Chapter: 31
The moment I saw Rose’s face.
At first, I thought I was just seeing things.
That she, who should have been at home, had run out into the street alone.
It seemed like an impossible idea.
“Miss? Is it really Miss Rose?”
But the moment Inyoung, who had embraced me, proved that this wasn’t a hallucination.
“Then… does that mean there’s a fake Rose too?”
The second emotion I felt was relief.
Until just now, it had been hard to even breathe.
‘Now I can finally breathe.’
Rose clung to Dorothy like a koala, wailing uncontrollably.
Her cries were so loud that Dorothy, almost unconsciously, patted her back.
“Don’t cry.”
“I’m just glad that bastard pigeon came to my balcony.”
“Oh my, yes.”
“I’ll never chase that pigeon away again. I can endure that stinking mess for a hundred years.”
Half of it made no sense to me.
Yet, Dorothy couldn’t help feeling happy.
‘Did she come out because she was worried about me?’
The thought made the corners of my mouth twitch upward.
My heart felt warm.
“I’ll protect you. Not you protecting me, but me protecting you. You’re not protecting anyone—I’ll protect you.”
“Yes, yes.”
But there was one fact Rose had forgotten: right now, in front of them, was a suspicious man of unknown identity.
“From now on, I’ll protect you… huh!”
Rose, who had been wailing with tears and snot, suddenly noticed Count Allot’s presence and froze in terror.
“I completely forgot he was here!”
Overwhelmed by the Count’s intense aura, Rose instinctively hid behind Dorothy’s back.
Unlike Rose, whose face had gone pale, Dorothy remained calm and composed.
“Is he someone you know, Miss?”
“This person is Count Allot.”
“Count Allot?”
“He’s the best swordsman in the Empire. He doesn’t have a good relationship with the Kaishuner family…”
Listening to Rose’s explanation, Dorothy stared at the man before her.
Perhaps amused by this unexpected scene, Count Allot wore a satisfied smile.
He said he wasn’t on good terms with the Kaishuner family, yet there was no sign of suspicion or mockery.
“A friend, huh…”
The Count, chuckling as if finding the situation amusing, finally spoke.
“It doesn’t seem like the young lady is lying.”
Rose, hiding behind Dorothy’s back, trembled slightly.
This man wasn’t just intimidating to me—he could instill fear in anyone.
‘How am I supposed to respond to someone like this?’
Dorothy, deep in thought, didn’t avert her eyes and faced the Count.
“Yes. As I mentioned earlier, I have received far more favor than I deserve, from both Miss Rose and the Duke.”
Yet Dorothy felt there was no reason to be intimidated.
“You asked if I had noticed anything suspicious earlier, right?”
“Yes.”
“After thinking it over, I haven’t done anything shameful. Likewise, I haven’t witnessed anything wrong.”
She spoke confidently.
The man beside Count Allot took a sharp breath as Dorothy answered plainly.
He stared at her as if she were the rarest creature in the world.
‘Why is he looking at me like that?’
Before Dorothy could figure it out, Rose grabbed her shoulder in panic.
“Hey, aren’t you scared?”
“I am scared.”
“…You don’t look scared. How can your face look so calm? That man is really dangerous!”
“But that doesn’t mean we’ve done anything wrong. I only stated the facts. If we had done something wrong or had something to hide, that would be one thing. But we don’t.”
“Dorothy, are you brave… or just reckless?”
“Huh? If I were reckless, wouldn’t it have shown physically?”
“Hey, this…”
Rose couldn’t continue speaking as Dorothy answered plainly.
Anyway, Dorothy finished speaking calmly.
“That’s all I have to say. Whether you believe me or not, Count, is your choice. But there isn’t an ounce of falsehood in what I said. That’s all.”
“You’re not lying. I see.”
“Excuse me? You believe me?”
“You don’t look like someone who’s lying,” the Count said with a smile.
