Chapter 5

Even standing in the middle of this messy incident, Nine exuded a lofty and solitary air. That peace was quickly shattered, though, when a crazed Deville charged at him.

“You bastard…! Is it you?! The one seeing that worthless woman!”

He was so worked up that he didn’t seem to know who he was facing. Otherwise, he would never have dared to rush at the Empire’s youngest swordmaster.

“Your eyes.”

Nine turned to me and said curtly.

“You’d better close them.”

That day, I learned for the first time that the sound of a person punching another could be so dull.

Deville was literally reduced to a bloody pulp. And it happened in an instant. He thrashed and struggled, but it was impossible for him to escape Nine, either by strength or skill.

“S-save me!”

Nine was so good at beating him up that I soon forgot his warning to close my eyes and just watched Deville get pummeled.

‘It feels so satisfying.’

“What is all this commotion?”

Soon, a teacher and some students noticed the commotion and could be seen approaching from a distance. It seemed Deville’s screams had been heard far away.

“Th-that is…”

I was so flustered, and worried that Nine might be in trouble, that I lightly tugged on his sleeve. Nine reached out a hand to me, who was still kneeling.

“It’s alright. Go.”

I was so shocked and flustered that I didn’t know what to do, but I didn’t want to get caught up in this situation. So I nodded my head frantically and ran away.

When I looked back, Nine was no longer looking at me. It was as if he was saying I was never there in the first place.

By the time I returned to my dorm room and calmed my racing heart, a whole day had passed since the incident.

‘I wish I could thank him.’

I felt bad that I had run away without even saying a proper word.

But the next day, I learned that what I needed to tell Nine was more than just a simple “thank you.”

“Did you hear that Young Master Kellogg was carried away in the middle of the night? They say he was beaten so badly he was unrecognizable.”

“Oh, really? I heard the rumors, but I didn’t think it was true…”

“Did Young Master Eclipse really do that?”

“Yes. When the teachers interrogated him, he said, ‘I just didn’t like him.'”

“What? He beat someone up like that just because he didn’t like them?”

No matter where I went in the academy, students were gossiping loudly about what he said. Nine was already a duke who had inherited his title, and he was a detached presence at the academy, as he often missed classes to fight monsters on the front lines. Since he didn’t offer any further explanation, it was obvious how people would perceive him.

The rumors about Nine grew and grew, becoming quite sinister. He was branded with various labels like ‘a madman who enjoys slaughter after hunting monsters’ and ‘a cold-blooded person who beats up people he doesn’t like.’

I, the actual victim, was safe because Deville knew who he was dealing with and kept his mouth shut. But Nine, who had saved me, was the one who had his reputation tarnished.

‘I wish I could at least say hello.’

I felt bad about what happened, and at the same time, I was grateful that Nine was staying silent about the incident. I wanted to repay him, but meeting the reclusive Nine was not an easy task.

Not long after I began looking for an opportunity, I discovered a new truth.

“My Lady! A letter has arrived!”

Thanks to Nine, I had escaped the crisis that day, but I didn’t know what kind of trick Deville might pull in the future.

‘He’s been strangely quiet so far, but Deville might be scheming something behind the scenes.’

The Blueberry Count family had a lot of money, but it wasn’t an influential family. So I planned to find out what was going on before any trouble arose. After all, he couldn’t touch the Eclipse family, so I was the only one who needed to be careful.

So I began to investigate the Kellogg family…

“Annie, are you sure about this?”

“Of course. I checked three times.”

The Kellogg Count family was on the verge of bankruptcy.

Deville Kellogg wasn’t chasing after me because he had fallen for me. He had approached me to get his hands on the Blueberry Count family’s money.

‘And he was talking so big about his family?’

The absurdity made me laugh incredulously.

As I investigated how much debt he had, I found something surprising.

‘What is this?’

I thought I must have read it wrong and read the documents three times, then five times. But the words written on them didn’t change.

[The Eclipse Duchy has acquired all the bonds of the Kellogg Count family.]

