The Flower That Was Swallowed by the Beast - Chapter 21

Keivrand, who had entered Iris’ room, widened his eyes when he saw Iris standing in front of the mirror.

He soon approached Iris with a light smile and held her slender waist with one arm.

His lips naturally touched her neck and his hot breath spread to her collarbone.

She should be used to this natural touch by now, so she couldn’t understand why she would get nervous and hot every time he touched her like this.

Keivrand rested his chin on Iris’ shoulder and stared at her in the mirror.

His grayish-blue eyes crept down on her figure in the mirror.

“Beautiful, Irie.”

“You too.”

It wasn’t a lie.

Keivrand, dressed in a formal suit for the party, was surprisingly gorgeous.

The hair that is usually disheveled was neatly pulled back using pomade to secure it.

The dark eyebrows under the straight forehead were more impressive than usual.

“I heard you made Jamie do something. But he didn’t tell me what it was. How did you cook my men?”

“I didn’t bake it, or even boil it. He folded his wings on his own. It’s thanks to his master’s teachings.”

At the apparent joke, Keivrand’s eyes darkened.

Keivrand turned Iris around to face him.

“How did you know? What Jamie turns into.”

Keivrand wished he was surprised, but he wasn’t.

He knew this kind of thing will happen many more times in the future.

Things that Iris knows that no one should know.

“Is it important?”

Iris asked calmly.

“It’s important. But you won’t tell me.”

“Not yet.”

“Are you going to tell me one day?”

Iris didn’t even know herself.

One life, one death.

She thought it was over, but she ended up living twice.

Is there anyone who can just believe that?

Even if they believe it, who wouldn’t think that it was a witch who came back in time and lived again?

Just because she had gone back in time doesn’t mean that she had a special ability.

‘I don’t have the strength to take care of myself. That’s why I’m relying on this man.’

Iris looked Keivrand in the eyes.

His eyes were so deep and cold that she couldn’t tell what he was thinking. It was hard to tell how this man will react if he one day discovers she has reincarnated.

The wounds she had suffered by humans in her previous life have not healed at all, so Iris couldn’t trust anyone.

It’s favorable now, but she doesn’t know when or how it’s going to change.

Iris poked Keivrand’s firm chest with her index finger.

“It depends on you, husband.”

Keivrand’s eyes narrowed. The coldness disappeared and a friendly warmth filled the spot.

“I’ll have to do better. I’m a person who has to find out the cause when I’m curious about something.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“You’ll have to be on your toes. I’ll do my best to surprise you.”

* * *

Tony’s Tavern is fairly spacious, but there were so many people gathered that it was impossible to accommodate everyone.

Buffets and dining tables were also set up in the central plaza next to the tavern, so those who couldn’t enter the tavern had gathered there while they waited for Countess Green’s arrival.

Soon, as the carriage of the Green’s family entered, people who were scattered here and there gathered around the road.

The carriage had a window, but even though they couldn’t see the Countess through it, they all tilted their neck to see if they could catch a glimpse of her.

The noisy central plaza quieted down when the carriage stopped in front of Tony’s Tavern.

Click-

It was so quiet that the sound of the carriage door opening could be heard.

It was Keivrand who got off first.

Seeing Keivrand’s appearance that looked like a male deity, some women exclaimed in a small voice.

As Keivrand reached out into the carriage, a woman’s fine little hand was placed on his large palm.

Even though it was just a hand, people gulped down and held their breath.

The moment Iris Green appeared,

People couldn’t even swallow their dry saliva and looked at her as if they had been possessed.

Silver hair shining brilliantly in the sun, and a light sky blue dress that goes well with her fair skin. Large perfect features on a delicate face as if God had designed it with all his effort.

The flower of Duke Whittle.

Countess Iris Green was dazzling enough to overshadow even the rumors that described her.

She seemed innocent, graceful, and prideful. The way she got off the carriage and slowly looked around was so beautiful that it felt surreal.

People even forgot to breathe as they looked frantically at Iris.

Iris’ thick red lips slowly opened.

“Oh, my.”

A small exclamation.

And a smile that gently spread across her lips.

“I didn’t expect so many people to come. I’m happy.”

At that moment, people were moved by the fact that they had made her happy.

What broke the enchanting silence was the sound of another carriage approaching.

Only then did people come to their senses.

Like stepping on heavenly clouds and breaking out of their trance, they stared angrily at the approaching carriage.

Iris also turned her head and looked at the carriage.

It was the carriage of Viscount Merdi.

The sight of Juliette getting off the carriage surprised everyone here.

It was because of her extravagant outfit.

