MIDV: Chapter 58

When I heard such an absurd suggestion, my mind went blank. I stammered like a fool, trying to clarify.

“A good thing for me…?”

“Don’t you like me, Captain? It doesn’t seem like such a bad offer for you either.”

“……”

What?

What in the world was happening?

The phrase, “Let’s date since there’s already rumors,” was already a bombshell that shattered my brain’s capacity. And then there was, “You like me, don’t you?”

Where do I even begin to clear up this massive misunderstanding?

As I sat there, dumbfounded with my mouth slightly agape, Ludger, clearly misinterpreting my silence, smiled faintly and gently caressed my cheek.

“I understand you’re surprised. But… this isn’t a joke.”

“……”

“So there’s no need to force yourself to distance from me.”

So in the end, was I… being positioned as a woman in unrequited love, who worries about the reputation of the man I love, but swallows my tears and tries to distance myself?

“Haaa…”

I sighed involuntarily, while brushing Ludger’s hand away from my hair.

“…..?”

“Well, first of all, Your Highness. Please give me some space.”

He looked puzzled but still complied, and retreated back to his seat. With the pressure off, I collected my thoughts.

I slapped my cheeks and looked straight ahead. If I didn’t speak seriously here, it wouldn’t feel credible.

“It’s a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding?”

“I don’t harbor feelings for you, Your Highness, and that too in such an inappropriate way. I swear to the heavens above.”

“… What?”

This time, it was Ludger’s turn to look blank. I felt a strange sense of satisfaction, almost as if I had scored a point.

“I’m actually curious as to what made you think that. Have I ever done something to suggest it?”

“……”

“If I have, I apologize for that. That was never my intention.”

Ludger rubbed his face with his hand in bewilderment, clearly trying to process what I was saying.

After a brief moment of silence, he finally opened his.

“….. If that’s the case, Captain.”

“……”

“Why haven’t you reported Heilbronner to the higher-ups and instead kept to yourself?”

“…….”

“And during that time when we had that dinner, Captain also implied it. You said you didn’t want to talk about the reason because it was embarrassing.”

“….Ah.”

Now I understand how such an absurd misunderstanding came to be.

‘It’s not his fault. If I were in Ludger’s position, I would have perhaps assumed like that as well. Now everything makes sense.’

A reason that’s embarrassing to mention. Doesn’t it ultimately imply that I was keeping a secret because I was afraid of the man I like to be taken to jail? As this is a romance novel, it’s perfectly plausible.

For Ludger, who had no other explanation, this assumption tied it all together nicely.

‘Well, no matter what, I can’t start spouting nonsense about the original plot now.’

I sighed, running a hand over my face before explaining.

“It was simply a matter of me protecting my own safety. I’m just a powerless commoner… I couldn’t handle the consequences of revealing the truth to anyone. I had no confidence to bear the consequences of what would happen.”

“……”

“It sounds selfish even to me. That’s why… I felt embarrassed.”

“…….”

“…..Does Your Highness understand now?”

Ludger gave a slow nod, before looking away. I nearly burst into laughter when I saw how red his face had become.

‘Wow. He’s blushing.’

With his fairly pale complexion, it was impossible to miss the flush creeping up his cheeks.

Yeah….. I suppose he was too embarrassed…..

And really, I couldn’t bring myself to blame him. Misunderstanding someone’s feelings for himself and then blurting out all sorts of nonsense, anyone would be embarrassed.

‘So all those times that made me wonder why he was flirting with me until now, were all because of this.’

It all made sense now.

If he believed I had a secret crush on him, then of course he’d try to get close to me to manipulate me, thinking I was holding back my feelings. That’s just basic logic for a villain.

The result of such misunderstanding…. was embarrassing for both of us.

“I suppose I’ve given you plenty of reasons to misinterpret things. I apologize for that.”

“No… I should be the one apologizing for jumping to conclusions.”

Honestly, he was kind of adorable at that moment—blushing and flustered. I never thought I’d describe Ludger, someone much bigger than me, as cute, but there it was.

From the beginning, Ludger had a certain vulnerability that didn’t quite fit the typical villainous image. You could say he lacked the aura of a typical side male lead.

Of course, a male lead with a strong aura like Alphonse and even stronger presence, is the type I wouldn’t want to be near, so it doesn’t really matter.

“You don’t need to feel bad, Young Duke. I mean, if I had your otherworldly appearance, I’d probably think that every woman was in love with me too.”

When I offered an unhelpful consolation, Ludger glared at me with a face that had turned bright red.

“….. Are you teasing me right now?”

“Oh, you caught me.”

