Chapter 20

***

Eliana hurriedly walked towards the crowd that was about to strike a fist. She then spoke towards the man who was sitting alone on the floor.

“Duke Oliver!”  (Eliana)

“… Duke?” (The gambler)

“Oh dear. Karman should have told you to come to the residence right away, but were you hanging out with these gangsters again?” (Eliana)

The blond man sitting there blinked blankly.  Eliana winked at him and turned around.

Her thick makeup and splendid attire showed that she was a noble.  Not to mention that she was also the lady at the center of the chastity gossip.

Above all, the name ‘Karman’ came out of her mouth.  It was obviously the name of Baron Hunter, and the fact that the baron’s new wife was wearing bizarre clothes was already a well-known part of the writing circles.

“What’s going on?  This is Duke Oliver from Conter at the invitation of the Baron.” (Eliana) 

“…  It’s none of your business, Madam. He cheated on the chessboard… .” (The gambler)

Eliana’s loud voice crushed the gambler who came out of the bar. She took the chess piece he was holding in his hand, and slammed it to the floor.

“Isn’t it my business?  Who decides that?  Haven’t you heard of my dirty personality?” 

When Eliana spoke harshly, the gambler was terrified. He was a large man. But Eliana shoved him in the face without hesitation in the slightest.

“Why? Do you want to slap me too?  I’ll cut off that hand right now!”

The onlookers gathered one by one at the sound of her snake-like, venomous voice. The blond man sitting on the floor got up from his seat and spoke.

“Baroness, he was just a playmate.  Don’t be so angry. He’s not a bad person.”

The blond man quickly joined Eliana’s performance. He seemed sensible. She leaned her body slightly towards him and spoke in a completely different tone.

“If the Duke says so, then I will back down.”

“Hey, you didn’t say you were a Duke! You just called yourself a minstrel.…!”

Smack!

Eliana slapped the shouting gambler on the cheek. The onlookers murmured at the sound of breaking through the air.  Her small hand didn’t do much damage, but her actions had a huge impact.

“I told you to watch your language, didn’t I? Were you so anxious to have your tongue cut off?”

The gambler couldn’t say anything and just huffed. No matter if she was a baroness, she was hated by the baron, and she came from a poor family, she could try to do something about this. But Eliana decided to trust the Hunter family’s name a little more and be brazen.

Because this blond man was worth the risk.

“Well, so what if you’re a Baroness?  Why all of a sudden hit someone in the face? Someone who is despised by the Baron!”

As soon as the raised his hand roughly, someone grabbed his hand. It was Joseph, a guard wearing chain armor.

“Baroness, I am late.  When I heard the news that you had come to the square, I ran right away.”

“It’s okay, Joseph. I shouldn’t have made a scene. I came to pick up Duke Oliver from Conter, and this happened. When Gillian said he would see me off, I should have let him. If that was the case, no one would have cursed me, saying that I was a disrespectful b*tch!”

Eliana’s every word was terrifying. It was as if the rumored villain really existed.  The gambler’s lips quivered.

“… Sorry, sorry, sorry. I didn’t recognize you. I’m sorry. The bet money is here. Everything is here.  I’m sorry!”

The gambler handed his money to Joseph and ran away in a hurry.  Eliana put her hand on her waist and looked around her with sharp eyes.

“Do you see anything interesting here?  Why are there so many people? I don’t like crowds.”

Eliana smiled brightly and the people quickly dispersed at her words. Joseph gestured to people to go away.

“Madam!”

Benny ran from the other side of the square. It looked like she had bought all the needed accessories.  Eliana brushed her sore hand several times, the hand she used to slap the man.

“Madam, what’s going on here? Are you hurt?”

“Let’s go back to the mansion first. There are still many people here. Come with me, Duke Oliver.”

“Then let’s put the thank-you off a little bit longer.”

The four of them headed towards the Baron’s residence at the same time.  Eliana was courteous as if she was dealing with a real Duke, but the conversation didn’t flow.  Benny and Joseph quietly followed after them.  When they reached the area a little away the square, the blond man stopped walking first.

“Can’t we say goodbye now? It’s also quite far from the square.”

Benny glared at the handsome man with her mouth open, and snuggled close to Eliana. Then she spoke quickly.

