Chapter 36
“Huh?”
Is he asking if he did well lifting me up? When did he get this strong?
As I stood there with a dazed expression, Dedrick seemed disappointed that he didn’t get the reaction he expected. He mumbled hesitantly.
“About the sparring earlier…”
“Ah!”
I had completely forgotten about it because I was so startled when he suddenly lifted me.
I spread my arms wide and gave Dedrick a tight hug.
“You did amazing! I was so shocked! I wanted to jump around while hugging you, but I held back so no one would notice!”
“Really? I did well?”
“Of course! Your teacher is kind and incredible too!”
He smiled, looking pleased, and leaned his forehead against mine.
“Right? My teacher is amazing, isn’t he?”
“Yeah. And you’re going to be just as great as him.”
Of course, no doubt about it.
Even without me interfering, Dedrick was carving his own path forward.
I was still amazed that he actually chose Jacob as his teacher!
I was so happy I didn’t know what to do with myself.
But as much as I wanted to celebrate, Dedrick’s expression seemed strangely dark. He was trying to hide it by acting overly cheerful, but he couldn’t fool my sharp eyes.
“Did something happen? Did you run into those two ugly brothers on your way here?”
“Huh?”
He blinked, pretending not to understand.
Of course, even that was cute, but…
“You don’t look happy. Did something happen?”
“…Why do you think I don’t look happy?”
“Because your face looks gloomy.”
“I didn’t show it, though…”
“I still know, Dedrick. I’ve been watching you every day.”
“…”
Finally, Dedrick dropped his forced smile.
I carefully examined his troubled expression and gently stroked his face.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen after I left?”
“…My father came to see me.”
“The Duke?”
In the original story, the Duke never sought out Dedrick first, so I was caught off guard.
“Haha, yeah. The Duke.”
Did he like that I called him that informally?
Dedrick’s face brightened slightly.
“He said he’d find me a different teacher instead of Jacob.”
“What?!”
The Duke actually said that?
“I was surprised too. He’s never offered me anything or done anything for me before.”
“…”
“He said my teacher couldn’t even manifest aura and that he’d get me a better one.”
“So what did you say?”
“I said no… because I trust Sir Jacob.”
Dedrick hesitated for a moment before gripping my hand and asking in a trembling voice.
“Do you think… I made the wrong choice?”
“No.”
I answered immediately.
“It’s your choice, Dedrick.”
“What if I regret it later?”
“Do you think you will?”
“No, never. I trust Sir Jacob.”
“Then he’ll prove himself worthy of your trust. Because your trust is precious.”
His eyes trembled as if my words caught him off guard.
“…Why is my trust precious?”
“Because even when you have reasons to hate people, you still choose to trust them. That makes it valuable!”
I smiled brightly, and Dedrick just stared at me in a daze.
Then, as if entranced, he slowly lifted his hand and gently stroked my cheek.
“Your palm is so cool!”
I rubbed my face against his hand, enjoying the refreshing touch.
Dedrick watched me quietly before murmuring,
“I trust you the most.”
“Huh?”
I blinked in surprise, and he gave me a soft smile.
“More than anyone in the world, I trust you the most.”
For a moment, I was speechless and just stared at him.
His unwavering, serious gaze was fixed only on me.
That look made my mind go completely blank.
When his lips curled into a gentle smile, I flinched and quickly shook my head.
Feeling awkward in the strange atmosphere, I blurted out a joke.
“O-of course! I’m the most trustworthy wardrobe monster!”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Dedrick chuckled and agreed, but for some reason, I couldn’t meet his eyes anymore.
The next morning, the Duke dropped a bombshell and left the castle.
The bombshell was that he officially appointed Jacob as Dedrick’s swordsmanship teacher.
This was shocking because Delani had always been the one to choose sword instructors for Somerset and Axel.
She handled everything on her own, and the Duke never interfered.
Whenever asked, he simply said, “Take care of it,” showing no interest.
The only thing he cared about was checking his heirs’ progress and visible achievements.
‘That was mentioned in the novel too…’
But now that the Duke had personally appointed Jacob as Dedrick’s teacher, Now Delani wouldn’t be able to manipulate the situation as she pleased.