“…….”

The look of exasperation on his face was priceless.

What should I do? His every reaction is so cute, it makes me want to tease him more.

But if I teased him any further, it seemed like he might actually get angry, so I changed the subject.

“Nevertheless, I think it’s clear now that this was all a misunderstanding. I really don’t have feelings for you, so you don’t need to worry about it anymore.”

“……”

“Back to what we were talking about before, so you agree that it’s better for us to keep a reasonable distance from now on, right?”

“Well…”

Ludger lowered his gaze, his face still slightly flushed.

“…. Yes, if it’s troublesome for you, then we should.”

“Troublesome for me? I’d say it’s more of a nuisance for you, Your Highness.”

I wasn’t a noble, and I wasn’t a part of the high-society either. Whether they gossip about me or not, it’s none of my business.

But Ludger’s situation was different. Although he had been holding back on his political actions, as a key figure in the First Prince’s faction, he was constantly under scrutiny.

In such a situation, a scandal involving a lowly knight could be a real problem.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a nuisance. These kinds of rumors are fleeting anyway.”

“I see.

“And usually… rumors regarding this kind of affair tend to be more detrimental to women.”

So, that’s why he thought it might be better to make it a settled fact before the rumors start spiraling in the wrong direction.

Ludger showed a bitter expression.

‘Ah, he must have been worried about my future marriage prospects being blocked.”

Honestly, it seemed like a rather convenient side effect.

It sounded like Ludger was more worried about the potential damage to my reputation than his own.

“Oh, don’t worry about me! I’m not interested in dating or marriage anyway.”

“…Really?”

“Yep. I’m perfectly happy just swinging a sword and supporting myself.”

Romance, marriage, all that.

Just thinking about it made my skin crawl with rejection. Probably because all of it reminded me of Gustav.

‘Ugh, I shouldn’t have thought of that.’

I shook my head, trying to erase the lingering image of Gustav from my mind.

“….. Does that mean even if we become close, it won’t be a burden to you?”

“Well… it does seem like that?”

Huh? Did the conversation go in the wrong direction?

Somehow, the conclusion and direction ended up being different from what I had expected.

“Since that’s the case… I don’t want to distance myself from Captain in the future.”

“Isn’t it because you want to keep me under surveillance?”

“It would be a lie to say that’s not part of it, but more than that…..”

“…….”

“…… I wouldn’t want that.”

Ludger’s expression was sincere. It didn’t seem like he wasn’t joking.

“As I said at the party earlier… I thought we had gotten closer.”

“…….”

“Was I mistaken?”

“No, it’s not a mistake, but…”

It hadn’t been for long, but at some point, Ludger had indeed become a natural presence beside me. I felt comfortable enough to tease him without fear, even though he was a noble.

In that sense, we had indeed grown closer.

Hearing my answer, Ludger smiled softly, as if relieved.

“Good. I’m glad I wasn’t mistaken.”

“……”

“I hope we can have more meals together in the future. But I won’t hold you back today, since you have bread waiting for you at home.”

“…Right.”

At that moment, I could see that we had entered the street near my house. I quickly spoke up, as if trying to shake off the awkward atmosphere.

“Ah, here we are. It’s fine to stop here, so the carriage doesn’t have to go any further.”

“Alright. If that’s what you prefer.”

Ludger used the communication stone to instruct the coachman to stop the carriage at a suitable spot.

The carriage came to a stop, and I stood up from my seat to get off.

“Thank you for the ride. And for everything today.”

“Don’t mention it. Be safe on your way back. See you soon.”

I watched the carriage speed away down the street.

In the short time spent in the carriage, so many things had been discussed that my mind felt a bit overwhelmed.

‘In the end, nothing seems to have really changed.’

In fact, even without the rumors, it was true that having Ludger close by was somewhat burdensome.

If I had said that it would be better to keep our distance because his presence was only burdensome, he would probably have willingly done so. But I hadn’t

Because, as much as I hated to admit it…

“…It would be a shame.”

Ludger’s words echoed in my mind.

I know that he was the villain. I was still cautious of him and haven’t let my guard down.

But I couldn’t deny that I enjoyed the moments when I teased him occasionally and had trivial conversations.

The original future where Ludger was influenced by Elisa had already collapsed. However, as long as he doesn’t commit any irredeemable wrongdoings until the story reaches its conclusion.

After that… could we have a good relationship, even if just as friends?

‘If that’s possible, that is.’

I shook my head slightly and headed to my house.

But my footsteps halted as soon as I saw the person standing in front of my house door.

The person standing there was definitely someone I didn’t expect to see.