“Look at this! This is what Tia made during Duke’s class!”
“Wow. Is it a piece depicting a corpse?”
“No, this is Tia and Mom…”
“Ah.”
“And this! This was drawn in art class…”
Boom boom!
I woke up to the loud noise.
My body felt strangely refreshed, but a headache hit me hard enough that I almost groaned without realizing it.
Instead of sitting up, I just slightly opened my eyes and turned my head.
There was Tia taking things out of her backpack and laying them out on the desk…
“Looks like you’re enjoying school life.”
I could also spot a man with a familiar voice and broad shoulders.
I definitely thought I had just dreamed.
The dream of crawling to hold onto the Duke, who was trying to leave again with my powerless body.
But who knew it would become reality.
I thought I would want to run up and grab him by the collar immediately upon seeing him again.
I thought I would want to get angry.
But strangely, I found myself having to hold back the tears that were bubbling up from deep within my chest.
An inexplicable sorrow continuously surged up, and I had to endure it.
“Mmm! It’s so much fun! I made a lot of friends at school, got a lot of stars, and also… also… Ah! There’s this boy named Nikolai, or maybe it’s Daengche! He’s been picking fights with me lately, and it’s so annoying! Mom says he does it because he likes me, but… why bother me if you like me? That doesn’t make sense!”
“Heh. That’s right. It shouldn’t be like that.”
“And in the same class, there’s a girl named Thuris who’s a demon! She’s huge! But she’s really gentle! So Tia takes care of her. She cries at the drop of a hat.”
“Good job, Tia. I’m sure she’s happy to play with you.”
Listening to the two of them talking made me feel strange.
Not so much a conversation as Tia excitedly overflowed with words while the Duke chimed in.
Still, the Duke was responding sincerely with a smile at each of Tia’s words.
I lost my ability to speak at that warm sight.
“Be a little more wicked.”
“Be tough to Tia and to me.”
“Only then can I hate you comfortably.”
“I can treat you as nothing but a bad person.”
“Why is this happening now…”
“Again! Again! Tia has more friends! Like Glitter and Zizi! Should I go get them now?”
“Let’s see them a bit later. I think your mother has woken up.”
“Really? Mom!”
“Ah…”
She had noticed.
Tia rushed over and jumped into my arms, forcing me to stop pretending to sleep.
I tightly embraced Tia’s head, which was rubbing against my chest, and glanced at the Duke.
He was standing awkwardly at a distance, avoiding my gaze.
“I was worried! They said to take cover because there was a lockdown at school! And when I came home, Mom had collapsed!”
“I’m sorry…”
I had nothing to do but apologize while stroking Tia’s head, who was crying vigorously.
After all, I had no idea what had happened…
I could remember going down to the basement in a daze at midnight, but from that point until now, there was no memory at all.
Ah. It’s not like there are none at all.
There were sporadic fragments of memories.
Like Leopard, who looked all tensed up as if about to jump at me, or the Duke, who was about to leave after staring at me with longing eyes.
However, all that remained were faint scenes, so I couldn’t tell if they were dreams or if they had really happened.
“Master. What happened…?!”
“Mom?”
The moment Tia detached from me.
As I tried to sit up, I was startled and quickly pulled the blanket over me, lying back on the bed.
Then, wondering if I had seen it wrong, I slightly lifted the blanket to peek inside.
I hadn’t been mistaken.
I was completely naked.
“Master!”
“It’s a misunderstanding! I didn’t take them off!”
Glaring at the Duke with a resentful look caused him to hurriedly start his explanations.
Who said you stripped me…?
This is always how the culprit gets flustered and makes a fuss.
Unable to drop my suspicious gaze, I asked Tia to bring me some clothes from our accommodation.
Tia dashed out, leaving just the Duke and me in the room.
“How did you carry me here?”
“I carried you in my arms while covering you with a blanket.”
“Did you see? You saw, didn’t you? What did you see?”
“Hey. I’ve seen you before, so why are you suddenly surprised.”
“What do you mean ‘you’ve seen’? I was dressed then!”
“Oh. Was that so…?”
Crazy bastard.
I was so angry that tears began to flow.
Thinking that I had once secretly missed such a guy made me feel like a fool.
I just wished he would go away again.
But before he explained what had happened…
I pulled the blanket up to my shoulders and sat up, doing my best to make my eyes serious.
With Tia gone, I could discuss sensitive topics.
“Master. May I ask for an explanation? What happened?”
“Ha…”
The Duke sighed deeply as he approached, looking troubled.
He had been watching from a distance all this time and had finally shown himself.
He certainly had something to say to me.
He must have come to explain the whole situation.
There wasn’t much time until Tia returned.
Understanding that, the Duke began explaining quickly without any hesitation.
“You know that the owner of your body was originally a Holy Maiden, right? Although the Holy Maiden’s soul has long been destroyed…”
To summarize that content roughly, it goes like this.
I went into the basement and suddenly became another person.
What happened was that a magical formation in the basement activated and resurrected the memories of the former Holy Maiden that had been left in my brain.
