No matter how skilled a holy knight is, it is nearly impossible to see through the true nature of a vampire lord who has concealed his aura. Still, I couldn’t help but feel nervous.

Without realizing it, my palms were damp with sweat. I subtly wiped my palms on Michalis’s coat.

“Darling?”

Michalis, seeing the clear handprints on his expensive coat, pretended to smile but gritted his teeth. When I wiped my other hand, pretending not to notice, he hastily let go of Gined’s hand and intertwined his fingers with mine.

“Darling, why are you so nervous? Your hands are sweaty. We need to get you a handkerchief quickly.”

“There’s no need for that. Michalis’s coat is my handkerchief.”

Michalis looked at me with eyes full of affection and brought his lips close to my ear.

“Let’s not overdo it.”

“Who are you to talk?”

I glared at him, gritting my teeth, but then I remembered that we were here to make Gined jealous and forced a smile.

“Hohoho.”

“Hahaha.”

When I laughed, Michalis laughed along with me. But anyone with eyes could tell it was a fake laugh.

It seemed like this wasn’t going to work.

I had no talent for this sort of thing, and Michalis, who I trusted, was being overly provocative, only causing more resistance.

Regrettably, I decided to end the situation here.

“Darling, darling, I’m thirsty. Why don’t we go to a nice tea house instead of doing this…?”

“Hmm, how about some alcohol instead of tea?”

“It’s a bit early, but alcohol is fine too.”

I didn’t care what it was as long as I could get out of there.

Just as I was about to look for a suitable place nearby, a cold hand grabbed my chin and turned my head.

Then, a cold breath came close to my lips as if it was about to touch, and then it pulled away with a smack in the air.

“My lips?”

I almost forgot that Gined was in front of me and nearly cursed out loud.

More shocking than nearly kissing a man for the first time in my life was the outdated, crude joke.

Michalis whispered to me, who was frozen in place.

“Don’t ruin the mood and smile. It’s not like we actually kissed.”

‘Do you have a conscience? You pull a stunt like this and tell me to smile?’

“Oh, you’re so naughty… You really woke me up.”

As I struggled to manage the situation, Gined’s cold voice pierced my ears.

“Lady.”

“Oh… Right, weren’t you saying something earlier?”

I held on to a glimmer of hope. After all this trouble, wouldn’t I get some kind of reward?

He’s no good, I can make you happier, what are you doing in front of me…

Maybe influenced by Michalis, all sorts of childish lines cluttered my mind.

I just wanted some kind of reward for this farce.

But what he said was none of those things.

Gined calmly informed me without showing any anger.

“I will be leaving Arcadia soon. I wanted to inform you of that.”

“What?”

“I have been away from His Holiness the Pope for too long.”

“Huh…?”

“Please take care of yourself.”

Until he got back on his horse and left my side, I stood there dazed and dumbfounded. Gined never looked back at me even once. In the end, I only embarrassed myself and gained nothing.

“What is this? Now I’ll just be laughed at!”

As soon as Gined left, I roughly shook off Michalis’s arm.

“Why are you so quick to judge? There was definitely an achievement. Didn’t you see the way he glared at me?”

“How was that a look of hostility? It was a look of pity.”

“Hah, you don’t understand men because you’re young. Men are all like children. This childish method works well.”

“Childish or not, you should have done it in moderation. What? Lips? Do you think that outdated trick will work in today’s world? Even my grandfather’s grandfather wouldn’t have made such a joke!”

For the first time, Michalis hesitated.

“Do young people these days not like such things…?”

“Are you seriously asking that?”

“Ahem, I admit it. That was my mistake. Then let’s move on to the crisis plan. We don’t have much time, so get ready quickly.”

“It’s already a crisis.”

“Jealousy was Janet’s plan in the first place. I can assure you this time will be different.”

“How can I trust you?”

“Because my presence itself is a crisis for humans.”

Michalis smiled confidently. Even that line was so cheesy it made me want to cry.

But being cornered, I had no choice but to grab onto this rotten rope.

I decided to trust him one last time.

