Ian shrugged his shoulders. I trembled in anger. Lucian quickly added an explanation as if I wasnât there.
âAs the saintess knows, now itâs happened and no one will believe the truth. The commanderâs virginity isâŠ.gone.â
âHow do you just lose your virginity?â
Virginity is important in this world! Was it alright to let something as important as your commanderâs virginity get taken just like that?
I couldnât snap out of it and my lips stuttered.
âAlsoâŠ.are you really going to admit that you and I slept together?â
âHereâs the story. You and I have been in love with each other since the beginning.â
Ian spoke softly in a languid tone. The story itself was surprising, despite his calm tone.
âBut, because of my position as Commander of Holy Knights, I chose to be single. In the morning, the woman I had dreamed of appeared in my bed. I thought this was a dream and we coveted each otherâŠ.â
Ianâs voice was getting lower and slower.
Ugh. Goosebumps spread all over my body as the story went on. Ian smiled as he saw how disgusted I was by the story.
âIt turned out to be reality and not a dream. As soon as you became a saintess, you corrupted me with your own hands.â
Ian muttered with a voice the size of an ant and said with a sly smile.
âWhat did you say?â
âNothing.â
âWell, I hope you understand.â
Ian slowly continued. Until then, I thought there wonât be any more shocking remarks. But, Ian exceeded my expectations again.
âLetâs announce our engagement. Letâs get married, just for a year.â
âWhat?â
I opened my mouth wide, and after a second I came back to my senses.
âThatâs ridiculous. No way! I canât admit we are in a relationship, moreover marriage!â
âYou donât think itâs enough for me to lose my virginity, now youâre going to turn me into a guy who can have a one-night stand with anyone?â
Ian growled. I gasped in astonishment. Ian sighed a little, and this time he spoke sarcastically.
âAs I said, Letâs pretend this is a love marriage. Letâs just say weâve been in love with each other for a long time.â
âWhat happens if I say no?â
Then Ian said with an angelic smile.
âWhat do you think is going to happen?â
ââŠ.You will kill me?â
âWhat do you mean? How could I do that to my beloved?â
Ian closed his eyes and laughed.
âMy wife.â
âDonât call me that!â
I cried out in fear.
âI understand the commanderâs plan. I fully understand and I honestly think itâs an effective plan.â
Yes, Ianâs plan was bizarre enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end, but it was also the most plausible in this situation.
âIf I tell them that nothing happened between Ian and I, even an ant passing by will not believe it.â
Then this was a way to reverse the scandal. A fateful love story between the commander of the Holy Knights and the saintess would fascinate quite a few people.
Yes, this plan should be the best option for Ian, but not for me.
âBut I canât be engaged with the commander.â
Ian raised one eyebrow.
âWhy?â
Well, if I married him, my escape plan would take much longer.
âWell, it appears that an easy escape plan was unlikely since the moment I told them about the Emperorâs remains.â
However, I couldnât mention these. I shook my head for a moment and said,
âI have someone I love.â
ââŠâŠ Is that true?â
Ian frowned. Soon, he tilted his head as if he had remembered something and asked.
âWas he the one who made those marks?â
Marks? If itâs a mark⊠Oh, right. It seems he was referring to the red marks on my neck when I got on the bed.
I was a little surprised. I thought he didnât understand anything about those red marks. Was it a lie?
âLucian told me the meaning behind those marks.â
Ianâs face stiffened as he said. As if he were talking about something very strange and unfamiliar.
ââŠI am also a virgin.â
He suddenly appealed to me. I was a little embarrassed to look at Ianâs face all of a sudden.
âOh I see.â
âPlease answer me. Did you get into my bed with your boyfriend?â
âDo you really think so?â
I donât even know why I had those marks on my body. No, I honestly expected it.
They must have dressed me up to look like I was in a more provocative situation for the photos. But I couldnât say that, so I had no choice but to create an imaginary person who didnât even exist.
âAre you in a deep relationship? With that boyfriend.â
âUm, well, itâs not really like that, butâŠâ
âThen break up.â
âWhat? Th-thatâs hard.â
âYou said you arenât even close.â
âBut weâre still dating now!â
Tsk, Ian clicked his tongue. I added quickly in case there would be another story about dating.
âActually, we are close. We love each other very much.â
âLady Irene. Then letâs do this.â
Ian narrowed his eyebrow as if he was reluctant, then he came up with another suggestion.
âIf you break up with your boyfriend and join my plan, Iâll give you enough compensation.â
ââŠ.Compensation?â
I should have refused right away. The mouth stained with capitalism unknowingly spat out a question.
âAnything you want.â
Anything?
What this man said was dangerous. I slowly glanced at Ian. I didnât know how much I would be exploited, because this Genie, the fairy of the lamp, didnât set the range to define the scope of âanything.â
âIf itâs hard to decide, Iâll give you an example. How about 10 million Mars?â
âHow much is that?â
I thought hard. I remembered a line from âA Saint Doesnât Know About Loveâ, in which the main character paid one million Mars for a two-story house in the capital.
âWait. If a two-story house in the capital is 1 million Mars⊠How much is 10 million Mars?â
Ten houses in Seoul!
I shook my head in disbelief. I didnât think of it after I entered this world, but as I slowly considered it, I realized I needed money.
I needed money to survive in this world, while having no connections at all.
At least until I found a way out of this world!
I donât need ten houses, but I thought it would be great if I had enough money to live without needing to do anything for a year or so.
And, above all else.
âListen, number 76. You must succeed in this mission at all costs.â
The whisper that had hit my head a few hours ago came back to me.
When I remembered the voice that had been immersed in my head, I got goosebumps all over my body again.
âI need to figure out who that voice is.â
It was likely that the owner of the voice was still watching me. Because the article was widely spread, the scandal erupted as someone had intended.
But will the owner of the voice let go of this body that I have possessed?
âI donât think so.â
If I ran away recklessly, Ian and the owner of that voice⊠There would be a high possibility of being chased by both of them at the same time.
I slowly looked up at Ian after gathering my thoughts.
âIs there a deadline? Did you say one year?â
âOf course. I have no intention of continuing the fake marriage any further.â
âPlease give me some time to think.â I ended up saying.
I needed time to organize my thoughts. This proposal was too risky.
My head was now overloaded with a lot of information that had been accumulated in a short period of time. I spent several hours swaying around frantically after getting into Ianâs bed.
Ian, who had been silent for a moment, softly nodded his head.
âI understand. Iâll give you time to think.â
âThank you.â
âHave a servant call me or Lucian inside when youâre ready.â
I nodded and Ian smiled softly.
âThen Iâll see you soon. My wife.â
âDonât call me that!â
Ian chuckled as if my protest was funny. I turned to Lucian and ordered him to give me a room. While I was walking down the hallway following behind Lucian, the people who saw me momentarily paused.
âIs-is that her?â
Isnât that right? Hair color and features are so identical to those in the photo.â
âAnd she is with Sir Lucian. Iâm sure of it.â
âShe is the commanderâs woman.â
I was taken aback by the whispers I heard. Lucian whispered cautiously around the corner of the hallway.
âThereâs a lot of people watching. If you accept the commanderâs proposal, you will have to get used to this kind of thing in the future.â
ââŠ..â
âBut most of the people in the temple are naive. Whatâs scariest areâŠ..â
Lucian blurred his words. I already knew it without having to listen.
âSocial Circles. Imperial Family.â
Especially the Imperial Family, who knew everything about the dark secrets of the current emperor.