Chapter 18
“Your Majesty, we’re on the same boat. We even signed a contract.”
“know.”
“This is a contract-based engagement, much more solid than an unpredictable emotional bond. Show some responsibility.”
“…what?”
Oops. Was I too cynical to call her a temporary fiancée who likes her partner?
‘At first, I think I pretended to have a crush on you for no reason.’
Thanks to that, it seemed like Cassian’s guard had been lowered, but continuing the play was still difficult.
“You’ve changed so much lately, it’s confusing. I feel like I might misunderstand.”
Damia deliberately lowered her gaze and tried to put emotion into her voice.
“Why are you so concerned about me these days? Could it be that you’ve suddenly become so fond of me that you can’t take your eyes off me?”
Although she said this, Damia thought of a more realistic reason.
Is someone targeting him?
Or perhaps some of Damia’s actions aroused Cassian’s suspicion.
“Of course… no.”
“sure?”
“You’re mistaken. I’m just like I always am.”
Cassian avoided her gaze. His answer, after so much lip-licking, was too ordinary.
“all right.”
Damia responded briefly. Judging by her stubborn attitude, it was time to back off.
“But please don’t interfere with me under the pretext of my safety. I’ll take care of securing my own escort.”
“What? Where are you from?”
The carriage creaked and stopped. It seemed they had reached the village.
“It’s a secret. This is the lady’s private life.”
Damia smiled brightly and got up from her seat.
“Wait. I’ll catch you.”
“It’s okay.”
“You might stumble.”
How can you be so overprotective and still be the same as always?
Damia shook her head slightly.
“Get down!”
Since they rode in the carriage without revealing their identities, the coachman did not know who they were.
Damia opened the door herself and jumped down. It was a very light landing.
“Don’t misunderstand. I’m just doing my duty as a fiancé.”
Cassian, who followed behind, spoke urgently.
“Isn’t that a bit too kind for a fake engagement? Have you forgotten that we’re under contract?”
“That can’t be true. A normal imperial man should show this level of courtesy to a lady.”
“You said I was a child, not a lady.”
“A knight must protect not only the ladies, but also the weak.”
Anyway, it’s shameless.
Damia’s gaze at Cassian became even sharper.
“Really? I thought you were going to ask me a difficult favor.”
“What can I ask of you?”
Cassian responded arrogantly.
Although he was a bit annoying, the little duke was generally a very satisfactory employer.
I wanted to grant any request as long as it wasn’t too much, but…
‘He refuses even when I offer him the board, so there’s no need to show him any favor.’
Whatever Cassian’s intentions, it seemed unlikely he would break this pact.
As long as the terms of the contract were kept, the change in the little peacock’s attitude was not important.
Damia, with her thoughts in order, felt very refreshed.
“Then we should keep our distance.”
“…what?!”
The boy’s face twisted in disbelief.
“Didn’t you say you had a crush on me?”
“Yes, that’s right?”
It didn’t seem like a particularly sincere performance, but Cassian’s faith remained strong.
“Then, the more time you spend with me, the better it is for you, right?”
“I thought so too at first.”
“however?”
“I think obsessive men have no charm at all.”
“You say I’m not attractive? Me?”
Cassian looked dumbfounded, as if he was shocked.
I don’t think I ever imagined in my life that I would hear such words.
“Why are you so surprised? As expected… Have you liked me since then?”
“Cha, don’t get me wrong! I’m not doing this because I like you…!”
“…No?”
“…It was just a natural outgrowth of kindness.”
Damia swallowed a sigh. It was becoming tiresome to try to appease someone who kept nagging her.
“Miss! The groom has shown me the way to the guild. I’ll show you!”
While Damia was silent, Romi, who had finished her errand, came running.
“Guild? Why do you want to go there?”
“I’m looking for a real escort.”
“what?”
Damia smiled instead of answering.
* * *
“Why did you come looking for me, Miss?”
Damia looked up at the man before her. It was the man they had brought out of the guild.
Round brown eyes, curly brown hair, a freckled face, and a thick-boned body.
“My older brother may not be very smart, but he’s good at his job. His name is Luke.”
“I don’t know if I’ll be of any use.”
The man named Luke scratched his cheek awkwardly.
