Chapter 11

Whether my brow furrowed or not, the man continued to stare down at me with a scrutinizing gaze.

One moment, he had flinched—now, he had already regained his composure.

“Honestly, I thought you’d have left by now.”

“…….”

“If you’re still here, the only reason I can think of is that you’re a spy.”

Again with that nonsense.

‘Aren’t you tired of this?’

Had he been deceived so often in life? He wasn’t even the Grand Duke himself.

Did he really think everyone around him was just waiting for a chance to betray him?

“If I were a spy, I would’ve sneaked in secretly, don’t you think?”

“Then are you just… stubborn?”

I couldn’t tell if that was a compliment or an insult, but his intention to provoke me was clear.

I responded calmly.

“If you’re that suspicious, why not conduct a body search? See if I’m hiding any spy tools.”

“You’d let a strange man search your body?”

“You could call a maid to do it.”

“You wouldn’t mind a strange woman either?”

…Then what did he want me to do?

I almost blurted out, “If you’ve got a problem, let’s take this to the training grounds.”

Back when I was a vice-captain, that’s exactly what I’d say to anyone who looked like they had complaints.

“…….”

If I hadn’t seen the man’s bulging biceps threatening to tear through his sleeves, I might’ve actually challenged him.

I took a deep breath and counted the number of times we’d met before staring back at him.

‘Right. You’re just pissed because you got demoted to being a young lady’s bodyguard… You… You overgrown hunter.’

Honestly, he probably hoped I’d say I was leaving today.

Because of me, he was stuck with guard duty—something he never signed up for.

But I didn’t leave. So now he was picking a fight.

‘What else can an underling forced to obey do besides vent their frustration?’

Having been in the same position, I could understand.

…Or maybe I was just avoiding a physical fight because I knew I’d lose.

‘Let’s be honest. I would.’

When I thought he was a bandit, I was ready to take him on, even if I had to sacrifice a shoulder. But now, I wasn’t so sure of my victory.

Even though I specialized in sniping, I still went through the same combat training. I wasn’t completely helpless in a fistfight.

Hell, the confidence to take on monsters bare-handed came from that.

‘Besides, if he’s human, it should be easier.’

Because against humans, I had no qualms about fighting dirty.

I had to compensate for my small stature. Life was about survival.

‘A holy knight serving the gods can fight that dishonorably?!’

‘Yeah. I can.’

Back in the training grounds, I took the furious shouts of those I’d beaten as sweet compliments.

‘I was never that devout to begin with.’

And now, after remembering my past life, I cared even less.

‘In this world, it’s not even clear if gods truly exist.’

If anything, there was more evidence of demons.

‘History even called extinct dragons demons at one point.’

Now, opinions were divided on whether dragons were ever real—but at the very least, the Grand Duke, said to carry their blood, was undeniably real.

Either way, now that I’d quit being a holy knight, I had no reason to hesitate about fighting dirty.

‘…But that guy’s body isn’t one that dirty tricks would work on.’

Seeing how he took down monsters, he was clearly skilled enough to counter any underhanded tactics.

As if to prove it, the man crossed his arms, making his already tight muscles bulge even more.

Looking at his well-defined biceps, pectorals, and the veins peeking from between his sleeves, I felt another surge of envy.

‘How the hell do you even get muscles like that?’

Just as my irritation was about to spill over, the man prodded me again.

“So, are you still planning to ‘do well’ here?”

Any intention I had of letting it go vanished.

I glared straight through him and spoke.

“Yes. Suddenly, I feel very motivated.”

“…….”

“I think I’ll stay put until His Grace returns.”

Bet you hate that, huh?

I deliberately narrowed my eyes and looked him up and down—a warning that his petty complaints were nothing more than childish tantrums.

“Hmm.”

But the man, who had taken my gaze head-on, seemed to be considering something.

After an uncomfortably long silence, he smirked.

His eyes gleamed like he’d caught onto something—a very bad sign.

“I’ve been meaning to ask.”

“What?”

“What’s with those eyes?”

“Huh?”

“You’re acting clueless, but—”

“I’m not acting, I really don’t know what you’re—”

“You were just staring at me very blatantly.”

