Chapter 32

Since she’d unintentionally become entangled with him, Diana had learned to clearly distinguish when Ian Crawford was being insincere and when he wasn’t.

She couldn’t claim to know everything about him, but at the very least, she could tell whether he was in the mode of “equally kind young lord” or not.

And surprisingly… this was real.

He was genuinely angry.

Why all of a sudden?

He couldn’t have come all this way just to sit her down and nag her…

That meant there had to be another reason.

“It’s nothing. Anyway, I’m sorry if I made you worry, but I didn’t expect things to turn out this way either.”

“You’re saying it wasn’t intentional?”

“Of course not.”

She almost snapped back without thinking, but she chose her words carefully. Perhaps because of that, Ian didn’t press her further.

An odd silence filled the carriage, soon broken by Ian’s sigh.

“Don’t ever do something so dangerous again.”

“I’ll try.”

Judging by his scowl, it wasn’t the answer he wanted.

But Diana deliberately ignored it and changed the subject.

“What happened to that person?”

“That person?”

“The one who helped me… the man you set to watch over me. He left without treatment.”

“…If you mean Amber, he’ll be fine. He woke up just before I left.”

So his name is Amber.

Diana let out a quiet breath of relief.

“I’m glad he regained consciousness. His injuries looked serious. Is he really alright?”

“He’s tough. Nothing you need to worry about.”

“Will I be able to see him again? I want to thank him in person.”

“…Thank him?”

If Diana were in Ian’s place, she’d be speechless too.

She was asking to meet the subordinate who’d been ordered to spy on her.

“If it’s thanks, I’ll pass it on for you.”

“Just let me meet him. It’s not like it’s our first time.”

“…Not the first time?”

Ian faltered. That reaction—what was that supposed to mean?

“Explain that.”

“There’s not much to explain. He promised me. Said he’d help me once in return for the cookies I shared with him.”

“….”

“Wait… you didn’t know?”

Apparently not.

Ian pressed a hand to his eyes, shaking his head as though the reality was too much to accept.

Diana wasn’t entirely sure what was going on, but one thing was clear.

“Amber’s not very good at surveillance.”

“…I’ll take that into consideration.”

Take what into consideration? You shouldn’t be spying in the first place!

Diana rubbed her sore wrist, and Ian asked,

“So… how did that wrist get hurt?”

“Didn’t Amber explain everything?”

“Amber isn’t very good at explaining either.”

At this point, she was starting to wonder what Amber was actually good at.

“I got it helping someone. I didn’t expect to be dragged off by the guards, though.”

She awkwardly explained what had happened, starting from the bakery.

“…So the one who was badly hurt was Lucas Valentine.”

Ian, who had been listening calmly, muttered that once with a frown, but otherwise let her finish.

“So when you said you couldn’t help it, you really meant it.”

“I told you, didn’t I?”

“You’re lucky being caught by the guards was the worst of it. You could have been imprisoned too.”

“Well, at least we found the casino dealers. I’d call that a success.”

“You were injured.”

“…”

“Judging everything solely by results isn’t wise.”

He wasn’t wrong, but Diana’s expression soured.

“Of all people, I didn’t expect you to say that, Lord Ian.”

“I may only act the gentleman when it suits me, but I can worry at least this much.”

“…”

“Even if it’s only for show, we are a couple. For this year, at least.”

That last line was sugar-coated like candy—exactly the sort of thing that would please nine out of ten people.

“…Lord Ian, I’ll just say this.”

The problem was, Diana Wellington was always the one exception.

“‘Worrying’ isn’t what you say when someone convenient for you acts out of turn. You know that, right?”

“Hah… so the one without blood or tears here isn’t me, but you.”

“I’m saying this on purpose. If you keep talking like that, people will misunderstand. It’s lucky it’s me who heard it.”

“Let’s drop it here. This conversation only makes me feel unfairly treated.”

Ian’s reply was edged with irritation.

“In any case, there’s no guarantee next time it’ll only be a hurt wrist.”

“I know. I’ll be more caref—”

“The fewer future troubles, the better. With that in mind, we should just kill the captured dealers.”

…What?

Diana’s eyes flew wide.

How could he say something like that with such a refreshed expression, as if he’d just woken from a good sleep?

“Is that really necessary? They’re already locked up.”

“There’s no need to keep them alive either. Amber can handle it.”

So that’s his talent. And Diana wasn’t happy to know it.

“Weren’t they seen by the guards? If anyone looks into it, they could discover you’re running the royal casino. I’d prefer to avoid that.”

“…I’ve already taken precautions. I pretended to be a royal inspector. They won’t figure it out so easily.”

“Smart. I’ll have forged credentials sent to you soon.”

And just like that, she was trapped as the villain’s accomplice.

Diana felt a headache coming on.

“But forged papers aren’t enough. As always, it’s cleanest to remove all witnesses.”

“Calm down. The Valentine brothers are witnesses too. Are you planning to kill them as well?”

“…Hm. The Valentine family, huh…”

Luckily, that made him pause.

Right, no matter how much of a villain he was, he couldn’t just eliminate the foreign envoys who’d stirred the whole kingdom.

“It wouldn’t be easy… but if I set my mind to it, I could. Just push the carriage off a cliff.”

Nope.

“First, let’s bribe their physician. We’ll send them off on a long convalescence.”

He was serious—he really meant to kill them!

“I’m against it.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

“Those dealers are useful to me.”

Panicked, Diana cut him off before he could spin out any more sinister schemes.

“We can kill them anytime. But not until I’ve secured their testimony.”

“Testimony? For what?”

“I plan to use the casino’s opening to sway public opinion into revising the laws.”

Originally, she’d intended to keep that secret until everything was ready, but this wasn’t the time to hold back.

“I heard the chancellor’s collapse delayed the announcement of the law. To bring it back to the surface, this is the surest way.”

“You don’t think that could make things worse?”

“That’s where you come in, Lord Ian.”

Diana met his eyes squarely.

“If you persuade His Majesty to pass it, the royal casino will quickly gain ground among the exiled nobles. That benefits both of us, doesn’t it?”

“….”

“Finding useful witnesses is much harder than killing them. Please think about it again.”

Her reasoning wasn’t bad, but Ian’s brow remained furrowed.

Only after a long pause did he reluctantly nod.

“Just this once.”

“Thank you.”

Diana exhaled in relief.

“When it comes to you, Diana, my plans rarely go the way I want. I can’t say it’s a pleasant experience.”

It was practically a reproach, but she met his icy gaze head-on and endured.

So that’s why he came all this way?

Had Amber reported the commotion, and Ian rushed over intending to eliminate all the witnesses?

Suspicious, Diana stared at him.

After all, curses dolls disappear if you look away.

So the only option was to keep watching until he couldn’t move.

And as her gaze dipped lower, she spotted something unexpected.

Oh…