He never imagined, not even in his dreams, that he had approached me in the exact same way Iris had approached Laika.
He only suspected that some sort of trick had been used.
After Abellus undid the clasp of the necklace hanging around the statue’s neck, he spread it open.
Then, holding the necklace in both hands, he showed it to Iris.
“Isn’t it truly beautiful?”
“Ah, it is beautiful.”
Iris’s pupils trembled like a ship caught in a storm.
Why was he suddenly showing off that necklace? Was it because he had noticed her trying to steal it?
She hadn’t even touched it; she’d only been caught looking at it.
Or maybe he was simply suspicious. Since he knew Laika’s ring had been stolen, he might be worried the necklace would be taken too.
‘If he’s that worried, wouldn’t most people keep it in a safe, out of sight? Now that I think about it, this is strange.’
If he was worried about it being stolen, why hang the necklace out in the open, like on display?
I couldn’t understand Abellus’s actions.
She forced a smile, pointing awkwardly at the necklace with her finger.
“It looks expensive, so… why leave it out here?”
“There’s no one inside the Laboratory who’d dare touch it, even if I leave it like this. If anyone stole it….”
Abellus made a slicing gesture across his neck with the edge of his hand, making Iris inhale sharply.
His expression was playful, but it sounded as if he was saying it to her, making cold sweat bead on her brow.
As Abellus observed Iris’s ashen face with amusement, he continued.
“Why are you so scared? It just means you’d get fired from the Laboratory. You didn’t really think I meant death, did you?”
“N-no, of course not. Ah, just getting fired… that’s a relief.”
Iris awkwardly smiled, hiding her trembling hands behind her back.
It was a joke—or maybe not—but it felt like a noose tightening around her neck.
At this rate, her plan to steal the necklace would fail completely.
At first, she’d planned to steal the necklace and use the <Book of Escape> to return home.
Even if Abellus caught her, she had intended to use the same method to escape immediately.
But when she considered that Abellus might report her to the Police, she realized how unrealistic her plan was.
She’d end up as a wanted criminal—or rather, she wouldn’t even get the chance to become wanted; the Police would just come to her house and arrest her, ruining her life as a Hero and as an ordinary person.
‘Ha, should I just leave the necklace here and go home? Even if I come back next time, it’d be nearly impossible to steal the necklace and escape from this place, with all the security cameras around.’
Even though the necklace, which was suspected to be a relic, was close enough to reach for, she couldn’t touch it.
Tears of frustration welled up in her eyes.
Unconsciously, Iris stared intently at the necklace in Abellus’s hand, swallowing her disappointment.
Seeing her like that, Abellus’s eyes grew even rounder as he raised the hand holding the necklace.
“Would you like to turn around?”
“Wh-why?”
As Iris’s eyes widened, Abellus tilted his head, glancing at the necklace.
“This necklace—I thought it would suit you, Miss Iris, so I want to give it to you.”
When she didn’t turn, Abellus spun Iris around himself.
The sudden turn of events left her mind in chaos.
She had tried to steal the necklace, and now he was just handing it to her as a gift? It was nice, but she was suspicious—was Abellus really giving it as a pure present, or did he have another motive?
‘Doesn’t he know there’s power in this necklace? That can’t be. Or… does he really not know? Is that why he’s displaying it so openly?’
As she grew confused, she remembered the conversation she’d had with Laika on the terrace.
He had asked Iris whether she had awakened an extra skill using the ring.
From that conversation, she guessed that Laika had awakened the <Doppelganger> skill thanks to the power of the ring.
And after that, he had suddenly stormed into the Laboratory and told Abellus that the ring had lost its power.
Plus, Abellus, who seemed to know all about the power contained in the ring, had reacted so nonchalantly.
Remembering that, it was certain that Abellus knew the ring had power—he had even said he wanted to examine it in detail.
But one thing was puzzling.
If he knew the value of the necklace, why did he leave it out in the open even after hearing that Laika had lost his ring?
