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Chapter 36
“Isn’t it my job to find the right person for that?”
His voice was full of confidence.
As if he could summon a man who met all these difficult conditions right in front of me at this very moment.
Yulan clearly possessed remarkable abilities.
Still, finding a commoner bold enough not to tremble in front of the Duke of Martyr, rather than just any ordinary noble, wouldn’t be easy for anyone—even him.
So, I looked at Yulan with a slightly suspicious gaze.
He noticed it instantly and gave a sly smile.
“If you’re that doubtful, want to come with me and see for yourself?”
“…See what?”
“The candidates for your lover.”
My brow naturally furrowed at his answer.
It wasn’t so much that I was upset as I simply couldn’t comprehend it.
It wasn’t that he was planning to find them gradually—he had apparently already organized a mental list of numerous candidates to call them ‘candidates’ already.
Whether this was just bravado or genuine confidence, I couldn’t tell—at least not here.
“Can you be back soon?”
“At least before the cute guests upstairs notice.”
“…Alright, then.”
The cute guests he mentioned surely meant Sona and Sena.
If there was no risk of secrets leaking, a brief adventure was worth enjoying.
Even if someone didn’t perfectly meet the conditions, the more time you had to prepare, the exponentially higher the chances of success.
Yulan likely knew this too, which was why he suggested taking some risk and moving forward.
Hiding my slightly trembling heart, I confidently extended my hand.
Yulan’s eyes widened slightly, then narrowed again.
“Milady, may I escort you?”
“I’ll give you special permission, Your Highness.”
Holding my hand, he lightly kissed the back of it and then pulled me up from my seat.
He led me to a narrow space beyond the row of hangers outside the sofa.
Lifting the soft carpet with my toes revealed a hidden secret door beneath.
“So that’s how you got to the costume room so quickly…”
“Many magical tricks are surprisingly simple when you know them.”
“But your guild is quite a distance from here. If you walked, time would be tight.”
“Better to see it with your own eyes, Milady. It’ll explain itself faster.”
Yulan opened the secret door and briefly scanned me from head to toe.
“Milady, excuse me for a moment.”
“Huh? What are you—!”
Before I could finish, his hand moved first.
In an instant, I was lifted into his arms, without even having time to scream.
The only thing under my feet was air.
I lost my balance and instinctively hugged him closer.
“Wh-why all of a sudden?!”
“Ah. I can’t let dirty stairs touch your precious feet, after all.”
“When did you start caring about something like that?”
“Hmm… from now?”
It was an obvious lie to anyone.
The real reason was surely something else, but it was clear he had no intention of letting me walk through the secret passage on my own.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have held me like this multiple times, completely enveloping me in his arms.
With every step Yulan took, my cheek rubbed against the rough folds of his clothes.
Thump, thump, thump.
His slow heartbeat resonated through my body.
And the faint scent of cedarwood tickling my nose—how could I forget?
The scent had enveloped me the night we spent together, leaving my mind dizzy.
Remembering how my voice had been unusually strained made my neck heat up.
My face must have been red enough to rival a fully ripe apple.
Not wanting him to notice, I buried my face deeper into his chest.
Fortunately, Yulan seemed to interpret my reaction differently.
“Such a delicate lady would find this place unpleasant, wouldn’t you?”
His lightly rising chest made my face even hotter each time he spoke.
So I couldn’t answer, only hugging him tighter.
If he saw my face now, it could lead to unwanted misunderstandings.
“…When will we arrive?”
“Soon. Just hold on a little, Milady. If the smell is unbearable, you can bury your nose in my neck.”
“You’re asking me to harass you?”
“You liked it too, didn’t you? Don’t pretend otherwise now.”
“Liked it… how…!”
My protest was cut off by being pressed further into his chest.
I tried to pull my head away, but I couldn’t overcome the pressure of his neck holding me.
Every breath filled my lungs with his scent.
Time passed without me noticing the dampness, dustiness, or mustiness of the underground passage floor, and only then was I able to step properly on the ground.
He firmly held my wobbly waist and whispered into my ear.
“It’s been a while since you’ve been here. Not happy to be back?”
“No, not at all.”
At my firm answer, Yulan chuckled softly.
“It was a nice place in its own way… aren’t you too cold about it?”
His hand lightly hovered over my flat stomach as he spoke.
But I still had no intention of changing my answer.
For good reason.
“The place I had a good time in wasn’t here. Do you think I’m a fool?”
“…Hmm. How do you know it wasn’t?”
I couldn’t help but be exasperated at his insistence on pushing the point.
This place was indeed decorated almost identically to the guild building where I first met Yulan.
The wallpaper pattern, the grain of the floor, even the tiny scratches on the window were the same.
‘Probably, he was worried that the people being threatened when we first met might have escaped. If found out, he’d abandon this place and move to the next building.’
I realized again that Yulan was an extremely dangerous man.
He probably had several—or even dozens—of secondary houses running.
Thinking about this made me question whether I should even point out the flaws I found.
As I tried to avoid answering and glanced away, he spoke.
“Milady, you followed me here willingly to ask for my help. Remember that properly.”
“…Yes.”
Indeed.
I was the one in desperate need of help, not him.
Even a few minor flaws were something I should eagerly report.
Suppressing a sigh, I pointed at the ceiling.
Specifically, at the chandelier hanging there.
“The gems on the second tier of the chandelier… those are aquamarines.”
“Ah?”
“The chandelier where we first met… had…”
“…emeralds, yes.”
He nodded instead of answering verbally.
I remembered thinking it was in bad taste when I first saw it.
Embedding hard-to-maintain emeralds next to candles—there was no way to view that favorably.
Simply put, it was a display of extravagance, nothing more.
“Seems this place isn’t so particular? Otherwise, such daring embezzlement would be hard to pull off.”
“Well… let’s say that’s the case.”
His words slowed, and his green eyes darkened.
Not wanting to provoke him, I quickly changed the subject.
“I’ll leave this matter to you… but where exactly are my lover candidates here?”
