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Chapter 09
As I thought, he had heard. Judging by his reaction when he first saw me, I figured he must have overheard our conversation. Even so, I still had a glimmer of hope, but it was all for naught.
How did this happen? I only mentioned Lyxion’s name at the very beginning of our conversation, and I didn’t mention it at all after that. How did he know I had asked him to investigate his background? Surely, he wasn’t standing outside this door since before I entered the room.
Did the guild master truly not know about this? Or are the two of them in cahoots? Come to think of it, the only time the information guild Setra was mentioned in the original novel was when Lyxion brought it up. Why did I forget about that…?
‘So, am I the only one who’s in the dark here?’
I’m looking down slightly, racking my brain, when Lyxion’s hand slowly reaches out towards me. The moment I notice it, I instinctively take a step back in alarm, and at the same time, the guild master suddenly steps between Lyxion Luhanes and me.
“I apologize for not greeting you outside, Your Grace. Had I known you were coming, I would have gone out to meet you.”
The way he rushes forward and hurriedly places himself between us makes it seem like he’s worried that the Duke might grab me and crush me. Fortunately, it seems they aren’t actually working together, because the guild master stands before me like a shield, signaling for me to step back.
I obediently take two small steps back as instructed. And I get ready to dodge out of the way at a moment’s notice. The original novel never explicitly mentioned Lyxion striking a woman, but when a person goes mad, who knows what they might do?
“Move.”
The voice that addresses me is chillingly different from the one he used before. My body instinctively senses danger, and goosebumps erupt all over my skin.
“…Your Grace.”
“Don’t make me say it twice, Wion.”
So, the guild master of Setra’s name is Wion. I’m just now learning this. His name wasn’t mentioned directly in the original novel, only the guild master of Setra.
‘As I thought, they’ve known each other for a while.’
The atmosphere is deadly, but the fact that Lyxion is comfortable enough to call him by name means that they must have known each other for quite some time.
‘Come to think of it, I think Lyxion was investigating something through the information guild under the Emperor’s orders.’
I belatedly try to recall the contents of the original novel, my eyes darting around anxiously. Since I had focused on the emotional development between the female and male leads rather than the overall plot or events, my memory is a bit hazy.
I remember every little detail, down to when Eunha and Lyxion fell in love with each other, how their feelings for each other gradually deepened, what they talked about, ate, and did when they went to the festival together, and so on.
But I skimmed over the events that weren’t closely related to the two leads’ love line, and now I regret it.
Meanwhile, the guild master, Wion, steps aside, his face pale with fear. As Wion steps away, I am once again fully exposed to Lyxion’s gaze. Now that the flimsy shield has been removed and I am face to face with Lyxion’s, my mind races.
…Surely, he won’t actually hit me, right?
My brother wouldn’t just stand there and watch, would he? Oh, but this guy is practically a human weapon. What if he ends up hurting my brother instead? Ah, no way. Surely, he wouldn’t go that far, even if he’s angry with me. He might be his brother-in-law, after all. But then again, this is a man who could destroy the entire empire if he wanted to.
Hmm, maybe I should just apologize and beg for his forgiveness? But then again, what if he thinks I’m being insincere?
“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll get out of my way.”
His expressionless eyes stare at Wion as he speaks. The man who had been gauging Lyxion’s mood looks at me with anxious eyes.
No, don’t leave me alone with him!
I look into his eyes with an expression of desperation, but Wion quickly averts his gaze and rushes out of the room. He even slams the door shut behind him.
That treacherous man, he abandoned me to save his own skin.
I glared in the direction the man had disappeared, my emotions laden with resentment, when a large hand came up and blocked my view.
“You should be looking this way now.”
* * *
…Yes, well. That’s true.
I lowered my gaze with a look of mock remorse. It was an expression I often used when I was being scolded by Michael, and I hoped it would work here.
There was some distance between us since I had taken a few steps back from him.
Lyxion closed the distance with a single step towards me.
I instinctively flinched and took another step back, but stopped myself just in time.
Lyxion wasn’t stupid enough not to notice that I was trying to avoid him.
When he saw me freeze in fear, he stopped approaching and smiled gently.
“Why are you so tense? Do you think I’m angry?”
His smiling face, as if he wanted me to know that he was harmless, had a very gentle expression.
However, since it was him, it looked to me like a predator’s trap to lure in its prey.
“I’m not angry. I don’t mind that Lady Kristenner tried to hire him to investigate me, or that you lied about being sick to turn down my date request.”
I’m sorry, but are you really not angry? Why does it sound like ‘How can I tame you?’ to me? Is it just me….
I wiped the sweat from my palms on my skirt as I watched him calmly list my offenses with an innocent expression.
“Uh, well. That is…”
How am I supposed to make an excuse?
Lyxion hadn’t asked me to explain myself or demanded an explanation.
However, I couldn’t just pretend that nothing had happened and ignore it.
I had to say something, whether it was an excuse or an apology.
What should I start with? An apology for trying to investigate him behind his back? Or an excuse? Like I liked him so much that I wanted to know more about him?
No. It’s no use pretending to like him now that I’ve lied about being sick to turn down his date request. So I should start with an apology? If he asks me why I tried to investigate him, what should I say? Should I tell him the truth?
What if that makes him even angrier or gives him an unnecessary interest in me?
Oh, this is dangerous…
That was when I realized.
I had a very bad habit.
It was a bad habit of losing my temper and lashing out like a cornered hamster that had lost its fear and was attacking a cat when I was overwhelmed and couldn’t think straight.
I’ve been scolded by Michael for over an hour when I should have been scolded for only 30 minutes because of this habit.
I know it, I definitely know it….
“I’ll just be blunt.”
Things kept going in a direction I didn’t want them to, shattering my small and precious dream of living like the dust floating in the air, eating and drinking well within the walls of Kristenner Manor.
My patience was wearing thin.
Something was going wrong. The amount of space that Elizabeth occupied in the original story, ‘The Saintess of Erendel’, was increasing more and more.
This was definitely not what I want.
This wasn’t the time to worry about Michael’s nagging and criticism.
I didn’t want to be afraid of Lyxion’s intentions and be swayed back and forth anymore.
Waiting for him to lose interest in me wasn’t enough. It seemed like I had to cut him off myself.
I raised my gaze with a hardened expression.
When I suddenly made eye contact with him after avoiding his gaze the whole time, a strange light flickered in Lyxion’s eyes.
I tried to pass it off as my imagination, the curiosity in his blue eyes filled with interest in a strange creature, and took a deep breath.
“I would like to sincerely apologize for pretending to be interested in Your Grace at the arranged meeting, lying about having other plans when you suggested a boat ride, and trying to secretly hire someone to investigate you. I am so sorry.”
“Why?”
Lyxion asked calmly as if I had simply stated facts he already knew.
He didn’t seem particularly upset, and a faint smile was even playing on his lips.
Emboldened, I bluntly confessed the truth.
“My brother forced me to go to the arranged meeting. I have no desire to continue seeing Your Grace. That’s why I acted like I was interested in you at first. I thought that if I showed interest, you would find me annoying and not want to see me again. I had circumstances and wanted you to reject me first.”
I paused to catch my breath after blurting out my words. Then I continued with what I had left to say.
“The reason I tried to hire someone to investigate you was similar.”
