IDMLG 09

Chapter 9

As I thought, he heard.

From his reaction when we first met, I suspected he might have overheard our conversation.
Still, I held onto a shred of hope that maybe he hadn’t—but that was foolish.

How? We only mentioned his name, Rixion Luhanes, at the beginning of the discussion. After that, we didn’t even bring up his name. Then how did he know I had asked someone to investigate him?

Don’t tell me he had been standing outside the door since before I entered the reception room…

Did Guildmaster Setra really not know? Or were the two of them in cahoots?

Come to think of it, wasn’t the Information Guild Setra also mentioned in the original novel through Rixion Luhanes himself? Why on earth did I forget that…

So am I the only one screwed over here?

Lowering my gaze slightly, I racked my brain. At that moment, Rixion Luhanes’s hand slowly reached toward me.

The instant I noticed, I reflexively flinched and took a step back. At the same time, the Guildmaster of Setra suddenly shoved himself between us.

“If I had known you were coming, I would have gone out to greet you first. My apologies, Your Grace.”

The way he rushed over and wedged himself between us, almost panicked, gave me the impression he was genuinely worried the Duke might strike me.

Thankfully, they didn’t seem to be in league with each other. The Guildmaster, acting like a human shield, gestured for me to step back.

I obediently retreated two steps, while mentally preparing myself to bolt at any second.

In the original novel, there was no mention of Rixion ever hitting a woman—but who could say what he might do if he snapped?

“Move.”

The voice was chillingly different from when he’d spoken to me earlier.

My body sensed danger instinctively; goosebumps erupted all over me.

“…Your Grace.”

“Don’t make me repeat myself, Wion.”

So the Guildmaster’s name was Wion. This was the first I’d heard of it—he was only ever referred to as the Setra Guildmaster in the novel.

So they really did know each other all along.

The atmosphere was grim, but if Rixion was casually calling him by name, then they must have been acquainted for quite some time.

Now that I think about it, didn’t Rixion Luhanes once use the Information Guild to investigate something under the Emperor’s orders?

My eyes darted nervously as I tried to recall more details of the novel.

But I had focused on the romance between the heroine and male lead, not on the political subplots or side events. My memory was patchy.

I remembered every little detail about when Ji Eun-ha and Rixion fell for each other, how their feelings deepened, what they ate and talked about at the festival.

But the other events—anything not directly tied to their romance—I had skimmed over carelessly. And now, I was regretting it deeply.

Meanwhile, Guildmaster Wion stepped aside, his face pale as death.

With him out of the way, I was once again left exposed to Rixion Luhanes’s gaze.

Now with even that flimsy shield gone, facing him one-on-one made my thoughts spiral.

…He’s not really going to hit me, right? If he does, my brother won’t let it slide.

But then again, this man is practically a human weapon. What if he retaliates against my brother instead? No, no, surely not. He wouldn’t go that far—not for his sister’s sake.

Wait, this is the guy who could single-handedly wipe out the whole Empire if he wanted… Maybe I should just grovel and apologize?

But would he even accept that?

“If you had any sense, you’d excuse yourself now.”

Expressionless, he spoke while staring at Wion.

Wion looked back at me, his eyes full of uncertainty.

No! Don’t leave me alone with him!

I pleaded desperately with my gaze, but Wion avoided my eyes and bolted from the reception room. He even shut the door tightly behind him.

That coward—he abandoned me just to save himself.

I glared in resentment at the door where he’d disappeared, but then a large hand suddenly blocked my vision.

“You should be looking here right now.”

Well, yes… that’s true.

I quickly dropped my gaze, wearing an expression of remorse. It was the same look I used whenever my brother Michael scolded me. Hopefully, it would work here too.

There was still some distance between us, since I had backed away earlier.

Rixion took a step forward to close the gap.

Reflexively, I twitched as if to step back again, then stopped myself just in time.

Of course, he wasn’t stupid—he must have noticed I was trying to retreat from him.

When he saw me hesitate with a fearful expression, he stopped in place and smiled faintly.

“Why are you so stiff? Do I look like I’m angry?”

The smile, as if assuring me he meant no harm, looked gentle enough.

But considering who he was, it seemed more like the predatory grin of a beast trying to lure its prey closer.

“I’m not angry. Not about Lady Christener hiring someone to dig into my background, nor about you lying about being ill to reject my invitation. None of that bothers me—so don’t worry.”

Sorry, but do you really expect me to believe that? Why does it sound in my ears more like, ‘Now, how should I punish you?’ Maybe it’s just my imagination…

As he calmly listed all of my wrongdoings, seemingly unfazed, I wiped the sweat from my palms onto my dress.

“Um… so, that is…”

How on earth was I supposed to explain myself?

He wasn’t demanding an explanation, nor asking why I had done those things.

But I couldn’t just pretend nothing had happened, could I?

Whether an excuse or an apology, I had to say something.

Should I apologize for trying to have him investigated first? Or should I make an excuse—say I liked him so much that I wanted to know more?

No, that wouldn’t work. I’d already lied about being sick to avoid meeting him. Pretending to like him now would be pointless. So maybe I should just apologize first? But what if he pressed me about why I tried to investigate him? Should I tell the truth?

But what if that only angered him more—or worse, made him more interested in me?

…This was starting to feel dangerous.

I had a very bad habit.

Like a hamster cornered by a cat, when my brain went into overload, I lost the ability to think rationally. Then I’d just throw caution to the wind and act recklessly.

Because of this habit, I’d often turned a thirty-minute scolding from Michael into a full hour. Or turned one flick to the forehead into three.

And though I knew this about myself, though I knew better…

“…I’ll just be straightforward.”

The situation was moving in directions I didn’t want. My small, precious wish—to live quietly under the Christener family’s roof, indulging in comfort like a speck of dust floating in sunlight—was being shattered.

My patience to endure it was running out.

Something was going wrong. The role of Elizabeth Christener in the original novel The Saintess of Erendel was getting bigger and bigger.

That was absolutely not what I wanted.

I couldn’t afford to worry about my brother’s nagging anymore.

I didn’t know what Rixion’s intentions were, but I was done being pushed around, trembling in fear.

It wasn’t enough to just wait for him to lose interest. I had to end this myself.

With a hardened expression, I lifted my gaze.

When I met his eyes directly for the first time instead of avoiding them, a quiet spark flickered in Rixion Luhanes’s blue irises.

The look was full of curiosity, like he had just discovered a fascinating new creature.

Forcing myself to dismiss that unsettling impression, I took a deep breath.

“I sincerely apologize—for pretending to be interested in you during the blind date, for lying about being sick to reject your invitation, and for attempting to investigate you behind your back. I’m sorry.”

“And the reason?”

As if it was nothing surprising—since he already knew everything—Rixion asked calmly.

He didn’t seem angry. In fact, there was even the faintest trace of a smile on his lips.

Gathering my courage, I admitted the truth flatly.

“The blind date—I only went because my brother forced me. I have no desire to continue seeing Your Grace. At first, I thought if I pretended to like you, you’d get annoyed and want nothing to do with me. That was why I acted that way. I wanted you to be the one to reject me, because of… certain circumstances.”

I let the words tumble out without even pausing to breathe. Then I stopped to catch my breath and continued.

“As for trying to have you investigated—it was for a similar reason.”