“If I give permission. What will you do for me? Hmm?”

“Ah, yes. Um……”

Niol watched Delia seriously pondering with interest, then deliberately twisted his body left and right.

“Wow, my body’s stiff from sitting at an angle. Ugh.”

He stretched, massaged his shoulders, and rolled his neck once. When Delia’s eyes met his as he turned his neck, she spoke.

“Should I…… give you a massage?”

Niol stopped massaging his neck as if he had never done so.

“Sure.”

Delia shook her head, feeling somewhat like she had been tricked by him. Niol spoke in an amused tone.

“I was going to give permission without you doing anything. This is a windfall.”

“Your Highness……!”

When Delia looked at him with force in her eyes, Niol continued as if making an excuse.

“There were quite a few suitable ladies among others. But there was a problem. Since they would be Ashlene’s substitute, harmony with us is important, but none of them seemed able to maintain composure in front of us.”

Delia thought for a moment then nodded.

“You mean those who blushed at Your Highness? Well that can’t be helped. Your Highness is so handsome after all……”

At that, Niol’s expression turned strange. It was a face that couldn’t decide whether to be happy or sad.

“It doesn’t seem to be just an unavoidable problem. Delia, you don’t blush when you see me.”

After a brief silence fell, Niol quickly continued.

“Also, they get so nervous just standing in front of Lord Tranade that acting properly would be difficult. One way or another, only you will do, Delia.”

Niol ran his hand through his hair with a sigh. He somehow seemed more languid than usual. His neck and ears seemed a bit red too.

‘Is it my imagination?’

In any case, Delia had achieved her goal.

Now that she could act as Ashlene’s substitute, there was no need to worry about Ashlene being kidnapped like in the original story.

Her mind felt much more at ease. Niol gazed deeply at such a Delia and spoke again.

“Ah, and as you’ve suggested, the Bennett family will hold a masquerade ball. Since that date is in a week, Ashlene will leave for Tranade tomorrow. Lord Tranade will go with her.”

Delia nodded.

Just thinking about not seeing his face for several days made her feel nostalgic already.

“I’ll be back soon, so don’t worry.”

Delia laughed awkwardly at those words.

She thought she had hidden her expression well, but it seemed to have no effect in front of Niol.

“Now, give me that massage. Here.”

Niol patted his shoulders and smiled at Delia. Then he turned his head to gaze out the window as if taking a rest. His cool forehead and well-defined nose bridge gleamed softly in the sunlight.

‘Niol really is handsome.’

Delia approached him and placed both hands on his shoulders. Though they were so firm it was hard to apply pressure, she continued the massage diligently.

His long eyelashes cast shadows and fluttered beneath eyes that smiled with satisfaction.

While blankly staring at his appearance, Delia asked as if something had occurred to her.

“Ah, Your Highness. How was it with…… Miss Bennett?”

The original story was still progressing, and the ending would come someday. She needed to do something for Niol’s happy ending.

After all, wasn’t the system originally centered around Niol’s happiness?

‘Right, I should help him properly with romance since he couldn’t in the original!’

If someone had to be with Niol, Chlois Bennett was the most suitable person for that position.

So she asked the question partly to gauge Niol’s feelings.

Whether from applied pressure or not, his already firm shoulders became even more tense.

Niol slowly turned his head to look at Delia and spoke.

“Why?”

“What?”

She had expected him to answer kindly with his usual smile. Delia was flustered by the unexpected counter-question.

“Well…… she’s a lady praised by everyone. And there were even marriage talks between Your Highness and her several times?”

After saying this much, Delia examined Niol’s expression and hurriedly concluded.

“I was meddling. I’m sorry.”

“Meddling……”

Niol leisurely raised his body that had been sitting at an angle. Delia removed her hands that had lost their place. She was quite perplexed by his attitudes that kept diverging from expectations, as if something unusual had happened today.

“Delia.”

“Yes?”

Niol began approaching with slow steps. The smile that usually appeared near his lips was faintly blurred and barely visible.

