CH 6.2

“Aren’t you attracted to me, My Lady?” Cade asked calmly.

That wasn’t the problem at all.

This man, who was supposed to be the commander of those raw meat-eating, wolf-blooded savages at the dinner table, looked strangely depressed.

“What? It’s not like that.” Cherryl answered hastily.

Cade hunched his broad shoulders forward and his golden eyes, looking down at the floor, made him look pitiful.

“I know you refuse me because you don’t like me. You hate me.”

The series of repeated bitter criticisms had encouraged a silent answer from her.

Bewildered, Cherryl unwittingly drew out admiring thoughts about him she kept hidden in her head.

“No, you look handsome, Your Grace. Your dark hair is rare in this empire, and your shining golden eyes looked so pretty to me.”

Cade’s eyes returned to Cherryl’s face when she started praising him as if her life was on the line.

The instant he gave her a soft smile, his gloomy aura disappeared.

“As soon as I laid my eyes on you, Lady Cherryl. I always felt the need to control myself so that I could be with you.”

“Oh, well, you don’t have to say that, Your Grace.”

“…….”

“Listen to me for a second.”

The man, who closely resembled a Wolf King, cleared up the cynical air around her by peering at her beneath his lashes.

He might have felt pathetic after confessing his long-held innocence only to be rejected.

Weakened by his purity, Cherryl began to praise him again.

“Don’t get me wrong, Your Grace. You seem quite cool.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re very tall and very fit, aren’t you? Any woman would want to hug you.”

She couldn’t believe that this had turned into a competition of praising who was the best at giving compliments.

Cherryl had felt so embarrassed.

The man in the tragic novel, who tried his best to get rid of his emotions, looked at the world in black and grey and killed a lot of people in the process, seemed completely different in this setting.

She couldn’t help but express a deep liking towards him as they talked.

She even contemplated about marrying him right away like he wanted.

Yet if she considered the tragedy that had happened in the original novel, she was left wondering where it all went wrong.

“What about you, Cherryl?”

Cade’s eyes turned electric.

“Do you think of me the same way, Cherryl?”

“Oh, yes, of course. I also thought the same.” She replied, holding nothing back.

The corners of his mouth curled into a smirk.

“I’m glad you feel the same way, Lady Cherryl. I wanted to hug you right now but at the same time, I am also content with just watching you. I’m usually patient but when it comes to you, it’s getting harder to control myself.”

“Well, Your Grace. Wait a minute.”

She raised both hands to restrain Cade from doing whatever he liked.

She was safe here with him, right?

Cherryl had to stay alert and be straightforward about her boundaries.

That way, she could stop this man from breaking her heart.

“I’m sure you are a wonderful man, Your Grace. But as a woman, many things worried me about marrying a man I’m unfamiliar with.”

His adorable puppy-eyed look vanished instantly as he leaned forward with interest.

The sudden tension in the air made Cherryl lean back slightly from chagrin.

Cade’s handsome face was so close that she could feel his breath.

“What exactly bothers you, Lady Cherryl?”

“Well…”

She pointed out that it was the number one cause of family discord.

“Difficulties between a father and his son-in-law are common.”

“The blood running in my veins doesn’t exist in this world anymore.” Cade made a flat rebuttal. “Not a single person.” He added with emphasis.

At a loss for words, Cherryl rested her chin on her hand.

“That’s not wrong, is it?”

The Blkanov only had a single drop of blood left.

Even though his family died, Cade was considered a man without blood.

Yet, why was she being persuaded?

As she nodded without thinking,  she suddenly came to her senses.

“Have you considered the differences in our personality and lifestyle?”

“It’s a trivial matter, Lady Cherryl.”

“That’s not true, Your Grace. What if your partner constantly lies and cheats and has poor hygiene and dirty habits? What if he had blood in his hands?”

“So? It’s a trivial matter. If you’re willing to sign a contract with me, you won’t have to deal with such crude affairs.” He clarified. “I promise you consistent honesty and neatness.”

Cherryl looked at Cade’s arrogance because she had nothing else to refute him.

What else would cause disagreement between husband and wife?

She left out the most crucial issue.

“Since we would live together after marriage, we should consider whether we can get along well with each other.”

“…….”

“Oh, my!”

What did she just say?

Cherryl shook her hands in surprise.

That’s what it meant.

She was talking too freely and it made her stray into an unfamiliar topic.

Cade blinked his lashes slowly and lowered his eyes.

He seemed to be pondering something.

After the short silence, he grinned as if he was convinced.

“It’s certainly possible.”

Cherryl nodded awkwardly.

“Right? It’s hard for us to get married.”

“You can check it out in advance if you want.”

Cade flashed her a confident smile.

Surprised, Cherryl’s eyes widened.

Cade’s straightforward statement seemed open according to the listener’s interpretation.

Furthermore, it wasn’t difficult to guess where his cheekiness came from.