Truly ridiculous words came out of Ilion’s mouth.

Me? With Sergio? Hey, aren’t you going a bit too far?

I was so dumbfounded that I couldn’t answer and just stared at Ilion. Perhaps taking this as affirmation, the hands holding me tightened their grip.

“What nonsense is this! Me? With Sergio? Eloping?”

Heated, I shouted right next to Ilion’s ear, and he looked at me with surprised eyes.

“Even if the sky falls, I’d never elope with a guy like that! I prefer handsome men with good bodies! He’s…”

In the middle of my heated speech, I suddenly realized what I was saying and closed my mouth.

Then, trying to gloss over the situation with a smile, I continued.

“…W-we are absolutely not that kind of relationship, so please don’t misunderstand.”

“Then why did you plan such a thing?”

Right. We weren’t done with this conversation yet. I should have just said it was an elopement.

Unable to come up with a suitable excuse, I muttered while inwardly swallowing tears.

“…I-I wanted attention.”

“What?”

“Y-you’re indifferent no matter what I do, so I-I wanted attention. I thought… if I disappeared… you might worry… about me…”

Ravenne, I’m sorry. For making you an attention seeker. But this is the only reason I could think of!

I slightly raised my eyes to check Ilion’s expression and saw his brows furrowed.

Yes, let’s just become an attention seeker. It’s better than dying, right? And if Ilion comes to despise me terribly because of this, even better!

“Do you realize how much danger you were in?”

Once again, the hands holding me tightened. Judging by his expression, he was clearly angry.

I was told to speak truthfully, but it was Julia who kidnapped me, so strictly speaking, it wasn’t my fault that I was in danger.

However, because of what I had done, I pretended to be remorseful and watched his reaction carefully.

“Just to get my attention…”

“It’s important to me.”

“Getting my attention?”

No, not that, but escaping from this mansion.

When I didn’t respond for a while, Ilion sighed.

“…I understand.”

“Yes?”

What do you understand?

I thought he would either scold me harshly or throw me away in anger, but this unexpectedly calm response was even scarier.

However, with those words, Ilion closed his mouth and didn’t press further.

Could it be that he believes me? But why such a lukewarm reaction?

Unable to do this or that, I just kept watching Ilion’s reactions. After walking silently for a while, Ilion stopped a guard.

“Strengthen the security around the area.”

“Was there a suspicious person, sir?”

Surprised by Ilion’s sudden appearance, the guard asked tensely.

“It would be troublesome if the rabbit we’ve just caught jumps over the fence.”

“…Pardon?”

The guard looked at Ilion with a puzzled expression, then bowed his head and left, saying he understood.

“It seems you’re raising a rabbit. Haha, I didn’t know.”

“Yes. I’m raising one.”

Ilion answered my question with an indifferent expression.

Haha, I see. So our Ilion was raising a rabbit…

Haha, you don’t believe me after all, right?

***

After Ilion took me to my room, he told me to eat breakfast as usual and come to the study from the next day.

His behavior, no different from usual, was peaceful as if nothing had happened.

Just like how a large dog that quietly bites your neck is scarier than a small dog that barks threateningly, Ilion was exactly like that right now.

I watched Ilion’s actions tensely, but fortunately, the things I was worried about didn’t happen.

He just retrieved the rope I had made and carefully closed the window. How very kind of him.

In the end, nothing happened, but Ilion’s intention was clear. Don’t think about running away again.

Somehow, I felt a chill around my neck.

Is it okay to just let this pass as if nothing happened?

Or is he still contemplating my punishment?

Since Ilion wasn’t the type to drag out decisions, that probably wasn’t it. Then, does it mean he decided to just let it go like this? Why?

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand Ilion’s attitude, and I ended up spending another night almost sleepless.

The next morning started with Lily’s nagging, as expected.

Perhaps because so much had happened, Lily’s usual nagging was even welcome.

“What on earth were you thinking, doing such a thing? Do you know how angry the Duke was? To think you’d join hands with Sergio! I won’t have any heart left looking after you, Miss. I was so worried, wondering if your head might roll…”

As always, I appreciate how Lily speaks her mind. Unlike someone, I don’t need to worry about any hidden meanings. If Ilion were even half as straightforward as Lily, I would have escaped this place long ago.

After thinking about Ilion all night, once again, everything led back to Ilion.

Feeling irritated for no reason, I tried to shake off thoughts of Ilion and looked at Lily.

