Battle Divorce! - Chapter 11

Chapter 6.1

‘Does he already know who I am? How… no, when? When did he find out?’

Her mind spiraled with endless questions, leaving her feeling lightheaded.

‘Then, am I about to be… shot to death?’

Should I elbow him in the jaw and make a run for it?

No, no. I don’t fully understand what’s going on yet.

Acting impulsively could lead to disaster.

The weight of his hand resting on her shoulder from behind felt like a noose tightening around her neck. If she struggled, it felt as though he would only clamp down harder, crushing into her skin until it broke.

“….”

Daisy’s lips moved, but her mind had gone blank, and she couldn’t find the words. Then, with a light tug, one of her shoulder straps slipped down.

Maxim hooked his finger around her other shoulder strap, whispering softly.

“Easy, are you afraid of me?”

What should I do? Running isn’t an option right now.

“Why are you trembling so hard?”

“….”

“Are you worried I might devour you, Easy?”

The mention of her name “Easy” left Daisy mute, and he repeated his question. He definitely said, “Easy.” No matter how many times she heard it, he was calling her “Easy,” not “Daisy.”

…But isn’t he being way too casual for someone who’s supposedly discovered my identity?

Forget it. I’ll just deny it outright.

Feeling a strange sense of discomfort, Daisy cautiously began to speak.

“What is ‘Easy’? Why do you keep calling me that…”

“It’s a nickname. You don’t like it?”

A nickname?

Hearing the unexpected word from Maxim’s lips, Daisy’s eyes widened slightly.

“Since your name is Daisy, I thought ‘Izzy’^[1] would make a nice nickname. I wanted to try it out.”

Oh, Daisy.

…Izzy.

‘Sooo, he wasn’t saying my code name, “Easy”… just a nickname?’

Good grief, I was scared for nothing and ended up trembling like an idiot.

If she had freaked out and actually elbowed him in the jaw, that could have been a disaster. Daisy let out a sigh of relief, trying to calm her racing heart.

“A nickname?”

“Yes, a nickname. Why are you so surprised?”

“It’s just, it was so sudden…”

Thinking it over, she realized this wasn’t entirely her fault. It was Maxim’s, for being so odd.

In this situation, who wouldn’t misunderstand?

Besides, we’ve only met twice. Who in their right mind would suddenly come up with a nickname?

Honestly, just being in the same room as him was exhausting. For someone as naturally introverted as Daisy, this level of friendliness was overwhelming.

It had only been a year since she’d taken on the name Daisy, so of course, she’d misunderstood when he picked a nickname identical to her code name. Not that he seemed to care. Maxim von Waldeck didn’t appear the least bit concerned about what he might have done wrong.

With his dark eyebrows raised, he observed her pale, trembling face with keen interest.

“As I mentioned earlier, I believe that nothing in the world is more important than names and titles.”

“Ahh… I-I see.”

“You seemed uncomfortable with ‘wife,’ so I thought I’d try something more familiar. You don’t like it?”

“It’s not that I don’t like it… It just feels a bit awkward. We’ve only met twice, after all.”

“Well, that’s true, in person. But I saw you several times a day, Izzy.”

What is he talking about? How is that possible?

Daisy’s eyes widened in surprise.

“How?”

“Well, take a guess.”

He opened the pendant hanging around his neck, revealing a small portrait.

Sure enough, it was of Daisy.

When did he even get this?

She couldn’t remember ever posing for a portrait. She was baffled.

“I secretly placed it in here so I could keep it with me.”

“….”

Where the heck did he get that portrait?

Could that bastard Therese have prepared it for him? She was baffled by its unknown origin.

“I wore it around my neck so I could see you whenever I wanted. If I were to count the number of times I looked at it, it would add up to more than the heads I blew off in the war.”

And that wasn’t even the worst part. His choice of words was downright unsettling.

Translator’s Note:

1. In Korean, “Easy” and “Izzy/Issy” are spelled and pronounced the exact same way: 이지. That’s why Daisy heard “Easy,” while Maxim was saying “Izzy.”

Maxim took the “이지” out of “Daisy”: 데(이지) to create “Isy” or “Izzy.” ↩