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

 

The Duke of Kassen’s residence was located somewhat away from the city center… I wondered if it would take about an hour by carriage to reach our knights’ office.

Typically, the townhouses of noble families were not very spacious.

According to the law, townhouses under the name of noble families could only be built on land designated by the Royal Family, which means the land is essentially rented from the Royal Family and you’ll have to pay for that.

Because of this, they had to pay an exorbitant rental fee to the Royal Family, so it was inevitable that they would feel burdened by renting a large area.

Simply having a townhouse in the capital is a symbol of nobility and prestige. To the point that you could walk around with your neck held high and be arrogant about that.

However, there was an exception, and it was the Duke of Kassen. Unlike typical townhouses, the Duke of Kassen has a manor house (the main residence of the great lord) within the capital itself.

Moreover, the land was not even leased to the Royal Family but recognized as the Duke’s private property. It could be said to be an exceptional treatment based on the past contributions of the Duke of Kassen.

If there’s any flaw, it’s that the location is somewhat distant from the city center. However, the Duke’s estate was very close to the capital, so it is considered to be in a location near the estate.

In any case, the antique charm of the Duke’s residence was truly remarkable.

Even I, who has visited the Royal Palace and the mansions of numerous high-ranking nobles many times due to my profession, felt the grandeur and elegance of this place were among the finest I had seen.

Though it seemed somewhat shabby in my presence, it was evident that Ludger Kassen would soon be the owner of this mansion and the vast estate.

‘In the first place, the previous Duke had already passed away, so it was time for Ludger to inherit the title of Duke.’

The reason Ludger has remained the ‘Young Duke’ until now is because he has not yet married.

The Leuke Empire has a long history of standing, so there are many unreasonable customary laws remaining, and this was a typical case.

What was the law again? The right to summon the vassals, who recognize the succession to the title, is only reserved for married people, or something like that.

‘It’s a bit surprising that he is still unmarried.’

Since the day the previous Duke and Duchess passed away, how many marriage proposals must have flooded in for the precious young heir of the Kassen Dukedom?

However, even now that he is twenty-four years old, he has not married. He does not even have a fiancée.

When I read it as a romance novel, I thought it was natural for him to maintain a state of innocence (?) for the female protagonist as one of her pride trophies, but….

Doesn’t this seem implausible?

Is there perhaps a backstory?

As I pondered, it became quite intriguing.

He is the only son of the previous Duke and it is a given that he will inherit the dukedom, so there’s no urgent need for marriage…

‘No. Come to think of it, isn’t there someone with the highest right to succeed to the dukedom after Ludger?’

The previous Duke’s younger brother and Ludger’s uncle.

That person was Count Portram Rentorich, who received the countship from the Kassen Dukedom and became independent as a cadet branch.

After the rise of the Phantom Thief Heilbronner incident, I often read news articles about Ludger’s surroundings out of curiosity due to my interest in the original story.

That’s why I knew the background of Count Rentorich and Ludger.

Given that Ludger Kassen was assigned to a position far from the high-ranking political positions, managing the Imperial Treasure and Relics Management Office, it seemed he might not be interested in the position of Duke. The relationship between him and his uncle appeared to be good as well.

There was even speculation that Count Rentorich might succeed to the title of Duke instead of Ludger. That was how the general public thought.

At the time, I had dismissed such theories with a scoff, thinking it was unlikely that the shadowy Ludger would give up his claim. However, looking back, it did seem strange.

‘…No, seriously. What’s so enjoyable about other people’s gossip that I was so engrossed in thinking about it?

Chiding myself for getting so absorbed in such thoughts, I shook my head and found that I had arrived at the mansion’s entrance. Following the footman’s courteous guidance, I proceeded toward the carriage.

“Good morning, Captain Clara.”

“…Young, Young Duke?”

My pupils shook at the sight of an unexpected person already in the carriage. Why, why was he here at this early hour?

I realized I hadn’t greeted properly in my surprise state and quickly offered my morning greetings before getting into the carriage.

“You must be surprised.”

“Yes, I assumed I’d be going alone.”

“I have some unattended work, so I’m leaving early as well. Don’t worry too much about it.”

“Yes….”

Ludger smiled softly and leaned back against the backrest.

“Of course, I made the time because I had something I wanted to convey.”

“…Your Highness told me not to worry, yet you’re saying something that bothers me right after.”

“You don’t actually need to worry about it.”

His eyes had a mischievous glint. It seemed the young Duke was quite intent on teasing me.

It must have been a jest about last night’s formal farewell too. What a sneaky man!

