The Beast Swallowed by the Flower (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 21
Kai entered the room and his eyes widened at the sight of Lisi standing before the mirror.
He soon gave a faint smile, stepped behind her, and wrapped one arm around her slender waist.
His lips naturally brushed against Lisi’s neck.
His warm breath spread all the way down to her collarbone.
She should have been used to this natural physical affection by now, yet she couldn’t understand why she still tensed up and grew warmer each time he touched her.
Kai rested his chin on Lisi’s shoulder and gazed at her reflection in the mirror.
His steel-blue eyes slowly and subtly traced down Lisi’s image in the glass.
“You’re beautiful, Lisi.”
“So are you.”
That wasn’t a lie.
Dressed in formal attire for the party, Kai looked astonishingly handsome.
Even his usually tousled hair had been slicked neatly back with pomade this time.
His thick eyebrows beneath his straight forehead appeared more striking than usual.
“I heard you asked Jamie to do something. But he wouldn’t tell me what it was. How did you get my subordinate to fold so easily?”
“I neither roasted nor boiled him—he willingly folded his wings. Must be thanks to good training from his master.”
She’d only meant it as a joke, but Kai’s eyes darkened.
Kai turned Lisi around to face him.
“How could you not know? What Jamie transforms into.”
She thought, ‘Oops,’ but didn’t panic.
Such incidents would happen frequently from now on.
Secrets that belonged to her and no one else.
“Does it matter?”
Lisi asked calmly.
“It does. But you won’t tell me.”
“Not yet.”
“Will you someday?”
Even Lisi herself didn’t know.
She had lived once, and died once.
She thought it was over—yet she was given a second life.
Would anyone truly believe such a thing?
Even if someone did believe her, would anyone not call her a witch for having come back through time?
Returning through time hadn’t granted her any special powers.
‘I don’t even have enough strength to protect myself. That’s why I rely on this man.’
Lisi looked into Kai’s eyes.
His gaze was so deep and cold that she couldn’t guess what he was thinking. If he ever discovered she’d returned through time, she couldn’t predict how he’d react.
The wounds inflicted by others in her past life hadn’t healed a bit, so Lisi trusted no one. Even if someone seemed friendly now, there was no telling when or how they might change.
Lisi poked Kai’s firm chest with her index finger.
“That depends on you.”
Kai’s eyes narrowed. The coldness vanished, replaced by gentle warmth.
“I’ll have to do even better, then. I’m the type who must uncover everything I’m curious about.”
“I’ll be expecting it.”
“You should be nervous. I’ll surely surprise you.”
+++
Though Tony’s Den tavern was quite spacious, so many people had gathered that the place couldn’t accommodate them all.
Buffet tables had been set up in the large square beside Tony’s Den, so those who couldn’t enter the tavern stood in the square, waiting only for Countess Green to arrive.
Soon, the Green family’s carriage arrived, and people scattered about quickly gathered along the roadside.
Even though the carriage windows were curtained, hiding the countess inside, everyone stretched their necks, craning and peering as if they might catch a glimpse of something.
When the carriage stopped before Tony’s tavern, the bustling square fell silent.
Click—-
The silence was so profound that the sound of the carriage door opening echoed loudly.
Kai stepped out first.
At the sight of his godlike figure, several women let out soft sighs of admiration.
Kai extended his hand toward the carriage interior, and a delicate, small hand rested gently atop his large palm.
Merely seeing her hand emerge made the crowd swallow hard.
The moment Iris Green revealed herself,
people couldn’t even swallow—they stared at her as if entranced.
Her silver hair shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight, perfectly complementing her fair, smooth skin and the elegant light-blue dress she wore. Her large, well-proportioned features on her petite face seemed perfectly crafted by a deity’s full effort.
The flower of the Wittelo ducal family.
Countess Iris Green’s radiance rendered even such descriptions inadequate.
She appeared both innocent and elegant, yet also haughty. Her slow, deliberate survey of the surroundings as she stepped from the carriage felt unreal in its beauty.
People forgot even to breathe as they stared, entranced, at Lisi.
Her plump, red lips parted slowly.
“Oh my.”
A soft exclamation escaped her.
Then a gentle smile spread across Lisi’s face.
“I didn’t expect so many of you to come. I’m delighted.”
At that instant, the crowd felt profoundly moved—grateful that they had brought joy to her.
The spellbinding silence was broken by the sound of an approaching carriage.
Only then did people snap out of their trance.
They shook off the euphoric feeling of walking on celestial clouds and glared irritably at the carriage approaching from the distance.
Lisi also turned her head to watch the carriage.
It belonged to the Merdi viscount’s family.
When Gillette stepped down from the carriage, everyone present was utterly astonished.
It was due to her flamboyant attire.
The hem of her voluminous red dress was embroidered with golden thread, and her shoulders were finished with thread dusted with crushed diamonds.
