CH 12

Isabelle took off her cape and looked at him as she covered her body. The intruder obviously called this man the Duke of Cardiago.

But why does his back feel familiar?

‘…Riggs?’

At the moment, the appearance of my friend overlapped his, but that couldn’t be.

Who is Riggs? The seven-year-old teary-eyed baby deer who she soothed.

The image was different from the man in front of her, who easily overpowered the leader of the intruders and then arrested him using shadow magic.

Each action displayed how strong the peacock was. The Duke broke through the mask and overwhelmed the surroundings.

Baron Iron, who was pressed by His Highness, soaked his pants.

“Baron Irons. We’ll hear the reason later.”

The Baron’s body disappeared somewhere when the soft-spoken Duke of Cardiago struck the sword on the ground.

The remnants were cleared up by the reapers, who rushed in as the shield broke. The Duke of Cardiago looked at me while skillfully commanding numerous reapers.

“······!”

Isabelle recoiled and let out a frightened voice, neither screaming nor pleading.

Riggs was taken aback when he saw Isabelle recoil. He didn’t expect Isabelle to react like this.

‘What if a guy wearing a mask approaches you saying he’s your ideal type?’

Whenever he imagined revealing his identity, Riggs thought Isabelle would slap him or swear.

Then I hoped my little friend would think that he was not actually a jerk, nor incompetent enough to have to search for another job every day, and that he was actually a great person.

I didn’t want you to think I was actually a monstrous person.

‘It’s even better if you think about marriage.’

However, his image as an ‘innocent pushover who knows nothing about the world,’ which has been accumulated from his numerous performances, did not collapse from his singular appearance in a costume.

No, Isabelle didn’t even seem to assume that Riggs and the Duke of Cardiago were one and the same.

‘How can you survive in this harsh world while being so daft?’

I can’t help it. I have no choice but to live with her.

Riggs calmly took the sword and looked around. The magic was not elaborated because he rushed to the temple when he heard that another assailant had broken in.

‘I was going to melt the Baron’s wrist when he grabbed her hair.’

In a hurry, he blew up the temple and the basement, but damaged Isabelle’s hair. Riggs was very indifferent to his mistakes.

With his ignorant efforts, I understood that Isabelle did not think of him as the same person. Isn’t she the one who gave me the ridiculous nickname ‘baby deer’?

‘There was a big gap between what Isabelle saw in front of her. The mask wasn’t the problem.’

Riggs calmly analyzed the cause of defeat. In the meantime, the weak images deliberately directed to avoid being identified were highlighted like a flashlight.

Didn’t I even get punched on purpose and run to her crying?

‘…If he hadn’t asked me to deliver that letter to Isabelle out of nowhere, it wouldn’t have happened.’

Riggs still clearly remembered what happened a long time ago. He was heading to the temple to meet Isabelle with a gift, and a boy blocked him from the front.

“You’re close to the temple girl, aren’t you? Give her this.”

It was a letter with a heart-shaped sticker on a white envelope. Riggs’ forehead crumpled to a fine degree.

The sharp intuition that he inherited from Cardiago’s bloodline told him it was a love letter. A wry smile caught his mouth.

“No. Why would I do that? You tell her.”

“What…?”

Riggs used his brain. It was easy to piss off a mid-teen boy. He provoked him, deliberately getting beaten a few times, and then ran to Isabelle, rubbing his tearful eyes.

“Riggs…! Are you okay? Who did this to you?”

“……there’s a boy who lives in a red roof house down the mountain. Isabelle, I’m hurt here, too.”

“Tell me what they look like. I’ll scold them. First, apply medicine. …Riggs, come here.”

Everything went the way he intended. Isabelle put him first as he was a friend of hers. She patted him, hugged him, and stroked him.

Of course, she didn’t show any interest, let alone affection for him.

“······”

When I found out that the letter was actually a message asking her to pray for his mother because she was in critical condition, I was a little sorry, but soon got over it because I sent him medicine when I returned back to the Duchy.

Yeah, why put a heart-shaped sticker on the letter to Isabelle?

‘I cried my eyes out at the time.’

At that time, I was satisfied that I was able to monopolize Isabelle’s interest and concern by using my fragile image. I’ve done a few similar things since.

