Chapter 6

‘Huh?’

Normally, when there was contact like this, black things would rise up and cling to her. But even though her hand was touching his, there was no change. She tried gripping his hand more tightly and even increased the area of contact, but it was the same.

‘Is it because his mental defenses are strong?’

He must have trained since childhood, so it was possible that his mental defenses were high. Evelyn poked his hand a few times before giving up and asked.

“What are you thinking right now?”

“That your hand is very small and soft.”

When she glared at him with a sullen face, Seth shrugged.

“I thought I should be honest right now.”

“Don’t say it out loud, just think it. Don’t I make you uncomfortable?”

Once again, there was no change. After waiting a little longer, Evelyn eventually gave up and let go of his hand. Seth looked at her curiously.

“Is it over?”

“Well….”

Just as she was about to confess her failure, she suddenly looked at her right hand. At the tip of the index finger that had touched his hand, there was a golden, sand-like substance. Instinctively, she pressed it against the fabric.

The silvery fabric rippled softly, and a golden shape emerged. For the first time, it wasn’t letters but a picture. Holding her breath, Evelyn stared at it and murmured in confusion.

“A mop?”

To be precise, it looked like a mop without the stick. While Evelyn was puzzled, Seth seemed to recognize what it was.

“No, look closely.”

“A broom without a handle?”

“…A dog.”

Unable to bear her repeated wrong guesses, Seth finally gave her the answer. Evelyn looked at the picture with a bewildered expression.

“This?”

“I saw a lady raising one like this. It was tiny, about the size of a palm, but incredibly fearless.”

It seemed he was referring to a small dog, like a Maltese. But no matter how she looked at it, it still resembled a mop to her.

“Are you bad at drawing, by any chance?”

“Eve, there’s nothing wrong with my drawing skills.”

…Don’t grit your teeth while saying that. It’s scary.

Avoiding his gaze, Evelyn looked back at the golden picture.

‘Why did this appear?’

This had never happened before. It was the first time she wasn’t tormented by contact with someone, the first time no black substance appeared, and the first time a golden picture appeared instead of black letters.

But leaving everything else aside, why did a dog appear when she asked if she made him uncomfortable?

Evelyn racked her brain, trying to connect the unexpected answer to her question.

‘Does he think I’m like a dog?’

No, no. The connotation between “dog” and “puppy” is a bit different.

‘Does he think I’m cute like a puppy?’

That would be too self-indulgent.

‘Does he think I’m an insignificant creature like a puppy, so I don’t bother him?’

Hmm, that seems plausible. After all, there wasn’t much difference between a slave waiting to be sold and a puppy waiting for its owner in a cage.

‘To him, I must seem like a stray dog he picked up.’

The man who had picked her up then asked.

“Did you like my answer?”

“…Huh? Oh, yes, I guess.”

When Evelyn nodded absentmindedly, Seth’s eyes curved slightly.

“That’s a relief.”

It was a smile devoid of any ulterior motive. Evelyn laughed awkwardly, following his lead.

‘Right. There’s no way a romance with a handsome man would happen in my life.’

It was a relief that she didn’t misunderstand Seth as being interested in her. If she had gotten ahead of herself, she would have been kicking her blanket in embarrassment all night.

“Can I keep this?”

Evelyn tightly held the fabric with the puppy picture and asked. She thought she might need it to remind herself of reality whenever she felt flustered by him.

“I don’t mind, but what will you use it for?”

“To center myself.”

“….”

Seth looked at her with an unreadable expression before nodding. Evelyn tied the fabric around her wrist to avoid losing it, then clenched her fist tightly. For some reason, she felt a surge of confidence.

“And about the wife role you mentioned. Fine, I’ll give it a shot.”

As Evelyn put on a bold front, Seth smiled and extended his gloved hand.

“Looking forward to working with you.”

“Likewise.”

Evelyn politely shook his hand. Seth, who stared at her with a peculiar expression for a moment, then said.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Huh?”

As if to prove his point, he pulled her hand toward him and tried to kiss the back of it.

“Ahhh!”

Evelyn reflexively pulled her hand away. Seth looked at her with a blank expression, startled by her desperate scream.

Realizing she had overreacted, Evelyn mumbled timidly.

“I-I’m ticklish.”

