《Selling the Main Character’s Shares》 Chapter 1 The year of 812 in the Cecillica Empire. Duke Periot Chambers, who was ruling the northern part of Cecilica, was known for his coldness and cruelty. He was so famous that there was no one who didn¡¯t know the rumours of how it was possible for just his gaze to cut them and that their necks could disappear just from meeting his eyes. Then, he earned another nickname two years ago, namely, ¡®the groom who fled to the battlefield as soon as the wedding was consummated¡¯. Then, after the long war was finally over, the news of Duke Periot Chambers returning triumphantly and loaded with honours shook the northern estates that were but bare forests and frozenkes like never before. And it was an even happier event for me. I had married him the very next day after taking possession of this body, and with nowhere to escape to, was left to rot in this prison without bars for two years after that. And that was at the promising age of twenty-one as well! Two years was really; excessively long and passed by extremely slow. However, the time to put an end to this hase. That is to say, with a divorce, of course. [ / / / ] ¡ªExactly 24 hours before the Northern Duke arrives at the mansion¡ª ¡°Duchess, the madam is calling for you.¡± I stood up without saying a word once I heard the news that I had been waiting for. Because I had expected that ¡®she¡¯ would call for me around this time. As I followed the servant into the study, it was just as I had expected. Emma Chambers, Duke Periot¡¯s mother, was already there waiting for me. ¡°Mother, I heard you were looking for me.¡± I examined the look in her eyes as I gave her a polite greeting. The olddy with white hair put down the teacup she was holding in her hand with a cold expression as soon as she heard me speak. Then, without even responding with a yes or a no, she took out a sack that was about the size of a baby¡¯s head. Thud! A fairly heavy sound resounded the moment it was set down onto the table. ¡°Lore, I¡¯ll speak bluntly. Divorce my son as soon as he gets back.¡± ¡°¡­Pardon?¡± As expected! I was waiting for this moment! I opened my eyes wide and quickly raised my head to stare at the blue sky outside of the window, biting my lip. The tears woulde out soon if I did this. After doing this for a while, my eyes quickly started to ache. I opened my mouth quickly in order not to miss the opportunity. My voice was already trembling slightly without even having to try due to the tingling pain in my eyes. ¡°J-Just, what in the world¡­what are you talking about¡­?¡± ¡°He is now the hero who has saved the Empire. He is also a person who was promised a sizeable reward by the Imperial Family due to his meritorious deeds! There¡¯s going to be a bright future ahead of him, are you really going to block him from that?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± She continued to speak,pletely ignoring me. ¡°I would appreciate it if you could stop dragging my son down and leave now. Think of this as your payment.¡± A golden light flickered through the cracks of the slightly loosened sack. No doubt it was gold. My heart started to race as soon as I saw it. I bit my lip as hard as I could while trying to suppress my emotions that were overwhelming me. Because otherwise, it was very likely for me to involuntarily shout out, ¡®Even if you didn¡¯t, I would have definitely still asked for a divorce, but thank you!¡¯ ¡°You were always a very obedient and docile child. That¡¯s why I believe that you¡¯ll listen to me this time too.¡± ¡°¡­Mother.¡± ¡°Should I be even more honest? You didn¡¯t even fit into our family in the first ce.¡± ¡°Heuk¡­¡± I quickly covered my face with both hands when I heard the cold words she had said. I tried to squeeze out more tears, but it wasn¡¯t as easy as I thought it would be. It was because I was pissed. ¡®Oi, this old hag really has no conscience!¡¯ The reason she didn¡¯t kick me out, even whilst finding me unsatisfactory was because she was worried that if by some chance, her son died on the battlefield, she would lose her means of living. But now that her son is back, she doesn¡¯t need me anymore, right? But, Grandma. It seems like you aren¡¯t aware of it, but the Northern Duke clearly wasn¡¯t someone who would die that easily? Becauseing back alive, even if it¡¯s from hell, is one of the prerequisites of being the Northern Duke! Even though I¡¯m angry enough to want to shoot her dead, I¡¯ll still have to put up with her for now. Emma clicked her tongue as I covered my face and shook my shoulders to make it seem as if I was crying. I secretly looked between the cracks of my fingers to see her slowly turning her head away from me. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you to talk to him. It would be better for you to clean this up neatly.¡± I bent my waist in a deep bow. ¡°Thank you¡­for everything so far, really.¡± And then I surged backwards quickly. Quickly reaching out to grab the bag of gold coins and holding it tightly in my arms. [ / / / ] ¡ª Twelve hours before the Northern Duke arrives at the mansion ¡ª Inside a dimly lit room, I grinned to myself like a madman. ¡°Good, very good.¡± Exactly 10 towers of gold coins had filled up the top of the table. Whilst looking at the nket of shining golden light, I somewhat understood what the saying of being full without even eating meant. I had imagined this sort of scene to some extent in my head, but I had not expected for it to move me this much. A mother-inw who asks her son¡¯s wife to divorce him once he returns after making a big contribution. A kind wife who returns in tears without even being able to say a thing. How manyics, books, and games with this sort of scene did I buy before I possessed this body? There would have been at least dozens, no, hundreds. But no matter how many times I had indirectly experienced it, experiencing that sort of scene directly yourself, was apletely different feeling, as expected. Kyaa! So thrilling! It¡¯s the best! Looking at the mountain of gold coins, I would not have felt wronged if I had died quietly in this cold and old mansion during this time. Of course, it wasn¡¯t as if I had never thought of running away at night during these two years when he had been gone. However, the surveince of Emma Chambers and her hired servants was indeed brutal. It was no exaggeration to say that she was no different to a prison guard. However, this time, my mother-inw just gave me money for a divorce. How can I not be excited? Thank you, mother. I¡¯ll put this money to good use. After saluting sincerely in the direction of her room, I unfolded the piece of paper I had ced on the table with the gold coins. It was full of the research I had done in advance, when I had dreamed of the freedom that woulde someday. ¡°As expected, it would be better to go to Hotel Delphino first. For long-term guests, they offer a 30% discount on lodging rates. They also have the Gerard restaurant next to them which makes regr meals that renew every three months.¡± At this rate, it would be sufficient for two and a half years, no, even three years would be fine. It would be the best if this amount of money couldst for three years, even whilst ying and eating like it¡¯s a vacation everyday! ¡­Of course, I had no intention of spending so heavily like that. ¡°I can¡¯t just y and eatfortably without doing anything.¡± In contrast to my red hair and red eyes now, I was originally an ordinary Korean before I took possession of this body. So even if I¡¯m in a game, I¡¯ll be anxious if I don¡¯t do any work¡­! I¡¯ll use these gold coins as the starting amount to increase my wealth after enjoying my freedom for a while. I¡¯ll make it happen at any cost. Iid down on the bed with a light heart after putting the money back into the pouch, one by one. ¡°It¡¯ll finally be tomorrow.¡± After I sleep and wake up, I¡¯ll be able to escape from this damn mansion. Just thinking about it brought a smile to my lips. As soon as my mind had calmed down, my eyes also started to close by themselves. [ / / / ] ¡ª Ten seconds before the arrival of the Northern Duke Periot ¡ª As therge carriage stopped in front of the mansion, the countless faces of the servants that were waiting stiffened with tension. And it was the same with me. Perhaps there was some kind of tension since it was the first time in two years we had seen each other since the wedding. When the carriage hade to aplete stop, one of the escorting knights approached to open the door in a disciplined manner. I caught a glimpse of seat wrapped in avish purple velvet through the cracks in the door. Then, someone immediately came out from within the carriage. He was an attractive and tall man with pale skin, and soft looking ck hair that neatly spilled over his forehead. ¡®You¡¯d immediately know he was the Northern Duke, even if you saw him whilst passing by on a jet.¡¯ Watching him walk down the path as the escort knights stood on either side of it made me realise how the form of ¡®the Northern Duke = ck hair¡¯ hade about. Because it matched extremely well with the cold atmosphere around him. On top of that, with such a sculpted appearance, I wondered how that face had never popped up in my head during these two years. Had it not been for this sort of situation, my jaw would have dropped. Just by the way he walked, exactly like the Northern Grand Duke, gave off a strange feeling of danger. Perhaps because of the chilly gaze in his eyes, the servants gradually lowered their heads toward the ground, as if they hadmitted a crime. I bit my lip hard. The thought of having to talk about divorce in front of a man like that made me even more nervous. ¡°Quickly,e in. My son that I¡¯m so proud of¡­!¡± It was his mother, Emma, ??who broke the suffocating atmosphere. She suddenly took a step forward and hugged the Duke¡¯s shoulder. He merely bowed to his mother, who was crying profusely, with an expressionless face. And then, he took a step towards me. The nking sound of the long sword that was wrapped around his waist was gradually getting closer and closer. ¡°¡­You¡¯vee back.¡± First off, I gave my ¡®husband¡¯ a polite greeting. I must have seemed like an even weaker and more introverted wife to him, even if my voice was quite dull. ¡®Now, you¡¯ll look at me like I¡¯m just a stone you found by the road, right?¡¯ Peek. Unsurprisingly, a cold gaze scanned my face indifferently. ¡°I¡¯m d you came back safely.¡± Although I already knew what his reaction would be, I still added one more sentence, conscious of the gazes of the people surrounding us. ¡®But of course you won¡¯t reply whatsoever.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡± Again, as expected, his mouth that was tightly closed did not open. Our indifferent gazes intertwined for a moment. The heavy tension between the couple was unimaginable. The servants, of course, and even Emma, were not able to speak rashly. Periot, who finally took his gaze away from me, passed by without saying a word. ¡°Haa¡­¡± I untied the scarf¡¯s knot and finally let out a sigh. ¡°Well, there¡¯s no character that¡¯s as easy to understand as the Northern Duke.