Chapter 5

　　“Whew, it’s like a weight has been lifted,” Elena sighed, lifting the proofed dough and slamming it down with a satisfying thwack!

　　Hans won’t be bothering me anymore, will he? The more she thought about it, the more certain she became that revealing her strength had been the right move. Although, judging by his attitude before he left, the matter wasn’t quite settled.

　　When Elena had returned from stowing the box in the warehouse, Hans was still lingering in the general store.

　　“You haven’t left?” She had asked.

　　“Ha, you’re really something else,” he had replied, his earlier bewilderment replaced by a twisted sort of admiration. “How did you manage to fool everyone so perfectly all this time?”

　　The vile smile plastered across his face told her he was up to no good. Just as she’d suspected, his next words were a pathetic threat.

　　“You wanted to keep your strength a secret, right? Hahaha, marry me. If you do, I’ll keep quiet.”

　　His mind certainly worked fast when it came to wickedness.

　　“Are you really willing to go this far for a stupid marriage?” Elena had shot back, her voice dripping with pity.

　　But her disdain only made his expression grow more triumphant. “Look, you hid it because you wanted to live a normal life, didn’t you? If you start a family, you’ll be accepted by the villagers. How great would that be?”

　　He was scraping the bottom of the barrel, revealing the true depths of his vileness. She was done with him.

　　“Hans, even if you were the last man on earth, I wouldn’t marry you,” she had said, her voice laced with contempt. “Spread all the rumors you want.”

　　“Hey! How dare you ignore me?” he had shrieked. “Fine, I’ll tell everyone! Let’s see if you can survive in this village then!”

　　He had thrown a final, impotent tantrum before storming off, but Elena wasn’t worried. As the owner of the only general store in this small village, she was indispensable. When people needed something, they had no choice but to come to her.

　　I can’t believe I spent so long being afraid of what they thought, she mused, humming as she slammed the dough down one last time, punching the air out of it. She portioned it into bite-sized pieces and set them on the fire to bake. While they cooked, she decided to harvest some vegetables from the garden.

　　Elena grabbed a basket, opened the back door, and froze.

　　“Huh?”

　　An uninvited guest was sprawled in the middle of her vegetable patch. He was lying there as if he owned the place, and when their eyes met, the words escaped her lips before she could stop them.

　　“My, how handsome…”

　　His cool blue eyes were a perfect match for his nearly expressionless face, a stark contrast to his full, red lips and smooth skin. Silver hair fell in a disheveled mess, but even that couldn’t detract from his beauty. He had the kind of refined features one would never see in a rural village like this; he was so striking that he made the obnoxious Hans seem like a squashed cherry tomato by comparison.

　　“Who are you?” she asked, her voice steady.

　　“…Where is this?” he murmured, his voice a low rumble. He looked dazed, as if he had just woken up.

　　Elena had no idea how he had gotten into her backyard; she had been so focused on her baking that she hadn’t sensed his presence. “This is my house.”

　　“House?” the man repeated, slowly sitting up. For a trespasser, his demeanor was remarkably relaxed.

　　“Yes, my house. This land is owned by my family,” she stated firmly. Despite his intrusion, his confident air and high-quality clothes made her hesitate to treat him too harshly. He might be a noble.

　　It was strange for a nobleman to appear in this remote mountain village, but the fabric of his clothes was finer than anything she had ever seen in her store. Oddly, though, he was far from pristine. He wasn’t just dirty from rolling in the garden; he looked as if he had been caught in a violent brawl. Of course, even that couldn’t diminish his stunning looks.

　　More importantly, I haven’t heard anything about an outsider arriving, she thought. If a man this handsome had entered the village, there would have been whispers everywhere.

　　“Oh! My vegetables!” The reality of the situation finally hit her. His large frame was mercilessly crushing the plants she had so carefully nurtured. She had been so overwhelmed by his appearance that she had failed to register the damage. He didn’t react to her cry of alarm.

　　“Excuse me,” she said, her tone sharpening. “How long do you plan on lying there? You’re in my vegetable patch.”

　　His head turned slowly. He blinked several times, his gaze sweeping the area. With each blink, his once-hazy eyes sharpened, growing clear and focused. When her gaze met his again, a shiver traced its way down her arms.

