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CHAPTER 38
Of course, Delbaton wasn’t unafraid of the monster. Naturally cowardly, he’d never had the guts to stand up to the previous Duke, so he kept his head down.
Recently, he’d grown suspicious of Morgan’s unusual behavior and began investigating him—only to accidentally discover that Noel Veloci was actually a cat.
If not for that fact, he wouldn’t have even thought about planning a rebellion. But the dumb followers didn’t need to know that detail.
“I tortured Morgan until he spilled everything! The Duke’s hiding in the basement! He’s probably shaking and pissing himself down there! Hahaha!”
He was half right.
Noel had dragged his trembling legs and run to the basement.
The fireplace that Morgan used to feed logs into had grown cold.
Just like him. Left behind in a world without Morgan, with nothing left to burn, his fire had died out.
But ironically, on that very day, in that very place… Noel returned to his human form.
‘Even if it was only for half a day…’
In the dining hall of Droche Castle, now quiet and empty, Noel thought back.
Thanks to Riana, he’d become human again that day and managed to evacuate Morgan’s remaining followers.
After that, he fought to reclaim the castle from Delbaton. To keep his human form, he kept going back to Riana and feeding on her light.
Then this fall, after the castle had been reclaimed and the family somewhat restored, he was finally able to formally request a meeting with Riana.
But now, Noel couldn’t continue eating. He left the dining hall.
“How was the meal?”
Coincidentally—or maybe not—a relative showed up in the hallway and spoke to him.
Killian Droche. From the way he naturally had a secretary and butler trailing behind him to his neat yet commanding presence, he looked every bit the head of a ducal household.
They were technically related by blood, but in reality, they were worlds apart.
‘I think the last time we met before the banquet… was over ten years ago.’
Still, his confident personality and bold attitude hadn’t changed one bit.
And asking such a loaded question right after seeing someone leave a meal with a woman—it was clear he was fishing for something.
“I’m sorry. The food was excellent, but the company was lacking.”
Thinking of the untouched food, Noel asked that his apologies be passed to the head chef. Killian smiled with the perfect air of a host.
“Oh dear, I wonder what went wrong?”
“…It was my fault. No one else is to blame.”
Noel lowered his head. Killian chuckled quietly.
“I’m not blaming anyone. I just wondered if perhaps my maid made you uncomfortable.”
‘So he wants to hear about Riana.’
Noel had already heard plenty about how Killian Droche acted around Riana. From what he’d gathered, he acted pretty scandalously in front of her.
A small spark lit up in Noel’s chest.
“Miss Riana made no mistake. If there was a mistake, it was my hasty proposal.”
It wasn’t a formal proposal, but it had been formally rejected. So he wasn’t technically lying.
Killian’s fake smile disappeared. The surprise was clear in his blue eyes. Kim and Bastian’s reactions weren’t much different.
Satisfied with the result, Noel smoothly changed the subject.
“As you requested, Veloci will provide a port for trade between the Desert Kingdom and Eyailand. Of course, construction will be needed for Droche ships to dock. I’ll be returning to Veloci for a few days to discuss the matter with my retainers.”
Killian didn’t speak, keeping his narrowed gaze fixed on Noel. Noel added calmly,
“No need to send a carriage.”
With a nod, Noel turned and walked away.
Then he turned back into a cat and sprinted out of the castle on all fours. He wouldn’t be able to see Riana for a while, so he needed to conserve his strength.
There were many places he had to visit. Like he told Killian, he had to return to Veloci, but there was also somewhere he planned to visit in secret.
Saint Monet Clinic. The place where the prophetess Riana told him about was staying.
‘I hope she stays safe.’
Thinking of the Riana he was leaving behind, Noel wished silently.
Safe from Killian. Safe from everything.
Clack.
Kim quietly helped close Bastian’s dropped jaw.
Thanks to that, Bastian narrowly avoided the disgrace of drooling in front of the Duke—but he failed to hold back his loud exclamation.