“Madam, what the hell happened in that brief time? Who the hell is this man?”

“I don’t know who he is. I just named him Duke Oliver.”

As Eliana laughed, the blonde man laughed along and spoke to her.

“I like it.  Duke Oliver. I am just a bard who has never been given such a dignified position.”

The man greeted Eliana politely. In response to his bow, Eliana bent her knees slightly. Then she picked up the money pouch that was in Joseph’s hand and threw it at him. The man grabbed the pouch with his quick hand.

Eliana spoke softly.  It was a voice that had changed 180 degrees from before.

“The people of Contino are different from the people of Conter. They are also quick-tempered and hot-tempered. This is not uncommon, so you better be careful in the future.”

“Thank you for saving me, Baroness.  I’ve only heard of rumors, but seeing you in real life, you’re even hotter. You’re a great actor too.”

“That show it is.  What’s your real name, Oliver?”

“The name of a poet who stays for a while and leaves. Don’t you mind remembering it.”

The man smiled brightly and said so.

He was tall with a handsome face.  His face was smooth, but looking at his rough hands, he was a trained swordsman.  The reason his body looked slim was because his clothes were much larger than his size. But the body line that was exposed whenever the wind blew was firm.

“It seems that poets these days write poetry with swords.”

When Eliana pointed it out sharply, the man pretended not to know and tilted his head.

“I don’t know because I don’t carry a sword.  It seems that such a bizarre thing is fashionable in the country of Contino.  See you later.  Thank you, Mrs. Hunter.”

“Eliana Rose.”

“What?”

“My name is Eliana Rose. I am not Mrs. Hunter, or Baroness.”

Eliana said so and approached him and gave him a friendly hug.

The man froze in embarrassment, but she whispered in his ear as she hugged him lightly as if to say goodbye.

“Let’s meet again.”

“…”

“Prince.”

Eliana whispered only enough for him to hear, then walked away.  She then smiled as if she hadn’t said anything, then said.

“Next time, come to the Baron’s mansion.  When it comes to chess, I’ve never lost to anyone.  It’ll be fun to play together, Oliver.”

“I can’t go because I’m afraid of you. How did you know?”

The man asked with a look as if he had taken a big blow. Eliana spoke with a smirk.

“You were too sloppy to ask how I knew.”

Eliana tapped her neck with her fan*. The man smiled brightly like a boy and pulled his collar tightly together. (*the man had a engraved pattern on his neck that belonged to the royal family. So Eliana tapped her neck, she meant to tell him that she saw his pattern, so she knew who he was.)

“I was thinking of getting some clothes when I win money on the chess board, but I met you before that.”

“It would be better to buy clothes with a high collar. I think it would look good on your long neck.  Benny, let’s go.”

“Are you going like this?  Aren’t you going to ask me more?”

The man said as if confused.

A royalty from Conter. Eliana didn’t know why he came here, but he was trying to completely hide his identity.  Eliana tried to match his rhythm, but she wanted a promise of the next meeting.

The upcoming social party was bigger than any other recent parties. If this man disguised as a bard was also up to something, he was sure to attend.  It wasn’t too late to tell the story then.

Eliana made eye contact with the man who was standing there with a grin. His golden eyes, similar to the color of his hair, were large and beautiful. Eliana spoke without averting his eyes, which resembled a shining jewel.

“I don’t talk to men who don’t even give me their names.  Because I am the ‘woman of the rumor’.”

“That’s not normal.”

“I will take it as a compliment. Then, goodbye.”

Eliana turned away. Then Joseph and Benny followed her.  As the three of them moved a little further away, the man shouted loudly.

“Yul!”

“….”

“I believe you will find out my name with just that. Then see you next time.”

“… .”

“Eliana Rose.”

The man named Yul smiled brightly. There was malice or ruse on his face. But Eliana could feel it.  She and him would help each other achieve their goals.  Perhaps he felt it too. It was as if they knew each other’s heart.

Eliana answered by bowing her head slightly, then turned around completely. The pace of returning to the Baron’s residence was getting faster and faster. 

Yul.

She couldn’t stand it. Because she was dying to know who that one letter clue pointed to.