　　This man is dangerous. She knew it instinctively.

　　“Where am I?” he asked again. His voice was a flat monotone, his speech slightly stilted, and his stare was utterly indifferent.

　　“Like I said, this is my backyard. You’re the one trespassing.”

　　He watched her calmly, his look analytical, as if he were observing some strange new specimen. He was so composed that he seemed more the homeowner than she did.

　　“What are you?”

　　“I’m the owner of this house,” she repeated, growing exasperated.

　　“Are you human?”

　　What is with this man? she wondered. Did he come here because he heard the rumors about me?

　　Her childhood nickname had been “monster.” She possessed a power that set her apart, a power that had terrified the villagers.

　　“Elena is a monster. She’s not human! She’s a demonic beast!”

　　The taunts echoed in her memory. For a fleeting moment, she wondered if this man had sought her out because of them. But that was impossible. As she’d grown, she had learned to pretend, to act ordinary. By now, even the villagers believed she was normal. Though that’s over, thanks to Hans.

　　In any case, there was no way a rumor from this tiny village could have reached the outside world.

　　“Yes, I’m human,” she confirmed.

　　“Then why…?” he muttered, looking down at his own palm. He clenched and unclenched his fist before his gaze snapped back to her. Meeting those emotionless eyes, Elena felt a chill race down her spine. She finally understood why she felt so tense. When people made eye contact, their eyes held some flicker of emotion—curiosity, annoyance, anything. But his were a void, as if he were devoid of all feeling.

　　No, it’s as if he sees the person before him as an inanimate object…

　　In an instant, his hand shot out, aiming for her throat. It was a swift, vicious attack, his fingertips poised to pierce through anything they touched.

　　With a sharp THWACK, her hand clamped around his wrist.

　　The man’s eyes widened. So did Elena’s. He glanced down at his captured wrist in disbelief, and her gaze followed his.

　　“You blocked it?” he asked, his voice flat with surprise.

　　Somehow, his wrist was locked firmly in her grasp. The attack had been so aggressive that she had reacted on pure instinct. Seeing his bewildered expression, which clearly read, How did she catch me?, Elena offered an awkward laugh.

　　Elena had always been special. Her gift wasn’t limited to raw strength; she also possessed reflexes and senses to match. The man looked from his captured wrist to her face, his expression not one of shock, like the villagers would have shown, but of detached curiosity.

　　Oops. I messed up. She had just revealed her abilities to a complete stranger. But blocking his hand had been instinctual. She had sensed it wasn’t an empty threat, and she wasn’t about to offer her neck to an intruder.

　　Wait a minute. This man genuinely tried to attack me. The threat had felt so impersonal that she had been slow to anger, but for anyone else, the outcome would have been drastically different.

　　“What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded.

　　Despite having just assaulted her, the man’s expression remained unchanged. There wasn’t a hint of remorse in his eyes. He simply studied her, glanced at his trapped hand, and then looked back at her with that same strange, observant gaze. Then, with startling speed, his other hand lashed out, even faster than before.

　　It was a brutal strike, one that felt as if it could shatter bone on contact.

　　But again, a swift THWACK echoed as she caught his other wrist.

　　His eyes widened once more. He must have thought a stronger, faster attack would succeed.

　　“How did you block it?”

　　“Is that really what you should be asking right now?” she snapped, her patience wearing thin. “I blocked it because I saw it coming! I’m not just going to stand here and let you hit me!”

　　The sheer audacity of him—to attack her so ruthlessly and then question her so brazenly. She had met her match in shamelessness. Genuine anger finally began to simmer inside her. Just then, the man, both his hands now caught in her crisscrossing grip, tensed his arms, trying to break free.

　　“Stay still!” she commanded, tightening her hold. She wasn’t about to let him go when he might just attack her again.

　　Their strength met in a taut, silent clash. Elena knew the depths of her own monstrous power better than anyone, which was why she was stunned by the force meeting hers. The man’s face, however, remained completely unfazed. She had a sinking feeling he wasn’t even using his full strength.

　　Determined to overpower him, Elena poured more force into her grip, pushing his hands downward. He resisted, of course. Their arms trembled with the strain of the stalemate, but such struggles never last forever.

　　Slowly, the man’s hands began to give way. The victor of their tense struggle was Elena.