<CHAPTER 03>
You’re Going to Do It Anyway Soon
It meant to stop the wordplay and get straight to the point.
Evelyn was genuinely curious.
Just how the news of her marriage with Aksion had spread.
At her cold voice, the man let out a small laugh and slowly nodded.
“You’re right. I had fun thanks to it.”
Ha.
Just as Evelyn inwardly scoffed at his ridiculous trick.
The playful look in his eyes vanished without a trace, and his crimson gaze gleamed eerily.
“Lately, the cycle of my mana getting tangled has been happening more frequently.”
For a moment, Evelyn unconsciously stiffened her expression.
“A-And?”
“You should know this well too. Around the time of coming of age, a mark appears on the back of the hand.”
At those words, a rough thought crossed Evelyn’s mind.
She quickly glanced at the back of her own hand with uneasy eyes.
For the past few days, she had been feeling a throbbing pain, as if something was coiling tightly.
Nothing had appeared yet on her pale hand, but she knew what that pain meant.
In the Valtian Empire, around the time of coming of age, marks would appear on the hands of a few individuals with special abilities.
The exact reason for the manifestation of the mark is unknown, but……………….
It was widely believed to be a remnant of ancient magic that had disappeared.
Sometimes, those with powerful abilities would lose control, leading to a mana rampage.
And that was exactly the case for Aksion.
As his mana became unstable during his growth period, he would be confined to his room whenever it reached its limit.
The only way to stabilize that deficiency was through imprinting with someone who bore the same mark.
Those who were imprinted could stabilize each other’s tangled abilities through light contact.
Evelyn’s healing power was also one way to suppress an imprinted person’s mana rampage.
At this point, it wasn’t difficult for her to guess what her fiancé was thinking.
This guy……………… he’s really thinking something dangerous.
Dumbfounded, Evelyn glared at her fiancé with wide eyes.
“Don’t tell me you think I’ll have the same mark as you?”
Tilting his head slightly, Aksion asked in a low voice.
“Why not?”
At his shameless reply, Evelyn felt her head start to ache.
I don’t know, I don’t know, even if I did, I wouldn’t know!
She couldn’t bring herself to look into his red eyes.
Because lately, even her healing power had been feeling unstable.
Just like how those with the same mark would begin to crave each other before imprinting, causing their abilities to intertwine chaotically.
However, in the original story, Evelyn never manifested any such mark.
Unlike Aksion, who never found his imprinted partner.
Yeah, there’s no way that’s possible!
Her eyes darting anxiously, Evelyn spoke in a slightly trembling voice.
“Hey……………… it’s not me. There’s no way a mark would appear on me.”
At her words, Aksion stared at her silently for a moment before curling his lips smoothly.
Evelyn swallowed dryly, unsure of what absurd thing might come out of that terrifying mouth.
“At least I trust my instincts.”
At her fiancé’s ridiculous statement, her eyes widened.
“So you’re saying you did all this based on just your instincts?”
Aksion raised one eyebrow as if asking what the problem was.
Evelyn pressed her forehead at his reckless behavior.
What are you going to do if our marks are different?
With the original story about to begin soon, this sudden talk of mark manifestation was absurd.
She didn’t know why Aksion was so certain, but unlike him, she knew the original plot.
So she decided it would be faster to prove it properly rather than argue.
After organizing her thoughts, she spoke firmly in a clear voice.
“If it turns out that it’s not the case, you’ll break off the engagement then, right?”
Aksion made a subtle expression before nodding readily.
“Fine. If that happens, I’ll do as you wish.”
They agreed to maintain the engagement until the mark appeared, and to break it off if the marks were different.
Although it was slightly delayed from her original plan, Evelyn let out a relieved sigh at the fact that she could still break off the engagement.
At the same time, she couldn’t help but wonder.
If, by some chance, they ended up having the same mark, what would happen then?
Of course, there’s no way that would happen!
After taking a light sip of her warm black tea, Evelyn asked in a calmer voice.
“If……………… just if. What would you do if I were your imprinted partner?”
“If you were my imprinted partner……………….”
A strange sense of satisfaction flickered in Aksion’s red eyes as he fell into thought.
His lips, which had trailed off, slowly parted again.
“I suppose spring would be best.”
At his sudden mention of a season, Evelyn tilted her head.
“Hmm? Why spring all of a sudden?”
Aksion stared at her as if she had asked something obvious.
Why, why are you looking at me like that………………
As Evelyn began to feel uneasy, a mischievous smile formed on his lips.
“We should prepare.”
“For what?”
“Our wedding.”
C-Crazy……………….
Evelyn frowned deeply and shot her fiancé a glare.
As she had expected, Aksion was far beyond the bounds of normal.
“Stop saying such creepy things.”
At her cold remark, Aksion let out a quiet laugh, as if he was enjoying the situation.
Taking a short breath, Evelyn maintained her composure and added.
“Anyway, I understand what you’re saying. So do something about that marriage report.”
At that, he looked puzzled and muttered in a somewhat indifferent tone.
“We’re going to do it soon anyway, so is there really a need to correct it?”
…You really are something.
If she had to continue this engagement with someone this hopeless, her future looked nothing but bleak.
Swallowing a shallow sigh, Evelyn decided to use the last bit of her patience.
“Issuing a correction isn’t difficult for you, right?”
“Well, if my fiancée wishes for it.”
Aksion lightly nodded, then handed her a small case from his pocket.
“What’s this?”
“Open it. It’s your gift.”
“A gift………………?
In this situation?”
Surprised, Evelyn opened the small case she had unconsciously accepted.
Inside was a bracelet embedded with dazzling rubies.
The gem-like rubies, resembling Aksion’s eyes, sparkled brilliantly as if freshly crafted.
At the extraordinary item, Evelyn’s green eyes wavered.
I clearly refused when he said he’d send it to the marquis estate……………….
To prepare something like this in just a day, his execution ability was truly remarkable.
At the same time, the bracelet somehow felt like a shackle.
There’s no way he put some kind of tracking magic on it, right?
As Evelyn examined the bracelet closely, the man smiled faintly as if he had expected her reaction.
“Don’t worry. There’s no special magic on it.”
Can I really trust that?
After hesitating over whether to believe her fiancé’s words, she finally stood up.
“Alright, thanks. Then I’ll see you at the coming-of-age ceremony.”
