CH 9

I was surprised. Why did he look at people like that after I told him to meditate?

“Did you close your eyes, Duke?”

“I was about to close my eyes.”

Did he get caught fooling around?

For the cunning Duke Cassiar, it was possible.

The Duke’s cheeks flushed red, possibly because he was embarrassed to be fooling around.

Nope.

He wasn’t the type of person who would be embarrassed if he was caught fooling around.

Did this imply that his face had turned red for another reason?

I didn’t think it was hot outside; it was quite cold.

Then perhaps……

I put my hand on Duke Cassiar’s forehead.

The Duke’s eyes glared at me for a moment.

“Are you still sick? Your face turned red. The fever doesn’t seem to be severe, but what if there is such a thing, should I call the doctor?”

“It’ll be fine. I just focused on it, and it’s getting a little hot.”

As if he was stuffy, Duke Cassiar untied the navy ribbon that had been around his neck.

Then he undid the buttons on his shirt underneath.

Through the gaping collar, a deep neckline was revealed.

He looked so hot.

Having been distracted for a while by the Duke’s neckline, I cleared my mind and got up from my seat.

“I’m going to open the window.”

The wind blew in through the open window, rustling my hair.

My hair that fluttered against my face whenever the wind blew bothered me.

In this case, it was better to tie my hair up. Is there anything I can tie my hair up with?

Looking around, I saw the navy ribbon worn by the Duke of Cassiar.

That’s it!

“Duke, can I borrow the ribbon for a moment?”

“Yes.”

The Duke handed me the navy blue ribbon he was holding in his large hand.

“Wait.”

I ruffled my long hair, raised it high and held it in one hand.

My hair was neatly arranged, with fluffy wavy ends.

My hair was then neatly fixed by winding the ribbon that the Duke of Cassiar had given me.

Now I’m feeling much better.

After resolving the bothersome thing, I sat down facing Duke Cassiar relentlessly.

The Duke was staring at me intently, as if he had noticed something strange.

Was it impolite of me to use the Duke’s ribbon to tie my hair?

“My hair is long, and the wind blows it away, disrupting my meditation. Please excuse me, but I’m going to borrow the Duke’s ribbon.”

“You’re always beyond my expectations.”

Do I have to change the subject?

However, Duke Cassiar’s mood didn’t seem to be in a bad mood.

“Sometimes we have to go beyond the Duke’s expectations! I’m confident the Duke will fall asleep without the use of sleeping medication or my own power.”

If that happened, the Duke would not be overflowed, and the story’s ending would not be ruined, which was in a perfect happy ending.

I clenched my fists and showed the Duke Cassiar of my burning will.

“So, Duke, please step up your game a notch. Again, don’t get the hang of it as quickly as you did before. I’ll keep my eyes open and keep an eye on you.”

“Yes.”

As I said, he seemed to close his eyes reluctantly, but a pleasant smile appeared on his lips.

Duke Cassiar, you were a man with a warm smile.

After all, of course, I was afraid. I was on the verge of getting excited.

I was admiring Duke Cassar’s distinct features as he closed his eyes, and then he opened them.

“Can you tell me how long I have to sit with my eyes closed?”

The Duke of Cassiar’s irritated brows soar into the sky, as if it was a waste of time.

Even the sleep I was attempting to achieve would vanish in this manner.

I got a hunch. I thought this method was probably ineffective.

***

How difficult is it to persuade the Duke to meditate even once?

Because the heat was so intense that my body was drenched in sweat, I washed it again and went out.

I looked around as I dried my wet hair with a towel.

Is this really my room?

Duke Cassiar told me to use it comfortably since it was now my room, but I couldn’t get used to the gorgeous and more luxurious interior than the marquis’s.

Why was the closet so big? It looked twice as big as my closet in the marquis’s mansion.

As I wandered around, I opened the door to the large closet.

As Fanny had mentioned, the closet was brimming with new dresses from high-end designers.

There seemed to be more than a dozen of them at first glance.

“I’m not sure how I’m supposed to put this on.”

I had changed into a new dress and stood in front of the mirror, despite what they said.

Expensive is, as expected, a good thing.

It was different right away.

I felt better after putting on the new clothes.

As Fanny pointed out, Duke Cassiar had a delicate side and paid attention to such details.

When I was in the middle of appreciating the dress, I heard something hitting the room’s window.

What was that sound?

For a moment, I remembered what Duke Cassar had said.

Because the Duke could not see all of his enemies, I might be in danger.

My spine became numb.

I carefully looked around the window where I heard the sound and saw someone with their back against the window, swallowing my dry saliva.

Are you a spy?

How did you find out about my room?

I moved closer to the window as I became more frightened.

As a spy who had come to harm me, the back of the window looked vaguely familiar.

Where did you get these pure white locks of hair?

I took a bold step over to the window and flung it open.

The man leaning against the window then fell inside.

The man’s entire face was exposed.

This man was not a spy, but Duke Cassiar’s……

The man named Suu, who fell out of the window, was the man who supported the Duke when he vomited blood.

