-14-

I could only stare into his blue eyes. Holding back countless words that had risen to my throat, I managed to utter a single one.

“Sorry.”

I saw Roan’s pupils widen. Seeing him made me realize how reckless I had been.

“Roan. What about the people of the Duke’s house?”

“…They are worried about you.”

In truth, it was hard for me to believe that people were concerned about me. After all, I had always been the ill-behaved villainess to them.

I felt sorry for them too. They must have been on edge because I didn’t return.

Roan’s expression was still stiff.

He must be angry that I left without saying anything.

Now Roan might start to think that I’m not only annoying but also unpleasant. I felt a sudden wave of depression.

Roan looked at me calmly and spoke.

“Even if you say you are leaving, I cannot grant that request.”

…What? What did he say?

“Excuse me? What do you mean?”

All I could hear around us was the quiet sound of the river.

Roan and my face got a little closer. His face, which was hard to see clearly in the night, became more distinct. Despite his eyes suppressing a surge of anger, his voice came out like that of a languid predator.

“There is no need to pretend you don’t know. Even if you do, I won’t be deceived any longer.”

Roan kept saying things I couldn’t understand. What does he mean by pretending not to know?

“What on earth…”

Before I could finish asking what he was talking about, he suddenly picked me up in his arms.

Leaving the riverside, there were people who appeared to be David and knights of the Duke’s household.

Roan mounted his black horse, placing me in front of him, and climbed on behind me. His words from earlier kept echoing in my mind. I still couldn’t understand.

Was it because I was deep in thought? Or maybe because I relaxed? I found myself drifting into sleep with my head resting on his chest.

***

Roan’s aide, David, thought to himself.

‘His Grace has been acting strangely.’

Originally, he seemed to lack desire for anything. Maybe because he already had everything?

Ah, if there was one thing His Grace lacked, it was a proper marriage.

His Grace married the infamous daughter of Marquis Caesar, who was the epitome of wickedness. They had a very poor relationship. To the extreme, if they heard the other had died somewhere, they probably wouldn’t have cared.

But recently, she has been changing.

David didn’t see Delis often as he was one of Roan’s men, but every time he did, he felt she had changed significantly.

However, the most notable change David observed was not in her but in the Duke himself.

Today, for the first time, David saw the Duke trying to finish his work early at the palace.

‘Your Grace, do you have an urgent matter to attend to at the mansion today?’

‘No, I don’t.’

‘Then why are you in such a hurry?’

‘When did I say I was?’

‘It seems like you are.’

‘No, I’m not.’

‘You seem to be finishing things up more quickly than usual…’

‘David.’

‘Yes?’

‘Just do your pending work.’

‘…….’

Though he didn’t admit it, David thought the Duke probably wanted to have dinner with someone. So, he finished what should have been completed by nightfall and returned to the mansion before sunset.

The problem began right then. Upon hearing that the Duchess was missing, the Duke exuded a chilling aura. When he learned that she seemed to have left, he was almost like eternal ice.

The Duke requested the Emperor to issue a lockdown of the entire capital.

On top of that, he deployed the Hebron Knights, the elite knights of the Duke’s household, throughout the capital. It was an insane act. Hebron was a small, elite group of knights. But it seemed that didn’t matter to the Duke.

While searching the capital with the Duke, they found a lead at a clothing shop where the Duchess had been seen.

The shopkeeper said she inquired about a fabric store. However, when they went to the fabric store, she wasn’t there.

They scoured the area just in case, but there was no sign of her. As they were checking the back alleys, the Duke suddenly stopped walking.

“Why did you stop?”

“Here. This place looks inhabited. Is it just a house?”

He stared at a nearby house they had stopped by. It looked simply old.

For some reason, the Duke seemed fixated on it and knocked on the door.

“…….”

There was no response. He knocked again, more forcefully.

“…Who is it?”

Finally, a voice came from inside. The Duke spoke.

“We are from the Bannister Dukedom. Could you open the door for a moment?”

“No. Just go away.”

Even after mentioning the Duke’s house, the response was unhesitating. The Bannister Dukedom was well-regarded in the capital. Being rejected so bluntly was unusual.

But it could be seen as a reasonable reaction considering the circumstances.

Then, the Duke’s bizarre action took place.

-Bang.

The Duke knocked down the shabby-looking wooden door. He then spoke to the knights.

“Search the basement.”

“Your Grace, what is this…”

“I heard her voice.”

He heard the Duchess’s voice? Though David heard nothing, he went straight to the basement. The Duke knocked out a rough-looking man who was shouting in confusion.

He subdued several others who were in the way.

Amazingly, there were slaves in the basement. Slavery was illegal in the Empire.

That means there wouldn’t be any trespassing charges, David thought. Among the slaves, there was a being that didn’t appear to be human.

“Dwaf?”

A dwarf, looking severely injured, suddenly spoke urgently.

“Are you the Duke? Cough.”

How did he know? Without time to answer, the dwarf continued.

