He recalled the face of a woman with red, bloodshot eyes and tears in her eyes. Did he think like that back then??

No, no. He lost all sense of reason in that storm of emotions. All he wanted was to swallow and crush this woman and have her ultimately become his. The next day, when he heard from  Jenok that his mistress had left, he just stood there still for five minutes and then got married as planned and went on a honeymoon without much thought.

The morning after that day five years ago, if he had only held that woman who was torn by everything he told her. If he had just said to her that this marriage was his worst mistake and that she would be the only woman he takes to be his wife. Perhaps, like a fool, she would have shed tears at his words, resented him for a bit, but eventually calmed down and forgiven him for what he did. Rowena Philone was that kind of woman.

But everything was different now. The same woman, who had only eyes for him, whispering her love beautifully like a shy bud, was now in full bloom and captivated him with every word, with every action. Although at times she meekly kept her eyes down as if obedient, other times, she would unconsciously stand up like a sharp thorn, just like now.

Not knowing what poison was in the thorn, he blindly followed her around. While maintaining his dominance on the outside, his gaze would follow her everywhere she went. On the inside, he got nervous at every little movement she made. Worse still, that he didn’t feel too bad about the reversal of the situation.

Killian, who slowly closed his eyes, admitted.

“Whatever happened in the past can’t be undone now.”

“…… Yeah.”

“Rowena.”

It was the moment when Rowena replied firmly as she tried to bite her nails unconsciously. Killian took her hand in his and slipped the glove Rowena had taken off onto her hand.

Still looking down at her left hand, Rowena slowly leaned her head back to face him. Killian, holding her hand still, kissed the back of her hand as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“I told you the other day, it doesn’t matter if you are acting?”

“…….”

“Just act like this, no matter what you think in your head.”

“…… you did.”

“But now, it’s fine if you are honest.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just like now. It means you can act cocky or arrogant with me as much as you want. As long as you are honest.”

“What are you going to do if I become unmanageable?”

“For example?” Killian asked.

“Bully Lady Taldon, for example.”

“Like the mistress in that popular novel?”

“Isn’t that the Standard?”

“Then I’ll be the stupid man blinded by his mistress.”

“Will you do it for me?”

“Gladly.”

Chuckling, Killian retorted to her joke. But her following words were far from funny.

“What if the mistress dies, just like the ending of that popular novel?”

“…….”

“Just in case. Most good novels end that way, don’t they?”

Rowena looked him in the eyes and continued, “Will you cry over me? Instead of marrying a kind and beautiful princess and living happily ever after, will you wear mourning clothes and grieve over my death?”