17. Guys, this is my husband-to-be.

I know it's a bit too late to say this. From this moment onward, Jae Woon will be known as Danial.

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Sean and Julian flared with envy at the loving interaction between their sister and the stranger. Who the fuck is this man?! How could he touch Ran's beautiful hair with that dirty hand?!

"Who the fuck are you?!" They both seethed with anger. They are already in attacking position, with their weapon are sheathed out from their confinement and pointing toward Danial. "Ran, back off! Don't let that strange person touched you!"

Seiran dismally rolled her eyes. Here they go again. Every time a creature named a male approached her, they will act as childish as a mentally-retarded child. She is tired of their over protectiveness. Can't they realize that she is a capable magician? Her rank is A level. She can protect herself. She alone can defeat a huge and ferocious orc.

"This is Danial, silly. My husband-to-be. Please beware of your manner toward him! Don't be rude! He is still your prince, and he deserved some respect because of his title." She hugged Danial's arm affectionately and nuzzled his sturdy chest. "Stupid brothers," Seiran mumbled under her breath as she keeps inhaling the comforting scent that Danial gives out. Seiran peeked behind his tall stature, sending a warning glare at her brothers. "Do you guys understand?"

Danial chuckles at her intimate gesture. He continued to caress Seiran's head, feeling satisfied at the content smile that grazed her lips.

"What?!" The eyes of the four men in the living room widen as the truth descended into their minds.

"You mean, that piggy from before had transformed into this sissy, handsome man?!" Julian was unable to suppress his shock. His slacked jaw dropped even further. He forgets about his hostile feeling toward the younger male for a moment. "This is ridiculous! What kind of evil sorcery this piggy used to effortlessly changed his appearance?!"

Danial's lips twitched in irritation. What did he say? Evil sorcery? Calm down, Danial. Don't lose your control in front of Seiran. You'll intimidate her. Besides, those guys are still Seiran's family members.

"No, Ran! Don't be a fool! He is completely different from the prince! How come you are sure he is the same person?! Maybe he is a devil in disguise! He tried to seduce you, and soon, he will 'eat' you!" Sean chided in. He tightly gripped his flashy sword and glaring at Danial with contempt.

Danial unceremoniously lifted his head and glared dagger at Sean. His brown eyes glinted red. He can tolerate many things, except slander. He once saw how a simple word had deeply hurt his friends. So, he despised people who talk trash and love to talk behind someone else's back. He hated back-stabbers.

Without Danial realized, he unintentionally had caused the surrounding temperature to spike up.

"You guys, please calm down!" Arthur felt the ambiance in the mansion took a drastic change. The place is boiling with intense mana. He thought the one who owned this overwhelming mana is their father, yet, Duke Arklight seemed to zone out right now. He is staring at the prince in a daze. So, the only conclusion he could come out with is, the prince is angry with his sibling's rude remarks.

Arthur believed that this powerful oppression force derived from him. Yet, to his amazement, Seiran didn't seem to be affected by them. There's no hint of pain or discomfort on her face. However, he could not say the same for the others. Even their mother's expression contorted into a painful one, as cold sweat streamlining her pale, white face. "My prince, you also."

Danial glanced at Arthur with his icy brown orbs. Arthur suddenly felt a shiver rolling down his spine. He gulped his saliva. This familiar feeling-he had confronted this intense feeling from somewhere! He certainly knows this man and personally had dealt with him before. However, this is the first time they both interacted with each other. From his memory, he and prince Danial only bumping into one another twice. In the past and this current time.

"Danny, please ignore my brothers' hurtful words. They always acted like this. Anything related to me will drive them crazy to the point of annoyance." Seiran solemnly said. Her lips are tugging into an apologetic smile.

"There, there..." Danial rubbed her cheek. "Don't be sorry, my dear Ran. I don't mind. Indeed, my appearance is different from before. That's why they are unable to recognize me. They also cannot ascertain the truth just from my words alone. Although, their words indeed incurred discontent feeling in my heart. Shouldn't we sit down and settled out our misunderstanding first, everyone?" He tears his gaze from Seiran and throws a challenging look at Sean and Julian. Because of Mochi, Danial knows the awful things these guys spoke behind his back. Unlike their logical oldest brother, Arthur, they both always acted hostile towards him, even at the mention of his name only.

