Cedric only laughed scornfully when he heard that pure and innocent answer. He inched closer and closer so that his scent permeated her entire person. He said, "Just make sure one more time."
"You think I'm lying?" Kirsi objected to hearing that.
"What about the Grand Marshal?"
Kirsi is truly angry now. She shook her body with all her might even though she knew it would be meaningless. Seeing that her efforts were still in vain, Kirsi reproached, "Why should I know another man's scent?!"
Cedric raised his eyebrows high, "So you only smell my scent?"
"That's because you put on too much perfume!"
"I don't wear perfume at all."
"None of my business. Get off me."
"Okay, I'll change the question." Cedric stepped away from above Kirsi, but didn't completely leave. His lower body was still pressing against Kirsi's limbs, and his hands were still imprisoning her small body in the middle. He said, "Do you also smell the blood between me and the Grand Marshal?"
Kirsi was confused hearing that, "No. Satisfied now?"
"Tell me about your past," Cedric said as if he was rambling. But seeing the unchanging look in his eyes, at a glance everyone knew that he was serious.
Kirsi gritted her teeth and replied, "Didn't you read it yourself through the document I ordered back then?" What Kirsi meant was that when she had issued 2000 silver coins to dig up information about herself, but ended up fruitless because the document never reached her hands.
Cedric laughed softly and admitted lightly, "That's true. But hearing it from the person herself would feel more promising, right?" His hand that was next to Kirsi's head grabbed a tuft of her fine hair to play with. "Come on, tell me about your past. I want to know."
Kirsi snorted coldly, "I also want to know. It would be best if you told me the contents of the document as well."
Kirsi didn't know how far the information broker could dig into her past. At a time like this, she hoped that those people were useless swindlers who were terrible at their job. The more Cedric knew, the more difficult the situation would be. It didn't matter if Cedric was on her side, but the man was so cunning and savage that Kirsi was beginning to doubt that they were still in the same boat.
Cedric was still playing with Kirsi's hair as he replied, "I don't know much. One thing for sure is that you are an adopted daughter of the Evander household. The rest is still unclear."
Kirsi's body seemed to stiffen. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, the sheep couldn't pretend to be tough in the face of the hungry wolves for too long. Cedric chuckled and added, "I promise I won't share it anywhere. I'm not going to make it into your blackmail either. I just hope you'll voluntarily explain it."
Kirsi bit her lower lip, "I don't know."
"Have you lost your memory?" while asking, Cedric focused himself on the contents of the girl's mind who said 'No' doubtfully. Why did she hesitate? Did she intend to lie?
"No." but Kirsi answered honestly instead.
"How about a hypnosis session to make you remember it?"
"It's pointless. Is there a way to try to remember something I didn't even know in the first place? I told you I don't know."
"Let me see..." Cedric's one hand rose, then he bit the tip of his glove's index finger to release it, then his exposed bare palm gripped Kirsi's forehead and closed her vision from the world. She won't know what Cedric would do, but this seemed better than getting choked.
But then, pain radiated from her head to toe, causing her to instantly retract her thoughts of 'better than choked'. Kirsi felt a very strange and weird sensation not only the pain but also the gripping heat and extreme thirst as if her throat was burning dry. The sensation lingered throughout her body as long as Cedric's palm was still halfway across her face.
As for Kirsi, she didn't have enough strength to even be able to moan in pain. Even so, her hands still had enough strength to reach and paw at Cedric's hands against her face. Her breath hitched like a boiling steam boiler. Her chest heaved up and down violently. Cold sweat filled her body.
She was upset and in pain.
Kirsi didn't truly understand the topic Cedric was trying to bring up. Rather than sounding like he was asking, this man sounded more like he was looking for trouble with her. He is like a ticking time bomb that can explode at any moment. Who would know when he would act cuter than a devoted lover, and no one would know when he would act even more annoying than a bully thug?
