Chapter 45
The Flower That Was Swallowed by the Beast
Chapter 45
As he met his family, Edward became more and more confident in his thoughts.
Even though his father and mother had accepted Iris as âtheir daughter,â it was Celestine who he found strange.
âDonât speak ill of my big sister, Eddie. And calling her Iris Whittle, where did you learn your manners?â
Celestine was completely possessed.
Celestine, who Edward knew, would have been more suspicious of Iris than anyone else, and would have opposed the marriage. But Instead of doubting Iris, Celestine was wagging her tail like a dog following its owner.
âWhat the hell did she do to you?â
âWhat did she do to me? Why are you acting so twitchy? She didnât do anything to us, and she didnât torment Kei. Everyone is doing well and happy, so why are you trying to butt in and throw a tantrum?â
âWhat kind of tone is that talking to your brotherâ¦!â
âBrother is a jerk. Weâre busy, so get out of here.â
Celestine, who was in the middle of decorating the wedding hall, waved her hand as if it was tiresome.
Edward looked at Melanie, who was next to Celestine with the expression of, âHey, Isnât she weird?â but Melanie responded with a smile that read, âCan you blame her?â
âIâm the only one whoâs normal in this mansion. No, if itâs Keiâ¦â
The last person he could trust was Keivrand.
Maybe Keivrand first noticed that there was something strange about Iris, so he chose to marry her to keep her around and observe.
Keivrand canât see the soul, but he has a bright eye for people.
Edward decided to trust his brother.
âKei!â
Edward, who opened the study door without knocking, first examined Keivrandâs soul.
Keivrandâs soul was shining as silently as ever.
âEddie.â
Keivrand sat in his chair as he looked up at Edward. He looked unhappy, but Edward spoke without care.
âSomething is wrong with that woman.â
âI hope itâs not my wife who you just called that woman.â
âIâll be honest with you. Yeah, at first I thought you were crazy about marrying Duke Whittleâs daughter, and I just didnât like her either. The flower of Duke Whittle. Itâs funny, that kind of thing.â
Keivrand nodded as if for him to continue.
âI was wary, and I took a look at her soul. But at that moment, her soul moved strangely. I almost got bewitched. This Edward Green could have been possessed.â
âWell.â
âHer soul is suspicious, brother. Iâve never seen anything like it. Itâs like⦠itâs like another soul mixed into her soul. Something is attached to her. Sheâs not normal, brother.â
âI know.â
âI knew it!â
Edward inwardly shouted âthank god.â He knew Keivrand would have noticed.
âIrie is a very special woman.â
But somehow, Keivrandâs expression was strange.
âThe more I see her, the more new feelings emerge. It always surprises me.â
Keivrand looked very happy and cheerful. Edward had never seen him smile like that.
Edward was as surprised as when he saw Irisâ suspicious soul, no, maybe more surprised.
âWhat are you doing, Kei?â
âWhat am I doing?â
âWhy are you smiling so stupidly? Have you lost your mind?â
âHave I?â
Keivrand rubbed his mouth with one hand.
âWell, people say that love turns you into a fool. I guess Iâve become a fool.â
Edward was speechless. He shook his head while staring at Keivrand with his mouth open.
âEveryone is crazy.â
âCrazy is you, Eddie.â
Keivrand erased his smile and slowly got up and walked in front of Edward. His gaze sank coldly on him.
âI chose Iris, and she became my wife. But you were rude to Iris today, calling her Iris Whittle.â
âJamie, heâ¦â
âEdward Green. I donât want you to be rude to my wife.â
Keivrand gripped Edwardâs shoulder hard.
It was a powerful grip as if it could crush his shoulder blades.
Edward could see how angry Keivrand was and how much angrier he would be if he ignored his request in the future.
He liked and respected Keivrand, so he didnât want to be hated. Thatâs why he didnât want to believe this situation.
âKei, donât tell meâ¦Youâre abandoning your brother because of a woman?â
âItâs not a woman, itâs my wife. If Iris is rude to you first and tries to harm you, Iâll fight Iris for you. But I think itâs the other way around, Eddie.â
That was true.
âI donât want to fight my brother. But you have to understand why Iâm doing this. That womanâ¦No. Irisâ soul is clearly not normal. You have to believe what I saw, brother.â
âI believe you.â
âAnd yet youâre throwing me away like this for that woman, Iris?â
âNo matter what form of soul Iris has, I believe in Iris, who I have seen and experienced so far. And Eddie. Iâm not throwing you away, Iâm scolding you for being rude to my wife.â
More strength was put into Keivrandâs hand that held Edwardâs shoulder.
Edward looked into Keivrandâs eyes. Keivrandâs eyes shone confidently as if he had full trust in Iris.
If Keivrand believes in Iris, there must be a reason. Edward believed that Keivrand was not the kind of man to be possessed by Irisâ strange soul.
âI hope your choice is right. But even if brotherâs choice is wrong.â
Edward slapped away Keivrandâs hand.
âIâm not going to treat you like how you did to me just now.â
* * *
Keivrand knew Edward was hurt, but he didnât intend to comfort him.
