Chapter 23: Chapter 23

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as expected, antes followed luna to the duchy of rodrian.

luna didn’t even ask him why he was following, knowing he would. going together was more reassuring than going alone.

nevertheless, since they were going into the heart of the enemy, luna asked antes to wear a mask, just in case. it wasn’t a suspicious mask to wear and sing, just a mask that covered the head, nose, and mouth using a cloak.

there were quite a few mercenaries like that, so it wasn’t particularly strange.

“have i come too late for dinner with my father?” luna asked with a smile.

the lower-ranking knight guarding the door told her she wasn’t late and opened the door for her.

he seemed confused, asking if they had come in a surprisingly fancy carriage because the rumor about the gold mine hadn’t yet spread.

“did you rent the carriage?”

“no, i bought it.”

“…you bought such a carriage?” he asked, obviously knowing their situation and wondering how they could afford such a luxury.

at this, antes, who had been quietly listening to the conversation on the other side of luna, responded with a chilly gaze.

“it’s none of your business. you’re not going to pay for telling you, right?”

the knight’s face shattered like a broken mirror, taken aback by the unexpected rebuke.

anyway, antes had a knack for ruining the mood. but luna wasn’t annoyed, because he had picked the perfect timing to step in. if he hadn’t responded that way, she would have said something herself.

“well, take care.”

seeing the knight’s crestfallen face, luna spoke with satisfaction. then henry, who had been waiting for the departure signal, moved the carriage.

“don’t say unnecessary things from now on.”

“why?”

“if a fight breaks out because of idle talk, it will be a problem.”

this was the heart of the enemy that could plunge antes into the abyss. there was no need to cause unnecessary commotion and make things worse while they were together.

“are you worried?”

“i am worried.”

not about you, but about myself. and also about my father.

“if the young lady worries about me, i will be careful.”

even though he must have known her intention, antes grinned happily.

reminded of a similar conversation they had before, and how it all ended up in vain, luna forced herself to dismiss the negative possibilities as she got off the carriage.

“where is my father?”

“i guess he’s in his office.”

when luna asked a servant who bowed to her, he answered briefly as if he had received an annoying question and quickly disappeared.

‘it’s always so…’

it was chilly.

of course, their family had neither power nor wealth, so they wouldn’t lose anything by treating them kindly. but it was still rude for the servant to answer so dismissively and then just leave.

“it’s always unpleasant here.”

apparently, antes also didn’t like the duke’s estate. he closely followed luna and echoed her sentiments.

“but it’s reassuring that it’s as unpleasant as always. if there were a problem, something would have changed.”

at luna’s interpretation of the rude behavior, antes quietly marveled.

“you’re the most positive person i’ve ever met.”

“everyone criticizes me, so i need to stay positive to survive, don’t i?”

“that’s a good mindset. i should learn from it.”

there was nothing to learn. even after taking the hatred of people in this world, and even other worlds, she was still living fine without any issues.

one of those people from another world who hated it was luna, who concealed her feelings and responded with a casual smile.

as they were engaged in such pointless conversation, they suddenly found themselves in front of the baron’s office.

the duke’s mansion was massive, but the baron’s office was located near the noisy entrance where many people came and went. luna had visited this place several times, but every time she did, she felt a sense of discrimination that made her heart ache.

as she was about to knock on the office door, luna thought that if she ever purchased a mansion, she would create a reception room near the entrance specifically for unpleasant people.

“can’t i go eat lunch?”

to her surprise, a loud voice could be heard from inside.

“can’t we have a servant bring food here?”

“i’m suffocated, i’ll eat quickly at the restaurant.”

“if you’re suffocated, you can open the window for ventilation.”

“isn’t that a different issue altogether?”

one voice was the easily recognizable voice of the baron, and the other was the annoying voice of fersen.

after listening to a few words, antes frowned, guessing the situation, and luna’s hand, about to knock, trembled slightly.

“if you want to go to the restaurant so badly, why don’t you call luna?”

“how many times do i have to tell you, i absolutely can’t call luna.”

“then i can’t either. call a servant, let’s have our meal together here.”

“you’re really frustrating, young master.”

“why don’t you call luna, or give me the right to the gold mine?”

“how many times have i said, i don’t have that authority!”

“then call luna. there are many things we need to discuss, not just the gold mine issue.”

“no, i said no!”

“then i can’t either.”

“…goodness!”

the baron groaned as if he was about to die.

there was no need to listen to fersen’s absurd persistence anymore. no, if she listened any more, her boiling head felt like it would explode.

“father!”

without knocking, she opened the office door and saw her father, who seemed to have aged ten years overnight.

and behind him, fersen, slumped on the sofa. seeing luna, his gloomy face brightened and he sat up.

“luna! you’re here? i was just looking for you-”

before he could finish his shameless sentence, luna slapped fersen’s cheek.

smack!

