Gabriella couldn't help but smile when she saw him genuinely laughing. Although he was the one who killed the original Gabriella in the novel, he was also a pitiful character. Like most second male leads, he only had an unrequited love for the heroine, Camilla. Despite all his efforts to save her and show how much he cared, he never actually confessed his feelings. He felt too "dirty" to taint the innocent saintess and thought that he had too much blood on his hands to experience love.

Noticing the subtle change in her expression, Asher moved closer and gently caressed her cheek, asking, "What's wrong?" He thought that maybe she had finally realized that she was not returning to her beloved home.

"N-nothing!" she stuttered, flustered by the sudden touch but not repulsed by it. How could she be, when he was this handsome?

As Asher's hand brushed against her cheek, Gabriella's mind went into overdrive, a whirlwind of conflicting emotions swirling like a tornado in her brain. On one hand, she couldn't shake the feeling of unease knowing that this man had been responsible for the demise of her literary counterpart. On the other hand, his touch sent tingles down her spine that she couldn't quite explain—tingles that had nothing to do with fear and everything to do with a certain primal attraction.

But amidst the chaos of her thoughts, one thing became abundantly clear: Asher was nothing like the brooding anti-hero she had come to expect from the pages of her favorite novels. Instead, he was... well, he was kind of a dork. A handsome, flirty dork at that.

As he leaned in closer, his golden eyes searching hers for answers, Gabriella couldn't help but stifle a giggle at the earnestness of his expression. Here was a man who had supposedly killed for love, and yet he looked like a lost puppy desperate for validation.

"Nothing?" he echoed, his voice soft and gentle like a summer breeze. "Are you sure?"

Gabriella nodded, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment at being caught off guard. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she muttered, mentally kicking herself for her lack of composure. 'Smooth move, Gabriella,' she scolded herself inwardly, 'real smooth.'

But Asher seemed unfazed by her awkwardness, his lips curling into a playful smirk as he took a step closer. "You know," he said, his voice low and husky, "you're a terrible liar."

Gabriella's heart skipped a beat at his words, her breath catching in her throat as she struggled to maintain her composure. 'Oh great,' she thought, 'now he thinks I'm a complete basket case.'

But before she could spiral any further into a pit of self-doubt, Asher's hand was on her cheek again, his touch sending shivers down her spine like a jolt of electricity. "Just relax," he murmured. "I'm not going to bite."

Asher's touch sent a shiver down Gabriella's spine, his fingers like feathers against her skin. She fought to keep her composure, reminding herself that this was all just a bizarre twist of fate—a glitch in the matrix of her mundane existence.

But try as she might, she couldn't ignore the warmth blooming in her chest at his proximity, like a pot of soup left simmering on the stove for too long. 'Oh, great,' she thought, 'now I'm comparing my feelings to kitchen appliances.'

Gabriella's cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of crimson at his words, her mind racing a mile a minute as she tried to come up with a witty retort. But alas, all she could manage was a feeble nod and a nervous laugh that sounded more like a dying hyena than anything remotely charming.

'Well, that went well,' she thought, mentally facepalming at her own awkwardness. 'Note to self: work on flirting skills.'

As Asher drew her closer, Gabriella felt her heart doing somersaults in her chest, each flip-flop more dramatic than the last. It was like a chaotic dance party in her ribcage, and she was the unwilling DJ desperately trying to regain control of the playlist.

But before she could gather her wits, Asher's lips were dangerously close to hers, his breath warm against her skin as he whispered, "You know, Gabriella, you really are quite captivating."

Gabriella's cheeks flushed a shade of pink that would put a ripe strawberry to shame, her mind racing a mile a minute as she tried to come up with a witty response. 'C'mon brain, you've got this,' she urged herself, mentally flexing her comedic muscles like a stand-up comedian facing a tough crowd. 'Think of something smooth and charming.'

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But alas, her brain seemed to have taken an impromptu vacation, leaving her stranded in a sea of awkwardness with no life raft in sight. She was like a deer caught in the headlights of Asher's charm, frozen in place as he leaned in closer, his lips tantalizingly close to hers.

Just as she was about to throw caution to the wind and dive headfirst into the abyss of his kiss, her stomach chose that exact moment to stage a protest, emitting a loud and decidedly unromantic growl that echoed through the room like a disgruntled walrus.

