“Wait, why him?” 

One of Liriope’s eyebrows arched upward.

“Because with Sir Gray away, it’s hard to find a trustworthy escort right now,” Gemma replied.

“And the escort from the Grand Duke’s side is trustworthy?” Liriope asked, clearly skeptical.

At that, Gemma gave her a puzzled look.

“Grand Duke’s side?”

“I mean, can I really trust the escort he assigns me?”

“Wouldn’t it be far more reassuring than someone the Duke—that is, your father—assigns?” 

Gemma shrugged as if wondering why Liriope was even asking something so obvious.

“Are you looking down on my father’s guards right now?” Liriope narrowed her eyes and glared at her.

But Gemma simply shrugged again and replied with an expression that said, Of course I am.

“To begin with, if your father knew about this situation, he wouldn’t assign anyone other than Sir Gray. He wouldn’t trust anyone else.”

Thinking about it, she was right. Liriope’s father never let her step outside unless Gray was with her. Wherever she went, Gray followed like a shadow. Since childhood, that had been normal for Liriope—she never left the estate without him.

Gray was the best swordsman in the Empire, and he was a loyal knight who would give his life for the Duke’s household. Naturally, he was the most trusted escort.

‘Come to think of it, in Liriope’s death ending, the Crown Prince deliberately sent Gray off to war.’

A bitter taste filled Liriope’s mouth at the memory.

She was recalling the scene in the original novel where Liriope was executed. By the time Liriope’s bullying of Rosearin grew too extreme, Kaiden had made up his mind that he could no longer let her go unpunished.

But even as the Crown Prince, executing the only daughter of a Duke—and one protected by the Empire’s strongest knight—wasn’t easy. The Duke could have been neutralized in some way, but there was no way to get past Gray, who would have laid down his life to protect Liriope.

That’s why Kaiden used even Ferran to get rid of her. He deliberately stirred up the monsters there, forcing most of the Empire’s knights to be dispatched to the region. Then, he sent Gray there as the commander.

‘Thinking about it now, Kaiden was pretty damn ruthless.’

To eliminate the villainess harassing the woman he loved, he cunningly persuaded the Emperor and the ministers, framed Liriope for crimes she didn’t commit, and even manipulated the battlefield to remove the only real threat—Gray.

For most of the novel, Kaiden had seemed frustratingly stupid and dull. But during Liriope’s downfall, he had suddenly become sharp and calculating. Even so, that entire plot point was only briefly mentioned in a few lines.

‘And now, ironically, Gray is in Ferran again.’ 

Liriope thought of Gray, who had already been deployed to the battlefield by the time she possessed this body. They’d exchanged greetings via communicator, but she hadn’t seen him in person yet. That left a strange feeling of distance between them.

In the original story, Gray only appeared briefly before Liriope’s death, and then again as the silent support for the grieving Duke. That was the extent of his role.

Suddenly, Liriope felt a desire to meet Gray in person.

‘But anyway…’

“What if the North Duke doesn’t send me an escort?” 

Liriope raised one eyebrow and asked Gemma.

“Wouldn’t he just hang up the call without a word, saying this is nonsense?” 

That was the kind of man he was.

Gemma only shrugged in response to Liriope’s doubt and said,

“The Grand Duke will surely assign an escort. Don’t worry about that.”

Then she frowned slightly, as if something had been bothering her.

“But… why do you keep calling the Grand Duke North Duke?”

“It’s a nickname,” Liriope replied, her face indifferent.

Gemma gasped dramatically, covering her mouth with both hands.

“A nickname?! You didn’t even give the Crown Prince a nickname! You must really have fallen for His Grace the Grand Duke.”

‘No, that’s not it…’ 

It wasn’t anything like that. But she couldn’t exactly explain to Gemma all the petty reasons that led to her calling him “North Duke,” so Liriope simply shook her head and let out a short sigh.

Seeing that, Gemma reassured her. 

“Anyway, if you ask the Grand Duke, he’ll definitely send someone trustworthy.”

“And why are you so sure of that? For all we know, he might find it annoying and refuse.”

“Because I have better instincts when it comes to people than you do, Liri.”

Liriope narrowed her eyes even further at that bold claim.

‘If only you’d read the original novel, you’d know just how cold, dismissive, and insufferable the North Duke really is.’