¡± ¡°Pardon? Duchess, what did you just say?¡± One of the maid¡¯s ears perked up upon hearing me talking to myself. However, I just pretended not to know and shook my head. ¡°It was nothing.¡± Although it didn¡¯t feel good to be ignored by someone like this, it was still nice for me to know that he hated me as much as he did now. Wouldn¡¯t the story start from here if this was a novel that actually existed somewhere? A husband who regards his wife who is linked to him by an arranged marriage as less than a rock, and a mother-inw who regards her daughter-inw who puts up with her until the end despite her request for a divorce as a pain in the eye. And a kind and gentle female lead who foolishly endures it all. But in the end, she is exhausted, and leaves without a word one day, and only then will the man regret it. Unable to ept the fact that the existence that has always been silently staying by his side has disappeared, he will gradually be stained with obsession and madness. That¡¯s right, as expected, an obsessive and regretful man in theRofan1genre is the best. The things I had seen in the past and put in my cart just by seeing the keyword, ¡®regretful man¡¯ were still vivid in my mind. But apart from that, I absolutely refused to be the victim of that sort of trope. ¡°Those things are only amusing when you read them in novels.¡± It¡¯s not like I can live relying on my face for my whole life. Although the maid cast a suspicious gaze at me, who continued to mumble to myself, I hurriedly followed Duke Periot¡¯s heavy footsteps without any hesitation. [ / / / ] The inside of the Duke¡¯s mansion, which was always quiet enough to be deste was full of energy and life. This was because a banquet was being held in order wee Duke Periot, who returned from making big achievements in the war. The banquet hall was decorated in a luxurious way like never before, and the tables were full of delicious food. Although countless amounts of nobles came to see him with all sorts of gifts in order to be seen in a good light by him, today¡¯s protagonist didn¡¯t seem to have any interest in the party. Even after his mother, Emma, ??had caught him several times, he only bluntly greeted the crowd before going straight to the study. Because of that, people flocked to Emma and I. They all seemed to want to curry favour, even if it was with a chicken instead of a pheasant. I adequately dealt with the people around me before taking a break and sneaking out of the banquet. Then I passed the quiet hallway and climbed up the staircase. The gorgeous dress that I was wearing, which Emma had chosen herself, saying that we had to keep up appearances before getting divorced, was only ufortable because it was tightly squeezing my whole body. The second floor was extremely tranquil. There was only the sound of my footsteps echoing through the hallway. At the end of the hallway was arge, heavy wooden door. Don¡¯t be nervous. I took a deep breath before knocking on the door. ¡°Come in.¡± The sound of the door creaking open broke the tranquil silence. As soon as I entered the room, I saw a man sitting upright, like a painting leaning over the desk. He had such a neat and schrly appearance that it was hard to believe that he was a person that had wielded a sword on the rough battlefield not too long ago. A face without a single thing out of ce suited the neat study where nothing was ced carelessly extremely well. Of course, apart from that, the eyes that looked at me had not changed and were still cold. The look that nced at my face to check who I was as soon as I entered the study went straight back to the paperwork. And then I heard his voice, which was as cold as the look in his eyes. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way you came here just because you wanted to see me.¡± Wow, a voice full of chills that was cold like the Siberian wind, and an aggressive attitude that was thrown at me without any context. It was the Northern Duke, perfect to the bone. Although I had a desire to savour this very much of a cliche textbook character a little more, unfortunately, I didn¡¯te here to do that. ¡°I have something to tell you.¡± I deliberately made my hand tremble slightly and held the paper out in front of him. Although I wanted to do as my heart said and fiercely throw it all away and just run, I knew that if I did so, I wouldn¡¯t be able to secure true freedom. After I took a few deep breaths¡­ ¡°Please give me a divorce.¡± I finally said it. ¡°A divorce?¡± Periot looked at me while slowly setting down the paperwork he was holding in his hand. Unsurprisingly, I couldn¡¯t read any emotion in his gaze. I didn¡¯t give up and continued to speak. ¡°Yes, I want a divorce.¡± ¡°¡­howe?¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t love the Duke, and the Duke doesn¡¯t love me either.¡± Silence flowed between us for a while. I swallowed the dry saliva that was stuck at the back of my throat amidst the subtle tension. ¡°Lore.¡± Then, a voice so cold that it gave me goosebumps from just hearing it leaked out from between his lips. Eyes as sharp as his jawline were staring at me. ¡°Your household, Count Mayred¡­¡± He slowly got up and sighed as he continued to speak. ¡°Amongst the thirty two households that supported the military in the war this time, you won¡¯t be able to find their name anywhere.¡± His pitch ck hair swayed gently, following Periot¡¯s movements. ¡°They won¡¯t have any chance at getting a seat amongst the 100 seats of the chamber room either next year, since the taxes that they pay to the Imperial Family are in those of the lower ranks.¡± There was still no warmth in the eyes that ran down my face. ¡°Nevertheless, do you know why you¡¯re still in the position of this mansion¡¯s mistress?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I allowed it.¡± He raised his head with a brazenly arrogant expression on his face. ¡°I¡¯ll pretend I didn¡¯t hear the bullshit you just said.¡± I was speechless for a moment, stunned by the overbearing attitude that seemed to look down on me, as if I was inferior to him. Bullshit? Bullshittt?! I calmly opened my mouth again. ¡°What I mean is¡­ I hope you¡¯ll be able to match with a family that will be of more help to you.¡± Don¡¯t you hate me anyways? To the extent that I can¡¯t even find any trace of you asking about how I am in any of the letters that were sent to the Duke¡¯s residence during the two years you were on the battlefield. ¡°Now that you have be the hero of the empire, there will definitely be a good marriage partner, one that will be iparable to the Mayred family.¡± As soon as I finished speaking, he hurriedly approached me and took the divorce papers without saying a word. His eyes that were ck like obsidian, slowly scanned the paper. His expression gradually grew darker and darker as time went on. It was then, when I had unconsciously taken a step back in response to the somewhat threatening atmosphere. The sound of his teeth grinding together came from inside his rightly clenched jaw. Then immediately, with a crackling sound, torn pieces of paper were scattered in the air. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Things that seemed like snow-white butterfly wings fell flutteringly in front of my eyes. At the same time, the sound of a low voice sneering struck my ears. ¡°I have no intention of getting a divorce. Of course, you¡¯ll never be able to escape from here either.¡± I could feel the heat rush all the way to the tip of my head the moment one corner of his mouth curled up, as if he was ignoring me. It had been an exciting scene when I had only read it in a novel, but when I had directly experienced it myself, I was so angry that my whole body was shaking in anger. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing right now¡­!¡± It was at that time when I was about to step forward to question him again. Ding-dong, ding-dong! The sound of a loud bell from who knows where rang in my ears, and a dazzling window that I had never seen before, only the size of a palm, suddenly appeared before my eyes. Behind it, the face of my husband who had hardened his expression into a cold one again, was clearly reflected. ¡°Heok!¡± I screamed unconsciously and took a step back. At the same time, unfamiliar letters began to appear quickly in the transparent window that was in the shape of a rectangle. ¡¸Sir ¡®That bastard isn¡¯t the male lead, right?¡¯ has opened your shares ount.¡¹ ¡¸50 shares, 100 shares, 200 shares¡­ In an instant, it breaks through 300 shares!¡¹ ¡°W-What is this!?¡± I stopped screaming in surprise and flopped down on the sofa in the study. No matter how hard I blinked or rubbed my eyes, even enough for it to hurt, the window still didn¡¯t disappear. ¡°Now you¡¯re even pretending to be crazy. There¡¯s no point in acting. It won¡¯t happen, no matter what you do, even if you die.¡± Periot grabbed my arm and forced me to stand up before roaring out in a grim voice. ¡°So go back to your room obediently.¡± ¡¸Sir ¡®That bastard isn¡¯t the male lead, right?¡¯ is enraged and starts to swear.¡¹ The window which moved ording to my gaze,unched a short and concise message whilst covering Periot¡¯s facepletely. ¡¸Don¡¯t be so mean, you rotten bastard!¡¹
[1]??:a word used to describe the genres that intersect both romance and fantasy in webnovels and manhwas. works usually include aristocratic settings with mentions of magic, transmigration or regression and include a few prevalent tropes such as obsessive and regretful male lead after the transmigration of the female lead. Chapter 2 ¡¸Miss Lore Mayred. Congrattions on being nominated as the main character. Please sell ??more and more shares, beat the other candidates and be the real hero. An absolute character who will enjoy eternal happiness in a world that will never go wrong. That seat is yours!¡¹ A dark hallway with no one in it. A sound that seemed to resemble a scream suddenly resounded from a ce no soul could pass. ¡°¡­What the hell is this!¡± Of course, that scream was mine. Did the shock make me hallucinate for a moment? Or did the pieces of paper that bastard ripped up earlier get into my eyes? I rubbed my eyes with the longce curtains that hung from the window, but nothing changed. ¡¸Total shares sold: 300 shares.¡¹ Unknown characters that were sparkling brightly were fixed at the top of the status window. No matter where I looked, the window continued to follow my gaze. I went into a state ofplete panic and said in a voice of astonishment. ¡°What the hell do you mean by shares? Why isn¡¯t this window disappearing¡­!¡± It was at that moment. Suddenly, there was a shuffling sound, then the window disappeared. ¡°Huh?