Chapter 126: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

Time to Hunt[3]

Chapter 126: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

I shook my head and tried to hide my surprise.

The man I’d spent an hour waiting for was standing right in front of me. And the first thing I’d said to him was an insult.

A great start.

At least I’d caught his interest.

I looked up at the male symbol on the door. For a moment, I’d genuinely forgotten I was in a female form. Walking around with a different face for hours was easy. Changing my habits wasn’t.

I parted my lips slightly and put on an embarrassed expression.

"S-sorry. I think I really must be drunk..."

Then I let out a small, awkward laugh, as though I didn’t know what else to say.

I was hoping he would pretend he hadn’t heard the insult.

Marven’s smile didn’t fade. He studied me for several seconds, his gaze traveling from my face to my neck, then farther down my dress. When his eyes finally returned to mine, he didn’t look remotely ashamed.

At least try to be subtle about it, you creep.

I suppressed the urge to punch him in the face.

"Do you happen to know where the women’s restroom is?"

"That way." He gestured down the hallway. "Just turn left."

"Thank you."

I dipped my head slightly and walked past him. I didn’t check whether he was watching me leave. I didn’t think I needed to turn around to know.

Once the women’s restroom door closed behind me, I relaxed my shoulders.

The music sounded more muffled in here, though I could still feel the bass vibrating up through the soles of my feet. I went into an empty stall, took care of business, then headed over to the sink.

I turned on the cold water and studied my reflection as I washed my hands.

Red hair, green eyes, soft features...

The girl in front of me looked sweet and innocent, as though she’d come to a place like this by mistake. Considering I’d just told a man what I wanted to do to him with a bottle, it was a rather misleading appearance.

I dried my hands and leaned a little closer to the mirror.

All right. Things hadn’t gone according to plan, but Marven was finally here. I’d even managed to talk to him.

The question now was what sort of first impression I’d made.

He might have taken me for someone rude and drunk. Or someone whose unexpected remark had caught his interest.

I preferred the second possibility.

I adjusted a strand of hair, then pointed at my reflection.

"Noctis, you can do this," I whispered. "Let’s rid the world of a scumbag."

I lowered my finger, took a deep breath, and headed for the door.

I’d only taken a few steps outside when I spotted a man standing across the hallway.

Marven.

He stood near the wall with one hand in his pocket, looking toward the restrooms. The moment he saw me, his eyes lit up and his smile widened.

Are you waiting outside the women’s restroom, you pervert?

I swallowed the words threatening to leave my mouth and slowed my steps.

Marven walked toward me.

"Feeling better now?"

"What?"

"You looked like you’d seen a ghost earlier. A little distracted, too."

He stopped in front of me. He was already close enough for me to hear him clearly over the music, but he leaned a little closer as he spoke.

"Is something bothering you? I was worried about you."

Worried about me? Fuck off, kid.

As I looked at him, I remembered one of the articles I’d read about him. Then another. Seeing that easy smile after everything I’d read made my stomach turn.

I quickly waved both hands.

"No, no. I’m fine. Just a little drunk."

"Hmm..."

His eyes moved over my face.

"I take it you can’t handle your alcohol very well."

Me? You should have seen me at college parties in my old life, dickhead.

Of course, I didn’t say that.

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and looked away. As I used Umbrella to add a faint blush to my cheeks, I lowered my voice.

"Actually, this is my first time at a place like this."

"Really?"

I nodded.

"I was supposed to come with a friend. But she ditched me at the last minute, saying she was meeting her boyfriend."

I pouted slightly at the end, trying to look as though I wanted to complain but couldn’t bring myself to speak badly of my friend.

Marven gave a short laugh.

"What a terrible friend. Leaving a sweet girl like you all alone..." He shook his head. "She deserves to go to hell."

I stared at him for a few seconds.

You’re the only one here who deserves hell, you son of a bitch.

"No, she’s a good friend!" I said, as though rushing to defend her. "I’m sure she’s upset she couldn’t come with me, too."

Marven’s smile widened a little more.

This time, it wasn’t hard to understand why. A girl who still defended the friend who had ditched her, who was drinking alone and so drunk she’d nearly walked into the wrong restroom...

He was seeing exactly the person I wanted him to see.

"How about I keep you company?"

He was finally making his move.

"If it’s your first time at a place like this, it’s better to have someone with you."

"Well..."

"Someone handsome, kind, gentlemanly, and rich." He lightly touched his chest and smiled. "Someone just like me."

His eyes stayed on my face as he laughed at his own words. He was waiting for me to laugh too.

I let my lips curve slightly.

I pinched the hem of my dress between two fingers, then let go. Hopefully, I was making my impatience look like shyness.

"But... would that really be okay?"

"Why wouldn’t it?"

I briefly lowered my gaze to the floor.

"My dad isn’t too keen on me hanging out with men."

Marven waved a dismissive hand.

"Don’t worry. We’ll just have a few drinks and talk."

His tone was casual, as though nothing I’d said was worth worrying about.

"Besides, it can be our little secret." He leaned toward me slightly and smiled. "It’s not like your dad’s here."

I stayed silent.

He was good at this.

First, he’d pretended to be concerned, then offered a solution to my loneliness. Now he was making my hesitation seem like needless shyness, inviting me to trust him.

To anyone watching, he would have looked like a kind man offering a lonely girl some company.

If I hadn’t known what I knew about him, if I’d really been naive and inexperienced...

I could have fallen for that smile.

The thought made the anger inside me feel a little heavier. I’d tried not to think about the people in those articles while standing in front of him. Now I wondered how many people he’d used that same tone on.

Marven held out his hand.

He didn’t rush me. He waited with his fingers open and a confident smile on his face.

He’d clearly done this before.

I lifted my gaze from his hand to his face, biting my lip slightly as though I couldn’t decide whether to trust him.

But there’s something you don’t know, fuckface.

I hesitantly raised my hand.

You’re dealing with the Great Noctis Evernight.

I placed my fingers in his outstretched hand. His skin was warm. As he closed his hand around mine, he didn’t even try to hide his satisfaction.

Your doom.

As the corners of my lips began to rise, I lowered my head to hide the grin forming on my face.