IBWMD 64

~Chapter 64~

Elaine had asked Beth if she was stuck in the past, but…

‘If rumors spread involving the Duchess of Duke Silence…’

That was a different matter entirely.

The more she thought about it, the more serious it felt.

‘Forget the Emperor—even the Duke wouldn’t stay silent.’

Even if Karl hated her, having the bride sent by the Emperor stolen away by some nobody was a completely separate issue.

Would the cold-hearted man who let Leina die in the original story really let that slide?

‘I’m fine with it.’

She had never cared much for her reputation, even in the Holy Knights Order.

She had fought other knights who insulted her comrades and earned herself enemies.

She’d been cursed and mocked plenty—rumors didn’t bother her.

But her family, who already bore the disgrace of her having released the princesses?

‘And what about Karl?’

This wasn’t just about her. It was a matter of responsibility.

‘Let’s be honest—I do like him.’

She had to admit it.

‘That’s why… I didn’t dodge when Karl came close.’

Saying she was just tense, or frozen, was really just an excuse.

The truth was—she hadn’t even thought of dodging.

‘Maybe, just maybe…’

Just a little, she had hoped.

That Karl might feel the same way.

‘But even if that’s true, can I just follow my heart?’

Was it okay to drag Karl into her fluttering emotions?

When she didn’t even know how long these feelings would last?

‘No.’

She couldn’t let that happen.

Karl wasn’t even a central figure in this world.

If he were the protagonist, at least he wouldn’t die.

But an extra? If things went wrong, he could vanish without a trace.

‘Come to think of it…’

Everything she’d messed up so far was at least within her ability to fix.

Even when she fired the gun at the drug dealers—it was because she knew she wouldn’t hit them.

She let the princesses go because she intended to take their place.

‘But this time…’

This was probably outside her ability to fix.

‘Beyond what I can clean up by myself.’

So her feelings and will didn’t matter.

…Not that they ever really did.

She realized bitterly that even though she thought she did as she pleased, she’d never truly gone off script.

‘I only stopped cross-dressing after realizing I had reincarnated.’

No matter how reckless she seemed, her body and will were never entirely hers.

Even here, even now.

While Elaine was lost in thought, Karl’s faint smile slowly vanished.

She could feel the air grow colder.

“So, we’re nothing to each other—yet you’re afraid of how it looks to others?”

Karl was now looking at her with an expressionless face.

And yet, even with such a cold expression, he carefully brushed away a stray hair from her shoulder with a delicate touch.

“You’re having quite a belated dilemma.”

“…Belated?”

“Yes. Since you’re not planning to keep your distance from me anyway.”

That…

‘He’s basically saying: why care what people think if we’re stuck together anyway.’

He wasn’t wrong.

Karl was her assigned guard. Until the Duke returned, they had to be together.

‘Even so…’

Elaine opened her mouth with a sigh of resignation.

“…So you don’t care at all?”

How could he say that like it was nothing?

“Why would I? If it’s all just a misunderstanding.”

“Even if I look like a woman having an affair with her husband’s servant before the wedding?”

“And even if you’re banished or executed because of it?”

She would’ve preferred if he just teased her again.

Accuse her of having a crush. Ask when it started.

If everything he did was just an elaborate prank—

‘At least then, I’d only have to deal with hurt pride.’

Which would be incredibly annoying, yes. But tolerable.

‘That would be easier to handle…’

But Karl’s reaction veered off completely from her expectations.

“……”

“……”

What was with that look?

‘He looks like he’s never even considered that might be a problem.’

Like it was the first time the thought had occurred to him.

Elaine’s heart dropped like she’d swallowed a block of ice.

‘Wasn’t he the one who warned me to avoid scandal, over and over?’

Did he not actually care about their situation?

‘No way… right?’

Honestly, she’d rather he just made fun of her. This—this was far worse.

Her mood was rapidly souring.

Karl, noticing her expression, seemed to snap out of it and opened his mouth.

“What I meant was—”

But Elaine didn’t want to hear it anymore.

“You know what? I have my position too.”

“You were right. I can’t just flirt with anyone. I have to avoid scandal—especially with the monster hunter stuck at my side all the time.”

Her heart pounded—but not in a good way.

It was his face.

His calm, unaffected expression. It made all her fears feel petty.

At that moment—

Slide.

“…?”

Karl’s hand gently touched her forehead.

A ridiculously soft gesture.

‘Now what is this…?’

When she looked up in confusion, Karl was frozen—as if he hadn’t meant to do it either.

“What are you doing?”

Smack. She brushed his hand away.

His eyes flickered with a startled tremble.

But this time, Elaine refused to be swayed.

“I asked, what was that?”

“You said your forehead would wrinkle. That was you, Elaine.”

“I’m not in the mood for jokes right now.”

This bastard. Her anger doubled.

“It’s funny. I’ve been worrying, seriously thinking things through… but you? Looks like you haven’t thought at all.”

“……”

“You were just toying with me from the start, weren’t you?”

“That’s not true.”

Karl’s firm voice cut her off.

He reached toward her again but hesitated.

Then slowly began to speak.

“If my words upset you… I apologize.”

“Well, of course you should apol—wait, what?”

She blinked.

Of all people, she hadn’t expected Karl to apologize sincerely.

It startled her enough to interrupt her anger.

Seeing her stunned expression, Karl gave a wry smile.

“I can apologize too, you know.”

“….”

“Just like Elaine can say thank you.”

“Why bring that up now…?”

“In any case, I didn’t mean it like that.”

He paused for a moment, seeming to consider his next words carefully.

“I just… didn’t realize you were so worried about those rumors.”

“Don’t joke. I only started worrying because you kept pointing them out.”

“Then that was my mistake.”

He admitted it without hesitation.

His lips parted and closed several times—as if he were struggling with something.

‘What is he trying to say?’

Finally, Karl spoke again.

“You don’t have to worry about anything like that.”

Thump.

Elaine’s heart dropped.

Her mind went blank, as if wiped clean.

She came to her senses a second later.

Wait. That meant—

‘He drew the line.’

That those kinds of things would never happen.

That nothing she was imagining would come true.

‘Because we’re…’

…nothing to each other?

And then—like a tidal wave—came the confusion.

‘Wait a minute…!’

Had she just been deluding herself this whole time?

Had she really believed something was happening?

Was it just her inexperience, her first taste of emotion, leading her astray?

Elaine stared blankly at Karl’s face. It hadn’t changed.

He looked like someone watching a person who had completely misunderstood.

The realization knocked the wind out of her.

‘So that night… it was all just in my head.’

She was overwhelmed by bitter self-deprecation.

‘Right. What was I thinking…’

To believe she could be the kind of person who could fall in love and be loved.

That the first person to ever make her heart flutter could mean something.

‘As if my will even matters…’

And just as all those careful little emotional dominoes inside her began to fall—

“Elaine.”

Karl reached out and pressed her cheek gently.

As if to pull her back from drowning in her own thoughts.

His fingers trembled ever so slightly, like he feared she might slap them away again.

“Looks like there was a misunderstanding.”

“…?”

“So when I said you didn’t have to worry—what I meant was…”