¡± I just stood there and blinked both my eyes. Even then, I rubbed my eyes with both hands as hard as I could in disbelief. It¡¯s weird if the window remains in front of me, but it¡¯s even weirder if it suddenly disappears. I didn¡¯t know what the hell was going on. It was only after I had calmed down to some extent that the view of the hallway finally entered my field of vision. Decorative cabs and luxurious paintings filled the hallway. It was a hallway that wasn¡¯t too far from Periot¡¯s study. Seeing as I couldn¡¯t even remember walking out of there with my own two feet, it seems as if I was forced out of there by him whilst I was in my panicked state. However, even when I finally came to my senses, I still had no choice but to stand as if I was nailed to the spot and stare nkly out the window. It was due to the constantdingingthat filled my head. Just what the hell going on earlier? It was a phenomenon that I had never experienced before, from possessing this body and ending up in this ce until now. I¡¯ve never seen a system window appear in a romance fantasy with the Northern Grand Duke! Since that¡¯s the case, then thest thing I can think of is¡­ ¡°No way, did that crazy bastard perhaps cast ck magic on me?!¡± Yes, this could be the correct answer. Since all of this happened the moment I met him. ¡°I have no intention of getting a divorce. Of course, you¡¯ll never be able to escape from here either.¡± A grim voice echoed in my ears. I got chills down to my spine. ¡°H-How did he do it?¡± I scanned my surroundings first, then turned around in a hurry. Then, I began to scramble down the hallway. An urgent breath escaped from my gaping mouth. ¡®I have to run away quickly¡­!¡¯ Jesus, this bastard must be aplete psycho! [ / / / ] ¡°Hurry, hurry..!¡± I urgently searched the closet and took out my bag. It was a rtively generous size as I had bought it when I was contemting over when I should run away after get married. But why is the lock so stiff today? After struggling for a long time, I finally loosened the ring of the bag that was tightly intertwined, and shoved a few clothes into it. Now the only thing left is¡­ ¡°Money!¡± I hurriedly took out therge storage box I had hidden and ced it on the desk. Then, the moment I opened it. ¡°¡­Just what were you doing just now?¡± A cold voice rang in my ears. Both of my hands stopped, as if I was frozen. ¡°¡­¡± I swallowed my saliva dryly and slowly lifted my head. Duke Periot was standing in front of the door. With a stiff face. ¡°Hic¡­!¡± I was so startled that the breath I was about to let out was suddenly sucked back inside. His expression was so hideous that even his handsome face was buried in his mood. He looked down at me with no change in his expression and spoke coldly. ¡°How dare you put something like this in front of me again.¡± It was none other than divorce papers that had left Periot¡¯s hand and fluttered to the floor. ¡°I clearly warned you not to even dream of this.¡± What the hell is this? The papers I gave you were already torn to shreds and scattered on the floor. Where did thate from, and why did youe to find me all of a sudden? My questions didn¡¯tst very long. As soon as his growl was finished, someone outside the room came in behind him. It was my mother-inw, Emma, ??who was currently hanging off his arms and wiping away her tears. ¡°I, I did everything I could to draw it out, but Lore is earnestly asking for it¡­¡± ¡­I beg your pardon? I was confused for a while, but I soon came to understand the situation. Anyhow, Emma must have gone to find him with the divorce papers after I left Periot¡¯s study. But since her son is so angry, she must be thinking of throwing all the me to me for now. I stared at Emma in bewilderment, but she was desperately avoiding my gaze and pretended not to notice. I secretly stomped my feet. At that moment, Periot, who had a blue tendon protruding from his temple, suddenly made a deration out of the blue. ¡°As of today, this room will be closed.¡± ¡°W-What did you say?¡± ¡°Since we don¡¯t have any sense of living a married life, it seems like we¡¯re not on the same wavelength. Let¡¯s move into the couple bedroom then.¡± Jesus, this guy must be crazy! ¡°I don¡¯t want to!¡± I instinctively stepped back and shouted loudly. I was terrified that he woulde into the room at any moment and drag me away. Unsurprisingly, he trudged inside, disregarding my desperation. His steps were rough, as if he was angry. Periot pushed the chair in front of me, hard. He had used so much strength that the shaking of the chair¡¯s handle even reached the desk, and it was at that moment. The storage box that was on the desk suddenly fell to the floor. Thud! The lid flew off with a heavy sound. At the same time, something poured out of the sack inside. It was none other than a shiny gold coin. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± The light in Periot¡¯s eyes changed in an instant. ¡°¡­Did I ever give you this sort of thing?¡± His sharp gaze shifted from the gold coin to me, like a veil. His pupils which were as ck as obsidian gleamed fiercely. I panicked and stepped back. It was practically impossible for an ordinary person to own this amount of gold coins. This also included me, who was only a duchess in name. It was a situation where people who weren¡¯t aware of the context could easily misunderstand it as someone stealing the Duke¡¯s property whilst he was away. I opened my mouth as quickly as possible before the misunderstanding escted. ¡°I¡¯ll exin, I can exin everything! The truth is, the source of this money is¡­¡± That was the moment my gaze met Emma¡¯s. ¡°It must¡¯ve been the money that was given by the man she met with secretly!¡± Suddenly, she uttered an absurd remark. ¡°What?!¡± Although I let out a surprised shout, Emma didn¡¯t care and continued with her tant lie. ¡°Periot! I¡¯ll be honest, it happened like this. While you were away, Lore enjoyed many secret encounters with another man. She even met some manst night in the dark and remote garden.¡± Wait, what sort of bullshit is this old fart spouting?! Whether or not my jaw dropped, she continued to grab her son¡¯s arm and continued speaking in a trembling voice, attempting to be pitiful. ¡°I can¡¯t tolerate such a dirty woman like that being your wife any longer. H-Hurry up and get divorced before you defile the Chambers name any further!¡± Even in the midst of her babbling, she stutters for a moment when our eyes meet. Seeing as she kept looking at me, she seemed to be afraid for it to be known that she was the one that had given me money in order to quietly get divorced. However, I couldn¡¯t stand listening to such nonsensical nder any longer either. ¡°Just what are you talking about? When did I?!¡± It sounded so absurd that I almost ran away. I shouted in a loud voice, pointing to the gold coins lying on the floor. ¡°You personally handed me this sack yesterday, have you gone senile?! You¡¯re talking nonsense!¡± ¡°S-Senile?!¡± It was at that moment. Thud! I turned my head, startled by the sudden loud noise, and saw him with a chair split in half and a shiny long sword in his hand. The one on the receiving end of the long sword was the suitcase. The clothes inside it fell to the floor. ¡°¡­so you really did try to run away?¡± His gaze which was already brutal, was now bright enough to stab someone to death. While I was nervous and swallowed my saliva dryly, Emma stepped forward and let out a pretentious exmation. ¡°Oh my god, Lore¡­¡± Then, pretending to shed tears, she added one more remark. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, you meant to run away with him?¡± Although she was pretending to be pitiful, the corners of her lips were slightly raised. How disadvantageous was this situation? A cold sweat ran down my back unconsciously. I quickly stepped forward to respond. ¡°Mother was clearly the one who called me to the study and gave me the money in order for me to leave quietly! T-That¡¯s right! The servant who took me to the study that time can be my witness¡­Kya!¡± However, I wasn¡¯t able to finish my sentence. It was because he had wrapped an arm around my waist and started dragging me off to somewhere recklessly. ¡°W-What the hell! Let go of me!¡± ¡°¡­another man?¡± Although I struggled to get free, he didn¡¯t budge. He just continued to move forward with a stiff face, as if he couldn¡¯t even hear me. ¡°While I¡¯m away struggling on the battlefield, you¡¯re with another man?¡± A voice as cold as ice fell into my ear. It was to the extent that the anger that was clearly conveyed through it gave me goosebumps. No, wait. No way, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re seriously believing this right now, Northern Duke?¡± It was unbelievable that he would he easily be swayed into believing in that nonsense, but I decided to push that to the back of my mind first. Since revealing that I¡¯m innocent right now is more urgent than that. ¡°It¡¯s all a tant lie!¡± ¡°Stay still. Before you get hurt.¡± Far from exining, I was interrupted as soon as I spoke up. Grrrrk, the sound of grinding teeth was heard. I could feel the heat from his hand as he hugged me to the point of pain. ¡°Heok!¡± ¡°D-Duke¡­!¡± We ran into several people along the way. Not only were there the employees of the mansion, but also some nobles who were about to go home after the banquet had ended. However, no one was able to stop Periot, who was in a hurry. When they noticed the long sword he was holding firmly, they all just trembled and closed their eyes tightly. I wonder how long I¡¯ve been dragged like this for. His footsteps finally stopped. Then, I was pushed roughly like I was a burden into the dark space. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± The sound of the iron door closing with athudmmed into my ears. Surprised, I looked around and saw a small room with a single palm-sized window on the wall. Equipped with a bed and a soft sofa. ording to the location, this is clearly the tower behind the mansion, but was there always a room like this here? Why are there¡­ leather straps all over the ce? W-What¡¯s with those handcuffs!? A pair of cold eyes could be seen through the small window in the tightly closed thick iron door. ¡°Is that why you begged for a divorce like that? Did you want to take the Dukedom¡¯s money and elope with another man?¡± The sound of a shortugh, as if he was lost for words could be heard. ¡°I told you, it¡¯s not! That money was given to me by your mother to ask me to divorce you, and I¡¯ve never met any other man!¡± Although I didn¡¯t get goosebumps, I felt a chill and shuddered. I pounded on the iron door and shouted, disregarding the pain my fists were going through. ¡°Get me out of here! Then we¡¯ll find out who lied!¡± ¡°That bastard, where is he hiding right now?¡± He¡¯s driving me crazy! ¡°Hiding, who the hell is hiding?!¡± Bam bam! No matter how many times I hit the iron door, it didn¡¯t budge. I was so frustrated that I even tried kicking it with my feet, but I didn¡¯t stand a chance. ¡°It won¡¯t be a problem, even if you don¡¯t tell me. Since I will definitely be able to find him.¡± ¡°No, can you just¡­!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll cut off that bastard¡¯s head and throw him in here.