Chapter 213: The Arrogant Duke
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 213: The Arrogant Duke
He didn't want to cause a scene?
In your dreams!
With a scream, I shoved the man’s chest as hard as I could.
At that exact moment, a burst of light erupted from my palm and shot toward him.
Wait, what?
"Urgh!"
The man hurriedly crossed his arms over his chest, but he was sent flying back toward the wall where the door stood.
With a deafening crash, he slammed into the door and crumpled to the floor. A clean, circular hole had been gouged right out of the center of the wood.
...I didn't mean to do that.
Cold sweat trickled down my spine at the sight of the unexpected magical blast.
"W-what on earth...!"
The fallen man scrambled to his feet. Splinters and debris from the shattered door rained off his body.
"A-are you alright?"
At my question, he looked at me with a bewildered expression.
Almost instantly, people came rushing toward the noise. The staff began screaming the moment they saw the hole in the door. Then, with a roar from Norton, the knights kicked the remains of the door aside and stormed in.
While the knights kept the man at bay, Norton rushed to my side.
"I'm fine."
I reached out and pointed at the man.
"Some pervert snuck in while I was changing."
"A pervert?! I—!"
The man opened his mouth to protest, but he fell silent the moment his eyes met Norton's.
Norton’s brow furrowed as he recognized the man’s face. A complex, silent exchange passed between the two.
What was this? I had intentionally caused a scene because he looked suspicious. Did I overstep?
"Why? Do you know him?" I whispered.
Norton faltered, looking troubled. "Well..."
"Well? Who is he?"
Norton rubbed the back of his neck, unable to find the words. Just as I was about to press him further, Madame Ramondria and the Countess, who had been delayed by the commotion, entered the room.
The Madame’s eyes shook violently as she took in the destroyed door. "Good heavens, what happened here?"
Then, the Countess’s eyes went wide as she spotted the intruder.
"Duke Kyle?"
Wait, Duke Kyle?
At those unexpected words, I whipped my head around to look at the man again.
How stupid of me. Why didn't I recognize him immediately?
A face like that was never going to belong to a mere extra.
Pale blonde hair and deep blue eyes. The male lead of the original novel, Duke Adrian Kyle, was standing right in front of me.
*
I sat across from Duke Kyle in a parlor the Madame had hastily prepared.
Of course, we weren't alone. Norton and the other knights stood behind me, glaring daggers at the Duke. Despite the hostile atmosphere, Duke Kyle sat there with a perfectly composed expression.
I pretended to look at my teacup while stealing glances at his face, which I hadn't been able to examine closely before.
It really is strange.
The original male lead was right here in front of me. The man Annette had chased so relentlessly, even while enduring countless humiliations.
He’s definitely handsome, but...
Was he really worth throwing one's life away for?
My Loik had beautiful black hair, perfectly shaped eyebrows, eyes that sparkled like obsidian, a sharp nose, and lips that looked so delici—
Anyway, no matter how you looked at it, the Grand Duke of Blenheim was far superior to Duke Kyle.
I clicked my tongue inwardly at Annette’s poor taste.
"First, I must apologize for my rudeness," Duke Kyle said, bowing his head politely.
"I... I should apologize as well," I replied, maintaining my etiquette. It was an apology for slamming a Duke into a door, after all. "I was so startled that I suppose I put too much strength into my hands."
It was a ridiculous excuse, but Duke Kyle didn't seem particularly surprised.
"I am aware that there is a mage in Blenheim."
He seemed to think I was wearing some kind of defensive magic tool.
"Are you injured anywhere?"
"I don't get injured by something like that." Duke Kyle smirked. "I am a Sword Master, after all."
Oh? Look at him smiling.
He seemed to have regained his composure. His overall aura of arrogance was similar to Ferdin’s, but he was far more self-assured. For some reason, I found myself liking him less and less.
"I accept your apology, Duke."
