The Flower That Was Swallowed by the Beast - Chapter 44

Eugene stared at Keivrand, who had confessed his feelings for Iris.

When the boss suddenly confesses his love for his wife, what kind of answer should he give as a subordinate?

Not only that, why is the boss telling him something that everyone already knows?

“I know.”

“How?”

“How…How am I supposed to answer when you ask me how…?”

“Just answer how you know.”

“I just know…Um.”

Jamie would have given a nice answer, but Eugene wasn’t a good speaker.

“Boss goes around showing his love for his wife.”

“Me? No way.”

Keivrand shook his head as if it could never be.

“Why do you think it can’t be?”

“I don’t show my feelings on my face.”

“Of course that was before, but…”

“You’re saying I have these days?”

“Yes.”

“In what ways?”

“Nathan says boss laughs like a fool when something good happens with his wife. Jamie says boss acts stupid when he’s around his wife. And…”

“No, no. You can stop.”

Keivrand waved his hand.

“Can I go practice my sword now?”

“They say I’m in love, that’s all?”

Eugene didn’t know what Keivrand wanted.

It was nothing unusual or special for a man to love a woman.

It was unusual to Keivrand, but it wasn’t surprising to others.

Of course, it was only a little surprising to them that Keivrand, who had never been interested in a woman, fell in love and became a fool.

“Do you want us to throw you a celebration party?”

“…No, it’s all right. Go. Practice.”

“Yes.”

Looking at Eugene wielding a wooden sword as if he wasn’t interested anymore, Keivrand sighed deeply and left the training field.

Keivrand was in love.

He loves Iris.

From the very beginning, he thought the feelings he had for her were special.

When Iris asked him to marry her even though he didn’t know who she was.

When he accepted her request even though he could have bitten her thin, pretty neck to death.

He thought she was special.

The more time they spent together, the more dazzling she became, and the more his feelings heated up.

But he didn’t expect it to explode this fast.

‘It’s a problem.’

After realizing it, he felt more affectionate, more longing, and more envious of Iris. When he looked at Iris, the heat that rose in his heart got so hot to the point that it became unbearable.

Because it was his first time falling in love, Keivrand wondered.

How do men in love resist the desire to run and embrace the one they love right away?

* * *

Crown Prince Iobet Obsius looked down at the lavish wedding invitation.

“Is this really a wedding invitation from Count Green?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Answered the aid, Sydney.

“Did Count Green change his taste since the last time I saw him? As far as I know, he doesn’t like fancy things like this.”

Iobet shook the wedding invitation.

“Is it Iris Whittle’s taste?”

He had already heard that Keivrand is married to the flower of Duke Whittle.

Iobet knew Keivrand, so he didn’t think he would marry her just for her beauty. There must be something between Duke Whittle and Count Green.

However, this fancy wedding invitation is not something that Keivrand would do.

“Growing up as a Duke’s flower, she must be vain.”

“There was a rumor like that.”

“By comparison, her sister, Miss Britney, is frugal and thoughtful?”

“That’s what they say. They say she cares about her sister.”

“Well. I’m sure Miss Britney will attend this wedding. And of course the famous Iris Whittle.”

“That’s right, Your Highness. But you don’t have to go to see Miss Britney. You can summon her to the royal court.”

“No, I can’t do that. An old friend is getting married.”

Iobet handed Sydney the wedding invitation.

“Tell them I will be attending.”

* * *

There was a week left until the wedding.

As Iris was picking some fruits for Windy, a man appeared in front of her.

“Iris Whittle.”

Without even knowing when the man came, Iris looked back in surprise at the quiet voice coming from behind her back.

And after checking the man’s face, she became even more surprised. Deep green pupils with gold rim, black hair, and decadent features.

Edward Green.

It was Keivrand’s brother.

“Who are you?”

She asked even though she knew.

“Edward Green. I’m the brother of the man who’s about to be your husband.”

“Aha. But what brings you here?”

“I have business with you.”

“What business?”

Edward’s dark eyebrows wriggled.

“That’s rude, Iris Whittle.”

“It doesn’t look like you have any manners either. We haven’t had a wedding yet, but didn’t you know I already registered my marriage with your brother?”

“Yeah, well. I don’t care about that.”

Edward glared at Iris with a threatening look.

Then, he grabbed her chin with his thumb and index finger. Then, as if he was observing her, he squinted his eyes.

“The flower of Duke Whittle.”

“No, Edward.”

Iris knocked Edward’s wrist away with a tap.

“It’s Countess Green. Unless you’re ignoring your brother’s choice.”

Iris didn’t think Keivrand’s whole family would like her, so Edward’s attitude didn’t surprise her.

In a way, this attitude may be natural.

There were many rumors about the flower of Duke Whittle. Whether it was good or bad rumors, it quickly spread because Iris had no control over them.

