Chapter 27
“Didn’t you say we should move to the duke’s residence? Isn’t that living together?”
“I just want a child like you to be safe. If needed, I’m willing to protect you personally.”
“A child? Young Duke, how much older are you really?”
“Did you ask because you didn’t know?”
Damia let out a light sigh.
Only two years apart, yet he still treated her like a child.
‘It’s not exactly unpleasant… just unfamiliar.’
Her father had never treated her like that, so it felt strange.
“Anyway, thank you so much today. You saved my life, Young Duke.”
“It’s fine. Protecting you is my duty as your fiancé.”
Even though he acted so careful to avoid misunderstandings, he treated her so well she didn’t understand why.
‘Isn’t this guilty behavior? Acting in a way that’s easy to misinterpret.’
Damia bit her lip without thinking.
He was still young and sometimes childish, but Cassian was actually a good boy.
If Damia had really been a thirteen-year-old girl, she might have genuinely fallen for him.
“Do you know something?”
“What useless thing are you going to say now?”
“I think the Young Duke is actually very kind.”
Cassian was momentarily speechless. A quiet pause followed.
“Anyway, you’re my fiancée now, even if it’s just temporary.”
“You mean your kindness comes from your duty as a fiancé?”
“You understand well.”
The boy smirked. Damia looked at him, drawn by that smile.
The faint moonlight cast gentle shadows on Cassian’s sharp features.
He looked more mature than usual.
Thump.
Damia’s heart skipped a beat. She looked down at her chest.
Why is it beating so fast?
Standing frozen near the door, Cassian frowned.
“What are you doing? You’re tired—you should rest too.”
“Yes, understood.”
Damia forced a calm smile, though her heart was still racing.
‘It’s not excitement… just gratitude! He even saved me today.’
She didn’t want Cassian to notice her confusion.
The rusty hinges of the door squeaked unpleasantly.
The Ponti mansion was dark, and a cold stillness filled the empty halls.
If anyone noticed the daughter was missing, the whole house would be lit up, and even the few servants should be moving about.
‘Does no one know Damia was almost kidnapped?’
Cassian’s eyebrows twitched.
‘That maid Romi was supposed to report immediately to the viscount.’
Damia Ponti was only thirteen.
Even if it wasn’t his place to interfere in another family’s affairs, he couldn’t just leave a child so unprotected.
‘If I hadn’t stepped in, she would have been kidnapped. I need to take her to the duke’s residence quickly.’
As he reconsidered his plan, light footsteps came from the kitchen.
“Miss Damia… huh!”
A maid carrying a snack saw them and gasped.
Not Romi, but one of the few remaining Ponti servants.
The maid seemed stunned to see Cassian.
“Where is your father?”
“Viscount? He seemed tired and went to bed early.”
The maid didn’t notice Damia’s serious state, probably due to the dark interior.
‘He’s just sleeping peacefully?’
Cassian ground his teeth. Even though Damia adored him, it was surprising that a timid, normally quiet girl would boldly propose to the Young Duke.
Her daring act showed both her feelings for him and her desire to escape her household.
‘I feel bad for this girl I now think of like a younger sister.’
He struggled to suppress the urge to upset the house.
‘The household didn’t even notice she was almost kidnapped.’
“…What?! Kidnapped?”
“Wake Viscount Ponti. I need to see him immediately.”
Cassian spoke in a very commanding tone.
Ponti, still half-asleep, arrived in the drawing room and nearly fainted at the sight of Cassian.
‘He must have been warned by the maid, yet he pretends to be shocked.’
His father seemed more focused on Cassian’s mood than Damia’s unusual state.
There was nothing left to disappoint him about.
“Why are you here at this late hour, Young Duke?”
“Were you really sleeping?”
Ponti rubbed his hands nervously.
“Do you know that Damia was almost kidnapped?”
“What? Kidnapped?!”
The viscount’s mouth fell open. This time he truly looked shocked.
“Wait… you didn’t know your daughter disappeared?”
Cassian pressed his temple. Ponti looked flustered, unsure how to speak without upsetting the Young Duke.
“Er… the butler didn’t say anything…”
“The same butler who helped plan the kidnapping.”
“The butler? That’s impossible!”
Ponti turned pale and gaped.
“Would a loyal servant run away without reason?”
“Run away? No… the butler disappeared?”
“There’s no trace of him,” Cassian said.
His knights had quickly searched the mansion. The clever butler had already fled, leaving only Romi locked in the storeroom.
Damia must have been captured if she tried to alert the house.
“No way! The butler has been loyal his entire life. There must be a misunderstanding!”
“No, Father. He was trying to sell me to Count Fabron.”
“What? Count Fabron?”
Regardless of the father’s involvement, his shocked expression seemed genuine.
‘The butler held a grudge against my mother and wanted to hurt me.’
The grudge in the butler’s eyes was still clear in Cassian’s memory.
Did the butler act alone? Did the father know about the mother? Or was it all lies?
Damia wanted to confirm the truth but didn’t dare speak.
The death of the viscountess had been a taboo topic for years.
Even longing for her mother would make the father furious. That anger was still vivid.
“Even though the kidnapping failed, I will not let this go. Anyone who tries to kidnap my fiancée will pay.”
“Y-Yes, but I cannot believe the butler conspired with Count Fabron.”
“Do you not trust your only daughter?”
Ponti’s shoulders tensed as he tried to defend himself.
“Without evidence, I couldn’t accuse the count. I… only worried it might harm Damia’s reputation.”
His thin lips trembled.
“First, we will find that butler and make him confess.”
Cassian’s red eyes darkened.
The viscount swallowed hard at his icy gaze.
“And at dawn, Damia will move to the Sarkis duke’s residence.”
Really? Was he serious?
Damia’s eyes widened in shock.
“Eh? But we’re not even formally married yet! What are you saying?”
The normally timid viscount raised his voice, looking far more flustered than Damia.
