CH 17

‘Oh My god’

I was startled by the sudden scream and looked around, but then Leonhard, who stood up, came next to me and surrounded me, guarding my surroundings.

“Screams from the garden…”

“It’s a monster! A monster has appeared!”

“Monster?”

Not even in the Ajas frontier, but in this capital? It was unbelievable.

However, as if to prove it to be true, sharp screams piercing the air followed one after another, and torches began to be lit one by one at the corner of the street beyond the dark garden.

And

Kyaaakh-!

A horrifying scream.

“Le, Leon!”

“Let’s go inside. The first thing is to find out what happened.”

Leonhard wrapped his hand around my trembling shoulders. It was fortunate that he was there. Or I almost sat down ugly.

“What was that sound just now?”

“A monster! Does it make sense for monsters to appear in this capital?”

“I’m sure you’re mistaken. No need to worry.”

“First of all, I have to send a knight and check it….”

The entire banquet hall was in a panic as it must have heard the horrifying cries and people’s screams. People hurrying to the door to go home, people shivering against the wall as if they think it’s safer here. No one paid attention to the expensive crystal glasses and golden roses.

At the completely messed up birthday party, Lady Norman was also trembling next to Duke Khalid.

“Hey, what the hell is this? Monsters, how could monsters appear in the capital?”

“No need to worry. Even if a monster really appears, the Knights will mobilize and defeat it.”

“But…”

“Duke Khalid.”

Duke Khalid, who had been placating Lady Norman at Leonhard’s call, turned this way. Her purple eyes, close to the color of dark red wine, contained a joy that he could not hide.

“Marquis Ajas. Yes, you were here.”

“What kind of situation is this? Did a monster build a nest near the capital without me knowing?”

“Could it be? I don’t know what happened either. Won’t you go and look over the situation for now?”

Certainly, no one better suited to calm the turmoil now than the Marquis of Ajas. A five-year-old would probably think so, but Leonhard, the mastermind, frowned.

“I guess you don’t see the lady I’m escorting.”

“Oh, I am sorry, Lady Howard. I couldn’t say hello because of the situation”

Duke Khalid greeted me politely. I shook my head, saying there was no need to be so polite.

“That is because of a situation. Please forgive me for not being polite enough.”

After lightly greeting Duke Khalid, I turned to Leonhard.

“I’m begging you too. Could Leon look over the situation?”

“But I cannot leave Lady alone.”

“I will be responsible for the safety of the lady.”

Prince Khalid put his fisted hand to his chest and said. As soon as those words were finished, I saw that the faces of Lady Norman and Leonhard had changed at the same time.

“Duke!”

“You are very reliable, Duke Khalid.”

while Leonhard clicked his tongue, the scream outside continued faintly. Perhaps he could not keep listening to the sound, and at last, Leonhard looked at me with a puzzled face.

“Lady.”

“I’m okay. I will stick by Lady Norman’s side.”

“Yes. Norman’s knights will protect Lady Howard with me. So don’t worry and go.”

As soon as the words were finished, several armed knights entered the banquet hall.

Among them scattered in the chaotic banquet hall, the oldest-looking one approached Lady Norman.

“My lady, are you all right?”

“Sir Horton! I’m fine, what the hell is going on? Is it true that monsters appeared?”

The knight nodded with a shadowy face.

“Now monsters have appeared all over the capital. I don’t know the details, but monsters are appearing in the shopping district right around here and causing a riot.”

Is that why the screams were so loud?

“Everywhere? Are you saying it’s not just one?+

“From what I’ve heard, there are only three high-level monsters that have been identified.”

“Three high-level monsters?”

“You’d better go with me, Duke Khalid.”

Duke Khalid nodded at Leonhard’s words. After all, he is also a sword master and possesses power.

“I will leave the safety of the ladies to you.”

“You don’t have to worry. Because that is my job.”

Norman’s knight responded loyally.  Next to Duke Khalid nodding his head and Lady Norman, who was worried about him, I also told Leonhard to be safe.

“I’ll be waiting for Leon to come back here.”

“Yes. I will return safely and complete my escort duty.”

Leonhard, who kissed the tip of my finger, left the banquet hall with Duke Khalid.

Kyaaaaakh-!

At that moment, a louder scream was heard, and the screams of several people resounded simultaneously in the banquet hall.

Among the knights evacuating the people who couldn’t move, Norman’s knight guided Lady Norman and me.

“The Count will organize this. So please go back to your room first.”