However, seeing she had not noticed the real identity of the Duke of Cardiago, his excellent acting skills did not seem to have been a good thing.

“I…”

A long time later, Isabelle hesitated to speak. A small trembling voice revealed her tension and fear.

Still, she seemed to have a big question as she squeezed her voice out. Riggs waited for Isabelle’s question with little hope.

“Why, why, why did you save me…?”

“…is that all you’re curious about?”

Isabelle nodded with a frightened face. Riggs held back a sigh from his little friend who couldn’t even guess who he was.

“You’re going to marry me.”

“·······!”

But that couldn’t have sounded romantic to Isabelle. Isabelle wept as she reaffirmed that she was being sold to Cardiago.

“But the Duke of Cardiago…”

“I’m marrying you.”

“Well, I’m not good at minding…”

“I know.”

“·······”

“Or am I not fit for the conditions you want?”

Isabelle looked away with tears in her eyes. Riggs knew the face very well. It was Isabelle’s unique reaction when she had a strange idea.

It was obvious to see what Isabelle was thinking in this situation.

‘I’ll kill all those people who spread rumors about my lower body.’

After seeing his face visibly distort, Isabelle lost consciousness.

***

Isabelle opened her eyes slowly. There was a soft blanket over her body. It was a luxurious material that had never been seen in the temple. I think I know who carried me to bed.

“Until we dig up the leader of the intruders, the Duke of Cardiago is the only safe place. I’ve provided a safe spot for all those who stay in the temple.”

In the midst of dizziness, the voice of the peacock came to mind. This was the Duke of Cardiago, and it would be him who carried me.

Isabelle raised herself carefully. There were no restraints on her hands and feet.

‘I don’t know where I am, can I run away?’

There was no way to know where this room was in the Cardiago castle. The moonlight is dim tonight, so you can’t even see the scenery outside the window.

However, it was clear that she was high up, considering that the light from the watchtower was at a similar height. Then it’s impossible to jump out the window.

‘Even if it was on the first floor, it would be hard to run away from this opponent.’

The opponent is the Duke of Cardiago. There weren’t just rumors about his lower body. He is said to be the strongest of all the Emperor candidates.

It was highly likely that he allowed her hands and feet to move freely with confidence that he could catch her quickly even if she ran away. On the rational side, running away wasn’t the right choice.

‘……it’s also true that I’m safe from intruders.’

The Duke will also have pride, so he will not give the woman he intended to marry to an intruder.

The cripple seems to like me quite a bit, so it’s better to do the best I can.

‘I’ve never seen such a pretty room before.’

When it comes to Cardiago Castle, she first thought of a pond where spider webs, bats, and dead fish float.

But the real Cardiago castle was like a gift wine wrapped in a luxury box.

All the furniture was decorated with a complex carved gold frame. Dark wine ribbons and glyphs symbolizing the underworld family added color.

Glass workpieces and lace curtains fluttered next to half-open windows. Everything was to my liking.

‘All the flower decorations are my favorite, right?’

Isabelle let her guard down for a moment and smelled the lilies. The unique clean scent stabilized her mind and body, allowing her to think more calmly.

He gave me a carefully decorated room. He didn’t drop the ball. At this point, Isabelle wondered why he liked her.

Today is the first time facing a Duke, so it may not be something reasonable like similar morals of common hobbies.

‘Then that’s why, of course.’

Isabelle stood in front of a large mirror and put a lily in her hair. This was why the Duke wanted me.

Silver hair and blue eyes that seem to have sifted down the light of the moon through the window. Likewise, a white, shiny dress.

Isabelle folded her eyes slowly and smiled. I felt embarrassed, so I quickly relaxed my expression, but I couldn’t deny that I had enough beauty to be targeted.

I knew my appearance was often likened to the goddess Isis. When I heard it, I thought it was a praise without much value, but I benefited from my appearance – it saved my life.

‘…Did you really save me because I was pretty? At first sight?’

Looking in the mirror, I don’t think it’s that brazen of an idea. Then the situation was even worse. What would a monster duke want from a woman he brought just because of her face?

“…rather than spend one night with an incompetent man.”

Isabelle turned to the big window.

A reaper who was bringing food and saw the scene, ran to Riggs while contemplating.