As the two involved came to terms with everything, the spectating Blackie could hold in his agitation no longer.

This was not how this drama was supposed to play out, ah!!

‘I waited so long for this final showdown, looking forward to a dramatic boss fight of life and death!’

‘Ah, ah! I already pulled my content filter down, and you show me this?!?’

щ（ﾟДﾟщ）

They really had him duped! Made him all excited, imagining a big catfight between the new and the old lovers! And in the end, these two weren’t even an actual couple but a pair of… a pair of… frenemies?

Blackie got so agitated that he even contacted his immediate supervisor to vent his anger, lodging a complaint that he hadn’t been sufficiently briefed about his mission! Ah, ah! ‘How could you keep this important info from me?!’

After so many millennia supporting Blackie and his previous host from behind the scenes, the system from the MIM (Mission Intelligence & Management) division of the Logistics department knew better than to quibble with Blackie. Thus, in a well-practiced manner, it sent over a stream of memory footage to shut the other’s virtual mouth.

After receiving the data and realizing it was a collection of events from Levi’s and Maery’s past, Blackie settled down, thinking this footage should have some entertainment value. He might not have gotten to see a dog-blood drama he had been looking forward to, but judging by the current state of affairs, he might at least get to enjoy a comedy, right?

Also, it’s not like the two had anything to hide! Surely they wouldn’t mind if an intelligent toaster took a peek? Besides, as his host’s guardian, he had a right to know to whom he was marrying off his darling host!

No, it wasn’t his right, but his duty! Yes, yes! If he, Blackie, didn’t check some things for his host (such whether his host’s future husband was still a pure and clean little “vegetarian”, or if he had already had his first taste of “meat”) how would his host ever find out about his hubby’s dark past?! Ptui, how can a man and a woman be in a relationship for six years without so much as a nibble of “meat”? Even if they wanted to fool others, they still had to pretend to be carnivores!

With that very, extremely righteous thought, Blackie opened up the file he had been sent.

The memory stream started with an event dated 6 years ago.

The setting was the lively party held for Maery’s 18th birthday. It was a grand event, and everyone was in great spirits.

Well, almost everyone. There was one teenage loner wolf, scowling at the crowd from the dark corner he had occupied since the start of the party. Astar Levi had been forced by his parents to attend, but just because he came didn’t mean he would join in on the festivities.

No, he would rather endure here alone, glaring at anyone who dared try to engage him in a conversation, until this nightmare was finally over and done with.

Bah, his parents knew how crowds made him sick to his stomach, and they still made him come! The longer he was forced to endure the uncomfortable presences of all these strangers, the more irritated he became. And as a result, the more menacing his facial expression looked.

Finally, the party girl could no longer endure the sight of this big black cloud sulking in the corner. How could she properly enjoy the festivities when she had his cold gaze stuck on her back, following her everywhere?! Instead of feeling relaxed and happy on her own birthday, she instead felt an impending crisis, as if there was a monster lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to pounce and rip her to shreds!

Thus, Maery gathered up her resolve, put on a gentle and elegant smile, and asked to have a private word with her fiancé.

The two went to an empty, soundproofed room, and the first thing Maery said as she closed the door was, “Do you or do you not intend to marry me?”

“Of course I will marry,” Levi immediately responded as if it was a matter of fact not even worth pondering over.

Maery turned to look at him strangely, “Then why are you acting so unwilling?”

Levi’s eyebrows shot up, and his stern face scrunched up in confusion, “How am I unwilling?”

Maery, “…” （　ﾟДﾟ）

Levi, “…?” （￣へ￣）

After a long moment of silence, Maery’s hands nervously gripped the hem of her skirt, and she looked at Levi from under her long eyelashes. “Then… do you… like me?” She tentatively asked.

“No,” Levi deadpanned, not in the least concerned about hurting the fragile heart of a young girl.

As a young girl on the receiving end of such brutal honesty, Maery’s watery eyes rippled. She pressed her hand to her chest and…!

…released a long breath of relief, “Thank god! I don’t like you either!” (～￣▽￣)～

Blackie spewed out the virtual drink he had been pretending to drink.

But on second thought, he couldn’t say Maery’s thoughts on this matter were unreasonable.

Who’d want to be liked by a guy like this?! This sourpuss who kept looking at everyone as if they owed him money?? Treating everyone around him like the plague! No tact! Not considerate! Gloomy and fierce! Not cute at all!

Whoever thought he would be a good husband should go get his head checked!

Levi, “…” (눈_눈)

Maery finally relaxed her stiff posture and gracefully sat down on the sofa in the middle of the room. She finally understood the other’s opinion on all of this, and it unexpectedly aligned with hers.

“I don’t like you, you don’t like me, but this heir business needs to be done, no?” ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Levi nodded briskly in full agreement. This wasn’t a matter of like or dislike. It was politics.

They had to marry and produce a good heir for the future of both cities and for the sake of their two families.

He understood the logic behind it and, more so, fully agreed with it.

What he needed to do, he would do. What he didn’t need to do, he would not do.

It was as simple as that.

It was good that the two of them were on the same page. Really saved him from future problems.

Just how troublesome would it be if his bride actually expected some kind of a lovey-dovey marital relationship between husband and wife?

For him who disliked contact with people, even getting in bed together to produce offspring would be done with great reluctance.

Levi thought this would be where this conversation ended, but Maery continued, “So, since we are after the same thing, how about we… for the next couple of years… pretend to have a very harmonious relationship? You know, for the sake of appearances?” Maery picked up a cookie from the nearby tray, “And then we’ll get married asap, get that kid out, and then endure until he is old enough to take over, so we can have a clean divorce, yeah?”

Levi’s eyebrows furrowed. At normal times he would immediately refuse, thinking the other wanted to trick him into spending more time with her so she could put all of her moves on display and eventually capture his heart. But the woman’s earlier words seemed to have been honest. And Levi was good at telling between what was fake and what was genuine.

Also, now that he was alone with her, he noticed that her presence didn’t cause him much discomfort. After a while, he might even get used to it and forget it was there. Perhaps it would be good to get a head start on this adaptation for the sake of their future marriage?

Thus Levi decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, “You want us to pretend like we are an actual couple? Why?”