Predatory Marriage (A)

Mistake

It was the rudest and most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. But somehow, Leah couldn't scoff at the foolish words. His eyes were filled with such a tumult of emotions, and all of them were directed at her. Staring into his eyes as though hypnotized, she only belatedly regained her composure.

"Kurkan...?" She murmured, feeling dazed. This handsome man had the brown skin and bright eyes characteristic of Kurkans.

She didn't understand how a Kurkan had entered the palace, however, and then come to this place. Leah looked up at him suspiciously.

Suddenly, he grabbed her hand, and she let out a cry of surprise, trying to tug free of his grip. The man only narrowed his eyes, glaring at the ring on her finger.

"I think I'm freaking out," he muttered bitterly, and let go of her hand only to pull her into a one-armed embrace, holding the umbrella over both of them.

The moment he hugged her, she froze. She should have pushed him away, but for some reason, she couldn't move. Her body was ice cold from the rain, and he felt so warm. Even her anxiety was immediately soothed. It was as if she had been wrapped in a warm blanket, and for a moment, she forgot everything else.

It startled her to realize that she had just fled into the rain because she couldn't stand her fiancé's touch. But now, in the arms of a stranger, she was completely calm.

Quickly, she tried to push his body away with all her might, but she couldn't budge him.

"Leah..." Casually, he spoke her given name. It was incredibly impolite to call a royal by their first name without being granted permission. But a moment later, the man did something even more insolent.

The hand at her waist slid up to grip the back of her neck. Leah's eyes flew open as the man kissed her.

Startled, she struck his chest, but he only pressed further, stroking his tongue into her mouth. His tongue slid over her teeth, caressing her palate so skillfully that it felt as if he had kissed her a hundred times before. It kindled a strange warmth in her lower belly.

The moment she couldn't bear it anymore and thought about biting his tongue, he pulled away as if he had heard her thoughts. Panting, Leah stared up at him.

The sound of the rain echoed through the courtyard. Bare tree branches swayed, and mist had appeared. Her heart was beating so frantically. She felt no revulsion at this man's touch, so why was this happening to her with Blain?

The man's gaze went to her red, swollen cheek, her rain-soaked body, and the wedding ring on her finger.

"...You," he said slowly. "You must have thought it would be better to die than suffer like this."

She wanted to argue those words, but she couldn't. The sound of rain filled the silence as she waited for his words.

"But like that day, when you feared my death..." Every word was filled with sorrow, and this man who looked sturdier than anything in the world somehow looked simultaneously frail. "It's the same for me. Ever since I lost you, do you know what I've been thinking about?"

His golden eyes momentarily filled with rage, but quickly that murderous intent vanished. His lips moved, and then he closed his mouth again. Instead, he just ran his hand slowly through her rain-soaked hair.

Leah was not usually swayed by compassion, but she was trying to understand this man. There was pain deep in her heart, and the urge to comfort him, even though she was not the person he was looking for.

"I think you've made a mistake," she said, more gently than usual. "I'm engaged to someone I've loved for a long time. We'll be married soon."

She couldn't be sure, but it sounded like this man had lost his wife. She could not imagine the pain of such a separation, but she had sympathy for those feelings. She decided to forgive him.

"I will forgive your discourtesy," she said. "I will pretend nothing happened–"

"Mistake?" He interrupted her generous words. His face was expressionless. "I have never been mistaken. Not once, from the first moment I met you until now."

Leah was silent. She should call the guards to punish this intruder, but she kept hesitating. She didn't want to.

"Remember me, Leah," the man said seriously, and she looked at him, bewildered because it sounded as if he were asking her to remember moments that didn't even exist rather than this moment now. The voices of attendants suddenly broke the tense, eerie silence between them.

—Princess! Princess!

The voices were approaching. Frowning slightly, the man handed her the umbrella, and Leah took it automatically. He grabbed the tip of her chin.

"I'll give you the first clue." He said arrogantly. "I'm Ishakan, the King of Kurkan."

"......!"

Leah's eyes widened.

"Remember me," the man with golden eyes whispered again. And as soon as the words left his mouth, he disappeared.

Startled, Leah looked around, but he had disappeared in a blink; there was no trace of him anywhere. The only proof that it hadn't been a dream was the umbrella in her hand.

She felt as if she were waking up from some strange possession. Holding her umbrella in the pouring rain, she stood unmoving before the fountain for a while before she finally set off. She came across one of the attendants after only a short time, and he ran toward her with a worried expression, grabbing her umbrella.

She couldn't help looking regretfully at it after he took it from her. There were many similar umbrellas in the palace, but for some reason she wanted that one.

Walking toward her palace, she thought of the man who had called himself the King of Kurkan. She couldn't remember him, but he acted as if he knew her very well.

Not much was known of the Kurkans. But Leah was a public figure. Anyone could act as if they knew her, if they gathered the details about her already available. But what would be the point of doing that?

The Kurkans had been invited to the wedding. They knew that Leah was to marry the King of Estia. There was no reason for him to act that way, and his emotions had seemed too intense and genuine to be feigned...

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sight of the person waiting for her in front of her palace. Standing in the rain without an umbrella was Blain, with several attendants waiting with him.

"......"

Looking into his cold blue eyes, she walked slowly toward him, and he waited like a statue until she was close enough and then embraced her roughly, burying his face in her neck. She felt slight revulsion, but it was tolerable.

His body was cold. He must have been waiting in the rain for a long time. But while she was in his arms, Leah thought of another man, a man whose body had been so very warm...

After he had held her for a long time, Blain lifted his head to whisper.

"Please say you love me."

There was a hint of fear in his broken voice. She didn't know what he was afraid of, but she knew the answer he wanted.

"I love you," she answered quickly.

Blain hugged her tighter in the rain, and only when she began to shiver with cold did he speak again.

"...Let's go inside."

Kissing her forehead, he grabbed her hand to lead her into her palace. She followed behind him as if she were being dragged, and looked back.

The rain was falling harder. Leah looked back at the garden, obscured by rain and a faint mist, and kept walking.

She was still thinking about golden eyes.