Chapter 10
Why am I here?
And why am I here with him?
“Count Aios certainly loves his daughter dearly.”
“…”
“But it’s a problem if he knows so little about her.”
Even though I knew I wasn’t in a position to do so, I glared at the Duke.
The reason I was now alone with Duke Brillion…
…went back to what had happened just moments earlier.
“Father, I think it’s about time we headed home.”
I whispered quietly enough that the Duke wouldn’t hear.
“Indeed. Your Grace, I’m delighted you’ve come to the capital. Would it be all right if I invited you to our estate next time?”
“Of course. I’ll look forward to it.”
Everything had ended perfectly.
Or at least it should have.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince is looking for you.”
A knight in the Imperial Guard suddenly appeared and summoned Father away.
“Veroni, wait here for just a moment. I’ll go see His Highness and return.”
Father left after repeatedly glancing back and forth between me and the Duke with obvious concern.
Knowing exactly what could happen if we were left alone, I tried to slip away.
But—
“The Count is so worried that I can’t very well ignore it.”
“…Excuse me?”
“I’ll make sure no other men approach you until he returns.”
“No, really. I’ll be fine.”
I rejected the offer as firmly as I could.
Unfortunately…
My opinion meant absolutely nothing to the Duke.
“The Count and I are rather close.”
He dismissed my protest with a faint, amused scoff.
And so…
Here I was, strolling through the palace gardens alone with the Duke.
What kind of combination is this?
Considering I’d kissed him without permission, I was already lucky to still be alive.
Even so…
Being alone with him was unbearably awkward.
“Please keep what happened that day a secret from my fa—”
I quickly corrected myself.
“—from my father.”
If he ever learned what his daughter had done, I didn’t even want to imagine how shocked he’d be.
That was why I had no choice but to shamelessly beg the Duke.
“As you saw… Father treasures me very much.”
“For someone making a request like that…”
The Duke looked at me calmly.
“…you certainly live rather boldly.”
He was talking about the rumors circulating through high society.
“It’s not because I want to…”
“Not because you want to?”
“…I misspoke.”
How was I supposed to explain the floating battery indicator over my head?
It was frustrating.
As if I actually wanted to keep meeting men.
I only did it because I had to survive.
“So you were about to say it wasn’t your choice?”
His crimson eyes narrowed slightly.
“Is someone forcing you?”
“…Something like that.”
I gave a vague answer.
“Whatever the reason…”
His voice remained level.
“…you should take responsibility for what you’ve done.”
“…”
“I still haven’t received an answer.”
“I’m truly sorry about what happened that day!”
The moment he mentioned taking responsibility, I immediately bowed deeply.
My red hair spilled over my shoulders.
This is my only option.
The man standing before me was Duke Brillion.
How on earth was I supposed to “take responsibility”?
He had more money than I could dream of.
His status was far above mine.
“I drank far too much that night, so…”
I’d apologized this sincerely.
Surely that earned me at least a little forgiveness?
With that hopeful thought, I cautiously lifted my head.
The Duke was still staring at me.
His expression hadn’t changed.
If anything…
He looked slightly irritated.
“I’d prefer you seek my forgiveness another way.”
“What… way?”
“I’ll let you think about that slowly.”
Damn it.
That meant I’d have to see him again.
Once my battery is fully charged, the first thing I’ll do is figure out how to get back home.
At this rate…
The Duke might kill me before the Crown Prince ever did.
“Haha… O-Of course.”
I forced an awkward laugh.
“You won’t ask for something outrageous… like an enormous amount of money or priceless jewels… right?”
I looked at him as pitifully as I could.
Surely I couldn’t bankrupt the family just to pay for a forced kiss.
The Aios estate can’t collapse because of me.
I still needed somewhere comfortable to live until I could return to my own world.
Whether he understood my desperate feelings or not…
The Duke chuckled softly.
“I keep thinking this…”
He looked genuinely amused.
“…but you’re impossible to predict.”
“…Thank you for the compliment.”
“I wasn’t complimenting you.”
If only his title were lower than mine… I’d give him a good flick on the forehead.
As we walked through the cool evening air, a white gazebo came into view.
“Would you like to sit and rest for a while?”
“Sure.”
Perfect timing.
My legs had started aching.
I was just about to plop down on the bench beneath the gazebo when the Duke grabbed my shoulder.
“You’re rather careless.”
He pulled a spotless white handkerchief from his pocket.
It carried the faint scent of the cologne he always wore.
Carefully unfolding it, he spread it across the bench before me.
“What if your dress gets dirty?”
“…Thank you.”
Was Duke Brillion originally like this?
I’d always thought he was cold, ruthless, and disliked women.
I’d never imagined he could be this considerate.
I carefully sat down, making sure not to wrinkle his handkerchief.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“No. Not yet.”
He simply nodded.
This awkward atmosphere…
There wasn’t anything left to say.
