IKMHITM 2

࣪ ִֶָ☾. Chapter 02 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

“There’s no way I would do that!”

Eve felt like she might faint. The man she had only met today now stood over her, casting a long, looming shadow. She had already forgotten the flirtatious laugh from earlier.

“What’s the issue? It’s our wedding night. Why are you still dressed? Lady Eve, please undress.”

With each step Serian took toward her, something swayed that was utterly out of place with his refined, elegant face.

Eve stumbled backward, retreating from the source of her fear as it steadily closed in.

“N-No! I’ve never… I’m a virgin!”

“Well, of course you are. It’s your wedding night.”

“And I don’t even know you…”

“You can start getting to know me now.”

She had nowhere left to retreat.

Clatter!

The candlestick slipped from Eve’s hand and rolled across the floor. Moments later, her body followed it, falling backward onto the bed.

“No… please!”

Tears welled up in Eve’s eyes and spilled over as Serian climbed on top of her. But the moment he saw her cry, the corner of his mouth twitched.

“Haha… Ahaha! You’re so innocent, I can’t even tease you properly.”

“…What?”

“I’m joking. I have no intention of spending the wedding night with you.”

Serian stepped back and casually slipped on a robe. With his back to her, he poured himself some wine. His movements were oddly composed, as if nothing had just happened.

“Have a drink. It’ll help you relax.”

He handed the glass to Eve and took a seat on a nearby sofa. The way he sank into the plush backrest made it clear he wasn’t about to pounce.

“My name is Serian. I’m the firstborn of House Arno. My father passed away recently. To inherit the mansion, I’m required to marry. House Arno has very strict rules.”

“….”

“That’s why I had to hastily take Lady Eve as my bride. But tell me, how did you end up here?”

“I, I…”

It had truly been a long time since anyone had asked Eve a question, let alone shown any interest in her story. Hesitantly, she lowered her guard just a little.

“Our Roman family has fallen on hard times. It wasn’t this bad when Father was alive, but ever since my older brother took over, we’ve struggled.”

“I see. So you accepted the offer we sent.”

Serian managed to phrase the term “bride price” with remarkable grace. For once, Eve felt like a person rather than merchandise being passed from hand to hand.

“Do you have siblings, Lady Evenie?”

“I have an older brother, fourteen years older, and an older sister, nine years older.”

“So, you’re the youngest daughter.”

“Yes… But they all hate me.”

At her quiet confession, Serian tilted his head slightly.

“How could anyone hate you?”

“After I was born, bad things kept happening to the family. They say our downfall began with me…”

“And why would that be your fault?”

In the darkness, his pale lashes flickered as he regarded her with an unexpectedly warm gaze.

“You must have suffered a lot.”

Tears welled up again in Eve’s eyes, threatening to spill. Serian noticed and pulled a handkerchief from the pocket of his robe.

“Here. Use this.”

Even as he approached, she no longer felt afraid like before. Instead, for the first time, she noticed the elegance in his cold, refined beauty. Even the handkerchief he handed her carried a subtle, lovely scent.

“Thank you. You’re very kind, Lord Serian.”

“Think nothing of it. It’s a hobby of mine.”

“…A hobby?”

“Listening to the pitiful sob stories of worms about to die. It’s more entertaining than you’d think. I’m thinking of compiling them into a book someday.”

…Wait, what?

“When you were trembling like a leaf, thinking I was going to pounce on you, I found it hilarious. Are there really people who sleep with pigs and dogs like that?”

Serian’s tone remained soft, gentle, almost tender, but a chilling bloodlust seeped through every word.

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Eve dropped the handkerchief and instinctively took a step back.

“Where do you think the bride’s going on her wedding night?”

Like a hawk snatching a chick, Serian seized her by the throat.

“Gah! Wh-What are you doing?!”

“Evenie Roman Arno. You’re my wife now, aren’t you?”

His face leaned in close, his lips curved in a sweet smile as if to kiss her.

“So, how about you give me a wedding gift?”

“Kh… hic!”

“Would you be so kind… as to die for me?”

He really is insane!

Despite his sorrowful, elegant appearance, Serian’s grip was inhuman. It felt like her neck would snap long before she had a chance to suffocate.