The rim of the richly spreading red dress was embroidered with gold thread, and the shoulders were finished with thread made by sprinkling diamond powder.

The sun brightly illuminated her necklace and earrings. And dozens of jeweled hairpin held up her long hair.

Juliette, who seemed to be making a statement of ‘if there is a sun in the sky, then that sun is me,’ was beautiful.

Her face was originally beautiful, so she looked even more beautiful after putting on makeup that matched her dress.

If this was an ordinary aristocratic party, her attire wouldn’t have been a problem.

Most of them will be as extravagant as Juliette’s.

But this is a party for the common people.

Since the organizer had made the theme ‘for the common people,’ it was polite to dress accordingly even if they were a noble.

The nobles here were dressed in high-quality, but simple clothes that didn’t create a great sense of incompatibility even when they were mixed with the common people.

It was the same for Juliette’s parents, Viscount Merdi and his wife.

Viscount Merdi and his wife, who had arrived before Juliette, were looking at their daughter with a pale face.

Juliette greeted them with a slight bend of her knee, smiling, as everyone noticed her.

Then she raised her head and walked toward Iris.

Iris, with her hands in front of her, watched as Juliette approached her.

Everyone looked at Iris and Juliette with bated breath.

Juliette’s eyes quickly swept through Iris’ dress, smiling triumphantly as if she had won.

“Thank you, Countess. For inviting me to this party today.”

“I don’t remember inviting you separately.”

“What?”

“It’s a party that anyone can attend, so there’s nothing to be thankful for. Miss Juliette.”

“Yes, well. Nonetheless.”

Juliette turned around and walked to the place where the nobles were gathered.

Finding the young ladies that she was acquainted with, she smiled brightly and mixed in with the group.

Iris watched the scene and smiled as she looked around.

“Thank you for coming to my party today. Please enjoy yourselves.”

“Count, are you aware of the rumors surrounding your wife these days?”

As soon as Iris finished talking, a sharp question was heard.

Everyone looked back at the noise, swallowing their breath at the rude act.

A man with sharp eyes was looking straight at Iris.

Iris felt the strength in Keivrand’s hand.

She tapped her thumb on the back of his hand as if to tell him to stay still.

“That’s rude.”

“I know. I’m sorry. However, wasn’t this party prepared to explain the truth regarding the rumors?”

Half of the people gathered nodded as if they agreed, and half had an expression of, ‘Was that so?’

Iris stared at the man and calmly spoke.

“Why should I explain the rumors?”

“What?”

The man didn’t know Iris would show this kind of attitude. The man’s sharp eyes crumbled for a moment.

“Even if I explain, you’ll believe what you want to believe. It’s my personal business, so shouldn’t only my husband and family know that the rumor is just malicious nonsense?”

Iris said as she looked up at Keivrand.

Keivrand also made eye contact with Iris and smiled.

Having not let go of their hands ever since they got off the carriage, Iris and Keivrand were staring at each other as if they were the only two in the world.

The two seem like a pair of newlyweds who fell in love without any problems.

“But now that the Divine Kingdom has sent someone to get to the bottom of the rumors, it’s not a problem that can be ignored, right?”

The man didn’t back down.

Iris was grateful for the man’s stubbornness. It’s because she wanted this kind of situation.

She turned her eyes and gazed at the man. She knew who he was.

A man who goes wherever the scoop is, she had guessed that he would be here.

He came here just as she had expected, and did what she had expected.

“Name?”

When she asked as if she didn’t know, the man answered proudly.

“This one is Witting of Elevo.”

The largest and most credible newspaper, with branches in most countries on the continent of Eleron, Elevo.

And Witting, a journalist for that newspaper, was a man who was criticized for his blunt coverage. However he was a man who wasn’t biased in his articles.

In her previous life, he was executed for angering the Emperor when he wrote an article on how cruel it was to kill Keivrand when it was discovered that Keivrand was a beastman.

In the darkness of death, Iris saw that even in his final moments when he was about to be hanged, he had said, ‘This world is crazy! Everyone’s crazy!’

Iris slowly looked around the crowd.

Even the people who were in the tavern crept out and perked their ears to listen to the truth of the rumors that had been a source of entertainment for them.

Most of them had eyes full of curiosity, but some had the expression of ‘serves you right.’

Iris was sure that they were young ladies who had always admired Keivrand.

“Fine.”

The plaza was quiet to the point where Iris’ soft voice rang loudly.

“Everyone shows me so much affection that you even want to probe into my private life, so I’ll comply.”

Iris’ eyes stayed on Juliette for a while and then turned to Witting.

“Shall we find out what the truth is?”

== Translator’s Note ==

1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etc…in the comment section .