For My Birthday, I Was Gifted Five Husbands - Chapter 155

Elaine Sabnac’s piercing stare at him lasted only an instant, but Magnus couldn’t miss it.

‘Was that bloodlust?’

No, if it were that intense, he would’ve known for sure. Instead, the woman quickly broke eye contact and followed after Eugenie—almost enough to make Magnus wonder if he’d imagined the whole thing.

“These people… each one is a mystery…”

But what surprised him most was Carter Livingston’s reaction.

While the other four husbands had become increasingly obvious in their competition for Eugenie’s attention, even openly expressing their feelings now, Carter—who used to ruthlessly chase off any guy who tried to confess to Eugenie back in the Academy days—was the only one doing absolutely nothing.

Even when he was by her side, he just kept up that same bright, affable smile, as if nothing had changed.

‘It’s suspicious, but it’s hard to call him out on it directly.’

He wasn’t about to ask, “Why aren’t you trying harder to win Norton over?”—not when giving Carter any hints would only play into his hands.

Magnus’s thoughts drifted to the magenta ring case in his luggage.

The location, by Magnus’s standards, was less than ideal, but…

‘Well, there’s nothing to be done about it this time.’

Those five silly rings—he’d swap out the most inconspicuous pale green one for a new ring set with a white stone. It wasn’t his personal taste, but if the ring was shaped like the daisies Eugenie liked, maybe she’d at least pretend to be pleased for three seconds.

Waiting through the night just to catch those few moments of happiness didn’t seem so bad.

Of course, if she ever discovered his ‘secret’, that happy look might instantly freeze over with shock… but that was a risk he’d take.

* * *

Having multiple appointments scheduled every day—what kind of life was this?

‘I wasn’t even that popular back at the Academy. Is this all catching up to me now?’

Eugenie gave herself a mental pat on the back. Still, just seeing the husband she was supposed to meet for dinner was enough to make her feel drained.

“…Cassius.”

“Yes, my love!”

As soon as he entered for dinner, he swept her up in a passionate hug, planting kisses all over her face as if she were dipped in honey. Was this what it was like to have a giant, pink puppy clinging to you?

She gave him a few pats on the back out of habit, but couldn’t help being confused.

“What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”

Wasn’t Cassius the most distant one out of the five, at least in terms of their personal relationship? But Eugenie could tell now—his flirtatiousness wasn’t just an act.

“I thought you didn’t want anything from me.”

“Oh, that? I’m taking it back.”

“What? Why?”

“Hey, people can change their minds, can’t they?”

Smack! Cassius kissed her left cheek loudly.

Elaine, watching from nearby, looked more fascinated than anything by her cousin’s outrageous behavior. Cassius, meanwhile, just grinned brazenly.

“Lady, how do I look today? Am I to your liking?”

“Oh…”

Eugenie glanced at him up and down—deep blue-gray silk jacket, crisp white bowtie, slim pants matching the jacket, and that fluttery, almost fairy-like glow of pale pink. He looked like a determined fairy going all out to impress.

It wasn’t like they hadn’t already slept together with five other people in a total free-for-all, yet he acted as if he was nervously about to go on a first date.

“Compared to the others, don’t you think I’m by far the prettiest?”

“Honestly, ‘pretty’ is the perfect word for you. But… why suddenly care about being pretty to me now?”

Eugenie tilted her head in honest confusion. She hadn’t even bothered to dress up tonight, yet Cassius didn’t seem to care in the slightest.

“Aren’t we married now? By that logic, I’m the fish you’ve already caught, right?”

“Exactly! Since you’ve caught me, you should treat me even better! Turn the fishbowl into a solid diamond and plant only the finest Imperial waterweed.”

“Uh-huh…”

“And make sure the refraction of the tank is perfect so my best side always shows!”

Cassius’s relentless barrage of affection was enough to make Eugenie’s fork slip as she tried to spear a caprese salad.

‘What the heck happened to him?’

Seeing how her energy was already drained by the fairy-like figure’s antics, Cassius watched Eugenie with delight and sipped his wine. Apparently, his lady was extremely weak to direct expressions of affection.