Chapter 8. Enjoying a Late Night with the Villain

After declaring she wouldn’t go home, Elena waited to see how Grand Duke Rudfelix would react.

He seemed properly surprised, but besides a slight tremor at the corner of his eye, there was no other reaction.

As the silence stretched longer than expected, Elena started feeling awkward.

“Won’t you answer?”

“We’ll… stay together.”

Though his answer seemed reluctant and hesitant, at least it was positive.

“But why are you looking at me like that?”

What was with that insolent gaze?

Elena waved her arms around.

“I absolutely won’t lay a finger on Your Highness’s body.”

She tried to persuade him that not going home didn’t necessarily mean only one thing.

“Were you thinking of touching my body?”

“No.”

“Know that nothing except my hair is allowed without permission.”

“Understood.”

Though it was absurd that his hair was allowed, she didn’t argue.

“I’m staying with you because I don’t know what you might do.”

Rudfelix stepped out of the alley first. Following behind him, Elena pulled her hood back on.

After leaving the alley, Rudfelix, who had been waiting, looked down at Elena standing beside him.

“Why do you need to wrap yourself up so tightly?”

“Because I changed out of my uniform.”

She had changed from her aide’s uniform to avoid revealing her identity.

“I think it’s better to stay hidden until I change back. Please bear with the inconvenience for a while.”

“Don’t you know it’s more uncomfortable to hide so thoroughly?”

Despite her superior’s piercing gaze showing his discomfort, Elena firmly held onto her hat.

“It can’t be helped. Your Highness stands out too much, so I have to minimize my presence.”

Even if they were the same gender, being with the Grand Duke could start rumors, and being female made it even more concerning.

“This is all for your sake. As you saw at the ball, I’m pretty enough that it might cause unintended misunderstandings about Your Highness.”

Honestly, rumors about her falling for Rudfelix’s beautiful face and following him around would be more believable, but she didn’t mention that.

To ignore Rudfelix’s gaze, she turned her head the other way.

“Come here.”

“Oh? Your Highness.”

He suddenly grabbed her hand and strode off somewhere. Elena was half-dragged along.

“Where are we going?”

“I don’t like how you’re all wrapped up, so I’m going to unwrap you.”

“What?”

Such a blunt expression! While she wondered if she should keep following him, he stopped in front of a building.

“Where is this?”

“You’ll know when we go in.”

Rudfelix put his hand on the door and pushed it inward.

‘There’s no doorknob. And it pushes in?’

Following him in, she tried to check if the door closed behind them, but the space was too narrow to turn around. She sensed something was odd, but it was just for a moment. Her attention was drawn to the warm air and soft melody entering through her coat.

Her body naturally welcomed the warmth as the cold left her skin.

There was a savory aroma, but Rudfelix’s broad back blocked her view of the interior.

Then an unfamiliar voice called out to the Grand Duke.

When Elena tilted her head slightly to the side, she saw circular tables placed throughout and a man standing at attention.

“Let’s eat first.”

“I’m grateful you’re inviting me to your space, Your Highness. But couldn’t you have told me beforehand?”

As Rudfelix turned sideways, he pulled off Elena’s hat.

“Ah! If you just remove it like that…”

“There’s no one watching, so it doesn’t matter.”

His movements were uninhibited, as if he’d brought her here specifically for this.

“You don’t need to keep wearing this, right?”

“Please give it to me.”

Between her superior telling her to take off her coat and the man waiting with a kind smile to receive it, Elena’s hands were already undoing the buttons.

“You’re not a very kind superior.”

“Since you have a kind senior, one person like me is fine.”

He acted shamelessly, as if having the kind Quiet meant he didn’t need to be kind himself.

‘That’s because Senior Quiet isn’t here right now.’

Even knowing what kind of person her superior was, she couldn’t help grumbling at times like this.

“Please call me Jace.”

After the man who received her coat introduced himself and stepped back, Elena held her skirt and looked at the Grand Duke.

