Chapter 208. More Than A Dream (2)

Translator: Lili

Weekly Chapter 6/7

“That’s ridiculous!”

*Bang!*

Shushu slammed her fist on the table, hard enough to send clam chowder splattering everywhere, most of it landing on her shirt.

Henriad glanced at the mess on her clothes with mild interest, but Shushu didn’t apologize. Instead, she shook her head vehemently, her voice rising.

“You’re lying! That’s a lie!”

“It’s the truth.”

“There’s no way!”

Despite Henriad’s cold tone, Shushu continued to deny it, slamming the table again with renewed determination.

“Of all people, it would never happen with you! Never, ever!”

In that moment, Shushu’s expression was one of unwavering conviction, as if she were the most righteous person on earth. Her eyes shone with a resolute fire, and her hands on the table were firm.

Her response was so dramatic, it felt as though the kitchen had become a courtroom for a holy trial.

Henriad remained silent for a moment, his gaze fixed not on her eyes but on the faint bite mark still visible on her cheek.

Henriad’s lips curled into a sly smirk. He exuded the demeanor of someone who had most definitely crossed the final line of intimacy the night before. Watching a woman confidently deny that she could have possibly slept with him, even with glaring evidence right in front of them, was a rare and amusing experience.

“I see.”

He placed his spoon down quietly, the clink against the plate unnervingly calm. Shushu tensed, sensing a shift in his demeanor. Still, she inhaled deeply, steeling herself.

‘No matter what kind of nonsense he throws at me, I won’t budge.’

She stared straight into his face, defiant.

“So, I was just a toy for one night?”

“What?”

“A useless plaything… used for amusement, then discarded.”

‘He’s lost his mind!’

Shushu had expected some teasing or sarcastic remark, but instead, Henriad wore a pitiful smile as he delivered those words. She was struck with a mix of shock and horror. He was acting as though she had taken advantage of him—a pure and innocent youth with a bright future—and toyed with him as she pleased.

What made it worse was his terrifyingly convincing acting. To an outsider, he genuinely looked like a man whose body and heart had been cruelly used.

Shushu’s bravado crumbled instantly. She was so flustered she thought she might actually die from sheer indignation. Even in her hazy memories, she distinctly recalled being under him, utterly overwhelmed.

‘How dare he claim that I had toyed with him?! My back still aches! This liar!’

Henriad’s expression shifted, his pitying smile morphing into something far more sinister. The delicate deer-like demeanor vanished, replaced by a cold, mocking sneer. He chuckled derisively.

“And yet, you called me a liar earlier.”

“Ugh!”

Shushu winced as she realized that she had indeed admitted to herself that she remembered what happened. She slumped back into her chair, her defiant resolve now thoroughly extinguished. Henriad’s gaze bore down on her, arrogant and unyielding.

‘He’s relentless!’

She thought miserably, not knowing that Henriad, given his background, was practically a master of manipulation, intimidation, and deceit.

Though he had pushed her hard, he admitted to himself that he might have gone a bit too far. Things had gotten heated, and he had been, well, a little intense. Instead of easing into things, he had gone all in, unable to hold back after so long without… intimacy.

Still, hearing her declare the night’s events as mere nonsense and dreamlike fantasy had soured his mood.

This wouldn’t do. If Shushu was to stay by his side, as per his plans, her resistance needed to be addressed now. He vaguely remembered hearing that breaking the stubbornness of a smart dog or monkey was a necessary step in taming them.

If it worked for animals, surely it applied here.

“B-but really… it couldn’t have happened! Because I… I’m probably a lesbian!”

“…”

Henriad fell silent, his expression momentarily unreadable. Shushu, inwardly panicking, fought to maintain her composure.

‘What if he believes me?’

She desperately clung to the excuse, knowing full well it was flimsy.

‘It’s not about whether it’s true or not; it’s about holding my ground!’

Henriad finally responded, his face splitting into a slow, deliberate smile.

“That’s no problem at all.”

“What?!”

The sheer confidence in his reply left Shushu speechless. She couldn’t even begin to comprehend how it could possibly not be a problem.

‘Does he not understand how biology works? Or… is there something I don’t know about him?!’

Unable to articulate her bewilderment, she stammered incoherently, but Henriad wasn’t finished. He tapped his cheek lightly and smirked.

“And before you go denying reality any further, why don’t you take a look in the mirror?”

That wicked smile of his… it was exactly like Mini Cat’s.

Shushu’s hand flew to her cheek as she scrambled to the bathroom. She hesitated in front of the mirror, dreading what she might see.

And then she understood.

Faint bite marks on her cheek. Red marks trailing down her neck and shoulders.

The woman in the mirror was undeniable proof that everything Henriad had said was true.

Shushu could only stare at her reflection, horrified, as the realization washed over her. There was no escaping the truth now.

***