Chapter 007
At the sound of my firm voice, my father’s pupils flickered like a candle in the wind.
It’s no wonder, as my father is someone who never believes in rumors.
“You said it yourself, Father. People should experience things firsthand and make their own judgments.”
“That’s right! But seeing him in person earlier, I must admit, he was really terrifying.”
As I spoke seriously to my father, Cesar, who had been quietly slumped beside me, suddenly chimed in.
At that, my father’s expression, which had seemed calmed, began to twist again like a demon, and soon a loud roar echoed from the carriage.
“You idiots! Just how much have you drunk to be this completely out of your mind? One of you is unable to stand upright, while the other has proposed to someone she doesn’t even know.”
I felt a bit unfair that I was being lumped in with Cesar, but I didn’t say anything.
That’s because my father’s momentum was very scary.
“Cesar. You won’t be allowed to touch a drop of alcohol for three months.”
Cesar yelped in shock at my father’s decree, but my father was firm.
My father turned to me and spoke directly, leaving the stunned Cesar behind.
“Dahlia. Tomorrow, you are going to the Duke of Ballestain to apologize.”
He added that as long as I apologize and explain that today was all a mistake, he would take care of everything else.
“Father!”
“Yes, as you said, the Duke might be different from the rumors. But regardless, you know what you did today was wrong, don’t you?”
Faced with an irrefutable statement, I quietly closed my mouth.
“…Yes. I understand.”
I could only nod in agreement as my father sternly ordered me to apologize to the Duke tomorrow.
However, inwardly, I prepared to convey my apologies to my father in advance.
“I’m sorry, Father.”
Though I would apologize as my father instructed, I had no intention of simply apologizing and leaving.
***
The next day.
As soon as the day broke, I went to the Duke of Ballestain’s residence.
In the drawing room, where I was led by the butler, I was nervously shifting my feet, trying to calm my racing heart.
Just then—
Click.
The door to the drawing room swung open, and a man dressed in training clothes entered.
He approached me and casually plopped down on the couch.
I set down the teacup I was holding and greeted him with a slightly trembling voice.
“Hello. I’m Dahlia Feldro.”
“……”
But no matter how long I waited, there was no response. When I cautiously raised my head, I locked eyes with the Duke.
“Hic.”
‘How intimidating.’
Just from his gaze, I felt overwhelmed by the sharp atmosphere he exuded, causing me to involuntarily hiccup.
His ash-gray eyes, devoid of any emotion, seemed to pierce through my very core.
In the suffocatingly silent drawing room,
“Hic, hic.”
The sound of my hiccups echoed embarrassingly loud.
The man, with those piercing eyes, stared at my face in silence before finally, after what felt like an eternity, he quietly uttered his name.
“…Evan.”
Normally, when nobles introduced themselves, they would use their full name as a matter of courtesy.
Otherwise, people would quickly label them as uneducated behind their backs.
However, the Duke seemed completely unconcerned with such formalities.
At that moment, the Duke suddenly reached out and poured tea into my empty cup. He then spoke.
“Anyone who sees this might think I’m going to eat you.”
The contrast between his rough, dry tone and his unexpectedly thoughtful gesture startled me, making my eyes widen in surprise.
“Th-thank you.”
I was taken aback by the unexpected kindness, but that wasn’t what mattered right now.
It was more urgent to stop my hiccups, which showed no signs of halting, so I disregarded my dignity and gulped down the tea.
Luckily, it seemed to work, and I let out a sigh of relief when the hiccups finally stopped.
“What brings you here?”
As soon as the Duke confirmed that I had calmed down, he got straight to the point.
“I came to apologize. I have no excuse for what happened at the banquet. I’m truly sorry.”
I slightly bowed my head toward the Duke as I offered my apology for yesterday’s incident.
In response, the Duke, sitting across from me, replied in a nonchalant voice.
“I’m glad to hear that you’re aware.”
When I lifted my head slightly, I found the Duke tilting his head somewhat and looking at me.
I looked at him with curiosity and thought to myself,
‘He looks a bit different from the image I remember two years from now.’
The Duke in my memory was known for his cold-blooded nature, to the point where people believed the rumors that even his blood was cold. He was a man with hardly any expression.
But the Duke before me now was similar yet different from that memory.
The overwhelming presence was the same as back then, but he now exuded a stronger sense of danger, like an unpredictable wild beast.
After a moment of silence, the Duke spoke again.
“What were you thinking when you did that?”
“That’s…”
At his question, I hesitated to speak.
Would he really believe me if I told him it was because I didn’t want the nobles to gossip about him?
As I struggled to find an answer, I heard a low voice in front of me.
“It’s the first time I’ve received a proposal from someone with an expression like that, so I thought there might be a reason. But now it seems like it was just a mistake or a prank due to being drunk.”
Surprised by the Duke’s blunt words, I opened my eyes wide.
Having been born into nobility and trained in every nuance of voice, his unrefined speech felt incredibly refreshing to me.
And one more thing.
‘Has he lived in another country?’
Though very faint, I thought I detected a slight, unique tone in his accent that differed from the typical one of the empire.
As I was pondering this, I suddenly realized that now was not the time to be curious about his manner of speech.
I quickly opened my mouth to speak, but the Duke was quicker.
“I’ve heard your apology. I won’t hold this matter against you, so you may leave now.”
With those words, the Duke swiftly left the drawing room.
I stared at his retreating figure, dumbfounded.
I hadn’t even said everything I had prepared, so I hurriedly began to chase after him.
“Wait, please!”
He was walking so fast that I barely managed to catch up to him as he headed toward the training grounds.
In my haste, I grabbed the hem of his coat, causing him to finally stop.
“Do you have more to say?”
The Duke frowned, as if surprised that I had followed him this far.
Seeing his firm demeanor, I had a strong feeling that if I didn’t say something today, I might never have the chance to face him again.
If things continued like this, the man before me would soon be engaged in a political marriage arranged by the royal family within a month.
‘I don’t want this man to live that kind of life again.’
Swallowing hard, I looked directly into his transparent gray eyes and spoke.
“I was serious when I said I wanted to marry you. Please marry me! I’ll take responsibility and protect you!”
I didn’t know the reason the Duke had come to see me that day.
But one thing was clear—I wanted to protect him in this life.
It would be much better for him to be with me than to endure a marriage where he would be looked down upon due to his background.
Clang.
Thud.
Crash.
Just then, a series of dull thuds echoed nearby.
When I turned toward the source of the noise, I saw knights, seemingly in the midst of training, staring at us with their mouths wide open, swords in hand.
midori
thanks! it’s so hilarious! public confession #2 by dahlia! go lady, i believe in you!