When the atmosphere started to freeze again, Karina quickly stopped Mikhail.
“It’s okay. You just saw me today. It’s totally possible.”
Karina turned her head back to the giant and said with a serious expression.
“I understand why you’re worried and saying such things. But that’s not it.”
“No matter what you say, it’s not okay...”
“Yes.”
At that moment, the purple-haired woman stopped the man and answered.
“What? What are you talking about?”
The giant man looked back at the woman in surprise and shouted.
However, the woman continued to talk to the giant man, trying to calm him down.
“Just like he said, you’ll know from now on. But what are you trying to make me do...”
The woman looked at Karina and smiled meaningfully.
“I’ll listen to your explanation and decide.”
Karina smiled brightly at Selena’s answer.
After Karina and Mikhail left the bar.
The large man, Hasten, asked the purple-haired woman.
“Selena. Why did you suddenly say you would do it? You don’t even know who they are.”
“Your Highness.”
As they left the bar and walked down the street, Mikhail called Karina from beside him.
“Why?”
“Do you know those two people?”
“No?”
Karina pretended not to know and denied it.
“...”
Mikhail stared at Karina with a dissatisfied look.
“Then do you always try to entice people you’re meeting for the first time by saying you’ll hire them?”
Mikhail’s voice was a little quieter than usual.
“What are you talking about?”
“You asked me to be your bodyguard out of the blue, and you told those people that you wanted to hire them as your subordinate.”
Mikhail grumbled with a sour expression.
“I thought you were being special to me...”
She felt like she was watching a child complaining that the grass was always greener on the other side.
‘What, he's not even a child.’
Karina snickered.
“I said I’ll hire them because I need them. What are you flirting about?”
“You don’t like big bears like that guy earlier, do you?”
Mikhail’s expression was so serious that she almost laughed.
“Stop talking nonsense and just borrow a carriage.”
“... Do you really like that bear?”
Mikhail asked in a slightly more excited voice than before.
For some reason, he seemed to be persistently asking questions if she didn’t answer.
Karina had no choice but to open her mouth.
“That can’t be true. And I like people who laugh and are gentle like puppies more than people who are blunt like bears.”
“Really?”
Mikhail laughed like a child who had found relief after hearing Karina’s answer.
“I sometimes hear people say I’m like a puppy.”
The way he spoke with a proud expression made him look like a child who wanted compliments, so she couldn’t hold back her laughter.
Karina smiled brightly and gently patted Mikhail’s head.
“You worked hard today. You followed my orders so well, so I should praise you, right?”
“..."
“You did really well.”
Mikhail stared at her.
Karina flinched at his gaze.
'Ah, is this too childish?'
She recalled the memory of her nanny patting her head like this when she was little and did the same.
Embarrassed, Karina slowly lowered her hand.
Mikhail did not take his eyes off Karina's hand that had fallen from him.
"Ahem, then shall I go and rent a carriage now?"
When Karina coughed and said, Mikhail raised his head and looked at Karina.
"I'll be back soon."
Mikhail smiled gently with his eyes curled and headed to the stagecoach rental shop.
Caroline entered the Grand Duke's dining room.
"Oh, my? You were eating alone?"
Jeremiah was already eating in the dining room.
Caroline asked as she sat down on the chair the servant had given her.
"What about Karina?"
"I heard she went out to the city and hasn't come back yet."
Jeremiah answered while grabbing his glass of water.
"I see. I heard she went out with her escort magician. She must be busy."
"..."
“But why did she suddenly go downtown? He's only been here for a short time, so he probably doesn’t know his way around.”
Caroline glanced at Jeremiah.
When she first heard this news, she was so shocked.
How could Karina have already fallen in love with another man after only being a Grand Duchess?
After all, the young wizard was quite handsome.
Even she felt her composure shaken the moment she first saw him.
But the important thing now was whether Jeremiah knew about this news.
Caroline pretended to know nothing and continued to speak.
“She's going out with a young man all of a sudden? She's not upset about what happened in the garden, is she?”
She subtly emphasized the fact that Karina had gone out alone with her escort and watched Jeremiah’s reaction.
“That’s not possible.”
Contrary to her expectations, Jeremiah’s reaction was indifferent.
“No. She’s clearly hurt. I told her that we could calmly resolve any misunderstandings when we ate together tonight.”