Now that I looked closely, Lily’s eyes were puffy. It seems I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t sleep properly due to worry.

Somehow, it felt too precious to let her nagging go in one ear and out the other.

“I’m sorry. I’ve committed a mortal sin.”

“No!”

“Huh?”

“You mustn’t think about dying again! Do you know how tense the mansion was all day yesterday? Absolutely not! Not even over my dead body!”

Saying this, Lily held both my hands and shook her head firmly.

Facing Lily, who was so angry, I really started to feel like I was back at the Duke’s mansion.

And I realized once again that no matter how much I try to wake up from this dream, I can’t escape from this novel.

Ah, I wonder how many days are left until the original story begins.

I, who never imagined I’d still be in the Duke’s mansion, started counting the days on my fingers.

***

A drowsy mind from lack of sleep was the worst for brain function. As proof, I couldn’t quite understand what the man in front of me was saying.

“The Duke has ordered me to attend to you for the time being, Miss.”

“Pardon?”

The muscular man filling the doorway said, looking at me.

With sun-tanned skin and slightly darker brown hair, his clothes bore the crest of the Celestine family.

“So, who are you again?”

“Lucas Owen, Captain of the Sky Knight Order.”

He introduced himself to me once more.

As he saluted, his uniform stretched tightly as if it might burst.

The buttons fastening the front looked like they might fly off and hit my face at any moment.

I was blankly thinking how pitiful the buttons were when his words snapped me back to attention.

Did I hear that right? A captain, not just some low-ranking officer, came to guard me?

“Why would someone as busy as the Captain…”

Thanks to staying up all night, my puffy eyes couldn’t even manage a proper smile. As I just stood there with an awkward smile, Lucas looked at me with an impressed expression.

“That’s because the Duke cares for you greatly, Miss. I’ve come here with the important mission of guarding you to ease the Duke’s worries.”

His slightly flushed cheeks showed how moved he was to be the Duke’s top pick for someone he respects so much.

Well, I have a different opinion…

Lucas, did you do something wrong to Ilion? This doesn’t seem like an important mission, but more like workplace bullying?

In the end, I headed to the dining room with Lucas. It felt like walking with a huge door attached to my back.

Although it was disguised under the plausible name of a guard, it was essentially no different from surveillance.

Even without this, just the thought of having to see Ilion’s face made my stomach feel heavy as if I had eaten breakfast I hadn’t even had yet. And now I had to engage in a battle of nerves before even meeting Ilion.

It was clear as day that this morning would be another battlefield.

I let out a short sigh, expelling the tension, and opened the dining room door with a deliberately resolute expression.

Ilion had already arrived in the dining room and was reading a newspaper.

Unnecessarily handsome from the morning.

It was enough to break my burning fighting spirit. If the author had set Ilion’s appearance to a more human level, I might have been able to fight a little better than now.

“Good morning, Duke!”

“You’re earlier than I expected.”

Yes, every time that handsome face breaks my fighting spirit, that mouth throws in some firewood. It was a truly exquisite balance.

Thinking once again that nothing in this world is perfect, I quickly sat down and got to the point.

“I heard from the Knight Captain this morning. You ordered him to guard me?”

“About that…”

Ilion replied indifferently without even looking at me.

“I just did as you wished.”

“Yes?”

When did I?

As I looked at Ilion with an expression demanding an explanation, he finally folded his newspaper and met my eyes.

“Didn’t you say you wanted my attention?”

“……”

“So I asked Lucas. To follow you around and report on your every move.”

I certainly said that, but since when did you listen to me so well? And isn’t this method a bit different?

“I think your laissez-faire approach was quite excellent too…”

“I’ve changed my mind. From now on, I intend to do as you wish.”

This was definitely strange.

It was just a month ago that he lectured me to realize this was a political marriage. So why is he suddenly changing his attitude now?

Moreover, he used to not only let my words go in one ear and out the other but even lived as if he had blocked his ears entirely, and now he says he’ll do as I wish.

I have a reasonable suspicion that he’s somewhat noticed that yesterday’s excuse was a lie, but for that, my neck is still intact.

While I was trying to figure out Ilion’s thoughts for a while, he suddenly said something out of the blue.

“By the way, Lucas is married, so don’t get any unnecessary ideas.”

“Pardon?”

Is he telling me not to think about deceiving Lucas?

…What does being married have to do with that?