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Chapter 05
The guard stood there with his mouth hanging open in shock.
Lucy was just as stunned.
‘He’s really this bluntly rude?’
Well… it was true that, aside from the heroine, he treated everyone like dirt.
Seeing it in person really drove home what kind of man he was.
…But even so, this situation looks suspicious no matter how you look at it.
‘Why is he helping me?’
Knowing just how awful the male lead’s personality was only made her more anxious.
Just as Lucy unconsciously clenched her fists…
“Hmm.”
A low chuckle rumbled from inside the duke’s helmet.
Edward slowly tilted his helmet toward the guard.
For a moment, the movement looked oddly innocent despite his massive frame.
“You look young.”
“Y-Yes, sir! I only enlisted recently—”
“But at your age, are your ears already clogged?”
“…”
“How pitiful.”
“Should I clear them out for you myself?”
As he spoke, Edward casually rested a hand on the sword at his waist.
As if he genuinely intended to help.
“Having the Dragon Incarnation personally clean your ears.”
“You should consider it an honor for your family.”
He even managed to sound unbelievably narcissistic while saying it.
Shing.
The thin sword slowly slid from its sheath.
“Hii!”
The horrified guard hiccupped and staggered backward.
Lucy stared in amazement.
‘So this is where the male lead’s horrible personality comes in handy…’
Against other people.
Go! Beat him!
Though there was hardly any need to cheer.
A mere temple guard versus the continent’s only Dragon Incarnation, the Duke, the Savior, and every other grand title imaginable.
The winner had been decided from the start.
“I-I apologize for my disrespect…”
“As long as you understand.”
“…”
“Go see a physician immediately.”
“And have your hearing checked.”
“…I will remember that.”
The guard lowered his head and retreated at incredible speed.
“Hm.”
Apparently satisfied, Edward resumed walking.
Still nestled quietly in his arms, Lucy cautiously peeked up at him.
Their eyes met.
Those blazing crimson eyes stared straight down at her.
‘Whoa…’
She immediately looked away, cold sweat trickling down her back.
If she kept making eye contact, he might decide to grant her the glorious honor of personally removing her eyes next.
‘I don’t know why he’s helping me…’
‘But if I stay perfectly still, make myself as inconspicuous as possible, and escape later—’
“Name.”
“…”
‘—That was the plan.’
“…Mine?”
“Do I need to ask twice?”
“L-Lucy! My name is Luciana!”
The moment she answered promptly, another satisfied hum echoed from inside the helmet.
It sounded remarkably like a contented cat purring.
A cat?
The comparison didn’t suit someone this enormous at all.
Yet somehow, that was exactly what came to mind.
“Why were you there?”
“Well…”
“Then again.”
“I suppose it doesn’t matter.”
What doesn’t matter?
‘Because he’s going to kill me or hand me back to the temple anyway?’
His impossible-to-read responses made Lucy’s head spin.
‘He saved me just now…’
‘But who knows what he’ll do if he gets annoyed.’
‘This is a man who’s only kind to the heroine. Everyone else gets treated like dogs.’
Even though, in the original story, he barely got to meet the real heroine at all.
With someone like him, how irritating must her very existence be?
One wrong answer, and she might find herself on the road to the afterlife.
‘Think, Lucy. Think.’
As she struggled to hold together both her collapsing stamina and her fading consciousness…
Edward quietly studied the little mouse caught in his arms.
Truthfully…
He was in an exceptionally good mood.
‘How long has it been since I felt this refreshed?’
The pounding headache had subsided.
The violent power raging through him had calmed.
Even his disposition felt unusually generous.
Normally, he would have simply knocked that guard aside.
Instead, he’d graciously offered to “clear his ears” before sending him away.
‘What exactly is she?’
The temple had rung the emergency bell and mobilized people to search for her.
She had obviously escaped desperately.
More importantly…
The sensation when she touched him.
‘She must be quite an important test subject.’
Edward narrowed his eyes behind the helmet.
