Looking for a Husband to Confine Me - Chapter 36.2
Chapter 36.2
‘It’s alright. I’m confident in my ability to move stealthily and conceal my presence.’
I had honed these skills while communicating with and handling snakes, gathering information from them.
Click. A sound echoed from within the fireplace. Bashar looked as though he wanted to say more, but I ignored him, focusing my attention on the fireplace.
Someone was about to emerge into the bedroom. I held my breath, watching as the fireplace mechanism whirred and shifted, revealing the secret passage once more.
Thud. The first sound was that of slow, deliberate footsteps, radiating an almost casual confidence. Simultaneously, a scraping sound continued—the same noise that had alerted me earlier.
The footsteps stopped abruptly just as the figure came into view. The scraping sound, I now realized, was caused by a sword, held loosely in the man’s hand, dragging against the floor. I moved slowly towards him.
“…Were you waiting for me?” he asked, seemingly aware of both Bashar’s and my presence in the room. If he was an enemy, I needed to subdue him before he had a chance to react.
As I drew closer, I saw his grip tighten on the sword. Then, in what seemed like slow motion, he turned. Clang! I had intended to knock him unconscious, or if necessary, use his or even my own blood to subdue him.
But I hesitated for a split second. In that instant, the man moved swiftly, disarming me and pinning me against the wall.
“Now, now, no need for sudden attacks.”
“….”
I stared at the floor, a sense of familiarity washing over me, even though I hadn’t gotten a clear look at his face.
“That was close, Amelia.” The man who spoke my name in such a sweet voice… “It’s been a while. I’m a little late, aren’t I?”
I slowly raised my head to meet his gaze. My eyes traveled up his strong arms, across his broad chest, and finally to his handsome face.
He was smiling at me, his eyes soft and gentle, belying the fact that he had just disarmed and cornered me.
“Were you waiting for me, by any chance?”
“Not at all.”
His words, as always, were impossible to decipher. I looked directly at him, at Damian Ditronil, his smile bright and unwavering. I had recognized him just before I reached him, which was why I had hesitated. And Damian must have…
“Hmm? What’s wrong, Amelia?” he asked, his eyes sparkling, as I glared at him. His apparent delight at my displeasure made me want to look away.
“…You realized it was me, didn’t you?”
“Hmm?”
“And you knew I wasn’t going to attack you.”
“Well, did I?”
He continued to smile, feigning ignorance, tilting his head.
“You didn’t need to disarm me and pin me against the wall.”
“Damian.”
“….”
“Say my name, Amelia. It’s been a while.” He responded with his usual playful tone. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
When I remained stubbornly silent, he slumped his shoulders dramatically, feigning dejection. “It was just a reflex. Forgive me.”
“….”
“Hmm? Amelia…” He looked at me with the mournful eyes of a puppy abandoned in the rain. Despite his powerful physique, he managed to project an air of vulnerability.
“But these things are dangerous if you don’t know how to use them…” He picked up the fallen dagger, muttering the words like a sigh, as I stubbornly avoided his gaze.
I felt a pang of guilt, even though I had done nothing wrong. Damian’s pretense of being hurt was baffling, and more than anything…
‘Please stop looking at me like that!’
His pleading glances pricked at my conscience. I felt like I was tormenting a defenseless animal.
“Why are you here, anyway?”
“…So, you forgive me?”
Damian’s face lit up as I attempted to change the subject. “I wasn’t angry in the first place. More importantly, what happened?”
“Damian.”
“…?”
“Say my name, and I’ll tell you, Amelia.”
His eyes met mine, and he grinned, closing the distance between us. The forlorn puppy act had vanished without a trace. Why was he so obsessed with his name?
“…Damian.”
He was clearly not someone I could defeat with words. Resigned, I quietly uttered his name, and a look of satisfaction spread across his face.
“I arrived at the mansion late, and as you know, it was already consumed by darkness.”
“Did you come to the sanctuary to escape the beasts?”
Damian slowly shook his head. He reached out and began smoothing my tangled hair, which was undoubtedly a mess after all the commotion.
“Then…?”
“Because you would be here.”
“…?”
It sounded as if he had come here because he knew someone, presumably me, would seek refuge in the sanctuary annex. As I stared at him in confusion, his smile deepened.
He twirled a strand of my dark brown hair around his finger, bringing it to his lips. “I came for you, Amelia,” he whispered.
midori
thanks! damian, why are you susp AND unhinged! i mean, it’s fun, but amelia’s response isn’t. she should lean in and take herself as a tamer, it’ll be more fun that way ahahaah