“More than that, how are you feeling? Are you forcing yourself to go to work when you still aren’t fully healed?”

“No, that’s not it. I’ve been reflecting a lot on not focusing on my recovery, and if my condition was poor, I would have postponed coming to work immediately. I’m perfectly fine.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Yes. So about what you wanted to say…?”

“…I hope you don’t approach this as if receiving work orders. It’s a personal matter.”

“If it’s a personal matter….”

“Well… It’s about His Highness the Second Prince Alphonse and Lady Elisa Serphenne.”

“I see.”

“I’d like you to distance yourself from them.”

“….”

I blinked in surprise at the unexpected words.

“Is it because the Young Duke supports His Highness the First Prince as the next Emperor?”

“….”

Ludger’s shoulders dropped as he let out a wry smile.

“I’ve been trying to keep my political moves as restrained as possible, but how do you know?”

‘Well, it was mentioned in the original story… He was the mastermind behind the scenes, and he interfered by considering the Second Prince as his rival.’

“I’ve only heard rumors that the Young Duke and His Highness the First Prince are friends. I was just asking in case.”

“….I see.”

“However, most people believe the Duke has no interest in politics. I also thought the same thing when I read the newspaper articles.”

A heretic who, despite being the successor to the Duke’s title, does not engage in social activities other than attending small range social gatherings, focuses on managing the Relics Management Office, which is far removed from the central government, and shows no intention of actively inheriting the title of Duke.

In the aristocratic world, Ludger had the image of an extreme scholarly character.

This contrasts sharply with his role as the villain in the original story.

‘He projects a scholarly image in front, but he actually works as the Phantom Thief behind the scenes, opposing the protagonists.’

“That’s fortunate. If it were revealed on the surface… it would be a bit difficult.”

‘As the villain, it is.’

“Don’t fret Young Duke. I won’t rush to His Highness the Second Prince and tell him that the Duke Ludger Kassen is actually the Thief Heilbroner.”

Ludger showed a look of surprise before bursting into laughter.

“Well… I appreciate your reassurance, but that’s not really why I brought it up.”

“Is that so?”

“I think it would be better for you to do that, too.”

“Are you trying to imply that if I get close to the Second Prince and the Lady Serphenne, I’ll get into trouble?”

“For now, you can understand it that way.”

‘So suspicious and guarded… Does this mean the romance flag with Elisa is officially down?’

I continued speaking cautiously, holding onto the last thread of hope.

“Lady Serphenne seems like a nice person. From what I saw at the gathering, she seemed to want to get close to the Duke. Couldn’t the Duke get close to her and win her over?”

“What?”

“And then maybe it could develop into a better relationship…?”

“….”

As soon as he heard me, Ludger’s expression became strange.

“That is impossible to happen.”

“Pardon?”

“I have no interest in Lady Serphenne and there is absolutely no chance of that changing. So Captain Clara, you don’t need to worry about it.”

“Uh… I see…”

There was no need for such a definitive pronouncement that the romance flow of the original story was ruined.

Honestly, although I had a hunch, I felt a bit bitter. It seems like I have no choice but to diligently keep an eye on Ludger and work hard from now on.

“Nevertheless, I’m fine. But Sir needs to be careful.”

“Well, it’s not like I have any chance to get close to them anyway.”

“True. I’ve only had a brief conversation with Lady Serphenne at the gathering, but she seemed quite curious about you.”

I exhaled a breath without realizing it. I hadn’t expected to draw the interest of the original female lead.

“I’m speaking from my own perspective, so I’d be glad if you don’t ignore it.”

“…Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Somehow, Ludger’s indirect warning felt even more chilling than if he had directly said, “Be prepared if you see them approaching you.”

‘Nevertheless, if the First Prince becomes the Crown Prince as Ludger intended, the Second Prince will become a lost cause. It’s best not to get too close to him.’

It might be Ludger’s own way of being kind to me, considering my situation.

‘The original story is so twisted already, maybe the Second Prince might not really win in the end.’

It didn’t really matter to me who would become the next Emperor. My main worry was the part about black magic.

I should just keep my senses sharp and keep a close eye on Ludger to see if he shows any suspicious signs.

Being watched while I was also keeping an eye on Ludger felt almost absurd. As if I’m staring into an abyss and having the abyss stare back at me, the situation was kind of funny.

“That’s all that I wanted to convey.”

“Your Highness could have just sent me a letter or something. It must have been exhausting for you to adjust your schedule to fit my working hours.”

I said it without much thought, knowing nobles usually wake up late, but Ludger responded with a gentle smile.

“Well, under that pretext… I wanted to spend a bit more time with Lady Clara.”