Chapter 2 (Part 3)

After finishing her makeup and hair, Yuliana felt exhausted before even having dinner.

At that moment, there was a knock, followed by Matthias’s voice calling for her.

“Lia, it’s your father. May I come in?”

As soon as Matthias heard Yuliana had returned home, he rushed to her room. Leijin tried to stop him from running, but it was hard to stop a doting father eager to see his daughter.

“Yes, Father. Come in.”

Matthias entered Yuliana’s room and tilted his head, seeing his beautifully made-up daughter.

“Are you going out somewhere?”

“I have a dinner appointment, Father.”

“You’re meeting Selenia?”

“No.”

“Then were you waiting for me? Planning to eat out? Alright, where shall we go?”

“…No.”

“Then? Do you have a dinner appointment with another lady I don’t know about?”

“I’m meeting Duke Rockbellion.”

Matthias’s mouth dropped open at Yuliana’s mention of having dinner with Anthus.

“Father? What’s wrong?”

“Why are you having dinner with the Duke? Don’t tell me… Did he ask you out on a date?”

“It’s for work, Father.”

“Work?”

“Yes. It’s about the investigation team for the monsters we investigated.”

“An investigation team for monsters… What do you mean?”

Yuliana briefly explained the situation in Luteons Village to Matthias.

“No, absolutely not. It’s too dangerous. You can’t do it! My daughter should live peacefully now!”

Matthias, who was vehemently opposed, sighed as Yuliana spoke.

“I know it’s dangerous. But if we don’t investigate now, this could happen again. More importantly, as a noble of the Empire, it’s our duty to protect people. You and Mother taught me that duty.”

“Lia!”

“The only survivor was a young boy. He spent days sifting through hundreds of bodies to find his parents’ corpses. It was horrific. We need to investigate and thoroughly examine this to prevent it from happening again.”

Lian spent days identifying the bodies. As expected, the bodies were those of the villagers.

After identifying his parents’ bodies, he was too shocked to speak. He lost his friends, neighbors, and beloved parents in an instant. The guilt of being the only survivor weighed heavily on Lian’s shoulders. There were no words of comfort that could ease his pain.

“The Duke decided to support the boy with various supplies to help him, and I agreed to help too.”

“I understand how you feel, but… Can’t you understand how worried your family is seeing you go through all this?”

“Ordinary people can’t fight this new type of monster.”

“Then use artifacts imbued with holy power!”

“Holy power… was ineffective.”

“What do you mean…”

Knock, knock.

“Master, the young lady’s guest has arrived.”

Leijin’s urgent voice came from outside the door.

“A guest?”

“Duke Rockbellion is here!”

Upon hearing Butler Leijin’s words that Anthus had arrived at the Earl’s residence, Yuliana headed to where he was. As she descended the stairs, she saw Anthus, who had changed into a white uniform.

“Lia, take your time coming down.”

Yuliana looked at Anthus.

“I’ve come to escort you.”

Behind her, Matthias followed and let out a short scream upon seeing Anthus.

“I’ve reserved a restaurant with a private room where we can talk quietly. Shall we go?”

Looking at Anthus, who spoke with a bright expression, Yuliana could feel the gazes of the people behind her.

“Duke.”

Yuliana whispered low enough for only Anthus to hear.

“Yes, please speak.”

“If you call me by my nickname in front of the Loengrin servants, what will they think?”

“I’m sorry. I was so focused on you, Lady Yuliana, that I didn’t pay any attention to my surroundings. I will be careful.”

Anthus grabbed Yuliana’s approaching hand like a hawk snatching its prey. Then he looked at Matthias, who had followed them.

“Earl Loengrin.”

“Ah… Yes, Duke Rockbellion. Haha, it’s been a while.”

“Yes. I’ll formally greet you again later. By His Majesty’s order, I will be taking Lady Yuliana for a meeting about the investigation team.”

“Ah… Yes. But why are you calling my daughter by her nickname…”

Anthus responded with a bright smile to Matthias’s question.

“Shall we go, Lady Yuliana? I hope you like the place we’re going to.”

“Father, I’ll be back.”

“See you again, Earl Loengrin.”

Though Duke Rockbellion claimed to be there for a meeting about the investigation team, Matthias felt more like he was a man visiting his lover’s house for a date.

More than anything, Duke Rockbellion called her by the affectionate nickname, Lia. Matthias’s mood grew cold.

* * *

Holding Anthus’s hand, Yuliana stepped out in front of the Earl’s residence and admired the splendid carriage.

“The carriage is so beautiful.”