‘Are they both just careless? After all, Laika also kept the ring in a display case in the living room.’
Or maybe there was some other reason.
In any case, thanks to that, Iris had been able to easily swap Laika’s ring, so she was grateful for their carelessness.
There was no way she could have known that the Ring of the Goddess would strangle to death anyone except Laika who touched it, and that the Goddess’s Necklace would cause a monster’s head to explode if placed around its neck, so they had no problem displaying them openly where anyone could see.
While lost in thought, Iris was startled by the cool fingers that touched her neck.
Abellus parted her lemon-colored hair, lifted it up, and sniffed it.
Then he let out a low voice.
“You have a nice scent.”
“Huh? I don’t think so, but… is it really okay to give me something like that… Oh.”
Expecting him to place the necklace around her neck, Iris babbled on, then stopped.
Abellus had acted as if he would put the necklace on her, but then withdrew his hand and moved to stand in front of her.
The gold choker-style necklace in his hand sparkled brilliantly under the light.
Staring blankly at the red diamond and the silver charm next to it, Iris gulped at Abellus’s next words.
“Is it too much for you? Then, it can’t be helped.”
“Ah, no, it’s not too much! I mean, if you’re offering it so casually, maybe it’s not as valuable as it looks… No, that’s not what I meant.”
Starting to refuse and then stopping himself, he was being mean.
Worried that Abellus might change his mind, Iris babbled in a panic, then realized she was spouting nonsense and rolled her eyes.
Anyone could see the item was expensive, yet she had nearly blurted out, ‘Maybe it’s not as valuable as it looks.’
Watching her expression shift, Abellus burst into laughter.
The way she anxiously shifted her body and rolled her eyes was so cute to him.
“Pfft… Ah, excuse me. Miss Iris, your reaction is just too amusing. Hm, this is my mother’s keepsake. She told me to give it to the woman who would change my life when I met her.”
“What? Your mother’s keepsake…? But… the woman who would change your… life?”
Abellus lied fluently, not missing a beat.
He had decided to use Iris for his own dream, but he wanted to express his feelings in some way.
Of course, he was saying all this while giving her a cursed fake necklace, but he still wanted to convey his heart.
At the same time, it was both a confession of romantic interest and a hint at the future soon to come.
Iris would change his life—she was the vessel that would gather the power of the relic and fulfill his dream.
Hearing ‘my mother’s keepsake,’ Iris’s mouth fell open in shock.
This necklace was almost certainly a relic, and yet it was a keepsake from his mother? Did that make sense?
No, well, maybe it did, but she still couldn’t understand how someone would display such a powerful keepsake where others could see it.
‘No, let’s not try to understand. This is beyond my comprehension.’
She’d thought from the start that Abellus was a little off, but the more she got to know him, the more certain she became.
He really was an addictive man.
But still—‘the woman who would change my life’? It sounded just like a proposal.
Was he really proposing after just one night together? She felt pressured, but Abellus continued.
“Yes. Please, don’t feel pressured. It’s just how I feel—I’m not trying to burden you, Miss Iris. I simply want to give it to you as a gift, no matter what happens between us in the future. Is that all right?”
“Oh, no, if that’s the case… if you really mean it… I’ll accept.”
Iris shook her head vigorously.
No matter the reason, she wouldn’t refuse a chance to get, for free, a necklace she’d planned to steal anyway.
Wanting to solidify Abellus’s decision, Iris gathered her hair together and exposed her neck.
It was a gesture, asking him to put the necklace on her.
Abellus’s eyes rounded, and he pulled Iris into his arms.
Her face pressed against his broad chest, Iris gasped.
He tapped her slender neck with his fingers, as if playing piano keys, then placed the choker-style necklace around her neck and fastened the clasp with a click.
Then, running his finger over the red diamond and the silver charm beside it, he let out a sigh of admiration.
There were many layers to that sigh.
“Wow, it fits your neck perfectly, Miss Iris. It really looks beautiful.”