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chapter 11
Rudels and I continued walking toward the place where the distinguished members of the Ifin family were about to undergo their health checkups.
It was a slightly embarrassing situation.
“Employer?” I said.
“Huh? You know my name is Rudels, Therapist Iriel,” he replied.
He smiled brightly, trying to brush everything off with a grin.
But I didn’t have the mental bandwidth to let that slide.
Because right now, we were walking hand-in-hand in a way typical of romantic couples.
Why am I walking so naturally holding hands with my employer?
At first, I didn’t think it was strange. I just assumed it was fine. But the surrounding people—or rather, the beastmen nearby—stared at us with wide eyes.
I had thought it was some form of etiquette reserved for nobles, like the “First Lady” protocol, and didn’t realize it could be misinterpreted.
And when I came to my senses, I realized we weren’t just holding hands lightly—we were interlocking fingers. No wonder the staff couldn’t hide their gazes.
I forced a smile and looked at Rudels.
“Uh… maybe we should let go?”
He looked at me, surprised by my sudden comment.
“Why?”
“Well… holding hands like this… it doesn’t look good, you know?”
If word got out that the heir of the Ifin family was walking around the house holding hands with a witch, it would definitely cause trouble for Rudels. And I could already tell it would be problematic for me too!
Since bad rumors and scandals could damage one’s image, I voiced my concern.
“If we keep going like this, people might think it’s strange. I mean… I’m a witch…”
I tried to slide my fingers out of his interlocked ones. But Rudels gently held my hand tighter, preventing me from pulling away.
“Iriel. Who’s going to see us here?”
With a playful smile, he glanced around. His tall figure and flowing silver hair attracted the attention of the staff.
As if by agreement, everyone quickly averted their eyes and dispersed in all directions.
Rudels smiled knowingly and subtly nodded toward the empty surroundings.
“See? There’s no one here.”
Well… that’s because you chased them away using your authority, wasn’t it?
Still, seeing the empty space around us, I had no words. As he said, there was truly no one here.
“B-but! If word got out about this—”
“It’s not wrong, is it? We’re not committing a crime. I’m just being polite. Who can say anything against that?”
What? What did he just say?
I stared at him in disbelief. His sly expression and tone made me speechless.
“Of course, it’s not wrong, but… it could ruin our image!”
“I don’t care about my image, Iriel.”
He gently patted my head.
“I really don’t care about trivial things like that. And who would dare do something ridiculous to Rudels Ifin anyway? That’s just too bold.”
He flashed his blue eyes at me, a mix of boredom over something trivial and a curious interest.
“So don’t worry about others. These things fade quickly anyway.”
He lifted our interlocked hands and asked again, almost teasingly.
“So… can we do this?”
His logical reasoning almost made me nod.
Ah, no! I can’t give in now!
I shook my head repeatedly, trying to summon the last bit of conscience I had.
“N-no! We can’t do this!”
Rudels pouted, cheeks puffed, and lips pursed in mock disappointment.
“Why not? No one’s watching, no rumors will spread, right?”
He looked at me with genuine confusion. This man still didn’t understand what the problem was!
The thought made me flush in panic. Being interlocked like this is practically a romantic gesture, isn’t it?
Does that not apply here? No, that can’t be…
I stared at him blankly in confusion. Usually, this kind of physical closeness is reserved for very intimate relationships, not even always between family!
Flustered, I stammered.
“Thank you for guiding me by the hand, but… this is the kind of thing lovers do! So, with someone you like! And… if someone did this, how sad would their future partner be?”
He muttered under his breath.
“…not at all.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing. So you’re saying holding hands like this is something lovers should do?”
“Uh… yes?”
“Hmm… then.”
He released his interlocked fingers, gently wrapped his hand around mine, and asked.
“Like this, then?”
He looked at me as if seeking praise. His sparkling face… no, not like a dog!
He didn’t understand me at all!
With his dazzlingly beautiful face, he held my hand tightly so we wouldn’t separate.
I had to make a choice: reject him or accept it. It wasn’t that I disliked it—on the contrary, it calmed me.
But I couldn’t find a logical reason for it. I couldn’t assess it rationally or systematically.
One thing was certain:
Rudels’ gesture gave me courage to move forward.
At the same time, it could attract attention and gossip. Even small actions could be magnified into rumors—the unavoidable weight of being in a high position.
I just hoped Rudels wouldn’t get hurt because of this.
I lifted my gaze to his face. He patiently waited, a faint smile on his lips.
Seeing his pure smile and then our joined hands, I finally spoke.
“Then… just here…”
Blushing, I couldn’t look at him directly and spoke softly to the side.
He smiled warmly.
“Alright. Just here, like this.”