Caroline criticized Karina, mentioning a promise she didn’t make.
“I can’t believe she left like this, ignoring that promise. The Grand Duchess seems to be more hurt than I thought. What should I do?”
“She said she was going to inspect the city, so she should be back soon. I think you can talk to her after she gets back.”
“That would be great, but...”
Caroline trailed off and glanced at Jeremiah.
“Is it because Karina is from the capital... The young ladies from the capital are naturally fickle.”
Caroline sighed in a troubled tone and continued.
“She was the young lady of the Marquis of Millainer, who was favored by the Emperor, so she must have been treated very well in the capital.”
Jeremiah’s brow furrowed slightly at the mention of the Marquis of Millainer.
“She can’t fix that bad habit even when she comes to the North. If the Grand Duchess acts fickle all the time, won’t it be difficult for the Grand Duke?”
“...”
“If you’re an archduchess, you should act like one. I’m worried that Karina will continue to act selfishly and bring down the prestige of the Grand Duke family.”
Caroline pretended to be worried and continued to belittle Karina.
“This is also a matter of basic manners. Wouldn’t it be better to fix that bad habit now, for the sake of the future?”
“...”
Jeremiah, who had been listening silently without answering, put down the fork and knife in his hands with a loud clank.
There was a creaking sound of a chair being dragged.
He got up from his seat and said in a dry voice,
“I’m busy, so I’ll get up first.”
“Already? Even though you're busy, finish your meal before you go.”
Caroline held on, but Jeremiah firmly refused.
“I don’t have an appetite. Sister, finish your meal before you go.”
Jeremiah’s face hardened as he left the restaurant.
“Whew.”
Jeremiah sighed and pressed the space between his eyebrows.
Lately, for some unknown reason, he had been thinking about Karina. So he had been trying hard not to think about her.
In such a situation, he was very upset because Caroline kept talking about Karina whenever she saw him.
He thought it would be better if he could relieve his surging irritation.
“I’m going to the training ground, so get ready.”
Jeremiah ordered Jansen, who was following him.
Looking out the window, he saw that the afternoon had already passed by.
‘I thought you’d be back soon, but you’re taking longer than I thought.’
Jeremiah frowned at the realization that he had thought of Karina again. He shook his head, trying to shake off his thoughts.
At that moment, Karina was standing on the outskirts of the street, waiting for Mikhail.
How long had it been?
“It’s okay. You just saw me today. It’s totally possible.”
Karina turned her head back to the giant and said with a serious expression.
“I understand why you’re worried and saying such things. But that’s not it.”
“No matter what you say, it’s not okay...”
“Yes.”
At that moment, the purple-haired woman stopped the man and answered.
“What? What are you talking about?”
The giant man looked back at the woman in surprise and shouted.
However, the woman continued to talk to the giant man, trying to calm him down.
“Just like he said, you’ll know from now on. But what are you trying to make me do...”
The woman looked at Karina and smiled meaningfully.
“I’ll listen to your explanation and decide.”
Karina smiled brightly at Selena’s answer.
***
After Karina and Mikhail left the bar.
The large man, Hasten, asked the purple-haired woman.
“Selena. Why did you suddenly say you would do it? You don’t even know who they are.”
“Anywhere is better than ‘there’.”
“...”
Hasten was speechless at Selena’s words.
“We have to make money anyway. If we try it and it doesn’t work out, we can just run away.”
“Still. She looks like a noble when you look closely... What good is there to get involved with?”
Hasten frowned and didn’t hide his antipathy toward nobles.
At first, they didn’t know Karina was a noble and helped her.
They just thought she was the daughter of a rich merchant.
However, when they talked to her, they immediately recognized Karina as a noble through her natural courtesy and subtle differences in speech.
“Still, I didn’t feel bad about it.”
Selena recalled Karina’s eyes that were filled with earnestness.
Then she said with a small smile on her lips.
“You just have to find one person. It’s not as dangerous or difficult as you think.”
Seeing that, Hasten nodded with a helpless expression.
“Huh. If you say so.”
“...”
Hasten was speechless at Selena’s words.
“We have to make money anyway. If we try it and it doesn’t work out, we can just run away.”
“Still. She looks like a noble when you look closely... What good is there to get involved with?”
