Chapter 14
Episode 14
Even I thought my imagination was excessive.
There was no way the Young Duke from my childhood and I knew each other.
I was a commoner who barely scraped by day to day in the slums, while he must have been a Young Duke from birth.
It was more plausible to consider this as something my subconscious had created.
The young him glanced at me, then sat in the shade beneath a tree and gently patted the spot next to him.
“Sit here.”
“Uh, uh? Yeah……”
The Young Duke, with eyes full of childlike curiosity, asked me.
“Where are you from?”
“Hmm, a very faraway place?”
If one were to be precise, it wouldn't be wrong, would it?
Dreams and the real world were spaces that couldn't even touch each other.
Hearing my words, he nodded diligently as if he understood.
“Well, I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as you in this empire.”
“……”
This little brat, he must have made girls cry a lot even as a baby, huh?
He shot me a slight glare, sensing my thoughts, and said softly.
“……I don’t do this for just anyone.”
The young Young Duke was just as quick-witted. I should be careful with my words.
The young Young Duke rubbed his cheek slightly and shyly asked.
“What’s your name?”
“Me? My name is……”
Just as I was about to answer ‘Bestia’.
A different word automatically slipped from my lips.
What did I just say?
Absurdly, it was as if that part had been erased from my memory; I couldn't understand what I had said.
The young Young Duke seemed lost in thought after hearing my name.
“That name doesn’t suit you, it’s too rough.”
“Really?”
The young Young Duke’s serious contemplation was quite cute.
Was he really this lovable in his childhood?
The Young Duke, who was devoid of any warmth, and the child before me were similar yet so different.
Wasn't he still fidgeting, waiting for my next answer?
He’s cute, let’s play along a little more.
“Is my name not good?”
“It’s not bad, it just doesn’t suit you…… You look pretty and lovely.”
To be able to say such cheesy words so innocently. This was a skill only the Young Duke could possess.
Could such a pure child grow up to be an adult like marble, with a perpetually stiff expression?
But such doubts were fleeting.
My gaze was drawn to the child’s face, which lit up with a smile as something came to mind.
“That’s good.”
“What is?”
“Bestia! A name that suits you.”
That’s already my name?
So, did I say a different name earlier?
At this point, the question of whether I had actually met the Young Duke began to resurface.
But I had no memory of it at all?
Even if it were a long time ago, the Young Duke wasn't someone easily forgotten, was he?
Whether as a child or now, the Young Duke was excessively eye-catching.
Had I really never seen him before?
I scrutinized his features one by one, trying to recall my memories.
The child who looked exactly like the Young Duke… who gifted me the name ‘Bestia’.
Because of that name, I was in marriage negotiations with someone who looked just like you….
“Why did you give me the name ‘Bestia’?”
“Why? Do you not like it?”
The young Young Duke asked with teary, anxious eyes.
Hmm, perhaps the guess that I was the Young Duke’s hidden younger sibling might be more plausible.
I placed my hand on his round crown and gently stroked it.
“It’s not that.”
“Then will you come again next time?”
The young him looked at me with pleading, earnest eyes.
Sigh, this is just a dream, so I won't be able to come again.
“…Hmm, that might be a little difficult.”
Hearing this, he wore a sad expression and said bitterly.
“Don’t abandon me. Can’t we just stay together?”
The sight of the child, unable to even meet my eyes, begging me not to leave, was quite pathetic.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know for now, but I promise I’ll come find you later.”
“……Really?”
“I promise.”
This isn't reality, so it should be fine to tell a few lies, right?
Ignoring my nagging conscience, I extended my pinky finger to the young Young Duke.
Though the form was invisible, well, nothing had been wrong since earlier.
“A promise? What are you betting?”
“Huh?”
The child looked at me pleadingly with teary eyes.
“I don’t really have anything to give. Is there something you want?”
The moment I spoke, he erased his wistful expression and gave a rather meaningful smile.
Ah, what is this? Wait a minute? I feel like I’ve just been scammed?
“Allow me to become yours.”
Hmm, this dream is strangely specific.
“Isn’t it usually the other way around?”
“I don’t know, I just like it better this way.”
The young Young Duke watched me without a word, then linked his pinky finger with an invisible form.
