My Substitute CEO Bride

It was the night before the Summit of Ten Thousand Dynasties.

In Kreiz Prison of Yerusia, a facility specifically designed to detain and control Espers, resided individuals who defied the Illuminion or had been deemed useless pawns by them. Having caused a ruckus at the palace, Sven was transferred to this prison. Here, he encountered Marie.

By a twist of fate, they were placed in the same cell.noveldrama

Upon hearing someone approach, Marie instinctively hid in a corner. Meanwhile, the guards merely locked Sven in and left.

"Marie, it's me," Sven said excitedly.

Marie's frightened expression softened slightly, but her eyes still showed traces of fear.

"Sven? Is... that you?" she stammered.

"Yes, it's me!" Sven walked forward eagerly.

Marie quickly stepped back, hastily wiping the dirt from her face and raising her hand to stop him. "Don't... come any closer. If you touch me, you'll die."

Sven was stunned. Only then did he notice the layers of protective gear she wore on her hands and body.

"Why are those things on you?" Sven asked, confused.

Marie's expression turned from sorrowful to cold as she shakily explained, "M-My body is strange. If anyone touches my skin, their heart stops..."

Her voice trembled, sounding as if she was on the verge of tears.

Sven ignored her protests and approached her.

Marie wanted to resist but was too afraid of accidentally touching him, so she kept retreating. "I told you not to come closer. You... You..." Before she could finish, Sven wrapped her in an embrace.

Marie froze. The sensation was both familiar and alien. She did not know how to react. She remembered how during the Heaven and Netherworld game, Sven had hugged her the same way. This feeling and this embrace she had been dreaming of

was happening again.

Marie was an orphan, and she had a tragic start in life. Her mother died at birth, and the doctor and nurses who touched her in the delivery room also mysteriously died. Unlike other babies, she did not cry at birth. She was merely surrounded by the cries of others.

The Reaper Guild quickly discovered

her and took her to a lab. In the dim lab, time seemed to stretch endlessly until she was finally put on a plane. That was her first encounter with the outside world.

Through the thick glass, she saw the blue sky and green fields, filling her once colorless world with hues.

Nonetheless, the plane did not take her to freedom. It delivered her to the Illuminion in Yerusia, where she became another subject of experimentation. This time, it was relatively better.

The Illuminion simulated a normal

all

world where people lived happily, including Marie. However, it was part of an experiment. At 12, she was deemed a useless Esper and had been imprisoned until now.

Even during the life simulation, she had never felt like this. People avoided her as they feared her powers. Seeing others play, laugh, and hug, she longed for someone to hug her too.

She finally could enjoy someone's embrace now. She relished Sven's warmth but was too scared to hug back and too fearful to push him away.

Releasing her, Sven sincerely said, "It's okay. With me here, everything will be alright."

Marie was still shaken and stammered, "This... This..."

"See? I'm fine," Sven said with a fond smile.

"No... No, it's not okay... I..." Marie struggled and squirmed as she panicked.

In her frantic movements, her glove slipped off, and her wrist touched Sven.