The moment he tightened his arm around Lucy’s waist—
“Hic!”
“…”
The tiny girl let out a startled squeak before looking up at him with darting eyes.
For an instant…
He thought her black eyes sparkled strangely.
“…Y-You’re Duke Edward, aren’t you?”
“…”
“The Empire’s only Golden Dragon Incarnation, the slayer of monsters, the continent’s savior…”
“So?”
“I’ve come to bring you good news.”
It sounded exactly like something a cult recruiter would say.
But Lucy had reached a conclusion.
‘Flatter him. Survive first.’
If the male lead abandoned her now, the temple would simply recapture her.
And if he personally handed her over…
That was even worse.
So there was only one option.
‘Take the initiative.’
She had to make him keep her with him somehow.
‘I’m not asking for much.’
At least take me outside the temple.
If possible, outside the capital.
‘The Duke’s estate is in the North.’
If she could simply tag along until they reached the North…
‘I’d finally be outside the temple’s sphere of influence.’
The moment she realized that…
Her survival instincts shifted into overdrive.
“Lately, you’ve been suffering from headaches and body aches, haven’t you?”
“Hm.”
“When you receive purification, instead of calming down, the miasma becomes even more violent.”
“Hmm.”
“And that’s why you’ve been acting like a complete jer—”
She caught herself.
“—I mean… you’ve been rather irritable.”
“Hmmm.”
Lucy beamed up at him.
“You’ve come to exactly the right person.”
“Weren’t you the one who came to me?”
“It’s fate! I happen to know the answer!”
“Haha!”
The more she talked, the more she sounded like a con artist selling miracle heating mats.
But she’d already started.
Backing down now would only make things more suspicious.
“Parasite. You really didn’t steal the bread?”
“Of course not. Where would you find a more honest parasite than me?”
“Hmm…”
“You’ve been under a lot of stress lately, haven’t you? Want a shoulder massage?”
Lucy remembered her days in the shelter.
If you’re going to bluff… commit to it all the way.
Getting caught stealing rations meant getting beaten half to death before being thrown out.
“Here. Stop standing around and eat.”
“Thank you, Sis…”
“If you’re thankful, pray my sisters come home safely.”
She used to secretly share the food she’d stolen with children who were in situations like hers.
‘Not exactly useful right now.’
Shaking those memories away, Lucy deliberately put on a shameless smile.
Fighting off the dizziness threatening to knock her unconscious, she declared,
“It seems you still haven’t found your benefactor.”
“My benefactor?”
“The one who will lovingly protect Your Grace from those who oppose you…”
“…”
“…comfort you while sacrificing their own sleep…”
“…”
“…your perfect other half…”
“So…”
“My other half?”
“Exactly!”
“As expected of Your Grace—you figured it out immediately—”
“So you’re just saying I’m only half a man because I don’t have a mate.”
If his helmet hadn’t been hiding his face, Lucy was certain he’d be wearing a crooked grin.
‘Ugh… terrifying.’
Still, she couldn’t retreat now.
“Haha! But don’t worry!”
“I’ll help you find your true mate—”
“I was under the impression my mate had already been decided.”
There it is.
‘My lifeline!’
Lucy took a deep breath and declared confidently,
“Master, that woman is a fake!”
Edward froze.
Lucy nodded emphatically.
Then she patted his armored arm reassuringly.
“You believe it’s Miss Sepina, don’t you?”
“But even after receiving her purification, you’ve never truly felt better.”
“Exactly.”
“The temple insists over and over that Miss Sepina is your true mate…”
“But in reality—”
“What did you just say?”
“Hm?”
“The shocking part? Yes, I understand. Miss Sepina is actually a fa—”
“Before that.”
“…What?”
Caught off guard, Lucy blinked.
Before that…?
What did I say?
‘Let’s see…’
“…Master, that woman is a fake?”
“‘Master,’ was it?”
The crimson eyes visible through the helmet curved with unmistakable amusement.
“So…”
“Does that mean you belong to me now?”
