Chapter 28.
How to Overcome Depression (1)
In the warmth of his embrace, Illena quietly closed her eyes.
I swore I wouldn’t try to live so hard. I told myself I wouldn’t hope for something as foolish as happiness.
It was kind.
It was warm.
The arms of another person were so warm that they melted away stubborn vows and useless pride with ease.
Just once more. This will really be the last time I let myself hope.
“Alright. I’ll do it.”
Her voice was so small it could barely be heard unless one listened closely.
“…I… actually wanted to be happy.”
A wish she’d held for a very, very long time.
“Are you sure about this, Andre?”
“Geez, yes, I’m sure!”
It was still early morning, the dew on the leaves not yet dry.
In the garden beside the detached palace, two men hid behind a large tree, whispering.
“To bring together a bad-boy type like His Highness and a cool, aloof woman like Lady Illena, this plan is perfect!”
“But…”
His Highness isn’t a bad boy at all. In fact…
Otter swallowed back the rest of his thought.
Andre’s first proposed operation was something called: ‘Even if you meet your enemy on a single-log bridge, your heart will race.’
“…A single-log bridge? Out of nowhere?”
Otter tilted his head at the strange name, and Andre kindly explained.
“What happens when you stand on a shaking single-log bridge?”
“…You get scared. Your heart starts pounding.”
Otter, who was usually timid, answered honestly.
“Exactly! But if someone’s next to you in that moment, you might think, ‘Oh? Is my heart pounding because of this person?’ You know, a mix-up.”
“What? Where on earth did you—”
“Who cares where I learned it? Just watch. The results will be immediate.”
Andre cut him off, then peeked around the tree.
In the distance, a picture-perfect man and woman were strolling leisurely through the garden.
“I set up everything in the garden yesterday as bait!”
Andre gave a cheeky wink, then chuckled mischievously before turning his attention back.
This… really going to work?
Otter, full of an ominous sense that something was wrong, crept closer and peeked out as well.
I can see you, you idiots…
Walking through the garden, Illena narrowed her eyes.
Two heads were sticking out from behind a large tree in plain sight.
Do they really think they’re hidden?
It was no different from an ostrich burying its head in the sand and thinking it was safe from predators.
Honestly, what am I supposed to do with these innocent southerners?
She let out a long, pitying sigh.
“What should we do, Illena?”
At that moment, Iago leaned close, his lips brushing her ear as he whispered.
They had been walking together to carry out today’s Happiness Grand Operation.
When she tore her gaze away from the two “ostriches” and looked up, she saw Iago fidgeting nervously.
“I think it’s that thing I mentioned last time. Looks like Otter’s plotting something again.”
He, too, seemed to instantly realize what the two were up to. But unlike Illena’s calm demeanor, for some reason, his face was bright red.
She regarded him with an indifferent look, then said bluntly,
“Let’s just do it.”
“D-Do it? Do what?”
Iago jumped in surprise.
“Even better. If we keep sticking together for this so-called ‘grand operation,’ Otter and Andre will start to suspect the reason.”
“Y-Yeah… I guess that’s true?”
“No one else knows that I have depression, or that you’re actually a rabbit—no, I mean, that you’re actually really kind.”
Illena’s mouth curved into a one-sided smirk that looked almost villainous.
“Let’s use Otter. In front of those two, we’ll pretend we’re flirting. You act like you’re seducing me, and I’ll act like I’m falling for it.”
If she resisted poorly, Otter might try something far worse.
After all, it hadn’t been long since she’d been unceremoniously abandoned in the desert.
At her words, Iago covered his red face with his sleeve.
“S-Seduce you? We’re not even married yet… I should only do that with my wife…”
But his violet eyes, though he didn’t realize it, were moist with anticipation and excitement.
Illena, however, couldn’t see his expression behind his sleeve.
Good grief… this shy demeanor!
Despite his imposing and intimidating appearance, he was clearly as innocent as they came.
If that was the case, as someone much older in mental age, she ought to teach him a thing or two.
“It’s fine. Just trust me—your noona… I mean, me.”
With what she thought was a bold gesture, Illena grabbed his large hand.
“T-That…”
He stared helplessly at the small, pale hand in his.
