Chapter 24 –
“Ah, yes! It feels like I finally got a good night’s sleep after so long. When I woke up this morning, I felt so refreshed.”
Even during their travels, she didn’t wander around aimlessly every night. So, it seemed that nothing unusual had happened the night before.
Sebastian, who had nodded at her words, suddenly spoke.
“Oh. I’ll be sleeping here tonight.”
“Huh…? Why?”
Erica’s eyes widened like a startled rabbit.
Sebastian seemed intent on catching every flicker of her expression.
But in those chick-like eyes, there was not a trace of wariness toward him.
As expected.
She really doesn’t understand a thing.
‘Does this kid even know what marriage means?’
Bastian let out another soft chuckle and ruffled his own hair.
He stretched his arms back to support himself and slightly tilted his chin upward.
Just that small shift in posture was enough to change the atmosphere entirely.
“Well, let’s just say… adult stuff.”
Adult stuff?
‘What does that even mean?’
Erica looked confused.
She waited in silence a bit longer, hoping he’d elaborate, but Sebastian showed no intention of explaining further.
Eventually, she stole a quick glance at his face to get a read on the situation.
‘Ah!’
Their eyes met for a brief moment, and she instantly looked away like a startled kitten retreating back to safety.
Of course, Sebastian saw that.
A soft chuckle escaped him, and Erica felt her face grow warm with embarrassment.
“What am I even doing, really? Bringing a kid with me and all.”
Sebastian lightly shook his head.
It looked like he had just come out of the bath—his hair still held some moisture.
Meanwhile, Erica was puffing out her cheeks in frustration.
‘A kid, huh.’
Sure, she wasn’t technically an adult yet.
But by that logic, Sebastian hadn’t had his coming-of-age ceremony either, so didn’t that make them the same?
‘Well, maybe his head is a bit bigger and he’s more manly than me… but still!’
Not something she could say out loud, though, so Erica swallowed her grumbling quickly.
It probably wasn’t worth making a fuss over.
“Then… shall I turn off the lights?”
“No, wait a moment. I have something to say to you.”
The relaxed air disappeared in an instant.
Realizing how serious Sebastian had become, Erica also stiffened and held her breath.
‘This is it.’
Maybe now she’d finally get to say what she’d been holding back ever since they left the capital.
Her heart began to pound wildly.
“Please go ahead. I’m listening.”
“Then sit down somewhere first.”
Erica looked around.
The easiest place would’ve been to sit next to him on the bed, but somehow that felt too embarrassing.
In the end, she chose to sit across from him, leaving a modest distance.
Sebastian straightened his leaning posture, resting his elbows on his knees.
He scratched his temple, hesitating, then took a deep breath and decided to speak.
“I don’t expect much from you.”
“…Pardon?”
“I just want you to live quietly and stay out of the spotlight here in the Archduke’s estate.”
“Oh…”
Erica trailed off.
Her eyelids blinked slowly a few times.
But she understood his meaning immediately.
Just up to the wedding—nothing more.
Sebastian had drawn a clear line, saying he had no desire for anything beyond a formal relationship.
Erica’s small hands, resting on her lap, tightened into fists.
She had thought maybe, just maybe, she could build a decent relationship with him.
The knights had treated her kindly during their journey, and Sebastian himself had been subtly considerate.
But as someone from the Marquisate of Blanche, it would never be easy for him to accept her.
Sebastian hadn’t found it easy to say those words either.
After all, he had felt complex emotions toward Erica during their two-week journey.
But he chose not to let himself get swept up in them.
He ignored them—and conveyed that decision now.
Erica kept her lips sealed, eyes lowered.
The usual sparkle in her yellow eyes looked dim under her downcast gaze.
Was it because of the dejected expression?
Sebastian suddenly felt like she might burst into tears at any moment.
‘Crying would be a pain.’
He clicked his tongue inwardly and hurried to speak again.
“That doesn’t mean I’ll treat you unfairly.”
But Erica, as always, moved in ways Sebastian didn’t expect.
“I understand what you mean.”
She nodded firmly with a resolute face.
“All right, Archduke. I’ll live quietly, just as you said.”
Her willingness was so immediate, Sebastian found himself taken aback.
“But I have something to tell you too—if that’s okay?”
Sebastian, surprised, narrowed his eyes at the girl.
“What is it?”
He gestured with his chin for her to speak. Erica took a deep breath.
‘All right. Let’s do this.’
She subconsciously touched her neck.
Of course, she couldn’t actually feel the orb she’d swallowed. It was more of a mental reassurance.
Jonathan Blanche, her supposed father, had placed only one condition with the magical bead he forced her to swallow:
Don’t let the people of the Archduke’s household know she’s not really his daughter.
‘This is a gamble.’
But she thought it was worth the risk.
Meeting Sebastian’s steady red gaze, Erica opened her mouth.
“In a way, what you said to me aligns with what I was going to say.”
“Speak freely.”
“I’ll grant you a divorce right before my coming-of-age ceremony. Just let me stay here until then.”
“What?”
Sebastian’s eyes narrowed.
“Is that the Marquis’s idea?”
“No. It’s mine.”
“Ha.”
He let out a dry laugh.
He never expected to hear something like that.
So, as the man’s “daughter,” she was openly betraying him.
Naturally, Sebastian couldn’t help but be suspicious.
‘Could this be another trick from the Marquis of Blanche?’
His mind raced behind his calm expression, trying to analyze the true motive.
Sensing this, Erica spoke as if she already knew what he was thinking.
“To be honest, my relationship with my father hasn’t been good since my mother passed away.”
She mixed truth with lies skillfully.
Then, she focused all her senses on her neck, waiting.
‘What’ll happen to me now?’
Would it choke her?
Would she lose her breath?
Cough up blood?
She nervously waited for any sign of change in her body.
But nothing happened.
Not even after time passed.
Relief washed over her.
‘Looks like I was right.’
Her tensed shoulders finally loosened.
Meanwhile, Sebastian, who had been silently listening, now asked sharply:
“If I grant your request, what do I get out of it?”
Erica swallowed hard but answered clearly.
“You already know that even if you tried to push me away, my father wouldn’t let go so easily, right?”
She didn’t know the Marquis’s exact plans, but there was no way he’d sent her here without an ulterior motive.
What she needed was time.
What Sebastian needed was information—and a person.
If their interests aligned, and she played her cards right, there was a good chance he’d accept her proposal.
“Put me in the palm of your hand, Archduke. Use me. That way, you won’t have to take a harder path.”
“Hm.”
Sebastian crossed his arms and fell into thought.
His red eyes now looked at her with a cold, calculating gaze.
‘Interesting.’
He studied her face, still stiff with nervousness.
‘I thought she was just a clueless kid, but she’s got guts. And she’s smart.’
Erica was right.
The Marquis of Blanche had recently been poking around Acliff’s internal affairs more and more.
Since the “Border” phenomenon only occurred near the Archduke’s territory or nearby lands, he must have wanted information.
Sebastian had already uncovered several spies.
If he rejected Erica’s offer now, who knows when the Marquis would send another snake into his home?
And then Sebastian would have to find them all over again.
But if he kept Erica here, he could reduce those headaches.
‘Convenient.’
Having finished his calculations, Sebastian met her eyes again.
“But listen.”
“Yes?”
“If you get caught.”
Erica’s breath shallowed.
But Sebastian continued, unaware.
“In other words, if the Marquis finds out that you and I are working together… what would he do to you?”