"However," I continued, "setting the apology aside, I would like to know why you snuck into a room where a lady was changing. I assume you had a very grave and unavoidable reason?"
At that, Duke Kyle looked away slightly. "I simply wished to speak with you quietly. I had no other intentions."
"Did you say 'quietly'?" I felt one corner of my mouth curl up. "Usually, in a situation like that, anyone would scream."
"Perhaps, if we were strangers," Duke Kyle said, leaning forward from the back of the sofa. "May I ask you something as well?"
"Go ahead."
"As far as I know, we have met before." He covered his mouth with his hand. "I’d like to know why you’re pretending not to know me. Do you perhaps have a grave and unavoidable reason of your own?"
I could see the smirk hidden behind his fingers.
Internally, I flinched. To me, this was our first meeting, but the original Annette had met him before.
"I anticipated several different reactions to our meeting, but..." Duke Kyle let out a short laugh as our eyes met. "I never imagined you would pretend not to know me at all."
It finally made sense why he had been bold enough to hide in the dressing room. Since they weren't strangers—and since she was a woman who had once been infatuated with him—he must have assumed she would comply with his request for a conversation.
The original Annette probably would have.
Seeing a woman who was rumored to be head-over-heels for him acting like he was a total stranger seemed to have caught him off guard.
His pride probably took a bit of a hit, too.
But what did that have to do with me? I gave him a bright, radiant smile.
"Have we met before? I’ve completely forgotten."
"Completely...?"
"I’m usually quite good with faces, so this is strange."
One of the knights behind me let out a muffled snort.
"More importantly," I added, "I never received word that Duke Kyle was visiting the Blenheim estate."
Even at my pointed remark, Duke Kyle didn't look the least bit guilty.
"What brings you to the North?"
He kept his gaze fixed on me. "I heard rumors that someone in the North went out of their way to humiliate the Saintess."
"...Is that so?"
"As a believer, it would be wrong to stand by while someone who upholds the Goddess's will is insulted."
"It’s also wrong to enter another person’s territory without permission, don't you think?"
"To be honest, I am not of a status that requires permission," Duke Kyle said, tilting his head slightly. "I simply wished to avoid making a scene."
"If you wanted to avoid a scene, you didn't need to peek at the Grand Duchess changing her clothes. For your information, the Saintess is currently at the Pogen Temple."
"I originally intended to just pass through, but..." His long fingers tapped rhythmically on the armrest. "I happened to hear that Her Highness the Consort was visiting the boutique."
A faint smile played on Duke Kyle’s lips.
"To be honest, I grew curious."
The knights behind me began to huff with indignation.
"I wondered just what kind of person the Grand Duchess of Blenheim was to have put the clever Saintess in such a predicament."
His gaze slowly swept over me from head to toe.
"You don't seem like the person I met at the Temple back then," Duke Kyle said, his eyes narrowing. "So, I simply wanted to have a chat."
Just as he was tilting his chin up with practiced arrogance, the door burst open with enough force to nearly shatter it.
Loik stepped into the room, radiating a palpable sense of killing intent.
As I stood up, Loik walked straight toward me. The knights standing behind me all took a synchronized step back.
Loik placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine."
"You must have been very startled. Are you truly alright?"
I nodded. I had expected him to be furious and explosive, but instead, he checked on me with a calm, soft voice.
Loik leaned down and whispered into my ear. "Did anything unpleasant or uncomfortable happen?"
"Fortunately, he came in after I was already dressed."
At those words, the veins in Loik’s neck bulged with tension. He gave a low response and gently stroked my cheek.
When he turned his sharp gaze toward the knights, they all hurriedly bowed their heads. The sound of Norton swallowing hard was clearly audible in the silence.
After staring at the knights for a moment, Loik finally turned his attention to Duke Kyle.
"Duke Kyle," Loik said, his voice devoid of emotion.
"As of this moment, you are detained in the Grand Duke's Castle on charges of identity forgery."