A Contract Marriage with My Child’s Father - Chapter 67

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 67

I thought he might take me to the dining room, but surprisingly, Cain led me outside the manor.

I obediently followed him into the carriage, and before I knew it, we had arrived at the entrance leading to Winterwald’s bustling district.

‘This is the first time I’m going out with Cain since last time.’

Unlike that day when we came together with Melody and Jayden, there were many people on the streets, probably because it was the weekend.

Round round pebbles~♪

It seemed like I could hear a children’s song from somewhere, as if the neighborhood children had gathered to sing.

‘Oh. That’s the children’s song Melody likes.’

The 【Round Round Pebbles】 song was familiar, so I unconsciously turned my head to find the source of the sound.

Four little children had gathered and were singing the children’s song.

I was staring blankly at the cute scene when Cain called me.

“Viola, we should go.”

“Ah, yes!”

Only then did I come to my senses and hurriedly start walking alongside him. But…

‘The more I look, the more fascinating it is.’

Glance. Even as I moved my steps, I found myself stealing glances at Cain without realizing it.

While his inhumanly handsome appearance naturally drew my gaze, it wasn’t just because of that.

It was because his appearance was very different from usual.

His hair, slightly visible under the hood, was jet black instead of his usual silver.

His ruby-like red eyes had also changed to black.

Perhaps sensing my gaze, he looked at me as if asking what was wrong.

“Oh, no. I was just fascinated. So this is that disguise magic tool, right?”

I examined Cain’s wrist. Under the gloves I had given him as a gift, I could see a thin chain bracelet.

Since Cain didn’t usually wear accessories, this seemed to be that magic tool.

I had heard about it briefly while strolling in the garden before. When going out for unofficial business, he often used special magic tools to hide his identity.

‘It just looks like an accessory.’

I had only heard the explanation, but this was the first time I was seeing a magic tool.

“When you wear this, your hair and eye color change?”

“That’s right.”

Unlike me who was fascinated, Cain seemed accustomed to it and didn’t think much of it.

‘Wow.’

No matter how I looked at it, it didn’t seem like magic but rather like he was just born this way from the beginning.

I unconsciously stopped walking and found myself staring at his face.

Both his black pupils and his hair dyed black from the roots were surprisingly natural.

It seemed like no one passing by on the street would even imagine that he was Cain Ashern.

Perhaps sensing my gaze, he also stopped and looked down at me.

Our eyes met directly with his black pupils. It had a different charm from his usual ruby-like eyes.

‘Is it just my imagination? Somehow it feels nostalgic…’

Ah, that’s right!

He resembled a young boy I had met in childhood, from my old memories.

As if enchanted, it was difficult to take my eyes off his face.

Even though I was staring intently, Cain didn’t turn his face away, as if he didn’t mind.

“Can you change it to other colors too?”

“No. It’s determined according to the user’s unique wavelength.”

Though I was a novice when it came to magic, I roughly understood what he meant.

So each user had their own predetermined color.

“Then you’re saying that no matter when or how you do it, Your Grace always becomes black-haired?”

“That’s right.”

Even while having this short conversation, I didn’t take my eyes off his face.

Now that I looked, even his eyelashes had turned black.

Even if it’s magic, how is something like this possible?

No matter how much I looked, it was fascinating. I felt like I was being drawn into his pupils.

It was at that moment when I unconsciously closed the distance too much, wanting to see him from closer up.

“Viola. Wait a moment. You’re too close-“

Before I could stop at Cain’s voice, I heard signs of people behind us.

Soon, mischievous voices could be heard.

“Oh? They’re kissing!”

“Wow. It’s my first time seeing people kiss.”

Huh?

Only after hearing the children’s voices did I realize what I had done.

“Oh, s-sorry!”

My goodness. Am I crazy?

With a bit of exaggeration, it seemed I had approached close enough for our breaths to touch. It wasn’t strange that the kids misunderstood.

“I, I didn’t mean to do that!”

My face felt like it was burning hot, beyond just flushing.

Cain didn’t give any particular response and slightly avoided my gaze, whether he was embarrassed or so dumbfounded that his common sense had run away.

“Really, really! I’m sorry. I did it without realizing…”

As I floundered and grabbed his hand, apologizing repeatedly to Cain, he cleared his throat.

Ahem.

“Viola, calm down first…”

“Ah, yes!”

I was flustered and almost made another mistake. I hurriedly let go of the hand I was holding and tried to regain my composure, but it didn’t work as I wished.

It was because of the mischievous voices of the children that kept coming from behind.

