‘Why is the second prince here?’
In a moment of confusion, I involuntarily let go of my grip.
Suddenly, Dante raised the corner of his mouth.
‘Shit!’
I realized it was a mistake, but it was already too late.
Dante quickly flipped his body.
He pushed me, who was sitting on his back, to the ground and straddled my stomach.
I swung my arms belatedly, but Dante effortlessly caught both of my wrists and pinned them to the ground.
In an instant, the situation had completely reversed. Normally, it wouldn’t have been so easy for me to be overpowered like this.
It was because I was taken aback by the identity of the villain and couldn’t counterattack properly.
“Ugh!”
My eyebrows involuntarily furrowed from the strength squeezing my wrists.
Dante looked down at me calmly and asked, “Does it hurt?”
“Can’t you tell by my expression?”
“I’m not used to reading other people’s expressions.”
“Oh, I see. You probably never had to pay attention to someone else’s feelings in your whole life.”
“Yeah, that’s right. So, tell me. Does it hurt?”
“Isn’t it strange if it doesn’t hurt? It’s the strength of a Swordmaster, you know. Let me tell you in advance, if my wrist gets broken, Duke Luteous will demand compensation from the royal family. The Duke is very concerned about my well-being.”
Actually, it’s because it would diminish my value if I were to get injured or feel pain.
‘But there’s no need to go that far.’
I casually replied, and Dante smirked.
At the same time, the force applied to my wrists slightly diminished.
I clenched and unclenched my numb hand, letting out a sigh. The pain that felt like my wrists were going to break had disappeared, but it wasn’t completely gone.
“How about we sit calmly on the sofa and have a peaceful conversation like intelligent people? It’s not very nice to be doing this on the floor like animals, right?”
“Wasn’t it the Lady who knocked me to the ground?”
“Well, if I say that I was planning to subdue you first and then sit you on the sofa, would you believe me?”
“I doubt it.”
“Oh well, I’ve been caught. Actually, I was planning to break your limbs and tightly tie you up in a corner. It would have been possible if you hadn’t been taken aback. Too bad.”
“My Lady…”
Dante narrowed his eyes and slowly scanned my face.
“You’re not even nervous when looking at me.”
“Are you going to kill me?”
“Kill you? The lady? Surely not.”
“But why should I be nervous? Oh, there is one thing that worries me a little.”
“What is it?”
“This position right now could easily cause misunderstandings, you know? I’m worried that it might lead to some strange rumors between His Majesty and me.”
“Who is here?”
“There’s someone over there. They’ll probably die soon, though.”
In addition to Dante and me, there was one more person here.
Master Verman Miller, the Guild Master of Information. He reached out desperately to them.
“P-Please, please spare me… Can’t we talk instead…?”
Only then did Dante turn his head and look at him, realizing the presence of the Master.
Now!
Without wasting a moment while he was momentarily distracted, I quickly raised my head and attempted a headbutt.
Just before my forehead collided with Dante’s perfectly shaped nose.
Dante released my wrists and swiftly stood up.
‘He let go so easily?’
I hid my bewildered feelings and sprung up, as if bouncing back.
I wondered if he was about to attack, but that wasn’t the case either.
Dante was already seated on the sofa. He pointed with his chin towards the opposite side.
“Sit.”
“I refuse.”
“Didn’t I suggest sitting down like intelligent people for a conversation? If you don’t like it, you can go back to that position earlier. Actually, I preferred that position more.”
If I could, I would try it, you perverted jerk. This time, I’ll definitely break that slick nose of yours.
I expressed all of this in a single statement.
“Hmph!”
Suddenly, I felt a longing for Johann, who would blush even if I just held his hand.
I calmly walked over and retrieved the Arondight, which was embedded in the wall, and placed it in the storage box.
Then, I took out a potion and half-poured it onto the Master’s shoulder. The flowing blood instantly stopped, and the wounds slowly disappeared.
‘To save someone who was about to die. Indeed, it’s a top-notch potion. Did Alex really line up to buy this?’
Meanwhile, Dante didn’t say a word. He simply observed my actions with his pitch-black eyes.
I felt a prickling gaze on the back of my head and fed the remaining potion to the Master.
“Eugh, huff…”
Verman, who had been on the verge of death, let out a long breath.
Regaining his senses, he sniffled and seemed grateful enough to kiss my feet.