“Okay. Come with me, Lady Howard.”

I wasn’t strong enough to endure waiting here for Leonhard. I obediently followed Lady Norman to her room.

* * *

Indeed, I guess. Lady Norman’s room was just as gorgeous as the banquet hall.

Normally, I would have looked at the unique and pretty ornaments decorated all over the room, but now was not the time for that.

Perhaps she was frightened, so I sat down on the sofa next to the trembling young lady and hugged her shoulders.

“Don’t worry too much. Didn’t the Marquis and the Duke go to solve it? He will defeat any monster.”

“Sure, but…those horrible cries, what if it runs into this room ?”

“Then the knights will protect you. Norman’s knights are strong, as the lady said earlier.”

“But the Norman knights….”

The young lady’s gaze turned to the tightly closed door. Did he care about the knights who were guarding the other side? She pursed her lips and brought up a secret story to me.

“I have only faced a monster once. Even he couldn’t deal with it properly. If it wasn’t for Duke Khalid, then I would… ”

“What?”

‘what? The chance encounter wasn’t something they bumped into each other while walking down the street, was it because the duke saved her from a monster?’

‘So it was love at first sight!’

Well, in that situation, it’s worth a pea’s eye. Not to mention, Duke Khalid’s face is so young that you wouldn’t think he was in his 30s, and he’s also handsome.

“At first, I didn’t know that he was a duke or that his wife had died. But when I found out, my heart had already been taken away by the Duke. I couldn’t possibly give up on the duke.”

Ah, Why are you talking like this all of a sudden? But I couldn’t even ask what she was talking about out of the blue, so I nodded.

“Well. You worked hard and finally got it. You are so amazing.”

Then, Lady Norman looked up at me with red eyes.

“Amazing… Do you really think so? Don’t you think that girls are impolite?”

“What? Why should you hear rumors of courtesy about approaching the person you like first? If you think he’s your man, you have to hold him right away. How can you handle that resentment if he gets taken away by another woman?”

“Oh my God, Lady Howard!”

Lady Norman grabbed my hand. I only blinked in surprise at her sudden action, but Lady Norman looked at me with an unprecedentedly bright face and sparkling eyes.

“Yes. I have to win fate. I’ve never seen a young lady with whom I communicate so well!”

“Ah yes. Neither do I.”

In this world, most of them are engaged and married to a man paired with a guardian, father, or brother-in-law.

“I wish I had met someone like Lady Howard earlier! From today, please call me Rebecca, no, Becky. Please be my friend!”

“What?”

“I heard my family call you Nell the other day. Can I call you Nell? Will it be? Thanks, Nell!”

A Norman lady enterprising in love, Rebecca was also very enterprising in winning friendship.

Caught up in the momentum, I nodded and finally got my hands free after promising to call her Becky.

“I have been dreaming of this day for a long time. A day to make such a good friend!”

“Well, it’s definitely hard to have a good friend.”

“You have no idea how happy I am to be friends with Nell. Today, no, it will be the most memorable birthday present I have ever received!”

I was so happy too that my heart, which had been embarrassed, became a little softer. I tried to hold the corners of my mouth that kept trying to go up.

“Hmm, I’m happy too. Actually, this is a secret… It’s my first time making friends, Becky.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I never had a chance to do that.”

Before making their debut in the social world, children of aristocratic families usually made friends by introducing and being introduced to each other through family connections.

If I hadn’t been an adopted child, I might have been able to make friends that way. However, there are no nobles who want to let their children or siblings become friends with adopted children…

Even my sisters and brothers almost lost their connections. Before that, I had been urging not to bring strangers into the house, as I like to play with my older sisters and brothers the most.

“So, am I Nell’s first friend?”

“Yes. You are my first friend. Please take care of me, Becky.”

“Me too! I’m so glad, Nell. Let’s be friends from now on!”

Rebecca soon brought her accessory box as a token of friendship and tried to present me with a token of friendship.

However, all the accessories in the accessory box were expensive jewels, so I politely declined her favor, saying that I should buy the same thing later.

“Then, since I heard Nell’s secret, I’ll tell you one of mine too.”

“What? You Don’t have to…”

“Actually…”

Her voice seemed inaudible.

With a face that said it was a secret but almost died of wanting to show off to anyone. Rebecca wrapped her hands around her stomach with her cheeks dyed shyly.

“I…I might be pregnant with the duke’s child.”

“Ah, yes… What?”

What do you say? pregnancy?