The Strongest Man’s Fake Wife Wants to Live Chapter 28

Things were going almost too well.

Actually, it was only natural that things would go this way.

Io had delicate, refined features and a gentle air about her, making her the very definition of the perfect eldest daughter-in-law.

As for Owen Namoi, setting aside his background, he was a man with nothing to fault when it came to his appearance and achievements. So it wouldn’t have been strange at all if the two had fallen for each other at first sight. In fact, it felt quite convincing.

There must have been a precarious pink atmosphere flowing between them right now.

Her plan to draw a line of love between her husband and her childhood friend might have nearly succeeded before it had even begun.

‘Should I subtly slip away? No. We haven’t seen each other in so long. I should at least say hello…….’

She was wondering how she could naturally leave the two of them alone to talk when—

“I see.”

Owen didn’t return Io’s greeting warmly or attempt to introduce himself.

He merely answered indifferently before taking Pesha’s hand again and leading her away.

“More importantly, I think there’s alcohol over there. Shall we go?”

“What?”

“You said you were thirsty earlier.”

“Ah…….”

At that sight, Io’s gaze naturally fell on the hand Owen was holding with Pesha’s.

‘No, he is a married man. I’m not trying to hide that. But still, there’s no need to make it quite so obvious…….’

Realistically, if she was introduced to him as her friend’s husband the moment she began feeling attracted to him, there was no way their relationship could develop any further.

‘I’m screwed.’

She should have let the two of them interact a little more before appearing, but perhaps she had arranged this meeting too soon.

Just then, while Pesha was overwhelmed by a sense of defeat, Io suddenly stepped forward and grabbed the hand Pesha was holding with Owen.

“Pesha! How long has it been?”

“Ah…… It has been a long time, Io.”

“Wasn’t the last time we met right before I went to help our territory? The day we had tea together.”

“Yes…… Was it?”

Pesha broke into a cold sweat and rolled her eyes.

“I was so surprised when I heard you got married. You never said anything about it!”

That was because it was a marriage she had no say in……

It had been an unspoken fact circulating throughout society that Io Clark, the youngest daughter of Marquis Clark, one of the Empire’s wealthiest men, and a precious purification mage, had been selected as the noble lady who would be given to Count Namoi, the war hero.

But Marquis Clark, who wanted to sell his daughter—whose value as a precious purification mage was enormous—for as much as possible, had worked behind the scenes, and it was also widely known that Duke Rydell, who had been chosen to bear the burden, had willingly offered up his daughter in exchange for a few plots of land.

It was a marriage everyone had heard rumors about, yet Io widened her eyes and made a distressed face as though she were hearing about it for the first time.

Seeing her like that, all the misunderstandings Pesha had accumulated seemed to melt away.

Because the timing of Io’s departure to her family’s territory had been ambiguous, rumors had spread that she had learned about the Emperor’s matchmaking arrangement and fled to the territory because she didn’t want to marry Count Namoi.

Pesha had once believed those rumors and been hurt by them, but now that she had reunited with Io, she could tell that they had all been complete lies.

“I’m sorry. Things were arranged more quickly than I expected, so I didn’t have a chance to tell you.”

“I’m the one who’s sorry I couldn’t attend your wedding. But how did you end up attending this party? And where is Count Namoi?”

“Hm?”

The Count is right in front of you.

Pesha was wondering whether she should say that when Io continued without waiting for her answer.

“Did he send you here alone because he didn’t want to come to the party? Even so, he’s your husband. He should have escorted you. A husband shouldn’t leave a married woman all by herself like this.”

Io repeatedly emphasized words like ‘husband’ and ‘married woman’ while sneaking glances at Owen.

As though she wanted him to hear every word.

It almost looked as though she were loudly pointing out another woman’s weak spot in order to attract the attention of a man she liked.

It must have been Pesha’s imagination.

Letting Io’s strange tone pass in one ear and out the other, Pesha corrected her.

“No. I came with the Count. We were invited by Duke Pontroy.”

“Duke Pontroy invited you?”

Io’s expression became even stranger.

“Why would he invite you? You have no connection with him.”

“We don’t have a personal relationship. We met because of business, and he invited us afterward.”

“Business? What kind of business?”

The contract had already been signed, and she was attending the party to promote the potion, so there was no reason to hide it.

Thinking that Io would be even happier to hear about it than she was, Pesha explained.

“I made a new potion using medicinal herbs. You’d be surprised if you heard about it. It can purify contaminated—”

Then Io cut her off, interrupting in a tone that sounded utterly incredulous.

“Medicinal herbs? Pesha, don’t tell me you still haven’t given up that dirt-playing hobby even after getting married?”

“Dirt-playing?”

“You’re a proper countess now. You should have left that kind of thing as a childhood pastime. Don’t you think so?”

The word ‘dirt-playing’ came out so naturally that for a moment, Pesha didn’t even realize how insulting it was.

Pesha searched through her memories.

Io would often smile while looking at Pesha’s dirt-covered hands.

She had told her that she was amazing for working toward her dream.

Could there have been another meaning behind the smile she wore back then?

“I’m surprised. I thought you would have given it up when your study abroad at the academy was canceled.”

There was something prickly about her words.

When Pesha had been heartbroken after her younger brother Jeremy took away her opportunity to study abroad, she had believed Io had sincerely comforted her.

But for some reason, the thought suddenly crossed her mind that perhaps all of it had merely been her own misunderstanding.

“Pesha, I’m saying this for your sake, but if you become too absorbed in that kind of hobby, you’ll just look like a weirdo. You have to start caring about how other people see you now. More importantly, where on earth is your husband?”

Io looked around the party hall and asked worriedly.

By then, Owen, who had been watching the situation, reached out and snatched back the hand Io had taken from Pesha.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Owen Namoi, Pesha’s husband.”

Io’s eyes widened.

“What?”

At first, she seemed unable to understand what he had said, her delicate brows drawing together slightly.

Then she looked back and forth between Pesha and Owen before asking,

“You’re Pesha’s…… husband?”

“That’s right.”

“That can’t be. I heard Count Namoi was rough and frightening. That he was a former mercenary……”

Io couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence and trailed off.

With Owen so neatly groomed, it was more convincing to say that he was an actor who made his living off his face than some uncouth mercenary who relied solely on brute strength.

Reading her thoughts, Owen frowned slightly and let out a faint laugh.

“I apologize for the belated introduction. It wasn’t intentional.”

“Ah, yes…… Then did the two of you attend the party together as partners?”

“That’s right. A husband can’t leave his married wife alone, after all. I came to escort my wife.”

As he spoke, Owen naturally wrapped one arm around Pesha’s waist.

Pesha, bewildered, hurriedly looked up at Owen, but he didn’t release his arm.

‘What is he doing all of a sudden?’

Just as she was about to pull his arm away because it was embarrassing to have Io see them like this—

“What are you doing here?”