Chapter 20
“It seems the Duke is really in love with Damia.”
Viscount Ponti twirled his beard with his fingers.
“I’ve been worried lately, so this is good news, Your Majesty.”
The butler forced a smile, but the corners of his mouth trembled.
“Rumors are rife that even the Duchess adores Damia. Even at gatherings, she’s always proud.”
“Ahaha, that’s a relief.”
“Hmm… At this point, maybe there’s no need to insist on Count Fabron.”
The butler’s stomach grew cold. It was nonsense.
The mean head spun quickly.
I couldn’t just throw away the years I’d spent bowing down to the Count who had lost his temper like this.
“But, Your Majesty, without the cooperation of Count Fabron, the project you are about to embark on will be impossible.”
“Hmm… If Damia can just settle down as Duchess of Sarkis, won’t there be plenty of opportunities later on?”
A cold sweat ran down the butler’s neck.
‘I can’t just leave it like this.’
The old voice of Count Fabron came back vividly to my ears.
If he breaks his promise, the cruel author will not leave the butler alone.
He gritted his teeth as if swallowing his fear.
The butler remembered the suspicious person he had met a few days ago through Count Fabron’s introduction.
At the time, I thought it was too risky, but maybe it wasn’t the time to be picky about the means.
* * *
‘It’s been a while since I’ve ridden one, so I can really feel the goodness.’
The carriage of the Sarkis Duke’s family was, as expected, incomparably more comfortable than a hired carriage.
“Thank you for all the gifts, Little Duke.”
Cassian, leaning against the window, cocked his eyebrows.
‘You were holding on so desperately earlier.’
As soon as he got into the carriage, Cassian relaxed again, as if he had achieved his goal.
“When sending gifts home, please only send items that cannot be converted to cash in the future.”
“I was wondering why you asked me that, and it was because of you, Viscount?”
“Yes, you are a bit greedy.”
“I guess I’ll have to secretly pay for the cure from now on.”
“yes that’s right.”
Damia hummed softly.
Cassian’s tone was so serious earlier that I was nervous, but it seems he was actually acting out of concern for his father’s gaze.
“What do you want to talk about when we’re alone together? Are you planning to tell me everything honestly?”
“that’s right.”
“Really?”
“When you arrive at the Duke’s residence, follow me as quietly as possible. I have someone I need to meet.”
“What? I thought it was nothing.”
Damia’s eyes narrowed.
“I hope your mother doesn’t know yet, so don’t show it.”
“Who do you want me to meet? Just tell me directly.”
“My doctor.”
“Huh? The little duke has been unusually kind to me lately… Is it because I need to see a doctor?”
Damia tilted her head, but the boy didn’t offer any objections.
* * *
Cassian led Damia to the annex, avoiding the Duchess’s eyes.
The Duke’s personal physician was waiting for them.
“So, you’re saying that your heart rate increased after you made contact with your fiancée?”
He was a doctor with gray hair and a kind appearance who treated Damia on the day of her boat trip.
“That’s right. It’s noticeably faster. It’s impossible not to notice.”
“So, what kind of contact did you have exactly?”
“We held hands. It was probably the first time we’d ever touched each other with bare hands.”
“Hmm…….”
“My heart started beating faster when we made eye contact.”
What are you talking about? Damia was so shocked she couldn’t believe her ears.
“Are you trying to confess to me right now?”
“what?”
“No matter how good I am, it’s embarrassing to say something like this in front of my doctor.”
Cassian frowned openly.
“Don’t get me wrong. This isn’t a metaphor, it’s a fact.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. That’s why I brought you to the doctor. So you can understand what I’m saying without misunderstanding.”
“Hmm….”
“This is a very important issue to me.”
Damia glanced at the attending physician with confused eyes.
“Is it true, Your Highness?”
The attending physician looked even more surprised than Damia.
“Really, the little duke’s heart….”
The attending physician couldn’t continue speaking, observing Damia’s expression.
“It’s okay, just tell me. Damia already knows what’s wrong with my heart.”
“Were you that close?”
The doctor’s eyes lit up with favor toward Damia.
He even nodded his head as if he was touched.
“No, wait! I just don’t understand what’s going on.”
“It’s literally true. The moment I held your hand, my heart started beating faster.”
“Are you talking about the boat ride?”
“…that’s right.”
“Then why did you keep it a secret all this time?”
Cassian’s red eyes wavered.
“Were you embarrassed?”
“…….”
“Are you so excited about me that your heart, which had stopped, starts beating again?”
“No, that’s not it……!”
Cassian, who was trying to explain something urgently, suddenly closed his mouth.
“Of course, I cherish the young lady of Viscount Ponti very much… Yes, that’s true. She’s my fiancée, so of course.”
Even though one cheek was strangely distorted, her face was still beautiful.
It seemed like he hadn’t even told his doctor about the details of the engagement, or that he was trying to put it off.
but.
‘Why is the acting so awkward?’
And suddenly, “Lady Ponti”? Why are you suddenly distancing yourself after always calling her Damia?
It seemed like I had to add some strength to the little peacock’s clumsy play.
“So you decided to call me Damia now? Are you embarrassed to say it in front of others?”
He was trying to help, but Cassian swallowed a groan.
“Whatever you call it now, that’s what matters… Yes, it matters.”
Cassian’s voice, which had been rising slightly, quickly died down, as if he had noticed the senator’s reaction.
The boy sighed, and the black hair covering his forehead swayed slightly.
“Damia.”
Cassian’s voice sounded more mature than usual.
My heart sank even though it wasn’t even the first time I was called by my name.
There was not the slightest wavering in the boy’s red eyes staring at Damia.
Damia bit her lip at that straight gaze.
As she averted her gaze, Cassian’s red eyes also wandered through the air.
“Huh, huh huh huh…….”
When I came to my senses, the congressman was watching them with a pleased face.
It was a kind smile like that of a grandfather watching his grandchildren fight.
It seemed like the two people misunderstood each other’s love for each other to the point where they couldn’t even look each other in the eye just by calling each other’s names.
‘No, over there. That’s not really it… … .’
My toes kept curling up, perhaps because I was embarrassed, but I couldn’t add anything.
If there was a confidentiality clause in the engagement contract that Cassian insisted on giving her, but hadn’t received it yet, things could have been awkward.
Damia turned her head away from the doctor’s burdensomely warm gaze.
Then, Cassian, with his straight cheeks flushed red, came into view.
Huh? Wait, your face is red?
“Little Duke, now! Now, even now, please place your hand on your heart.”
“Put your hand on your heart? Why all of a sudden?”
“Your face is red now! And your heart might be beating fast.”
The tense atmosphere between them had completely disappeared, but Damia didn’t care.
“That’s not why my heart was beating so fast.”
“But try it just once. I’ve never seen that little duke’s face turn so red.”
Cassian, whose lips were quivering, let out a long sigh.
He didn’t hide his annoyance and gently placed one hand on my chest.
“…….”
A silence flowed as if time had stopped.
Both Damia and the attending physician were looking at the boy as if he was possessed.
Damia swallowed dry saliva without realizing it.
Cold sweat ran down my clenched fist.
“What on earth did you expect? Exactly.”
The attending physician was drooling beside him, but Cassian didn’t seem particularly disappointed.
“No response. My heart is still beating so slowly, like it might stop at any moment.”
“ah…….”
“So, I said it wasn’t because I was excited or surprised or anything like that.”
Cassian began to slowly remove the gloves on his hands.
“Hey, what are you doing now?”
“I want to hold your hand.”
