Chapter 15
When I saw Signus from afar, the sigh escaped my mouth.
I couldn’t help but sigh at the dampness I felt because of my clothes.
Why? Because I didn’t look so good right now.
“He’s watching. Please relax.”
At Anna’s whispers, I loosened my body.
My weakly dangling legs were bandaged, just like my face.No, in fact, my entire body except my eyes was bandaged.
So now I was carried by the Marquis with bandages all over my body.
As we got closer to the main gate, I could see everyone staring at me with their eyes wide open.
I could clearly see Signus’s cold smile as well.
‘Because of that stupid aide…’
This was the content of the letter from the aide.
[His Highness will soon pick up the people in the Yeronimo family.
I told him that the Lady is wearing a bandage all over her body.
I said that the Lady is too frail to move, so please act accordingly.
You’re a clever person, so I’m sure you’ll do well.
If possible, I beg you to clearly show your pain.
Your original complexion is not good anyway.
And Sir Ulysse is back, so I don’t see any problem with it.]
It was so irresponsible that it pissed me off. If I was healthy, I would sprint to the Imperial Palace and smack his head with my hairpins.
‘The best thing he can come up with is wrapping bandages all over my body?’
Thanks to him, I went to Ulysse’s workroom to search for anything that looked like bandages and wrapped it around my body.
Of course, all by myself.
The servants were busy packing, and Ulysse was gone somewhere. I was fast because I always wore bandages when I was a knight. Fortunately, my body was small.
‘If he has a working brain, he could’ve just said that I’m in a coma. That way I could pretend to sleep instead. What’s with these bandages?’
I furtively rolled my eyes to see Signus.
‘Look at his expression. I’m ruined.’
I wanted to get up and escape, but before I knew it, the front door was getting nearer. A low voice was heard as soon as we arrived at the gate
“I’m not here to pick up a corpse, though.”
Damn it.
“I heard that Lord Damian is back. I sincerely congratulate you, Your Highness.”
The Marquis, who bowed his head, asked carefully.
“But why did you come all the way here?”
Signus’s cold eyes touched me.
“There’s something to check.”
“…I see.”
The Marquis held me tighter in his arms.
Ulysse, who stood blankly with a beggarly appearance next to us, opened his mouth wide as if he just came to his senses. No, he was going to open his mouth.
“Tha- argh!!”
Thud-! Ulysse closed his mouth with a groan when the Marquis stepped on his foot.
Ulysse, who grabbed his foot, noticed the bag brought by the servants and looked at the butler.
He must be very angry that all the clothes were packed very sloppily.
‘You don’t have to worry about clothes.’
Signus wasn’t interested in the royal court etiquette.
‘Just look at him now. He doesn’t say anything even if you wear a sleeping dress.’
The problem was the bandage.
Soon the Marquis’s voice was heard.
“I am deeply ashamed to present ourselves like this.”
“Then get on.”
The horseman opened the carriage door at Signus’s order.
It was so wide and luminous inside, but in my eyes, it looked like the entrance to the demon’s lair.
‘No! I don’t want to get on!’
Of course, The Marquis couldn’t hear my internal scream and eventually got on the carriage.
The butler and Ulysse, who was struggling with the servants to carry the luggage, also got on the carriage.
“Is this all you’ve got?”
“Yes. The other thing is in our mansion in the capital.”
Even when the Marquis was talking to the knight, he was still carrying me.
Even the guards who guarded the front door got on the carriage, and the Marquis walked to the second carriage.
“Put it there.”
The Marquis’s stride stopped by Signus’s voice.
“What do you mean…?”
“The one that you hold.”
The Marquis was holding me. Both the Marquis and Signus were staring at each other in silence
After the long silence, Signus pointed to the first carriage.
Then the Marquis gently moved my body to the carriage and I could only grind my teeth.
‘I’m so pissed that he treats me like a product, but I can’t do anything.’
I closed my eyes as he put me down on a fluffy mattress. I thought I should lock the door and sleep, but then I heard Signus’s voice.
“Leave the horse.”
The handsome face popped in and the carriage door closed.
***
The inside of the carriage was very wide.
I looked around at the interior that was wide enough for 20 people and the high ceiling.
‘Why do I even need to wrap myself with bandages if I would ride the carriage with him in the end?’
I kept looking at the ceiling, ignoring his stinging gaze.
Judging from the texture, it seemed that it was made from the western tree.
‘Seems like you spent some money.’