He was kind only to Rosearin. Even now, he treated everyone else with his usual rude, detached demeanor. But noble ladies who’d never actually spoken with him and only saw his face were easily captivated, dreaming up ridiculous fantasies of a perfect gentleman.

Liriope sighed again, feeling a little sorry for Gemma’s delusions.

Gemma just shrugged back at her and said firmly,

“Even if you were to behead me right here, I couldn’t let you go. If you leave the estate without Sir Gray, my head will roll anyway once the Duke finds out.”

It was clear there was no convincing the Duke to allow the outing—so if she wanted to go into town, she had no choice but to rely on Theo’s help. Liriope pouted slightly at Gemma’s unwavering stance.

There was no way to break her stubbornness, so Liriope reluctantly decided she had to contact Theo.

“Why would I cut off your head? Just bring me the communicator.”

Clicking her tongue, Liriope turned and sat down on the sofa.

***

In this world, there existed an object called a communicator—round and white, about the size of a soccer ball.

It worked like a video phone from her original world. But it was even more convenient—you didn’t have to hold it; it floated in the air while you talked. The video quality was so vivid that you could even see the shadows beneath the other person’s eyes.

She hadn’t thought much of it while reading the novel, but now that she was using it herself, she realized just how incredible a device it really was.

‘And yet, even with such an amazing communication tool, why do the Crown Prince and the North Duke always show up without a word? Well, at least the North Duke usually announces himself first…’

Liriope worried that Theo might be in the middle of work. He might be too busy to answer.

But surprisingly, he picked up almost immediately. She was a little startled by that, but the moment she saw his face on the screen, all surprise vanished—blown away by how ridiculously handsome he looked.

She found herself momentarily mesmerized, unable to look away.

‘No matter how many times I see him… He really doesn’t look human.’

His stark white skin stood in sharp contrast to his jet-black hair—likely from being raised in the cold northern regions—but it didn’t make him look fragile. Instead, there was a masculine intensity about him.

His sharp eyes suited his cold, aloof personality perfectly, and his sleek nose and sculpted jawline made her want to reach out and touch him without even realizing it.

Anyway, he really was blessed with the male lead buff. Even through just a communicator screen, he was stunning enough to make anyone fall for him.

[What is it?]

Of course, his personality left much to be desired.

“Are you busy right now?”

[If I were, I wouldn’t have answered the call.]

He could’ve just said no, but of course, he had to twist it like that. Truly, what an unpleasant personality.

“Um… I have a favor to ask.”

[You? Asking me for a favor?]

Theo raised one of his perfectly shaped eyebrows in surprise.

“Yes.”

[How unexpected. What is it?]

“Well… I was planning to go into the city, but, uh, my escort knight is currently away in Ferran.”

At her words, Theo gave a small nod.

[Ah, yes. I know. Because of that giant beast that appeared in Ferran, His Majesty, the Emperor, sent Sir Gray there personally.]

“Right, so I’m in a bit of a bind without a bodyguard right now.”

At that, one of Theo’s eyebrows arched in amusement. Even that subtle motion looked so beautiful, Liriope was reminded once again—he really was the male lead.

[I doubt Duke Steila dismissed all the estate’s guards just to keep Sir Gray.]

“My father won’t let me leave the house without Sir Gray.”

[Ahh.]

Theo nodded again, as if understanding the situation.

[So, you want me to send you an escort?]

“Yes. Gemma—my maid—said she could trust someone if they came from you, Your Grace.”

[Haha.]

Theo let out a quiet laugh. To her dismay, Liriope’s heart started pounding wildly just from that.

She’d seen him smirk in disdain before, but this was the first time she’d seen him laugh so lazily, so relaxed. Maybe that’s why her heart reacted.

‘Even a laugh is lethal when it comes from someone this good-looking.’

With her heart thundering so loudly it felt like it would burst, Liriope let out a long breath without meaning to.

‘I’ve been falling under his spell from the start. I can’t think straight.’

She always thought she wasn’t the type to judge by appearances, but faced with that face, it was no wonder such self-assurance crumbled into the abyss.

Feeling the heat rise to her cheeks, Liriope was genuinely relieved this was only a video call and not a face-to-face meeting.

But then—

[Ten minutes.]

With that short, cryptic remark, the communicator abruptly cut off.

‘…Huh??’