Chapter 46
The Flower That Was Swallowed by the Beast
Chapter 46
âJealous?â
Iris widened her eyes at the unexpected words.
âYes, jealous.â
âUh, all of a sudden?â
âNot all of a sudden.â
Keivrand gently grabbed the Crown Princeâs letter out of Irisâ hand, then spoke as he shook it.
âYouâre looking at Iobetâs letter too seriously.â
âOhâ¦ah.â
Iris was puzzled.
She didnât stare at Iobetâs face. She was just looking at his letter, so why the hell was Keivrand jealous?
As if Keivrand misunderstood her puzzled look, he covered his mouth with one hand.
âDonât look at me like that. Iâm also embarrassed by my actions.â
âOh, really?â
âYeah. Iâve never felt anything like this beforeâ¦â
Keivrand moved his eyes to the side as if he couldnât look Iris in the eyes.
Iris thought Keivrand was cute for some reason, so she unwittingly reached out her hands and clasped his cheeks.
His gray eyes, which had fled sideways, turned back to her.
âAll right, Irie. I wonât be jealous of this. I know I was a little silly this time.â
âNo, thatâs not itâ¦â
Iris didnât hate this side of Keivrand.
She was just shocked because she didnât think this was something to be jealous of.
âKei, listen to me.â
âYou donât have to worry about that. A wolfâs hearing isâ¦â
With his cheeks clasped, Iris moved her thumbs to block his moving lips.
Keivrandâs lips were soft to the touch and she thought it felt nice.
âI might call another manâs name, look at another man, or smile at someone other than you in the future.â
Keivrand narrowed his brows.
âBut Kei. I need you to know this. Everything I do, itâs all for you. And I wonât do anything to lose the dignity and honor of Countess Green.â
The wrinkles on Keivrandâs forehead slowly spread out.
âOkay? Do you understand?â
Keivrand opened his lips and playfully bit Irisâ thumbs that were still covering his lips.
His eyes glowed playfully.
âOkay. But thereâs one thing you need to know.â
âWhat is it?â
âThat Iâm a more jealous man than I had expected.â
âIâve already noticed that.â
âAs expected, my wife is quick-witted.â
Keivrand pulled Irisâ slim waist with his arms.
The moment his lips were about to overlap with herâs, Iris recalled what the Crown Prince was doing at this time.
âAh!â
Iris pushed Keivrandâs chest away with both hands.
Looking at the confused Keivrand who was denied a kiss, she spoke.
âKei, boast about me to the Crown Prince.â
âHuh? No, of course I wouldâ¦â
âWhat youâre thinking isnât enough. Boast about me to the point where heâll wonder if itâs okay to boast that much. You have to boast to the point where heâll think youâre a little crazy in the head.â
âAhâ¦â
The dumbfounded Keivrand stared at Iris blankly.
Sometimes he feels like he doesnât understand Iris, but this was the first time he can truly say he doesnât understand her.
He couldnât believe she was asking him to vehemently brag about her.
Iris pointed to her head with her index finger.
âPlease brag about this part in particular.â
âI donât need to brag about the fact that youâre beautiful.â
âNo, not that, Iâm talking about my head.â
âHead? You want me to boast about your pretty head thatâs a little weird sometimes?â
Iris, who has been serious since a while ago, giggled.
âOh, Iâm sorry, Kei. I must have looked a little crazy right now.â
âJust a little crazy?â
Keivrand made a gesture of twirling his index finger on the side of his head.
Iris laughed.
He didnât think he did anything funny, but he liked it when she smiled brightly.
âPlease boast to the Crown Prince that Iâm a very clever and visionary woman.â
âI like it when you describe yourself as clever and visionary. My, isnât my wife very confident?â
âDonât make fun of me.â
Iris punched Keivrand in the chest with her fist.
âFine. But youâre not going to tell me why again, are you?â
âIâll tell you.â
Surprisingly, Iris whispered in Keivrandâs ear about her plans.
The more she spoke, the wider his eyes grew, and when she finished, Keivrand spoke.
âYou, reallyâ¦Youâre clever and visionary. On top of that, youâre good at reading people.â
Iris smiled gracefully.
âYes. So donât lie to the Crown Prince and just tell the truth. About a woman named Iris Green.â
* * *
Edward looked down from a window into the garden and frowned.
Keivrand and Iris were walking through the garden hand in hand. Occasionally Keivrand would giggle and joke with Iris.
He had never seen Keivrand act like that before. Keivrand next to Iris was really like a different person.
âDonât be jealous, Eddie. Thatâs why I hear my brother has a brother complex.â
Celestine said, arriving and standing next to Edward at some point.
âNo one said I have a brother complex, Cel.â
âI did. If you keep staring at her like that, other people will too.â
âThat womanâs soul is strange.â
âItâs not that woman. Itâs sister-in-law. And just because itâs your first time seeing such a soul, doesnât make it bad. Iâm sure you donât know much about it.â
âWhy the hell do you like her so much?â
Celestine looked back at Edward.
