Translator: Nox

Chapter 39

‘I suppose he’s better than Karl.’

At first, Karl had stepped forward.

“Going to such a dangerous place?! Absolutely not!”

He had opposed it blindly from the start, but when he couldn’t break her resolve, he changed his tune.

“Then I’m going with you! I’ll protect you, Dana!”

Ridiculous. Who is protecting whom?

‘To think a man who harbors murderous intent toward me would say such a thing.’

Lumie was better than Karl.

At least Lumie seemed to have dropped the act of being a kind cousin.

Besides, his skill was something she could rely on.

“Dana, want some whiskey?”

Lumie held up a bottle he’d pulled from the carriage’s cabinet. Dana replied bluntly.

“Drink as much as you like yourself.”

“How unusual for you to turn down a drink.”

“…….”

“You used to like having a light drink and chatting with me.”

How unusual? Dana bit her lip hard.

Did he really expect her to sit there and chatter over drinks like before?

“I have no intention of doing that anymore.”

“Hm?”

“I don’t plan on acting affectionately toward you ever again, so stop pretending we’re close.”

When she cut him off so sharply, Lumie’s red eyes widened. Then.

“I don’t want to.”

He smiled brightly and poured the whiskey into a glass.

“I want to be even more affectionate with you.”

“You can say that to me after what you said? You expect things to be the same?”

“I only said those things because I care about you so much.”

“You said those things because you care?”

“Yes.”

Lumie brought the glass to his lips at a slant.

“Because I wanted to help you adjust to this world.”

What a load of rubbish…

Dana was certain of it.

That day, when she had run into Lumie right after discovering Raios and Alice’s affair.

“Your need for compensation is suffocating.”

“Did anyone tie you up and force you to stay?”

“It is perfectly normal in this world for a man to have multiple women.”

She had seen the flash of cruel pleasure in Lumie’s eyes as he spoke those words.

He had been enjoying the moment she was hurt. He had been delighted.

‘Disgusting.’

When she glared at him, Lumie tilted his head curiously. Then.

“Ah. Sorry. I was being insensitive.”

He uncrossed his long legs and patted his lap.

“Here.”

“…….”

Here what?

“Come on. Over here. I’ll let you use my lap as a pillow.”

“……Do I look like I want that?”

“Yes. You had that look in your eyes.”

What was he even talking about? Dana responded to his nonsense—whether it was a joke or not—with a snort of derision.

“Your delusions are impressive.”

“Or would you rather I use yours?”

Lumie glanced down at her thighs.

“I’d certainly like that.”

“…….”

“Ah, how lovely would it be if Dana let me rest my head on her lap?”

He was mocking her.

Lumie had always been like this. He enjoyed wordplay, and she used to laugh and play along.

If it were the past, they would have traded these jokes without a second thought.

But she didn’t want to do that anymore. She didn’t even want to deal with him, so she turned her head away.

“Don’t let your guard down, Dana. I might just crawl over and lie down while you’re looking away.”

Ignoring his absurd babble, Dana squeezed her eyes shut.

The road ahead felt daunting.

---

After a long—truly, incredibly long—journey, Dana finally arrived at the Winzer Territory.

However.

“The Lord has forbidden entry.”

At the entrance of Winzer Castle, a gatekeeper blocked their path.

A surge of irritation washed over Dana instantly. Her entire body was aching from the long trip as it was.

“What did you just say?”

Perhaps because of her exhaustion, her voice didn’t come out kindly.

“Say that again. The Lord did what?”

The gatekeeper flinched and hunched his shoulders.

“I-I’m sorry. But the Lord has forbidden entry.”

“The Lord of Winzer is my brother, Viego Winzer. Who exactly are you daring to call ‘Lord’ right now?”

“Well, that is…”

“Don’t stutter, speak clearly. I asked who this person is, impersonating the Lord of Winzer.”

“I, uh, I……”

While the gatekeeper was floundering, a horse-drawn cart stopped in front of the gate.

“Open the gate! We have silk from the Cleto Merchant Guild!”

“Ah, yes! Just a moment!”

The gatekeeper hurried to open the gates.

Watching the cart pass through, Dana narrowed her eyes.

Should she just force her way in right now? Just as she was weighing the option.

“Oh dear, it seems you are bullying my subordinate.”

“My Lord!”

The gatekeeper’s face brightened instantly as a man approached.

“Welcome to the Winzer Territory. I am Marc Kurs. Count Kurs is my biological father.”

“……You are the Lord of this land?”

“It’s embarrassing to say, but that is what the residents call me.”

Marc’s eyes were filled with blatant hostility as he introduced himself.

“But to think you’ve traveled all this way. I never thought the day would come when I’d meet members of the Winzer direct line in my lifetime.”

He gave a crooked, sarcastic smile.

“Perhaps that’s why I find it hard to believe. Who’s to say if you’re actually of the Winzer bloodline, or just thugs impersonating them?”

“I am Danae Winzer. And this is my cousin, Lumie Winzer.”

Dana immediately held out her identification plaque.

However, Marc merely glanced at it with a look of annoyance, not moving an inch.

“How am I to tell if this is real or fake? I’ve never seen one in my life.”

He flicked the plaque Dana was holding with his fingertip.

In that moment, Dana clenched her fists at the boiling irritation. She was already exhausted to the point of death, and now she had to deal with this arrogant claim!

“Dana.”

Lumie lowered his lips to her ear and whispered softly.

“Want me to get us in?”

“…….”

Why did he sound so amused?

Lumie looked genuinely excited, as if all of this were some delightful game.

‘Well, he did just return from naval battles against barbarians.’

I suppose this must feel like mere entertainment to him. Dana asked bluntly.

“How are you going to get us in?”

“How else? It’s simple if there’s no one left to block the way.”

In other words, he meant to break through with force.

Part of her wanted to agree immediately. However.

“We can’t do that.”

Viego Winzer had been very clear.

‘Violent methods are not elegant.’

‘Resolve it peacefully.’

That meant resolving it through dialogue. Without any bloodshed.

“Hahaha, I’m not sure what I just heard.”

Marc laughed as if the idea was pathetic.

“Do you really think you can break through me and enter this castle just because you want to?”

He looked Lumie up and down.

“Lumie Winzer, you said? I am well aware of your reputation.”

But the surprise didn’t end there.

“You’re the adopted son of Karl Winzer, aren’t you?”

“…….”

To say it so openly.

While it was a fact known to everyone in the Empire that Lumie was not Karl’s biological son, no one ever said it to his face.

“To act like a member of the direct line when you don’t have a single drop of Winzer blood… I’m embarrassed for you.”

With those final words, Marc Kurs turned away.

“The territory is more peaceful than ever. So don’t waste your time and go back.”

Dana stared at his retreating back before tugging on Lumie’s sleeve.

“Let’s go, Brother.”

“Where?”

“Where do you think?”

Dana said as she climbed back into the carriage.

“We’re going back to the gates of the territory.”

“Why? Don’t tell me you’re going back to the capital?”

“Going back?”

She let out a scoff.

If she went back now, she would be despised by Viego, and the Vice Family Head’s ring would slip through her fingers. That would mean an ending where she lived in this world forever. There was no way she was going back.

“I am going to enter Winzer Castle.”

She was going to make that insolent brat beg her to come inside.