Chapter 16
“Ah, my head….”
Rubelia felt dizzy when Aria and Hasedian suddenly appeared without warning.
If they had at least sent word beforehand, she could have prepared herself mentally.
But an unexpected meeting only exhausted her mind.
Meanwhile, the moment Aria and Hasedian entered the room, they saw Rubelia sitting very close to Zerden, the two of them sharing a warm and friendly atmosphere. Their faces looked like they were about to cry.
“Quite rude.”
Zerden spoke coldly, as if scolding them for opening the door and entering even though they knew there were guests inside.
Aria and Hasedian flinched slightly and gave a polite greeting.
“We apologize first. We were in such a hurry that we acted rudely.”
Aria forced an elegant smile as she spoke.
“I’m curious what urgent matter made you act like that.”
“Are you really asking because you don’t know?”
Hasedian said sharply. Zerden’s expression became even more crooked.
“Um… I don’t know either?”
Rubelia quickly interrupted before it turned into a fight.
“I had a very bad feeling.”
“Yes, so we came here because we were worried that the young lady might be injured….”
At Aria’s words, Rubelia stiffened.
She wasn’t the only one with good intuition.
She had hidden her injury even from the Marquis because she didn’t know how he would react. If Aria and Hasedian found out…
Rubelia’s face darkened.
“But it seems you were in even greater danger.”
“Hmm?”
Rubelia looked confused.
“Please step away from Lady Rubelia immediately.”
Aria warned Zerden with a sharp expression.
“Last time we ignored the fact that Your Grace was kidnapped, but this time we will not.”
Not wanting to lose, Hasedian immediately added.
Zerden looked at them as if they were ridiculous. His eyes became cold with annoyance.
“Why should I do that?”
He spoke provocatively.
“Lady Stein does not belong to Your Grace.”
“Exactly. Lady Rubelia is like a flower on a cliff. No one can claim her.”
Aria looked at Zerden as if he should obviously know that.
If only I were truly a flower on a cliff…
If that were true, she wouldn’t have to suffer like this.
Rubelia thought desperately.
“You are misunderstanding something greatly.”
Zerden looked at them with disbelief.
“Your Grace is the one misunderstanding.”
Hasedian glared at him stubbornly.
“There is no need to talk with people who refuse to listen. Leave. Rubelia is spending time with me right now.”
“We will absolutely not leave.”
“That’s right. Who knows what Your Grace might do to Lady Rubelia?”
It was their first time confronting the Grand Duke like this, but neither Aria nor Hasedian had any intention of backing down.
“Leave.”
Zerden spoke firmly, as if he had just heard nonsense.
Hasedian and Aria flinched.
They had opposed him because they wanted to save Rubelia, but his command carried great weight. If they continued resisting, they might become direct enemies of the Grand Duke’s family.
“This is not the Grand Duke’s residence, Your Grace.”
Aria quickly said.
In other words, the only person who could order them to leave here was Rubelia.
“Just as expected of you, Zerden!”
Rubelia suddenly spoke proudly.
Aria, Hasedian, and Zerden all looked at her with confusion.
“How did you know exactly what I was thinking! Zerden must have some kind of ability to read my thoughts.”
Rubelia raised her thumb with an exaggerated expression.
“H-how could….”
“This is impossible.”
Aria and Hasedian looked shocked.
“So with that said, I’ll repeat it.”
Zerden spoke more harshly this time.
“Get out.”
Aria and Hasedian flinched again.
But only for a moment.
“Our Rubelia is exactly the type of person who says things like that!”
Aria said confidently. Before Rubelia had been possessed, she had once told Hasedian to stop clinging to her and get lost.
“That is correct.”
Hasedian agreed.
What is this reaction? Is it an insult or a compliment?
Rubelia looked dumbfounded.
“But I know the true meaning hidden inside those words.”
Aria said with complete trust.
“Lady Rubelia likes me.”
“Is that so?”
Zerden asked while looking at Rubelia.
Rubelia immediately shook her head strongly.
“So that’s how it is.”
Zerden said.
“Oh my, how lovely.”
“Even the way she shakes her head is so beautiful.”
However, Aria and Hasedian weren’t even paying attention to her answer anymore. They were too distracted by Rubelia’s appearance.
Their dreamy gazes made them look like they were under the influence of drugs. For a moment, Zerden even wondered if he should arrest them for drug use.