Instead, his blue eyes shining intently above gazed at her quietly.

“What kind of relationship do you have with Lord Tranade?”

“What……”

What kind of relationship?

‘That I like, no, love Kaiel? Or that I have to kill Kaiel? How can I say that……!’

Before Delia could think more about how to answer,

“You have to kill him. Right?”

The low voice struck her ears like a hammer. Delia’s eyes narrowed slightly.

She couldn’t even think of trying to explain.

Niol approached within arm’s reach and slowly, steadily cornered Delia against the wall.

Delia felt like her heart would fall out at Niol’s perception that was as sharp as a knife.

‘How did he know……?’

It would be a big problem if Niol had noticed her mission or future plans.

[Help the protagonist ‘Niol Roches’ and eliminate the villain ‘Kaiel Ceder’.]

This was the mission the system had given her on the day she fell into this world.

‘If Niol finds out that I have to kill Kaiel……?’

Delia shook her head internally.

It was hard to imagine how things would unfold if that happened.

‘Would he stop me? Or would he help me? Or something else……?’

Just when her mind had become peaceful, now her head was in chaos. Her heartbeat also quickened.

Niol’s blue eyes looked unusually cold.

“Your Highness…… Please let me explain.”

“Explain? What explanation.”

Had she ever felt such pressure from Niol before?

“You stuck close to him because you have to kill him, right?”

“Ah, no. You don’t have to put it like that……”

Delia rolled her anxious eyes back and forth.

What should she do about this? Of all people, it had to be Niol who found out. The thought of how complicated things would get made her feel endlessly dizzy.

“Delia.”

“……Yes, Your Highness.”

But who would have thought the following words would be so childish?

“Then why don’t you pay attention to me?”

Niol’s eyes that had looked intimidating suddenly drooped like a dejected puppy’s.

“Your, Your Highness?”

“You could kill me too.”

Niol spoke while looking directly into Delia’s eyes.

“You could grab my neck and press down hard, press until your handprints show.”

‘Why is he suddenly like this?’

How should she react to this absurd development? Moreover, she had no idea how Niol had found out that she needed to kill Kaiel.

Unlike what she had worried about, Niol didn’t scold or reprimand her. He didn’t offer to help either.

Instead he was saying nonsensical things about killing him too.

‘I really don’t understand what he thinks about Kaiel……!’

Though she had many questions, it seemed difficult to hold him and ask in this state.

“Your Highness……? Are you alright?”

Niol deeply bowed his head and leaned on Delia’s shoulder. A mumbling voice flowed out.

“Love me too.”

“Wait, ugh.”

With Niol releasing his strength, he was too heavy, and Delia barely managed to stand by leaning against the wall. But being close, she finally noticed a certain scent.

“……Your Highness. Perhaps……”

Bang!

“Your Highness! Are you alright!”

Suddenly the aide burst through the door. Delia startled and tried to push Niol away, but he didn’t budge at all. The aide who discovered the two against the wall quietly covered his mouth.

“……I seem to be interrupting.”

“Nooo! Come in, come in!”

Better not send him away and create stranger rumors.

When Delia sent a pleading look, the aide tiptoed closer.

“Just try coming. I’ll throw you in prison.”

But he stopped, unable to move forward or back at the cold voice.

“Your Highness, he’s trying to help. Please get up.”

After Delia gently pushed his body away and met his gaze, she saw his long eyelashes half-closed under deep double eyelids.

She hadn’t noticed earlier, but sometime Niol’s neck and face had turned pink.

Delia silently mouthed a question to the aide.

‘Did His Highness drink?’

‘Yes. A lot.’

The aide answered with exaggerated mouth movements while shaking his head.

‘For Niol to be like this, he must have drunk really heavily……’

She became curious about why he drank enough to be drunk in broad daylight.

‘Did something happen yesterday?’

No matter how much she thought about it, there didn’t seem to be anything that would cause this.

Until now, Niol had thrown many affectionate and kind words her way. Words and gazes. He hadn’t gone beyond that. This was the first time he had directly confronted her like this.