Hasten frowned and didn’t hide his antipathy toward nobles.
At first, they didn’t know Karina was a noble and helped her.
They just thought she was the daughter of a rich merchant.
However, when they talked to her, they immediately recognized Karina as a noble through her natural courtesy and subtle differences in speech.
“Still, I didn’t feel bad about it.”
Selena recalled Karina’s eyes that were filled with earnestness.
Then she said with a small smile on her lips.
“You just have to find one person. It’s not as dangerous or difficult as you think.”
Seeing that, Hasten nodded with a helpless expression.
“Huh. If you say so.”
***
“Your Highness.”
As they left the bar and walked down the street, Mikhail called Karina from beside him.
“Why?”
“Do you know those two people?”
“No?”
Karina pretended not to know and denied it.
“...”
Mikhail stared at Karina with a dissatisfied look.
“Then do you always try to entice people you’re meeting for the first time by saying you’ll hire them?”
Mikhail’s voice was a little quieter than usual.
“What are you talking about?”
“You asked me to be your bodyguard out of the blue, and you told those people that you wanted to hire them as your subordinate.”
Mikhail grumbled with a sour expression.
“I thought you were being special to me...”
She felt like she was watching a child complaining that the grass was always greener on the other side.
‘What, he's not even a child.’
Karina snickered.
“I said I’ll hire them because I need them. What are you flirting about?”
“You don’t like big bears like that guy earlier, do you?”
Mikhail’s expression was so serious that she almost laughed.
“Stop talking nonsense and just borrow a carriage.”
“... Do you really like that bear?”
Mikhail asked in a slightly more excited voice than before.
For some reason, he seemed to be persistently asking questions if she didn’t answer.
Karina had no choice but to open her mouth.
“That can’t be true. And I like people who laugh and are gentle like puppies more than people who are blunt like bears.”
“Really?”
Mikhail laughed like a child who had found relief after hearing Karina’s answer.
“I sometimes hear people say I’m like a puppy.”
The way he spoke with a proud expression made him look like a child who wanted compliments, so she couldn’t hold back her laughter.
Karina smiled brightly and gently patted Mikhail’s head.
“You worked hard today. You followed my orders so well, so I should praise you, right?”
“..."
“You did really well.”
Mikhail stared at her.
Karina flinched at his gaze.
'Ah, is this too childish?'
She recalled the memory of her nanny patting her head like this when she was little and did the same.
Embarrassed, Karina slowly lowered her hand.
Mikhail did not take his eyes off Karina's hand that had fallen from him.
"Ahem, then shall I go and rent a carriage now?"
When Karina coughed and said, Mikhail raised his head and looked at Karina.
"I'll be back soon."
Mikhail smiled gently with his eyes curled and headed to the stagecoach rental shop.
***
Caroline entered the Grand Duke's dining room.
"Oh, my? You were eating alone?"
Jeremiah was already eating in the dining room.
Caroline asked as she sat down on the chair the servant had given her.
"What about Karina?"
"I heard she went out to the city and hasn't come back yet."
Jeremiah answered while grabbing his glass of water.
"I see. I heard she went out with her escort magician. She must be busy."
"..."
“But why did she suddenly go downtown? He's only been here for a short time, so he probably doesn’t know his way around.”
Caroline glanced at Jeremiah.
When she first heard this news, she was so shocked.
How could Karina have already fallen in love with another man after only being a Grand Duchess?
After all, the young wizard was quite handsome.
Even she felt her composure shaken the moment she first saw him.
But the important thing now was whether Jeremiah knew about this news.
Caroline pretended to know nothing and continued to speak.
“She's going out with a young man all of a sudden? She's not upset about what happened in the garden, is she?”
She subtly emphasized the fact that Karina had gone out alone with her escort and watched Jeremiah’s reaction.
“That’s not possible.”
Contrary to her expectations, Jeremiah’s reaction was indifferent.
“No. She’s clearly hurt. I told her that we could calmly resolve any misunderstandings when we ate together tonight.”
Caroline criticized Karina, mentioning a promise she didn’t make.
“I can’t believe she left like this, ignoring that promise. The Grand Duchess seems to be more hurt than I thought. What should I do?”
“She said she was going to inspect the city, so she should be back soon. I think you can talk to her after she gets back.”