It was so small and soft that he was afraid to squeeze it.
Thinking he was simply nervous, Illena put on a confident air, took his hand, and led the way.
“First, we start by holding hands and walking, like this—”
That was when—
Piiing—!
The moment Illena stepped into the garden, the sharp sound of a rope snapping rang through the air.
Instantly, a large net was pulled high into the air right beneath her feet.
But by the time she processed what had happened, she was already in Iago’s firm embrace instead of in the net.
He had yanked her toward him with surprising strength the instant the sound rang out.
“What the…?”
Her cheek pressed to his chest, Illena stared blankly at the net hanging from the tree.
“A trap. And a big-game hunting one at that.”
The bashful, shy demeanor was gone; his violet eyes now gleamed sharply, his body tense.
“All of a sudden? In the palace garden? What—ow.”
“Illena?”
Still in his arms, she lifted her left ankle for a closer look.
A thin red line had appeared on her pale ankle, with beads of blood starting to form.
“Ugh. Must’ve scraped it when the trap snapped up.”
“…”
“Iago? Y-You’re holding me too tight…”
His arms tightened even more. She was pressed flush against him, no space between his thick arms and her body—like being wedged between stones.
He stared at her bleeding ankle with an expression she couldn’t quite read.
“Iago?”
“…”
Without a word, he leaned in close enough that she could feel his breath.
“Wait. Iago—”
Her voice came out startled.
“Illena…”
His low, ragged voice escaped in a sigh.
Even in the confusion, Illena’s mind raced.
Why is he acting like this? Oh… Otter and Andre are watching, huh?
So he’d already started acting.
He was all flustered before, but now that we’ve started, he’s playing it cool.
Come to think of it, he was a seasoned actor—he’d played the role of the Black King for years.
I can’t lose to him.
Her long-dead romantic instincts flared with competitiveness.
As a third-generation chaebol and a two-year veteran of high-functioning depression, she had to prove her acting skills.
With resolve, she cried out,
“Your Highness, not here… ah!”
Her tone was half-acting, half-real.
The arm around her waist slid smoothly upward along her back like a snake.
He’s going this far?
Flustered, she tried to step back, but his thick arm quickly wrapped her waist again, trapping her.
“Illena, don’t be scared. Come here…”
Why is he so good at this?!
Cold sweat pricked her skin.
She glanced at the two “ostriches” in the distance, gawking and whispering.
She couldn’t stop now that they were watching, but the problem was…
“Illena.”
Iago’s acting was far better than she’d expected.
He rubbed his cheek against her palm, his violet eyes narrowed in a languid gaze.
The innocent sparkle of a rabbit was gone—he looked like a leopard thrilled by the sight of prey after a long fast.
In a low, rough voice, he whispered,
“I’ll do it… like last time.”
“W-What?”
“You did this for me… that time…”
He stroked the back of her hand, then kissed one of her fingers.
Don’t say it like that! I was just sucking out the poison!
Illena’s mind screamed.
“Y-Your Highness.”
If this goes any further, it’s going to get dangerous.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she whispered into his ear,
“I think this is enough, don’t you?”
The sight of Otter’s brown hair bobbing wildly behind the tree told her the misunderstanding had been fully planted.
She was just about to suggest they withdraw when—
“No.”
Iago pressed his lips to her ear and whispered low,
“I’m not satisfied yet, Illena.”
His words sent her mind spinning in a strange direction.
Not satisfied? Does he mean our acting isn’t convincing enough?
Maybe he wanted to make it flawless since even Andre was watching.
“What are you thinking about so hard?”
With predator-like sharpness, Iago noticed her drifting thoughts immediately.
He raised a brow in displeasure, tightened his arm around her waist, and murmured,
“Don’t think about anything but me.”
I was thinking about you just now…
His arms wrapped around her completely, and his violet eyes—now carrying a strange, dangerous edge—moved slowly closer.
And then—
“So the fish I caught that time was about this big—gah!”
“Haha, Minister, what an exagger—kyah!”
“What’s wrong with you two—ugh!”
They had locked eyes with a group of people turning the corner into the garden—while Illena was still in Iago’s arms.