“Where is this?”

“A place to eat.”

Elena gave up asking more questions and quietly stuck close to Rudfelix.

Even as they were guided to the center table, she had strange thoughts since there were no other diners visible.

“Did you reserve the entire place? Otherwise, how could it be so empty?”

“This is His Grace’s private space. The regular restaurant is beyond that wall.”

Jace kindly explained instead. Only then did Elena feel comfortable looking around.

“If you’d emptied this place just for me, I would have felt terribly burdened.”

“How do you come up with such thoughts?”

“Right.”

Though she said she didn’t consider herself special, they both responded as if it was nothing – the superior and aide were cut from the same cloth.

“If you’re going to cover your face like that, we can eat here and then stay in the carriage.”

Rudfelix spoke before Elena could settle in her seat after he sat down first.

After sitting in the chair pulled out by the staff, Elena shook her head slightly.

“I need to move around. There’s somewhere I need to go today.”

“You mean Baron Vulti?”

“More precisely, I want to investigate the merchant guild he’s sponsoring.”

“I see you have some suspicions.”

“Yes.”

As Elena spoke as if she had already decided on her destination, Rudfelix pondered with his fingers interlocked.

“Explain.”

“I realized the matter between Baron Vulti and Count Jellisto isn’t over.”

Elena’s expression darkened briefly when mentioning her father.

“I plan to visit the night market the guild operates tonight.”

Elena stared at her water glass for a moment before looking up.

“I’ll be disguising myself and hiding my name then – will Your Highness join me?”

Just as Rudfelix was about to answer, Elena cut in first.

“Of course, if Your Highness wants to come, you’ll need proper preparation. Would you do that?”

“What?”

“If you’ll cover your face a bit, I don’t mind going together.”

Elena subtly changed her words from her initial hasty thought. Since it could sound like she was setting conditions, she had to consider her superior’s feelings.

“I’d like to go together.”

It would be better to go together than alone since they could gather more information.

“Since you beg so earnestly, I’ll go.”

Though she was glad he agreed readily, Elena’s smile faltered at an odd feeling.

‘I just suggested going together, but he calls it begging.’

While debating whether to argue about it, her spoon was busily dipping in and out of the soup.

She was deep in thought, not even noticing Rudfelix watching her as she soothed herself with warm soup.

Rudfelix observed Elena’s flushed cheeks. Earlier in the alley, her face had been pale from the cold wind, but now she seemed properly warmed up.

‘She’s been out all day.’

He had been uneasy since hearing Quiet had left. Sure enough, she must have been busy running around everywhere.

He only found her because Quiet mentioned the merchant guild – if not for that, he might not have met her at all given how she could disappear anywhere.

‘She’s someone who makes me concerned.’

It felt different from Quiet gathering information.

As Rudfelix pondered why, a soft voice tickled his ear.

“If it’s alright after the meal, would you wait here? I have somewhere to go.”

Elena, who had been eating bread dipped in melted cheese, quietly stood up.

“Finish your meal first.”

“I’m done.”

Her mind seemed to be elsewhere already, making it hard to eat more.

“Then I’ll be back.”

As though she was trying to leave before he stopped her, Elena quickly left the restaurant, just as Jace brought out the lamb steak.

“Where is she going when the meal isn’t finished?”

“We’ll find out if we wait.”

As Rudfelix crossed his arms and closed his eyes, Jace tactfully put the dish back on the tray.

“The former Grand Duke was wondering when you would return to the duchy.”

“The work isn’t finished yet.”

He couldn’t go until things were settled with Count Ephraim.

“I understand.”

Jace withdrew with a smile.

‘You seem to be enjoying this.’

Even while in the capital, he spent most of his time attending to his knight order and rarely stayed at the palace for other matters, even when delayed.

He seemed to quite enjoy his time with the new aide.

‘Senior Quiet must feel left out.’

Though he was officially just a restaurant employee, Jace, who secretly worked as the Grand Duke’s shadow, hid his smile.