[IFITAOAMV] Chapter 27

After washing up and changing clothes, I came out to find Edwin already dressed for our outing, waiting for me.

"Come here." 

He was leaning against the sofa and lightly patted the spot next to him. As soon as I sat down, Edwin grabbed a handful of my hair.

"What colour should it be?"

As expected, it seemed he was planning to use dye. I wanted to tell him it wouldn’t be safe, but I couldn’t stop him, so I just watched quietly.

"I think my bride would look best with the same blonde hair as mine."

Having decided on the colour, Edwin used his teeth to uncork the glass bottle he held in his other hand. With a pop, the bottle opened to reveal an opaque white liquid inside. As Edwin tilted the bottle, the liquid, sparkling like a snow globe, poured onto my hair.

I watched in a daze as my hair slowly transformed from the roots to a shade identical to Edwin’s blonde. I had heard that dye would make hair as rough as a broom, yet now my hair shone and flowed even more beautifully than a shampoo commercial model's.

'What on earth is happening?'

While I couldn’t hide my bewilderment, Edwin gazed at my hair with a look of pure admiration.

"It’s beautiful."

He pressed his lips deeply into the strands of hair he held.

"I still love your pure white hair more, but this isn’t bad either. It makes it clear you’re mine."

His striking blue eyes, glowing with a strange light, held me in a grip so tight it felt suffocating. Without realising it, I began to rub my neck, trying to ease the sensation.

"It’s best to keep it like this for a while. I don’t want anyone else coveting your beautiful hair."

"Even in the mansion?" I asked cautiously, unable to understand his demand. Edwin nodded in response.

"But that would require a lot of dye..."

"We won’t need any more."

When I frowned in confusion, Edwin gently stroked my forehead.

"It’ll stay this way until I undo it."

"Is that even possible?"

"It is for me. But don’t tell anyone else. It’s a family secret." Edwin winked, pressing a finger to his lips.

'A family secret? Could this be a magic potion?'

Could the Crawford family use magic? There was no mention of that in the original story. Furthermore, there was no established institution like a magic tower in this world. Magicians were few and worked independently.

One thing was certain: this potion wasn’t available to the public. If such a dye existed, Duke Chavini would have paid a fortune to get it for Lillian.

"One more thing," Edwin added.

Edwin, noticing my confusion, revealed a small wooden box. Inside it lay something resembling contact lenses from my previous life. Instinctively, I knew these were meant to conceal my jewel-like eyes.

"These are a type of artefact," Edwin explained. "They're a treasure of our family and can't be used without the head's approval."

The lenses looked like they were made of a hard material as Edwin carefully picked one up.

"I'm going to put this in your eye. It won't hurt at all, so don't be scared."

He gently pulled back my eyelid, and before I could react, he had already stepped back.

"How is it? It doesn't hurt at all, does it?"

"Did you already put it in?" I asked, blinking a few more times. I didn’t feel anything—not even the slightest irritation.

"Here, take a look." Edwin handed me a small mirror, and when I looked, my eyes, which normally sparkled like gems, now appeared ordinary. The colour, however, remained the same violet.

"My eyes look different, but I can’t see the artefact at all."

Normally, with contact lenses, you could see the edges, but there was nothing visible.

"It’s absorbed."

The idea that something so solid had been absorbed into my eyes made me shudder, and I instinctively shrank back. Edwin chuckled at my reaction.

"Don’t worry. It won’t harm you. Let’s put in the other one now."

He carefully inserted the second lens as well.

"Now, everything’s perfect. No one will recognize that my bride is a Jueri." He smiled contentedly, tucking my now golden hair behind my ear.

Looking in the mirror again, I saw that both of my eyes looked completely natural.

'There was nothing like this in the original story.'

If I had known about these artefacts, I might have considered trying to escape. Regret began to gnaw at me.

"My bride would never do such a thing, but you’re so easily frightened, so I thought I should warn you," Edwin said in a gentle tone, though his cold gaze made me swallow nervously.

"I can change your hair and eye colour back whenever I want, so it’s best not to entertain any foolish thoughts."

His whispered words sent a chill down my spine.