<Chapter 36>

“Is that so? How long have you been married?”

I tried some light conversation to break the ice since the atmosphere was so stiff, but there was no response.

‘Seriously, that’s not a hard question, is it?’  

Unless… has it been so long that he doesn’t even remember? But judging by his voice, he doesn’t sound that old.

“……A month?”

“A month? Just a month?”

Is that really a question he has to hesitate over?

“Then you must still be in the honeymoon phase.”

“Honeymoon phase?”

“Isn’t that typical for newlyweds? Oh, wait… Was it an arranged marriage instead of a love match?”

“That’s… correct.”

By the way, why does this man’s tone sound so oddly forced, as if he’s deliberately using a speech pattern he’s not accustomed to?

‘Huh?’

ㄴCake7thLayerConqueror

100% the male lead, 222222222. I swear! Anyone can tell he’s the male lead, even if his face isn’t visible or he changes his voice and tone LOLLLLLLLLLLL

No face visible!

Voice and tone completely changed!

No way… Could the person on the other side of that wooden screen be Temenos?

‘Now that I think about it… saying he’s been married for a month probably refers to the timing of signing the marriage papers. And arranged… well, it’s ‘technically’ an arranged marriage. The Emperor set it up, after all.’

Unbelievable. If not for the divine oracle, I would have totally missed it.

‘But why is he hiding his identity and sitting there? Does he have some reason to test me?’  

I mean, really. He called me out secretly to the garden, recorded me receiving the divine oracle, and now he’s still testing me?

‘Hah! Does he think I can’t play along?’

Fine. This is a golden opportunity. Since Temenos doesn’t realize I’ve figured out who he is, I might as well test him back.

“So? Are you saying you didn’t marry by choice but out of necessity, and now you don’t even like your wife?”

“No, not exactly—”

“Not exactly? So, do you like her or dislike her?”

“……”

Silence. No answer came from the other side of the wooden screen.

‘Why won’t he answer?’

So, does he like me or dislike me?

“……I regret that, as of now, I cannot reciprocate her feelings.”

“Her feelings? Reciprocate?”

“My wife…”

Was he embarrassed? Or maybe shy for some reason? Temenos cleared his throat and dragged out the pause before continuing.

“…fell in love with me at first sight.”

“Whaaaat?!”

What kind of nonsense is that?

“No way! What kind of nonsense—cough, cough?!”

I was so shocked that I swallowed wrong and started choking.

While coughing and glaring at the wooden screen where Temenos was seated, I wondered, ‘How in the world did this guy come up with that ridiculous idea?’

‘Sure, I was a little dazzled by his face! And yes, I joked around to see how he’d react! And okay, maybe I did threaten to seduce him if he kept acting like this!’

Looking at my three curled fingers, I quietly despaired.

Adding them all up, anyone would have misunderstood.

‘Great. I gave him all the wrong signals.’

While I reluctantly accepted this humiliating truth, Temenos’ concerned voice came from beyond the screen: “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. I just swallowed wrong because I was so shocked. Haha. So your wife fell for you at first sight, huh?”

Unbelievable. Doesn’t he remember saying my trustworthiness was in the negatives?

After everything he did to accuse me of being suspicious, now he’s convinced I fell for him?

“An arranged marriage where your wife falls for you at first sight—that’s quite lucky. So, what about you? Did you fall for her at first sight too?”

“Not at all.”

Wow. He didn’t even hesitate. How infuriating.

“So the sin you’re confessing to God is… that? Your wife fell for you at first sight, but you didn’t? She’s head over heels, and that weighs on you?”

“……It’s not to the point that it weighs on me…”

‘Hold up. Why deny just that part?’

‘She’s head over heels for me should’ve been denied too!’

I had only meant to tease him, but I think I accidentally hit a nerve.

Before I could smooth things over, his artificially altered voice came from the other side of the screen.

“Saintess, how do you think someone feels… when the person they love doesn’t love them back?”

