Chapter 44
“I think this version is good too. Then we’ll proceed with the tourism district development like this.”
“Whew, it’s finally over. Meldey, you worked so hard. Now we just have to wrap up the fieldwork smoothly.”
“You worked hard too, unni.”
They clapped for each other and quickly organized their documents. The long-stalled investment project had finally reached its conclusion.
“But I’m surprised the Duke allowed you to go out. He looked so repulsed when you mentioned going out, I thought he’d never let you go.”
“Honestly, I didn’t think he’d let me either.”
“So I wasn’t the only one shocked? I mean, even though it was under the condition we go together, I was surprised he agreed at all.”
Apparently, Melodian didn’t find his obsessive behavior toward her particularly odd. That was… fortunate.
The reason he wouldn’t let Arin out of his sight — the energy tonic incident — was confidential. If Melodian had asked, explaining it would’ve been tough.
Come to think of it, there was one more thing Arin was keeping secret from Melodian.
Namely…
That this world was actually a novel with Melodian as the protagonist.
It was such a sensitive and shocking truth that she felt she’d have to hide it forever.
“Unni! Unni!”
Arin, deep in thought, jumped at the sound of her name.
“Oh! Sorry, sorry. I was just thinking for a bit. What were you saying?”
“To celebrate finishing the business plan, let’s have a pajama party! Let’s call Ard too, and have fun, what do you say?”
“Should we? And we’ll go with a white theme for outfits?”
“Yes! That sounds amazing!”
Melodian was so excited she bounced in place.
But at the pajama party she had looked forward to so eagerly, an uninvited guest barged in.
“Are you crazy? Do you even know where you’re walking into?!”
Melodian’s voice echoed loudly through Arin’s room — too loud to be called muttering to herself.
Deneb sat calmly in the rocking chair near the terrace, completely unaffected by her hostility. He breathed in deeply, savoring the scent of Arin that filled the room.
“It would’ve been perfect if not for that woman clinging to Arin.”
He scoffed while openly staring Melodian up and down. Her teeth ground together at his mocking gaze.
“Unni, does the Duke not know when to back off?”
Arin looked at Melodian, who was clinging to her while insulting Deneb, and was a little impressed. She didn’t seem to realize she was only acting so fearlessly because of Arin’s presence — like a clueless puppy poking at a lion.
Meldy, I can hear everything. Keep that up and he’s going to lop your head off.
Suppressing the urge to say it aloud, Arin gave a strained laugh and pulled Melodian toward the bed. Though Deneb’s presence had dampened the mood, she was determined to enjoy the evening anyway.
“Ard, come over here too.”
With a bright giggle, Ard jumped onto the bed. Arin pulled him close and sat him on her lap.
Now what… I guess we need snacks first.
She pulled out various treats from the system.
Seeing Arin use alchemy in front of Melodian, Deneb clenched his teeth. He stood up abruptly from the rocking chair and grabbed Arin’s wrist just as she was taking out jerky.
“Are you out of your mind?”
“What?”
“What are you thinking, showing off alchemy like that?”
Arin froze.
Oh no… I forgot I didn’t tell him I already explained the system to Meldy…
But Deneb’s thoughts had already jumped to extremes.
“That’s enough. I’ll take care of it.”
When he grabbed the sword at his waist, Arin finally realized what he meant by “take care of it.” She panicked and grabbed his hand.
“W-What do you mean, take care of it?! Put that away!”
“It’s best to eliminate future problems.”
“I told you, Meldey’s someone we can trust. Just put the sword down!”
“And what, you’ve known her long enough to be sure of that?”
“I’m telling you, it’s fine. And if you’re worried, then trust me! I’m the one who trusts her!”
Seeing Arin speak so boldly made Deneb bristle with irritation.
“You…”
Their eyes locked.
“Deneb.”
“…Fine.”
Suddenly, Deneb remembered how Arin had treated him without fear on the deserted island.
The reason she’d ended up in his grasp was because she had acted so casually with him. If she had run from the start, they never would’ve ended up like this.
For the first time, he found Arin’s easy way of breaking down people’s emotional walls… irritating.
The thought that someone else might cherish her the same way he did — it made him feel petty. The more people discovered how special she was, the more anxious he became.
Forgetting his original intent of watching Melodian, he left the room.
