The man who had endlessly appeared in my dreams was now standing before me, looking more refined than in my dreams. Golden hair that appeared even softer in the gentle light of the tent and blue eyes that seemed somewhat dark.
Ashika momentarily thought she might have entered another dream, like the strange experience she had before while awake.
“…Rushia…”
It was a small murmur, like a whisper. Drushia’s brow furrowed, creating a strange expression.
“Do I need to get used to that nickname?”
“Ah…”
Good heavens, this is reality!
Ashika wished she could take back her words.
“What is this… Duke Talion, why are you here?”
Drushia’s brow furrowed even more at Ashika’s sudden change in attitude.
First surprise, then joy and some indescribable intense emotion, followed by embarrassment. He felt strange about her reaction, though he didn’t know what response he had expected.
Could it be because of what happened the last time they met? While Ashika was still flustered, Drushia’s gaze quickly scanned her.
He had been curious all this time. He thought they might have some occasion to meet, but since he rarely participated in social activities, there was almost no chance for them to encounter each other outside. Nor were they close enough for him to kindly ask if she was alright.
‘It must have been quite a shock. Seems like she’s fine now.’
More than just fine. Perhaps because of the soft light in the tent, Ashika seemed to emit a mysterious glow.
The stark contrast between her smooth, white skin and glossy black hair. With her hair completely twisted up, her white, slender neck was fully exposed.
Under the cape she had casually draped around herself, the thin dress clung tightly to her upper body, making her bustline particularly prominent. Following the long necklace chain, his gaze naturally drifted to her cleavage.
He couldn’t distinguish whether the heat rising within him was due to the warmth of the tent or his own burning emotions. Drushia loosened his tight collar and spoke in a deeper voice.
“Weren’t Talion and Igraine officially in a cooperative relationship? Is it acceptable to arbitrarily disregard even official relationships?”
To think she was this composed all along, yet there had been no occasion to see her face. He felt somewhat annoyed.
“Ah, the letters.”
“So you do remember. I sent them not just once, but three times.”
“Didn’t you already receive my reply?”
Ashika barely regained her composure. She reassured herself that her rapidly beating heart was merely due to nervousness.
“That you were resting due to physical and mental fatigue? How could one rest among these strange beasts?”
His sarcastic tone was blatant. Even just seeing his darkened eyes, one could tell how upset he was.
Not just once, but three times. The moment Drushia received the third rejection letter, he stormed out of his office.
What happened next was instantaneous. He sent someone to track Ashika’s movements, which he had already been monitoring, and had been waiting here for a couple of hours. He was furious, wondering why he had to go to such lengths.
Drushia openly displayed his unpleasant emotions.
“Like a thief fearing his own footprints, is there a reason you’re avoiding me to this extent?”
“Fearing my footprints? I declined because there was no reason to meet. You didn’t specify a reason, so you shouldn’t blame me.”
“A reason? Ah, right. If I had stated the reason in my letter, it wouldn’t have been me who was troubled. I should not have been considerate.”
“Considerate? What do you mean?”
Drushia sighed as he wiped his sweaty face. With his thin shirt sleeves rolled up, his bulging muscles were clearly visible.
Even his irritated face was so handsome that Ashika’s heart began to pound again. She felt her cheeks flush, visible even without a mirror.
‘Why is it so hot?’
Drushia seemed to feel the heat too, as his shirt clung to his body. Though the long ruffle decoration covered his neck, skin color slightly showed through near his chest.
Ashika’s gaze unconsciously moved to his chest area. A thought suddenly occurred to her.
‘Would it really be there if he took off his clothes?’
Certainly, Ashika had never seen this man’s naked body. Yet she felt that if she removed his clothes, there would be a red mark extending from his shoulder to his chest.
‘What if it’s really there? What if I know about a mark I’ve never seen?’
The robust man’s physique flinched at the end of her gaze. It was a small movement, like a shudder.
“…Lady Igraine.”
Something like a gleam flashed through her black eyes, which usually felt cold. Drushia unconsciously stepped back.
“Yes. Please speak, Duke.”
Ashika’s response came a beat late, as if she were engrossed in something.
Drushia was rarely caught off guard. Had he ever received such a direct gaze from a woman before? He felt as though his clothes were being stripped off by her gaze, which lacked any hint of sensuality.
