"Huh? What a pity, what a pity?"
Irel asked again in surprise, as if burned. Varkan lowered his eyelashes and whispered bitterly as if he wanted her to hear.
“I plan to buy you a suitable hat.”
…What is he saying? Irel was completely dumbfounded by Varkan's impossible wordplay. Therefore, she did not notice the curious eyes the soldiers were looking at her.
“The store turned out like this, it's really…”
The person who personally burned down the store pretended to be a victim, holding out his hand in pain. He gently stroked the hair falling over Irel's twitching eyebrows and smiled.
"Well, to be honest, I probably should have bought the whole store. Because there isn't a hat that doesn't suit you."
Irel finally couldn't take it anymore and gasped. She wanted to ask what he was doing, but couldn't say a word.
But the ordeal she had to endure did not stop.
“She is your important person, right?”
A soldier next to him spoke cordially, his expression warm as if he saw a beautiful scene. He was completely fooled by Varkan's pretense, smiling as if feeling sympathy.
“Of course, she is important.”
Varkan did not bother to break the soldier's misunderstanding. On the contrary, he went even further, holding Irel's hand and kissing it ostentatiously.
“I'm about to propose to her.”
Hearing that sentence, Irel's mind became confused.
“I am finally certain.”
The man who was about to destroy an entire kingdom whispered. With red lips stained with blood and conspiracy.
“You are my destiny.”
And even held her hand tightly.
"Irel Elorance. Are you willing to marry me?"
The passionate voice of a man who fell in love at first sight sounded as sweet as sticking to his eardrums. But where he knelt was on a pile of burning ashes, and his eyes looking at her were hysterical like a bloodthirsty murderer.
“…Before I kill your entire family.”
It was truly a terrible nightmare. Irel turned pale, kicked the blanket and woke up. Her heart was pounding like she had just sprinted, because she was so scared.
“Pant, pant…”
Irel broke out in a cold sweat, using her fingers to tighten the blanket. The cold and soft feeling creeping through her fingers finally gave her a real feeling.
‘Ah, it was a dream.’
She unconsciously felt lucky, then raised her hand to her forehead again. What luck? Cô chỉ là nằm mơ thấy những gì đã xảy ra thôi.
She finally accepted the proposal. From Varkan Ha Mash, the most corrupt villain in the game ‘Salvation’.
It seemed he was a bit dissatisfied that Irel had prevented him from killing Mirdal. And he expressed that dissatisfaction in an extremely 'him' way.
That was kneeling down and proposing to her in front of everyone.
“Wow… Congratulations.”
“What a beautiful couple.”
Unlike Irel, who felt like the world had turned dark, the soldiers who witnessed it exclaimed in admiration in calm tones. In their eyes, Varkan and Irel are a talented and beautiful couple who are a perfect match. Even though Varkan was so strong that it made Irel look too slender, it created a strange charm.
“Congratulations you two.”
Standing stunned listening to those words, Irel felt like the ground beneath his feet collapsed. Her ears were ringing, her eyes were dark, and her legs were weak.
Even though she was mentally prepared, when it came true, she still felt dizzy. However, right before her body wobbled and hit the wall, Varkan reached out his hand and gently pulled her into his arms.
"You're really surprised, right? Sorry for keeping you waiting."
Even the natural excuse that nothing happened, in case others were suspicious, was extremely villainous.
"Don't worry. From now on, I will always be by your side."
The most dangerous man in the world hugged her and swore a false oath. While his intention was to kill her entire family if she refused the marriage proposal.
Irel gasped in his arms like chains with no way out. She had anticipated this situation ever since she asked him for help.
But what if there is no Varkan? What will change? She probably wouldn't have been able to escape Mirdal safely.
She felt like a delicious piece of meat hanging in mid-air. The beasts bared their sharp fangs and bright eyes from all directions, but she had no way to avoid them.
“My love.”
Varkan gently placed his lips on her pale temple. It felt hot like being stamped with a red-hot seal.
That was the moment everything seemed to fall apart. At that moment, Varkan came close to her ear and whispered in a voice only she could hear.
"You know that well. That you can't escape."
All her actions are in the palm of Varkan's hand. From the moment Irel left the mansion and went to Madam Dekki hat shop, his subordinates always followed and reported her every move.
Thanks to that, Varkan was able to appear in time before she was taken away by Mirdal. The idea of bringing Keytan to threaten him, then suddenly appearing as a rescue hero, Varkan just smirked at Mirdal's predictable plan.
