Hiding My Identity From My Husband - Chapter 3

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 3

We arrived at the Mansion in less than an hour, just as the coachman had promised.
It was a modest residence of pristine white brick stacked in neat layers, its exterior as immaculate as the man’s appearance—and the well-maintained garden caught my eye at once.
‘So Lu Bantès does have a good reputation in the Capital.’
Which meant his staff would be competent people, then.
As I stepped down from the carriage, I glanced about, wondering if Lu Bantès might be waiting outside.
That was when—
“Welcome, Charel!”
A middle-aged woman in a maid’s dress approached and greeted me.
“I’m Mardi, the housekeeper who manages this Mansion. Please, feel free to call me by name.”
She ordered the staff to carry my luggage, then continued.
“The master has instructed me to give you a tour of the Mansion. Would that be acceptable?”
I’d expected to meet Lu Bantès the moment I arrived, so this was a relief.
I smiled and nodded, and Mardi’s face brightened at once.
“My, you’re far more lovely than the master described! Your pink hair looks just like flower petals. How could anyone be so beautiful? I must have words with the master about his way of expressing himself.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“What exactly did Lu say about me?”
Mardi’s smile grew even wider as she answered.
“Oh, miss, please, there’s no need for formality. You’re the Fiancée of Lu, soon to be married—you’re as good as the master himself.”
“Ah, yes. Of course.”
“To answer your question—oh, he spoke volumes! He praised you endlessly, said you were the loveliest person imaginable.”
……
Him?
The same man who’d cursed me as the most unreasonable person in the world now had praise for me?
‘Typical Lu Bantès. Already laying groundwork behind the scenes.’
How frightening.
I decided I’d need to play along similarly, so I manufactured a delighted expression and spoke.
“I’m a bit embarrassed that Lu spoke of me so warmly.”
“My goodness!”
Mardi covered her mouth and laughed.
“You’re such a delightful young lady. Come now, let me show you around.”
She led me through the various rooms of the Mansion.
“This is the Dining Room. Normally we’d bring meals to your chambers, but if you wish to dine with the master, you’re welcome to come down here.”
Absolutely not. We’re not eating together.
I marked the Dining Room as the number-one location to avoid at all costs, committing its position firmly to memory.
“This is the Study, where the master spends most of his time…”
Not interested in books.
“And this is the Reception Room, where the master receives his guests…”
I won’t be entertaining anyone.
By the time I’d mentally catalogued eight different places I absolutely must avoid, I finally reached the room that had been prepared for me.
“This will be your chambers for now, young lady. Of course, for the present you and the master will occupy separate rooms, but after the wedding ceremony you’ll be sharing one.”
My step faltered as I crossed the threshold.
A wedding ceremony.
Just thinking about it made my stomach turn.
Ah, a cramp…
“Oh my, miss! Are you embarrassed? My, my—you can barely stand!”
I was clutching my stomach because it hurt, not from shyness, but she’d drawn her own conclusions. Much obliged…
“Come, you must see the room!”
Unaware of my true distress, Mardi giggled and opened the door.
The next instant, she gasped and jumped back.
“Goodness! Master, when did you return?”
…Master?
I slowly lifted the head I’d been bowing.
Sunlight, scattered like golden thread, flooded the room and framed a man’s silhouette.
Backlit, only his outline was clear.
A tall, straight frame, shoulders held with quiet precision, and a bearing of serene dignity.
Light wrapped around his body, spreading outward like a white halo.
“……Lu.”
Without thinking, I spoke his name aloud.
At that, his head—which had been turned toward the window—slowly rotated toward me.
“You’ve arrived.”
He smiled at me like someone suffused with light.
“You took your time.”
The more his smile widened, the brighter the glow that danced in his blue eyes.
And at the same moment, his soft golden hair rippled gently.
I wondered why he was smiling like that, then realized Mardi was standing right beside me.
In front of others, we had to look like a devoted couple—so of course he was smiling for show.
My mind understood, but my body refused to cooperate with reason.
“Charel? What’s wrong?”
I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry, and hastily straightened my chin.
“……Yes. Right. Lu.”
After so long apart, his face was practically an assault.
I ignored my body’s tactless response and drew in a sharp breath.
At that, Lu’s eyes narrowed slightly before immediately relaxing.
