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Chapter 10
“Lady Lizbet Armiersha.”
“……”
“Is that truly all you think our relationship amounts to?”
“……”
His voice sounded as though he were forcibly suppressing something boiling up inside.
Lizbet tilted her head, unable to understand what part of her offer—to accommodate him—had irritated him so much.
Seeing her uncomprehending expression, Calix let out a faint sigh and plucked one of the dandelions blooming around the swing.
Just as he had done in childhood, he wove the stem into a flower ring and then knelt on one knee before her.
“My lady. I have no intention of ever taking back what I have given you.”
“Calix Payon.”
“During our marriage, I will not take a lover. Of course, I may not be your perfect husband, but until your task is complete, I will remain faithful to you alone.”
“……”
“However… I will remember that you said I may ask for compensation.”
After sliding the dandelion ring onto the ring finger of Lizbet’s left hand, he pressed a courteous kiss to the back of it.
Yet his blue eyes still fixed on her with relentless intensity.
Without realizing it, Lizbet ran her tongue over her dry lips.
“Lady Lizbet. Will you marry me?”
“……”
“I promise I will make you happy.”
Warm sunlight shattered into fragments across the face that looked up at her.
The boy who had once turned red saying those words had become a man who now made others blush instead.
A few days later, in a bustling district of the capital.
Tick.
The moment the clock tower struck the hour, Lizbet rose from her seat on the terrace of a café and began to walk.
With her hood pulled low over her head, she headed toward a back alley she had likely never set foot in during her entire life.
Today, she intended to put one of her prepared plans into action.
Where are they?
She carefully surveyed her surroundings.
According to the plan, at this hour, the mercenaries Marcella had arranged in advance should have been waiting deeper in the alley to threaten her.
But perhaps because she hadn’t designated the exact spot, no one who looked like a mercenary appeared no matter how far she walked.
I told them they’d be paid even if they just pretended.
Just how far were they planning to take this?
Muttering under her breath about the mercenaries’ excessive professionalism, Lizbet continued deeper into the alley.
At last, in the depths of the narrow passage, she came face-to-face with three rough-looking men.
“Well, what’s this? Our lucky day?”
“That robe looks pretty expensive. Why not hand it over nicely?”
“Boss, look at that coin purse!”
They were easily twice her size, and clearly assumed she would be frightened at the sight of them.
They swaggered closer, surrounding her with snickers.
“Hey, you. If you do as we say, you won’t get hurt, got it?”
“Don’t know which noble house you’re from, but us big brothers aren’t bad guys.”
Naturally, Lizbet wasn’t afraid of them.
She simply raised an eyebrow beneath her hood, dumbfounded by their over-the-top performance.
I told them to only pretend to threaten me.
There was no need to act like genuine thugs. Had Marcella threatened them to put real spirit into their acting?
Lizbet stared at them blankly.
When she showed no reaction after several moments, they seemed to sense something was off.
Exchanging meaningful glances, the one who appeared to be the leader suddenly grabbed her slender wrist.
That was when Lizbet’s expression hardened. She roughly shook his hand off and whispered lowly,
“Hey. I clearly said no physical contact.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“……?”
“……?”
For a brief moment, Lizbet and the thug stared at each other in mutual confusion.
After that short silence, realization struck her at once.
The plan’s gone wrong!
These weren’t the mercenaries Marcella had hired beforehand.
Which meant she was currently being harassed by real criminals.
She had anticipated some degree of risk—but she hadn’t expected this.
Her brows furrowed.
Damn it.
In that case, it was time for Plan B.
Lizbet tightly gripped the handle of the dagger hidden inside her clothes.
She had long since abandoned doubts about whether she could wield it properly. When the situation demanded it, people acted accordingly.
Still reluctant to actually draw a blade, she hesitated slightly before warning them,
“Step away from me. I’m not someone the likes of you can touch.”
Of course, they didn’t listen.
“Listen to her talk. Must think she’s got something backing her up.”
“Oh~ Did you bring a guard? Don’t see one anywhere though.”
The leader snickered and seized her wrist again, yanking her roughly.
“Ah—!”
Lizbet inhaled sharply, barely managing to grab her slipping hood before she fell backward.
“Cough—”
“Enough. Hand over the money.”
He grabbed her by the collar and lifted her. In the meantime, another thug stepped in and snatched her coin purse.
Lizbet coughed desperately.
It wasn’t just that her throat was being crushed—wherever the thug’s hand touched her, she felt as though a foul stench was seeping into her skin.
Unable to endure the revulsion any longer, she was just about to draw her dagger—
“You blind or what? Her guard’s right here.”
A playful voice rang out from somewhere.
Then everything happened in an instant.
Bang! Thud! Smack!
The sounds of blows landing echoed through the alley.
By the time Lizbet managed to catch her breath and lift her head, the thugs were already sprawled on the ground.
Beside them stood a man, dusting off his hands as he looked down at them.
After nudging them with his foot to confirm they were down, he bent and picked up the plump coin purse.
“My lady, did you enjoy the performance of your guard?”
The man spoke cheekily as he tossed the purse back to Lizbet.
“This yours? Here. Take it. But seriously—why’d you even come all the way in here?”
Catching the purse, Lizbet stared at him in a daze.
Messy brown hair. Teal eyes.
The slanted noon sunlight illuminated his sparkling gaze.
Clear eyes the color of fresh greenery.
“…I got lost.”
“Yeah, the alleys around here are confusing. But miss, you shouldn’t come to places like this alone. Understood?”
“If I bring my guard knight, I can’t move around freely.”
“A guard knight? So you’re a noble?”
He scratched his head, then studied her closely.
His eyes swept over her as if observing.
Well, things worked out this way too.
Tucking the dagger deep back into her clothes, Lizbet deliberately lowered her hood just a little.
Only a small gap—but enough for him to recognize her.
Just as she expected, he seemed to realize who she was. His brow creased faintly.
“…Pink eyes?”
That was enough.
Lizbet pulled her hood back up and smiled brightly.
…Ah, no. That wouldn’t do if she was pretending to be a delicate noble lady.
Quickly lowering the corners of her lips, she spoke in a fragile voice.
“I just wanted to be alone for a day, so I snuck out… I never expected something like this to happen. Thank you so much. You saved me.”
“Uh… right.”
His expression turned slightly awkward.
Ignoring it, Lizbet continued.
“Um, I’m sorry to ask this… but would you stay as my guard just for today? And guide me around, too?”
“……”
Tilting her head slightly, she spoke in a lonely tone. The man fell silent.
He seemed reluctant about her proposal—but also worried she might run into trouble again if left alone.
“…Fine.”
Looking troubled as his gaze shifted between her and the fallen thugs, he reluctantly nodded.
