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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: I'll Protect You
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“Seriously, how good is his eyesight?”
I’d taken advantage of the moment Enoch looked away to slip out of his sight, and now I glanced back toward where he might be.
“I only had a few drinks. Do I… smell?”
It seemed Riana, the original owner of this body, had quite a fondness for alcohol.
If my mind wandered for even a moment, I'd find a glass in my hand.
I’d even been scolded by Enoch a few times because of it.
“No memories, but the habits are ingrained in the body, I guess?”
Tsk.
Pursing my lips, I decided to get some fresh air on the balcony, but I froze when I heard a conversation coming from behind a white curtain.
“Your Grace, are you certain this is alright?”
“I will take responsibility for the consequences, so do not worry.”
“But still, to do this to His Majesty—.”
‘His Majesty? Are they talking about Enoch right now?’
As Enoch’s name appeared in the undeniably suspicious conversation, my eyebrows shot up at a defiant angle.
Duke Herington’s voice drifted toward me through the curtain, which swayed in the breeze.
“Don't you realize that if we do nothing, I'll be the one sent to fight in the Hashen War? Just keep His Majesty occupied until I can steer things so that he is the one who deploys.”
“But, Your Grace. Is that really possible with the method you've suggested? You're just telling me to make contact with His Majesty…”
“Well. We’ll know once we try.”
The Duke ground out the cigar he was holding with his foot, the corner of his mouth twisting into a smirk.
“The Emperor clearly has a weakness when it comes to physical contact with others. I don't know what it is exactly, though.”
“Could it perhaps be related to the death of the former Empress?”
“That's possible. As you say, the problem might have arisen from the belief that his mother died because he touched her. In any case—.”
“What is it, Your Grace?”
As I was busy eavesdropping, I heard footsteps approaching and started to hide.
But the Duke's hand was faster than I was. Before I could even turn, the curtain was violently thrown aside.
“Is something wrong?”
“It’s nothing.”
The Duke turned his body to block me from the other man’s view and gave a slight nod.
“You should be on your way. Make sure to keep His Majesty occupied for the allotted time.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
*And it would be even better if you could find out what weakness the Emperor is hiding so carefully.* The Duke’s blue eyes turned to me as he muttered this.
In a situation where I was so obviously caught eavesdropping, I tried to come up with some excuse.
My lips parted.
Strangely, they moved, but no sound came out.
It was the same feeling of my body betraying my will, like when I unconsciously reached for a drink.
My body had frozen on its own the moment I came face to face with the Duke, and as I stood there in a daze…
He grabbed me by the collar and yanked me toward him.
“Hah…!”
“I believe I told you to stay quietly cooped up at home. Why did you crawl out here today!”
“Your… your hand…”
I weakly patted the thick hand that was crudely squeezing the air from my lungs. The Duke pinched his nose and shoved me away.
Because of it, Riana's delicate body swayed, stumbling violently.
“Have you been drinking again? How pathetic.”
The Duke threw the handkerchief he’d used to wipe his hands, as if he’d touched something filthy, and shot a question at me in a sharp voice.
“Are you taking good care of the child?”
“What…”
My voice was tight, as if by habit, and my hands trembled finely.
Being grabbed by the collar out of nowhere and not being able to say a word—I didn't like this situation one bit.
So, channeling my frustration, I gripped the hem of my dress with my trembling hands. As I clenched my jaw, I tasted the faint tang of blood.
Perhaps it was the metallic sting spreading across the soft flesh of my inner cheek. My trembling subsided, just a little. I looked the Duke straight in the eye and slowly parted my lips.
“What child… are you asking about?”
“You fool! Who else would it be? I'm talking about Elisha's child, the one I entrusted to you!”
“Elisha… Elisha’s child?”
Elisha’s child? There was nothing like that in the novel.
And the child I was currently taking care of…
My eyes widened as I thought of Ariel, sleeping soundly in her small, charmingly decorated bed.
‘Don't tell me Ariel is Elisha's daughter?’
Now that I thought about it, the two of them had more than a few similarities.
Platinum blonde hair that shone like sunlight and verdant green eyes that seemed to hold the forest within them.
The child’s features, which I thought resembled Riana’s, were not like Riana’s at all, but Elisha’s.
But the female lead in the original novel definitely didn't have a child…
As I tried to sort through my complicated thoughts, grappling with information that differed from the story I knew…
The Duke tapped my head and gave me a warning.
“Continue to manage things well so that Elisha doesn't find out about the child's existence. I will come for her when the time is right.”
