IPMPBB 29

Chapter 29

“So you’re the one in charge, not the red-haired guy who left earlier?”

Well, to be fair, Carlos does look more like the one in charge.

“That’s right. It’s me.”

“Then this will be simple. Release my restraints.”

“……”

Can I even do that?

I found myself at a loss for words in response to the sub male lead’s not-quite-an-order.

“Hah.”

Noticing my hesitation, the sub male lead scoffed.

“You think I’m dangerous too, don’t you? Just like the people in this auction house who treat me like a wild beast.”

I tilted my head at his words.

“Of course you’re dangerous. Don’t you think you’re dangerous?”

“…What?”

“You were captured by an illegal auction house and you’re clearly furious. So, it’s natural you can’t think straight right now. And who knows what kind of curse those people might’ve put on you? How could I possibly release you?”

“……”

“See? You’ve got nothing to say.”

The sub male lead looked at me with a frustrated expression.

“But that doesn’t mean I have no intention of releasing you.”

I turned toward him with my knees pulled together.

“So you’re going to set conditions?”

“Let’s just say I want to build a friendly relationship.”

When I smiled, the sub male lead looked at me with a surprised expression.

“You think I’m dangerous, yet you’re not afraid of me?”

“No, I’m scared.”

I shook my head seriously.

The sub male lead looked even more surprised.

He was overwhelmingly powerful and, in the original story, made Elia suffer terribly.

So how could I not be scared or resentful?

“You think I’m dangerous, and you’re scared, yet you want to build a friendly relationship? Why?”

There’s only one reason I’d try to get along despite all that.

“What did you talk about with the saint?”

I wanted to find out what the saint was hiding.

“You mean that woman who bought me?”

“That’s right.”

He’d already heard Carlos calling her a saint, so I nodded without hiding it.

“Tell me honestly what you talked about, and I’ll release your restraints.”

I coaxed him gently.

“And I’ll also make a vow—no matter what, I’ll never use the unbelievers’ restraints on you again.”

I didn’t know exactly how the restraints worked, but based on the curses used by the unbelievers in the original, I was sure they were nasty.

That’s probably why he’s so desperate to be freed.

I used that desperation to pry into his conversation with the saint.

She was way too suspicious.

If she was different from how she was in the original, or scheming something, I had to know.

“……”

The sub male lead hesitated, his expression conflicted.

“For the record, the saint might be great, but she has no judicial authority. Which means, I’m the only one who can release you.”

His eyes sharpened at my words.

“And if I refuse?”

“Then it’ll be a long, long time before you’re ever unshackled.”

I smiled sweetly.

The sub male lead’s face twisted in frustration, as if the idea of staying restrained horrified him.

“Did she make you some kind of promise? Is that why you’re hesitating?”

I tried to dig for more information.

After a moment, he opened his mouth with reluctance.

“She said she’d make me her personal bodyguard and grant me freedom.”

“Aha.”

That actually would work, even if she didn’t have authority.

“Can you offer something better than that?”

He was testing me.

I gave him a bright smile.

So, he’s weighing me against the saint. Is that how it is?

“The restraints.”

“You’ll release them? That’s a lesser promise than what she made.”

“I’m not saying I’ll release them.”

“…?”

“If you don’t tell me what you talked about and pledge loyalty to me, I’ll never hand over this key.”

“You wouldn’t…”

“I can.”

I said it flatly.

“It was my knights who raided the auction house. That means, as the captain, I’m in charge of all evidence collected.”

I waved the key in front of him.

“I was planning to be nice, but since you decided to weigh your options, I got a bit mad.”

“…Cowardly.”

He bared his teeth and growled.

But I didn’t flinch.

Sure, I was scared, but I could do whatever it took to survive in this world.

That pain of being hit by a motorcycle and the cold sensation of death…

If I could avoid reliving that, this was nothing.

I literally died and came back.

“…You’re serious.”

He spoke in a low voice.

“Dead serious.”

“…Fine. I’ll tell you.”

After a short pause, he finally opened up.

“The saint told me to become her bodyguard and spy on someone named Elia Elvington.”

“…What?”

My brows furrowed.

“Why? Do you know this Elia Elvington?”

“……”

Know her? I am her.

“Yeah. I know her well. That’s why I was so surprised.”

I forced a smile, figuring now wasn’t the time to reveal the truth.

“So? Got anything else to say? This is getting interesting.”

“Even if you ask for more, that’s all there is.”

He shook his head.

“Right as I was considering her offer, you and that red-haired man showed up.”

I sank into deep thought.

‘Why would the saint want someone to spy on me?’

In the original story, Elia and the saint never had meaningful interactions.

Carlos was quiet, and to the saint, Elia was just a ‘peculiar knight’ or ‘the wife of Count Melason’s second son.’

And this is still the early stage of the story. The saint shouldn’t even care about Elia yet.

So if she went out of her way to find someone to spy on me, there was only one answer.

She knows I’m behaving differently from my original fate.

Goosebumps rose across my body.

Whether she knew about the original story or that I was a transmigrator—I wasn’t sure yet.

But she definitely knew I’d deviated from my destined path.

Otherwise, it made no sense.

If she thought I just had a change of heart, there’d be no reason to assign a spy.

“Hey.”

Lost in thought, I heard the sub male lead’s voice.

“I told you everything. When will you remove these restraints?”

“Ah, sorry. I got distracted.”

I finally snapped out of it.

“Your restraints will be removed once the curse used by the unbelievers is fully analyzed and legal procedures are complete.”

“What? But earlier you clearly said—”

“I said if you didn’t tell the truth, I wouldn’t release you. I never said I’d release you right away.”

The sub male lead’s face twisted with rage.

“Damn it…”

“Well, maybe you shouldn’t have compared me to the saint.”

Reap what you sow, buddy.

“Captain, may I come in?”

The underground door opened at just the right time.

“It’s Girotti.”

It was Cesare who came to get me.

“What about Sir Ivach?”

“The vice-captain is cleaning up the auction house.”

Cesare walked down the long corridor and stopped in front of me.

“…Huh?”

He suddenly looked very, very surprised.

“What is it?”

I was dusting off the hem of my dress when I asked.

“You’re wearing a dress.”

“Oh, this?”

Then I realized what had surprised him so much and gave an awkward smile.

Elia hadn’t worn a dress since early childhood—not even glanced at one.

“It’s for a mission, okay? Don’t get the wrong idea. It’s not like I like this or anything.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Cesare nodded right away.

Seriously, dresses are uncomfortable. Now I see why Elia hated them.

“And could you take this guy to the knight order’s HQ?”

“Who is he?”

“As you can see, he was about to be sold as a slave by the illegal auctioneers. He’s a victim, and he’s cursed by unbelievers, so be careful.”

“I understand.”

Cesare nodded again and approached the sub male lead.

After handing him off, I lifted the dress back to my knees and headed upward.

And the moment I reached the top of the stairs, I came face-to-face with the most unexpected person.

“We need to talk.”

It was the saint.