‘So adorable.’
So adorable that he wanted to peel off every piece of meat. A brat who doesn't deserve to be threatened dares to be greedy for something that belongs to him.
That's why he hates stupid people. Mirdal will pay the price for daring to challenge his authority. A worthy price, enough to be imprinted on that young, hot-blooded head.
But before that, he had something to do. It's placing a chain on your beautiful prey that can never be removed.
“You are mine.”
‘Because I intended it that way.’ The strong arm tightened around her body in that whisper, the hand holding tightly as if it would never let go made her ache.
Irel couldn't bear it anymore and fainted. And when she opened her eyes again, she was in a completely strange place.
“Where… is this?”
Unconsciously muttering a phrase often seen in dramas, Irel raised her hand to her forehead. It seemed like she wasn't sleeping well, a mild migraine was bothering her.
At this moment, a system notification that she had completely forgotten appeared before her eyes.
[Ding! Side quest ‘I don't want to die here!’ has been completed. A random item will be given as a reward. Say the command ‘Inspect Item’ to see the details.]
‘Random item?’
Luckily, checking for rewards isn't too difficult. Suddenly, a ray of light sparkled in her hand, and her fingers felt heavy.
She lowered her head to look and saw a ring on her right index finger. The ring was made of thin gold wire twisted like a vine, studded with a dark emerald green gemstone, something she had never seen before.
“…Inspect the item.”
Although a bit awkward, she still shouted the command, and indeed, the description of the ring appeared before her eyes.
[Druid's Ring: Druids of the deep forest have long been close to nature, possessing the mysterious ability to communicate with animals. The owner of this ring can use Druid magic to attract the sympathy of animals.]
…What the hell is this. Should have given her something to help her escape.
Irel stared at the ring and sighed. Then she looked around.
This unfamiliar bedroom has overall dark, red-toned lighting. The golden chandeliers and downlights look luxurious, but they exude an indescribable sense of lust and danger.
‘This is definitely not my home.’
As far as she remembered, Earl Elorance's mansion did not have a red room like this. The family's representative colors are green and blue, so all rooms are decorated uniformly.
“Is anyone there?”
She called out, but there was no response. Therefore, Irel carefully got out of bed.
As soon as I stood up, the soft feeling caressing the top of my feet felt strange. She lowered her head and found herself wearing a thin, pale white nightgown. Of course, it's not hers.
‘Who changed my clothes?’
Not a good feeling. She was taken to a strange place without her knowledge, and even had her clothes changed. Even though she was unconscious, she had completely lost control of her body.
Realizing that, new vigilance arose. She opened the heavy mahogany door, with its distinctive red glow, and stepped out into the hallway.
“What's going on, this place…”
High-ceilinged hallways give a cold and majestic feeling. It even created a pressure that seemed to be crushing the people below.
Furthermore, on both sides of the marble walkway straight ahead there is a row of roaring lion statues. When her image was reflected in their shiny yellow eyes, she shivered, feeling like she was being watched.
Does anyone live in a place like this? Irel tilted her head and walked down the hallway. She planned to keep walking until she met someone.
But that determination was soon shaken. Because with every turn, the hallway grew darker and darker, until it was almost completely dark.
Now, she could only see the faint light of scattered candles, just enough to illuminate the surroundings. As the characteristic coldness of the marble hallway gradually seeped in, Irel stopped walking and seriously thought.
‘What to do? Should we go back?'
At that moment, something white flashed before her eyes. Unconsciously raising her head to identify the object, Irel's eyes widened.
‘What else?’
It was a completely white man. Hair, eyebrows, skin, all as white as snow piled up over the years on an eternal snow mountain that no one has set foot on.
In the dark hallways of the mansion, he seemed to emit light of his own accord. Irel doubted her eyes, looking blankly at the white man. As if sensing the gaze, he turned around.
“…”
The two looked at each other from afar. The man's face looked at her for a moment and then turned white, to the point of being almost transparent. More than just a metaphor, his body was actually so transparent that the candlesticks could be seen behind him, then slowly through the wall.
What did I just see? Still not awake yet? Irel pinched her cheek, but the burning pain on her cheek and the cold air seeping through her thin shirt were all real.
‘Does this world also have ghosts…?’
So scared that the hair on the back of my neck and the hair on my neck stood up. At that moment, the system status appeared before Irel, who was stunned.
[Ding! A raidable character has been discovered, Yan Luis Ha Mash.]