“…”
“Tsk. Ariel, or whatever her name is. If that child or you prove useless, I can dispose of you at any moment.”
With that annoying remark and one last warning, the Duke hurriedly left.
Only then did the tension finally drain from my body, which had been as stiff as a puppet.
My newly freed body habitually intercepted a wine glass from the tray of a passing servant and tipped the contents down my throat.
“Wow… what is this? What's with that man? Is he really the female lead's family?”
As the high-proof liquid seared its way down my throat, life slowly returned to my stiff limbs.
It was only then that I realized the loud noise ringing in my ears was the frantic beating of my own heart. I let out a long breath and swept my hair back.
“Seriously, what's with that guy's personality? Grabbing someone by the collar the moment he sees them—Ah! Right, Enoch!”
Feeling the heat rush to my face, I wiped my mouth and frantically looked around for Enoch.
Not too far away, I spotted him talking with someone, and then I saw a suspicious man rapidly approaching him. I shot my hand into the air.
“Your Majesty!”
***
“…”
“Ria… na?”
‘Ah. I didn't mean to shout that loudly.’
Hearing my cry of ‘Your Majesty’ echo through the quiet hall, I buried my face in one hand.
I’d called out to him on impulse, worried he might go berserk in such a public place.
But the sound that came out was much louder than I’d intended. Mortified, I covered my face and shuffled toward Enoch.
Perhaps the alcohol I’d been chugging was finally hitting me. I stumbled on my way over, making the short walk even more embarrassing.
But somehow, I managed to reach Enoch’s side without any major incident. I squeezed my way through the people surrounding him.
“Ugh, excuse me. Just let me through, please.”
Leaving behind a trail of gazes that all seemed to say, *What is that troublesome Little Marquess up to now?*, I arrived in front of Enoch and took a short breath.
I then bowed deeply and respectfully to him. A dozen question marks seemed to pop up over his handsome face.
With everyone’s eyes on us, I adopted the most courteous manner possible toward the Emperor and opened my mouth.
“Your Majesty, forgive my impertinence, but may I hold your hand?”
“…?”
Well, being polite didn’t make a strange act any less strange.
But I’d greeted him and asked for permission, so I dutifully moved my hands toward my goal.
I pulled off the black glove covering his large hand and firmly intertwined my fingers with his long ones. I could hear gasps from the people around us.
Some whispered that the Little Marquess, who they already thought was crazy, had finally lost her mind.
Others were astonished to witness the rare sight of Enoch in physical contact with someone else.
Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, Enoch, who had been standing there in considerable shock, looked me over with a worried expression.
“Riana, what is the meaning of this? Have you had too much to drink?”
“…That's not it, you know.”
I pouted and deliberately squeezed his hand as I rose onto my toes.
But because of our height difference, it was hard to whisper in his ear even on my tiptoes. As I struggled, Enoch slowly bent down.
Now in a much more comfortable position, I relayed the conversation I had just overheard from the Duke. Enoch listened silently before letting out a dry laugh.
“Ha. I knew it was too quiet lately.”
“People can be so wicked, trying to exploit someone else’s weakness like that!”
Was it the alcohol slowly starting to take effect? Or was the anger from being grabbed by the collar finally bubbling up?
As I stomped my foot in a burst of frustration, Enoch’s expression grew peculiar as he looked down at me.
“Anyway, as long as we're holding hands like this, you won't go berserk, right?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Then hold my hand tight and hide behind me.”
“…Pardon?”
“What if someone other than that man over there tries to touch you?”
At my instruction to hide, Enoch's expression grew even more peculiar.
As if to gauge how little of him was actually hidden by Riana's petite frame, Enoch slowly placed his palm on top of my head.
He then used the side of his hand to measure my height, which didn't even reach his shoulder, and stifled a laugh.
Seeing no humor in the situation, I glared at him and stood my ground before him with a serious face.
“I'll make sure no one lays a hand on you, so let's go find the Duke. I'll escort you!”
“Hmm. I wonder… can you really protect me?”
“Ah, come on! What if you really end up having to go to war because of this?”
“And would that be so bad?”
“…Of course it would!”
I nodded emphatically and lowered my voice even further.
“What if you go berserk on the battlefield?”
“Hmm. Then would you care to go with me? That should solve the problem, don't you think?”
At his teasing tone, I gave him a playful glare.
“A war would take months, even if it’s short. What would you do?”
“Months, you say… a few months…”
While I was fretting over his problem, he seemed perfectly calm.
As he mulled over my words, one corner of his lip curled up into a wicked smirk.
“You're right. A few months would be a bit difficult.”
