Chapter 17
Rubelia couldn’t believe she had just told Zerden to live with her.
She had said it so easily because she was enjoying a moment of comfort.
But thinking about it now, that sounded exactly like a marriage proposal.
Of course, even if she truly proposed to Zerden, there was no way he would accept it. Still, she didn’t want things to become awkward between them because of it.
They had only just become friends.
“Next time, could you bring it with more ice?”
Rubelia said to the maid.
After seeing Aria and Hasedian, her mind felt shaken. She thought maybe drinking some cold water would help her calm down.
That way, she wouldn’t say strange nonsense to Zerden again.
“Huh?”
The maid looked confused, unsure what was happening.
“And next time, instead of pouring the tea on my thigh, please pour it over my head.”
Rubelia spoke sincerely.
“I need some cold water to cool my head.”
“Miss…?”
The maid looked completely confused by her words.
“That does not sound like a good idea.”
“Pardon?”
Zerden spoke casually.
“I do not want to see you soaked in tea.”
Rubelia was often unpredictable, so he didn’t question what she had told the maid earlier.
But imagining the maid lifting the teacup and pouring tea over Rubelia’s head somehow didn’t feel pleasant to him.
Of course, no maid would dare do such a thing, even if Rubelia asked.
“In that case… of course I should listen to Zerden.”
Rubelia immediately changed her mind and waved her hand at the maid.
“Cancel what I said earlier.”
“And you.”
Zerden called out to the maid as she was about to leave the room to bring new tea.
The maid, who was already nervous because of his presence, trembled as if she might be eaten alive.
“Be careful next time.”
After saying that, Zerden looked away.
Rubelia had forgiven the mistake easily, but he still thought a warning was necessary.
The maid nodded desperately, as if promising it would never happen again, and quickly left the room.
Rubelia glanced carefully at Zerden.
“Um… Zerden.”
Zerden quietly looked at her.
“Please pretend you didn’t hear what I said earlier.”
“Well… I already heard it.”
Zerden shrugged lightly.
“That was a mistake. A mistake.”
Rubelia said quickly.
“So you make marriage proposals by mistake?”
“W-what?!”
Rubelia was shocked.
She had already been worried that Zerden might misunderstand her words as a proposal—and apparently he really did.
What should I do?
If she said it wasn’t true, he might feel offended.
But if she said it really was a proposal, he might feel offended too.
“I like being friends—friends!”
“…Really?”
Zerden answered in a voice that sounded slightly dissatisfied.
“Of course. I want to become a very close and good friend of yours. I’m confident—friends!”
Rubelia looked at him with desperate eyes.
Please believe that it was absolutely not a proposal.
Zerden quietly met her gaze.
When she first suggested living together earlier, he had been surprised.
But her innocent eyes didn’t seem like someone making a marriage proposal, so he had dismissed the thought.
Yet now that she strongly denied it, somehow he felt strangely displeased.
“Do you hate it that much?”
Zerden suddenly asked while frowning slightly.
“Hate what?”
“Marrying me.”
“Oh no. Zerden and I are friends—friends.”
Rubelia forced an awkward smile.
She meant to say she had no interest in such things, so he shouldn’t worry.
But Zerden’s expression worsened.
She kept emphasizing that they were only friends, and that bothered him.
…But she would be acceptable.
It was something he had never thought about before.
Hearing Rubelia’s answer, Zerden felt strangely as if the only person he had ever liked and cared about was putting distance between them.
“Um… Zerden, are you upset?”
Rubelia panicked.
Did he misunderstand her words as a proposal?
Maybe he thought:
I thought you were different, but you’re just like other women.
Thinking that, she felt even more nervous.
“Why would you think that?”
Zerden asked calmly, hiding his emotions.
“Well… I think I made a mistake. Actually, I said that because I like you so much that I wanted to see you every day.”
“You like me?”
“Of course. We’re friends.”
Rubelia nodded enthusiastically with a bright smile, as if telling him to cheer up.
Zerden tried to suppress the emotions rising inside him.