¡± Although his face which had stiffened, had a rare smile on it, he didn¡¯t look happy. Rather, it looked colder than when he was expressionless. ¡°That will be the only time this door opens.¡± It ended with that sentence that was thrown in a gloomy voice. Periot quickly walked away. ¡°Periot¡­! I¡¯m telling you to just listen to me for a second!¡± I yelled until my throat threatened to burst, but there was no answer. The sound of footsteps gradually faded away, and in the end, only silence came to find me. ¡°Ugh.¡± A groan erupted from my mouth. Trapped. I¡¯m really trapped! ¡°Open the door, I said hurry up and open this door!¡± I screamed and mmed the iron gate again with my fist and then with my foot. Of course, the sturdy door didn¡¯t budge, and all that remained for me was a sharp pain that brought tears to my eyes. It was so noisy that it would¡¯ve been enough for anyone toe, but not even a single rat could be seen through the small window. ¡°Hey, you crazy fucker!¡± It was at that moment, when athudresounded once again and I spat out another string of curse words. Ding-dong! A clear and bright sound came to my ears. ¡¸Mr ¡®¡­right?¡¯ has bought your shares again. 100. 200. 300¡­¡¹ The characters began to rise so quickly I didn¡¯t even have time to read them. ¡°W-What?¡± I blinked both eyes quickly and shouted. ¡°It¡¯s too fast!¡± Then, the numbers that were rising crazily stopped for a moment, then again,ding-dong! A message appeared with the sound. ¡¸Mr ¡®That bastard isn¡¯t the male lead, right?¡¯ is furious and is throwing you all the coins.¡¹ ¡¸The sale of 700 shares has beenpleted. umted a total of 1000 weeks.¡¹ ¡¸New record!¡¹ Again. This window popped up again! I read every single letter with my eyes wide open, lest the screen disappear before I finished reading. ¡¸As a reward, two bonus cookies have been baked. Would you like to receive your first cookie? 1. Yes. 2. No.¡¹ A cookie you say? What sort of cookie did you suddenly bake? ¡°What the hell is that!¡± I shouted into the air, but instead of an answer, only the same message continued to sh. ¡¸Would you like to receive your first cookie? 1. Yes. 2. No.¡¹ Although I don¡¯t know what it is, first of all, it¡¯s a bonus, right? I nodded my head vigorously. ¡°I want to get it! I¡¯ll take it!¡± Then, a shining stick appeared along with the words ¡®cookie paymentpleted¡¯. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Despite not knowing what it was, there seemed to be a time limit. The golden gauge that filled the inside was decreasing rapidly. ¡°H-How am I supposed to use this?¡± Momentarily flustered, I turned around and scanned my surroundings. Then, I identally stumbled and instinctively grabbed onto the iron door with both hands. It was at that moment. With apop!my body suddenly swung forward. ¡°Ack!¡± Thud! With a loud groan, the iron door fell to the floor like a piece of paper. An iron door that didn¡¯t even budge, no matter how many times I hit it. ¡¸The first cookie has been used.¡¹ Whilst I staggered and fell to the floor, a different message was added before my eyes. ¡¸Escape from the Northern Duke¡¯s confinement.¡¹ Unlike the others, the frame for this one was shining as bright as a Christmas tree. Chapter 3 ¡°Ugh, god¡­¡± I barely managed to pull myself up, my sore knees shaking since I had mmed into the floor too hard. At my feet was the fallen door, along with crushed stones that were scattered all over the ce. When I had finally looked back behind me, the spot where the door had been before was empty. ¡°Heok.¡± My lips fluttered open again against my will. The hand that had mmed onto the door was still tingling. That adamant iron door which hadn¡¯t even budged despite my hand turning into this sort of state, had fallen away with just a slight push. Does this even make any sense? I looked around to see if someone else had done it, but not even a shadow could be seen. Then¡­did I really do this? ¡°No, that¡¯s crazy.¡± I pinched both cheeks in admiration. Seeing as I could feel the tingling pain, this was definitely reality. Don¡¯t tell me, those cookies¡­was it thanks to them? Bonus Cookies? Reward¡­? My head was filled with puzzling and mysterious words. Although there wasn¡¯t anyone that could tell me what was going on with all of this, one thing was certain. ¡°Now is not the time for this!¡± I was a little worried since the sound the iron door had made whilst it broke had been pretty loud, but if there was anyone guarding the area nearby, no one hade to check on the situation. After all, even I never would¡¯ve dreamed that I would break that thick iron door and escape. The hallway was dark since there was no need for people toe here unless it was for something particr, and since there were no public candles, the inside where I had been trapped in was extremely dark and gloomy. ¡°Just what kind of room did you make?!¡± My anger levels started rising again as I looked at the strings hanging from the ceiling. ¡°You crazy character!¡± I cursed him with all my heart sincerely before quickly turning around. First, let¡¯s get out of here! [ / / / ] I rolled up my cumbersome dress with one hand and sat down in the corner of the garden, gasping for breath. I waspletely out of breath after running all over the ce, avoiding people¡¯s eyes. Not far away, I spotted a small iron gate. It was the back door that was used by the servants and merchants. That was thest gate. Although I had somehow managed to get out of the mansion by hiding, the problem right now was that there were three or four gatekeepers keeping guard right in front of me. How was I meant to get rid of those people? They were standing with rigid postures and looked around with sharp eyes. It wouldn¡¯t be easy for me to distract them since they weren¡¯t ordinary employees but rather, well-trained soldiers who were more skilled than anyone else. But I couldn¡¯t just stay like this. It would only be a matter of time before someone finds out that I¡¯m gone. At that moment, I was biting my lips and wondering if there was anything that could be done. A thought suddenly shed through my mind like lightning ¡°S-Screen! Window!¡± When I had almost run out of breath from shouting, the screen really did pop up in front of my eyes. ¡¸Would you like a second cookie? 1. Yes. 2. No.¡¹ ¡°Yes, this is it! The same cookie as before! I crouched down in order not to be found outpletely and whispered softly.. ¡°Please give me a cookie! Right this instant!¡± As soon as I finished speaking, a golden gauge shed in the air again. Filled with anticipation, I slowly crept towards the door. However, for some reason, the gatekeepers did not move. ¡­Is this not it? I looked closely at the status window in front of me once more. Unlike the first cookie, the rate at which the golden bar was decreasing at was incredibly slow. However, despite it being so, why wasn¡¯t anything happening? Could I have been wrong? As I gulped dryly without knowing what to do in embarrassment, a loud shout was suddenly heard from inside the mansion. ¡°F-Fire!¡± I hurriedly turned my head to see gray smoke rising from a window on the second floor. The mansion quickly descended into chaos. People ran around frantically in front of the bush where I was hiding. Among them, a man holding a bucket shouted loudly at the gatekeeper. ¡°What are you doing? Go and get the fire nket right now!¡± ¡°Ah, yes! Right away!¡± As soon as the order was given, they ran towards the warehouse in confusion. The front of the iron gate had suddenly be deserted before I knew it. I rubbed both of my eyes and looked from the iron gate to the gauge which was still shrinking minutely. ¡°There¡¯s no way a fire was started from baking the cookies¡­right?¡± I asked myself for a while, but I couldn¡¯te up with an answer. There was only one thing that was clear. That the only time to be escape would be now. Even if i couldn¡¯te back once I left, I had no intention of going back from the beginning. I clenched my teeth and started running towards the empty door. [ / / / ] At the same time. Strictmands were deployed to the servants who were running helter skelter in terror. ¡°Bring the water, quickly!¡± ¡°Yes, right away sir!¡± The servants rushed to carry out Periot¡¯s orders. Someone quickly brought a vase with all of its flowers removed while others rushed to the bathroom with a bucket. In the meantime, Periot took off the cloak he was wearing. Then, he swung it wildly over the frame that was engulfed in mes. ¡°G-Give it to me. Duke. I¡¯ll do it!¡± The butler was startled and tried to dissuade him but his hand was unstoppable. Every time the wind would blow, Periot¡¯s ck eyes would also shake as if they were a storm. ¡®What the hell was going on?¡¯ He could have never mistakenly seen it, nor could he ever have dreamt of this happening. He had clearly seen it. mes had suddenly begun to soar out of nowhere from the frame that hung gently on the study wall. It hadn¡¯t even been windy, nor was there anything around it that could suddenly catch fire, so just how did this happen¡­? Furthermore, the document thaty inside the frame was the marriage vows he had exchanged with Lore. Most important of all was that since it was a document that remained as a preservation of their devotion, no one was allowed to damage it! He bit his lip and swung his cloak with all his might. But the fire still showed no signs of extinguishing. ¡°Duke!¡± At the same time as someone¡¯s urgent call, awhooshsound was suddenly heard from behind. A servant who had filled the bucket first had urgently sshed the water on the Duke who was standing near the frame. Hit by a flood of water in an instant, water dripped down from his head. All the servants surrounding him were startled and frozen in ce. However, far from getting angry, Periot took a bucket from the hands of another servant who had arrived, one after another. Then he started pouring water directly onto the frame. Amidst everyone¡¯s urgent movements, acrid smoke rose in all directions. Periot, who had not lost his nobility even on the battlefield, was drenched from head to toe as if he had fallen into a pond. However the unbelievable events didn¡¯t end there. ¡°T-The fire isn¡¯t going out¡­!¡± ¡°How did this happen?!¡± Voices filled with dismay sounded from everywhere. Everyone started to doubt their own eyes. The fire that had spread to the curtains and bookshelves of the study had been quenched by the water baptism, but the fire on the wedding vows remained unextinguished, rather, it continued to grow in size. ¡°Let¡¯s try and do this instead!¡± At that time, the knight who brought the thick fire nket pressed it as if topletely cover the frame. Meanwhile, the servants who had refilled their buckets also came flocking in. The Duke¡¯s study, which had always been organised in a neat manner, became a sea of ??water. Gray dust fell everywhere like snow as well. Was this some sort of sign? ¡°Duke! It¡¯s a big problem!¡± A loud cry rang out from far away. Then, a soldier ran into the room, gasping for breath and shouted loudly. ¡°T-The Duchess has disappeared¡­!