Gabriella's eyes widened in horror at the unexpected interruption, her cheeks flushing an even deeper shade of crimson as she stumbled backward like a clumsy baby giraffe finding its footing for the first time. 'Oh no, not now,' she thought frantically, mentally begging her stomach to cooperate. 'Why does my body always betray me at the worst possible moments?'

As Asher's eyebrows shot up in surprise at her sudden retreat, Gabriella felt like sinking into the floor and disappearing from existence altogether. 'Smooth move, Gabriella,' she chided herself inwardly, mentally facepalming at her own clumsiness. 'Nothing says "seduction" like a stomach full of hunger pangs.'

But to her surprise, Asher's lips quirked into a playful grin, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he took her hand in his. "Hungry, are we?" he teased, his voice laced with mirth. "Well, in that case, perhaps we should continue this conversation over a hearty feast. They say the way to a person's heart is through their stomach, after all."

Gabriella felt a wave of relief wash over her at his easygoing response, her embarrassment slowly melting away like ice cream on a hot summer day. 'Well, that wasn't so bad,' she thought, her spirits lifting at the prospect of a delicious meal. 'Maybe this whole seduction thing won't be as awkward as I thought.'

As they sat down to dine in the extravagantly decorated bridal room, Gabriella found herself feeling like a pampered penguin in a tuxedo. Asher, on the other hand, was a whirlwind of activity, bustling around like an overzealous waiter on his first day of the job.

"Here, try this," he chirped, practically shoving a forkful of roast chicken in her direction. "And this, and this," he added, piling on more food with the enthusiasm of a kid in a candy store.

Gabriella blinked in astonishment at the sheer amount of food being thrown her way, her stomach rumbling like a discontented bear waking up from hibernation. "Um, Your— "

"Asher." he swiftly corrected her.

"A-Asher, I don't think I can eat all of this," she protested, eyeing the mountain of food on her plate warily.

But Asher was undeterred, his eyes shining with an almost manic glee. "Nonsense, my dear Gabriella," he insisted, his voice laced with determination. "You must try everything. It's all simply divine."

Reluctantly, Gabriella took a cautious bite of the roast chicken, her taste buds tingling with unexpected delight. 'Well, I'll be damned,' she thought, 'he's actually a good husband. I wonder if the original Gabriella behaved, will Asher be like this as well?.'

But just as she was beginning to enjoy her impromptu feast, Asher's voice cut through the air like a scythe through a field of wheat, his words sending a chill down her spine.

"You know," he said casually, his gaze fixed on her with an intensity that made her squirm in her seat, "you're probably going to miss your royal family now that you're here."

Gabriella's eyes widened in horror at his words, her throat constricting like a stubborn garden hose as she struggled to swallow the lump of food lodged in her windpipe. 'Oh god, I wonder if he'll be mad if he knew that the Kingdom basically lied to his face?' she thought frantically, her mind racing to come up with a believable response.

But before she could utter a single word, Asher was already forging ahead, his voice tinged with a sincerity that made her want to crawl under the table and hide. "I'm sure they're very dear to you," he continued, his tone gentle but firm. "Your parents, your siblings... they must miss you terribly."

Gabriella, caught off guard by Asher's unexpected question, blinked owlishly before blurting out, "Miss them? Nah, not a chance!" Her words echoed in the grandeur of the room, far louder than she intended, and she winced inwardly, realizing she'd spoken aloud instead of keeping her thoughts to herself.

Asher cocked his head to the side, a quizzical expression dancing in his eyes. "Really?" he asked, his tone tinged with skepticism.

Gabriella scrambled for an excuse, her mind racing like a hamster on a wheel as she tried to salvage the situation. "Oh, you know, it's just... um, I'm quite a handful," she stammered, her cheeks flushing crimson with embarrassment. "They're probably relieved that I'm away... and Father says he'll write often. Haha!"

Asher raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced by her feeble attempt at an explanation. "Hmm, if you say so," he replied, his tone laced with amusement. "But if you ever change your mind, just let me know. I'm sure we can arrange a royal carriage ride or something."

Gabriella fought the urge to bury her face in her hands at his suggestion, mentally cursing herself for digging an even deeper hole with her clumsy lies. 'Well, this is going swimmingly,' she thought wryly, 'I wonder if I can just hide under the table until this whole charade is over.'