Chapter 09
“Beatrice, let’s go!”
Early in the morning, I arrived at the Marquis’ house and spotted the Count walking from a distance. I swallowed hard.
I couldn’t help but feel tense.
He was just walking, but why did the atmosphere feel so intimidating?
Was it because of his former gangster background?
I checked my plan once more in my mind as he approached.
We were heading into a forest rumored to be overrun with bandits.
If the bandits tried to attack us there, Shamal would appear and save Beatrice, right?
I had already stationed knights in the forest and even hired a strong coachman to handle any unexpected situations.
I also instructed them not to intervene until I clapped, so the knights wouldn’t defeat the bandits before Shamal appeared.
The only thing left was tricking the Count.
If he realized what was happening and avoided the bandits, the plan would fail.
Hmm… the chance that he would figure it out versus the chance that he would defeat the bandits himself without Shamal’s help—probably the latter was higher.
“So, where exactly are we going?”
The Count’s question pulled me out of my thoughts.
“To town, to buy shoes.”
He nodded and climbed into the carriage first. Before I got in, I glanced at the coachman.
Wink—.
Out of nowhere, the coachman winked at me, as if saying, Trust me.
I responded with a hesitant smile and got into the carriage. Soon, it started moving.
“Have you studied the novels a lot?” I asked.
“Of course. I’ve mastered the theory.”
“You can handle it in practice too, right?”
“…I don’t know. I’ll have to see if they’re the male leads or whatever.”
He looked out the window, avoiding eye contact, seeming unsure of himself.
He studied the novels without me? Somehow, that was kind of admirable.
Just then, the coachman’s booming voice rang out.
“Bandits!”
Now the operation officially began.
I clasped my trembling hands and glanced at the Count.
“Oh. My. God. Band. Its. What. Do. We. Do?”
Hm, terrible acting.
I didn’t realize I could act so poorly until today.
Fortunately, the Count didn’t seem to notice anything and wore a serious expression.
“I smell blood.”
He squinted his eyes and scanned the area.
His subtle, cautious survey of the surroundings was so gangster-like.
And he even detected the scent of blood—he was really sharp.
While holding our breaths, the door suddenly rattled.
Someone was trying to open it from the outside.
“Open the door while we’re still speaking nicely. By the way, the coachman’s with us.”
A rough voice came from outside.
It was clearly the bandits.
I took a deep breath and shouted loudly.
“Who dares touch the Marquis of Lockwood’s carriage!”
There was a brief silence. But it didn’t last long.
Soon, loud, boisterous laughter came from outside the door.
“The Marquis must be rich. Looks like we picked the right target.”
I had anticipated the bandits, but seeing them in person made my entire body tense.
I clutched the hem of my dress with sweaty hands and glanced at the Count…
This is insane.
Before I realized it, he had taken off both shoes and held them in his hands like weapons.
He looked ready to charge at any moment.
The long, flowing dress had been torn in places, making it easier to move.
At this rate, the knights or Shamal would appear, but the Count would have already jumped in.
I had to act.
Clearing my throat, I shouted loudly.
“Ah! What should we do! Someone needs to help!”
“Shh! Be quiet. They can hear you.”
“The bandits are trying to hurt Beatrice! What is going on, really!”
“Why are you suddenly like this?”
The Count, fully prepared to fight, looked back at me with a bewildered expression.
But I was serious.
“What can we do? I’m so, so scared!”
I shouted as loudly as I could, hoping Shamal was nearby, just like in the original story.
“What a strange girl,” came another mocking voice from the bandits outside.
Could it be that Shamal wasn’t nearby this time?
I was just thinking I’d have to summon the knights when—
Crash!
The doorknob fell off, and the door flew open.
Was it Shamal? I turned around with hope…
“Ah!”
A bandit’s yellow teeth greeted me.
Startled, I stepped back, but the Count immediately stepped in front of me.
“Stay behind me.”
“Then we’ll take care of the girl first,” a bandit laughed and reached toward him.
Whoosh—!
A strong gust of wind swept in from somewhere, moving almost as if it had a will of its own.
As the wind passed, the bandits were lifted into the air, tossed like leaves in a storm.
“Ah! What the—!”
Their screams faded as they flew far away.
I stared blankly at the empty space where they had been.
This was… definitely…
I hurriedly jumped out of the carriage and looked around.
But Shamal was nowhere in sight.
Had he hidden already? I needed him to meet the Count.
As I pondered what to do, the Count stepped down behind me, his eyes sharp.
“I had a feeling someone was watching me the whole time. Must be that male lead, Shamal or whatever.”
As expected, a gangster’s intuition was terrifying.
I awkwardly shifted my gaze, and then the Count suddenly turned and fixed his eyes on something.
He stared intently at one point and then suddenly bolted.
“Wha- Beatrice! Where are you going!”
“To catch that Shamal or whatever!”
He disappeared into the forest, leaving only that one sentence behind.
I was left alone, staring at the space he had vanished from, and opened the carriage door without realizing someone was already inside.
“Hello.”
Deep blue hair, eyes a stormy gray, fingers fidgeting shyly.
And above his head—
[Affection 90%]
It had to be Shamal, one of the three male leads.
“Shamal?”
I squinted and asked. He gave a small nod.
It really was Shamal.
I blinked at him in surprise, then got into the carriage.
“Where’s Beatrice?”
“Chasing her clone.”
In other words, he had created a decoy to lose Beatrice.
But why go to the trouble of making a clone?
Could it be…?
“Are you too embarrassed to face Beatrice?”
“Ah…”
Shamal’s face instantly turned bright red.
True to his timid nature from the original story, he was clearly too shy to face the Count.
He was far more timid than I expected—could he actually pair up with the Count?
I swallowed my sudden worry and asked Shamal directly.
“Shamal, you like Beatrice, right?”
Immediately, his face turned bright red, like it might burst.
“Wh-What….”
“I can tell.”
“C-Could she know? Could Beatrice have guessed?”
Timid Shamal’s mind seemed completely focused on the thought, She found out my feelings.
I grabbed his shoulder and looked him in the eye.
“Don’t worry, Shamal. Beatrice doesn’t know. She has no idea you’ve been quietly lurking around.”
His expression immediately relaxed.
“Then… tell Beatrice how you feel. Who knows? She might accept it.”
Now Shamal’s face was bright red, like a tomato about to drop from the vine.
Just imagining it made me giddy.
So far, Shamal’s affection was the highest, and he clearly liked Beatrice that much, so the odds seemed pretty good.
“Ah, I’m not ready yet…”
His extreme timidity was the only problem.
I restrained the urge to bang my chest in frustration and spoke gently.
“Alright. When you’re ready, come to me. I’ll help you.”
“Mm…”
“I’m Rene Sober. Make sure you come, okay?”
Shamal swallowed nervously and replied, “I-I’ll think about it,” before vanishing.
He probably used a teleportation spell or some concealment magic.
I stared at the spot he had just been sitting on, then turned my head at the sound of approaching footsteps.