Since Arin had openly shared about alchemy, it meant Melodian clearly held a place in her heart now. No matter what he or Inje said, she wouldn’t change her mind.
A cold silence lingered in the room after his departure.
“Uh… sorry. That kind of killed the mood.”
“You don’t need to apologize, unni. And we can totally bring the mood back! Should we do face masks? You said you had some, right?”
“Yeah? Let’s do that.”
Arin pulled out the facial masks, deciding she’d have to soothe Deneb later.
「System」
Aloe Cucumber Mask Pack: Soothes the skin, helps whitening, and gives a healthy glow.
Special Effect: Every 30 uses makes your skin permanently one year younger (adults only).
Having used the masks before, Ard lay down on the bed and revealed his smooth forehead, all set.
Melodian, overcome by Ard’s cuteness, silently screamed.
“Agh, I’m going to die from how cute this is.”
Knowing how to take a compliment well, Ard puffed out his shoulders like a little emperor.
“Ahem!”
Perhaps thanks to her nightly skincare, Melodian’s face was glowing. She grabbed Arin’s hands and bounced up and down excitedly.
“Unni, have you thought about selling these masks? Look at my glowing face! I bet noble ladies would swarm to buy them!”
Arin chuckled softly. Melodian, clearly at an age where even falling leaves were amusing, was so high-energy it was hard to keep up.
She was getting shaken by Melodian’s dramatic gestures when Deneb suddenly grabbed Arin by the shoulders and pulled her to his side.
Meldey, who’d lost her grip on Arin’s hand, narrowed her eyes at Deneb.
In response, Deneb silently mouthed a threat:
“So, you’ve chosen death? Stop touching what’s mine.”
Melodian glared even harder, fuming.
Over the past few days, she’d noticed the Duke was trying to look good in front of Arin. But thanks to her unni, he hadn’t been able to do anything to her directly, no matter how much he disliked her.
She stuck out her tongue slyly.
“Nyeh-nyeh.”
A vein popped on Deneb’s forehead. He barely restrained the urge to slice off that sly tongue — at least not while Arin was watching.
Having been threatened too many times to count, Melodian had grown extra sensitive to danger. Like a frog, she leapt backward to increase the distance between them.
“W-What! What are you gonna do? Just try laying a finger on me, and I’ll tell unni everything! Not just the letters you blocked, but everything you did before that too!!”
Arin silently glanced back and forth between the two. She rubbed the back of her neck, feeling… left out.
It felt like she was intruding on a world that belonged to just the two of them.
Despite their open hostility, Arin’s misunderstanding only deepened.
And for good reason. Deneb was the kind of person who’d swing a sword without hesitation when someone annoying showed up. If there was blood to be spilled, he’d spill it — no exceptions.
Meanwhile, Melodian was surprisingly shy. She didn’t usually act so loud or animated. Yet with Deneb, she showed her full, unfiltered self.
“This kind of reminds me of that X-chon Kitchen, doesn’t it?”
At her comment, Arin responded reflexively.
“Yeah, it even tastes kind of similar.”
As Arin agreed, Deneb raised an eyebrow. Arin was just about to explain what X-chon was when Melodian clapped her forehead dramatically.
“Oh right! The Duke doesn’t know what X-chon is. Want me to tell you? Want to know?”
Her face, with that exaggerated pout and smug expression, was incredibly annoying.
Deneb barely stopped himself from throwing his steak knife at her.
Deneb is actually putting up with this?
Seeing that, Arin was completely dumbfounded.
The two of them looked very comfortable with each other. Maybe even more so than with her.
Suddenly, her favorite chicken steak felt dry and bland. A heaviness pressed down on her chest, and she gulped down water.
Watching her zone out, Yello voiced his concern under the guise of nagging.
[Why are you just drinking water at the head of the table? Eat your meat! You need that energy if you want to hunt properly!]
Yello walked over, a piece of beef in his mouth, and dropped it at her feet with a big-brotherly smile.
[Beef’s better than chicken. Hurry, take a bite.]
Realizing she must’ve looked strange enough to worry even Yello, Arin pulled herself together.
Just because they get along doesn’t mean anything. I’m not some kid getting jealous because my friend made another friend. I need to stop being so conscious of them.
“I was just taking a quick break.”
Opening her mouth wide like Yello, Arin devoured her steak. Yello looked on with pride.