He can understand why Edward was suspicious of Iris.
From the perspective of Edward, Keivrand, who wasnât interested in women, suddenly said he would marry âthe flower of Duke Whittle,â he must have judged that there was a reason for that.
So he carefully observed her, and he found something strange about her.
Even so, Iris was Keivrandâs wife. No matter what he said in front of Keivrand, it was wrong to be rude in front of Iris.
âAnother soulâ¦â
After Edward left, Keivrand recalled the conversation he just had with Edward as he went to his room to check the replies he had received from the wedding invitations.
âEdward couldnât have been mistaken. There must be something special about Irisâ soul.â
Edward had said that he had never seen anything like it before.
âDoes that have anything to do with how Iris seems to know about the future?â
But that was no reason to doubt Iris.
Everyone has at least one special gift.
Keivrand was able to suppress the power of the sacred relics, and Edward had the power to see things like grudges and obsessions.
The identity of Irisâ power was unknown, but as long as it didnât harm Keivrand, it didnât matter. He was convinced that she wouldnât harm him.
Iris was lying on the sofa in her bedroom reading a book. She didnât even notice how focused Keivrand was.
Keivrand stood in front of the door for a moment and looked at Iris, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldnât see what Edward called âsoul.â
âWhat does Iris look like in Edwardâs eyes?â
She was just beautiful in Keivrandâs eyes.
âHow long are you going to keep staring at me like that?â
Iris asked with her eyes fixed on the book.
When Keivrand heard her voice, a smile spread naturally across his lips. He went to Irisâ feet and sat down and asked.
âWhen did you know I was here?â
âSince you came in.â
âI thought you were focused on the book.â
âIâm not good at concentrating.â
Iris said frankly, turning around and lying down.
Her tiny, fine feet glimmered in Keivrandâs sight. He grabbed her slender ankle and pulled it.
Her body was dragged all the way, and her small feet were placed on his thigh.
âHow can she walk on these little feet?â
Keivrand pressed her big toe with his thumb and index finger.
âAhâ¦â
Irisâ groan through her red lips sounded strange.
Keivrand wondered what she would look like if he licked her round big toe like a candy.
But now wasnât the time to set fire to his warm desire.
âI heard Edward was rude to you. I apologize for that, Irie.â
For some reason, Iris had a strange look on her face.
An expression of surprise, sadness, and joy.
Iris would look like this from time to time.
âDid I say something wrong?â
âOh, no. I didnât know Iâd get an apology for this. Itâs okay. Edwardâs suspicions are reasonable.â
âItâs not reasonable. I chose you and youâre my wife now even if we havenât had our wedding.â
âKei, Iâm the one who made the choice. I actually blackmailed you into marriage. Did you forget?â
He had forgotten. Only after it was pointed out by Iris did he remember.
âRather, itâs strange that your mother, father, and Celestine are so nice to me without any doubts.â
âItâs not strange, Irie. My parents and Celestine trust and love me, so they trust and love the woman I chose. Thatâs natural.â
This natural thing, Iris didnât know. Keivrand could guess, seeing her puzzled expression.
Just as he had thought, Iris thought to herself.
âThatâs natural? Trusting and loving the woman Kei chose, just because they trust and love him?â
Iris was thinking that.
In her previous life, Alfredâs family didnât do the natural thing.
âNo, it wasnât like Alfred loved me in the first place.â
Every time a good moment came with Keivrand, Iris recalled how much she hated Alfred.
She wondered how long it would take to completely get rid of such memories.
âIâve thoroughly reprimanded Edward, but maybe heâll be rude to you again. When that happens, I give you permission to slap him, Irieâ¦â
Keivrand seemed nervous about Edward, but Iris wasnât bothered much about the problem with Edward.
It is arrogant to want everyone to like themselves. If they donât like her but donât harm her, it doesnât matter.
After Iris smiled back at Keivrand, she checked the invitations he had dropped on the table earlier.
Since it was the wedding of the Green family, those who responded were also of high status.
Among them, there was a name that stood out.
Crown Prince Iobet Obsius.
âI canât believe the Crown Prince is comingâ¦â
Except for business related matters, the Emperor and the Crown Prince rarely came out for such trivial matters. Especially for the Crown Prince, who often hid himself until he ascended the throne since there were many people eyeing the position.
As Iris stared at the Crown Princeâs reply, Keivrand explained.
âIâve known the Crown Prince, Iobet, for a long time. When I was a kid, I studied with him at the Academy for a while.â
âOh, I see.â
Iris replied half-heartedly, trying to recall what had happened to the Crown Prince around this time in her previous life.
âI think the Crown Prince was trying to open some kind of businessâ¦What was it again?â
Trying to recall her memories, she didnât even realize that Keivrand had wrapped her shoulders and pulled her.
âIrie.â
It was only when the low-pitched voice swept through her ears did she remember that Keivrand was still with her. Keivrand grabbed her small chin with his thumb and index finger and turned her towards him.
âDonât make me so jealous.â
== Translatorâs Note ==
1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etcâ¦in the comment section .
2. Chapter 38 through 45 has been proofread, edited, and cleaned up.