Danial purposely circled his arm around Seiran's waist in front of them. He smirks as he saw steams seeping out their ears, and their faces are alarming red. He intentionally provoked those stupid bro-cons to take the first step.

Sean and Julian felt their veins bulged out. Sure, they might be shocked at his different appearance, but anyone who tried to convert their beloved sister needs to step over their dead body to get their hands on her.

"You bastard!" Sean sees red. He launched an attack. His sword is glowing in crimson color, and suddenly, a thrust of blazing fire surrounded Danial from four directions and lurched itself at Danial and Seiran. For a moment, Sean forgets about his sister's existence beside Danial. He acted like a mad bull that blindly charging forward once it saw a red flag waving in front of him.

Julian's eyes turned as wide as a saucer.

"Idiot! Ran is there, stupid!" He grabbed Sean's wrist and unintentionally changing the trajectory of the attack. Those fires changed their path and lunged at the startled Seiran. "Ran!"

Sean realized his mistake soon after. But it's already too late. He already cast the spell, and he cannot stop them midway.

"Ran, please run away!" He desperately yelled.

Duke Akhlight, Lady Liliane, and Arthur stood in disbelief. Everything happened too fast for them to react.

Danial lazily flicked his fingers as if swatting away flies. In an instant, those fires dispersed into nothingness. A rushed of chilly wind breezing its way toward Sean and Julian. Both of them toppled backward and collapsed on the floor in a dumbfounded state.

"What an irresponsible action. You guys tried to attack your sister?" He scoffed.

"No! I intend to attack you only! Don't distort the truth!" Sean retorted. He guiltily peered at his sister and kowtowing immediately. "Forgive me, Ran! I was too engrossed in my anger that I accidentally attacked you. Please forgive your brother!"

Seiran gives her brother stink eyes. Honestly, this is not the first time they resorted to violence, and Seiran is quite accustomed to their silly and unpredictable behavior. However, this is the first time she has experienced being attacked by her brother. Needless to say this she is displeased with the current outcome.

"Whatever. You will ask for Danny's forgiveness, not me. However, I'm not going to talk to you for a week. The two of you can sit on your feet at the corner, contemplating your mistakes for hours until dinner comes. Don't move until I permit you guys to move. Understand?" She motioned her finger to a corner at the end of the long hallways. There's a frame with a sentence in them, handwritten in black and bold style, tagged as Repentance Corner.

Sean and Julian's jaws dropped.

"Ran. I'm not the one who attacked him." Julian pursed his lips. He glared at Danial with unconcealed disdain. "Why would I be punished alongside big brother Sean?"

"You dare to question my action? Want me to extend your punishment, then?" Seiran's eyes gleamed with intense fury. She crossed her arms, with one of her pink, bunny flops sandals tapping on the floor, expressing her discontent to them. Seiran is angry, and she expected them to follow her words right away. Or, she will resort to violence to make them obey.

How dare they boldly attacked Danny in front of her eyes? How brave of them to do that. A simple sitting punishment is not enough to redeem their worth, yet, she holds back her rage and compromised. If she let them go again, unscathed, they might repeat their offense soon. Who will stop them? If the fight escalated into something unsightly, she might not forgive them. Touch Danial, and you will incur her wrath. Danial is her dragon scale. No one can bully him as long as Seiran is here!

Julian tugged Sean's arm, and both run off to the designated corner. They both ashamedly sit there, body facing the wall, with head dropped down, staring at the red, expensive fur carpet in silence.

Seiran huffed her breath. She is barely calming down her anger. She turned her body, facing Danial with worry plastered on her face.

"Danny, you're not hurt, right?"

"No need to get that angry, my dear Ran," Danial responded, as he tucked in her curls to the back of her red ear. His warm breath is hovering over her soft, flushing skin. Seiran felt her heart itched. "I'm okay. Not a single scratch on me. If you didn't trust me..." Danial's deep, baritone voice is trailing down into a seductive whisper. "You're welcome to check."

"Danny!" Seiran weakly smacked Danial's arms. Her face is redder than the ripen tomato. "Stop joking around!" She hissed.

Danial amusedly shrugged his shoulders. His smile turned into a teasing smirk.

"One can only hope, isn't it?"