“Then it’s a promise, okay?”
It feels like I’ve been scammed rather than made a promise, but it’s a dream, so it’s fine, right?
It seemed to be time to wake up from the dream, as the clear scenery began to blur.
I bid farewell to the young Young Duke.
“Take care. I’ll try my best to keep my promise.”
His form grew increasingly blurry and hard to see, but his voice remained clear.
“Liar.”
\ \ *
“Mmm…. See you next time….”
I opened my eyes, muttering the words from my dream.
“Ah, I slept so refreshingly.”
A warm and comfortable feeling made the corners of my mouth turn up automatically.
“Have you awoken?”
Yes, that is, until I heard the Young Duke’s stiff tone.
As soon as I heard his voice, I sat bolt upright and asked.
“The person lying in bed was the Young Duke, so why am I the one sleeping here?”
Did I perhaps talk in my sleep and end up there?
The Young Duke was sitting on the sofa across from the bed, calmly reading a newspaper.
No, he pushed aside the sick person and slept comfortably by himself? Seriously?
Good heavens.
I told the person who fed and housed me to rest for a moment, and I stole even that rest time?
Was my conscience this transparent?
My jaw dropped as I stared at him.
Sensing my gaze, he replied indifferently.
“I also just woke up. Thanks to you, Beth, I feel refreshed.”
He still kept his eyes fixed on the newspaper, speaking in a detached tone.
Seeing a slight flush on his marble-like skin, he did seem to be in better condition.
Still, he didn’t get to rest fully because of me, did he?
I hesitantly approached him to apologize.
One would think he’d look at my face at least once, but he continued to stare intently at the newspaper.
Is he angry?
I didn’t think the Young Duke would be upset by my actions.
But there was no reason for him not to even give me a glance.
“Young Duke, I’m sorry about yesterday….”
“Bestia, look at this.”
“Is it a local newspaper?”
The Young Duke handed me the bundle of paper he had been glaring at as if he could burn it.
“What is this……”
[Are you tired of the usual crowded tourist spots on your travels?]
Is this an advertisement?
[For a private time with your family, away from the crowds?]
[Assembly Point: Plaza
Destination: Lake Owen
Effects of the Lake: Not only does being together deepen bonds, but it also grants eternal life…….]
“…It certainly looks suspicious to anyone.”
However, the Young Duke pointed to the area where the destination was written, rather than the description of the lake’s effects, and said.
“Beth, surprisingly, that’s not the point you should focus on.”
“Lake Owen? What is there?”
“This place is located at the very edge of the House of Duke Ellen’s territory, but it is not the Duke’s private property.”
So, it’s located within the Duke’s territory, but the lake itself belongs to someone else?
“Then is the owner of this lake a noble named ‘Owen’?”
“He was, once… but not anymore.”
“What? Then whose private property is it now?”
“It’s not land belonging to any other noble. According to rumors circulating, ‘Owen’, who once owned this lake, offered it to the country as recompense for committing a crime.”
“Ah, no wonder it feels so suspicious.”
“Furthermore, it’s far from the capital, and the scenery isn’t particularly good either.”
“Perhaps… perhaps there’s a possibility Owen was actually involved in a crime?”
As I tilted my head, the Young Duke let out a small laugh and continued.
“There’s only circumstantial evidence, but I believe it’s quite possible.”
If the Young Duke says so, it seems Owen’s crime is likely true.
“Hmm… What kind of person was Owen?”
“He engaged in gambling and drug trafficking, and imposed exorbitant taxes on the residents of his territory.”
Gambling and drug distribution were both severely punished in the empire.
Drug trafficking, in particular, was a grave offense, a very wicked crime.
‘As expected.’
“Oh, he seems to have done everything that could make money.”
“Seeing people disappear periodically in this area, I believe there’s a possibility of human trafficking.”
“Indeed, what the Young Duke says makes sense. You know about this place, which I’ve only just learned about, quite well.”
I was surprised that the Young Duke knew so much about the situation in this remote area.
“Do nobles know everything about each other?”
“No, they do not.”
“Then why….”
“Because Owen is the name of Count Devon.”
“What?”
Devon. The name of the Count who had tried to marry me off as if selling me.
To be continued in the next chapter ▶