‘He’s so humble, even though he supports his family through his mercenary work.’
Cassian coughed in disapproval at Damia’s smile.
“First, sit down and eat this, Luke.”
It was an outdoor seating area at a dessert shop on the outskirts of the square. Damia held out a cake toward Luke.
“Yes… Please, speak comfortably.”
“Then I won’t decline.”
Romi introduced Damia as her new maid.
Even though his younger brother’s new master had changed from a Marquis to a Viscount, Luke nodded nonchalantly.
‘You’re exactly what I’ve been looking for.’
Romi’s older brother is said to be honest and loyal, although he is not quick at counting.
A thirteen-year-old noblewoman had the best conditions to be put forward as a proxy.
“Sometimes, I’d like to ask you to be my escort. I’ll pay you a reasonable fee.”
“Yes? Do you need a separate escort? Don’t you usually have a security detail attached to your family?”
This might be true for a typical noble family, but it was not the case for the poor Viscount Ponti.
“I have to come to town often because I need a lot of things. I’m actually really interested in gardening.”
Damia pointed to the luggage under the round table. It was filled with seedlings, seeds, and plant nutrients.
“But my father doesn’t like my hobby.”
“Oh, I see.”
Luke nodded as if he understood.
“I usually send Romi on errands, but sometimes, like today, I have to come to town myself.”
“Can I escort you then?”
“huh.”
Damia laughed. Luke’s true usefulness was as a proxy, not as a bodyguard, but she couldn’t reveal all her cards to Cassian.
‘I’ll have to call you to the mansion later under the pretext of escorting you and have a proper conversation.’
I had only stopped by the village to get rid of Cassian, who had suddenly appeared, but meeting Luke while I was there was a blessing in disguise.
“Are you serious?”
At that moment, Cassian, who had been silent with his arms crossed, opened his mouth.
He had his hood pulled down low because of his striking red eyes.
In the Belothean Empire, red eyes were a rare symbol of the Sarkis Dukes’ bloodline. They had to be hidden to avoid attracting unnecessary attention.
“You refused to give me a knight, and now you’re saying you’re going to hire a mercenary.”
I’m telling you, you’re secretly not socially adept!
And now you’ve decided to hide your identity and stay quiet!
Damia gently squeezed Cassian’s wrist, telling him to be quiet.
“you…….”
I thought he would resist or rebel, but Cassian seemed momentarily speechless.
“Is this situation so dangerous that you need an escort? If so, can I handle it?”
Luke’s brown eyes wavered. He seemed worried, as if he were getting involved in something dangerous.
“No. As you can see, my fiancé is just overprotective.”
Luke glanced at Cassian, who exuded an intimidating aura even with his face half-hidden.
“It’s not that dangerous, but you keep insisting on needing an escort.”
Luke chewed his lips.
“Hmm…….”
“Just do as I say!”
Romi, unable to bear it any longer, shouted. Luke hesitated for a moment, then tucked his tail between his legs at his sister’s scolding.
“…Understood, Miss.”
Luke accepted Damia’s offer.
“I’ll be counting on you in the future. This is a gift.”
“Huh? A gift?”
“It’s a link I had a hard time obtaining through my father, but I thought I might need it since I’m a mercenary.”
Cassian frowned slightly, but Damia smiled as if she didn’t notice.
“Thank you, miss.”
“You can share it with your colleagues.”
It was actually an ointment made from herbs grown by Damia.
It was excellent not only for ordinary injuries, but also for the poison of the monsters that would soon appear in the West.
With the death of Gwangryong, most of the monsters disappeared, but according to memories from a previous life, wolf-type monsters were briefly rampant during this period.
So, this ointment was bound to sell like hotcakes in the future.
Before that, I was thinking of spreading the word through Luke.
“I’ll contact you shortly. Just come to Viscount Ponti’s residence.”
“Yes, please take a look, Miss.”
Damia stood up from her seat.
“We’re going now, too, Little Duke.”
“What is that ointment?”
“I just had it at home, but I brought it here as a gift.”
Cassian didn’t seem to take her word for it.
But perhaps because he had a lot to hide, he couldn’t ask Damia any more questions.
‘This is enough.’
I actually liked the moderate distance.
