[IFITAOAMV] Chapter 54

Knowing the weight of the curse he bore, his insane actions in the original story now seemed like desperate attempts to stay alive.

‘If I want to save Edwin and myself, I must go to the exhibition.’

I clenched my fists to steady my trembling heart.

"Don’t want to go? Then just say so. Look at how tense your fists are," Edwin chuckled, gently prying open my clenched hand.

"I want to go, but since it’s in the capital…"

I hesitated, not wanting to seem too eager to go to the capital, which might look strange.

"It might be overwhelming for my delicate little rabbit," Edwin laughed softly, patting my head with his large hand.

"Don’t think about anything else. Just consider whether you want to see it or not."

In the original story, Edwin hadn’t gone to the capital even when the Emperor summoned him. 

He needed to protect the territory from Raven and the monsters, partly because he hated the royal family.

Even so, there was one time he did go to the capital: when he kidnapped Lilian.

But now, he told me to only think about what I wanted, as if he could control the whole world.

"Is it that hard to decide?"

Edwin urged me gently.

‘For now, I should focus on the exhibition and nothing else.’

Pretending to struggle with the decision, I frowned, and Edwin chuckled as he gently smoothed my expression with his hands.

"My bride is so full of talent. Just watching you, I never get bored. It’s the first time that’s happened to me."

That I could keep Edwin entertained with just my face was a promising sign for my safe life.

I just can't figure out what exactly Edwin is so obsessed with. It seems like I still need more training to understand the world of someone so unpredictable.

“So, what's your conclusion?”

“...I want to go. With you, Edwin.”

“With me?”

Seeing his crescent-shaped eyes light up, I nodded, and his smile deepened.

“I wasn’t planning on letting you go alone anyway, but it makes me happy to hear you say you want to go with me.”

“Then you’ll go with me?”

As if to say, “Why would you even ask?” Edwin nodded.

“Are you sure it’s okay? We might run into the royal family.”

“Of course, I’d hate that. I’m so sick of dealing with the Raven.”

His expression turned cold instantly, making me tense up, but he quickly softened his face and smiled sweetly.

“But my bride wants to go, so I must take you.”

Though he said it was important to him, why did it make my heart flutter so much? I awkwardly patted my chest, trying to calm the strange sensation.

“...Thank you.”

Edwin’s eyes widened at my unexpected words, and he softened his gaze with a gentle smile. His radiant smile was so captivating that I couldn’t look away for a moment.

“Just a thank you? I dislike people who try to get away with just words.”

The beautiful moment shattered with his following words.

“What do you want, then?”

He wanted something from someone who fell from the sky with nothing. What a ridiculous demand. I grumbled inwardly and nervously asked, and Edwin pointed to his right cheek.

I stared at him, wondering what he was implying, and he tapped his cheek with his finger.

‘Oh, I wish I could play dumb.’

Realising what he meant, I tried to turn my head, but Edwin leaned in closer, presenting his cheek to me with an even brighter smile and a determined look.

A glance at the window told me that he might just hang me up by it if I pretended not to understand again. I forced myself to stop turning my head away.

‘Didn’t you say you wouldn’t threaten me? How is this not a threat?’

It felt unfair, but I knew he’d just deny it like he did last time, so I had no choice but to reluctantly kiss his cheek.

“This feels different.”

“What’s wrong with it?”

It was just a kiss, so what could be wrong? I looked at him nervously, and Edwin, touching the spot on his cheek, slowly traced his fingers over my lips.

I felt a shiver run down my spine.

“What is my bride made of, I wonder?”

His sudden question caught me off guard, and then I remembered that Edwin had said the same thing in the original story when he experimented on people he had kidnapped. That memory snapped me back to reality.

‘Whoa, whoa. Calm down. People are all the same. There’s no need to confirm it, right?’

You promised me—you said you wouldn’t kill, torture, or threaten me anymore!

‘I need to get the vow, the vow…’

His gaze was so intense that I wanted to grab the vow as a shield, but it was sitting on the nightstand just out of reach.

‘Damn, I should’ve figured out how to keep it on me at all times.’

As I fretted, Edwin bit the fingertip that traced my lips and brought it to his mouth.

“There’s no taste, which is odd.”

“What’s odd?”

“What’s strange is that when I touch you, even though I haven’t eaten anything, I feel full and like floating.”

Edwin murmured, tilting his head in confusion as if he couldn’t understand it.

“I thought it was just my hands…”

His long fingers wove themselves between mine, locking our hands together.

“But it feels even better with your lips.”

His serene and elegant face drew closer. My instincts screamed for me to run, but trapped in his strong arms, I couldn’t move.

As the crimson hue of his lips, resembling pomegranate seeds, inched nearer, my heart raced uncontrollably. His blue eyes, fixed on me, slowly drifted downward, and his thick lashes fluttered like a butterfly's wings.