“The key is…”
“The key? What key?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
He was mentioning some key in the middle.
But since the Duke scooped it up again, I had no idea what he was talking about.
In any case, the explanation continued.
For some reason, the former Holy Maiden grew to hate everything in the world and decided to contract with the Evil God to destroy it all.
The Duke barely suppressed her as she was about to start destroying the Papal Office and sealed the memories of the former Holy Maiden again…
I decided to remain silent and listen until he finished.
However, my anger began to slowly boil over midway, and by the time the explanation ended, I eventually exploded.
“Wait a second! So you were watching everything I did last night?!”
“You’re getting angry about that?”
“Of course I am! Did you set up surveillance cameras at the villa? Is that it?!”
“No. I only watched with my eyes. I don’t borrow such tools.”
“How good are your eyes?!”
Damn fantasy nonsense.
How in the world could he observe everything I do?
That sight must be miraculous enough to pierce through walls!
“Did you just watch me that whole night?”
“No, I also watched Lady Julia and Tia…”
“Anyway! You don’t sleep at night?”
“Uh…”
“Ha! This is insane!”
He turned into a psycho stalker.
What is he doing without sleeping?
I had to fan my face for quite a while, trying to cool my flushed heat.
However, after a moment to calm down and think, I wondered if I could grant him some leniency due to the fact that he had been keeping an eye on Tia, protecting her from the assassin, and had returned my body from that senile old hag…
“I’m so angry; can I hit you just once?”
“If that would make you feel even a little better…”
“No! It won’t hurt anyway!”
Still not an option.
Not a chance for leniency.
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t forgive him.
“A pervert. So you’ve been watching me change clothes, go to the bathroom, everything?”
“I turn my eyes away during those times. Really.”
“How am I supposed to believe that?”
“Um… should I make a vow or something?”
“No need! I can’t even confirm if you’re keeping it anyway!”
“I sincerely apologize. I’m sorry. But please know that I had no malice in watching.”
“…”
The Duke bowed his head solemnly.
It was a formal apology.
I never imagined that I would see the Duke bowing to me in my lifetime…
I felt the reality that this person had truly changed.
As I remained silent, the Duke stayed frozen with his head bowed for a while.
Did he think I would forgive him for just this apology?
If that’s the case, then it’s truly a huge misunderstanding.
“If you’re a man… you should take responsibility…”
“Yes?”
Suddenly, tears began pouring out, and I got confused, despite intending to speak seriously with an angry tone.
Still, I carried on bravely with my words.
The Duke was startled as he raised his head at the wobbly sound of my voice.
I grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close to my face.
“You’re just peeking from a distance, helping a little, and filling your moral vanity. What is this? If you think you can take responsibility, then stand by my side proudly. Don’t ignore my calls or letters and run away.”
“…”
It’s about time I acknowledged it.
That there is very little I can do on my own.
Almost everything around me is a threat, and my strength is far too weak.
In fact, Tia may be much freer and stronger than I am.
“I’m just going to get bored of someone like me and throw them away anyway.”
“No, that will never happen…”
“I know it all. Once you fill your shallow vanity, you’ll quickly lose interest. So even if it’s just until then… please let me rely on you, Master…”
I can’t survive without someone’s help.
And the right person, as much as I hate and find annoying, is undoubtedly Duke Dragania.
Of course, I have not forgiven the atrocities he committed against me.
I simply decided to accept him temporarily because our interests align.
The Duke merely wants to pretend to atone for his guilt.
So the timeframe is until he overcomes his guilt completely and becomes shameless.
Until then, I decided to accept all the Duke’s kindness.
“Uh-uh… That’s all I have to say.”
I let go of his collar and wiped my tears.
I had said so many irritating things to a person who was trying to help.
The Duke might very well expel me out of annoyance.
But high expectations lead to great disappointments.
I couldn’t help it.
I should think that the Duke will soon tire of atoning and abandon Tia and me to avoid disappointment.
As I comforted myself and lowered my expectations, suddenly…
The Duke unexpectedly grabbed my shoulder and came closer again.
“Alright. For the time being, I will stay by Lady Julia’s side. And no matter what Lady Julia thinks of me, that’s her freedom, but I must make it clear. Now that I’ve decided to shamelessly stay by your side, I will be a little bolder.”
“…”
I was startled by that sudden fixation of my body.
This had happened before.
Back then, I was too shocked and scared to say anything.
But for some reason, this time felt different.
Rather than fear, it was a kind of pressure that felt a bit comfortable and calming.
Perhaps it was because I saw the Duke, looking flustered, distressed, and tense for the first time today.
No matter what nonsense he spouted, I decided to ignore him resolutely.
As I repeatedly reminded myself internally and steeled my resolve—
“I cherish you. I want to live for you, taking responsibility for all the mistakes I’ve made until now.”
“Huh?”
The completely unexpected level of nonsense melted me away in an instant.
I blurted out a foolish voice and stood frozen.
My face was burning so hot I felt I might burst.
Oh noooo