“That would be great, but...”
Caroline trailed off and glanced at Jeremiah.
“Is it because Karina is from the capital... The young ladies from the capital are naturally fickle.”
Caroline sighed in a troubled tone and continued.
“She was the young lady of the Marquis of Millainer, who was favored by the Emperor, so she must have been treated very well in the capital.”
Jeremiah’s brow furrowed slightly at the mention of the Marquis of Millainer.
“She can’t fix that bad habit even when she comes to the North. If the Grand Duchess acts fickle all the time, won’t it be difficult for the Grand Duke?”
“...”
“If you’re an archduchess, you should act like one. I’m worried that Karina will continue to act selfishly and bring down the prestige of the Grand Duke family.”
Caroline pretended to be worried and continued to belittle Karina.
“This is also a matter of basic manners. Wouldn’t it be better to fix that bad habit now, for the sake of the future?”
“...”
Jeremiah, who had been listening silently without answering, put down the fork and knife in his hands with a loud clank.
There was a creaking sound of a chair being dragged.
He got up from his seat and said in a dry voice,
“I’m busy, so I’ll get up first.”
“Already? Even though you're busy, finish your meal before you go.”
Caroline held on, but Jeremiah firmly refused.
“I don’t have an appetite. Sister, finish your meal before you go.”
Jeremiah’s face hardened as he left the restaurant.
“Whew.”
Jeremiah sighed and pressed the space between his eyebrows.
Lately, for some unknown reason, he had been thinking about Karina. So he had been trying hard not to think about her.
In such a situation, he was very upset because Caroline kept talking about Karina whenever she saw him.
He thought it would be better if he could relieve his surging irritation.
“I’m going to the training ground, so get ready.”
Jeremiah ordered Jansen, who was following him.
Looking out the window, he saw that the afternoon had already passed by.
‘I thought you’d be back soon, but you’re taking longer than I thought.’
Jeremiah frowned at the realization that he had thought of Karina again. He shook his head, trying to shake off his thoughts.
***
At that moment, Karina was standing on the outskirts of the street, waiting for Mikhail.
How long had it been?
Suddenly, someone appeared from the corner of the alley on the other side and bumped into Karina.
“Ugh!”
Karina looked back in surprise. Karina had been pushed back a few steps, while the other person had fallen backward.
“What is this... little kid?”
The other person was a child who looked to be about ten years old at best.
“Kid, are you okay?”
Karina approached and checked on the child.
“Ah, uh...”
The child had hit his head while falling backward and was not fully awake. She was wondering if she should take him to the doctor, but something sparkled at his feet.
“...What is this?”
“Ah...!”
As Karina was checking his feet, the child suddenly let out an exclamation. Then, he started to hurriedly pick up something that was lying on the floor. Upon closer inspection, Karina saw a purse made of high-quality fabric and several shiny silver coins lying on the floor.
'Silver coins?'
At that moment, a shout was heard from behind.
"Stop right there!"
A man with a rough beard was running towards them with a scary expression. Judging from his attire, he looked like a knight of a noble family.
"Eek!"
The child gasped and shook his shoulders when he saw the man running towards him. He must have been in a hurry because he dropped a few of the silver coins he had picked up and fumbled. As the man approached, he gave up on the silver coins and quickly grabbed only the purse and tried to run away. However, the difference in stride between the child and the adult was very large. He was caught before long.
"You little rat! Do you think I'll let you go?"
The bearded man grabbed the child by the collar.
"I finally caught you."
"Crunch crunch!"
The child groaned in pain as if he was suffocating.
“Huh.”
The bearded man snorted and hit the child.
“Ugh!”
The child, who was thrown hard to the ground, groaned and curled up, unable to get up.
“You should know that today is a big day!”
“Did you catch him?”
A man who looked like a nobleman appeared in the alley with a soft voice. The man who emerged from the shadow of the wall gave off a careless air. Nevertheless, his leisurely gait and relaxed expression made it clear that he was a nobleman. The man wiggled his fingers as if telling him to place what he caught in front of him.
“Yes. Here it is.”
The bearded man forcibly lifted the child up.
“What should I do?”
The nobleman looked the child over as if he was looking at something dirty and answered absentmindedly.
“What are you asking? I guess I’ll have to beat him up first so he’ll come to his senses.”
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