IABCBMH Chapter 31

Disclaimer: Some words or phrases may be lost in translation. The word might not have a literal translation in English or there may be sayings in Korean culture that I am not familiar with.

(athanasiafrost)

His inquiry regarding whether we had met before his proposal caught me off guard, halting my breath. I fought to suppress the emotions surging within me. My surprise, however, was unmistakable.

“Tell me.”

Johannes asked again. His calm gaze betrayed no hint of emotional turbulence, while my own mouth inexplicably dried up.

“When did you first meet me?”

It was a question with unwavering certainty, yet, despite the racing of my heart, I managed to answer composedly.

“Perhaps there’s a misunderstanding? You were merely someone I glimpsed from a distance a long time ago.”

Even if Johannes had embarked on a quest for vengeance in his own right, could he really outdo the sole ‘Ace’ member who had been there since childhood? During my time with ‘Ace’, I had undoubtedly honed my courage.

No matter how surprised I was, I was not one to panic. I grinned, pointing towards my own visage.

“It’s somewhat hazy, but you left a lasting impression. Blondes may not be a common sight in these parts, but the capital is full of them.”

I said with confidence.

As I returned, all the moments of our encounters and entanglements vanished into the mists of the past. Within my newfound life, our introduction had occurred when I proposed.

Thus, although I had no inkling of Johannes’ motives, it was obvious that I could not provide physical evidence because I had never actually met him. I rolled my eyes playfully and feigned genuine curiosity.

“But what led you to this belief?”

Johannes studied my fake smile with an inscrutable gaze. He had a stern face that didn’t look like he was smiling at all. He seemed completely unwilling to answer my questions.

Of course, I didn’t expect him to tell me why either. Having put my cards on the table, there was no way for Johannes to reveal his own hand.

After a moment of silence, Johannes gently released my ankle. The warm imprint of his touch dissipated, leaving an eerie chill in its wake.

“Hmm.”

His silence affirmed my supposition – he wouldn’t delve further. It was evident that I could present no additional evidence. Nevertheless, this would not change his mind at all.

“I don’t wish to pursue this further; that concludes the matter.”

Johannes’ gaze, fixed upon me as if he knew it.

“However…”

As I grappled with that penetrating gaze, but he spoke slowly.

“I once asked the bride to tell the truth during a wedding. It seems I demanded too much.”

The wedding…

I mustered a smile, stifling an inward groan. I had assumed he wouldn’t even remember what he said, given his seemingly aloof demeanor at the time.

“Because it was a rough wedding… I figured you scarcely paid heed to my words.”

“Well, perhaps I did? I’m sad.”

He spoke with such nonchalance that I awkwardly rolled my eyes in response. The memory of Johannes’ replies during the wedding remained vividly etched.

When the old priest asked what he wanted from his beloved, I answered the truth and Johannes to stay.

In retrospect, it bore an enigmatic irony, a fusion of my inability to speak truth and his to stay in his homeland.

“Yet, Eloise Renoir.”

He smiled loosely as he slowly raised his hand. People who laughed in inappropriate situations were always unsettling, so I reasoned it would be less disconcerting if Johannes were to become angry instead.

As a chill prickled up my spine at the openly crooked smile, Johannes continued.

“Since I became an adult, I’ve achieved most things on my own terms. Nearly everything has unfolded as I intended.”

Of course, I wasn’t one to be cowed by a mere chill running down his spine. I confronted the intimidation and responded cheerily.

“Wow, congratulations.”

“However, regrettably, there are only two things that remain unattained according to what I intended.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Whether I say it innocently or not, Johannes picked up my wavy hair with a large, raised hand. It seemed to stop breathing.

“One is to capture the ‘Blue Ruby’.”

“…”

“The other is finding out your intentions.”

In the moonlit night, a cluster of my blond hair glittered in his hand. Johannes maintained a resolute expression as he continued.

“The sole exception in my life is the ‘Blue Ruby’. Can you fathom the extent to which you’ve become an annoyance to me now?”

In truth, that exception remains singular, thus it shouldn’t really be a bother…

“By the way, Duke.”

Certainly, I couldn’t answer that query. Ultimately, I replied with whatever calmness I could muster. When rendered speechless, there was just one response left to me.

“I came here because I genuinly like the duke.”

“Very well. Whatever internal musings led you to crawl your way here, I am entirely certain that your mouth will tell them.”

Johannes’ smile, as he moved closer, grew more pronounced. It was as if my confession hadn’t even registered with him. His animalistic, bright yellow eyes glinted.

“It might take the skill of an interrogator to open that mouth.”

“… yes?”

I was pretending to be calm, yet at the utterance of the word ‘interrogator’, my heart gave a startled leap. My trembling hands, concealed beneath my sleeves, were barely under control, and my entire body unwittingly tensed.

(athanasiafrost)

It’s an interrogation.

Despite being his spouse, I had entered as a duchess post an informal wedding, devoid of any suspicious activities. Yet now, I stood at an investigation.