Seth lowered his head again, his shoulders shaking with laughter. Evelyn, her face flushed, turned to glare out the window to hide her embarrassment. Only after a long while did Seth stop laughing and say.

“You’ll have to get used to it.”

“…Okay.”

“I plan to make you the beloved Duchess.”  

“Pardon?”  

A Duchess?

***

The carriage arrived in front of a mansion.

It looked ten times better than the Gran family mansion, but apparently, it was just a temporary residence for the mission. 

If this was the temporary mansion, how grand must his real home be?

‘Of course, it must be massive. It’s a Duke’s estate.’

Seth Elmaier.

The head of a prestigious ducal family with ties to the royal family.

Thus, the role Evelyn was tasked with was that of the Duchess of Elmaier. 

Oh my gosh!

When Seth revealed his identity, Evelyn had almost blurted out a challenge to fight. If he had told her from the beginning that she’d be playing the role of a Duchess, she wouldn’t have agreed so readily. Feeling deceived, she glared at Seth with squinted eyes.

Noticing her resentful gaze, Seth made an offer she couldn’t refuse.

“Do you want to see your brother?”

“My brother is here?”

“It’s late, so he’s probably sleeping.”

“…I want to see him.”

Evelyn raised the white flag without resistance. What did it matter if she had to play the role of a Duchess? If she were asked to act as a doormat for the Duchess, she’d have to comply anyway.

Seth, seeing her nod, gestured lightly. A waiting attendant approached and bowed respectfully.

“Take her to the guest room.”

“Yes, Sir. Miss, this way, please.”

Evelyn instinctively glanced at Seth. Realizing what she had done, she quickly turned her head in embarrassment, but Seth had already noticed.

“Don’t worry. No one in my mansion will harm you.”

“No, that’s not…”

Her face turned red with shame. How could she already be leaning on him when they had just met? She felt so pathetic that she wanted to disappear.

“I’ll be back.”

Mumbling, Evelyn walked away as if fleeing. She could feel Seth’s gaze on her back, making her feel prickly for no reason.

Bran was sleeping soundly. He had kicked off his blanket and exposed his stomach, looking completely at ease as if he were in his own home. His cheeks were plump, as if he had been eating well.

‘It’s a relief, but….’

Considering their family had died and their status had fallen to that of slaves, he seemed too fine. Evelyn hadn’t expected him to writhe in sorrow, but it was still a bit concerning.

‘No, worrying about this is a luxury right now.’

For now, it was enough that he was healthy. If there were any emotional issues, they could be addressed later. Covering his exposed stomach with the blanket, Evelyn returned to Seth without hesitation.

Seth, who had been pacing the drawing room, turned to her. A flicker of surprise crossed his composed face.

“You’re back sooner than I expected. And you didn’t cry, either.”

He studied her face carefully as he spoke. Evelyn looked at him blankly.

“We’re siblings, you know?”

“…?”

“…?”

Who cries just from seeing their sibling’s face? That’s not how blood-related siblings work.

‘Maybe he got along well with his deceased brother?’

Seeing Seth’s confusion, Evelyn cleared her throat and bowed politely.

“Um, it’s late, but I really want to thank you for saving me and my brother. I’ll make sure to repay this favor.”

Seth, his expression now back to normal, shook his head.

“There’s no need to thank me. It was a necessary action.”

“Still, you saved me.”

At her words, Seth pressed his lips together. After a brief silence, he spoke with a blank expression.

“You can stay here with your brother. I’ll provide a place for you both to live.”

“What?”

“Think it over. Playing the role of my wife is more dangerous than you might expect.”

Evelyn’s eyes widened. 

This man was surprisingly…

“Honest, aren’t you?”

“….”

Seth looked at her as if he had been hit.

What was that reaction? Did he think I was clueless about the dangers?

In a society with a rigid class system, the position of a Duchess was unimaginably high. To place a slave like her in such a position? It was bound to be either extremely dangerous or end disastrously.

‘But for me, any other job would be the same.’

For a woman with no experience or education, the jobs available were obvious. Dirty and dangerous, or dirty, dangerous, and exhausting. High risk and high reward seemed like the better option.

“I’ve known from the start that it would be dangerous. I’m not planning to back out now.”

Even if the worst happened and she died, as long as Bran was safe, it wouldn’t be a loss. After all, she could just reincarnate again. And, just a little, she wanted to repay Seth’s kindness.