When he arrived at the location of the house he had just bought, Evan suddenly fell completely silent. His eyes widened as he stared at the building before him.
"???????? ????! ?? ???????????? ???????? ?????????????????? ?????? ?????????? ???????????? ????????????! ?????? ?????????? ?? ??????-???????? ?????????????? ???????? ???? ?????? ?????????????? ???? ???????? ?????? ?????????????? ???????????!" Evan cursed inwardly as he lamented his fate.
The building was more aptly described as a dilapidated shack than a house. Its thatched roof was full of holes, its wooden walls had rotted away from termites, and its structure was tilted as though it could collapse from nothing more than a gust of wind.
Evan let out a harsh breath before slowly lowering Anna and sitting her down on a relatively clean, flat stone.
"Wait here for a moment. I need to fix this lousy shack first unless we want to get crushed by rotten wood."
Evan walked toward the shack.
"A junk heap like this should have cost five silver coins at most! What a damn rip-off!"
Evan actually wanted to return to the village chief’s house and beat the old bastard up, but moving around and causing a commotion would only attract attention.
"Just you wait, old man. I’ll let you off this time," he muttered irritably.
Fortunately, both in his previous life and during his time as a con artist, Evan had basic carpentry skills that he had taught himself. With a hunting knife, a small axe, and wooden stakes he carried in his bag, Evan began cutting branches, leveling the wooden floor, and supporting the crooked pillars.
For several hours, he worked hard under the scorching sun, exhausting what little strength he had left. Yet by the time evening approached, only a quarter of the shack had been repaired.
"Tch, there’s no way I can finish this in one day," Evan complained as he wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. "I haven’t even gotten a proper night’s sleep for days because those knights kept chasing me... Ah, if only this house could magically finish itself, and I could just sit back, relax, and eat some meat..."
Completely exhausted, Evan decided to rest for a while. He turned around.
Anna was still sitting silently on the stone, watching his every movement.
Yet for some reason, even though the woman’s face was hidden behind her long, dull hair, Evan could feel the gaze behind her bangs. It was so intense and strange.
It felt deeply uncomfortable, as though he were being watched by a predator.
Evan ignored the strange feeling and approached Anna. He reached into his pocket and took out a piece of dried meat jerky, an emergency ration he always carried with him.
"My stomach feels like it’s twisting itself into knots from hunger. You must be hungry too, right? Want some?" Evan offered.
Anna nodded slowly. Her thin fingers carefully reached for the jerky. Evan smiled faintly, relieved that at least the slave he had bought was willing to eat.
"Does your hair bother you?" Evan asked. "Eat without letting your hair get in your face."
Without waiting for an answer, Evan reached out and brushed the thick bangs covering Anna’s face behind her ear.
The moment the strands of hair were moved aside, Evan’s eyes widened completely.
The gentle afternoon breeze swept past, revealing the beauty hidden beneath the dirt and bruises.
The woman’s face possessed remarkably symmetrical and graceful features, with naturally rosy, delicate lips. But what captivated Evan the most, while also filling him with a sense of mystery, was her pair of irises, a faint crimson red that shimmered beautifully beneath the afternoon sunlight.
Evan flinched in surprise.
"Y-your face...?" His tongue suddenly went numb. "Ah... I mean, I didn’t expect you to actually be this beautiful."
Hearing the innocent compliment, Anna’s pale cheeks slowly flushed red. She lowered her head shyly, taking a small bite of the jerky in her hand.
Evan let out a long sigh before leaning his back against a large rock nearby.
"Well, who cares about having a pretty face when we’re still living miserable lives? I’m curious about your past... With a face as beautiful as yours, were you actually a noble princess who was abandoned?"
Anna didn’t answer. She simply stared at Evan with innocent, naive eyes.
Evan yawned widely as a heavy drowsiness began to overwhelm his consciousness.
"Whatever... Wake me up when it starts getting dark, okay? I want to close my eyes for a little while."
Slowly, Evan’s eyes closed completely. He wasn’t afraid at all of sleeping beside the woman rumored to be a ’witch,’ nor was he worried about being attacked by wild beasts.