Ah, so he’s testing me now?

‘Fine. If that’s how he wants to play it, I’ll give him a taste of his own medicine.’

“It’s soul-crushing. Utterly devastating.”

“S-soul-crushing?”

“Yes. Soul-crushing. I’m going through it right now. I can’t sleep at night, I can’t eat properly, and just thinking about him makes me cry out of nowhere…”

I made a sobbing sound, pretending to be overwhelmed with grief. Thankfully, the screen hid my face, so I didn’t need to fake my expression too.

I kept up the act as I stared at the screen.

“Do you know what it was like when I first met the Duke? He was so cold, saying my trustworthiness was below zero, even though I liked him this much.”

“……”

“His gaze was sharp, like he was looking at a spy, not a bride. The bait operation was terrifying enough as it was, but the Duke only pretended to dissuade me and then left me alone with an assassin who was trying to kill me…”

“That time, it wasn’t—!”

Oh? Care to admit you’re Temenos?

But no, he didn’t seem inclined to reveal himself just yet. His words trailed off, and silence stretched out.

I stared hard at the screen as a smile curled my lips.

‘That’s right. You have no excuse.’

If he had anything to say, he could’ve said it, but instead, a cautious voice reached me: “……Were you very frightened?”

“Frightened? Of course I was! It was pitch-dark too!”

“……I’m sorry.”

Tch. Apologizing so quickly takes the fun out of it.

I had been ready to dismantle every excuse he might throw at me, but his straightforward apology softened my resolve.

‘I really must be a pushover, huh?’

Ever since I got thrown into this world without warning, struggling to prevent its destruction, it’s been clear—I can’t help but be soft-hearted.

‘Note to self: never sign contracts without reading the fine print.’

Thinking back, I even signed those marriage papers without much fuss. A twinge of regret hit me.

Then, his voice came again: “There’s something I’ve been wondering…”

“What is it?”

“……The Duke. Didn’t he tell you his name?”

“His name? Didn’t you tell me when we were alone?”

Only after reflexively asking back did I realize my mistake. I hadn’t intended to reveal his identity just yet.

“That time, uh, there were people around,” I quickly added.

“Oh, the guards?”

“……That’s right.”

Phew. Fortunately, he managed that crisis on his own.

Well, if he can’t even manage that much and is pretending to be someone else, it’s better for him to get caught now.

Feigning as if I hadn’t been suspicious from the start, I asked him again: “Right. The Duke told me his name as a sign of trust, but why bring that up? Is this your way of saying, ‘Cheer up; I think you’re past negative trust levels now’?”

“That’s not it.”

Perhaps fearing he might get caught, Temenos spoke with more tension in his voice.

“He told you his name as a sign of trust, so why do you keep calling him ‘the Duke’ instead of using his name?”

“Huh?”

It was such an out-of-the-blue question.

‘Wait. Has this been bothering him all this time?’  

I hadn’t gotten that impression at all… After some deliberation, I opened my mouth to respond: “I thought he didn’t like it. So I didn’t use it.”

“Didn’t like it? When?”

“When I first heard it. I asked what I should call him, and he frowned.”

“That’s because—”

“Because?”

Once again, silence from the other side of the screen.

Of course, he wouldn’t be able to bring up the next topic while pretending not to be Temenos.

‘What kind of face is he making right now?’

Idly counting the slats in the screen, I casually asked, “Do you think it’d be okay for me to call the Duke by his name, brother?”

*  *  *

“Do you think it’d be okay for me to call the Duke by his name, brother?”

The voice from the other side startled Temenos for a moment.

‘She still hasn’t figured out it’s me?’

He felt relieved, yet an inexplicable pang of disappointment followed.

‘How can she not recognize the person she loves?’

Even though he was the one disguising his voice, Temenos hypocritically found himself thinking that way, completely oblivious to the fact that Inosensia had already seen through his charade.
 

<To be continued>

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