“luna…?”

fersen, who met her contemptuous eyes that showed she didn’t want to have anything to do with him, touched his slapped cheek and blinked in disbelief. his face showed he didn’t understand what he did wrong, as if he had been struck by lightning out of the blue.

feeling as though she was on the verge of tears, luna voiced the frustration that had built up in her chest.

“how could you do this to my father…!”

“it seems like you’re misunderstanding something, that’s not it!”

as always, the excuses started. one-sided excuses that didn’t listen to what others had to say.

luna, who no longer wanted to have a word with him, slapped his other cheek again.

smack~! she hit him so hard that her palm turned bright red, but she was too angry to feel it. luna, who didn’t want to be there any longer, grabbed her dumbfounded father’s hand near the window.

“stop it from today. you don’t have to go to a place that confines people with unreasonable demands.”

“luna! calm down for a moment! it’s not so easy to just quit!”

“do you really worry about the handover after being confined!?” luna’s eyes were fierce with uncontrollable anger.

“there is a little of that, but what this old man is worried about is not that…”

the baron’s eyes, half in shock, turned to fersen, who was staring blankly at them.

it was then that luna, realizing that the baron feared retaliation more than his own dignity, bit her lip in a miserable feeling and responded firmly.

“you don’t have to worry about anything. as a price for confinement, i’ll have to deal with the lawyer sent by this side. just wait and see!”

to keep people from moving a single step.

she wanted to trample on fersen and even set fire to the duke’s mansion.

“i know how you feel, but what will you do if something big happens…!”

the gold mine was something great that brought great wealth, but that was it. the baron’s family, who didn’t have much to fall back on, could be easily destroyed.

luna knew this well. the cursed barony she had been reincarnated into had nothing except for a close relationship with the male lead, fersen.

thanks to that, even after a suspicious death, no proper investigation was carried out. fersen only thought of it as an accident and was sad.

but still…

“i can’t live like this, can i?”

“luna….”

are you supposed to bow to those who demand unreasonable things, even imprisoning people? is that living?

“don’t worry, baron. not everyone follows the duke’s family.”

whether luna was about to cry or not, antes, who had been silent all along, interrupted the conversation.

“young master antes? why such a grimace…”

“besides, if they mess with the baron’s family without cause, they’ll only face resentment. as you said, send a lawyer, sue them, and confront them publicly.”

surprised by the unexpected advice, the baron blinked his eyes.

“and i’m here, aren’t i.”

“no, if even young master antes gets in trouble, what are you going to do…”

“don’t worry, there won’t be such a problem for me.”

antes, who had narrowed his eyes beautifully, made his stance clear. his assurance eased the baron’s worry.

even that snake-like attitude can be comforting, luna clenched her small fist and reassessed antes.

“baron, what did you just say? antes? that masked man!? luna, don’t tell me you’re still hanging out with that guy!?”

at the name antes, fersen, who came to his senses, questioned luna with a shocked face as if he had been betrayed.

as antes blocked in front of luna, fersen’s anger began to pierce the sky.

“why with that guy…! luna! you’re being deceived! do you know how bad that guy is? he’s been eyeing my position since we were young and he’s always been plotting against me! he’s definitely approaching you for your gold mine! no, he’s approaching you knowing that you’re my precious person! he’s trying to piss me off!”

he, spewing out his anger like a machine gun, looked like a madman. the fact that antes was silently blocking luna made him look even more so.

“my goodness. young lord vincent is here again…?”

“first, call the knight!”

“we should call the guards too!”

the continuous commotion drew the servants who were passing by.

as always, they blamed antes without understanding the situation. it was a familiar situation, experienced many times.

a situation that could be called the fate of those entangled with fersen. an innocent person becomes a villain, even though the cause lies elsewhere. a situation where no one listens to excuses. an annoying situation that seems to repeat until death.

furious at all this, luna screamed at fersen, who was still ranting about how bad antes was, telling him to shut up.

“shut up! i decide who i meet! at least he’s a million times better than you, so mind your own business! we’ll date each other sweetly, meet for a thousand or ten thousand years, and even get married!”

“…!?”

“what…?”

in the ominous atmosphere, the baron turned pale at the sudden love confession from his daughter.

the servants of the duke’s house opened their eyes wide at the news of her dating the ominous rumor’s protagonist.

“…what did you just say?”

fersen denied reality, licking his lips, and soon retreated a few steps back as if he couldn’t believe it. his reaction was as if the world had collapsed.

despite being slapped and scolded, the previously unrelenting fersen finally shut his mouth. luna had even forgotten the fact that she needed to clarify it was a slip of the tongue.

“don’t you dare care about who i date! mind your own business!”

in the meantime, antes, who had collected his senses alone, swallowed a hollow laugh. in his eyes were joy and excitement that he had never seen before.

antes put his hand on luna’s shoulder, who was glaring at fersen defiantly. then he ensured she couldn’t backpedal.

“if you’ve understood, then don’t you dare lurk around young lady luna from now on.”

thump. at that one sentence, fersen, whose legs had lost strength, slid to the floor.