“You’re older than me, even though you’re so short…?”

“Hey, I’m not that short.”

I retorted without thinking.

I wasn’t particularly tall, but I was definitely not short. I had always prided myself on being average.

“By the way, how did you get here?”

I asked, pulling my hand away from Iscallion.

No matter how impressive the male leads were, him sneaking into the heavily guarded imperial palace twice was either bold or reckless.

Moreover, walking around the palace with that face would surely attract attention.

“I came because I wanted to see you, Lou. Aren’t you happy to see me?”

“Well, I’m glad too. Really glad, but…”

Of course, it was fortunate that Iscallion appeared before me again and was even actively engaging with me.

If our meeting occurred in a normal way, I might have safely saved the world by now. If it had been in the normal way, that is.

How should I react to the Grand Duke of Pontos sneaking into the imperial palace disguised as an attendant?

“I want to keep seeing you, Lou. Whenever I want.”

Iscallion spoke with a nonchalance that suggested he didn’t realize how irrational and dangerous his actions were.

Even without seeing it, I could tell that his confidence came from his abilities.

But.

‘Isn’t he a bit crazy…?’

No sensible person would do such a thing. Imagining another noble or royal in his place was simply terrifying.

Iscallion was the youngest yet the most violent and brutal among the male leads. Even Lina struggled to handle him.

Despite knowing all this, I underestimated him because he seemed so awkward during our first meeting.

‘Can I really handle this alone?’

“Why are you looking at me like that, Lou?”

“Uh, it’s just… you’re too handsome.”

Lost in thought, I answered honestly without realizing it.

Iscallion smiled broadly.

“Do you like me too, Lou?”

At that moment, a group of people appeared from the other side. Among them was the Crown Prince. His shining platinum hair made him stand out even from a distance.

At the same time, the Crown Prince spotted me.

He quickly approached.

I froze on the spot.

The Crown Prince was supposed to be entertaining foreign envoys by now.

‘Why is he here?’

As the question arose, I hastily hid Iscallion behind me.

Of course, it was impossible to conceal his large frame with my body.

The Crown Prince, who approached right in front of me, looked at me coldly. Then his gaze shifted to Iscallion.

“I didn’t know you two were acquainted.”

“Well, I mean…”

I stammered, trying to come up with an excuse, but nothing came to mind. My head was already overloaded from the sudden appearance of the two male leads.

But I have to come up with something. Otherwise, I would be accused of colluding with the Principality of Pontos.

As I struggled to find a way out, I heard the Crown Prince’s cold voice.

“What are you doing with my fiancée, Count Philippe?”

‘Huh…?’

Count Philippe was the representative of the foreign delegation that the Crown Prince was scheduled to meet with today.

The Crown Prince pulled me towards him as I stood there, bewildered.

“Is it your custom, Count, to disregard the appointed time and dally with your host’s fiancée?”

The Crown Prince’s anger caused not only the delegation but also the court nobles to hold their breath and watch cautiously.

Only then did I grasp the situation.

In short, Iscallion had not only infiltrated the palace disguised as a foreign noble but had also come to see me again, pretending to be an attendant.

‘Is he completely insane?’

While the atmosphere froze, only Iscallion remained unconcerned.

“I apologize, Your Highness the Crown Prince. Count Philippe is still young and inexperienced. If you could show some leniency, I, this old man, will ensure he is properly educated.”

The oldest-looking man among the delegation repeatedly bowed to the Crown Prince.

The other delegates began dragging Iscallion away. Even while he was being forcibly removed, Iscallion didn’t forget to bid me farewell.

“See you again, Lou.”

His relaxed wink left me speechless.

With him gone, it was now my turn to make excuses.

“Lou.”

“Hahaha… The Holy Kingdom’s delegation is waiting, so I’ll be going now.”

The place that had felt so tiresome now seemed like a final refuge.

Before the Crown Prince could say anything, I fled the scene.

