Chapter 22

"Even in a backwater tavern, I was called quite the Romeo, you know."

Those words seemed to carry a sarcastic tone to Caria Bardonic. It was as if he was being deliberately dramatic or putting on a show. She couldn't help but widen her silver eyes in confusion as she looked at Lugis, who had placed his foot on the window frame.

"You, how did you find... no, that's not it. Why did you come here?"

Caria Bardonic's agitation was evident. Her silver eyes were wide open, revealing that her thoughts were not processing well. Her usually agile fingers moved hesitantly as she slowly unlocked the window.

"No matter what. If there's a captive princess, it's Romeo's duty to come and save her, right? Well, this time it might be a captive knight."

Lugis brushed off the twigs and leaves from his body, then said matter-of-factly, extending his hand deliberately. Caria Bardonic's body, which didn't even flinch at the sight of wild beasts, trembled. She raised her eyebrows in a mix of exasperation and amazement, then slowly shook her head.

"No, I'm not a captive. I'm here by my own will."

It was undoubtedly a lie, a pure and simple lie. Caria Bardonic couldn't help but avert her gaze as she spoke the words, which she had confessed to God.

It's a lie. It's definitely a lie. But why does she want to take his hand? Why does she want to say, "Take me anywhere"? Taking his hand here would be a betrayal of her father. It would mean breaking the vow she made to help this man in exchange for fulfilling her desires. That stain would taint Caria Bardonic's pride, ethics, and worldview, something that could never be erased.

"Besides, I have no intention of being saved by a pitiful man like you. Go away. Go wherever you want."

"...What a self-centered person you are."

Lugis shrugged in response to her words, as if trying to calm an irritable cat.

Caria Bardonic didn't like it. Her silver hair swayed. Yes, she had never liked this man from the start. She recalled her memories. He was the one who meddled in other people's battles, protected people without being asked, and claimed to save people without hesitation. Ah, what a self-centered man.

"Who's being self-centered, Lugis? Didn't your arbitrary actions at the fortress give me a headache?"

The words, laced with thorns, slipped out of Caria Bardonic's mouth naturally. They sounded like a vent, and yet they also carried a tone of sulking.

"Of course, it's you, Caria Bardonic. You saved my life without asking, left the knight's order without asking, and came to this place without asking. Ah, what a self-centered woman."

At his one-sided words, Caria Bardonic's silver hair trembled as she revealed her anger. In that moment, her slender, pale fingers were gripped by his rough hand. The sensation made her words, which were about to be spat out in anger, fall back down her throat.

There was no one among the knight class or the upper class who had such hands. Even in the knight's order, where the marks of training were a source of pride, no one had such rough hands. The scars on his hands, worn down in places, felt anything but soft. They were more like calluses, giving her skin a slight sense of discomfort. It was a hand worn down by life, not a gentle one. The roughness with which he took her hand was almost like that of a beast. She had never held or been held by such a hand before.

Ah, but—she had never felt such a surge of emotion from being held by a hand.

Unconsciously, Caria Bardonic returned the grip. A slight blush tinged her pale cheeks. She wasn't aware of it. It was unconscious. Therefore, she repeated in her head multiple times that this was a reflex, not a conscious decision.

"---So, I decided to be self-centered too, yes. I'm going to kidnap you from this mansion. I don't care about your promise with Barbridge Bardonic. I'm just a gutter rat, you see."

The polite language Lugis used with Caria Bardonic was discarded, and he pulled her arm forcefully. His eyes, seen up close, seemed to have a faint glimmer.

"Is that so... hmpf. Do as you please, you self-centered man. Ah, but to kidnap me, that's quite a bold move, isn't it? Yes?"

"Yes, since I was given a life by a self-centered person. Well, ahh... if you value your life, follow me and get in the carriage outside, my lady. Or should I say, my knight?"

The impromptu criminal line he made up was so absurd that Caria Bardonic couldn't help but relax her cheeks.

"I'm neither a princess nor a knight. I'm Caria. Just Caria—Lugis, how about it, are you just Caria's ally?"

Yes, if she was to be kidnapped from the Bardonic family, it would be fitting. Caria, formerly Caria Bardonic, narrowed her eyes.

"...Yes, of course."

After a moment of hesitation, as if choosing his words, Lugis slowly opened his lips and whispered.