“Thank you so much… My Lady, thanks to you, I’m alive! I really don’t know how to repay this favor.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you repay it sufficiently in the future.”
“…Really?”
Leaving the flustered Verman behind, I turned towards Dante.
“Could you stop staring? I might end up with a hole in the back of my head.”
“Sit down now that you’re done.”
I sighed and sat on the sofa. I don’t understand why he’s telling me to sit when there’s nothing to talk about.
‘He’s not getting angry because I weakly attacked, right? Is it because I disrupted the torture?’
However, Dante’s question caught me off guard.
“Why did you go to the Information Guild?”
“Of course you would ask the obvious question. I came because I had information to trade with the Master.”
“What kind of information?”
“It’s surprising. You don’t seem interested in other people’s affairs at all.”
“Even I am curious about why I was interrupted.”
“Then Your Majesty, please answer my question as well. I had some things I was curious about.”
“Fine, let’s start with you, the Lady.”
I readily opened my mouth to speak.
“I wanted to know which noble has the most houses in the capital.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to become independent.”
“Lies are not fair.”
“What do you mean lies? Do you have a disease that makes it hard for you to trust people?”
“You’re asking about the noble with the most houses in the capital, while being the daughter of the Duke? Lady, I’m not a fool.”
What did he say? I thought Duke Luteous was just rich in cash, but he’s actually a real estate mogul?
Dante rested his elbow on the armrest of the sofa. The way he casually rested his chin in his hand looked like a painting.
“From the start, the Duke wouldn’t allow it.”
“I made a mistake. Didn’t I agree with the Duke to become independent?”
“For an unmarried noble lady to become independent means she did something scandalous and got expelled from her family. Even if there are other circumstances, that’s what everyone would think. Do you really think the Duke would allow such a thing? Do you think he’s such a lenient person?”
Suddenly, the words of Duke Luteous came to mind.
“Oh, by the way, I have something to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“I want to become independent.”
“When will you do that?”
“As soon as I find a house.”
“…It’ll be difficult to find a house in the capital, though.”
“I’ll figure it out on my own.”
“Alright, do it that way. But make sure you find a proper house.”
At that time, I thought it meant finding a decent house without embarrassing myself in front of others.
But looking back now, it was a meaningful statement. It meant, “Try to find one if you can.”
‘I think he even smiled a little at that time… Ah, darn it! That fox-like Duke Luteous!’
The reason the brokers refused to make a contract wasn’t because they thought she was a crazy lady.
It was because Duke Luteous had already taken measures to prevent me from signing a house agreement.
Of course, he didn’t own all the houses in the capital.
But the brokers had no choice but to follow his lead.
Being outside the favor of a Duke, who is not only the highest-ranking noble but also the empire’s top tycoon, was something to be feared.
I clenched her teeth tightly.
Dante, who had been silently observing me, lightly licked his lips.
“I understand that expression now. It’s the expression of someone who’s been hit from behind. Am I right?”
“…That was a really hard hit. It’s dizzying.”
“How will you repay it?”
“Why are you suddenly talking about repayment?”
“You realized that you were deceived because of me, right? If you owe a debt, you have to repay it.”
Wow, I thought the Duke was the toughest guy trying to take 1.8 billion as a penalty.
I didn’t expect there to be another person with a similar level of toughness here.
“Tell me the real reason you went to the Information Guild. Then I’ll consider the debt as non-existent.”
“Don’t you know that persistent men aren’t attractive?”
“My charm is not my personality, but my face. Just like a lady.”
“…Thank you for the sudden compliment.”
“You’re welcome.”
I organized my thoughts.
‘It’s better to reveal some of it.’
Dante probably won’t just let it go.
“There were strange rumors spreading in the capital. They were detailed but strangely incorrect. It seemed like someone deliberately manipulated the information.”
“So?”
“Not many people can spread that kind of rumor in just one day.”
To spread false information mixed with some bits of truth, you need to have access to accurate information and then widely spread those fabricated details.
“It was the skill of an organization that has easy access to information while maintaining a systematic structure.”
“So you concluded that the Information Guild was involved.”
“I didn’t know exactly where, though.”
“So you came to confirm it with the Master?”
“Yes, someone made it very difficult for me to find the truth.”
Dante laughed in a meaningful way.