In his sleep, Evan had a beautiful dream. He dreamed that he had become an incredibly wealthy nobleman, bathing in a mountain of gold coins earned by scamming the entire kingdom.
The dream was so sweet that he even chuckled in his sleep.
Evan didn’t know how long he had been asleep, but he felt an incredibly comfortable sensation. His bed was so soft, his blanket was warm, and the musty smell of the dilapidated shack had been replaced by the fresh, pleasant scent of pinewood.
It was the deepest and most comfortable sleep he had ever experienced in his entire life.
However, when his eyes slowly opened... what he saw was not the afternoon sky or the surrounding trees.
Instead, he was staring at a sturdy, neat, and clean wooden ceiling!
"Huh?!"
Evan stared in shock and immediately sat up on instinct. Beside him, Anna was lying on her side, tightly embracing Evan’s waist like a wife who refused to let her husband leave her.
"W-what the hell happened while I was sleeping?! Why am I lying on such a soft bed?!" Evan’s breathing became ragged.
In a panic, Evan slowly removed Anna’s embrace before jumping to his feet. He ran out of the room.
He was utterly stunned when he saw the interior of the house. The wooden walls were now perfectly fitted together without even the smallest gap, the entire place smelled pleasant, and the furniture was complete!
Evan immediately stepped outside through the front door to make sure his eyes weren’t deceiving him.
The location was still exactly the same! The forest surrounding it was the same, and even the stone he had been sitting on earlier was still there!
"No way! How...?! This shack wasn’t even a quarter finished earlier!" Evan exclaimed in a suppressed voice.
When he turned toward the bedroom window, he saw that Anna was already standing there. Through the clear glass, the woman stared at him with innocent eyes and a faint smile.
Evan swallowed nervously.
"??????????’?? ???? ?????? ???????? ?????????? ?????? ?????? ???? ????????, ???????????! ???? ??????... ???????????????? ?? ???????? ???????????!"
Although his logic refused to believe it, the evidence right before his eyes was far too real to deny.
Anna gracefully stepped outside the house. She stood in the doorway, gazing at Evan with eyes that were incredibly sincere and warm, yet concealed a deep sharpness.
"What’s wrong, Evan? It’s already night. A husband and wife should go back to bed and sleep," Anna said in a gentle voice.
Evan’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"E-Evan?! How do you know my real name?!" His voice trembled violently. As far as he knew, he had never once told this woman his real name! He had even told the village chief that his name was ’John’!
Anna smiled sweetly and tilted her head slightly.
"Of course a wife knows her husband’s real name. Come inside again. It’s very cold outside."
Evan shuddered in deep fear. His instincts screamed at him to run as fast as he could into the forest!
However, when he looked at the pitch-black forest at night and heard the howl of wolves in the distance, his legs suddenly became stiff and began trembling.
"???????? ???? ????????????! ???????? ?????????? ???????? ???? ???????? ???? ???????? ???? ???????? ?????? ???????????????????? ???? ????????????????! ?????? ???? ?? ???????????????? ???????? ???????????? ???? ?????? ?????????? ?????????????!" Evan screamed inwardly.
Yet strangely, the closer he got to Anna, the more a peculiar sense of security enveloped his heart.
Anna’s demeanor felt completely different from the weak woman in the cage earlier. Her gaze now appeared mature, dominant, and protective.
Anna extended her delicate hand, leading Evan inside before closing the door tightly.
"Let’s go back to sleep, Evan."
"W-wait!" Evan gently refused and pulled his hand free from Anna’s grasp. His eyes swept around the house, carefully examining its contents.
In the middle of the room stood a beautifully carved wooden dining table accompanied by two sturdy-looking, brand-new chairs.
Evan chose to sit on one of the wooden chairs to calm his nerves.
"Did... you make and arrange all of this?"
Anna nodded slowly without hesitation.
Seeing that innocent reaction, Evan honestly couldn’t lie to himself. Anna’s now-clean face was incredibly beautiful, sweet, and utterly adorable.