The Eclipse Duchy had acquired all the Kellogg family’s debts? The Eclipse Duchy, which had no reason to covet the debts of such a minor family.

I immediately understood what had happened.

‘No wonder Deville has been so quiet.’

If Deville had acted out, I would never have been able to escape the disgraceful rumors and misunderstandings. It was only then that I realized Deville couldn’t smear my name because of Nine’s consideration.

Even after that day, Nine had continued to protect me.

‘Why…’

Honestly, it was a nuisance.

But even so, Nine acted for me, someone he had never even had a proper conversation with.

Could such a man exist—one who was so considerate, so capable, and so handsome and well-built?

And how could I not fall for a man like that?

I admitted to myself that I had fallen for Nine, hopelessly and completely. Of course, I only admitted it to myself and soon tried to let go of my feelings, knowing that he was the male lead of this world and would eventually find happiness with the female lead.

…No, I tried to.

If I had properly let go of my feelings back then, things wouldn’t have gotten so tangled now.

***

“Sigh.”

I let out a deep sigh. Thinking about my first meeting with Nine just made the tangled mess of my current situation even more depressing. I stared out the window.

‘I just wanted to live a good life with my parents this time.’

I wanted to make an exit from the story, a small and quiet one, and live a peaceful, normal life outside of its troubles. I wanted to slowly forget my feelings for Nine and wish him happiness from afar.

Knock, knock.

I was lost in thought, replaying my careless choices in my head, when a knock came at the door.

“Come in.”

“My Lady!”

Annie came in, unable to hide her excitement, and told me.

“Duke Nine Eclipse and his aide have come to visit.”

As she spoke, a question seemed to arise in her mind, and she tilted her head.

“But were we notified of his visit?”

“…”

Annie’s question was valid. It was a noble’s etiquette to give prior notice before a visit. I knew I would face Nine again soon, but that was no notice.

My actions were a little clumsy from the surprise, but I forced a smile and said.

“It’s alright. Show them in.”

This was my chance to bring an end to the anxiety that had been gnawing at me.

Nine and the man who seemed to be his aide entered the reception room.

“…”

The aide’s gaze was sharp as he looked at me, likely having heard about me from Nine. Yet he quickly regained his composure and maintained his manners, showing how seasoned he was.

“Hello. Lady Chacha Blueberry. I am Norman Pellona, the Duke’s aide.”

The aide, now composed, was a handsome man with a gentle expression. His beige hair and warm brown eyes gave him a kind impression. The chain glasses he wore enhanced not only his gentle appearance but also his intellectual charm. He looked every bit the aide from a good family.

“I am Chacha Blueberry.”

But it seemed that this kind-looking, bespectacled handsome man completely despised me.

‘It’s unavoidable since he’s under a misunderstanding.’

After greeting each other, I gestured for Nine to sit. Nine’s gaze had been cold from the start, but now he was staring at me with a murderous glint.

‘I see you didn’t run away.’

It was a look that seemed to say that he wanted to kill me on the spot. Even though I had done nothing wrong, his gaze made me tense up. I tried to put on a carefree smile.

‘Nothing happened between us!’

I wanted to convey that with my expression.

But it was getting harder and harder to smile as I felt sicker. My stomach had been upset from worrying about Nine’s arrival, but now that he was here, the feeling of nausea had reached its peak.

‘It’s okay, it’s okay.’

I discretely used a folk remedy, pressing the flesh between my thumb and index finger, and organized my thoughts.

The evidence is perfect.

The script is perfect, too.

I swear, the three days I spent preparing to resolve this situation were busier than all the days I spent being Helena’s lackey.

As a tense silence fell between us, Annie bustled in and set out the refreshments.

Clink.

A steaming teacup was placed in front of Nine and me.

“…”

Nine didn’t seem inclined to speak first.

Well, it was my turn to explain, after all.

The moment I raised the teacup to soothe my parched throat…

“Ugh.”