* * *

Even though it was a short meal, the Baron seemed very satisfied.

Throughout the ride back to Rose Mansion, the Baron talked at length about what a great meeting it had been, and as he said his goodbyes to Antes, he spared no praise for the Marquis couple.

“Maybe because they were the ones who gave birth to and raised the yong lord, they were very good people.”

“…Thank you for your kind words.”

However, Antes’s expression as he responded was far from pleasant. For some reason, she could guess why, so she held onto his wrist as he tried to leave.

“Just a moment.”

“…!”

No, but how can someone so strong be pushed around so easily?

Antes, who was pushed back by the sudden grip on his wrist and hit the wall.

Thud!

It felt like there was even a sound, but when Luna was momentarily startled, Antes, who had an unexpectedly strong expression on his face, raised the corners of his mouth as if asking when he had become so weak.

“You’re quite forceful, aren’t you? It’s the first time I’ve been pushed like this by a woman.”

What kind of bizarre remark was that?

“…Have you ever been pushed like this by a man?”

“Well, usually if we get into an argument, we push each other against the wall. Not that I’ve ever been pushed before.”

Although she hadn’t intended to pick a fight, the atmosphere had already become awkward. So Luna reluctantly released her grip on his wrist.

Thanks to her, the mood was shattered. Antes tried to provoke the Marquis family’s unexpected side once more, but the atmosphere wouldn’t allow it.

“Ah, forget it. Goodbye. Thank you for accompanying me today.”

“But I didn’t help at all.”

It was true that he didn’t help, but looking at the Marquis’s mood, you could tell that he really showed great courage and went along.

“My father has found peace in his heart, hasn’t he? You’ve been a great help.”

She replied with words he had never heard before.

Just like in the book, the father and daughter were busy trying to praise him for not even his parents trusting him.

He tried to act like nothing had happened, but the feeling of being twisted inside quickly returned.

It was baffling how they kept creating excuses to enjoy this and yet didn’t know how to part ways.

“When are you planning to leave for the mine? You might need to get things organized before then.”

“I’m thinking of leaving in two days. I’ll depart on the day father goes down to the Peils Estate. You don’t have to accompany me if you’re busy. It’s not too far, but it will still take about ten days.”

Antares Guild would need to inspect the mine for the contract, but there was no immediate need for that.

Moreover, if the owner of the merchant guild suddenly left for ten days, it might affect the guild as well, so it made sense for him to go alone this time.

“It’s okay because I planned to accompany you from the beginning and took care of all the complicated matters. And I can’t send the young lady alone.”

There was no need to do so, but with the strongest man in the world accompanying her, Luna had no reason to refuse. Even if you take a million troops, they won’t be able to defeat just one Antes.

“Young lady doesn’t have long-distance carriages, so I’ll prepare it.”

“Long-distance carriage? Can’t we just ride a regular carriage?”

“Long-distance carriages allow you to lie down or recline inside, so it’s more comfortable. It’s fine for up to two people. For example, the lady and me.”

“Oh, really? We can travel comfortably together then. Thank you for taking care of it,” Luna replied with a meaningful smile.

Antes’s appetite was bitter at Luna who thought nothing of it, let alone laughed. Since it started with a contract, it was inevitable… but there was indeed a long way to go.

“Then let’s do this. I hope to see you again in two days.”

The conversation ended with that. Unfortunately, they were both too busy to continue chatting.

Still, it was a bit disappointing to just wave his hand and leave like usual, so Antes briefly kissed Luna’s hair and got into the carriage.

He felt like if he didn’t do this, they wouldn’t make any progress.

“Hey!”

Antes, who was walking along, suddenly waved his hand at Luna, who frowned as if asking what he was doing, and quickly left the mansion.

“Ugh. Why is it like that, really. I see him more and more like a person.”

Luna disappeared into the mansion with a slight blush despite her harsh criticism, and Laura followed behind, twisting her hair for no reason.

* * *

[Lady Luna. I’m worried that you may have been offended. I want to finish my work quickly and go see the young lady, but unfortunately, too many things that I have been putting off have piled up, so I’m afraid I can’t do that.]

The next day, sure enough, a letter arrived from Rosemary. It was after the Marquis suddenly finished the meal.

He didn’t just kick them out, but he very politely asked for their understanding, so Luna couldn’t have felt bad.

Moreover, considering the expressions on the faces of the Marquis and Marchioness at the end, she thought she could understand why they wanted to finish the meal.

That’s why Luna wrote a reply saying she was okay. The Baron said he was very satisfied. The words of asking to be invited again next time were a bonus.

After sending the letter and checking all the luggage she had packed, it was already dawn.

So, as she closed her eyes for a moment, Luna was awakened by a loud voice announcing that Antes had arrived.

“Why did he arrive so early?”

It’s not like they’re going on a picnic. Luna grumbled and hurried to get ready.

Luna, dressed in suitable attire for a long trip, headed downstairs, where she saw Antes talking to the Baron.