“People who lie usually touch their nose, avoid eye contact, their breathing changes, or they unconsciously move their hands frequently.”
On the surface, he seemed relaxed.
But behind that relaxed demeanor, he had already observed everything.
“But I didn’t see any of that from you.”
It was clear in my bones why this man was dangerous.
He seemed to pierce straight through people with just a few words. He was not someone to take lightly.
“Moreover…”
The Count suddenly turned his gaze in a certain direction.
Dorothy instinctively followed his gaze.
And finally, she saw him.
Brandon, running from afar.
“The executor personally coming here…”
The Count smiled, clearly intrigued.
“My, my! I didn’t expect the executor to come all the way here. Completely unexpected.”
The lieutenant muttered in surprise.
“The germaphobe and that mad dog even sweating!”
Dorothy’s eyes went wide.
The endlessly kind Duke being called a mad dog?
She must have had some wrong idea or prejudice about the Duke.
“There’s plenty of reason to believe him now, isn’t there?”
Brandon walked over, breathing heavily, unable to compose himself.
Sweeping his sweat-soaked bangs aside, he gave a faint smile.
“Well, well, Count Allot.”
“Long time no see, executor.”
“Didn’t you retire from the captaincy to stay in your estate forever?”
“My body’s healthier than expected, you see.”
“Even coming all the way to Sailbrums, you must be in good health.”
Dorothy couldn’t understand the relationship between the two at all.
But one thing was clear.
‘The Duke looks really angry.’
Though he smiled out of habit, his eyes were menacing.
Yet Count Allot’s momentum wasn’t broken.
“Did I do something wrong?”
The Count responded.
“The executor was prying into my affairs, so I just did the same in return.”
“Hm, I suppose so. But in terms of right and wrong, I have too much karmic baggage on my side.”
Brandon smiled innocently.
“They call this exchanging situations, but honestly, it’s kind of irritating. This is private business, after all.”
“I do feel a bit apologetic. I only came because I was curious, I didn’t know what exactly was going on.”
Count Allot glanced toward Dorothy and Rose.
But he didn’t linger long.
“My apologies. Had I known, I wouldn’t have come.”
“Why apologize so quickly? I was going to get even angrier.”
“If I’ve been discourteous, a gentleman should apologize. And…”
Count Allot smiled faintly.
“It wasn’t a completely fruitless visit.”
Looking at the sweat-soaked Brandon, he spoke.
“I’ll be going now.”
Finishing his words, Count Allot tried to leave with his lieutenant.
But as he passed Dorothy, he hesitated and stopped.
Standing before Dorothy, Rose groaned and clutched her sleeve from behind.
“That reminds me, I have a question for you, young lady.”
Not for Rose or Brandon—but for me?
Tilting her head in confusion, Dorothy nodded.
“Please ask.”
Brandon frowned, walking toward them, but Count Allot asked before he could reach them.
“Do you know the name Alexia?”
The question made both Dorothy and Brandon flinch.
How could this man know my mother’s name?
‘More importantly, why is he asking?’
Her curiosity, previously relaxed, sharpened once more.
Surely, this was the first time they were meeting today.
Yet he asked my mother’s name at first sight.
Still, Dorothy answered willingly.
“Our… mother’s name was Alexia.”
“I see.”
Count Allot silently stared at Dorothy after hearing her answer.
Dorothy felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu in his gaze.
‘But… it’s strange.’
Even though she was meeting him for the first time, he didn’t feel unfamiliar.
“Could it be…”
At that moment, Brandon blinked, as if he’d realized something.
Even though he had been angry just moments ago, he now stood beside the Count and casually asked,
“Count Allot, what is your rank in the knights?”
“……”
“……”
The relaxed atmosphere instantly froze again.
Rose and the lieutenant turned pale, as if drained of color.
“Do you want me to state my rank and name?”
“Haha, yes! If you can, even that!”
“Damn you, madman!” Rose slapped Brandon’s back, but it was useless.
