Chapter 62. Inside the Fence

“Oh my.”

Enoch sighed as if he felt genuinely sorry.

“Whoever that is, they must be very mean.”

“……”

I glared at him, finding him insincere. Enoch chuckled, adjusted his hold on me with one arm, and broke off a branch of lilac with his free hand. It was a particularly splendid branch with light purple flowers in full bloom. He handed it to me.

“It matches the dress you’re wearing today.”

“…It does. This color…”

I had been so annoyed with him just moments ago, but as soon as I received the flower, my anger melted away like snow. I seriously doubted my emotional stability.

“By the way, I heard you didn’t have breakfast this morning.”

“I had a piece of cake during the engagement ceremony, so I’m fine.”

“Are you kidding? How can you hold up with just that?”

He clicked his tongue in disbelief and started to leave the cluster of lilacs, still holding me. Feeling a bit regretful, I thought about coming back here tomorrow when the sunlight was nice. Meanwhile, I hugged the lilac branch tightly. Its fragrance was intoxicating.

“You’re already so thin, just skin and bones.”

“I’m sorry if I’m unpleasant to look at.”

“Who said you’re unpleasant? I’m telling you to eat properly.”

“I have a small appetite…”

“Without muscles, you’re all soft—how could you ever shoot a gun like that?”

Oh, right. The gun.

His ominous gift came to mind, and I quickly asked the question I had been meaning to ask.

“Why did you give me a gun? I don’t even know how to shoot one.”

“You can learn how to shoot. Think of it as self-defense.”

“Self-defense?”

“If someone like Maxwell or Julian bothers you, just shoot them with it.”

“What? Maxwell, maybe, but Duke Berstein is part of the royal family. Are you telling me to harm a member of the royal family?”

“Just aim for the shoulder or arm. They won’t die.”

“No…”

I was too flustered to say anything. As I opened and closed my mouth, Enoch set me down on the stone floor of the corridor and added nonchalantly.

“I’m your backer, so what’s the problem? You can act a bit more freely.”

…Hearing that didn’t make me feel any more secure—in fact, it made me more anxious. It seemed like he often forgot that our contract only lasts for a year. How could he promise to back me up when our relationship was only for a year? …Did he think I was lying about my magic of foresight? Was he planning to keep me for more than a year?

“I don’t really want to act freely…”

“No, try it. You’ll change your mind.”

Enoch grinned. His crooked smile, lifting only one corner of his mouth, matched his fierce face perfectly. Anyone would be breathless seeing that smile. So my reaction was entirely natural.

“For example, imagine Maxwell is annoying you. Wouldn’t you want to punch him at least once?”

After a moment of contemplation, I admitted honestly.

“Well, yes…”

Acknowledging one’s violent impulses was surprisingly easy.

“But your hands.”

He placed my hand in his palm. Compared to his, my hand looked ridiculously small.

“Even if you punched someone once, your bones would break or swell up.”

“……”

I couldn’t argue with that, so I stayed silent. Enoch stroked the back of my hand with his thumb and said,

“So just shoot them instead. I’ll teach you how to shoot. Seeing a bullet lodged in a scumbag’s shoulder will make you feel better.”

“……”

A dangerous glint shone in his eyes. When he had that murderous look, he seemed half-crazy, making him twice as scary as usual. Unsure how to respond, I nodded vaguely and changed the subject.

“Is there a shooting range in the Winter Palace?”

“Of course there is. My riflemen need a place to train.”

“Since you’re busy with work, can’t someone else teach me?”

I tried to withdraw my hand from his grasp, but he held it tightly. The moment he applied pressure, a strange shiver ran from the top of my head to my toes.

“Why? Don’t you trust me?”

“…Your Highness’s explanations are difficult to understand…”

He couldn’t be called a good teacher, even as a formality.

“No matter how difficult my explanations are, you should try to understand them.”

“I don’t want to test the limits of my intelligence anymore…”

“To correct your posture, I need to be close to you. Do you think it’s reasonable to leave that to the riflemen?”

“That…”

Right, it would be problematic. As the Grand Duke’s fiancée, I should maintain proper decorum. Reluctantly, I nodded in agreement.

“Then… please explain more simply. Your explanations are really hard to understand…”

“Alright, got it.”

Enoch’s insincere response made me very uneasy. I could almost see my future, receiving his ‘You can’t even do this?’ look…

Anyway, that argument ended, and we moved on to the next topic: the wedding. Enoch insisted that I should wear a conservative dress that covered my neck entirely. I glared at him, exasperated, and argued that no one wore dresses like that for weddings these days.

“I don’t want to make you a spectacle. I don’t like the idea of men looking at you with dirty eyes.”

“Who would look at me with dirty eyes…”

“Maxwell, for instance.”

Ah. I immediately understood. That man would definitely do that.

“Now that you’re within my fence, you’re my person. And I always protect my people thoroughly.”

…Hearing such words suddenly gave me a very strange feeling. I think I understood why the vassals of the Bayern family endured his sharp temper and never left.

A question suddenly came to mind, and I voiced it.

“…Am I someone useful to Your Highness?”

“Why ask something so obvious? You’re the only mage in this world with foresight magic.”

“…That’s true.”

For some reason, I smiled softly. It was a really strange feeling. Even though I was afraid and sad about my lifespan being shortened, I was happy to be of help to him. Was I really such a selfless person? Really, why… Why do I feel this way?

“…You—”

Just as Enoch, who was staring at me intently, furrowed his brows and opened his mouth, a fierce and arrogant voice rang out from not too far away.

“Are the stars of the engagement ceremony slacking off?”

Startled, I turned my gaze, and immediately heard Enoch’s annoyed groan beside me. …It was a very reasonable reaction. After all, the intruder was none other than Julian Berstein.

“The guests were looking for you. What are you doing here?”

He approached us with a mocking tone, standing crookedly in front of us. Fortunately, he didn’t bring any mistresses with him today. Well, no matter how shameless Julian Berstein was, he wouldn’t bring mistresses to his brother’s engagement ceremony…

“…Huh? Miss Lopez, were you crying?”

“…?”

I was momentarily taken aback by his sudden remark, but then Julian’s hand reached out towards me. Just as his artistically slender fingers were about to touch my eyes—

“Get your hand away.”

Enoch slapped Julian’s hand away and warned him menacingly. His gaze was like that of a beast claiming its territory. …As expected, Enoch Bayern seemed to treat me as a sort of possession. Since he said I was within his fence, that must be true.

Julian raised an eyebrow, showing his annoyance, and took a step back. Pointing at me with a nod, he questioned gruffly.

“Miss Lopez, did my brother make you cry? Just like they say—old habits die hard. Making women cry again…”

It felt quite out of place for a notorious rake to criticize someone else. I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand, wondering if I really cried. There was a dampness. …What is this?

“You said you wouldn’t come, so why are you here?”

“Are you unhappy that I’m here?”

“Judging by your tone, it seems your manners haven’t improved, Julian.”

The quarrelsome brothers glared at each other. I, feeling genuinely hungry now, secretly rubbed my upper belly. Today was mentally exhausting.

“Since I’m here, I might as well give Miss Lopez some advice. Would you like to hear it?”

Julian, perhaps bored with arguing with Enoch, suddenly targeted me. Reflexively flinching, I shook my head as I hid behind Enoch.

“Thank you, but I’m fine.”

“Ha…”

He stared at me for a long time, then roughly brushed back his unkempt bangs.