IMTVD| Chapter 12

Episode 12

“Must’ve been a long trip out here.”

The village chief treated Leo with formal respect. Leo didn’t even glance at him, just assessed the situation in his head.

She really meant to live here?

It was almost too much of a coincidence.

When he’d first been handed that absurd order, to follow Emilia and get rid of her, all he’d felt was annoyance.

All this trouble over one so-called villainess? It killed his mood. But an order was an order.

He figured he’d just trail her a bit, make it look like he was following, and be done with it. But as he tracked her, he

began to wonder.

He never imagined a noblewoman like Emilia would head into Grand Forest, a place even commoners rarely visited.

And when he realized she was going to Cardinal Village, the coincidence was suspicious enough to make him pause.

“She looks like she’s from a high-ranking noble family. Didn’t you find out anything about her on the way?”

The chief, sharp-eyed as ever, put voice to what Leo had already been thinking. Sipping the tea the man had poure

for him, Leo answered quietly

“Doesn’t seem like she recognizes me.”

He didn’t bother to correct the “high-ranking noble” part. Let her settle in without making things more complicated.

The chief looked a bit surprised.

“She doesn’t recognize you?”

“That’s what I said.”

Emilia seemed to have no idea who he was. She didn’t even seem curious.

Rather than feeling insulted, Leo was intrigued.

She’d lived in the capital long enough to know him was she pretending not to, or did she genuinely not remember?

He wanted to find out.

“So what’s the real reason you’re here?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Leo set down his cup and jerked his chin in the direction Emilia had gone.

“They told me to keep an eye on her. Followed her here, and… well, here I am.”

“If that’s true, it’s remarkable. What are the odds?”

Leo silently agreed. He hadn’t expected to end up in Cardinal Village of all places.

And he certainly hadn’t expected to make a spur-of-the-moment decision like this.

The person who’d given him the order had also tacked on other instructions. Until now, Leo had planned to wrap

things up quickly and return to the capital.

But now…

I’m already here. Might as well take my time.

He drained the rest of his tea and set the cup down.

“Come to think of it, my position here’s… tricky.”

“Do you really need to have an official position?”

“I already told Amy I was from here.”

“You told her that?”

Leo rarely told anyone that fact.

“What else could I do? Her guard’s up so damn high.”

The moonlight glinted off his platinum hair, making him look like a work of art though the sharp, dangerous glint in

his eyes spoiled the softness.

“For now, you’re going to be my father.”

The chief choked on his tea. “Father?”

“Why not? You practically raised me.”

Leo didn’t wait for a response.

“I’ll be counting on you while I’m here.”

The chief knew better than anyone how dangerous Leo could be under the surface. He straightened and gave a formal

nod.

“…I’ll do my utmost.”

Not bad.

Emilia had no trouble finding the house she’d bought.

She hadn’t been comfortable in the capital, and she had no intention of struggling now that she was in the provinces.

Luckily, land here had been so cheap she’d been able to ask for the best place available.

Planning for the reality of living alone, she’d chosen the nicest house in the village.

They said it’s a place only nobles would live in…

The memory made her smile.

She was perfectly happy with it, though she knew the snobbish capital nobles would see it as little more than a pet

house.

Thinking back to her “mistress’s room” in the Casper estate—too big for one person—she wondered, Would it have

been different if Edwin had come there?

With someone else, the space might have felt warm. But he’d never set foot in that room, so she’d never know.

Even though she’d vowed to forget everything when she left, here she was thinking about him again.

What was he doing now?

Would he even pretend to look for me?

Maybe he’d just feel relieved. Still, as her husband—even if in name only—he might put on a token search.

If he didn’t find her, he’d stop looking, process the divorce, or declare her missing. Then she’d be forgotten

completely.

And then he’d marry Diana, just like in the original story. They’d live happily ever after, no one to get in the way.

“I thought you’d be on my side.”

The only one who’d once held out his hand to her.

She’d told herself not to expect anything—but after he’d taken Diana’s poisoned wine in her place, she couldn’t help it.

The hope she’d given up at the Hermann estate had come alive again. The hope of being happy with someone.

That hope had fueled her every effort to win people over—especially Edwin.

But in the end, she’d gained nothing. No role as mistress, no place as his wife—because he’d never given her one.

In that sense, this place is amazing.

From the start, people here had accepted her.

They didn’t shy away from her cool looks, just welcomed her. Told her they were glad she’d come, that they looked

forward to living together.

She’d feared they might want her gone—but her anxiety had melted away.

Forget everything that happened there. I’ll live well here.

Resolved, she started unpacking. After a while, there was a knock at the door.

“Anyone home?”

The voice was familiar. She set down what she was holding and opened the door. Sure enough, it was Leo.

“What brings you here this time of day?”

He gave her a crooked smile and an unimpressed look.

“What?”

“No matter who it is, you shouldn’t be opening the door this easily.”

“Says the man who flashed me his badge to make me trust him…”

“That was then.”

She frowned at him—so changeable, like a royal in a bad mood.

“So, why are you here?”

“Thought you might need some supplies.”

“…You don’t have to go that far just because we’re in the same village.”

“You only say that because you don’t know. Pretty soon, your storeroom’s going to be packed with stuff.”

“…What?”

She decided to ignore the nonsense about “gifts for the newcomer.”

When she tried to refuse the goods he brought, he immediately played the martyr.

“My arm’s about to fall off here.”

His arm looked perfectly fine. Somehow that made her more annoyed, but she took the bundle anyway—then

instantly regretted it.

Seeing her expression, Leo said casually, “It’s fine. I’m the village chief’s son. No need to feel burdened.”

“Oh, you’re the chief’s son?”

Guess the chief really does look after people.

It was unexpected, but it explained why he was helping her.

Relieved, she smiled warmly and thanked him.

“Really thank you.”

“No need. I should be thanking you for helping me get back to the village in one piece.”

It was the first pleasant moment she’d had in a long while, so she asked,

“Will you have some free time later?”

“If you’re asking me on a date, I’ll make time.”

She bit back a laugh at the silly joke.

“Then come for a meal sometime. Consider it thanks.”

“I’ll do that, Amy.”

Her face, relaxed instead of tense, suited her far better.

Maybe that was why even though he had no intention of sticking around—Leo found himself making a promise.

A promise to see her again.