“Huh?”

Sure, I was looking. Out of envy.

But when he said it, it sounded completely different.

He raised a finger and began counting off.

“Earlier, you touched my shoulder under the guise of steadying yourself.”

“What? That’s not—”

“And the first time we met, I’m pretty sure you touched me while talking.”

Technically, he wasn’t wrong.

The problem was how it sounded—like I had some ulterior motive.

Wait, no—he was the one making it sound that way!

“If you keep doing this—”

Despite having the face of the Northern Grand Duke, he put on an exaggeratedly prim expression.

Then, he lightly covered himself with the cloak draped over his shoulder.

Like a young noblewoman who’d just been harassed.

It wasn’t that he was genuinely offended—he was clearly mocking me.

“—it’s a bit troubling.”

For a moment, I was speechless, staring at him blankly.

Am I…

‘Being treated like a pervert?’

The moment I realized it, Beth’s voice—currently sprawled out asleep on the bed—echoed loudly in my head.

How dare this bastard call someone a—! A pervert…!

“You’re* the pervert here!”*

I spat out the words exactly as Beth would have, but the man remained shameless.

“Now you’re shifting blame?”

“You’re the one who keeps grabbing people’s hands—”

“Or is the ‘body search’ just an excuse for the lady to touch me?”

“…That’s a huge leap in logic?”

“Either way, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t lust after me.”

Who’s lusting after who?!

Just as I opened my mouth reflexively, the man stroked his chin thoughtfully before smirking ominously.

“I have no intention of becoming the lover of someone who’s practically the Grand Duchess.”

“…….”

His choice of words was infuriating.

‘He must’ve put serious thought into phrasing it like that—he’s even dragging my lower half into this.’

Not that I have one now. Or ever did.

As I stood there speechless, the man wore the expression of someone who’d just won.

What kind of competition was he even having with me in his head?

“…Are you still holding a grudge over me calling you a bandit?”

“Not particularly. But I’m a fast learner.”

“…What exactly have you learned from me?”

“Let’s say… how to leave someone speechless.”

“…….”

“Not bad.”

Seeing my dumbfounded face, the man curled his lips in satisfaction.

“More fun than I expected.”

His expression was like a bratty child’s—annoyingly, it still looked unfairly good on him.

“…Wait.”

But my shock didn’t last long.

This time, I had found a way to counterattack.

I mimicked his smirk.

“You just called me ‘practically the Grand Duchess,’ right?”

“I did.”

“So that means you acknowledge me as the Grand Duchess?”

“…….”

That one remark shut him up.

Watching his expression twist subtly again, I felt oddly refreshed.

‘I win.’

Not that I was trying to compete—he started it.

I decided to push my luck a little further.

“If you want, I’ll make you my lover.”

As I turned to walk away, heavy footsteps followed behind me.

“You didn’t even hold a wedding.”

“Hmm.”

“And now you’re talking about taking a lover?”

“True.”

I mimicked him, lightly stroking my chin as if deep in thought.

I wanted to think of a response that would piss him off just as much.

‘He seems to hate the idea of being involved with me…’

I’d just poke at that a little.

“Then if I make it official now, you wouldn’t be a lover—just a boyfriend?”

The man slowly closed his mouth and stared at me.

His gaze was strange, but since he was the one left speechless…

‘I won this round too, right?’

I’d never considered myself talented at verbal sparring—I’d always relied on physical fights.

But when the desire to win kicks in, people can work miracles—

“So you do want a boyfriend.”

“…….”

“While the Grand Duke is away, working hard for his territory.”

…In an instant, I felt like a scumbag cheating on her husband who was away providing for his family.

“His Grace is protecting the peace of his domain for his bride’s sake.”

“Yesterday, you said you weren’t sure if he even liked me?”

The man paused, scanning me slowly.

Uncomfortably so.

His next words crept into my ears at a pace that made my neck prickle.

“I’m starting to think he might.”

“…….”

“He’s probably counting the days until he can see his bride. And here you are, talking about taking a lover…”

Did I teach him this infuriating way of speaking?!