It's A Misunderstanding That I'm Dating The Villain

“….”

Ludger’s expression briefly turned solemn before changing into a faint smile.

“Well, it’s an act extremely necessary for the Empire… Let’s just put it that way.”

“…Extremely necessary for the Empire?”

“Yes.”

I thought he was joking, but Ludger’s face was infinitely serious.

It was as if the good deeds he was accumulating was just a tip on the iceberg. And his prime intention was to steal those odd items as the thief Heilbronner.

‘Could it be a political issue?’

But the portrayal of the Second Prince in the original work, which I had read, was that of a cold man with a prickly side but capable and affectionate toward his woman… his personality was similar to those typical romance fantasy male leads.

Even if he were to become the Emperor of this country, it doesn’t appear to be like it would have a negative impact on the Empire.

But well… That’s just how political disputes are. Even if someone seems harmless from the perspective of an outsider, the parties involved feel like the other party is absolutely evil.

“You look like you are having it hard to believe it.”

“Shouldn’t that be the case?”

“That’s true too.”

He moistened his lips slightly with a glass of pale yellow champagne and nodded.

“Even to myself, it sounds ridiculous.”

“….”

“However, whether Captain believes me or not, the fact that I’m keeping you under surveillance remains the same. So it’s better to give up early.”

That was not what I expected, damn it.

“It’s just a little doubt I have, but, Your Highness isn’t planning to keep me under surveillance for the rest of my life, are you…?”

“Do you prefer to be under surveillance for the rest of your life?”

“…I have no such strange preferences.”

Ludger burst into laughter. He didn’t seem to have any intention of answering how long he would keep me under surveillance.

‘It’s fine. He’s soon going to stop his actions as the Phantom Thief anyway.’

A place to lean on, and a place to confide in.

That was the characteristic of the original female protagonist.

As a typical sub-male protagonist, Ludger, who was moved by such characteristics of the original female protagonist, stopped his activities as the Phantom Thief.

He originally supported the First Prince’s faction. However, to fulfil the wish of the female protagonist whom he loved dearly, he changed faction and supported the Second Prince instead.

The ending where the sub-male protagonist, who was the villain, changes to be pure and selfless character just for the sake of the female protagonist’s happiness, it was the story of a classic romance fantasy cliché.

‘By the end of this year, The Second Prince would most probably be crowned as the Crown Prince….’

Which means I’d just need to endure the surveillance until then.

After organizing my thoughts, I felt at ease. Thanks to that, I could enjoy the dishes that arrived one after another. There’s a saying that if you can’t avoid it, just enjoy it.

I can confidently say that it was the most delicious food I’ve ever had, both in my past and present lives. The food was worth the high price.

Especially dishes made of the sheat-fish, which was filleted without a single bone, fried to crisp with just the skin, and drizzled with sauce, were mouth watering to say the least. And the pork terrine made without any off-flavors, seemed to melt in my mouth as soon as I put them in my mouth.

As I thoroughly enjoyed the crème brûlée topped with a generous amount of custard cream and a sweet dessert wine, two hours had flown by.

Surprisingly, Ludger was quite good at keeping a conversation going. I might be giving him a higher rating because of the effects of the expensive wine, though.

Actually, the topics of conversation were nothing special. They were mostly about news floating on the Empire, experiences with people encountered in our work, and other trivial, unimportant matters.

Nevertheless, the two hours spent dining felt surprisingly engaging and enjoyable.

As I left the private room and headed back to the carriage, I paid some appropriate lip service.

“Thank you for the meal, I really enjoyed it. I think I can keep my mouth shut just for the cost of today’s dinner.”

“It seems like you might be quite drunk.”

“I’m a heavy drinker, you know?”

“Considering that, you seem a bit too energetic.”

“Oh, I think it’s just the expensive alcohol that put me in a good mood.”

I waved my hand, dismissing his concern and stepped forward. But it seemed I was more intoxicated than I thought. I was tipsy and staggered slightly.

Ludger quickly stretched out his arm to support me. For a moment, I ended up leaning into his overwhelmingly large frame, feeling almost engulfed.

‘Ah, this scent….’

The scent of Ludger’s perfume gently touched the tip of my nose. I’m not familiar with perfumes, so I couldn’t distinguish the scent, but it was a very warm and captivating fragrance.

I thought about it before, but it reminded me of his lime-green eyes.

“Are you alright l?”

Ludger grabbed my hand and looked into my face carefully. The distance suddenly decreased between us. Not only that, but his hand, which was holding mine, felt hot as if it was on fire.

I was startled by the sudden warmth of his body and quickly pulled away, creating distance at the speed of light.

“It’s fine! I can maintain my balance on my own without your help! I’m a Spirit user, after all!”

In my flustered state, I blurted out a nonsensical flurry of words. Just because I drank some expensive liquor, I was completely off-balance.