âSheâs the one Kei likes.â
âIf he likes the wrong person, itâs the family who has to stop it.â
âIris isnât the wrong person.â
âThat womanâs soulâ¦â
âAnd beastmen?â
Edward widened his eyes.
âEveryone says beastmen are wrong. Theyâre cursed by God. So Kei, Eugene and Jamie, are they all wrong?â
âNot like that!â
âItâs the same, Eddie. Itâs the same.â
âNo, itâs⦠â
âIris just has a unique soul. Beastmen is special. Iris is just a little special. However, neither is wrong.â
Edward couldnât find the words to respond. Celestine turned to the garden again.
âIt seems like Iris was abused when she lived at Duke Whittleâs mansion.â
âWhat?â
âAt first, I liked her because she looked prettier and smarter than the rumors. But now, I like the confidence that she shows. She isnât ashamed or tries to run from it even though she had been abused like that.â
Edward knew that Duke Reuben Whittle raised his daughter to be sold, so he never could have imagined that Iris would have lived being abused by them.
He has traveled to various places as a holy knight of the Divine Kingdom and met various people. Among them, there were children who were abused by their families.
And, all of their eyes were filled with lifelessness. Their souls were dark, muddy, and hazy as if it was about to be extinguished.
Such a thing didnât exist in Irisâ soul. Rather, she had a soul that shines bright enough to hurt his eyes.
âBut that doesnât mean the pain of being abused is gone.â
Celestine patted Edward on the arm and added.
âLetâs not be a family that hurt her, Eddie.â
* * *
Windy, as always, stood next to his mother as he spit and kicked with a runny nose.
The dark eyes staring at Iris were full of vigilance.
White, Windyâs mother, gave Iris a sorry look, but Iris was lost in thought and didnât notice.
It was great for Iris that Crown Prince Iobet will be attending the wedding. After returning to the past, the world seemed to be moving for her.
âBut I canât be conceited.â
While holding an apple in hand to appease Windy, she was thinking about how to attract Iobet.
âYouâre thinking of something else.â
A low-pitched voice came from behind.
âThat kid wonât open its heart if you treat it like that.â
Edward walked next to Iris and took away the apple she was holding.
He looked at the apple like he had never seen one before and spoke.
âI heard Kei gave you a unicorn? Do you even know how great it is to receive a unicorn as a gift?â
Iris tried to grab the apple without answering, but Edward moved his hand to avoid her.
âThinking of something else while one is in front of you, I donât think you truly know the value of itâ¦I donât know why Kei gave this precious animal to a woman like you.â
âIf you want to say that I donât fit into this family, then go to your brother and say it. If you keep crying to him, he might tell you he wonât marry me.â
Edward didnât look offended even though Iris was being sarcastic. On the contrary, he raised one corner of his mouth as if he found it interesting.
âDo you treat Kei the same way?â
âNo way. I pretend to be cute, charming, and vulnerable in front of him.â
Edward laughed softly.
âI donât think so. There are a lot of cute, charming, vulnerable women out there. More than half of the women want to have Kei, but he doesnât even spare them a glance.â
Although Edward strode toward Iris, she stood still and looked up at him.
âI think youâve got my familyâs heart in your hands in a very strange way, but it wonât be easy to get my heart in your hands, Iris.â
Iris realized that Edward didnât call her Iris Whittle anymore.
âEdward. I think you got something wrong, but I donât want your heart, even if you give it to me.â
This time again, Edward didnât feel offended and just smiled.
âAnyway, now that youâre part of the Green family, Iâll treat you like a family in front of others. But it doesnât mean I trust you. Iâm sure youâre not an ordinary woman.â
âIâm glad youâre going to be polite in front of others. I was worried that your actions would hurt my husbandâs honor.â
Edwardâs nose creased as he turned toward Windy. He threw the apple up, grabbed it, then spoke.
âLike it or not, youâre my sister-in-law, and it would be a disgrace to the family if you canât tame a baby unicorn. I donât want to be humiliated by you, so Iâll show you how to handle it.â
It was an unexpected consideration.
âYeah, Edward knows how Kei had tamed White.â
She was truly grateful that Edward was uneasy, as even Keivrand didnât help.
âUnicorns are smart animals, so you have to treat them sincerely. Itâs natural they wouldnât eat an apple if youâre thinking of something else.â
âI see!â
âAnd besides, sheâs a child. You have to let her know that youâre focusing on that little girl with affection. You care about her so much, and you love her.â
Edward gave a friendly look at Windy. Then, surprisingly, Windy, who was next to his mother, approached him little by little.
He smiled confidently and offered the apple to Windy. Windyâs dark eyes towards Edward shone differently than when he looked at Iris.
âEat, little gal. Move that little snout.â
Windy opened his mouth with a cute cry.
Then.
Chomp-!
He bit Edwardâs hand hard.
== Translatorâs Note ==
1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etcâ¦in the comment section .
2. Winda name changed to Windy. Itâs also a boy.