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

“….”

This guy, as soon as I let my guard down, he started teasing me.

I looked down feeling awkward, that’s when he added.

“And like I mentioned at the beginning, I started early today to take care of the unattended work. So, there’s no need for you to feel guilty.”

“…Ah, come to think of it.”

Hearing him mentioning about unattended work, some information naturally popped up in my mind.

That is, Ludger had spent the entire Monday taking care of me.

“Your Highness, I heard that you spent the Monday taking care of me. I should have thanked you, but I was so preoccupied with thoughts yesterday that I couldn’t say anything.”

“…How does Captain know that?”

As soon as he heard my words, Ludger flinched and showed a slightly embarrassed expression. It was such an unexpected reaction that I tilted my head in confusion.

“Oh? The butler told me….”

“…Derrek had done something useless again.”

Hiding his mouth with his hand, he turned his gaze away. The early morning sunlight streaming through the carriage window illuminated Ludger’s face, and I could see that his face had turned slightly red.

‘Is he embarrassed?’

I couldn’t understand at all why Ludger would be embarrassed.

“There’s no need to say such things. If the butler hadn’t told me, I would have just passed by without knowing.”

“Well, I didn’t really plan on telling you…”

“Why?”

Ludger let out a small sigh and lowered his hand before speaking.

“I hadn’t done that so you would know.”

“….”

“I think Captain is feeling a needless sense of indebtedness toward me right now. That wasn’t my intention at all.”

“It’s more of a sense of gratitude than indebtedness.”

“It’s a bit embarrassing to be thanked like this.”

Leaning back against the backrest, Ludger slightly lowered his head.

“I thought about it while you were still unconscious. If Captain Clara doesn’t wake up like this… isn’t that my responsibility?”

“Pardon?”

“I kept thinking about it. Even thinking that maybe it would have been better to ignore your words back then and use magic. That way, you wouldn’t have pushed yourself to use something like the blue sword energy.”

I was surprised by his words and immediately denied it.

“That was absolutely not the Duke’s fault!”

“Yes, I know that in my head. But what I mean is that at the time, I was so absorbed in those thoughts.”

Ludger slowly looked into my eyes.

“Therefore, I was just trying to shake off the guilt by staying close to Sir. To put it simply, that action was more about soothing my own feelings than actually caring for you.”

“….”

“So if you were to thank me or apologize because of that… I would feel very embarrassed.”

He slowly tilted his head. The redness on his face had now faded a lot.

“However, now that Sir shook off my worries and got back on her feet, it just feels like a funny story in hindsight.”

“No. I don’t think it that way at all.”

I shook my head.

“And whatever the Duke’s intentions were… I still feel grateful.”

“That’s….”

“That in no way does change the fact that you took the time and put in the effort to worry about me.”

My upturned figure was reflected in his lime green eyes. Meeting his steady gaze, I affirmed firmly.

“I truly wanted to show my gratitude to the Duke for taking care of me. And I’m glad I could express it.”

“….”

“Ahem, so please don’t scold the butler later. He just told me that the Duke was really worried about me. That’s all.”

“Well, the intention behind what Derrek said to Sir was probably…”

“….?”

“Nothing. As Sir requested, I would not scold Derrek.”

“Yes, that’s good to know. Thank you again.”

Ludger’s gaze dropped slightly. Seeing his face turn red again, it seemed like he was quite embarrassed.

“It seems like the Duke isn’t really used to being thanked or complimented, even if it’s unintentional.”

“Huh?”

“Well, that’s happened before as well.”

“…..”

“Nevertheless, I believed that the Duke wasn’t a lone perpetrator or a criminal who threatened personal safety or extorted materials for his own gain. The boy involved in human trafficking, too, was more of a case where you were, in fact, moving towards something that would benefit society.”

“….”

“Does Your Highness like this compliment?”

“Cou, Cough. It’s not like that.”

“Oh, it’s fine. After all, Your Highness is doing good without revealing your identity, so it’s only natural to want some recognition for it.”

When I mentioned that incident, resentment flickered in Ludger’s eyes, just like before. His face turned even redder.

“…There’s no point in bringing up something I’ve already forgotten.”

‘But it’s kind of cute to see you like this.’

I knew he was the villain, but even so, seeing this unexpected side of him, I couldn’t help but think that Ludger Kassen was truly a colorful person.

“It just came to mind naturally.”