I was trying to escape reality with a useless thought, but then Signus spoke to me.
“You’re all wrapped up.”
Signus laughed when I didn’t respond.His laughter made me feel strange again. At that time, Signus turned my body sideways.
I suddenly faced the window where the coachman was sitting and felt a cold hand brushing my hair away.
When the hand touched the wingbone over my thin dress, I eventually opened my mouth.
“Don’t touch me.”
He caught my hand when I tried to shake him off.
His hand, which was big enough to grab my arms, turned over my body, and my face sank into a soft mattress instantly. I gritted my teeth when he touched my back.
“I said don’t touch me.”
“…”
“Please.”
Then Signus spoke as if he was enjoying it.
“If I don’t want to?”
‘What are you going to do?’ was painted on his face, so I glared at him.
“Then just kill me.”
His long fingers halted clasping my dress at my words.
“You’ll do whatever you want anyway.”
I knew that he needed the esteemed daughter of Yeronimo for some unknown reason.
But when I saw those cold eyes, I knew for sure.
Even if he needed me, he’d kill me right away if he wanted to.
“I don’t know what you’re checking, but I truly hope it doesn’t have anything to do with me. So if you want to do something, do it.”
I said with a determined expression.
“Of course, it’s only possible after I die.”
The silence fell.
My body was screaming due to the uncomfortable position, and I kept glaring at him even though I was suffocated by his force.
After a while, the hand that pressed my back withdrew. That brief confrontation made my forehead sweaty.
As his big hand turned over my body, my vision caught the blurry ceiling. When I dealt with my throbbing head, I heard his muttering.
“How did you know that I can’t kill you yet.”
Not yet? Is that only a matter of time?
He smiled as he saw me blinked with a blank expression.
“Seems like the aide made a mistake. No wonder someone like him suddenly paying for the expenses.”
The aide was forced to confess and swallowed his urge to curse.
“Even a child knows that one can’t hear the conversation from far away.”
“Still, that’s clever. You’ve got some tact.”
Unlike his words, Signus laughed at me.
“You seem like someone who’s quick to learn, that’s why it must be easy to imitate that person’s behavior.”
“What do you mean by imitating?”
Signus sneered as if it was ridiculous.
“You’re imitating that person, aren’t you?”
That person?
“You didn’t beg me to spare your life and told me to kill you instead. You were asking if I was crazy back then.”
Signus’s fingers lowered the bandage around my face. Those already loose bandages flowed down helplessly because of his touch.
“How can you pretend to be clueless when your expression and speech were this similar? I’m not a fool.”
Tuk-! Signus, who slightly lowered the bandage, said.
“You’d better give up. There’s only one person who’s allowed to say those words to me. Your impudent words were dumb and annoying.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
To be honest, he looked bored.
“How many people do you think have approached me in a year?”
His following words were strange.
“People with similar appearance. People who spoke in a dry manner. People who showed remarkably good swordsmanship. Those people who copied that person’s name, habit, height, and voice were all over the palace.”
Signus tilted his head and laughed.
“I’ve had enough of people like you.”
“….”
“You must’ve tried so hard this time, but you’re just wasting your breath. You can’t fool my eyes.”
His beautiful fingers gripped my face.
“So, who is it this time? Did you bribe the high priests? Or your brother? He’s the student of Verus, so he might know.”
I wanted to ask him what he was talking about, but he didn’t give me a chance.
“That expression and gaze. Who informed you about that so you can imitate her?”
‘What are you saying? This is my mannerism.’
Hearing him made me so angry, so I opened my mouth.
“Let go of this.”
“Answer me. If you don’t want to die.”
He didn’t listen to me at all. Eventually, I got angry and grabbed his arm.
“I told you to let me go.”
(T/N: She spoke informally.)
The cold golden eyes shook for a moment.
“Is that what you want to hear? What are you looking for? You don’t even tell me who I’m imitating, but you kept demanding an answer.”
The grip on my face strengthened, and I felt my jaw throbbing.
“Why do you have to come and do this to someone whom you can’t even kill and despise so much? You shouldn’t have come if you hated me so much.”
I was so angry. The anger directed at myself was greater than the anger directed at him.
Towards myself who was looking for the old Signus.
I should’ve given up after I confirmed that he had changed, but I was angrier that I couldn’t do that.
“Get rid of your hands right away.”
I held his hand and spat out sharply.
“And don’t treat me recklessly again.”