¡± In an instant, silence struck. As if it was the eve of a storm. Periot¡¯s head turned towards the door. ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± ¡°M-My apologies sir.Keuk, hic¡­!¡± Although he had a low voice, the soldier facing him was so surprised that he began to hup. That¡¯s because that was the first time in his life seeing such a scary face. ¡°By the time I gone inhic, the iron door had already been broken¡­I deserve to die!¡± Everyone there was stunned by those words. But no one had suffered as great of a shock as Duke Periot. ¡°The iron door¡­was broken?¡± It was as if Periot¡¯s mind waspletely empty. It something he hadn¡¯t even experienced on the blood-sttered battlefield. In the end, all that remained in his head was Lore¡¯s face. He had never forgotten it, ever since the day of their wedding. ¡°Oh, Lord God¡­¡± One of the maids who was frightened by the chaos, murmured in a small voice. At that moment, a single thought shed by Periot¡¯s mind and pierced it sharply. ¡­Is this the work of the person you¡¯ve been meeting with secretly? ¡°So you¡¯re a man of ck magic.¡± At that moment, the charred picture frame dropped from the bottom of the fire nket that the knight had been holding with shaking arms. The only thing that had survived the fierce fire was the round iron ring that had been used to hang it on the wall. The moment it rolled over and stopped at Periot¡¯s feet. ¡°Close all the gates of the castle and my fiefdom immediately!¡± A harsh voice which had not been heard by anyone in the mansion before came out of his mouth. ¡°Gather every soldier. We will thoroughly search through this area with every means avable to us, whether that be a dog or a horse. ¡°Yes, right away sir! I heed your order!¡± The soldier shouted confidently, as if he was trying to make up for his earlier mistake. ¡°We will report to you as soon as we receive news!¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll be taking the lead myself.¡± Periot spoke as if he was chewing on each and every word. ¡°Since I have to keep my promise and cut off that bastard¡¯s head.¡± The sound of grinding teeth leaked out from between his teeth. He put on his dripping cloak which had been burned here and there and left the study at a brisk pace. ¡°D-Duke!¡± The startled soldier hurriedly pursued him, but it was as if he couldn¡¯t hear anything. The sound of the shoes of the servants running down the stairs and the heavy armor of the soldiers gathering in unison resounded everywhere. It was the first time that a mansion that had always been so still and quiet, was so noisy. [ / / / ] I ran and ran with my teeth clenched tightly together. Night descended quickly in the north, and at the same time, the temperature dropped to the point where my teeth chattered. The wind blew so hard that I could hear a whistle in my ear. Nevertheless, the sweat on my forehead didn¡¯t cool off. ¡°Heok,heok¡­¡± A shaky breath escaped from my lips, along with a heavy breath. I wonder just how long I had been running for. The road had gradually started to get narrower, and soon a dense forest appeared on the side. However, I didn¡¯t stop moving my legs. No, I couldn¡¯t stop. As soon as I stood still, I felt as if the hand that had pushed me into that room would descend upon me and grab me by the neck. My red hair which had always streamed down to my waist had already been disheveled since long ago. Thece, which had adorned the pleats of the dress had been caught on a rough branch and had holes in it. Even now, both heels of my feet were throbbing and in pain due to the high heels. Ding dong! ¡¸The second cookie has been used.¡¹ ¡¸Marriage annulled.¡¹ Another bright window appeared in front of my eyes with another message popping up, but I didn¡¯t even have time to read it. As I was running on the rough forest trail, something hard suddenly caught my ankle. Without a centre of gravity, my body fell backwards and tumbled down onto the dirt floor. ¡°Aiyah!¡± The sound of a scream suddenly broke the silence. I quickly covered my mouth with my hand and looked around. The unidentifiednight1flew away with a p of its wings. Thankfully, there were no signs of people anywhere nearby. ¡°Ah,hic¡­¡± My ankles were burning and my palms were a mess of broken skin. My whole body was full of wounds. However, I stood up immediately and refused to give up. Then, I started running faster than before. Not only did it seem to burn my sides, but also to the inside of my throat, but I couldn¡¯t care less. Because I could clearly hear the dogs barking furiously in the distance when I had fallen. ¡°You, you crazy motherfucker!¡± A tearful voice erupted out of nowhere. There was arge breeding ground on the west side of the Duke¡¯s mansion. It was a ce where dozens ofTosa2dogs were raised. Goosebumps welled up on the nape of my neck when I thought of the dogs that were bigger than most children. I heard that those dogs were used to hunt bears that attacked private property since they had nothing to eat during the winter! ¡°Hic, am I a bear? Am I a bear?!Hic!¡± No matter how many tree branches I crashed through, the metallic taste of blood lingered on the tip of my tongue, as if I had bitten through my lips several times. However, my own two legs were already out of my own control and moved automatically like machines under any circumstance. In the end, I finally took off my high heels and held them in my arms. ¡°It hurts¡­!Ack, ouch!¡± Even though I screamed every time I ran, I was still able to run much faster than I was before when wearing high heels. ¡®If I get caught now, it¡¯s over. I might even be hunted like a bear.¡¯ With that thought, I couldn¡¯t really think of anything but running. However, the forest that seemed to get thicker the deeper I went kept slowing me down. I had to slow down a few times, relying only on the dim moonlight to navigate the way. Atst, I finally saw a clear path through the dense trees. It seemed as if I had finallye all the way to this road after running through the mountain trail. But then, the sound of horseshoes was heard from far away. ¡°Ugh.¡± Hiding behind a tree, I nced around and saw two men riding horses. They weren¡¯t rushed, rather they went at a fairly leisurely pace. I wonder if the search party has alreadye this far. Aren¡¯t you going too slow to be finding me? I bit my lip in frustration and looked around quickly. Then arge thicket covered with leafy vines suddenly caught my eye. ¡®I¡¯ll hide like a dead mouse over there until they pass by.¡¯ It was impossible to for me to run away silently in a forest with so many dry leaves and branches. It was the moment when I made a decision and took a quick step forward. ¡°Ack!¡± Was it because I had acted too quickly? My foot suddenly tripped over a small protruding stone. And of course it¡¯s the little toe! Of all my damn toes! ¡°Ahhh-heup¡­!¡± I couldn¡¯t bear the pain and just fell right onto the middle of the road. ¡°Ah! There¡¯s someone over there!¡± At the same time, I could hear them running towards me. I was urgently thinking of a way to run away somehow, but I couldn¡¯t even move my feet, let alone get up. M-My toenails¡­! You didn¡¯t fall off, did you?! ¡°Are you alright?¡± As I was struggling to get up, a soft voice prated my ears. In a blink of an eye, before I had even raised my head slightly, there was already someone next to me, kneeling on one knee. The man who was still astride on his horse seemed to have approached me before I even knew it. Although the surrounding area was dark and obscured his face, the numerous medals attached to his white uniform shone in the pitch-ck darkness. Loosely tied blonde hair was thrown casually over one shoulder. ¡°You look hurt, can you stand up?¡± Woof! Woof! There was the sound of another dog barking in the dark sky again. It was different from the one before. It must have been heard from somewhere close by. ¡°Hold onto me. I¡¯ll help you up.¡± Meanwhile, the man spoke to me in a friendly voice, as if he didn¡¯t know who I was. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t seem to be a part of the search party. Then that¡¯s enough for me. Without thinking any further, I clung to his arm first. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not a suspicious person¡­¡± ¡°Please help me. I, I have to run away, right now!¡± Only then did I get a close look at the man¡¯s face in the moonlight. He was staring at me with his eyes wide open in surprise. Grrr, woof! Even at that moment, that sound was getting closer and closer. My heart was pounding urgently with the fear that the ferocious dogs might run into my back at any moment. ¡°H-Hurry!¡± Eventually, a desperate cry erupted from my mouth. Clear blue eyes stared at me without saying a word. Before long, arge cloak was draped over my head. ¡°This way.¡± A low but firm voice whispered in my ear. The only ray of light that seemed to shine through was over the thick fabric.
[1]??:y on words, the ? in ?? or ¡®all night long¡¯ means bird. so lore is saying that the only figure in the night is night with a p of its wings which refers to the bird. then she says fortunately there aren¡¯t any human figures nearby (but there was a bird) [2] tosa dogs:The Tosa is a breed of dog of Japanese origin that is considered rare. It was originally bred in Tosa, Shikoku as a fighting dog and is the only breed still used in Japanese dog fighting. Ownership is restricted in some countries as a dangerous breed.(wikipedia) Chapter 4 ¡°Commander, you can¡¯t! Don¡¯t we have something urgent to do? That¡¯s why we deliberately refused to attend the Duke¡¯s banquet¡­ I¡¯ll send a separate person to thisdy, so for now, let¡¯s just leave.¡± As soon as the man who had supported me helped me up, the other man next to him hastily threw out those words. But what followed was a reply as sharp as a knife. ¡°No.¡± Flustered by the abrupt rejection, the escort¡¯s gaze turned to me, who was wearing high heels. He looked at my hapless appearance from top to bottom before lowering his voice. ¡°But if you get involved in something so unnecessary¡­¡± Despite the worrying words, the man cautiously supported me without answering and headed towards where the horse was standing. Then, he immediately ced me atop the horse at once. ¡°You can¡¯t just pretend to pass by an injured person and let it go, as if you had never seen them.¡± The man who had now also mounted the horse himself, spoke coldly to hispanion, then, as if he had never just done such a thing, said to me in a gentle manner. ¡°Make sure you hold on tight.¡± As soon as he urged the horse forward, the ck horse let out a huff before beginning to gallop onwards. The man manouvered the horse quickly, yet with great skill. Although the fierce wind scratched my face and whistled in my ears, I couldn¡¯t even summon the ability to roll my eyes, as if my whole being had turned to stone. It was because the conversation they had just had was still floating around in my head. ¡®Don¡¯t we have something urgent to do? That¡¯s why we deliberately refused to attend the Duke¡¯s banquet¡­¡¯ The image of Emma, who wasining before the banquet started about a missing guest who should¡¯ve attended and would¡¯ve raised their standing, was still vivid in my mind. She had said that the guest was so important that I should curtsy twice, three times, and if need be, four times if necessary, so even if I wanted to forget about them, I wasn¡¯t able to. Among the guests who couldn¡¯t attend the banquet, if it was the ¡®Commander¡¯, then¡­ I bit my lip as hard as I could. ¡®This is crazy! You¡¯re Leonon, the Commander of the Holy Knights!