The tough me, who used to survive on cheap liquor forced down by senior knights and handle the aftermath of overindulgence, has completely gone out of sight.

Ludger, looking a bit awkward with his empty hands, opened and closed his fists several times as he tried to explain.

“I have no intention of harming you, so you don’t need to be so vigilant.”

“If you have no intention of harming me, why are you keeping me under surveillance?”

Ludger chuckled at my witty remark.

“…Alright, I understand. You’re weak to alcohol.”

“I’m a heavy drinker.”

“Fine, let’s leave it at that. Nevertheless, let me at least escort you.”

Ludger extended his hand again, guiding me to link arms with him.

It seemed a bit awkward to refuse even this, so I had no choice but to take his hand and follow his lead. The warmth of his hand was still intense, and it felt a bit uncomfortable.

“Come to think of it, your table manners were perfect for someone from a commoner background. Does the knights’ order teach even that?”

“No. It’s because of my family circumstances.”

As I was the daughter of a self-announced Viscount, there was a period of time when I had to learn useless etiquette. I didn’t really intend to follow social manners, but it had become instinctive so it naturally came out.

“Were you born of a fallen noble family?”

“That’s roughly correct. But I’ve severed ties with my family.”

“… You must have had a hard time.”

“Not really.”

Yes, I indeed had a hard time. But thinking about my current situation, I’m much happier now than when I lived in silence and endured all kinds of abuse.

There were many hardships and difficulties I faced on the way. But even so, I was grateful for being able to lead a simple and peaceful life where I could modestly live while looking forward to tomorrow’s meal.

Perhaps that was the reason why I became so obsessed with ‘peace.’

“But… are you comfortable sharing your personal circumstances so easily?”

“It’s nothing special. I don’t possess any great background.”

“Hmm…. In that case, I’d like to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“Why don’t you want to report me?”

“….”

When I came to my senses, we had somehow reached the outside. In the pitch-black darkness, Ludger’s hair shone like the moon, faintly illuminated by the streetlights.

As I looked at his otherworldly beauty, I was reminded once again that he was a character from the original work, far removed from me.

“…That’s a secret.”

“Is that such a significant reason?”

“No, that’s not it. It’s just… a bit embarrassing to discuss.”

“I see.”

Ludger smiled with a gentle curve of his eyes and released my hand. Even that graceful motion seemed like a painting, leaving me feeling dazed.

‘Oh, I guess I’m really drunk.’

I guess expensive alcohol doesn’t suit me.

“I was worried that you would blurt out things about Haillbronner after being drunk, but it seems I didn’t need to worry about that.”

“…You were testing me?”

“A bit.”

In an instant, my dazed mind became sharply alert. I realized he had taken advantage of my lowered guard caused by the alcohol to catch me off guard.

‘As expected, he’s a villain…. I shouldn’t underestimate him.’

He might have created a relaxed atmosphere to gauge my true intentions. Phew, I absolutely mustn’t arouse any suspicion.

“It seems you liked the meal today, so next time, I’ll make sure you’re served by this chef again.”

“You don’t have to…um… go out your way to do that. However, since… If I’m going to be under surveillance, I might as well enjoy some delicious to food.”

As I quickly finished calculating and replied, his smile deepened.

“Speaking of benefit…”

“Yes.”

“Then can we consider the proposal you made earlier as valid?”

“What proposal?”

“The one where you would be getting a large sum of payment from me for sealing you lips after the Heilbronner act.”

“Ah….”

My face flushed red as I recalled the memory of my failed cosplay as the villainous knight commander who was blinded by money.

“Well… I’m not particularly indifferent very to money. If you truly pay me for that, I’d certainly be grateful.”

“How honest.”

“Is there anyone who doesn’t like money? But, to reiterate, I’d like you assure you again; I have no intention of reporting you even if you don’t pay me.”

“….”

“Even if I hadn’t made an oath to God, I would keep my word. So do not fret.”

“That’s fortunate. However, I’ll still be keeping you under surveillance.”

“Tsk….”

As I clicked my tongue, Ludger gently patted my back and urged me to get in the carriage.

His actions in assisting me into the carriage were consistently kind and graceful.

I knew well that his true nature was thorough and meticulous mastermind planning.

Even so, I couldn’t deny the fact that he was undeniably a perfect nobleman.

***

Duke of Kassen’s Manor.

As soon as Ludger arrived, a dignified old gentleman with gray hair greeted him.

“Young Master, you’ve returned.”

“How old am I that you still call me ‘Young Master’, Derrick.”

“You’re twenty-four. Even if so, you’ll always be my Young master.”

Derrick, the old butler of the Kassen Duke’s household, lightly brushed off Ludger’s grumbling and took his coat.

“Did you confirm everything in today’s meeting?”

“Yes…”

Ludger nodded firmly.

“Derrick, it seems your guess was correct. Lady Clara appears to be liking me, but she’s trying hard to hide it from me.”