Linea was still afraid of her grandmother.
She doesn't like her playing with toys like this. She's not a child anymore, so her grandmother tells her not to play with things like this.
"Is a 10-year-old a child or an adult? Don't be self-conscious, feel free to play with them to your heart's content."
"She confiscated another doll last time too, so I don't want to show it."
Linea said sullenly.
She would torment the kid day after day whenever something didn't go her way, even slightly.
It seemed that at that time, she had even taken Linea's doll without permission, using an excuse.
Although such incidents have decreased relatively since I came, I could not prevent them from happening when I was not there.
"I see. If Grandma breaks it, I'll buy you a new one anytime, so don't be too self-conscious."
Since I have to leave this house soon anyway.
Linea nodded, waving a scent of a baby.
"I'm going out for a bit this evening, so Linea, eat something delicious and go to bed early. Got it?"
I was planning to feed Linea well and make her chubby starting today, unlike before.
Because Linea is pitifully thin right now.
If it were just her constitution, I would accept it, but that isn't the case either.
She looks fluffy like a kitten.
If fed well from now on, it was clear that her current cuteness would shine even more intensely!
"Let's go eat something delicious again today! Shall I wear this dress today?"
"Yes!"
"I'll tie your hair for you, too. It's my first time doing this, so I'm not sure if I can do it well, though."
Linea silently put on the dress as I dressed her.
Then, I brought the ribbon I had bought and tied her hair in a half-updo, and unlike before, she looked like the daughter of a wealthy family.
“It’s pretty!”
As I shouted with genuine admiration, Linea looked at herself in the mirror, feeling shy yet at ease.
Linea, with her soft, angelic cheeks flushed, was becoming more and more adorable.
As I walked out into the hallway hand in hand with Linea, whom I had dressed to my taste, the eyes of the maids I met widened.
I said to the maids.
"I locked the door, so don't open it and come in."
Among them was Mary, who had fallen out with Linea.
I intentionally took a silver coin out of my pocket and tossed it precisely at Mary. Then she snatched the coin.
"This is a gift."
That one coin was worth about 50,000 won.
Perhaps that is why the maids looked visibly envious.
"I heard you're the strongest among the maids, so you'll be able to handle this well, right?"
"Well... I get it."
Mary took the money since it was given to her, but she nodded half-heartedly.
Linea didn't even make eye contact with Mary.
It was evident that she was uncomfortable.
For Linea, Mary is the first person she trusted only to be betrayed, so it is only natural that she would feel uncomfortable around her.
'Now that you've taken this money, you're going to get into trouble later.'
I smiled kindly at her, only with my mouth.
As if to show off, I took Linea's hand, hailed a three-carriage, and headed to Lombardy again today.
For the time being, I planned to go out with Linea every day for a delicious meal.
Until I left this house.
***
At this moment, Carcel ran his hand through his hair with blood-stained hands.
“It’s over."
Before him lay scattered dead orcs, brutally beaten to a pitiful pulp and bleeding profusely.
Carcel always wore a silver mask to conceal his identity, even in the presence of the knights.
Perhaps for this reason, the knights cast glances toward him filled with a mixture of awe and hazy fear.
It was because they had just witnessed Carcel single-handedly slaughtering several orcs.
"Hey, this is the first time I've seen someone catch an orc with their bare hands. I'd rather just beat a bear to death."
"I've actually heard rumors that the Duke isn't human. That's why he goes around covering his face..."
The voices of the knights whispering like that could be heard.
Instead of reacting to the familiar words he had heard, Carcel let out a long, heavy sigh.
Even for Carcel, the continuous strenuous schedule had left his body somewhat fatigued.
He couldn't sleep all day because he defeated monsters.
However, strength surged within him whenever he saw Asha's face, smiling shyly and saying, "Thank you so much, Carcel," before his eyes.
To begin with, Carcel possessed insane physical abilities capable of beating monsters with his bare hands, so not sleeping for one night didn't cause any problems.
It's just that Matt barely managed to get a quick nap in the back that's tough.
Matt ran over and reported the situation to Carcel.
"Ten people sustained minor injuries, and fortunately, there were no fatalities."
"Fine, tell them to handle the dismantling themselves."
"All right!"
Carcel gave an order to Matt, who had a look on his face that said, "Finally, it's time to go home."
"And I will return to the capital right now, so you finish up the remaining work here and come back."
Carsel spoke as he approached the teleportation circle installed by the wizards who had been forcibly drafted from the Magic Tower after pestering Matt all night.
Then Matt answered weakly.
"...Yes."
"It's a day off, so rest tomorrow."
"Yes!"
Leaving behind Matt, who had suddenly become energetic, Carcel placed his foot on the teleportation circle.
He was in a hurry. It couldn't be true, but he was worried that he might be late for the appointment or that the plans would fall through because he missed Asha's call.
He felt the light of the magic circle enveloping his body.
And in an instant, Carcel arrived at the teleportation magic circle in a secret place at the Marquis's mansion.
'Fortunately, I won't be late.'
Today was the first date that Asha asked for first.
Previously, Asha liked him, but now that she had given up on him, he was in a situation where he had one-sided feelings for her.
How can one win back the heart of a woman who has been lost?
In any case, there was only one thing Carcel could do.
Approaching with honesty but not burdensome weight.
"Come to think of it, the time will come when I have to reveal that I was Duke Lakan."
He knew that even now, there are times when Asha shows a slight wariness toward him.
However, Carcel instinctively sensed that if she found out he was the Duke of the infamous rumors, she would distance herself from him in an instant.
I'll confess when I get a little closer to her.
It is a secret that must be told to the person you are going to marry anyway.
Carcel was lost in thought about what to give for the dinner date.
At that moment, his gaze fell on the rose outside the window.
***
< The areas where monsters appear have increased... Fortunately, there was no major damage. >
I was heading to Lombardy while reading the newspaper.
"That's right. In the original work as well, there were rumors that monsters, which originally appeared mainly near the border or in the north, were suddenly showing up near the capital as well."
That wasn't a major part of the story in the original, so I don't know much beyond this.
The reason I remembered even the minute details of the original work in the first place was for survival.
Just as there are moments during the college entrance exam when, in a crisis, you recall forgotten information as if possessed by an ancestral spirit.
I, too, mustered every ounce of strength I had to recall everything I could remember in order to survive, and I found quite a lot of information.
Even so, information about monsters or the Duke is rarely mentioned even in the original work, so I don't really know much about them.
It will still be a long time before Linea and the Duke get entangled.
And since I haven't abused Linea in the slightest, I won't die at his hands either.
So, the Duke wasn't scary anymore, though.
What if that guy with such a terrifying reputation targets our Linea?
I have to manage the situation as best I can to ensure that Linea and Duke Lakan don't even meet from the start.
Thinking that, the carriage slowly came to a stop.
“We have arrived.”
I gave a light greeting to the coachman who opened the door of the carriage upon arrival at the destination, and I opened the door to my destination, Oliveto, and stepped inside.
"Huh?"
As soon as I entered, a floral scent that hadn't been there until yesterday brushed past the tip of my nose.
I opened my eyes wide at the scent of fresh roses.
'Did you change the concept in just one day?'
On top of that, there are no customers even though it is the evening peak time.
As I entered, the manager approached and asked in a friendly manner.
"Are you Countess Delmore?"
“Yes.”
"I will guide you this way."
I followed the manager, marveling at the restaurant interior decorated entirely with pink roses, and arrived at the private quarters.
And beyond the open door.
"Carcel?"
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