¡¯ Leonon Berhardt, a renowned name, even for me, who had basically been imprisoned within the Dukedom for two years. There was a reason why the war in which Periot participated in ended upsting for two years. This was because, not only was the area that was to be the main battlefield both cold and dreary, but it was also notorious for being infested with various kinds of monsters. Thus, the Order of Holy Knights stepped out to fight against them, and therefore, the news of their amazing performance became a fact known throughout the Empire. So how excessive would the rumors have been if it was about the Commander of the Holy Knights, the one who stood at the forefront of all that? I was even more familiar with the name since the maids often giggled andkyaaa kyaaa-ed about him whenever they had the chance to. Something about how he was the most handsome man or gentleman on the continent, and how he wasn¡¯t actually a human but a blond angel instead or something like that. Come to think of it, they had all said that his long, loosely tied blond hair and heavily decorated medals on his white uniform were trademarks of his. ¡®I should¡¯ve known right away.¡¯ But it was still rather fortunate. There was no way he would know about me when he had also been confined to the battlefield for two years like Periot. But you never know. Even if Leonon didn¡¯t recognise me, the escort might. Gulp. My saliva slid down my dry throat. I pressed my hood, which was fluttering in the wind further over my face. I wonder how long we traveled like this. The horse¡¯s hooves, which had been moving constantly, stopped in front of arge iron door. I slowly raised my head and looked at my surroundings. There was a high wall in front of me, and beyond that, a round dome-shaped ceiling could be seen. ¡°This is the knight¡¯s private training center. Since it¡¯s a ce supported by the Holy Knights, there¡¯s a resident doctor who¡¯s always here.¡± At those words, the escort sighed briefly with an expression that disagreed with his words. However, as if he had already resigned himself to this fate, he grabbed the thick doorknob and rapped on the iron door. Commander Leonon dismounted from his horse with a light motion that made it seem as if he was flying. I used that opportunity to take a closer look at his face. The first thing that caught my eye was his brilliant and beautiful blond hair that was loosely tied up. His blue eyes which resembled the ocean waves, and sharp, sculpture-like nose also caught my attention, one after the other. Despite there being a deep scar left near his chin, he was still a handsome man with a calm and gentle disposition, not a savage one. I couldn¡¯t properly examine him earlier since I was in a hurry to run away, but his face was seriously so good looking that I wondered how such a thing was humanly possible. Ah, so that¡¯s why the maids would always cause such a fuss¡­ As I secretly nodded in acknowledgement, three men dressed as knights appeared from within the walls. ¡°Wee back!¡± As soon as they saw Leonon, they immediately sheathed their swords into their scabbards at their waists and saluted him politely. ¡°Since you¡¯vee without even sending any prior notice, can we assume that something bad has urred?¡± ¡°Someone was injured.¡± Leonon led the horse by its reins towards the door. ¡°Take me to the doctor right away.¡± Unlike in the forest, the surroundings were bright thanks to the numerousmps on top of the gate. Thus, they must¡¯ve also spotted the badly torn and dirty dress and bloody feet. The faces of the disciplined knights stiffened for a moment. I wiggled my feet and tried to cover them somehow with the hem of my dress, but it was all in vain. The gaze of the knights didn¡¯t even think of moving away from my feet. After a moment of silence, one of the knights who seemed to have a high position among the others stepped forward and said. ¡°¡­I understand. Then first, please record the patient¡¯s identity and name on the visitors list.¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t want to leave a record of this visit.¡± At the resolute reply, the knight that had spoken exchanged nces with the other knights with him, as if he was embarrassed by the reply, and added cautiously. ¡°Commander. I¡¯m really sorry, but this is a private property. Please follow the rules.¡± I never expected to encounter something like this when I had only thought of escaping safely. I made a quick decision. ¡°The fact that you¡¯ve already helped me this far is more than enough. From here on out, I¡¯ll go by myself.¡± Although I had whispered only loud enough for him to hear, Leonon didn¡¯t budge at all. ¡°If a problem arises, I will take full responsibility.¡± He merely said in a heavy voice. Then, something very surprising happened. The path opened up wide at his words. I was able to realize how absolute his orders were to the knights. After passing through the door, another wide, well-maintained road appeared. The sound of horseshoes ttering down the damp roadpletely full of the night dew dispersed as lowly as the mist. ¡®I¡¯m so d that I bumped into this person on the way.¡¯ There was a sense of relief along with the gratitude. The hold my hand had on his sleeves this whole time, was also slowly released. Before long, a small, single story building that was clearly illuminated appeared in front of me. ¡°Be careful when you get off.¡± Leonon jumped off his horse first and held out his hand to me. I took his hand and slowly descended from the saddle. However, as soon as I touched the floor, a small scream erupted from my mouth. ¡°Ouch!¡± My heels were sore beyond words. Not only was walking difficult, but even taking off my shoes seemed to be a pain. Even though I had only taken one step, it had hurt my whole body so much that tears had welled up in my eyes. In the end, I couldn¡¯t ovee the pain and my body trembled violently. ¡°Oh no.¡± With a brief sigh, a gentle voice touched my ears. ¡°Please forgive my discourtesy.¡± As soon as he had finished saying those words, my feet were gently lifted into the air. Wait, no, it wasn¡¯t just my two feet. My whole body was floating in the air. ¡°H-Hey¡­!¡± It was when I was waving my arms around in a flustered manner. Ding dong! ¡¸Mr ¡®This area¡¯s hype1king¡¯ has bought your shares. 100 shares, 200 shares¡­ It¡¯s exceeded 300 shares!¡¹ What¡­? The name that made me doubt my eyes suddenly started buying shares. Ding dong! ¡¸Ack!!! This princess can¡¯t stand being hugged anymore! Everybody, make some noise!¡¹ At the same time, a shocking (?) message filled the screen, no, filled my eyes. ¡°Ack.¡± A short scream escaped my mouth out of embarrassment. Thanks to this, his footsteps stopped due to the misunderstanding. ¡°My apologies. Did I put too much strength into it?¡± Leonon looked at me with a face that began to look embarrassed. ¡°Where are you feeling ufortable?¡± ¡°Oh, no! What do you mean ufortable?!¡± I hurriedly shook my head and added. ¡°It¡¯s sofortable, I almost fell asleep!¡± A cheesy2reply came out of my mouth in my fluster. Although I closed both eyes tightly in regret, the water had already been spilled. ¡°If so, then that¡¯s a relief. If you experience any inconveniences, please let me know.¡± However, although Leonon wasn¡¯t embarrassed at all by what I had said, I still continued to pray. Ding dong! ¡¸An additional 100 shares have been sold.¡¹ ¡¸Considerate guys like that aren¡¯t all that¡­ Be the star of my heart ¡ï¡¹3 Stop it, I¡¯m begging you to stop! Leonon continued to stride forward, even whilst I was in the midst of screaming internally with a hot face. As I entered through the door which the knights had opened for us, the cool air along with the unique and peculiar smell of medicinal herbs tickled my nostrils. Presuming he had been told in advance, the doctor came out from in front of the door. ¡°Is this woman the patient? Pleasee this way.¡± I quickly came to my senses at those words and grabbed his arm to gently shake it. ¡°I, I can walk by myself. I must be heavy, so please let me down¡­!¡± However, Leonon shook his head firmly. ¡°It¡¯s fine. What are you going to do if the wound gets worse?¡± A strand of long, soft blond hair fluttered against my chin. The instant I moved to scratch the area that felt ticklish. ¡°¡­And don¡¯t worry. You¡¯re not heavy at all.¡± His smugugh and deep voice subsided. Ding dong! ¡¸100 shares have been sold, yet again!¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re not heavy at all, so don¡¯t worry¡­ Click4¡­ You¡¯re not heavy at all, so don¡¯t worry¡­ Click¡­ You¡¯re not heavy at all, so don¡¯t worry¡­ Click¡­ You¡¯re not heavy at all, so don¡¯t worry¡­¡¹ My face was burning, as if it was on fire. Am I really the only one who can hear this bell? I¡¯m asking whether I¡¯m really the only one who can see thisment?!! It¡¯s a situation where if it¡¯s ever discovered, I¡¯ll die of shame¡­! ¡°If it¡¯s not too impolite to ask, may I ask how you ended up like this?¡± Leonon asked cautiously. As I made eye contact with him, I quickly raised the corners of my lips. Although it was a little embarrassing since his face was so close to mine, it would seem too impolite of me if I avoided his gaze. ¡°Ah, that¡­¡± Ding dong! ¡¸Guilty of making eye contact. Also guilty of smiling. If you two don¡¯t get married, you¡¯ll be sentenced to life in prison!!!¡¹ ¡­What did you say?! The answer I was about to give him disappeared in an instant. ¡°I¡¯m asking you since I think I can help you. Ah, my name is Leonon Berhardt. I¡¯m not a suspicious person, so don¡¯t worry.¡± Ding dong! ¡¸Mr ¡®This area¡¯s hype king¡¯ is buying 100 shares again.¡¹ Even the voice of Leonon, the Commander of the Holy Knights, was drowned out and couldn¡¯t be heard due to the loud bells. It was as if someone was holding ten bells in both hands and ringing them right next to me. ¡°Based on your reactions earlier, it seems as if you¡¯re being chased¡­ Right?¡± Ding dong! ¡¸Commander, do you happen to need one more horse? I¡¯ll only need to eat a bit of hay¡­¡¹ Ding dong! ¡¸Sir Love, I Commander5you¡­¡¹ Ding dong! Argh, I can¡¯t take it anymore! ¡°Shut up!¡± I couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and screamed out. ¡°No, but like, why are you so talkative?¡± Let me talk too! Let me talk! ¡­After I clicked my tongue and grumbled, I finally remembered that I was still in Leonon¡¯s arms. ¡®Oh shit.¡¯ Suddenly, silence came like a lie. Leonon looked at me with a shocked expression on his face. Even I was embarrassed by that face, and randomly let loose a stream of excuses. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it! Those words weren¡¯t aimed at you, Commander! It was because the sounds of the bells were too loud, so I told them to shut up¡­!¡± No way. I¡¯m just digging my grave even deeper¡­! Although it was already toote, I quickly shut my mouth to prevent the situation from getting worse. Ha, so it was silent once again. ¡°¡­¡± Whoosh. The wind that blew in from the open door messed up his hair that seemed like golden light. An extremely bleak voice, very different from the one when he had given orders to the knights earlier,nded in my ears. ¡°I¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± (Lore) His eyes, which were already drooping slightly, went down even further. [1]?? is inte ng forments that fans use to show their affection for their idols. they¡¯re usually exaggerated, funny, witty, and vERY over the top (use of puns is verymon.) a good example is the one the system in this chapter uses to express how much it ships the two of them (tbh all of thements from the system are good examples LMAOOOOO: ¡¸Guilty of making eye contact. Also guilty of smiling. If you two don¡¯t get married, you¡¯ll be sentenced to life in prison!!!¡¹ fans who do this will usually call themselves a ¡®hype man¡¯ or ¡®hype king¡¯, so if you see me use ¡®hype¡¯ or ¡®cheesy¡¯, just know i¡¯m referring to this word. here¡¯s another good example of a ???: [2]it¡¯s a pun using the word ?? [soso, not my taste] and ?(?) ([be my] star), since they¡¯re homonyms. [3]the sound a tape recorder makes when it resets, so we can assume the system is glitching and malfunctioning. [4]it¡¯s a thest sybles of ??? (i love you) and ??? mander), are switched with each other to make ¡®(title) love¡¯ and whatever ??? is (gn the tl of that was so weird, idk how to tl it hSDFLKJDSF) Chapter 5 The doctor scanned his surroundings with hawk-like eyes and came with a variety of ointments made from crushed herbs and began to start treating me meticulously. Perhaps it was because they lived here together, but his wife was also extremely quick-witted and moved efficiently. Although she didn¡¯t say much, considering that she had proactively prepared a pair of low-heeled,fortable shoes for me, it seemed to be so. As someone who was hired in order to tend to the injuries of the knights who trained here, there was no need to doubt their skills. Although it was enough to just have escaped safely, it was truly fortunate for me to be able to see a doctor. At this point, it could be said that everything was proceeding smoothly. Everything except for one thing, the fact that I¡¯mpletely broke. ¡®Now what should I do?¡¯ I pondered over this troublesome variable while watching the doctor¡¯s hands applying a pair of white bandages to my leg. I should obviouslypensate the knights¡¯ resident doctor for giving treatment at such ate hour. However, I had no way to pay him for my treatment since I had fled without any of my preparations. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a shame. Oh, if only I hadn¡¯t been caught by Periot when I was organising the money! Huh? Wait a minute. Haven¡¯t I clearly just sold off a bunch of ¡®stuff¡¯? After carefully scanning my surroundings, I mouthed the word ¡®window¡¯, in an almost silent whisper. Then the system window popped up with a dazzling light. ¡¸Total shares sold: 1600 shares¡¹ ¡®Oh!¡¯ It had increased by 600 units ever since I had met Leonon, the Holy Knights¡¯ Commander. Unlike the other instances, it constantly announced cheesyments noisily, so it was only to be expected. Since I had this much shares, then it¡¯ll work out somehow, right? I shouted earnestly in my heart, filled with a desire to be saved, just this once. ¡®M-Money!¡¯ However, nothing changed. Is this not it? ¡°Exchange, cash exchange¡­!¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± I whispered as quietly as possible, but the doctor, who was devoted to my treatment, immediately raised his head. ¡°N-No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± I shook my head casually, but my heart was already full of disappointment. I had said it out loud, with the risk of shame, but nothing had happened. There was nothing that could be used as ie right now. If this is the end result, then tonight¡¯s ce of residence has already been automatically decided. ¡­I¡¯ll be homeless. Of course, it¡¯s better to have to withstand the cold wind than to be dragged back to the Duchy with the crazy Duke. That¡¯s right, it¡¯s still better than that! ¡®No matter what, I¡¯ll have to take my own measures first.¡¯ Although I was curious about what was happening to me, that wasn¡¯t the most important issue right now. Starting from today, I would have to worry about bing homeless, so what was the point caring about stocks? You couldn¡¯t exchange it for money anyways. ¡®Ah, seriously, what the hell should I do right now?¡¯ As I was secretly pulling my hair out in anxiety, the door inside the treatment room opened as a little boy and girl peeked their heads out. The girl¡¯s round eyes that looked at me curiously, as if she were fascinated, were cute, so I smiled slightly as the doctor¡¯s wife, who was standing next to me, approached them in a hurry. ¡°You guys are still awake¡­?¡± The doctor also coughed dryly, and spoke in embarrassment. ¡°These are my children. They¡¯re only a year apart in age, so they always get into trouble together.¡± ¡°Heavens, they¡¯re so cute¡­¡± The moment that thought came to mind and I was about to coo at how cute the children were, I stiffened. Wait. Come to think of it, I also had a so-called ¡®maternal house¡¯ too! The reason I didn¡¯t immediately think of Louis Mayred, my older brother, was because he was considered as aplete stranger to me. As soon as I had possessed this body, I was exiled¡­ no, I had left for the North and couldn¡¯tmunicate with the County. During those two years at the Duchy, we had only exchanged a few letters. Perhaps we weren¡¯t as close as other people. The only memory I had of my older brother, Louis, was the way he had thoroughly examined Duke Periot with his eyes throughout the whole wedding. Well, they were still my only family anyway! ¡®Thest letter I received said that the County had moved to Aurea region.¡¯ If it was Aurea, then it wasn¡¯t too far from the Duke¡¯s estate. Filled with hope, I rolled up my dress with my sweaty hands. Although it¡¯d be very shocking to find that your younger sister, who you haven¡¯t met for two years, suddenly came to find you, they wouldn¡¯t kick out their one and only biological sibling. ¡°Now, it¡¯s finished.¡± While my heart was filled with hope, the treatment had already ended. ¡°As long as the wound doesn¡¯t get infected, you¡¯ll be fine. Just in case something unexpected happens, I¡¯ll bring you some extra medicine.¡± The doctor handed me a small packet of pills in an envelope with a friendly smile. ¡°Um, excuse me¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t raise my head and stuttered. ¡°W-What about the medical expenses¡­¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± My heart ached when I tried to bring up the fact that I didn¡¯t have any money on me. The gold coins that I wasn¡¯t able to bring out of the mansion still remained in my eyes as I salivated over them, but now it was just a pie in the sky. As I silently fiddled with the jewel-encrusted ne around my neck, the doctor looked at me with an increasingly bewildered expression. ¡°This is all I have right now¡­¡± It was difficult to meet his gaze, so I just bowed my head and spat out my words with difficulty, but a long arm suddenly appeared from behind me. ¡°Thank you for epting a patient sote into the night. Will this be enough?¡± Before I knew it, Commander Leonon was right beside me. In ce of me, he handed something shiny to the doctor. Heavens. It was a gold coin, which exceeded the cost of the treatment over a dozen times. ¡°T-There¡¯s no need! I can¡¯t even ept something like this from other people, not to mention the Commander!¡± Before I could even say anything, the round-eyed doctor shook his head in amazement. However, Leonon pushed it further into his hands. ¡°It¡¯s not onlypensation for the treatment, but also other things, so please ept it.¡± ¡°Sorry? What are you talking about¡­?¡± At that moment, the doctor¡¯s wife approached us quickly and bowed her head, saying. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t tell anyone about today.¡± Ah. Only then did I look at myself. From my disheveled hair that didn¡¯t match my luxurious attire, the torn hem of my dress, and my bare feet which were littered with scars. It was a sight that would seem suspicious to anyone. Leonon responded with a heavy look at the doctor and his wife who were nodding their heads, then smiled back at me affectionately. ¡°Then, shall we go?¡± After asking to be excused once more, my feet were suddenly lifted gently upwards. ¡°Kya!¡± As soon as the exmation came out of my mouth without me realising it, the loud sound of a bell rang. Ding dong! ¡¸¡®This area¡¯s hype king¡¯ enthusiastically buys 200 more of your shares.¡¹ Then, as if it had been waiting, the selling of shares began to start up again. Ding dong! ¡¸Young and rich, tall and handsome¡­ Can I leave a stain on you, who has no ws?¡¹ Ding dong! ¡¸¡®This area¡¯s hype king¡¯ purchases an additional 100 shares.¡¹ ¡¸Please report it as soon as possible. This man is a criminal. He stole my heart ?¡¹ Here we go again. I rubbed my face reflexively at the loud ringing of the bell. ¡°Are you alright?¡± As if examining me, Leonon asked tenderly. ¡°Yes, of course.¡± The insanely cheesyments kept pouring in nonstop, but I just smiled and ignored all of them. The only thought in my mind was that even if I died, I¡¯d make sure that those same mistakes I had made before could never be repeated again. *** ¡°I really don¡¯t know how to thank you.¡± While Leonon¡¯s escort went off to retrieve the horses left for the knights, I bowed my head several times in front of Leonon to express my gratitude. The world suddenly looked so beautiful after I met such a kind person after having to deal with Emma Chambers, who had a hoard of servants behind her and was anxious to devour me, everyday. ¡°I will definitely pay you back for the medical expenses.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Rather than that, is there a ce you can go to for now?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡­¡± Leonon waited for my answer with a friendly face. ¡°Actually, I have family in Aurea, so I¡¯m probably going to go there¡­¡± When I cautiously started to speak, he nodded his head as if he knew of the ce. ¡°If it¡¯s Aurea, then you¡¯ll be able to reach there by morning if you travel all night from now. However, it¡¯s not a journey that would be easy for ady to embark on alone, so I¡¯ll apany you there.¡± ¡°Sorry? Oh, there¡¯s no need. You don¡¯t have to!¡± It wasn¡¯t just me who was perplexed by the sudden remark, but also the escort, who had gradually approached us. ¡°Then what about the knights¡¯ branch meeting then, Commander?