A dazzling necklace and earrings gleamed in the sunlight, and dozens of jeweled hairpins fastened her long, coiled hair.
Gillette seemed to declare, ‘If the sun reigns in the sky, then I am the sun of this earth!’ She was indeed beautiful.
Her face was originally quite pretty, and the makeup she wore—crafted to match her dress—made her even more stunning.
If this had been an ordinary noble’s party, her outfit wouldn’t have caused any issue.
After all, most guests would have dressed as extravagantly as she did.
But this was a party for commoners.
Since the host had announced the theme as ‘For the common folk,’ it was only proper that nobles attending wore attire fitting the occasion.
The nobles present wore outfits of fine materials but simple enough that they blended smoothly with the commoners without causing discomfort.
Even Viscount and Viscountess Merdi, Gillette’s parents, followed this norm.
Viscount and Viscountess Merdi, who had arrived at the party earlier than Gillette, now stared at their daughter with ashen faces.
Seeing everyone’s attention fixed on her, Gillette smiled brightly, gave a slight curtsy, and then walked toward Lisi with confident clicks of her heels.
Lisi watched Gillette approach, hands folded neatly before her.
Everyone held their breath, watching Lisi and Gillette intently.
Gillette’s eyes quickly scanned Lisi’s outfit, then she smiled victoriously, as if certain she’d won.
“Countess, thank you so much for inviting me to this party today.”
“I don’t recall personally inviting you.”
“Huh?”
“It’s an open party—anyone may attend. You needn’t thank me, Miss Gillette.”
“Well… alright, then.”
Gillette humphed, turned sharply, and walked toward where the other nobles had gathered.
Spotting her acquaintances among the noble ladies, Gillette beamed and joined their group.
Lisi watched her for a moment, then smiled as she addressed the crowd.
“Thank you all for attending the party today. Please enjoy yourselves.”
“Does the Countess know the rumors circulating about her these days?”
Hardly had Lisi finished speaking when a sharp question cut through the air.
Everyone gasped at this breach of etiquette and turned toward the source of the voice.
A man with sharp eyes stared directly at Lisi.
Lisi felt Kai’s hand, still holding hers, tighten.
She tapped his knuckles with her thumb to signal him to stay calm, then addressed the man.
“That’s rather rude.”
“I know. My apologies. But wasn’t this party held precisely to clarify the truth behind those rumors?”
Half the crowd nodded in agreement, while the other half wore expressions of ‘Oh, was that it?’
Lisi gazed at him calmly and spoke.
“Why should I explain anything about those rumors?”
“Huh?”
The man’s sharp gaze faltered momentarily—he hadn’t expected such a response from Lisi.
“Even if I explained, people would believe only what they wanted to. It’s a personal matter—so long as my husband and family know those rumors are merely malicious fabrications, isn’t that enough?”
Lisi looked up at Kai as she spoke.
Kai met her eyes and smiled with unmistakable happiness.
Never releasing the hand he’d held since stepping from the carriage, Lisi and Kai gazed at each other as if they were the only two people in the world.
To any observer, they were plainly a newlywed couple deeply in love, with nothing amiss.
“But since the Holy Nation has sent someone specifically to uncover the truth behind these rumors, isn’t this more than a matter you can dismiss with such words?”
The man refused to back down.
Lisi was grateful for his stubbornness—this was exactly the situation she’d wanted.
She turned her gaze fully upon him. She knew who he was.
Wherever trouble arose, he would be there—and she’d anticipated his presence here.
Just as she’d expected, he had come, and acted precisely as she’d foreseen.
“Who are you?”
Pretending ignorance, she asked.
He answered proudly.
“I am Wittingk of Elherbo.”
Elherbo—the largest and most reputable newspaper, with branches across most nations of the Elherond continent.
Wittingk, its reporter, was known for his impolite interviews but also for his impartial reporting.
In Lisi’s previous life, after Kai was killed for being a beastkin, Wittingk had written an article condemning the act as a great loss and a cruelty—only to be executed by the Emperor’s order for it.
From the darkness of death, Lisi had witnessed him cry out, “The world’s gone mad! Everyone’s gone mad!” until the moment the noose took his life.
Lisi slowly looked around at the crowd.
Even those inside the tavern had quietly come out to listen, eager to learn the truth behind the rumors that had entertained them all this while.
Most wore expressions of keen curiosity, but a few looked at her with smug satisfaction.
Lisi was certain those youthful faces belonged to noble ladies who’d previously admired Kai.
“Alright.”
The square fell so silent that Lisi’s calm voice rang out clearly.
“Since you’ve all shown me such affection that you wish to dig into even my private life, I suppose I must respond.”
Lisi’s gaze lingered briefly on Gillette before shifting to Wittingk.
“Then shall we find out what the truth really is?”
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
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