Kirsi is still in the stage of trying to move on from the horrific moment when she was choked to death by suffocation in the hunting grounds last time, and now this man has added to her long list of traumas. Kirsi didn't want the burden on her mind to increase. It was enough for her to mess around with novel plot issues that needed to be avoided. Don't add to the problem by being annoying like this. She honestly begged.
On the other hand, Cedric who tried to dig a little memory from inside this beautiful head only ended up in vain. His attempts to gather a large amount of information were thwarted by an invisible wall that seemed to isolate this woman from the outside world. Especially from someone like him. However, his efforts were not entirely fruitless because he at least managed to get one piece of information that was quite useful for him.
Well, that this wife of his somehow doesn't have any bad intentions about him at all. But Cedric still could not find a concrete reason to base this statement. What was this woman thinking? Why was it so hard to expose her when he really needed to know?
Cedric could have searched deeper for a long time, but this woman's psyche wouldn't stand it.
When Cedric faltered between stopping or continuing, this woman took advantage of it by dragging his hand to her lips and biting it hard. The grip of her teeth was as painful as a blow with a brass knuckle spike that pounded right into the flesh. But Cedric didn't blink at the pain. He let Kirsi pour all her anger out on him, just like when he had poured all his confusion on her just now.
Kirsi bit his hand until her jaw clenched. The blood from his hands flowed like a stream of water, pouring into her mouth so that she gulped. The taste of blood rust that she would never get used to somehow helped clear her mind a bit. The scene that had previously seemed blurry due to the mist of anger suddenly became clear.
Her breath was ragged, her chest moving up and down in an interactive, retorted tempo. She was still half lying on the carriage bench with Cedric kneeling between her waist. His body bent forward with one hand holding his weight on the edge of the bench, while the other was still being held captive by her teeth. If Kirsi moved even slightly from her place, her hips could feel the restricted area between the man's legs. They stayed in the same position for two minutes before Kirsi decided to let him go.
As soon as Cedric pulled away from her, Kirsi shortly got out of her position and averted her gaze in any direction other than Cedric's face. Kirsi sat in the corner of the carriage which had been rocked several times by the cobblestones, while Cedric sat sideways facing her not too far.
A suffocating silence filled the Crown Prince's luxurious carriage. The coachman who heard all the commotion in the carriage couldn't do much but wipe his sweat with his sleeve.
When they finally arrived in front of the Crown Prince's residence, Cedric took the initiative to offer a piece of his white handkerchief to help Kirsi clean the bloodstains from her mouth. But the woman refused by slapping his hand firmly. She hissed between her teeth, "There's no need to pretend you care about me if you're going to attack me again next time."
To be honest, it was very difficult for Cedric to understand other people's feelings. Reading their minds is very easy, but understanding their hearts is a different case. For him, it was easier to find a deer with golden horns, purple eyes and a silver body than to understand other people's feelings. Cedric only has basic knowledge about emotions as limited as 'a person will get angry if he is hit', or 'a little child will cry if he is scolded' so he more or less understands the reason for Kirsi's anger. What made him not understand was how to deal with this anger. Cedric knows his sins cannot be erased by simply apologizing, but there are also many cases where the victim will feel a little better after receiving an apology. Does Kirsi belong to that type of person? Should Cedric apologize to her now?
Then what should he do if Kirsi was still angry even after he apologized?
All right, think about that later.
"... I'm sorry. "
Kirsi snorted loudly, her expression full of contempt. "Why apologize if you don't feel guilty at all?"
Oh, it didn't work. It seems that from an action Kirsi is someone who prioritizes meaning over effort.
Cedric knew he was wrong, but he couldn't just bring regret out of thin air. Neither the former Empress nor the Emperor had ever taught him basic moral lessons. They never taught him how to regret his own actions. The only action Cedric could possibly regret was that he had no remorse at all.
"So what do you want me to do?" Cedric was still trying to atone for his sins even though he didn't look sincere at all.
Kirsi is silent. Her gaze was straight ahead, her body in a neat and dignified upright sitting position, as if nothing had happened to her before. Even so, anger and annoyance were still evident all over her body.