¡± Come to think of it, didn¡¯t he also say that he couldn¡¯t attend the Duke¡¯s banquet because of some urgent matter? ¡°Although I¡¯m sorry, it seems like you¡¯ll have to go to the meeting by yourself. I¡¯ll fill out the appointment form to make you my representative in order to ensure you won¡¯t be discriminated against on your right to speak up.¡± I was so flustered that I waved my hands in refusal. It was enough of him to have already taken me this far, but I couldn¡¯t be even more indebted to him. ¡°How could I possibly trouble you to that extent¡­!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t feel at ease if I don¡¯t do so.¡± However, Leonon was adamant. What is this? Why are you doing this? He was so kind that my feeling of anxiety suddenly started to rise again. Judging from my experiences when enduring two bleak years in a deste mansion with only enemies surrounding me everywhere, there was a high probability that this was part of a n. If he happened to recognise who I am¡­ ¡°Although it¡¯s easy to ask the knights to get a carriage, there isn¡¯t enough time to confirm the identity of the coachman. I can¡¯t send off ady all by herself in that sort of situation.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­ I understand. Then I¡¯ll go and fetch a carriage.¡± Huh? I stopped thinking and stared nkly at the back of the escort who had already run far away. Then, when I slowly turned my gaze around again, I was met with a pair of warm eyes staring back at me. ¡°Don¡¯t think of it as being a nuisance. It¡¯s the right thing to do as a human being, isn¡¯t it?¡± A bright and clear smile popped out wlessly. Oh, my eyes¡­ It was a smile that made me feel ashamed of myself for having such absurd suspicions. In the end, I barely managed to answer back in a small voice. ¡°¡­Then, I¡¯ll shamelessly ept your help¡­ Thank you.¡± As if he had finally heard what he wanted, Leonon gently raised the corner of his lips again. Ding dong! ¡¸¡®This area¡¯s hype king¡¯ has bought an additional 300 shares!¡¹ ¡¸Huh? Where did our Commander go? There¡¯s nothing but a bright light in my eyes.¡¹ Although there was a cheesyment every now and then, I couldn¡¯t help but agree deeply with them now. Despite it being sote at night, the knights were able to quickly fetch a carriage. The escort and all the other knights all came out with a disciplined salute and even watched over and protected the carriage while Captain Leonon and I climbed into the carriage. As if they had known that the Holy Knights Commander Leonon was to ride it, the carriage was extremelyrge andfortable. The seats were spacious and soft, and there were even several cleanly washed cushions that made it seem as if I would even be able to sleep in there. What kind of luxury is this? How nice¡­ The human heart is just this fickle. Although I had even been able to bear being homeless just a while ago, now that I was able to sitfortably with my legs outstretched, I suddenly thought that it would be nice if I could live luxuriously like this. Now, there was only one thing left that bothered me. That is, Commander Leonon, who was desperately squeezing hisrge body into a corner of the carriage. ¡°Why are you doing that? Please sitfortably.¡± ¡°It isfortable.¡± He told a tantly obvious lie and added quickly. ¡°Make sure you¡¯refortable since we still have a long way to go. You can get some sleep if you¡¯d like.¡± It was a very kind consideration. In addition, I was so grateful for his handsome appearance that filled my vision as he sat across from me, so much so that even if he wasn¡¯t the incarnation of kindness, nothing would becking. If I could meet the maids who had moured and said he was an angel one day, I would personally present myself as a witness to testify to that. He really was an angel¡­ Anyways. ¡®I don¡¯t think he has a close rtionship with Periot.¡¯ I secretly sighed in relief. Of course, I had suspected that to some extent. Since I didn¡¯t remember seeing the Commander of the Holy Knights at our grand wedding reception. Although there may have been unavoidable circumstances that prevented him froming, the maids in the mansion would¡¯ve known if the two of them were close friends. Truthfully, I was wondering whether or not it¡¯d be better for me to be honest about who I am and what my current situation was to a person who would help me to this extent. However, if this was revealed to the public, there could be a big difference between helping the Duchess escape without knowing that she was the Duchess and helping the Duchess to escape whilst being aware of who she was, so I just decided to keep my mouth shut. I didn¡¯t want the person who did me such a generous favour to get into trouble. However, it would be good to confirm it clearly. ¡°Excuse me¡­¡± I rolled my eyes silently then opened my mouth cautiously. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what should I do? To think you had such an important meeting that even made you miss attending the banquet¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s really alright, so don¡¯t worry about it. Since it¡¯ll be enough just for my subordinate to attend. In fact, I don¡¯t really like banquets, so I deliberately followed them to the meeting.¡± ¡°It¡¯s rare for a banquet to be held in the North, so was it perhaps held at the D-Duke¡¯s mansion?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Wow, I¡¯m sure it was really luxurious, right?¡± Although I had clearly been there too, I just continued to shamelessly waste my saliva. ¡°I¡¯m sure it was. Since the Head of the Periot household had returned safely.¡± ¡°You seem to be¡­ very close to that family.¡± I continued on calmly. ¡°Seeing as how you were invited to such an event.¡± ¡°I was ssmates with Duke Periot, the Head of that household, when we attended the knights¡¯ academy in our youth, but¡­¡± Leonon, who had been thinking for a while, soon smiled and added. ¡°We don¡¯t interact much though.¡± I nodded inwardly. In my heart, however, I even wanted to react explosively. Right, right. That¡¯s how it should¡¯ve been. How could you, such a sunny and angelic Commander, interact with such a crazy Northern Duke?! ¡°I heard that he¡¯s married now. Although I couldn¡¯t attend the wedding.¡± He even locked that very wife in a room full of handcuffs! My mind was going in circles! ¡°I see.¡± However, since I couldn¡¯t tell what he was really thinking in his heart, I quickly nodded my head with an awkward smile and ended the topic. I feel a deep sense of relief in my heart. After that, the conversation continued flowing like water. It was even morefortable since the other person wasn¡¯t trying to openly dig up information about me, nor was there any unpleasant curiosity either. Thanks to this, I also learned quite a lot about Leonon. The fact that he was brought up in the official residence of the Ecrestus Holy Knights, and the fact that that residence belonged to Leonon¡¯s family, the Berhardt household, so on and so forth. The more we talked, the more I realized that he had been brought up in a decent and well-bnced manner in a harmonious and bright family. ¡°Ah, so you have an older brother. I also have an older sister who¡¯s married. She got married to Viscount Xavierst year.¡± ¡°Sorry? Ah, I-I see.¡± ¡°It¡¯s natural for you to be surprised. As expected, it wasn¡¯t a political marriage. Since my older sister had made it stubbornly clear that she wouldn¡¯t get married unless it was to someone who she truly loved. Still, my parents are very d that she¡¯s met such a good match like Viscount Xavier.¡± Furthermore, I even felt a kind of awe when I heard this. To think that the eldest daughter of the Berhardt family, who had said she would never get married, ended up marrying a viscount. It was something that would¡¯ve been impossible in the world of aristocrats, no matter how much they loved each other. It was a story that showed just what kind of mindset his parents had. I always wondered why he was helping me so much, but I finally understood. Having grown up with such upright parents, it would be as natural as breathing for him to show such generous kindness and mercy to the weak. As expected, not just anyone can take on the role of being the Holy Knights¡¯ Commander¡­ It was the moment I became drunk on thisfortable and peaceful atmosphere and closed my eyes without realising it. ¡®Ah, I¡¯m bored.¡¯ ¡°Oops.¡± I hurriedly opened my eyes in embarrassment. ¡°Are you bored? Sorry. I won¡¯t sleep then.¡± ¡°What?¡± Leonon tilted his head. ¡°What are you talking about¡­?¡± Just how long do you want me to wait?¡¯ ¡°Heok!¡± I hurriedly covered my mouth with both hands at the unbelievable sight. Otherwise, it was very likely for me to scream. I was so shocked that my whole body even started trembling. I could definitely hear a voice¡­ but Leonon¡¯s lips hadn¡¯t moved at all. T-Then who the hell did this voice belong to?! ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you?¡± Thinking that something unusual had happened, Leonon leaned his upper body toward me. However. ¡®Ah, I can¡¯t take this any longer. Sorry, don¡¯t be too surprised.¡¯ Boom! Suddenly there was a loud roar of thunder, and a sh of light burst before her eyes. ¡°Ahhhhhh!!!¡± I screamed as I closed my eyes tightly and instinctively covered my head. ¡°Wh-What was that?! Commander, are you alright?!¡± Whoosh. My surroundings were silent. ¡°C-Commander?¡± However, there was no reply. This can¡¯t be happening¡­ When I opened my eyes cautiously, there was no one on the other side. ¡°Commander Leonon¡­!¡± I kept calling out to the man who had been sitting in front of me just a few moments ago, no, should still be sitting right in front of me. However, instead of an answer, only the faint whistling of the chilly wind blew through the carriage. Before I knew it, the wheels of the carriage which had been moving constantly hade to a standstill. The only thing that covered the whole ce was darkness that was so thick, not even an inch ahead of you could be seen. Both the moonlight that had been gently shining through the window, and the light from themp outside with the coachman, had vanished. ¡°Heup¡­¡± It was the moment when I was so terrified that I even forgot to take a breath. Knock knock. The sound of a knock on the door. I instinctively hid myself in the corner that was the farthest away from the door. My whole body trembled at the thought of someone bursting through the door to harm me at any moment now. However, what came, was instead, a voice full ofughter. ¡°Hi, Lore.¡± The deep voice seemed to belong to a young man, and sounded pleasing to the ear, seemingly as if it had nothing to do with the gloomy darkness. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, my chosen main character.¡± My body stiffened quickly, as if trapped, frozen in ice. Wh-Who are you? I never said I would do something like be the main character¡­! The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!