“Your wife was held here until just now. The captors realized her identity and, fearing retribution, took her through that passage. From what I overheard, they plan to put her in a sack and throw her into the river. It hasn’t been long, so hurry.”

The Duke’s eyes gleamed sharply upon hearing this.

“Thank you. Rain, Paul.”

He gestured towards the captives.

“Everyone else, follow me.”

The Duke disappeared in an instant.

***

I woke up.

“Ugh. I feel like I’m dying.”

My body ached all over, feeling as if it were protesting loudly. My previously dirty clothes had been changed into clean ones.

The sky was bright outside the window. It seemed to be early morning. But I felt like I had forgotten something. Was it my imagination?

“Ah.”

What happened to the dwarf? I hadn’t thought about it last night because my life was hanging by a thread. I pulled the cord next to the bed. Mary knocked softly before opening the door.

“Duchess! You’re awake? What on earth happened yesterday…”

“Sorry. Were you worried?”

I gave an awkward smile.

“Of course! You left just a note and didn’t come back. I’m so relieved you returned safely.”

I felt a bit strange. It was as if they had started to see me, Delis, not as the ‘villainess’ but as ‘me.’

“You even took jewelry with you. We thought you had really left.”

They thought I left? Roan’s words from last night flashed in my mind.

“Even if you say you are leaving, I cannot grant that request.”

So, he thought I had really left?

Wait, why did Roan say that?

Could it be that he didn’t want me to leave? Wow.

No, let’s not jump to conclusions. I forced my creeping smile down. I should go see Roan.

“Mary, is the Duke awake?”

“No, the Duke has been up for quite a while.”

Of course, Roan wouldn’t still be asleep.

“Come in.”

Roan’s voice came from inside as I knocked on his study door.

“Roan!”

Roan looked surprised, as if he didn’t expect me to come in.

“Duchess? You’re awake.”

“Yes. Good morning.”

I decided to ask him about the dwarf first.

“Roan, did you go to the slave market yesterday?”

“…Yes.”

“Did you see any non-human beings there, like a dwarf? He was badly injured.”

“I did. He’s being treated at the Duke’s house now.”

“Really?”

I said in surprise.

“Yes. He’s being treated now, so you can visit later. Thanks to him, we were able to find you.”

Oh, the dwarf told Roan where I had been taken. I had one more reason to thank him. And there was something else I was curious about.

“Roan, about me leaving the Duke’s house yesterday.”

Roan’s expression hardened slightly.

“What happened yesterday. I won’t say any more about it for your sake, but don’t you dare think of going out again.”

Roan spoke in a firm voice. Sensing that I wouldn’t be able to explain if things continued like this, I quickly interjected.

“It’s not that. I wasn’t trying to leave yesterday.”

For a moment, an amused look crossed Roan’s face.

“I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt this time.”

“I’m serious. There were circumstances yesterday.”

Seeing no sign of his expression becoming serious, I couldn’t help but shout.

“Roan, you fool! Just listen to me.”

Roan’s face turned blank for a moment.

“Did you just call me a fool? I’m not sure who should be saying that to whom.”

…I admit my actions were foolish.

But I did it for Roan, and his reaction was making me frustrated.

“Well, you’re just as much of a fool, Roan!”

I blurted out and stormed out of the study. Frustration prevented me from explaining properly.

I needed to relax first. Inhale, exhale. I calmed myself with deep breaths.

Right, Roan doesn’t know I went there directly to get his sword.

He thinks I left and got captured by the slave traders.

I was just out for a while yesterday… although it almost became a permanent outing.

I almost died, so I can’t blame him. But I wanted to clear up the misunderstanding that I intended to leave.

It was breakfast time. I went downstairs and sat at the dining table. Roan hadn’t come down for breakfast yet. Maybe he’s busy with work?

I decided to start eating while waiting for him. The chef’s skills were excellent, as always.

If I were to compare the food to a person, the taste of Bannister’s food would be on par with Roan. Very good. Was that too much? Well, so what.

As I was thinking about this while eating, Roan came in.

With cheeks puffed out like a squirrel, I spoke to Roan.

“Roan, you’re a bit late today.”

“…I had some things to finish this morning.”

“Roan, I’m sorry for calling you a fool earlier.”

“I’m sorry for my response as well.”

The atmosphere seemed to warm up again. Good. This is the moment.

“About what I mentioned earlier.”

What is it now? The mood seemed to turn grim again. His gaze seemed to turn cold.

Roan looked as if he were saying, ‘Go on, let’s hear it’. I decided to speak up firmly.

“I really wasn’t trying to leave.”

Roan didn’t react. He just looked at me with his lips tightly shut.

“I wasn’t captured at the slave market. I went there directly. At first.”

His expression changed slightly.

“I went to buy a dwarf at the slave market. Not to use as a slave, of course.”

I paused for a moment.

“I wanted to gift you a sword. I realize now it was a reckless thing to do.

Roan, you’re strong, so I thought the sword you’re using wouldn’t last long. If the sword can’t hold up, it becomes dangerous.”

Roan’s expression changed. His face seemed to be caught between disbelief and confusion.