‘Especially since she has no knights left to use.’
And since this was such an unexpected move, everyone would assume that the Duke was seriously considering Dedrick as his successor.
The fact that the Duke got involved himself was bound to shake things up.
‘I need to check Delani’s reaction. She must be furious right now.’
That’s why I was currently hiding inside the wardrobe in Delani’s room.
But the room was empty.
Instead, the room was a complete mess.
She must have smashed everything in sight after hearing the news.
‘Her temper is as bad as ever.’
‘She’s probably summoned Jacob by now.’
Even if he couldn’t manifest aura, the Black Hwaks were still the Black Hwaks.
She couldn’t deal with him openly, so she’d probably try to manipulate him by talking badly about Dedrick, hoping to make him quit.
“But Jacob was the one who reported Somerset’s misdeeds to the Duke. Does she really think she can manipulate him?”
…Actually, considering how shameless Delani is, she might try anyway.
I rushed to the sitting room she often used.
I wasn’t planning to stop her—I just needed to hear what they were discussing.
In the novel, Jacob was a man of loyalty who takes great pride in being a Black Hawk.
‘Still, I need to see what they’re talking about, just in case.’
And just at that moment, I saw Jacob standing in front of the sitting room door.
Right as the door opened, I quickly slipped inside before it closed.
“Welcome, Sir Jacob.”
Delani greeted him with a bright smile.
The fact that she could smile at someone who had exposed her plans just showed that being a duchess wasn’t for the faint-hearted.
“Greetings, Duchess.”
Since Jacob wasn’t one of her knights, he addressed her as Duchess instead of Madam.
“Please, have a seat, Sir.”
“Excuse me.”
Jacob placed his clenched fist on his thigh, sat up straight, and didn’t touch the tea in front of him.
Delani, unable to ignore his stiff posture, smiled gently and offered him tea.
“Please, have some, Sir.”
“I’m fine.”
“I called you here for a comfortable conversation, so there’s no need to be so formal.”
“……”
“I know we don’t have the best feelings toward each other, but we should clear up any misunderstandings.”
“A misunderstanding… you say?”
“Somerset’s actions were only to teach his younger brother. Let’s just say His Grace overreacted a little.”
Wow, how shameless.
Even after losing control over the White Hawks, getting their leader Dowell dismissed, and earning the knights’ resentment, Delani still didn’t seem to realize what she had done wrong.
‘So in her mind, that incident wasn’t a big deal at all.’
I couldn’t help but scoff.
Jacob’s expression also tightened slightly. As the atmosphere grew heavier, Delani stopped insisting on the tea and took a sip herself.
As her lips disappeared behind the teacup, they hardened into a thin line. Her lowered eyes held a clear anger.
Still, she skillfully hid her emotions, calmly drinking her tea before placing the cup down. Then, in a soft voice, she tried to ease the mood and continue the conversation.
“First of all, congratulations. I heard you’ve become Dedrick’s sword instructor.”
“I am only grateful that His Grace and the young master thought highly of me.”
“Oh, there’s another thing to congratulate you on.”
Delani smiled slyly at Jacob.
“I heard you’ve awakened your aura. You must have gone through a lot of hardship.”
What?
Delani knew very well that Jacob hadn’t awakened his aura.
‘She looked down on him for that, so there’s no way she doesn’t know.’
But since the Duke had personally assigned him as Dedrick’s teacher, she wanted to check for herself.
She was trying to confirm whether Jacob had really awakened his aura or not.
Jacob’s expression darkened slightly as he replied,
“I’m not sure what you mean, but I still haven’t awakened my aura.”
“You haven’t…?”
Delani pretended to be surprised, covering her lips with a folding fan. Behind it, she smirked slyly.
But her eyes still carried a look of deep concern.
“But didn’t His Grace personally appoint you as Dedrick’s instructor? If that’s the case…”
“I may be lacking in many ways, but thanks to the young master’s strong recommendation, I was able to take on this role officially.”
“Oh my…”
Delani let out a small exclamation, her voice tinged with hidden amusement.
Kill her