Chapter 12
“Are you saying you’re with that man at this late hour?”
It was hardly that late—sunset had just passed, and the sky was still blazing red. The streets bustled with overflowing crowds.
“Surely… you’re not planning to run off somewhere else with that man the moment the contract ends, are you?”
For the first time in his life, his hands and feet felt icy cold with a strange, unfamiliar emotion.
The two of them had only entered into a temporary contract, and of course, when it ended, she would leave his side.
And yet, that obvious truth was something he couldn’t seem to accept.
“No, Jianna is my diver. Until the contract is over, she absolutely cannot leave my side.”
He tried to steady his growing unease, muttering as if it didn’t matter.
“Ten gold coins a day, no less. Who in their right mind would throw away that much money and go somewhere else? Ridiculous thought.”
Duke Ruphelen consoled himself clumsily, when suddenly his gaze fell on the mirror hanging on the wall.
The reflection of his clenched fist and bloodshot eyes betrayed his agitation.
He couldn’t even understand why he was so restless. He had to suppress the urge to storm out of the inn and drag Jianna back immediately.
“…If I suddenly show up, Jianna will hate it, won’t she?”
She was a woman with strong opinions, after all.
She might think he was interrupting her fun. But doing nothing and waiting until she came back felt even more unbearable.
The duke bit his lip, muttering to himself.
“She’s irritating. Irritating and annoying.”
That man.
That faceless, nameless man who was sitting beside Jianna—his very existence grated on Ruphelen’s nerves. He threw open his door, stepped into the hallway, then went back into his room, over and over.
I said goodbye to Victor in front of the inn and went upstairs to the second floor.
There, a man was leaning against my door, arms crossed and legs casually propped.
It was Duke Nox Ruphelen.
“My lord? What are you doing out here like this?”
As I approached and asked, he slowly raised his head to look at me.
“My diver has no fear, does she? What on earth are you doing out at this late hour? It’s dangerous.”
His scolding tone, thick with discontent, only stirred up a rebellious streak in me.
“What are you talking about? Where could possibly be safer than the Kingdom of Tiaan?”
“It’s not safe at all! Do you think I wouldn’t hear what you’ve been up to today? Do you know how much I—…!”
He cut himself off abruptly.
It seemed word of Karun’s gang had already reached him.
Well, considering the commotion that morning, it would’ve been stranger if the duke hadn’t heard.
‘Wait… was he worried about me?’
For a moment, I felt oddly touched.
So, he might be insufferable, but at least he wasn’t completely devoid of human decency.
Feeling my irritation ease, I spoke in a mock-whiny tone.
“Karun—the cook from the Bellettin—tried to drag me off. I barely escaped by using magic.”
“…Karun? You met Karun?”
“Yes. That man’s a real piece of work. But don’t worry, I got away without a scratch. Still, I’m a little touched that you worried about me, my lord.”
“Hold on—Karun? You met him? When? I never heard about this.”
“Eh…? Then what exactly did you hear?”
“What I heard was that you spent the whole day glued to some tall, dark man. Eating with him, drinking tea with him, everything.”
That’s when I realized our conversation had taken a turn thanks to one huge misunderstanding.
“So you weren’t worried about Karun at all?”
“Of course I was worried! My diver spent the entire day stuck to some shady man—how could I not be?”
“You weren’t worried about Karun trying to drag me away?”
“That scrawny, pale weakling… trying to drag you off? You’d flatten him with one punch.”
The duke glanced at my sturdy arm, muttering to himself.
“A guy like Karun wouldn’t stand a chance…”
“Excuse me, my lord!”
Now properly annoyed, I snapped at him.
“So you’re furious just because I spent the day with Victor?”
“That hulking brute’s name was Victor? Figures. The type who’d abduct someone. All muscle, threatening aura—dangerous sort. Best to keep such a man far from your life.”
“Victor’s my childhood friend! And what gives you the right to dictate who I see?”
“Me? I’m your employer.”
“Our contract is a work contract for seafood dishes, not a slave contract. Em-ploy-er.”
“…!”
Unable to counter my logic, the duke’s face flushed bright red.
“…Anyway, don’t see him again. Consider yourself warned.”
“No way.”
“My diver must’ve eaten frog’s legs—why else won’t you listen?”
“And you must’ve eaten octopus, since you’re so slimy with your words.”
“Wha—diver! Are you really going to act like this?”
“Why, octopus duke! You think I don’t know how to yell, too?”
At last, all the stress I’d bottled up burst out.
Always “diver, diver”!
Sure, I was a commoner and he was a highborn duke, but wasn’t this too much?
‘I have to put my foot down. What’s the worst that could happen—death? If I give in now, I’ll be “diver” forever!’
I steeled myself and took a step closer to him.
“Let’s get this straight once and for all. I’m not a diver, and I’m certainly not your diver. Just because we signed some measly contract doesn’t make you my master.”
“W-what?”
“You act like catching a few octopuses gives you the right to lord it over me. From now on, if you call me diver, I’ll call you the Octopus Duke. Nox Ruphelen, Nox the Octopus. Has a nice ring, don’t you think?”
I fired my words at him like a machine gun. Just then, someone’s room door burst open and a man stormed into the hall, frowning.
“Excuse me, but if you’re going to have a marital spat, do it in your room. What are you doing yelling in the hallway?”
“Sorry!”
“What are you staring at?”
The duke and I replied in unison, both snapping back in our own sour way.
Seriously, how could two people answer in such equally obnoxious tones?
I shot the duke a glare, then told the man,
“Don’t mind what he says. Please, just go back inside.”
“Why don’t you get back to your room?”
Ha. We were the ones making noise, and yet he was acting so high and mighty?
But when the man caught sight of the duke’s face, his eyes went wide with terror.
“T-the hallway isn’t mine alone, it’s a shared public space, of course. The fault is clearly with my oversensitive ears. I’ll just, um, be going.”
Babbling incoherently, he slammed his door shut and disappeared.
And just like that, I lost my chance to explain.
“Uh, wait! We’re not a couple…!”
I stood frozen before the closed door, then leaned close to the duke’s ear, hissing through clenched teeth.
“Why’d you scare him like that? We were being loud!”
“What did I do to scare him?”
“You glared! Your eyes are lethal weapons.”
“Hah, honestly.”
And just like that, our heated quarrel ended anticlimactically.
In a voice that sounded a bit deflated, the duke called out to me.
“Anyway, diver.”
“What is it, Octopus Duke?”
“That blasted octopus nonsense… whatever. Tomorrow, you don’t need to cook seafood. No need to go to the market either.”
“Huh? Why not? Are you—terminating the contract early?”
“Sorry to disappoint you. Not even close.”
“Then what’s with this all of a sudden?”
“The truth is, Princess Tiaan asked to meet me.”
“Oh my, that’s wonderful!”
I brightened immediately.
Finally—the story I knew was moving forward. Meet the princess, get married, leave Tiaan! Then I could escape this island, too.
“I’m going to refuse.”
“…What?”
My cheerful expression froze solid.
Wait. Why on earth would he refuse?
“Why should I meet the princess?”
“You have to! You said you were going dragon hunting!”
“I’m Nox Ruphelen, duke of the Astria Empire. Do I really need some king’s permission? The more I think about it, the more I realize I’ve been far too soft with him.”
“Y-you mean…”
“That’s right. I’ll depart without permission.”
I was left speechless, frozen where I stood.
What! Forget the story going off track—at this rate, isn’t he going to start a war with Tiaan?