Eve clawed at his hands, thrashing wildly. One of her flailing arms struck something cold and hard.

Crash!

The wine glass smashed against Serian’s forehead.

“Argh!”

“You filthy little rat! How dare you!”

The charm vanished in an instant. Serian’s face twisted into something feral and grotesque, like a demon in human skin.

But she had been lucky. Shards of broken glass had embedded themselves in his eyes.

“Where are you?! Just wait until I catch you!”

Blood streamed down Serian’s face, blinding him.

“I’ll rip out every one of your fingernails while you’re still alive and then soak them in saltwater!”

Eve fled on trembling legs, barely able to crawl. But Serian knew the layout of the room better. He cunningly cut her off, swinging his long arms in wild arcs.

“Kyah!”

One blow caught her leg. Off balance, Eve crashed to the cold marble floor.

Pain exploded through her body. The impact left her numb and unable to move.

“Let’s start with this hand, shall we?”

With a cruel smile, Serian pinned her left arm beneath his knee. Her elbow twisted the wrong way, and Eve screamed from the searing pain.

“Shut up!”

A punch slammed into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. Her vision swam yellow.

Thrashing in desperation, her right hand grabbed the edge of a tablecloth. The silver teapot on top of it tumbled down and, by sheer chance, struck Serian near the eyes.

“Grah!”

The glass shards dug in deeper, and Serian writhed on the floor in agony. Eve seized the moment and scrambled to her feet.

In the darkness, something glinted.

The teapot. It had landed upright.

Without time to think, she grabbed the handle and swung.

Thud!

“Y-You bitch…”

Thwack!

“I’ll kill y—”

Thwack!

“You little—!”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Serian fell silent. His pale body lay stretched out across the floor, unmoving.

Eve stared at it, eyes wide with terror.

Did I… kill him?

Her legs gave out beneath her. She had survived, but she was far from safe.

What do I do now?

Slumping to the floor, she tried to hug herself, only to flinch. She was still holding the bloodstained teapot.

“Ahhh!”

She hurled it away.

But instead of clattering across the marble, it landed softly. Soundlessly. Like a cat.

Eve blinked in disbelief.

On the teapot’s glossy surface, a young boy’s face stared back at her. Startled, she spun around, but no one was there.

When she turned back, the boy’s face had grown larger, filling the surface. His mouth moved silently, as if he were trying to speak.

— Don’t throw me.

“Wh-What?”

— I said don’t throw me. I get motion sick.

He shot Eve a frosty glare before vanishing.

At this point, only one thought crossed her mind.

“I must be going insane.”

*Pfft. *Someone laughed again. It was that same voice from earlier.

“Who’s there?!” Eve shouted, her voice trembling.

She was clinging to instinct now, the raw, primal urge to survive. Snatching up the fallen candlestick, she brandished it like a weapon.

“Stop hiding! Show yourself right now! If you don’t, I’ll burn this place to the ground!”

“Playing with fire is dangerous.”

Though Eve’s voice had been sharp and panicked, like a hissing cat, the woman’s was light and teasing, as if she were enjoying a game.

“Sorry for laughing. I’m right here.”

“Where?!”

No matter how she looked around, Eve seemed to be the only one in the room. Her arm, mid-swing with the candlestick, froze.

Beyond Serian’s corpse, a portrait on the wall slowly raised its hand and waved.

“Over here. Right here.”

A woman with skin as white as paper (and perhaps, in this case, literally paper) smiled brightly as she clapped her hands. With her long black hair and charming grin, she looked like a painted doll come to life.

“Congratulations, New Master! You’ve passed Belper Mansion’s test!”

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At this point, Eve’s capacity for shock had long since shattered. She forced her foggy mind to form words.

“A test…? What do you mean…?”

“In accordance with the ancient traditions of House Arno, one must kill one’s spouse upon marriage. And you did such a splendid job!”

The woman in the portrait smacked her lips and stretched her arms above her head. Then, like a hound catching a scent, she pressed her face to the floor and began to lap up the blood seeping from Serian’s corpse.

“Oh, Lord in Heaven, please protect me!”

Terrified, Eve crossed herself. The woman lifted her head, her face smeared crimson, and beamed.

“You believe in God?”

“…”

“I was raised in the church too, you know. A born-and-bred believer!”

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･