“Excuse me, miss. You can’t kiss here.”

“That’s right. You have to do that stuff somewhere else.”

“Where’s that?”

“I don’t know. The director didn’t tell us that much.”

Ugh. What kind of misunderstanding have these kids been having since earlier?

“We didn’t kiss!”

My head felt like it was going to explode, so I turned to the children and denied it.

“But you did. You kissed. I saw everything.”

“I saw it too.”

“Me too, me too.”

“I said it’s not like that!”

I shouted like someone who had been burned by fire, startled.

The four children still seemed not to believe my words and tilted their heads simultaneously.

Suddenly, I felt self-loathing.

‘Sigh. What am I doing right now.’

I felt foolish for being completely swept up in the children’s pace.

Despite my experience as a kindergarten teacher in my previous life being meaningless.

But it couldn’t be helped.

What I was familiar with were the children from Cosmos class, not yellow belt taekwondo children.

Even though they seemed similar, there was quite a difference between heaven and earth.

‘Let’s calm down first. I’m an adult, an adult.’

I felt like someone caught doing something bad on the street, so I was flustered and swayed by the children’s teasing, but I decided to become confident.

Because I really wasn’t trying to kiss him!

Come to think of it, Cain has been quiet since earlier.

Belatedly noticing something was off, I glanced toward the wall.

Cain was frozen like a stone in the same position as before. He seemed quite shocked.

This was a completely unprecedented reaction from him, who was usually so composed, and it was quite unsettling.

No, that wasn’t all.

Looking closer, his brow was deeply furrowed as well.

I cautiously watched his expression…

‘Oh no. He must be really displeased…!’

It was understandable. He had been subjected to such an absurd misunderstanding because of me.

This wouldn’t do.

I had to clear up the situation before the children developed even worse misunderstandings.

I spoke in a deliberately stern voice.

“Something just got in my eye and he was removing it. Don’t misunderstand anymore. Got it?”

Before they could respond with a cheerful “We don’t get it!” in their contrary way, I hurriedly decided to change the subject.

Come to think of it…

Now that I had calmed down and looked at the children’s faces, they seemed strangely familiar.

“Are you kids the ones who were singing the ‘Round Round Pebbles’ song earlier?”

“That’s right. It’s Tommy’s birthday next week, so we were all practicing the song together.”

“Tommy is our big brother! He’s turning six!”

“Not six, he’s turning seven.”

“Seven years old!”

One of the four children was noticeably smaller in stature, so it seemed like he was gathered with his older brother’s friends to prepare for the birthday party together.

Hmm. Is that so?

The children seemed ready to chatter all day, but I thought of a way to end the situation.

“If it’s a birthday, you’ll need to prepare a present, right?”

“Yes! We’re all pooling our money together to buy a notebook!”

“Oh my. The sun’s setting, won’t the general store close soon?”

When I deliberately shaded my eyes with my hand to look at the sky, the children were startled.

“Oh! That’s not good!”

“Waaah! Goodbye!”

They seemed to be quite well-mannered children as they bowed politely before running off in a rush.

Phew. Thank goodness.

The situation ended more quickly than I had worried it would.

Watching the children’s retreating figures heading toward the town square, I let out a sigh of relief.

However, a bigger problem remained.

‘Ah, how do I resolve this awkward atmosphere…?’

Ugh. Swallowing tears inwardly, I approached Cain.

* * *

Whether Viola was talking with the children or not, Cain couldn’t hear anything.

His thoughts had been completely paralyzed by the mental shock from earlier.

For him, who had remained calm even when surrounded by dozens of monsters, this was a completely new experience.

A child’s voice kept echoing in his ears like a persistent refrain.

“Oh? They’re kissing!”

Though Cain was generally peaceful as befitted his dragon blood, that one statement was enough to shatter his composure.

It was such a shocking misunderstanding.

It was also something the Duke of the Dragon, who had never had a single scandal with any woman, had never heard in his life.

He unconsciously furrowed his brow deeply.

Kiss… kissing.

Though he was emotionally detached dragon blood who had never been in a relationship, that didn’t mean he didn’t know what the word meant.

A childish term referring to a kiss shared between lovers.

If he wasn’t mistaken, that was definitely what it meant.

So those children thought he had shared a kiss with Viola.

Of course, it was an absurd misunderstanding.

How could an unmarried man and woman do such a thing in such a public place?

He wasn’t such an irresponsible man.

Unless they were married, perhaps…

Hm?

Cain suddenly realized that his logic was somehow strange.

‘So if we were married, it would be okay to kiss her?’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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