But why were you leaning against my room’s window?

Did someone say the enemy had attacked him?

“Please excuse me. Are you still breathing?”

Fortunately, there appeared to be no injuries on the outside.

I pressed my finger gently against white haired man’s cheeks, thinking to wake him up.

His even breath touched my skin.

“Are you sleeping?”

This gave me a reasonable suspicion that the people here had a disease that caused them to fall asleep whenever they saw me.

While pondering what to do, my gaze was drawn to the man’s pure white hair.

The fluffy appearance reminded me of a white dog’s fur I once saw on the street.

It appeared to be soft.

It was pleasant to the touch.

It was when I came to the thought of wanting to touch his hair, similar to seeing a paw in a cat’s hand or a puppy’s chubby butt.

My hand was already brushing Suu’s hair.

It was soft. It was just like cotton candy.

Suu was awoken from his sleep by the gentle touch.

His gaze was drawn to me as I stroked his hair.

I felt embarrassed.

I thought he would shake my hand off or get up right away, but Suu just stayed still and looked at me.

Like a puppy wagging its tail while lying comfortably in its owner’s hand.

In the end, it was on my side to withdraw my hand first.

“I was sleeping with my back to the window. I fell inside your room because you opened the window.”

He stood up and nodded as if he realized what was going on.

Suu’s gaze remained fixed on my hand, which was stroking his hair.

“Then why were you sleeping in such a place?”

“I was asked to escort Madam by the Duke.”

“Duke Cassiar?”

It was the first time I had heard from Suu.

When did you decide to put me under escort?

Isn’t it true that the horses are tied to the guards so that they don’t run away?

“May I come in?”

Speak of the devil, he came.

Duke Cassiar knocked just in time.

The Duke walked in as soon as the door was opened.

“Did you give me an escort, Duke?”

“It seems both of you have already met.”

Duke Cassiar’s gaze shifted to Suu, then back to me.

“As I stated previously, being a duchess can put you in perilous situations. As a result, I’m going to let Suu escort you from now on.”

With half-asleep eyes, I returned to Suu’s gaze.

He didn’t appear to be strong enough to escort anyone, no matter how I looked at him.

I felt compelled to accompany Suu just by looking at his doll-like and skinny body.

Furthermore, it was unsettling to believe that someone was always by my side.

“Duke, I do not need an escort. It makes me uncomfortable to think that someone is following me around all day.”

“No need to worry about that. Suu will escort you from a comfortable distance, so it will be no different than living alone unless there is an accident.”

Come to think of it, he suddenly appeared out of nowhere when Duke Cassiar vomited blood.

“Doesn’t Suu serve as the Duke’s escort? Who will protect the Duke’s safety if you give me the Duke’s escort?”

“Are you worried about my safety?”

Duke Cassar seemed unworried about it, as if I didn’t have to.

I forgot such a thing for a moment.

That Duke Cassiar was the world’s greatest villain.

He would not be harmed if he acted erratically and injured himself.

It was pointless to be concerned about it even when thinking about it.

However, I was not weak enough to be protected, even if I was an extra among the extras not even mentioned in the original.

“I have the power to defend myself, just as the Duke does.”

“Hoo. Is that so?”

He seemed to respond sincerely in his own way, but the Duke of Cassiar did not seem to believe me at all.

This made me regain my competitive edge. It was unavoidable if things turned out this way.

I had no choice but to show my hidden skills.

“Suu, could I borrow your sword for a moment?”

Suu nodded his head at my question and gave me his own sword.

What? Why is this so heavy?

I thought it was light because Suu took it out with one hand without changing his expression, but it was so heavy that I could barely lift it with both hands.

“Are you going to quit now?”

I was a little embarrassed by the weight of the sword, but it didn’t stop me from showing my skills.

“Please get an apple ready, Duke. You have to see it for yourself.”

I used to be interested in swordsmanship when I was younger, so I picked up a sword and practiced until I could compete with ordinary people, even though I wasn’t very good at it.

“Bring an apple for me, Fanny.”

Fanny brought the apples on Duke Cassiar’s orders.

“Now, what are you going to do with this?”

The Duke made me hold the apple.

“You shouldn’t be surprised.”

I threw an apple into the air.

And I swung the sword quickly. Then the apple in the air was cut in half.

“How is it?”

“Amazing. Lady!”

Fanny, who was watching, cheered and clapped.

The Duke of Cassiar seemed a little surprised.

Did you see that?

I’m a sword-wielding woman!

Suu then picked up the shattered apple.

Are you going to challenge me? Please give it a shot.

Because the spot was not large enough, cutting the apple in half was difficult.

I could cut apples after a lot of practice, but how could I do it with such a weak body?

With a half-worried expression on my face, I handed the sword to Suu.

Suu’s face was disheveled as he threw up the shredded apple.

Something flashed before my eyes, and when I came to my senses, the shredded apple had been cut into equal-sized pieces.

With a serious expression on my face, I returned Duke Cassiar’s stare.

“You’re a capable knight who knows how to handle apples. Passed.”