It would be strange for her to be welcomed with open arms by people related to Count Green.

But that didn’t mean she was going to put up with the rude attitude.

If someone doesn’t like her, then she’ll hate them just as much. She had decided not to try to be loved by people who don’t like her.

“You must be in a good mood. Taking over as Count Green’s wife.”

“I don’t have to hate it, do I?”

“What did you offer Kei? There’s no way Kei would marry someone like you for no reason.”

Iris smiled.

“Even if there’s something going on between me and Kei, it’s between us as a couple. There’s no room for you to step in, Edward.”

“Kei is my brother.”

“Are you upset because you feel like I took him away from you?”

At Iris’ sarcasm, Edward’s eyes sank coldly.

“Trying to climb when you don’t know how high the sky is. Did Kei let you off easy?”

“Oh, my. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I was climbing the sky.”

“I don’t have any problem hitting women, Iris. Haven’t you ever heard of the Green’s family bane?”

“You’re not someone who drives rumors far, Edward.”

For a moment, Edward’s keen eyes seemed to soften.

But he soon frowned. As if he found something strange about Iris.

He raised his hand. Then, when his hand was coming towards Iris’ cheek,

“That’s enough, Eddie.”

Jamie’s voice cut off Edward’s movement.

Jamie walked over and intervened between Iris and Edward.

“Jamie, it’s been a while. You’ve gotten prettier.”

Unlike when dealing with Iris, Edward smiled at Jamie.

“When did you get here? If I had known you were coming, I would have locked the door in advance.”

“Just because you lock it doesn’t mean I can’t come in. Aren’t you underestimating the vice-captain of the Holy Knights too much?”

“I’m not underestimating you, Edward. Because you’re not even worth underestimating.”

“You’re angry, Jamie.”

Edward pressed Jamie’s forehead with his index finger.

“You’re not mad at me for being rude to that woman, are you?”

“I wonder why you don’t think so, Eddie.”

“I must be dreaming. Don’t tell me you’re also possessed by her?”

Jamie moved his hand toward his chest without answering.

Edward hurriedly grabbed Jamie’s wrist.

“I want to believe you’re not trying to pull your sword out, Jamie.”

“Some guy sneaks in and smears the Countess, I can’t just stand still and let him live, right?”

“Some guy…? I’m Edward Green.”

“And the person you are rude to is Iris Green, Eddie.”

As Jamie’s eyes got heavier, Edward slightly raised his hands.

“Okay, I lost. But…”

Edward glared at Iris standing behind Jamie.

“Marriage is a family affair. I can’t accept that she’s in our family. The flower of Duke Whittle? I don’t know. Is it really a flower, or a poisonous herb?”

* * *

Edward frowned as he walked down the hall.

There was something visible to Edward that others couldn’t see.

Although it was called ‘soul,’ it was more like a mix of tenacity, obsession, and determination.

With that power, Edward was able to determine the authenticity of the sacred relics.

The Divine Kingdom refers to sacred relics as ‘gifts of God,’ but in fact, they were things made of human tenacity.

Edward had guessed that Iris, dubbed the flower Duke Whittle, was someone who was pretending to be pure, vulnerable, elegant, and lovely. In the same manner that most men fell victim to, he thought that was why Keivrand had become captivated.

However, he was wrong.

Iris’ soul, which glowed like an engulfing flame, was not something a woman who grew up in a mansion and called the flower of Duke Whittle could have.

Edward had never seen a soul like that.

[You’re not someone who drives rumors far, Edward.]

When Iris said as such, he thought maybe she was a little funny. Thinking that maybe Keivrand fell in love with this, he almost eased his mind.

‘What’s that?’

At that moment, another soul seemed to overlap with Iris’.

He was trying to grab it by raising his hand without realizing it, but Jamie appeared. And the unusual soul that was growing near Iris’ face disappeared.

Since he was young, he has experienced a lot and met many people, but he had never seen such a thing in his life before.

He had never seen anything like what happened to Iris.

‘Is it the influence of a sacred relic?’

Occasionally, the grudge left in the sacred relics overlap with those who were ruled by them. However, Iris’ situation was different.

The grudge of the sacred relic had a clear shape as if it could be removed at any time.

It seemed to be assimilated with Iris’ soul. He thought it was impossible to get rid of it no matter what, as if it was Iris’ soul itself.

‘The problem is that it’s very enchanting.’

At first glance, it was enchanting to the point of bewitching.

‘Maybe Kei and Jamie are possessed by that woman because of her soul.’

Keivrand is Keivrand, but Jamie was different. Jamie wasn’t a man who did favors simply because it was the woman his boss had chosen.

The fact that Jamie tried to point a sword at Edward to protect Iris means that he has been possessed.

‘Iris Whittle may be a more dangerous woman than I had thought.’

== Translator’s Note ==

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