Chapter 17
Damia greeted him with a trembling expression. It was an unusual reaction for a girl who claimed to have a crush on him.
“You must be embarrassed. You don’t want to show how touched you are.”
Already hardened stereotypes obscured Cassian’s vision.
“What is it, Little Duke?”
The girl seemed to have changed her clothes in a hurry. Her silver hair was more disheveled than usual, and her breathing was labored.
“What were you doing?”
“I was just reading a book. It was just a really interesting part, and then I heard the little duke was coming, so I left.”
“Are you trying to give me a hint right now?”
“Hey, that’s not possible.”
Damia seemed reluctant to reveal what she had been doing behind the mansion.
It was a useless move. I’d already seen it all.
Cassian, like a gentleman, did not point out the dirt on the back of Damia’s hand.
Instead, I recalled the scene from just a moment ago.
* * *
I had no intention of stealing anything.
On the way to the Count’s residence to meet Damia, the weather was so nice that I stopped the carriage.
Despite the coachman and the knight’s dissuasion, Cassian walked towards the mansion.
‘How much should I trust Damia?’
Summer was drawing to a close. A cool breeze brushed his cheek.
‘I hope the wound is okay.’
The reason he started walking was because the weather was really nice.
It was definitely not because he was feeling complicated about his fiancée.
“Oh, no.”
After walking for a while, I finally arrived at the owner’s residence. I must have taken the wrong turn, because it was the back door, not the main gate.
I could see Damia in the distance.
“miss!”
Damia was with Romi. She was dressed in simple, unadorned attire. It didn’t look much different from Romi’s maid uniform.
‘I guess I need to get a new dress made.’
It was only later that I noticed the trowel Damia was holding. It wasn’t because she was undressed, but rather because she seemed to have chosen clothing that was comfortable to move in.
‘Should I give you a dress that’s big enough to get dirty while working?’
I thought that would be a good idea.
“…No. Do it with me….”
“…You too, Miss….”
I wanted to pretend to know, but I couldn’t explain why I came through the back alley where servants came and went.
Fortunately, the distance was quite far, so I couldn’t hear their conversation very well.
Eavesdropping on a maid’s conversation was impolite, no matter how suspicious Damia was.
‘Do you take care of the garden yourself?’
In fact, it was a rather shabby flower bed and vegetable patch, hardly worthy of being called a garden. However, it felt like Damia had put considerable effort into tending it.
He said he wanted to study herbal medicine, and it seemed he was more serious than I thought.
“Miss! I’ll do that!”
Damia touched the soil without hesitation, and her hands became quite firm.
Her silver hair sparkled in the sunlight, and her purple eyes caught the eye from afar.
There was nothing particularly suspicious about him. Except for being overly energetic and diligent.
‘I guess you wrinkle your nose when you concentrate.’
Then, his face was reflected in the puddle. Cassian was startled to find himself smiling.
It seems like he secretly finds that girl cute!
‘Come to your senses.’
I just learned one of Damia’s habits. There was no reason to be happy about it.
It was true that the girl was irreplaceable to his curse, but he couldn’t let his guard down.
‘Were you well-versed in herbal medicine?’
As befitting a duke who values manners, he always insisted on using the main gate when visiting the viscount’s residence.
So, that’s when I first learned that Damia was growing plants behind the mansion.
Cassian observed Damia’s garden with careful eyes.
I wonder if that remedy is also made from herbs grown directly?
The drug was purple. It wasn’t a very common color, so I might be able to quickly identify the candidate.
Violets, lavender, sage, irises… .
But Damia’s garden was unusually rich in purple plants. Furthermore, even to Cassian, who knew little about gardening, they were all common varieties.
‘Yeah, just because the medicine is purple doesn’t mean the ingredients are necessarily purple.’
While watching from afar, Damia smiled brightly and grabbed the maid’s hand.
The two seemed to have quickly become close.
Despite the improbability, Damia seemed closer to Romi than to Cassian.
The moment I was about to look away because I felt a pang of sadness.
“Your Majesty! Are you here?”
Even though he told him not to follow him, the knight still found him.
“Go back to the carriage.”
Cassian swallowed a feeling of inexplicable regret and immediately turned around.
His heart was still beating slower by the minute. He had no time to just sit there and watch.
At that time, I had to find at least one more clue. What connection might there be between his curse and that girl?
Whether it’s getting close to Damia and getting her to open up, or finding some irrefutable clue. Whatever it is.
To do that, you had to know your opponent well, it was advantageous to win their favor, and above all, you had to protect their safety.
That was really all there was to it.
* * *
Cassian had been visiting her every day lately. He clearly had something to say, but he insisted he had absolutely nothing to say.
‘If you have something to say, speak clearly!’
I felt like the same thing was going to happen again today, so I tried to give him a cup of tea and send him off quickly.
So I made an excuse to go out. I even took a shabby carriage on purpose… … .
“What are you so dissatisfied with?”
Why did Cassian insist on following me?
Damia stared intently at Cassian, who was sitting opposite her.
Romeo quickly ran to the coachman’s seat, so the two of them were alone in the carriage.
“Aren’t you visiting every day too often these days?”
“You can see my face often, shouldn’t you be a little happier?”
“Of course I’m happy.”
“You look annoyed.”
Damia flinched. The Duke’s gaze was undoubtedly detachable.
“No way. Of course I’d be happy. I just thought you might be busy.”
“I told you to come with me when you go out. It could be dangerous.”
“Huh? Are you seriously saying such nonsense… AH!”
The carriage shook violently. Damia nearly fell forward, but Cassian quickly caught her.
“Be careful. That’s why I told you to ride in my carriage.”
“Should we spread the word that the Duke of Sarkis is coming to town?”
“…….”
“I just wanted to quietly explore the town. I also had some things to buy.”
Cassian clenched his jaw. He seemed to be aware that he had interrupted Damia’s outing.
“You declined my offer to provide an escort.”
“I told you there’s nothing that requires an escort. It’s been a while since I’ve been out.”
Cassian frowned as if displeased.
“It’s dangerous for a child like you to wander around alone.”
“If I am a child, then isn’t it the same for you, Little Duke?”
“I’m different. How can you say I’m a child?”
The fact that she got angry at the word “child” was proof, but Damia didn’t bother to point that out.
It wasn’t so much out of consideration for Cassian as it was just annoying.
Contrary to his reputation as a mature man, Cassian was secretly childish and stubborn.
“You look like you have something to say.”
“No, there isn’t any.”
“It’s all Tina. Be honest.”
“Hey, wouldn’t you mind protecting the lady’s privacy?”
“Lady? Who are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“It’s about me. Why do you keep chasing me around these days?”
Cassian flinched, but then his expression became stern.
“We’re engaged. I have a duty to ensure your safety.”
“Lies. That’s not all.”
“Okay, I understand. No, wait. What did you just say?”
“Is there any reason why you should be watching me?”
“Surveillance? What do you mean?”
Cassian’s red eyes shook violently. Damia didn’t miss the moment.
“What are you hiding from me?”
I already knew that Cassian’s attitude had changed subtly. It had probably been since the day of the boat trip.
At first, I thought she was simply being overprotective because she was close to getting hurt. I almost applauded her chivalry, even though it was limited.
‘It’s a bit suspicious, though.’
Damia was quite perceptive. Count Fabron from her previous life had made her that way.
The Duke was hiding something from her. He was flustered by it, yet he seemed to have no intention of sharing it with Damia.
‘I can’t keep pretending not to know.’
Damia hoped her contract with Cassian would last a long time.
Any factors that could shake trust had to be addressed in advance.
