so go home and find something stuck between your teeth!”

Actually, Ian didn’t do much wrong to me, but I didn’t feel comfortable pouring out harsh swearing.I couldn’t wait to finish this situation quickly and get out of his way forever.

Because that was my little atonement and my last consideration.

“Let’s stop. Now I really need to go see the prince.”

I hurriedly turned around after blatantly announcing the end of the subject of messing up his clothes by arguing with Ian who was still standing.

Except, he grabbed my wristOur eyes met and there was silence for a moment.

The red eyes in the bangs that flowed uncontrollably seemed desperate for something.

The words he managed to spit out were in a very earnest and even painful voice…

“Your swears… Do it more.”

What are you saying, you madman?