I stared blankly at the night sky, desperately searching for a conversation topic.
“The capital must feel terribly hot for you, Your Grace!”
…That was all I could come up with.
What else was I supposed to say?
“I’ve heard the north is freezing.”
“And there are lots of monsters. It must be dangerous.”
“Not particularly.”
He answered casually.
“People exaggerate.”
“What do monsters look like?”
“They resemble humans more than you’d expect.”
“They walk on two legs.”
“And they use their hands.”
So… kind of like goblins from games?
That was the image that came to mind.
Having to fight creatures like that in real life…
Maybe it’s a blessing I wasn’t reincarnated as someone living in the northern territories.
I probably wouldn’t have survived a single day.
“Please stay safe.”
“If you’re fighting monsters, take good care of your health.”
“The monsters are mostly gone.”
“That’s why I’m here in the capital.”
“Ah…”
Damn it.
The conversation died again.
I looked back up at the sky.
The moon is really bright…
Father, please come back soon.
Silence stretched between us.
Neither of us spoke as we gazed at the moon.
I secretly glanced at the Duke’s profile.
He really is handsome.
The novel’s male lead was the Crown Prince…
Yet even this supporting character was absurdly attractive.
Actually… he’s more my type…
His pale skin shimmered beneath the moonlight.
His straight nose.
His deep crimson eyes.
Almost any woman would have fallen for a face like his.
“If you stare much longer, you might wear a hole through me.”
“I-I wasn’t staring!”
“I wasn’t looking at anything!”
“For someone claiming that…”
He laughed quietly.
“…your gaze was rather intense.”
Does he have eyes on the side of his head or something?
How did he know I was looking?
I decided it was best to stop admiring his face.
A cool breeze drifted past.
The moon glowed overhead.
Soft music floated through the gardens.
It felt…
Annoyingly…
Like a date.
“Shall we head back now?”
“I think we’ve gotten enough fresh air.”
I spoke first.
But the Duke remained silent.
Resting his chin on one hand, he continued staring at the moon.
“Do you know…”
he suddenly asked,
“…that I hate women?”
“…”
Do I ever.
Duke Kalhart Brillion hated women.
Not simply because he wasn’t interested in them.
He hated them with an almost pathological intensity.
And…
He had every reason to.
His stepmother abused him.
When he was young, she starved him.
Beat him.
Even denied him water until he collapsed over and over again.
Later…
After the previous Duke died in battle against monsters…
Kalhart inherited House Brillion and immediately drove his stepmother out of the estate she had controlled.
“How dare you repay the woman who raised you like this?!”
Even as she was dragged away…
She never admitted her crimes.
She never once regretted what she’d done.
That became the trauma that shaped the man he was today.
“No.”
I pretended not to know.
“I had no idea.”
“I suppose…”
He watched the moon quietly.
“…terrible memories always settle somewhere inside you.”
“…”
“They remain.”
“And eventually…”
“…they become scars.”
Was it just my imagination…
Or did he look lonely as he said those words?
I only thought he was difficult to deal with…
So this is the expression he wears when talking about his past.
I didn’t know much about Kalhart.
Still…
My chest ached for him.
“Those scars…”
he murmured,
“…keep me trapped in the past.”
“…”
“I’m saying strange things.”
He laughed quietly, almost mocking himself for speaking so openly.
I understood.
I remembered my own parents.
The ones who abandoned me.
The days I stood by the orphanage window imagining they would come back.
Just one more night.
One more.
I counted the days on my fingers while waiting.
But…
They never returned.
I’ve been abandoned.
I think I truly accepted that…
only after I’d run out of fingers to count the days.
“So what if you’re trapped in the past?”
Before I realized it…
I wanted to comfort him.
“The person who caused those scars…”
I looked at him gently.
“…is someone else.”
“…”
“You hate yourself for being unable to move on.”
Kalhart turned toward me.
His crimson eyes trembled.
“Those thoughts only consume you.”
“Please don’t.”
I had once been the same.
I believed my parents abandoned me because I wasn’t good enough.
Because I wasn’t worthy.
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“…”
“So don’t direct your anger…”
“…your resentment…”
“…or your hatred toward yourself.”
Even as I spoke…
A bitter taste filled my mouth.
Because I understood exactly how he felt.
“I’ve never been comforted before.”
The moonlight reflected brilliantly in Kalhart’s crimson eyes.
“It’s as though…”
he whispered,
“…you can read my heart.”
That made me flinch a little.
I didn’t read your heart.
I just read the novel.
He was still someone who made me uncomfortable.
Even so…
I hoped he wouldn’t suffer anymore.
I smiled warmly at him.
“Don’t let yourself stay hurt forever.”
“Live happily.”
“So happily…”
“…that everyone else can see it.”
For just a moment…
Perhaps I imagined it.
But something unreadable flickered in the Duke’s eyes.