Whether she realized it or not, what she had said earlier was practically the same as a proposal.
Even if she didn’t mean it that way.
“…Then keep liking me.”
Zerden turned his head slightly and looked out the window as he spoke.
He still felt a little disappointed, but hearing her say she liked him made his twisted feelings slowly calm down.
“Yes. I never abandon people first.”
Rubelia said confidently.
“I believe that.”
Zerden replied quietly.
If it was her, he felt like he really could believe it.
Especially today—she had even gotten injured trying to protect him.
How could he not trust someone like that?
“I trust you too, Zerden.”
Rubelia replied with a sincere gaze.
“Don’t let water touch your wound for a while, and keep applying the ointment.”
Feeling the warm and strange emotions building inside him, Zerden quickly changed the subject.
“Okay. But you must not get hurt either, Zerden.”
“Well…”
“No. You have to promise.”
It would be even better if he didn’t just avoid injuries—but also didn’t die.
“Alright.”
Zerden nodded slightly at her firm attitude.
“Good boy.”
Satisfied with his answer, Rubelia unconsciously reached out and patted Zerden’s head.
Both of them froze.
Rubelia quickly realized what she had done.
Zerden also stiffened slightly.
“Um… I wasn’t patting your head. There was just something on your hair.”
Rubelia tried to explain.
“It’s fine.”
Zerden said calmly.
He had been surprised because he never expected Rubelia to pat his head.
But it didn’t feel unpleasant.
In fact… it might have felt a little nice.
“That’s good then.”
Rubelia smiled with relief.
Zerden silently looked at her face.
Maybe because she had just touched his head, his attention kept drifting toward her small, round head.
It looked like it would feel nice to touch.
That’s a useless thought.
Zerden quietly laughed at himself.
“Well then, I should go now.”
“Okay. Please be very careful on your way back.”
“I’m not weak enough for you to worry like that.”
Zerden glanced at her and spoke casually.
“Do you only worry about weak people?”
Rubelia shook her head slightly.
“Worry depends on how precious someone is, not on whether they are strong or weak.”
“…Is that so?”
Zerden murmured quietly while looking at her, as if measuring how much she truly worried about him.
“Zerden?”
Rubelia looked confused when she noticed him staring.
“It’s nothing.”
Zerden shook his head and stood up.
Outside, the Marquis was waiting for them.
“So you’re finally leaving?”
The Marquis asked with the brightest smile he had shown all day.
“It looks like you were hoping I would leave.”
Zerden said dryly.
“How could Your Grace say such a thing?”
The Marquis denied firmly.
Zerden didn’t look convinced.
“It’s not that I hoped you would leave. I hoped you wouldn’t come at all.”
“…What?”
Zerden looked slightly dumbfounded by the Marquis’s bold answer.
He thought only Rubelia was this honest, but the Marquis seemed just as bold.
“Your wish will probably remain just a wish.”
“What do you mean by that?”
The Marquis’s expression stiffened as he sensed something ominous in Zerden’s words.
“Well then, see you again.”
Zerden ignored his reaction and left the Marquis’s residence.
Only Rubelia, who understood nothing, waved at him cheerfully.
After parting with Zerden, Rubelia lay on her bed and fell deep into thought.
She had believed that if she discovered why Zerden started the rebellion, it would become easier to stop it.
But that wasn’t true at all.
Instead, she had even more worries now.
If assassins kept targeting Zerden, then even if she somehow stopped the rebellion, she had no idea what would happen to him in the future.
Anything could happen.
What if one day Zerden truly fell into danger because of the constant assassination attempts?
Until now she had been able to save him thanks to the special ability God gave her.
But she didn’t know if she could keep doing that forever.
So somehow, she needed to stop these assassination attempts.
But it wouldn’t be easy.
“The Crown Prince already dislikes me.”
She couldn’t just walk up to him and say,
“Please don’t kill Zerden.”
And besides, she didn’t even know for sure if the mastermind was the Crown Prince or a noble from the Crown Prince’s faction.
The situation was complicated in every way.
That night, Rubelia had a dream again for the first time in a long while.
