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If My Husband Is a Narrow-Eyed Villain, I’m in Trouble — Chapter : 07
Ian Crawford already knows it. That she overheard the secret conversation.
He’s certain of it.
Just thinking that made all the blood drain from her face.
What should she do now?
If she admits it, her parents will be in danger.
But if she denies it, she is afraid of what comes after.
If she honestly says she heard everything, she will definitely become entangled with this villain in some way.
Even though she knows she must keep smiling, maintaining her calm is not easy.
She kept thinking she needed to answer quickly, but her mind was completely tangled.
And then, at that moment—
“Just kidding.”
“…Pardon?”
“Fufu, you looked so flustered, Miss Diana. I just wanted to see it again, so I spoke carelessly.”
…A joke?
No. That wasn’t a joke.
This man was not careless enough to come here just to apologize and then make a mistake.
He had clearly been testing and threatening her just now!
Diana swallowed her urge to scream.
“You… are more mischievous than I expected, my lord.”
She answered quietly on purpose. She did not want him to hear her voice trembling.
“That went too far. That did not sound like a joke at all to me.”
“Oh my. It seems you do not enjoy harsh jokes. I apologize.”
“Next time, even if you apologize, I will not accept it.”
“I’ll take that as meaning you will accept it until today. Then I will have to send something better than flowers next time.”
No, I don’t want anything from you anymore. I don’t want to be involved at all!
It was the first time she had ever looked at someone’s smiling face and thought they looked like a poisonous snake.
Diana smiled while glaring at him, but Ian only calmly lifted his teacup and set it down.
What is he thinking?
As a brief silence fell, Diana’s confusion only deepened.
If his goal was intimidation, he could have met me alone from the start.
If he truly wanted to, as a villain, he could easily make her and her mother’s deaths look like accidents.
So why did he come all the way here?
He’s not stupid. He must have expected I wouldn’t admit anything.
She didn’t understand.
She could not guess what he wanted at all.
“Miss Diana.”
Then Ian called her in a sweet voice.
“If you do not mind, I would like to take a walk in the garden. Would you show me around?”
“…”
Just a moment ago, he was threatening her, and now he was making such a request?
There was a saying that those who smile in hard times are the best.
If that was true, then Ian Crawford was surely a first-class villain.
Diana had no choice but to nod.
The Garden
The garden was beautiful.
The roses in full bloom were especially eye-catching, their vivid red filling the view everywhere.
Walking through them, the man and woman looked like a perfect pair.
At least on the surface.
“From here, these are Rubycara, Empire, and Avril roses. They are all carefully cultivated.”
“I heard the Wellington family has many rare rose varieties. It seems that is true. Do you have a favorite flower?”
“…I like the Avril rose the most. It blooms beautifully in early summer.”
“I see. I will remember that.”
Ian was much more polite and gentlemanly than during their previous walk.
And that was the problem.
Something is wrong.
The villain who always kept strict boundaries was now showing interest in her preferences.
Not quite like a love story, but enough to act like a proper fiancé.
No, this is bad. This is a very bad sign!
Diana’s instincts were screaming.
The problem was that she could not run away with a fake excuse. This was her own home—where could she even go?
Don’t tell me… this is why he came here in person?
She thought she had changed the original story, but somehow it had looped back to the beginning.
A chill ran down her spine.
“Miss Diana?”
“Y-yes?”
“I feel a little hurt. I wish you would ask about my preferences as well.”
“Ah…”
Why did Ian Crawford look so pleased while saying that?
Diana had no choice but to ask.
“Do you… have a favorite flower, my lord?”
“I like hydrangeas.”
“Hydrangeas?”
“Yes. Hydrangeas… I mean, if you soak them in water, they quickly regain life, don’t they?”
He definitely said “water torture.”
He absolutely said water torture!
“I find that vitality very appealing.”
Seeing Diana’s expression collapse, Ian laughed.
“But roses are truly the queen of flowers, are they not? I like that they bloom even while covered in thorns. Flowers that bloom through hardship are beautiful.”
“…You have a very clear aesthetic sense.”
“And since Miss Diana is also so beautiful, you must have gone through your own hardships?”
He smoothly changed the subject again.
And once again, the focus was on Diana.
“How is your social life? Is there anything difficult for you?”
“Not really, I think.”
Even if there was, it was not something she could tell him.
Faces like Carmine and Mio briefly crossed her mind, but only for a moment.
She skillfully redirected the conversation like he did.
“I’m more curious about you, my lord. You meet many more people than I do. Isn’t it difficult?”
“It would be a lie to say it is not.”
Fortunately, Ian did not avoid the question.
“Having many relationships is tiring and complicated. Many people insist that their own circumstances and justifications are the most important.”
“You must have a hard time.”
“They are all so pretentious, always repeating obvious excuses.”
“…”
“Sometimes it becomes unbearable.”
A mocking smile appeared on Ian’s lips.
Those words were the most honest—but also the sharpest—he had spoken all day.
“Do you dislike pretentious people, my lord?”
And yet you are so pretentious yourself?
Diana could not say it out loud and simply watched him.
Suddenly, Ian stopped walking.
“Is something wrong, my lord?”
“…”
“Did I ask something rude?”
“No. It’s not that… It’s not ‘my lord.’ It’s Ian. Did you forget my name?”
“Huh?”
Ian suddenly said something strange. Then he even took her hand.
“I would prefer if you called me by my name. It feels a little lonely when you keep calling me that.”
“But we…”
Ian gently pulled her closer.
In one step, they were suddenly very close—so close she could see his smooth skin clearly.
“If everyone calls me ‘young lord,’ then my name becomes useless, don’t you think?”
Who exactly are you and where do you live?
Diana genuinely wanted to ask that.
The contrast between the terrifying young lord from before and this playful man was too extreme.
Could a person really change their attitude like flipping a hand?
“If it feels awkward now, then at least call me Ian next time.”
“O-okay…”
“Will you promise me?”
“I will. So please let go of my hand and step back a little.”
Ian looked at her struggling expression with satisfaction.
Then he chuckled—and lightly pressed his lips to her finger joints in a mock kiss.
Diana quickly pulled her hand back, startled.
He did not stop her, but his smile only deepened.
“I will trust you to keep your promise.”
She had been completely caught by the deliberate charm of a skilled manipulator.
“Instead, next time I will show you the garden at the ducal estate.”
And only a moment later did Diana realize something important—
Ian had naturally arranged their next meeting.
After Ian left
Diana lay on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
She had no idea how she even managed to send him off.
Where did it all go wrong?
…What do I do now?
She admitted it.
Yes, she had thought being inside a possession novel would be different.
Maybe she could win the lottery.
Maybe she could pull a five-star character.
Maybe she could change the original story.
Everyone thinks like that at least a little!
What’s wrong with that? Being mistaken is a right!
If failure is the mother of success, then Diana’s recent family tree was a total mess.
No one was blaming her, but she was venting alone.
How was nothing working out at all?
A kind female lead, a perfect male lead, and a villain destined to die.
Characters in novels were always so simple.
The hero and heroine’s dramatic love story was predictable, and the villain was just a failure who would lose anyway.
So she thought she understood everything.
This was just a novel world. These were just characters.
She could easily escape if she just handled the situation.
But the moment she became Diana Wellington, the people she faced were no longer fictional characters on a page.
They were real people on the same level as her.
Was it because she forgot that?
When characters became people instead of fiction, everything became much harder.