***

By the time I returned to the mansion after a chaotic day that passed in a blur, I was greeted by an unbelievable sight.

“You’re back, Lou?”

My parents, who were having tea with Iscallion, waved at me cheerfully.

The atmosphere was so warm and friendly that one might believe their long-lost son had returned. My mother’s eyes sparkled more brightly than ever.

“What… What is this…?”

“Come, sit down.”

I awkwardly sat next to my mother.

As soon as I sat, my mother whispered to me.

“When did you become friends with Count Philippe?”

“Well, it just happened by chance…”

“Though his manners are a bit rough, probably because he’s a foreigner, it’s quite endearing.”

Come to think of it, Iscallion wasn’t ignorant of etiquette because he was a foreigner.

He truly hadn’t received any proper upbringing.

There must be nobles in Pontos well-versed in etiquette, but it was clear no one had bothered to teach him.

“Ha… Ha…”

Meanwhile, my mother glanced at Iscallion again.

“By the way, I thought the Crown Prince was the most handsome man in the world, but it seems I was wrong. Sir Roengreen is quite handsome too.”

My father offered Iscallion a drink.

“You drink, don’t you? Judging by your physique, no one in this mansion could match you. For the record, I don’t intend to give my daughter to a man who can’t outdrink me.”

I hurriedly stopped my father.

“Father! Count Philippe is still a minor.”

“What, what did you say?”

Both my father and mother were shocked by my words.

“Ahem. Is that true? Are you really a minor?”

“Uh, yes. I’m 19 this year…”

“I see. You’ll become a fine young man when you come of age. Well, there’s no rush. Our Lou is still young too.”

I wasn’t sure what conversation had taken place before I arrived, but my parents seemed to have mistaken Iscallion for an adult.

After that, the atmosphere became quite awkward.

My father drank wine alone and retired to bed early.

My mother whispered to me secretly.

“We thought you were reluctant to marry because of that young man. He’s so handsome and tall that we misunderstood.”

“That’s not it.”

‘I don’t even know how he ended up here.’

Feeling a cold sweat run down my back, I could only smile awkwardly.

Not long after, my mother also left, leaving just me and Iscallion.

“How did you get here, Count Philippe?”

“I came because I wanted to see you, Lou. We couldn’t talk much earlier because of that guy.”

‘Let’s not even go there.’

“Did you arrange for a place to stay? I’ll prepare a carriage for you.”

“There’s no need. The Duchess invited me to stay here.”

Male leads in romance novels generally tended to be unsociable. Among them, northern dukes were the least sociable.

But Iscallion was different. At least among the male leads of <The Cage of Savagery>, he seemed the most sociable.

‘He didn’t originally seem like this kind of character…?’

In the original story, he was described as the most violent and rough among the male leads.

But the Iscallion I met seemed like a slightly lacking but pure-hearted young man.

“Can’t I sleep with you, Lou?”

‘Is that even possible…?’

It was an absurd request.

Seeing my incredulous look, he drooped his shoulders dejectedly.

Pretending not to notice, I showed him to a bedroom.

“Here it is. If you need anything, ring the bell on the nightstand.”

“But Lou, why are you suddenly being so formal? Can’t you speak comfortably like before? Call me Leon.”

“No. I didn’t know before, but now that we know each other’s status, that’s not possible. You should address me formally too, Count.”

“I liked it better before…”

Ignoring his grumbling, I pushed him into the bedroom and returned to my own room. I took out the necklace from the jewelry box and put it around my neck.

Lina had said the necklace would calm excited protagonists, but she hadn’t specified that it was limited to s*xual excitement. So, it might be useful in an emergency.

Today was only the second time I met Iscallion. I couldn’t fully trust him yet.

If he revealed his violent nature and caused a ruckus in the mansion, I had to stop him somehow.

Even though I was extremely tired, I almost stayed up all night.

Fortunately, nothing happened.

I must have dozed off at dawn, and when I woke up, Iscallion was already gone.