“Sigh… Lady Igraine, I heard you were at the scene when the poorhouse caught fire?”
“The poorhouse?”
“My knights said they saw Lady Igraine there.”
“Were you there too, Duke? Why?”
Ashika’s eyes widened. Could her speculation really be correct?
“Did you go to the Rantal branch office?”
“How do you know that?”
“That day, I saw Talion’s knights running around near the poorhouse. I had a feeling.”
That feeling turned out to be right. It seems Drushia was at the Rantal branch office in reality, just as Ashika had seen in her vision. Just a few steps away from where she had been.
Seeing Ashika drift into thought again, Drushia was dumbfounded.
“It seems you’re not grasping the situation, but that day, there was a witness who saw a suspicious person getting into Igraine’s carriage.”
Ashika’s expression, which had been momentarily blank, quickly stiffened. Her briefly softened attitude disappeared, and a cold mask-like expression covered her face. It was the face Ashika showed at official events.
The change was so sudden that it was disorienting.
“Is that so?”
“Didn’t you hear me? They saw Igraine’s carriage picking up someone while we were chasing the arsonist.”
“Is that why you sent letters three times?”
“I need an explanation of what happened.”
“Why? Since when have we been on such good terms, helping each other?”
Though she was speaking calmly, her refusal was clear. Now Drushia’s mind also cooled down.
“More than ten people died in the fire that day. But even more people fled from the scene.”
Ashika silently listened to Drushia’s story. Her tightly closed lips seemed unlikely to open.
They had clashed during every negotiation, but she was a woman who would step back at the appropriate moment. That was partly why he had been so persistent in tormenting her. He found her subtle composure irritating.
But now, the atmosphere wasn’t like their usual negotiations where she would back down. She had an attitude of not sharing her information until the other revealed his.
Drushia approached Ashika with a stride and warned in a low voice.
“Lady Igraine, don’t try to outsmart me.”
The black eyes wavered for a moment but didn’t retreat.
“You’re still far from being able to deal with me. What are you hiding?”
“If you want something, say it directly instead of beating around the bush. I have nothing to lose, so intimidation won’t work. Wasn’t it Talion who was desperate enough to send letters three times?”
“You’ve grown, Young Duchess Igraine.”
The corner of Drushia’s mouth turned up. He remembered how she had been somewhat led by him when they first met at the negotiation table four years ago.
It was natural. Ashika was an eighteen-year-old lady who had just come of age, and Drushia was a current duke who had returned from a military dispatch area that was as good as a death zone.
Looking at the woman who wouldn’t back down, Drushia narrowed the distance further. He approached to just one step away and looked down at her leisurely.
“How strange that you’re not even afraid.”
With a height more than a head taller than Ashika, broad shoulders, a large frame, and a solid body trained as a knight, he could even appear threatening to women.
However, there was no fear of him in Ashika’s eyes. Thinking about it, it was quite strange.
Rather, it was Drushia who felt tense under her unwavering black eyes. That tense feeling made him perplexed.
“Fine. This isn’t just Talion’s problem.”
Wondering what he was about to say, Ashika slightly furrowed her brow.
“That day, our knights caught one of the people who fled from the scene. Originally, we planned to hand them over to the security forces, but we couldn’t.”
Drushia continued speaking from his position, still just one step away.
“They claimed to be from the Grand Duchy.”
Ashika’s composure broke. Nile had said there were more people gathered for treatment. Could they also be from the same place?
“Weren’t they people receiving treatment at the poorhouse?”
“That’s right. It seems there were quite a few people at the treatment center. Many of them reportedly came from the Grand Duchy.”
“Were they people who had received permission to travel?”
Though she knew they wouldn’t be, she couldn’t help but ask, hoping against hope.
“Seeing how they fled in droves, they must be people who left the Grand Duchy without permission.”
The person who was fleeing clung to their captor when they realized the knight was from Talion. They begged not to be sent to the security forces.
“If more people are caught and this fact is revealed…”
“It will become known that there’s a hole in the Grand Duchy’s management.”
Drushia frowned as if he had a headache.
Since the area had been sealed off for a long time, there were always people who escaped or traveled secretly. The problem was that a considerable number had flocked to the center of the capital.
“So I would appreciate your cooperation. That person who got into Igraine’s carriage, I’d like you to hand them over to me.”