“Haa….”

He let out a deep sigh.

“… It’s true that I’m not familiar with being praised for my work as the thief Heilbronner, and that’s because I don’t have the chance to hear it directly from others. And likewise, those actions are more about self-satisfaction.”

“….”

“Still, hearing Sir saying that… I was happy. I can’t deny that.”

Ludger gave a faint smile, as if hesitating how to show his happiness.

For a moment, I felt a strange sensation, as if my heart was about to burst out.

‘His beauty is truly harmful to the eyes, especially this early in the morning….’

“No, well, ahem. I just wanted to show my gratitude to you, but I think I made it sound more grand than it needed to be.”

“You must be so absorbed in teasing me.”

“I can’t deny that either.”

He gave me a slight glare before finally bursting into laughter. I’m quite brave, acting bold in front of the villain.

“Oh, but I mean it. I’m not sure if I’ll get the chance, but I’d be willing to take care of the Young Duke if you ever happen to fall ill later.”

“I know Sir cares quite… a bit about me.”

‘More than care, it’s just human nature.’

Normally, when someone stays up all night to take care of you while you’re sick, it’s only natural to feel that way.

“Well… That’s not entirely wrong. I do hope that the Duke stays healthy and at peace, both physically and mentally, from now on.”

I hope that he will always be at peace until the end.

“Yes, I sincerely hope that Sir won’t report me, so that everything can stay peaceful.”

“….A person like Duke Ludger Kassen, famous for his integrity and innocence, would never have anything to do that I would have to report him. Please, do not fret.”

“That doesn’t mean you won’t be under surveillance anymore.”

“Yes, I know it already. It’s okay.”

I, too, planned to keep an eye on Ludger to make sure he doesn’t show any suspicious signs related to black magic, so his mention of surveillance didn’t feel as uncomfortable as before.

As soon as he heard my answer, his eyes widened gently.

“Captain, do you still…”

“Yes?”

“No, nothing.”

The enigmatic villain, unnecessarily scattering his beauty around like confetti, mumbled his words.

‘That face is hard to get used to….’

“Come to think of it, I suppose I should explain the things Sir needs to know.”

“Things that I should know….”

“The things that you were unable to know because you were unconscious and resting.”

“Ah! Yes! Please tell me. I’ll listen attentively.”

“Then, first is…”

I straightened my posture, feeling relieved that the conversation had changed to work.

***

It took a lot less time than it felt, but we soon arrived at the building where our knight’s office was located.

I had told him that it was fine if he wanted to go to the Imperial Relics and Treasure Management Office where he works, but he insisted on taking me to my place first.

‘Haa… It feels like it’s been a long time since I’ve been to work.’

I roughly understood the situation from Ludger’s explanation, but I still couldn’t grasp the atmosphere within the knight’s order upon arrival. I wonder if the others were really worried.

Since their Captain suddenly disappeared for two days, they must have had a tough time. I should treat them to a meal later.

As I walked toward the Captain’s office with that thought in mind, I noticed light spilling through the crack in the door.

‘Huh?’

Did Billy forget to turn off the lights when he left work yesterday?

I opened the door, guessing based on my previous experience….

“Captain!”

“What? Clara’s here?”

As soon as Billy, who was sitting closest to the door, saw me entering, his face brightened up and he stood up enthusiastically. On the other side, Lionel raised his voice, looking equally pleased.

“…You’ve arrived. Are you feeling alright…?”

“Captain, you must have had a hard time! Please, don’t push yourself today!”

Then, Sir Sein and Lan approached me, looking worried about my health.

I asked blankly, unable to overcome the surprise.

“Why are you all here… at this hour?”

“You usually come in early when there’s work piling up. When they told me you were coming from the Duke’s mansion today, we figured you’d be here early again, just like always.”

“Sir Administrator was right! You came in even though you were sick, and we thought it would be lonely if no one was here to greet you! So, we all decided to come in early to welcome you!”

“Um, Senior Billy. If I say it so openly, the Captain might feel burdened…”

“I put the documents that the Captain needs to check on the desk…”

I was so surprised that I could only look around the Captain’s office in a daze. Everyone had come in early, even at this hour.

From Lan, who had only recently joined our order, to Sir Sein, who never wastes a moment of personal time.

Only because of me.

As soon as I realized that, I felt something stir within me, a strong surge of emotion, as if it was about to explode.