***

The crisis plan was executed the very next day.

Time was tight, but there was no other choice if we wanted to finish before Gined left Arcadia.

Michalis boasted that he was thoroughly prepared this time.

“It’s good that your parents aren’t home. Are you ready for a night out?”

“But… is it really necessary to stay out all night?”

“What else will you do to confirm your love? Surely, you weren’t planning to just go home decently, were you?”

“Ah?”

I was deeply moved by Michalis’s mature advice.

Although he failed to provoke jealousy with his outdated lines, he sometimes pointed out things I hadn’t even thought of.

“We don’t have time, so pack your things quickly. Oh, and don’t forget to wear your prettiest underwear, even if your dress is shabby.”

In a fluster, I dug out some underwear that had been buried in a corner.

I had bought it for a special moment with the Crown Prince, but it had been years, and I hadn’t even opened the packaging.

“It seems a bit tight.”

Naturally, my body had grown since then.

Looking in the mirror, the underwear looked like it was about to burst. But it wasn’t unwearable.

‘Hmm, maybe this is actually good…’

No, is it really good? Gined wouldn’t even know.

Realizing that I was excited alone in my underwear while the person I was supposed to give it to had no idea, I suddenly felt a wave of self-pity. I quickly put on my dress before I got more depressed.

While doing a final check on my appearance, I noticed the necklace with the all-ages charm.

I usually wore it, but tonight it seemed especially unnecessary. Whether the plan succeeded or failed.

I took off the necklace and put it in the jewelry box.

Just in case, I packed some snacks and wine to share with Gined through the night.

Honestly, this level of preparation could be called human overkill.

After finishing my preparations, I followed Michalis.

“If you’re ready, let’s go.”

“Um, where are we going?”

“Where else? To the stage where we’ll confirm your love. Just follow me.”

He took me to an abandoned village not far from the capital.

“There really are a lot of ghost towns.”

It was all because of Enril. As monsters and transcendent beings started appearing frequently near Mount Acheron, the terrified residents began to leave the villages one by one.

That’s how empty villages were created, and this village seemed to be one of them.

A dry wind shook the sign at the village entrance. The creaky sound from the unlubricated sign was particularly eerie.

“Isn’t this place too desolate to confirm love?”

“What are you talking about? I carefully selected this place despite the time constraints. Don’t you know that the more dramatic the situation, the easier it is to fall in love?”

He seemed to be referring to the suspension bridge effect.

There was no turning back now, so I obediently followed him.

We entered the largest wooden building in the village. Judging by its size and interior, it seemed to have been used as the village hall.

The interior was quite clean, but it still had the eerie atmosphere typical of abandoned buildings.

‘Did he set up a haunted house?’

Carefully looking around and sitting on an old chair, Michalis suddenly announced.

“From now on, you are kidnapped by me. Got it?”

“What? Kidnapped?”

“Romance is best when it’s classic. What could be more romantic than a knight coming to rescue a princess? By now, Janet should have informed Roengreen about your kidnapping. By the way, I’m playing the role of the King of the Underworld.”

“Well, that’s not bad.”

‘Let it be.’

I nodded absentmindedly and gazed out the window. Then I immediately saw a few chimeras passing by.

“Ugh, what are those!”

“They were wandering around Mount Acheron, so I brought them here. They don’t seem to know that I’ve taken over this area yet. There are always ignorant creatures like that. Thanks to them, we can create a more realistic stage.”

I was momentarily confused.

The crisis I had imagined was just a midnight chase in a big city. But now, it was a full-fledged crisis involving a deserted village and even chimeras.

‘Is this really okay?’

“What’s with that expression? Sorry, but there’s no turning back now. You can’t reveal to him that you conspired with vampires at this point, can you?”

“That’s…”

I had promised to tell Gined the truth, but this time, I couldn’t possibly confess. Gined, with his inflexible nature, would never forgive me.

‘For the greater good…’

“So what do I have to do?”

“What else? Just pretend to be kidnapped. Let’s wait until the knight comes to rescue you.”