“No way! Did everyone hear that?! The Duke of Veloci just said he proposed to Miss Riana—did I hear that right?! Please tell me I didn’t mishear…”
“You heard right.”
Kim cleared his throat and patted Bastian’s shoulder. Only then did Bastian look over at Killian’s expression—and quickly shut his mouth.
Killian stood frozen in place like a statue.
‘This feeling again…’
Thump. Thump. Heavy vibrations ran through his body.
He’d felt it from time to time ever since Riana came to the castle.
It was a strange sensation, but he recognized it. The feeling of betting everything on a gamble, something incredibly valuable at stake.
Even without holding a winning hand, that moment when you just know you’re going to win—and you jump in with everything you’ve got.
And what was the outcome every time?
An electrifying thrill he could never find in his boring, repetitive life.
‘So I can’t lose her.’
Just as that obsession to win over Riana’s heart began to grip him, the voices of his subordinates interrupted his thoughts.
“Of course Miss Riana will say yes, right? I mean, getting proposed to by your hometown’s lord—it’s kind of romantic, like a love poem, don’t you think?”
“No, no. Didn’t you hear the Duke of Veloci? He said it was too hasty. Miss Riana probably turned him down.”
“But if Miss Riana did marry the Duke of Veloci…”
Bastian trailed off, sensing the icy blue eyes staring at him, and quickly finished with a glance:
‘…then we wouldn’t have to worry about her falling for you, Duke.’
Kim immediately shook his head hard, gritting his teeth. His eyes shot back a response:
‘No! Then our Duke would become the scoundrel who tried to seduce his cousin’s wife!’
Now fully able to argue just through eye contact, Kim and Bastian followed after Killian while continuing their silent debate.
Killian, sharp as ever, caught enough of the back-and-forth to grasp what was going on.
‘Noel and Riana…’
His steps were slow, but heavy.
‘If they really get married…’
Setting aside his own feelings for her, the real issue was that his plans would fall apart.
He’d intended to seduce Riana, cause a scandal, and get her exiled from the country.
It was easy to get rid of a maid…
‘But getting rid of a duchess is a whole other story.’
Killian clenched his jaw. He had to make sure Riana and Noel never got married.
Meanwhile, Riana was clutching her loudly growling stomach as she made her way toward the maids’ quarters. For a winter afternoon, the sun was surprisingly bright.
—Are you satisfied now?
The cat’s voice echoed in her head as Riana quickened her pace.
Get out of my head, you traitor.
She was done with the cat. Done with “In Search of the Real Duchess”, and done with the Duke of Veloci too!
She still didn’t know what to call the connection between her and Noel Veloci. She hadn’t become the evil woman who wanted to steal the duchess’s seat, and she hadn’t married Noel either.
‘What I do know is, whatever that relationship was—it was a shackle.’
And that shackle was gone. Riana breathed in deeply and smelled freedom.
“Yeah, I’m satisfied. No more exhausting games of hide-and-seek.”
There were still landmines hidden here and there, but thanks to everything, Droche Castle was now more of a safe zone.
So maybe it was time to try something bold.
With that thought, she arrived at the maids’ quarters.
As she chewed on some bread, she asked Mrs. Baker,
“Is there a gym—or, well, a place where I can work out using equipment?”
Surprisingly not too busy, Mrs. Baker crunched on a leftover cabbage stem and replied,
“What for? You barely go outside.”
“I got permission now. I can go out without paperwork.”
“You want to exercise?”
Riana nodded.
“And what for?”
“Just—”
She wanted to get stronger.
She was lacking in every way—no background, no money, not even physical strength.
Being an orphan, she couldn’t do anything about the lack of background. Money—she was earning now. So what was left was strength.
She didn’t know how much longer she’d stay on the continent, but until she left for the island, she wanted to protect herself in this brutal romance-fantasy world.
But she couldn’t say all that, so Riana mumbled,
“—it’s just good to be healthy, right?”
“No need to go far. The knights’ training grounds are full of equipment.”
“…The knights’ grounds?”
But Gray’s there.