“Yes. The new carriage I ordered has arrived… I wanted you to be the first to ride it.”

Anthus explained the carriage to Yuliana as he opened the door. Seeing the interior, Yuliana felt slightly flustered. The space seemed narrower than the carriage she had ridden earlier in the day. If they sat facing each other, their knees might touch.

“The inside of the carriage is quite narrow.”

“It was fine when I rode alone…”

Anthus’s eyes drooped.

“I wanted to offer you, Lady Yuliana, a nice carriage ride, but I didn’t realize it would be so narrow. I’m truly sorry.”

“It’s okay. You might not have known…”

Because the carriage was narrow, their knees brushed against each other whenever it jolted over a bump. Each time, Yuliana’s eyes darted around in surprise.

“Is the narrow carriage uncomfortable for you?”

“It’s fine.”

His red eyes, focused solely on Yuliana, curved into crescent shapes.

“But thanks to you calling me by my nickname, the servants have surely misunderstood.”

“Such misunderstandings are good, Lady Yuliana.”

“No, they’re not.”

“Why do you think they’re not?”

At his question, Yuliana momentarily wondered why misunderstandings were bad. Of course, being mistaken for lovers with Anthus, when they weren’t, felt like being a fish caught in a net.

“By calling me by my nickname, it might seem like there’s something between us.”

Anthus, staring intently at Yuliana, nodded as if in agreement.

“Rather than seeming like there’s something between us, I would prefer if there actually were.”

The carriage jolted again, and their knees touched and then separated.

“Lady Yuliana, I’m a man who only knows how to move forward. Do you know what that means?”

“…I know the meaning of moving forward, but I’m not sure about the hidden meaning behind your words.”

Anthus’s gaze was fixed solely on Yuliana.

“It means I’m a man who only looks ahead, not knowing how to retreat or stop. Even if there are obstacles in front of me… I’ll keep going.”

“Continuing to move forward despite the dangers… It seems risky and reckless.”

“Please take it to mean that my destination is so important that I’m willing to take risks.”

In the midst of their entwined gazes, the carriage eventually came to a stop. They had arrived at the restaurant Anthus had reserved.

“We’ve arrived.”

The coachman’s voice announced their arrival at the restaurant.

At Anthus’s signal, the coachman opened the carriage door. Anthus stepped out first, turned around, and extended his right hand to Yuliana.

“Allow me to escort you.”

“Yes. Please, Duke.”

The restaurant Anthus had reserved was a high-end establishment primarily used by nobles. The first floor featured various art pieces, such as paintings and sculptures, which guests could admire while enjoying a cup of tea. The second floor was for dining, and the third floor had soundproof rooms where high-ranking nobles could dine quietly.

As they entered the first floor of the restaurant, people began to notice Anthus and Yuliana. Especially seeing Anthus escorting Yuliana with a bright smile, people started whispering.

In the room, Anthus personally pulled out a chair for Yuliana to sit, surprising the attendant, who then stepped back.

“Thank you, Duke.”

After confirming that the attendant had closed the door and left, Anthus began to discuss the investigation of the new type of monster, which Yuliana was curious about, before the food arrived.

“As expected, His Majesty ordered an investigation into the new type of monster after receiving the report.”

Anthus’s red eyes grew serious as he looked at Yuliana.

“I’ll ask one last time. Are you really determined to participate in this investigation, Lady Yuliana?”

“…Yes. My mind is made up. I definitely want to join the investigation, Duke.”

“When I first heard about Luteons Village, I thought it was an attack by the usual monsters or dark sorcerers. And whether it was the usual monsters or dark sorcerers, I was confident I could handle them. But… seeing the new type of monster in person… I realized it’s more dangerous than I thought, as even holy power was ineffective.”

Anthus sighed softly.

“This investigation is not an ordinary monster investigation. I can’t include you as an investigator in such a dangerous mission.”

“I understand that the new type of monster is dangerous… But I can’t just stand by. Please, don’t exclude me from the investigation.”

“Why are you so determined to participate in the investigation?”

“I don’t want to have any regrets.”

“Regrets?”

“I’ve already seen the horrific scene in Luteons Village. I don’t want to back down just because it’s dangerous.”

Recalling Lian’s lifeless eyes as he searched for his parents’ bodies among the corpses, Yuliana clenched her fists.

“I hope it never happens again, but if something like what happened in Luteons Village were to occur again… I might regret not being part of the investigation. So, Duke Anthus.”

Yuliana looked into Anthus’s red eyes.

“Please help me make a choice I won’t regret.”