Chapter 43
‘Inspection?’
What was that supposed to mean?
At the sound of male voices outside, Susan and I widened our eyes in surprise.
Even in the game, there was never a case of knights conducting inspections in the capital.
Besides, the carriage I was riding in was clearly a noble’s—essentially a proof of identity in itself.
Which made the idea of an inspection all the more absurd…
“Inspection?”
Even the coachman seemed flustered as he repeated the word toward the men.
“Yes. Which noble house does this carriage belong to?”
“This is the carriage of Count Luceronia. The Count’s daughter and a maid are currently inside.”
At the coachman’s words, the sound of horses shifting echoed as the knights made way.
Then, amidst the clatter of hooves, there came the sound of someone landing on the ground, and the carriage door suddenly swung open.
“Felice!”
The man who opened the door called my name and immediately stepped inside.
“Dustin… Young Master?”
“Never imagined I’d see you here.”
‘Why is Dustin here…?’
Dustin’s face, smiling at me like a child, felt surreal.
‘Am I dreaming? A nightmare?’
How could things go so wrong?
Why, of all people, was Dustin the one on guard right now? At this early hour?
My head filled with questions, each trying to deny the situation—but none with an answer.
“What are you doing here? I told you yesterday it was dangerous.”
As if demanding an explanation, he leaned closer and sat down.
Before I knew it, his face was right in front of mine.
“I never thought… you’d actually be on guard duty yourself…”
“I’m pretty sure I mentioned it in the parlor yesterday. Felice, are you really that disinterested in me? That hurts a little, you know?”
‘When?! When did you say that?!’
I must’ve been so distracted in the parlor that I didn’t hear him say anything like that. I wanted to shout.
But Dustin, unaware of my inner turmoil, put on a wounded expression—though his eyes showed no real sadness.
“I take turns standing guard with the other knights every day. Otherwise, I’d be stuck with boring office work.”
No doubt he was offloading his administrative duties to the vice-captain and choosing to do physical labor instead.
‘How did I not think of this?’
I thought he’d just assign it to someone else and slack off. But Dustin was being more diligent than I expected, and that completely threw me off.
‘Does that mean Dustin will be staying in Ferringa from now on?’
Caught in this bewildering moment, I just stared at his face.
Dustin met my gaze without hesitation, even leaning in closer.
“So, Felice. Why are you here? That look… don’t tell me you came to see me?”
‘What the hell… That face means I don’t want to see you.’
I bit my lip, unable to voice a reply to Dustin’s question.
“What? Did you really come to see me?”
He grinned widely, clearly thrilled.
‘No. If you misunderstand like this…’
As I scrambled in my head for an excuse, I suddenly remembered a conversation I had with Belle a few days ago.
“He says he’s not interested in girls who like him first.”
“Yes.”
“Huh?”
When I answered “Yes” to his earlier question about whether I’d come to see him, Dustin’s eyes widened slightly.
“I came to see you, Young Master Dustin.”
At my added comment, his dark, intense eyes trembled faintly.
‘Right. Dustin loses interest when a girl openly likes him.’
If I take the lead now, when he’s trying to tease me playfully…
Then surely, Dustin will be thrown off.
I confirmed my theory as I watched his eyes shake, and then watched him lean back into his seat, putting distance between us.
“Did you really… come to see me?”
“Yes. I heard you were on guard duty here, so I came.”
“Why…?”
“Because I wanted to see you.”
‘You hate women who openly like you, don’t you, Dustin? Go on, drop your affection points.’
In the game, he lost interest in any woman the moment she said “I love you” or “I missed you,” no matter how many women he dated.
I smiled confidently, expecting his favorability to plummet.
But just then—
Ding!
System
Dustin Spencer’s Favorability +10
Total Favorability: 30
Dustin finds your confident and bold attitude refreshing, unlike other noble ladies.
He is starting to see you in a new light.
‘What the—?!’
I couldn’t even begin to imagine what part of my words he found “refreshing.”
As I stared blankly at the pink game screen, I could still see Dustin’s annoyingly charming smile behind it.
My plan had failed. Swallowing the bubbling anger, I bit down hard on my lip.
“So now that you’ve seen me, what do you want to do? Shall we go somewhere… private? I know lots of places like that. Just the two of us.”
Dustin winked at me, and I turned my head in disgust.
And when I did, I saw an old inn.
It was unmistakably the one where the Abel Mercenary Corps was staying.
‘There. That’s the place.’
That inn housed the male protagonist who could get me out of this wretched game.
Even though it was right in front of me, I couldn’t reach it. I looked at it longingly.
“What are you looking at?”
Dustin followed my gaze.
“An inn…? Wait—don’t tell me…”
He grinned slyly.
“I think it’s time for us to go home. Susan, tell the coachman to leave.”
I sat upright, avoiding Dustin’s suggestive look.
Susan signaled the coachman to depart.
“Well then, we’ll be off now. Young Master, you should get back to your duties…”
“You’re going home? Just like that?”
“Yes. I have a busy schedule.”
“What? Then you made time to see me despite your busy day?”
Dustin was completely misunderstanding the situation—and looked genuinely touched.
“To cheer me up while I’m out here working so hard?”
“No.”
“Don’t lie. You already said everything. I can’t just let a lady like you go home alone. I’ll make sure you return safely.”
Despite my repeated refusals, Dustin didn’t get off the carriage.
And with him being much larger than me, I couldn’t physically remove him either.
In the end, the carriage left with both me and Dustin inside, and all that could be heard was my ever-deepening sigh.
“Good morning, Young Master Rian.”
It was rare for Rian to leave his room. When he did, the butler—dressed neatly—greeted him with a bright smile.
“……”
Rian only nodded in response.
It had been over ten years since he came to this house, yet he still found the butler and servants hard to deal with.
He was originally a commoner, and being addressed with honorifics made him uncomfortable.
“This is a letter from the Count.”
The butler had apparently come to deliver a message and handed Rian a small white envelope.
**Rian,
I have a favor to ask.
Due to issues with the Duchy of Madonia, I can’t leave the capital right now.
So I’d like you to take charge of this year’s new apprentice magic academy.
They should be arriving soon, so you’ll need to depart quickly. I’m sorry for the short notice.
Also, the Duke of Madonia is curious about your research, so take this opportunity to finish it and present it to him.
—Count Luceronia**
The Count always addressed himself as “Count” in letters, knowing that Rian found the word “Father” burdensome.
It was his way of being considerate.
‘Apprentice Magic Academy, huh…’
It was a position with set working hours, but coupled with his research, it meant he’d be stuck at the Mage Tower for at least a month.
Normally, this wouldn’t bother Rian.
But this time, someone was on his mind.
“Where’s Felice?”
