Chapter 7 

A heavy silence fell between us.

The man looked very—and I mean very—bewildered.

His face, which looked like it had never known warmth in its life, twisted into a strange expression. His lips parted slightly, his eyebrows shot up, and he glanced back and forth between me and the rattle in my hand.

Finally, he let out a short, incredulous laugh.

“Are you a crazy demon?”

“You’re the crazy one. And what demon? I’m a normal human being.”

“No chance. This much demonic energy is pouring out.”

He tossed his sword into the air.
It stayed there, floating—just hanging proudly like it was showing off.

As the blade shimmered with light, Aksion’s crying began to lessen.

“Uwaa!”

Aksion, with his eyes still red from crying, reached out toward the sword.

He seemed to love it.

Hmph. I guess the rattle wasn’t needed anymore.

I shoved the rattle back into my clothes and lifted my chin confidently.

“Your sword is doing the soothing for me. Alright, I’m leaving.”

“Wait.”

I turned to go, but his large hand came down in front of me, blocking my way.

“Where are you going?”

“Home, obviously. Move. What kind of grown man threatens strangers and makes babies cry? Try living like a civilized person.”

I smacked his hand off my shoulder and strode away.

…But.

The man calmly started following me.

Following me.
At an unbothered, leisurely pace.

I hugged Aksion tight and glared at him over my shoulder.

“Why are you following me?”

He shrugged.

“You look younger than me, so maybe you should speak more politely?”

“What are you talking about?”

I stared at him like he was spouting nonsense, which he clearly was. His face twisted again, but he still kept following.

He stayed right behind me all the way to where my carriage was parked.

He watched silently while I asked the coachman to hook the stroller onto the back and gently placed Aksion inside.
More accurately—
He stared fixedly at the Evanroar family crest on the carriage.

“So you’re from House Evanroar?”

“Nope.”

He pointed at the crest with a long finger.

“But the crest is right here.”

“And I said no, didn’t I? Are you always this persistent? Look—see this tiny part? The pattern is chipped.”

I pointed at the spot where the paint had worn off.

It was honestly a blessing that our poor viscount household had such a worn-down carriage. The damaged crest made my lie feel more convincing.

The man snorted.

“You’re a ridiculous woman.”

“You’re even more ridiculous. Now go away.”

He nodded lightly.

“Fine. Just one thing to check.”

“What thing—hey!”

He walked past me, lightning-fast.

And in the blink of an eye—
Aksion was dangling from his hand.

“!”

“Uu… uuuang…”

He lifted Aksion by his clothes with one hand and stared at him.

“It’s coming from here, isn’t it? That demonic energy earlier. You know what it is?”

“Eeeh…!”

A baby! And he was holding him with one hand like some kind of sack?!

I couldn’t let that slide.

I dug my toes into the ground, summoned all my leg strength, and kicked his shin.

“Ghh—! What strength…!”

My farming-strengthened iron legs were effective!

The man staggered.

I quickly caught the falling Aksion and clutched him close. Aksion burst into full-volume wails.

“Uwaaaah!”

The man rubbed his shin.

“What the hell is in that kid’s heart…?”

I answered casually.

“A Dragon Heart.”

“…What?”

“What? Never seen a baby with a Dragon Heart stuck in his chest? It’s normal. Everyone has one, don’t they?”

“What in the—”

His jaw dropped.

The hand resting on the carriage slipped.

A perfect chance.

I shoved him with all my strength and jumped into the carriage.

These farming arms weren’t for show—he practically flew back.

I slammed the door shut.

“Go!!”

The horses neighed, and the coachman snapped the reins.

As the carriage rolled forward, I locked the door tight and peeked out the window.

The black-haired man stood frozen, staring blankly after us.

He didn’t seem inclined to chase.

I stuck my tongue out at him and ducked back inside.

“Hmph. What a weirdo.”

Thankfully, Aksion’s eye color had returned to normal.

Patting my pounding heart, I headed home.

* * *

Far northeast of the capital, if one climbed a well-maintained mountain road, there stood a great castle built against a cliff.

It belonged to the Siastor Duchy—famous for guarding against “Rifts,” cracks that often opened into the demon world.

The very first Duke built his stronghold here specifically to make it easier to block rifts and eliminate demons sneaking into the Empire.

‘Fantasy is seriously fantasy.’

This world—set in the original novel—was full of words like “demons,” “magical beasts,” “evil dragons,” “holy swords,” “divine artifacts,” and “transcendents.”

I was just an ordinary human from a poor viscount house, living a farmer’s life… But long ago, a transcendent who pulled out the Holy Sword saved the world when magical beasts almost destroyed the continent.

Hundreds of years had passed since then, and transcendents now protected various parts of the world.

The Siastor Duchy was one such guardian family.

Meaning, Duke Dazhar Siastor was a transcendent.
And so was Vanilla, my future daughter-in-law.

‘At least their lifespans are the same as normal humans, right?’

Thinking about that, I finally arrived at the Siastor mansion.

***

“Elstern. What kind of person is Duke Dazhar?”

I asked with eyes sparkling, and Elstern immediately backed away in fear.

“Huh? Why are you asking something like that? You never care what kind of person someone—cough, never mind. He’s… extremely strong.”

“No, not that.”

“I—I don’t think he’s dating anyone…”

“What?”

I raised a fist, and Elstern instantly straightened up.

“A bit scary. Being next to him feels suffocating because he’s so perfect. A useless guy like me can’t handle him.”

“Good.”

“…Sorry?”

“At least you know you’re useless.”

“……”

As we followed the attendant down the hall, Elstern drooped like a dying plant.

“Well, you’ll know when you see him. He can be scary, but he’s very refined and polite.”

A refined, polite, scary high-ranking noble…
I started to feel nervous.

I checked my outfit as I walked over the polished marble floor.
I was wearing the best dress I owned, and my hair was half-tied in a neat braid.

‘Let’s explain the rice clearly, make the deal, and earn a bunch of money!’

That was my goal—sell the rice I brought and make good money.

‘Aksion, mama’s going to make us rich!’

I clenched my fist and entered the reception hall.

It was open with no doors. The attendant stepped ahead and lightly tapped the wall.

“Your Grace. Lady Cillia of House Evanroar and Mage Elstern have arrived.”

The room had sofas and a table, but no one was sitting.

A man stood by the window, looking outside.

‘So that’s Duke Dazhar Siastor.’

The Duke slowly turned around.

Sunlight poured through the window, lighting up his face.

His skin glowed like crushed gemstones.
His neatly combed black hair gave him an ascetic, disciplined air.
His golden eyes shone beneath long eyelashes.
His tall, well-built figure filled out his perfectly tailored suit.

He looked like the dictionary definition of a perfect gentleman.

“Lady Evanroar?”

He murmured as he walked toward me.

Even his steps were elegant.

In an instant, he was standing right in front of me, smiling faintly.

His eyes softened with the tiny smile, lashes brushing down gently.

I stared blankly.

Absolutely NOT because he was good-looking.

He said softly:

“What a coincidence. You’re the rattling one from yesterday.”

Yesterday.
At the cemetery.

The insane man.

Oh. My God.