IBACM Chapter 117

Chapter 117

“I want to go see the Duke and thank him. Can I go?”

“No.”

Dedrick replied firmly while sketching something, with me sitting on his thigh.

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t like you meeting that man.”

“But he even saved my life twice.”

Dedrick kept his lips tightly shut, so I leaned in and blew softly in his ear, teasing.

“And we can ask him to help with my problem, too. If we ask first, he won’t refuse. He just can’t step in without a reason. But if we reach out, he’ll help for sure.”

“…That tickles, Mary.”

I brought my lips closer to his ear and whispered again.

“Besides, Delani can’t even say a word to him!”

“Mary!”

He flinched and pulled me onto the desk. I laughed playfully. Standing up, Dedrick leaned in with both hands on the desk.

“Why do you keep being so cute? It’s distracting.”

“Let’s go to the Duke.”

“Are you trying to charm me?”

“Want me to?”

“I might die from happiness, so no.”

“Let’s gooo!”

I rubbed my nose against his, and he sighed before kissing me suddenly.

“Mm!”

Startled, I grabbed his arm. He gently held my neck, deepening the kiss.

That’s when—

“My Lord!”

Milos burst in, and I quickly hid in Dedrick’s arms.

“Eek!”

There was a loud crack as the desk split in two. Dedrick caught me and growled.

“Ever heard of knocking?”

“S-sorry…”

Milos looked terrified. I patted Dedrick’s shoulder to calm him.

“Maybe it was urgent. Calm down.”

“…”

“Let them in. the entire Duke’s castle will know about me. He probably came to talk about how to introduce me.”

“…”

“And I want to thank them properly. They were always by your side.”

“…Come in.”

Dedrick lifted me gently.

“I can walk…”

Why does he always carry me?

When I wriggled, he held me tighter.

“I get anxious if I let go…”

That face was cheating. I stayed in his arms quietly.

Soon, Pavle and Jacob entered and sat across from us.

They tried to keep calm, but it was obvious they were shocked.

Pavle greeted me carefully.

“Nice to meet you, Lady Marilyn.”

“Nice to meet you, Sir Pavle.”

His eyes widened.

“You know me?”

I nodded and said all their names.

“Of course. Sir Pavle, Sir Milos, Sir Jacob. I’ve been watching you all.”

“…So our lord wasn’t crazy after all?”

“Didi was fine. The Tower Master was the crazy one.”

How dare you call our Didi crazy?

I clenched my teeth, and Milos looked away, coughing awkwardly. To change the topic, I spoke first.

“Anyway, I’ve been wanting to say thank you. Didi could keep going because of you.”

I sincerely thanked them. Embarrassed, they avoided eye contact.

“That’s only… natural!”

Milos scratched his cheek, flustered.

“It’s not something anyone can do. You’re the only ones who truly cared about Didi.”

They looked touched. Pavle was the first to regain composure.

“If you don’t mind, could you tell us briefly what happened?”

I looked at Dedrick, and he kissed the top of my head.

“Say whatever you want.”

The three were visibly shocked by his affectionate gesture.

“I died in a fire set by Somerset and was brought back to life thanks to someone. But my body hasn’t fully recovered yet.”

I relaxed and showed the small horn on my head. 

They weren’t too surprised—especially Jacob, who knew about the fire.

It also meant the twins knew a lot about Dedrick.

“These horns sometimes pop out randomly. But Didi said he doesn’t mind…”

“That’s fine,” Pavle said without blinking.

Still unsure, I asked softly.

“What if people say I’m a monster…?”

“That won’t be a problem. If the Duke accepts you, no one will dare say anything.”

“So it’s best to meet him, right?”

“Well, unless you don’t want to—”

“It’s best to meet him!”

Please say yes!

Pavle saw my intense eyes and smiled slightly.

“Yes, meeting the Duke is best.”

“You heard that, Didi?”

“…If it’s for you, I can meet him.”

“Then let’s go right now.”

“I have to finish this drawing first…”

“Do it after we come back.”

At last, Dedrick slowly stood up. Milos looked amazed.

“That’s the first time I’ve seen the lord listen to someone else.”

“We’re not just someone else. We’re family.”

“Lovers,” Dedrick corrected, kissing my hand with a smile.

***

When we arrived at the Duke’s office, I beamed at him. He avoided my eyes.

“I already told Didi everything. That you saved me, Father.”

“…You have a loose tongue.”

“Yup!”

It depends on the person.

“…Father?”

Dedrick looked confused, and I shrugged.

“Well, since I’m marrying Didi, he’s my father-in-law, right?”

“True, but…”

As his expression turned awkward, the Duke asked quickly.

“Why are you here?”

I looked at Pavle. He stepped forward respectfully.

“You seem to already know about Lady Marilyn, so I’ll skip the explanation. Would you be willing to vouch for her identity?”

“Do you already have a cover story?”

“A noble lady suffering from a rare disease, perhaps.”

He even prepared a background for me?

Actually, one reason I rushed here was to get the Duke to meet Dedrick, but Pavle handled everything like he’d planned it in advance.

I was impressed.

“Do you have a noble house in mind?”

“There’s an elderly couple from the Count Allei family. How about them?”

“Sounds good. Proceed when the time is right.”

The Duke agreed easily.

“What if they say no?” I asked. Pavle replied calmly.

“They won’t. Money solves everything.”

Wow… That was cool.

“For now, please announce that Marilyn is Lord Dedrick’s fiancée. We’ll have the engagement ceremony after her ‘illness’ is cured. The reason she’s staying at the castle is because he wants to care for his frail fiancée.”

That would make my identity clear. No one would argue against the Duke’s words.

“If you recognize her, your retainers won’t oppose her either.”

“Exactly! Especially since the other heirs are… questionable. Even if Marilyn were a commoner, they’d still support our lord.”

True. Other than the Aulus family, most people were decent.

No one would support Somerset, who was Delani’s puppet.

“Besides, the two brothers are under suspicion for their lineage. They have no choice but to choose our lord.”

The Duke nodded simply.

“I’ll vouch for her.”

Everything went smoothly. I clapped quietly in admiration.

***

As expected, rumors about me spread quickly. Delani rushed to the Duke but couldn’t say anything since we beat her to it. She’s been locked in her room for five days now.

Apparently, she’s still investigating whether I’m a noble’s daughter. Pavle’s people were taking care of it.

On the sixth day of staying with Dedrick—

The new wardrobe arrived, filling the space where the old one used to be. My mouth dropped open.

“Why is it so big…?”