Battle Divorce! - Chapter 10
After Maxim finished his little speech and stopped right behind her, Daisy felt her vision go black.
Had she ever been this nervous, even in front of a target? Her jaw was trembling so badly she had to clench her teeth to keep it steady.
“A true beauty is lovely with or without adornment. Frankly, I’m worried about how beautiful my wife already is, and I wouldn’t dare show her off. What do you think, Karen? Is she lacking in your eyes?”
“Not at all, Master. She’s beautiful.”
“And the rest of you? Let’s hear it, one by one.”
Of course, no one dared contradict him.
“She’s absolutely dazzling.”
“Truly, a rare beauty.”
“Surely the most beautiful lady in the entire kingdom.”
One after another, forced praise rained down on Daisy in the stifling, intimidating atmosphere.
Still reeling from the barrage of compliments, Daisy froze as Maxim’s long fingers traced up her neck and touched her hairpin.
His blue-grey eyes swept over her face.
What was he doing? Why was he looking at her like that?
With a soft click, her carefully pinned honey-blonde hair tumbled down in waves.
“Looks just as lovely with your hair down.”
Ignoring her embarrassment, Maxim toyed with the hairpin, inspecting the sharp end before tossing it to Karen as if it were nothing.
“Why do you use something so dangerous? It’s far too sharp.”
That hairpin was Daisy’s go-to emergency weapon. Now, in the blink of an eye, she’d been disarmed.
“What if you pricked her soft skin and hurt her?”
“S-Sorry, Master…”
“Keep an eye out for things like that from now on, and make sure they’re put away. Got it?”
“Yes, Master.”
Then his teasing hand lifted Daisy’s chin.
“Let’s see…”
Their eyes met, and his smile softened. He pressed his thumb gently to her lips, smudging her lipstick.
“It’s better without something like this, anyway.”
Her lipstick smeared, she must have looked ridiculous, but Maxim just smiled at her, almost playfully.
“And the clothes…”
Before she could gather herself, his hand brushed the hem of her silk robe.
Daisy felt every hair on her body stand on end, and held her breath. As his fingers tugged, the silk slid from her shoulder, revealing a pale, rounded shoulder.
Maxim ran his fingers gently along her tense shoulder, then hooked a finger under the strap of her slip.
His lips curled in a crooked smile.
“…I think you’d look best with nothing on at all.”
This pervert.
He couldn’t possibly mean to undress her right here and now in front of everyone?
She was only wearing underwear beneath her slip. The last thing she wanted was to be stripped bare in front of the maids, or even in front of Maxim von Waldeck, for that matter.
All the color drained from Daisy’s face.
“Anyone disagree with me? Speak up if you do.”
Of course, no one dared object.
“Alright, then. No objections. I’m in a bit of a hurry, so everyone out.”
With that commanding order, the maids scurried out as if the tide was receding.
Now only Maxim and Daisy remained in the bedroom.
“…W-Wait, hold on.”
Just as he started to slip the strap off her shoulder, Daisy snatched his hand, stopping him.
This was an emergency.
<MISSION 2. Avoid the Wedding Night with Maxim von Waldeck!>
“Wife, is something wrong?”
As soon as they were alone, Maxim’s tone became polite again, losing its previous edge.
It was the wedding night, so of course he’d expect to undress her for s*x. Why else would she stop him?
What to do? What was she supposed to do now?
Her mouth went dry, her blood pounding.
From here on, she’d have to rely on her quick thinking. If she made another slip like earlier, there’d be no escaping s*x tonight.
He’d strip her in seconds and that monstrous thing of his would be between her legs.
“Issy.”
“…Yes? N, No— Yessir!”
Daisy, overwhelmed by his pressure, blurted out a question before quickly correcting herself.
Losing your composure in a battle of nerves was as good as losing outright. Daisy considered herself strong-willed, but next to a man who’d just returned from mass slaughter, she was hopelessly outmatched.
‘Wait… Easy? Did he just say Easy?’
…No, surely she misheard. She must be too tense to think straight.
“No need to tremble. Don’t be so nervous.”
Maxim lips floated against the curve of her neck, the touch felt hot and almost languid. The heated breath made her clench her fists.
“…Issy.”
She hadn’t misheard. He’d definitely said ‘Easy’.
For a moment, she got goosebumps, her skin prickled.
Easy.
That was Daisy’s codename from the organization.
Mango note:
The nickname itself in Korean is just 이지, which is exactly the same pronunciation as ‘Easy’ and the latter half of Daisy (데이지), which is ‘Isy’. It’s a bit odd to have ‘Easy’ as a nickname for ‘Daisy’, so I’ve settled for ‘Issy’ as Maxim’s nickname for Daisy, but still ‘Easy’ as the codename (because the spelling was explicitly stated in English by the author) in Daisy’s head whenever she thinks about it.
Hope it’s not too confusing!