Various painful experiences from ‘Ace’ began to pass through my mind.

Barbara’s smiling face occasionally intruded upon nightmares; the excessive punishments doled out by the self-proclaimed ‘masters’; and numerous grueling training sessions that left me breathless.

And then there were those nightmarish few days when I had been captured and my once-in-a-lifetime bid for escape had ended in bitter failure… The term ‘interrogation’ are associated with too many things

“Interrogation?”

“Exactly. A hearing.”

His calm words is causing my knees to quiver. Was he truly about to subject me to an actual interrogation? Could he be so merciless?

In reality, no matter the treatment he meted out to a lone woman in his land, none would question him. It was possible that, after getting rid of me, not even the smallest whisper would escape to the outside world.

Yet, my motivation for embarking upon this was the trust in Johannes’ character. A trust that had been cemented the moment he, in front of the demon, shielded me—his prime suspect.

I had a strange trust in Johannes. He wore a cold, intimidating façade, and his arrogance towards individuals was undeniable. However, in truth, he possessed a polite demeanor.

Before my return, Johannes had not treated me with disdain despite my deception. Thus, I thought that no matter how suspicious I was, as long as I evaded immediate capture, Johannes would treat me with a gentleman demeanor.

However, if that judgment is wrong… .

I inhaled sharply, my mind whirring with a desperate search for an escape route. No amount of physical suffering had made it easier. Johannes slowly began to speak.

“Tell me.”

“… What?”

“What you need.”

In that moment of terror, I nearly spilled the truth, confessing about the ‘Time Stone’ stored in the treasure room. But in reality, it couldn’t have improved the situation. Even if the first family head had acquired the Time Stone and retained it until now, there was no reason he would readily entrust it to someone like me who held no genuine interest in it.

“Damn that much money?”

While I remained silent, Johannes probed once more, his gaze appearing as though it could devour me whole.

“Or perhaps it’s the power to make people grovel like dogs?”

It was the look of knowing that the answer to the question was not. Nevertheless, his voice resonated with the confidence of a man who had it all.

“I’m truly intrigued now.”

His frigid words sent another shiver down my spine, despite the nerves already coiled tightly within me. Drawing his chiseled face closer to mine, he whispered,

“The great man lurking behind you promise you that you would risk your life so charmingly?”

Though his tone carried an air of friendliness, his piercing gaze resembled that of a predatory beast. I struggled to draw breath, but replied resolutely,

“There’s no one lurking behind me, Duke. I’m not that important.”

In that instant, I was genuinely innocent. Confronted by that overwhelming intimidation, I relied on the confidence that I was speaking the truth.

“As a human, I do have desires, of course, but… .”

When I was younger, the natural human desire for a longer life was only to be expected. I persisted confidently in my rationale.

“I don’t desire something that could be handed to me as easily as a well-tailored garment.”

The individual who could provide me with what I sought wasn’t some phantom lurking in the shadows, they didn’t even exist. Rather, it was Johannes, right in front of me, who could effortlessly fulfill my desire. However, I had never harbored any intent to get the ‘Time Stone’ from Johannes in the first place.

I was going to find it and steal it with my ability somehow. And if he inquired, my target would be Leo, not Johannes. After all, he bore the Noavik family name.

“okay?”

As if taken aback by my unexpectedly firm response, Johannes displayed an expression of intrigue. Swallowing hard, I stammered,

“hmm… therefore… .”

And my mental strength was there.

No matter how clearly I intended to voice it, my throat constricted when I attempted to pronounce the word ‘interrogation’. My voice wavered as vivid memories of my time with ‘Ace’ surged to the forefront.

Even as I had relied on my judgment of Johannes’ character, his appearance was undeniably daunting. Beyond his good looks, he exuded an eerie aura that carried a menacing undertone.

Perhaps this was why I attempted to compose my face, yet my facial muscles seemed to betray my control. Straying far from my previous natural act, I struggled to maintain my composure, wearing an expression that could have swayed anyone.

“… Interrogation, interrogation… No matter how much pain and suffering you subject me to… you won’t be able to extract a background that doesn’t exist.”

“What?”

Johannes scowled as if puzzled by my statement. I continued to speak, begging, while biting my lip.

“I-I don’t know how much torture you plan to inflict, but I-I saved Leo…”

Under normal circumstances, I would have proclaimed it confidently and without reservation.

However, the aftershocks of the word ‘interrogation’ weighed heavily upon me. While I could conceive of logical words to convey, it was as though the memories of agony prevented me from uttering them in a natural manner. I breathed heavily and continued.

“T-the f-f-facts remain unchanged… .”

“W-wait, wait. Stop.”

Even as I trembled pitifully, akin to my previous demeanor, I mustered the strength to continue speaking, but Johannes raised one hand with an absurd expression.

“Pain, torture… What on earth are you talking about?”

Johannes gazed at me blankly.

(athanasiafrost)

Late update, there were no reception when I was camping.

If you’d like to help me survive throughout the day, It’ll be greatly appreciated: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/athanasiafrost

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