“I’m going to miss you so much, young lord”

“Me too. I’ll see you soon.”

“I’ll also visit the capital frequently. I hope you and Luna get along well until then.”

“Don’t worry, we will. I promise to take good care of Luna.”

They exchanged these words with earnestness, and Luna couldn’t help but wonder who was courting whom in their relationship.

“Shall we leave now?”

Laura and Royer responded. But why was Royer wearing travel clothes and carrying a luggage bag?

As Luna stared at him curiously, Royer smiled confidently and answered.

 

“I thought of seeing the site for myself to assist in drafting the contract. Can I come along?”

There was no harm in accompanying her, so Luna nodded.

After that, Luna briefly said goodbye to the Baron and boarded the long-distance carriage prepared by Antes. Then they set off straight for the mine.

As was said, long-distance carriages really were more comfortable for long travel. When Luna wanted to rest, she could make a place and lie down to sleep.

But there was one thing that bothered her…

“Young lord was also riding along?”

Antes was sitting across from her, and the carriage was relatively compact for a long journey. Usually, they used separate carriages for long trips to avoid the discomfort of being cooped up in a confined space all day.

When Luna became puzzled and asked, Antes casually nodded his head.

“There’s only one long-distance carriage available.”

“Well, I could have rented another long-distance carriage.”

“Really? I didn’t know that.”

But what could they do now? They were already sharing the carriage. Antes took out a book as if it was no big deal.

“…Ah, well.”

His nonchalant response made Luna feel like it wasn’t a big deal, so she couldn’t press the matter further. She thought they could switch the carriage when they took a break.

While gazing out of the window for a while, Luna suddenly turned her attention back to Antes with a rising curiosity.

“Can I ask you something?”

In reality, it wasn’t a sudden surge of curiosity but rather a question she had been wondering about for a while.

“Ask away,” Antes said, closing the book.

His expression was mild, giving her the go-ahead.

For a moment, Luna hesitated. She hadn’t seen him get angry with her even once before, so she mustered up the courage to ask him a question.

“Could you… tell me what exactly happened with the young lord? Why did you leave home at such a young age?”

There was a high chance that Antes would get angry if she mentioned Fersen’s wrongdoing, but she was curious about the true circumstances since this information wasn’t in the original story.

Perhaps there was something she could do to help. With no one but herself as his friend and even his family being a source of ongoing dissatisfaction, it seemed like he needed all the support he could get.

Antes blinked slowly and was silent for a moment. Her question wasn’t unpleasant to him.

It was the first time someone had asked him about the past in a way that seemed genuinely interested. Moreover, Luna’s eyes sparkled as if she genuinely wanted to know the truth and help if possible.

Of course, even putting all of those reasons aside, he was fully willing to answer if Luna asked.

“I hit Fersen and swore at the Duke. You’ve probably heard that already,” he started positively.

She had a very slight suspicion that all the rumors might be false, but unfortunately, he seemed to have had a very tumultuous childhood.

“If you’re asking about the reason I hit him, I can say that Fersen started it first.”

“Started it?”

“More precisely, he kept nitpicking everything I did. It all started because of that. I pushed him back in response and lightly bumped his shoulder. He was so startled that he stumbled backward and fell down the stairs. That’s how all the rumors began.”

…What? Luna blinked, unsure of what she had just heard.

“Fersen claimed that I intentionally pushed him down the stairs. I’m sure the young lady understands Fersen’s character well, but he exaggerated it so much that I couldn’t believe it myself.”

“You mean… you real hit him?”

Silence implied an affirmative answer. Antes blinked deeply, and Luna frowned.

“Even though he was already in a bad state from falling down the stairs, Fersen couldn’t get out of bed for a while. When the Duke saw that, he got angry and said it happened because I was jealous of Fersen.”

Antes had indeed pushed Fersen’s shoulder, and given Fersen’s condition, it was no wonder that the Duke had been furious.

However, Antes felt unjustly accused and had confronted the Duke. Unfortunately, the situation didn’t improve.

Rather, it seemed like he was caught, and only added to the rumor that he was a crazy person deliberately spread by the Duke family.

“It would have been better if we hadn’t met since then, but strangely, I ended up encountering him quite a few times. Despite trying to avoid going out as much as possible, there were times when I accidentally ran into him.”

It felt like destiny, even if that was a grand way to put it.

Strangely enough, when they were together, they always ended up fighting. Fersen would provoke Antes relentlessly, leading to physical confrontations where Fersen was often the one beaten up.

After that, Fersen’s ridiculous excuses and the Duke’s anger continued as if it were natural. A malicious rumor that spreaded inflated as if it had been waiting.

It was true that Antes, who was born with curse-like powers, had harmed others, so the Marquis and Marchioness quickly apologized and admonished Antes.

There was no one who would take his side, so Antes calmly continued to say that it was almost like a rumor, and Luna clenched her fists without realizing it.

“…What kind of villain is that!”