“…Tsk.”
Realizing words would not work, Zerden stood up.
Then he forcefully pushed Aria and Hasedian out of the room. They struggled to resist, but it was useless.
After throwing them out, Zerden locked the door so they couldn’t enter again.
“Are you alright?”
Seeing Rubelia looking completely exhausted, Zerden asked with concern.
“Thank you, Zerden. You really helped me a lot today.”
Rubelia looked at him with slightly teary eyes.
How could he chase them away so easily?
It felt like her mind hurt more from them than her injured arm.
“That’s good.”
Zerden had worried that he had kicked them out without her approval, but her reaction showed that wasn’t the case.
“Zerden, you’re really an angel!”
At that moment, ignoring everything else, Zerden truly looked like an angel to her.
“……”
Zerden was speechless.
No one had ever called him that before. He had never even imagined hearing such words.
At that moment, voices came from outside the door.
“Lady Stein, are you safe?”
“Lady! I’ll help you!”
“How dare he treat Lady Stein like this!”
“We’ll break that door right now!”
Hearing the desperate voices and rustling sounds, Rubelia flinched.
It sounded like they might actually break the door.
Zerden spoke calmly.
“Let me warn you first. This is the Marquis’s residence. Damaging the house without the owner’s permission is extremely rude.”
Though his voice was quiet, it carried enough force to be heard clearly outside.
The noises outside immediately stopped.
But that didn’t mean they had calmed down.
“Lady Stein….”
“Lady Rubelia….”
Hasedian and Aria called her sadly.
Zerden frowned in annoyance.
At this point, he understood why Rubelia wanted to avoid them so badly.
“If you do not wish to insult Rubelia, it would be better if you quietly leave.”
“T-that….”
Aria and Hasedian sounded shocked.
After a long silence, the two of them finally left the mansion with lonely expressions.
They wanted to argue back, but they realized too late that their actions could have made Rubelia uncomfortable.
When the owner of the house was with a guest, behaving like this was disrespectful.
Hearing their footsteps disappear, Rubelia finally realized they were gone.
Her face immediately brightened.
“You really are an angel.”
Rubelia said in admiration.
“I never expected someone would call me an angel.”
Zerden muttered.
“If anything, people usually call me a grim reaper.”
“At least to me right now, you are.”
“I’m not a good person.”
Zerden said indifferently.
“No one can be a good person to everyone.”
“I suppose.”
“And Zerden isn’t a bad person.”
Zerden quietly looked at her.
“Do you really think that?”
“Yes.”
Rubelia nodded confidently.
“Don’t trust people so easily.”
Zerden said calmly, though something in his heart trembled slightly.
“Because it’s you, Zerden.”
Because you and I are destined partners.
Rubelia said with a clear expression.
“…Strange.”
Zerden looked at her with complicated emotions.
He had never received such trust or kindness from anyone.
Even the Emperor, his own uncle, had never believed him when he said he had no desire for the throne.
Under his intense gaze, Rubelia fidgeted awkwardly.
Her heart was beating fast.
Well… with a face like that, anything is possible.
Rubelia convinced herself.
“Oh! I just realized we haven’t served you tea.”
“It’s fine.”
He had only come to bring her home safely.
“But this is your first visit.”
And he was a guest.
Especially since he had helped her get rid of Aria and Hasedian.
Rubelia opened the locked door and called a maid.
She asked the maid to bring two cups of tea.
While waiting, Rubelia fell into deep thought.
She suddenly remembered something.
Until now, she had only thought about leaving the Marquis’s house to avoid Aria and Hasedian.
But maybe there was another way.
“Zerden, would you like to live here with me?”
Then she could stay comfortably in the Marquis’s house.
She wouldn’t have to visit the Grand Duke’s residence every day either.
Zerden fell silent.
At that moment, the maid returned with the tea.
Seeing Zerden’s serious expression, the maid became very nervous while placing the cups on the table.
Because of her nervousness, she accidentally spilled the tea.
Rubelia’s dress became wet.
The maid felt despair.
Fortunately the tea was not hot, but a mistake was still a mistake.
She closed her eyes tightly, expecting punishment.
But Rubelia did something completely unexpected.
“Wow, it’s refreshing. I feel awake now. Thank you.”
Rubelia said warmly as she held the maid’s trembling hands.