Whoosh!
In an instant, Anna’s face turned bright red all the way to her ears. Looking extremely embarrassed, she covered her face with both hands before running swiftly into the bedroom.
Seeing that lightning-fast reaction, Evan was now one hundred percent certain.
This woman could really read his mind!
"She can read minds and create an entire house in an instant?! Are all witches this powerful?!" Evan muttered in panic. "Damn it! Is this good luck or a disaster?! What if she gets angry at me someday and tortures me with black magic?!"
Evan’s negative thoughts ran wild. He imagined himself being tied to a stake, cursed, or burned alive by Anna.
The thought sent shivers down his spine.
However, because the comfortable magic enveloping the house was so soothing, Evan gradually became overwhelmed by another wave of intense drowsiness until he eventually fell asleep on the wooden table.
When Evan woke up, the morning sunlight had already streamed through the window.
The moment he opened his eyes, Evan screamed in surprise and frantically rubbed his chest.
Right in front of him, Anna was already standing upright. Her appearance was extremely neat, dressed in a simple yet beautiful cloth dress, though Evan had no idea where she had gotten it. Her black hair was neatly braided.
She smiled sweetly at Evan, but her eyes were so deep and unblinking.
"Uwah! W-why are you standing there all alone like a ghost?!" Evan exclaimed in shock.
"Isn’t a wife supposed to stand and welcome her husband when he wakes up?" Anna replied in a gentle, calm voice.
Evan rubbed his rapidly beating chest, feeling that something was seriously wrong with the way this woman thought.
"Wait, why do you keep bringing up this ’husband and wife’ thing? That marriage yesterday was just some nonsense from the old village chief trying to squeeze money out of me! We’re not husband and wife!"
ZAP!
The moment those words left Evan’s mouth, the atmosphere inside the house changed drastically!
The temperature plummeted, becoming freezing cold. Cold sweat poured down Evan’s entire body. The shadows in the corners of the room seemed to stretch and grow denser.
Anna stood completely still.
Her sweet smile vanished entirely. Her crimson irises now glowed brightly as she glared at Evan with an incredibly dense killing intent!
A sensation of death appeared clearly before Evan’s eyes. His survival instinct immediately went into full alert!
Without thinking twice, Evan burst into an awkward laugh, pretending that what he had just said was nothing more than a joke.
"BWAHAHAHA! I-I was just kidding, Anna! Of course we’ve already been bound together in a legitimate marriage! Look! This wooden fang bracelet is our wedding dowry and the symbol of our eternal love!" Evan exclaimed frantically as he proudly displayed the wooden bracelet around his wrist.
Swoosh!
In an instant, the terrifying killing aura disappeared without a trace. The temperature returned to normal.
Anna smiled sweetly again, her eyes shining with satisfaction.
"I knew you were only joking, Husband," Anna replied gently.
Seeing such an extreme change in emotion, Evan’s brain immediately reached one conclusion.
"??????????????! ???????? ????, ???????? ?????????? ???? ?? ??????????????!" Evan screamed inwardly.
When he saw that Anna didn’t get angry again while he thought about it, Evan breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed that Anna’s mind-reading ability didn’t work continuously, or perhaps she could only detect certain emotions and thoughts.
Trying to remain calm and control his expression, Evan slowly stood up from the chair.
"I-I think I need to go into the forest for a while to make some hunting tools... You stay here and be a good girl, okay?" Evan said goodbye with the friendliest fake smile he could muster.
"Be careful on your way, Husband," Anna replied sweetly.
Evan stepped out of the house calmly and leisurely.
However, the moment his feet crossed the threshold and he had walked several meters with his back turned toward the house...
Evan immediately took off like a shot and RAN AS FAST AS LIGHTNING through the forest undergrowth!
"SCREW HER BEAUTIFUL FACE! ONLY A CRAZY PERSON WOULD WANT A YANDERE WIFE WHO’S ALSO A WITCH! NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, I HAVE TO ESCAPE FROM THAT WOMAN!" Evan screamed inwardly as he ran without looking back even once.