Predatory Marriage

Predatory Marriage — Chapter 268. Sin

Translator: Atlas / Editor: Regan

Then the man ran away with his tail tucked between his legs. It happened so fast that Leah blinked in the sudden quiet of the street, and then followed Ishakan, who was walking away as if nothing had happened.

“Why did you kick him?” She asked.

Under the circumstances, Ishakan could have just avoided him. It seemed unnecessary and a little aggressive to kick him.

“The proverb says, when two people collide, so do their destinies,” he said earnestly, pulling Leah to his side. “I don’t think you want to share a destiny with anyone but me.”

She wanted to laugh, but pursed her lips. He wasn’t kidding. And fortunately there were no other near collisions after that, and they left the market quietly.

Instead, Ishakan took her to a forest near the capital. The land belonged to the royal family, but few people entered because of the dangerous animals that lived there. Ishakan entered it fearlessly, carrying Leah in his arms.

It was dark under the trees, even though the sun had risen, with only a little light filtering through the leaves. Even though Leah couldn’t see clearly, his steps never faltered. He could see things she couldn’t, he could hear things she couldn’t. It was things like this that made her think that Ishakan was not really human.

She was a little worried that they would come across a wild animal, but they kept their distance. The forest was so quiet, she wondered if they had all fled at his approach.

“Originally, I wanted to go to the palace and see the tuberoses,” he said as he carried her. “But everything is withered in that place.”

At that moment, the trees opened before them and the sun shone down on a glade, with blue sky overhead. There was a lake so crystal clear that Leah could see all the way to the bottom, and as the wind blew, leaves drifted from the trees to rest lightly on the surface of the water. The sun glowed green on the leaves.

Ishakan gently lowered her to the ground, and Leah slipped out of her sweltering robe, moving through the underbrush to the lake. A cool breeze ruffled her hair as she gazed at that pure, clear water. It was so beautiful, as if it had never been touched by humans. –Posted only on NovelUtopia

And this place was so filled with life, compared to the gloom of the palace. Leah felt revitalizing, gazing into the water, smelling the fresh scent of the forest. Belatedly, she looked back at Ishakan.

“……”

He was standing under the shade of a tree, gazing at her unmoving as if she were a forest creature he might startle. She opened her mouth to speak, but Ishakan spoke first.

“…Dazzling.”

His voice was a little hoarse, filled with a passion that made her feel self-conscious. She touched her hair, the silver locks seeming to shimmer in the sunlight. Ishakan tossed his own robe onto the ground and approached her.

“What if the sun melts you?”

“I’m not a snowflake,” she replied, making him chuckle. They were facing each other, and she could smell the fresh, faintly sweet smell of grass on his body.

Suddenly she felt very shy. Leah looked away, avoiding his eyes, scanning the edges of the lake where small white wildflowers grew in tall green grass until a large hand suddenly came down before her eyes.

She could see the veins rising on the back of that powerful hand.

“Even when we first met…” The sound of his voice made her turn her head to look up at him, and he gently stroked her cheek. “…you were dazzling.”

His golden eyes glowed in the sunlight. Leah’s lips parted. Him. He was dazzling.

“I thought I didn’t care about those memories, but I was wrong,” he said, his fingers gently touching her softly parted lips. “I thought it was enough that you loved me. But I get greedier and greedier…”

Ishakan exhaled heavily. His voice was low, as if he were confessing a sin.

“I want you to remember me, Leah.”