Chapter 8 Clothes Make Men

Yana’s Point of View

I was spiraling… no, I was on the verge of losing my mind. My prayers to the goddess had come back to backfired on me.

The amnesiac dragon I had intended to use was now demanding security, something to assure him that I wouldn’t abandon him the moment he was no longer useful to me.

And to my utter disbelief, he was proposing that we get married in other for the lie to sound believeable.

My plan was to pretend to be married to him, not to actually marry him.

But I’m the desperate one, I’m the one who needs his protection, so I can’t outrightly refuse him. I could agree right now, and then intentionally stall.

That would be a much safer option, but while I do that I would also like to make things painfully clear.

“There will be absolutely no physical intimacy between us,” I warned, poking a finger against his shoulder.

His reaction caught me completely off guard, because he freaking grimaced.

Wait…. What?

No beastman had ever grimaced at the thought or suggestion of mating with me.

I am an attractive young woman, and to top it off, I’m a fox.

Foxes are natural charmers, seduction is our thing, that is how we were made.

“Why would I ever want to have relations with a lowly fox?”

A small gasp escaped my parted lips as he turned and walked away, leaving me standing there in stunned silence.

My shoulders sagged.

Wait… what had he just called me? A lowly fox?

“Who the hell do you think you are?!” I called after him, but he didn’t stop.

I don’t think anyone has ever referred to me as lowly before, especially a man. Does he think he is immune to my charms as a fox?

Wait a minute…my eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Could it be that this bastard hadn’t actually lost his memory? What if he is pretending to be amnesiac, and he is trying to use me the same way I want to use him?

No.

I shook my head.

That couldn’t be right, there wasn’t any dragon would willingly seek a fox’s help if he still had all his memories.

Dragons were far too proud for that.

I shook my head, forcing the ridiculous suspicion to the back of my mind, before hurrying after Carcel .

By the time I returned to the shed, Mr. Harold was nowhere to be seen.

My gaze shifted to Baashea, my friend, who was seated at her sewing machine, busily working on Carcel’s clothes. Judging by how much she had already accomplished, she was nearly finished.

“I’ll bring the girls over before the wedding day,” she announced with a cheerful grin. “Preparing for a wedding is no easy feat, after all. We’re going to make you the most beautiful bride anyone has ever seen. You can count on me!”

I managed a nervous smile, my gaze flickering toward Carcel, who stood nearby, silently listening to our conversation.

“That really won’t be necessary,” I said hastily. “I’d much rather keep the wedding quiet and low-key.”

“Nonsense!” Baashea snapped. “Mr. Harold has gone to gather the other townsfolk, and they’re all curious about Carcel. And they would love to meet him.”

Oh, no.

I froze in my seat.

Everything was going horribly wrong.

At this rate, my carefully laid plans would fall apart before I even had the chance to put them into action.

“How much longer until you’re done with Carcel’s clothes?” I asked, trying to sound casual.

She shrugged, her attention never leaving the fabric beneath her fingers.

“I should be finished just in time for Mr. Harold to round up the other men in town.” She giggled, continuing to work on the garment.

“No! You can't do that!” I blurted out, nearly leaping out of my chair.

Both Baashea and Carcel turned to stare at me as though I had suddenly lost my mind.

“Are you all right?” Baashea asked, concern evident in her voice.

My ears twitched nervously. I knew I was acting strangely, but I couldn't seem to help myself.

“Yes! Of course, I'm fine. It's just…” I trailed off, smoothing my dress with my sweaty palms. “Um… I have a guest waiting for me at the inn, so I'd really appreciate it if you could finish up quickly. We need to get back.”

“You can go ahead,” she suggested cheerfully. “I'm sure Carcel can find his way back to the inn once I'm finished—”

“No!” I interrupted, perhaps a little too quickly. “I mean… Carcel helps me out at the inn, so I'd really appreciate it if you could hurry. Please?”

Baashea studied me for a moment before offering a small smile.

“All right. I'll do my best to finish as quickly as I can.”

---

My fingers drummed impatiently against my thighs as I waited for Carcel to emerge from behind the curtains.

What on earth was taking him so long?

“How's it going in there?” Baashea called out.

He had been behind those curtains for quite some time now. Could he have forgotten how to dress himself along with everything else when he lost his memories?

No, that was ridiculous.

Even a complete fool knew how to put on his own clothes. Besides, Carcel had managed to dress himself perfectly well in the outfit he'd been wearing earlier. He hadn't needed anyone's help then, so why was he taking so long now?

“What on earth is going on in there?”

I was just about to march over and find out for myself when two strong hands suddenly seized the curtains and pulled them apart.

And then Carcel stepped out, the air around me seemed to freeze.

Gods… he was breathtaking.

My eyes remained fixed on his golden irises, eyes so mesmerizing they could put the rarest treasures to shame. Then there was the black shirt he wore, its collar casually undone, several buttons left open to reveal a tantalizing build of his chest and the elegant lines of his neck.

My gaze wandered lower, tracing the contours of his sculpted physique before settling on his loose-fitting trousers, the fabric gathering slightly around his ankles.

Whoever said clothes made the man clearly knew what they were talking about.

I sucked in a sharp breath and stumbled backward.

Oh, no.

His pheromones were seeping into my nostrils, intoxicating my senses with every passing second. If I inhaled any more of that heavenly scent, I would have no choice but to revert to my true fox form.

“Oh, my goodness!” Baashea exclaimed.

She glanced at me, her cheeks flushed a deep shade of red. Her gaze drifted back to Carcel, and she made absolutely no effort to hide the unmistakable lust in her eyes.

“Your husband is so handsome, Yana! You're such a lucky girl!”

Lucky?

That word and foxes doesn’t go along really well.

I drew in a deep, steadying breath, desperately trying to regain control of my senses.

“And don't worry about the payment,” Baashea added cheerfully. “Consider it a wedding gift!”

Carcel and I walked side by side through the village streets, heading back toward the forest. My mind was a tangled mess as I desperately tried to figure out how to escape the trap I'd so foolishly set for myself.

Baashea and Mr. Harold knew about the wedding now.

Which meant word would inevitably spread throughout the village, and before long, everyone would be expecting me to tie the knot with this arrogant beast.

How had everything gone so horribly wrong?

“It's cheap! Come and get your authentic pixie dust! It can cure all kinds of flu!”

My ears twitched at the familiar voice.

I whipped my head toward the sound, only to find myself staring into a pair of silver eyes I would recognize anywhere.

Sareth.

That slithering serpent bastard!

I thrust a finger in his direction.

“You bastard!” I screamed.

The moment our eyes met, Sareth hastily snatched up his goods from the ground and bolted.

“Oh, no, you don't!” Without a second thought, I took off after him.