Chapter 18
‘…Now!’
I threw my head back with all my strength. The top of my head hit the jaw of the man wearing the orange mask with a crack!
“Ugh!”
He screamed and fell backward. A few teeth must have broken because blood dripped from his mouth.
I pushed him away and crawled forward as fast as I could.
“P-Please! Spare me! I don’t want to die—!”
But before I could get far, the man in the orange mask grabbed me again.
He threw me to the ground and spat out the broken teeth and blood from his mouth in disgust. Then he pressed a sharp, icy dagger against my waist and whispered into my ear,
“Where do you think you’re running, huh?”
“L-Let go of me!”
“If you just take this pill, I’ll let you go quietly.”
“I said no! I don’t want it!”
“Really? Then you leave me no choice… You’ll die here instead.”
He growled those words and raised the dagger high.
I shut my eyes tight, trembling in terror.
“Ahhh!”
Just then, the sound of air cutting filled the garden—an arrow flew past and struck the masked man’s shoulder perfectly. He screamed and collapsed to the ground.
“W-What…?”
Startled, I opened my eyes wide and turned toward where the arrow had come from.
There, aiming his bow at the fallen man, stood Duke Nigel Clyde Este.
“Duke!” I cried out without thinking.
He tossed his bow aside and slowly walked toward me. With a cold look of pity, he untied the ropes around my wrists and ankles.
“I told you to stop getting into love affairs,” he said dryly.
I blinked, stunned, and frowned sharply at his words.
“…What? Love affair?! How can you look at this situation and call it that?”
“Think about what you’ve done until now. Isn’t it possible?”
I let out a long sigh, trying to calm my rising anger.
“Those men— they’re the ones selling Apion at the party.”
“…What?”
“If you don’t believe me, check the man in the green mask’s body! You’ll see for yourself.”
My wrists ached as I rubbed them, but Duke Este’s eyes widened slightly at my words. He stepped toward the man groaning on the ground with his hand over his eyes.
Soon, the Duke spotted the small paper box lying near the man.
I watched carefully and said, my voice firm, “See? I told you I was right.”
“…You’re right. It’s definitely Apion.”
He answered calmly, then dragged the man in the green mask over to the one in orange. With a flick of his hand, he pulled off their masks.
“Count Ortel and Baron Mintle,” the Duke said grimly. “A family that produced five royal doctors, and another that inherited healing magic for generations… I can’t believe they’ve been running a drug trade behind everyone’s backs.”
“They said earlier that they sold Apion to the Marchioness of Cologne and the Young Marquis Eupion—using my name,” I added quickly.
“They used your name?”
“Yes. They said people could trust it because even the saintess herself took it.”
“…They not only sold and distributed Apion but also pretended to be the saintess? Unbelievable.”
The Duke looked down at the two men with cold disgust. He pressed his boot against one of them, pinning him to the ground, then snapped his fingers.
Two knights wearing cloaks with the same eagle emblem as the Duke’s appeared from the darkness.
He gave them a short command.
“Take these men away. Tie them to the horses.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
The knights lifted Count Ortel and Baron Mintle over their shoulders and left the garden.
Watching them go, I slowly stood up and brushed the dirt from my hands and dress. But pain shot up from my knee, and I let out a small groan.
“Ouch…”
“Are you hurt?” the Duke asked, turning back to look at me.
I rubbed my sore knee through the fabric and shook my head.
“It’s nothing. Just a little sting.”
“You’re bleeding,” he said quietly.
“…What?”
I looked down—and saw that my knee was indeed bleeding, staining my silk dress red.
“Oh no! Blood’s so hard to wash out of silk!” I cried out.
“…Is that really what you’re worried about right now?”
The Duke let out a short, disbelieving laugh. Then he knelt in front of me and pointed to my injured knee.
“Lift your dress,” he said.
My face turned red.
“W-What did you just say?”
“You heard me. Lift it. I need to see how bad the wound is.”
“N-No, it’s fine!”
He frowned and looked at me for a moment before letting out a dry chuckle.
“Don’t flatter yourself. Even if you were the last woman in this world, I wouldn’t lay a hand on you.”
“W-What?! The feeling’s mutual, thank you very much!”
“Good. Then show me the wound instead of arguing.”
“…Fine,” I sighed. “Here.”
Carefully, I lifted my dress. My knee was badly bruised and bleeding—probably from when I fell earlier.
The Duke clicked his tongue. “Tch.”
He pulled at the edge of his cloak, ripped off a piece, and wrapped it firmly around my knee.
I glanced at him awkwardly.
“…Thanks. For this—and for saving me earlier.”
“Forget it. I didn’t do it for your gratitude. I should be the one apologizing.”
“Huh?”
“I accused you without knowing the full story. I’m sorry—this time, I mean it.”
He stood up, his tone serious.
I looked up at him, a little annoyed. Couldn’t he just apologize without adding ‘this time’? Honestly, what a personality.
Then suddenly, he reached out a hand to me.
“Come on. Take it.”
I pouted a little but took his hand anyway.
He pulled me up easily, then placed my hand over his shoulder.
“Hold onto my shoulder while we walk. Or should I carry you instead?”
“No thanks. Helping me walk is enough.”
I grabbed his shoulder tightly—maybe a bit too tightly. He let out a faint laugh and said,
“Do as you like.”
“I was going to anyway,” I muttered back.
With his help, we walked out of the garden. When he asked if I wanted to return to the ballroom, I shook my head.
I’d already spoken with Marchioness Lillian Matilda Windy, and the drug dealers were caught.
There was nothing left for me to do here.
A while later, Duke Este and I left the Windy mansion and returned to Este Castle.
When Jane, who had come out to greet us, saw my messy state, she gasped in horror.
“Heavens! What happened to you, my lady?!”
“There’s… a story behind it,” I said with a tired smile. “I’ll explain later. For now, could you prepare a bath? And please, call a doctor too.”
Jane nodded quickly and hurried off toward the annex.
Other maids approached and bowed to the Duke.
“We’ll escort the Madam to the annex, Your Grace.”
The Duke nodded without a word and passed my arm over to them. Then, without looking back, he turned and walked away with his knights.
It was as if he believed that safely bringing me home was all the kindness I deserved.
‘He really must hate Evangeline that much,’ I thought bitterly.
Still, thinking about what the original Evangeline had done before I possessed her body, I couldn’t completely blame him.
Watching his back as he walked away, I sighed.
‘I need to save up some money fast… and move out of this mansion as soon as I can.’
Just then, I felt a small tug on my dress.