“Mardi. Thank you for your efforts. I have some matters to discuss with Charel, so would you mind stepping out for a moment?”
“Of course! I’ll check on you both again at dinner. Please rest comfortably.”
Mardi laughed softly as she looked at me, then left the room.
The moment the door clicked shut, Lu Bantès’s face twisted slightly.
“Charel… or rather, Charel. What was that reaction?”
He furrowed his brow as if questioning when he’d last smiled prettily at me, then looked me over like I was something to be appraised.
“Anyone watching would think you’d just met a complete stranger. You haven’t forgotten that we’re supposed to be madly in love with each other, have you?”
“I remember. Just now I was… tired, a bit dizzy.”
“You’re ill?”
Lu Bantès asked, his eyes widening.
Hmm, playing sick seemed like the better option here.
I certainly couldn’t tell him I’d lost my composure over his looks—I’d sooner bite my tongue clean off.
“Yes. A little. Well, quite a bit, actually.”
I grabbed my forehead deliberately and swayed.
Lu Bantès then smiled and approached me.
“Charel.”
He placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Let me diagnose your condition. How about ‘Acute Lack of Commitment’? Or perhaps ‘Failure to Comprehend the Mission Properly’?”
“…….”
Suddenly his nickname came to mind.
‘The Viper,’ was it.
There was also the nickname ‘Mad Dog,’ but either way, his way of speaking was twisted and unsettling, mad in every sense.
I wanted to hit myself for letting my mind wander over that face, even for a moment. I shook my head quickly.
“Lu Bantès.”
“It’s Lu Bancen here.”
“Right. Lu.”
I knocked his hand away from my shoulder and glared at him.
“Keep this up and you’ll get hit one of these days.”
“Ha ha ha. Joking again.”
“Who’s joking?”
Lu shrugged and withdrew his hand.
Then he gestured me toward the sofa.
“Come, sit down. If you’re ill, I suppose I should at least let you rest.”
“You certainly have a way with words.”
I’d barely sat on the sofa before I leaned forward and spoke urgently.
“There’s actually something I’ve been wanting to ask you since we met.”
“Was I that eagerly anticipated?”
“Why did you call me here?”
“You’re not going to answer my question?”
Lu, seated across from me, placed his hand against his temple and tilted his head as he spoke.
Still ignoring what he’d said, I opened my mouth again.
“I mean, if women you don’t know are proposing to you and making things complicated, you could just keep some woman with suitable credentials by your side. Then both the woman and you would win, wouldn’t you? So why me specifically?”
Lu blinked slowly. I seized the moment to continue.
“We’re not close.”
At that, Lu’s eyes widened. He looked genuinely surprised as he gazed at me.
“I thought I was closest to Charel, actually.”
“What? Why on earth would you think that?”
Instead of answering, he tilted his head slightly and offered a gentle smile.
Why was he smiling like that? It seemed off.
‘What common ground could we possibly have for him to claim we’re close?’
I racked my brain, but found nothing. If anything, I’d have said our relationship was strained.
Which made what Lu had just said all the more bewildering.
We don’t get along, yet Lu Bantès insisted we were close.
“To answer your first question, there’s only one reason I haven’t married a suitable woman.”
Oblivious to my thoughts, Lu pressed on.
“That woman would come to love me sincerely, but I couldn’t return her feelings. It wouldn’t be fair.”
The answer was so principled that for a moment I had nothing to say.
I’d never have expected such words from Lu of all people.
“But you’re different, Charel. You hate me, so you’d never come to love me. That’s why I asked you here.”
……
“Of course, I do like you.”
Instead of answering, I let a smile play at the corners of my mouth. Then I slowly leaned forward.
“Lu.”
“Yes?”
“If you’re going to lie, at least do it convincingly.”
“Ha. You really don’t understand my heart.”
Lu’s eyes had widened briefly, but now he laughed with a hollow sound, scratching the back of his head.
“In any case, for our task now, our personal feelings don’t matter.”
Lu continued to watch me, smiling with a subtle fold at the corners of his eyes.
To a stranger, it would have looked like a beautiful smile—but knowing him as I did, that smile made me deeply uneasy.
“You don’t need to wonder why I called for you or why I want to keep you at my side. There’s no need for you to know.”
There it was. He was dodging the real answer, wasn’t he.
As if performing his mission while also keeping me close—keeping watch over me.
“So, Charel.”
……
“Let’s do our best together from now on.”
I didn’t want to do this well.
I was afraid of him.

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