Cedric laughed inside. This woman knew that Cedric could hurt her at any moment and could do so, but somehow she still managed to be arrogant and act tough, as if the one in control here was her. But, well, aren't most women like that? Isn't that what makes women special?
They are given slightly less physical strength than men, but they have greater courage and determination. Almost all the women Cedric knew behaved like that. Even in situations of urgency, women still have the self-respect to maintain. And seeing one of the women angry at him comforted Cedric enough, especially since the way Kirsi's anger was a little more quiet and dignified than the rest of his women acquaintances. He didn't think that Kirsi was better than any other woman. It's just that a little different will give a more imprinted impression.
Kirsi, whose side of her face was almost hollow due to the intense gaze of the man beside her, actually felt panic and fear inside. She understood very well that Cedric's kindness was as fickle as the Emperor's love, but she was still shocked and angry when his erratic demeanour came to the fore. Kirsi knew that it would be easy for Cedric to crush her at any moment, and here she was, still being able to be this arrogant. All her anger reflexes occurred purely because of her negligence. Cedric probably thought she was still angry now, but precisely she was controlling herself and reflecting on her negligence. Cedric was not someone to offer this relationship to. The man had only voluntarily followed her wishes. In the first place, they were not partners. What could she expect from such a shallow relationship?
Kirsi sighed softly before finally turning her head to the side towards Cedric who was still solemnly looking at her. Kirsi said helplessly, "I know I'm the one who has put you in this one-sided relationship. I've trapped you in an unwanted marriage, even acting childish for the past few weeks. It's natural for you to feel annoyed and disapproved. Let's forgive each other and be a little more open, shall we?"
Cedric, who had his own reasons and interests for accepting Kirsi's marriage offer, raised his eyebrows high and asked, "Yes?"
"In the future, if you have any dissatisfaction towards me, don't hesitate to ask. But please do it in a normal way and don't be rude like this, will you?"
Cedric was silent for a moment. Kirsi's response was so unusual that he didn't know what to say. It would be better for her to beat him up until he was dying than to be calm like this. He opened his mouth to answer, but became unsure of his own answer so he remained silent.
Kirsi more or less knew what this man was thinking so she explained, "One thing you need to know is that I'm on your side. And if you still have any doubts, or have any doubts about me in the future, you can confirm it with me directly in a way which both of us can accept."
The reason behind Cedric's attack at the hunting ground last time, or even what happened just now, was all based on Cedric's suspicion of her. Now that her thoughts were a little clearer, although they couldn't be justified, Kirsi could at least forgive the man's actions a bit. Towards someone who wasn't clear whether she was an enemy or comrade, who wasn't clear whether she had good or bad intentions, surely it was natural to treat such a person unpleasantly. Again, although not justifiable, Cedric's actions are not entirely unwarranted. Kirsi is upset to admit it, but she's also in a not-so-clean position to be able to demand Cedric's cooperation.
"From now on, I will also discuss with you in advance if I intend to carry out a plan related to you. I hope you can do the same for me. Therefore, if you are still in doubt," Kirsi bit her lower lip for a moment. The rusty taste of Cedric's blood left in her mouth made her slightly nauseous. "You can use the blood vow on me."
Cedric, who always displayed a calm and deceitful appearance at all times, only this time gave an expression of pure disbelief that was not made up at all. That expression only lasted for a split second before it was replaced by his default calm expression. He replied, "That is indeed very efficient for me. But what is in it for you?"
Kirsi looked at Cedric with determination right in his eyes. "You are very powerful and strong. It would be advantageous for me to have you by my side."
Cedric laughed softly, "You are so reckless."
"It doesn't matter, it's worth the price to earn your trust. As long as you won't choke and slam me again in the future."
Cedric laughed loudly this time. He asked, "Where do you want me to put the seal?"
Kirsi cast her gaze to the side, whispering, "…In a place that no one else can see."