Chapter 4

“Since today’s meeting is important, I’m here to escort you, Lady. I’m sorry I couldn’t contact you in advance. Even I was informed very suddenly of this…”

He reached out his white gloved hand in front of me.

Instead of putting my hand on the hand that was reached out politely, I fell into thought.

If I accepted his escort, that meant I would have to walk above the spread velvet then board that luxuriously designed carriage and traverse through the main street accompanied by knights on both sides of the carriage.

“Young Duke Miller.”

“Sir Miller is enough.”

I felt sorry for him, because even though he was kind, thoughtful, and even polite, there was a limit to what I could accept.

After giving it some thought, I decided to turn down his offer. “I’m sorry, but I can’t go with you Sir Miller.”

“Pardon?” He looked at me as if puzzled.

It was unwise for me to reject the young duke who had come this far to escort me, on top of that with his family’s carriage and accompanied by knights.

It was because he was a high-ranked noble, and the son of my mother’s remarriage partner.

But, even so.

“I don’t think I could handle it.”

“What do you mean by that?”

I gave out a bitter smile. “I am a bit different from my mother.”

Then, while doing so, I pointed at the carriage that was attracting attention with my finger. “I don’t want to come to the family meeting while gathering everyone’s attention.”

He became quiet for a moment at my honest words, then he slowly turned his head, looking at the carriage once, before looking at my plain attire and my fidgeting fingers.

He drew a breath and talked again with a very serious face. “It seems like I didn’t consider the Lady’s preference.”

“It’s fine. I’m thankful for your goodwill.”

He was no less than an heir of a Duke.

I felt thankful just by looking at all of his hard work to ‘properly’ treat Mother, who did not even come from a good family and even her daughter, me.

Because even if he had disregarded me, saying he wouldn’t talk to me, I would have had no status or power to complain.

“Then, how does Lady plan to get to the appointment place?”

“My maid has rented and left a carriage by the front gate. I will ride that….”

Right as I was lowering my guard, feeling like he was someone I could openly talk to, he opened his mouth and said something that caught me off guard and left me flustered once more.

“I will ride that too.”

“What?”

The smiling Orion Miller who had blonde hair and blue eyes was serious. “I could just board and go with that carriage.”

I watched with a flurried face, alternately between the two knights beside him, who were stunned.

I was shocked by his claim of wanting to board the rented carriage with me, because then what would happen to the knights who came with him?

“Excuse me, with the knights guarding the carriage, I still feel a bit….”

“Then let’s all board the carriage.”

‘But it is a two-person carriage?’

Wasn’t it horse abuse if three well-built men boarded a small carriage that was pulled by a single horse?

The knights also paled as they stared at the Young Duke with a face saying, ‘You punk, what on earth are you saying?’.

Young Duke’s statement didn’t consider the two knights’ opinions. “Mmm, the carriage is too narrow and it will be uncomfortable.”

“It’s fine.”

Even my words couldn’t break Orion’s—‘I would board the same carriage with you no matter what’—firm will.

“The ride comfort is also poor. It’s rattling a lot.”

“That’s fine.”

But the knights beside you don’t seem like they are fine though.

He replied without even looking at the Duke’s knights whose faces were trembling.

“There is no problem.”

“….”

There was no way that there would be no problem.

* * *

A moment later, four people boarded the small carriage.

The three well-built men who were sandwiched opposite me had to huddle as much as possible.

‘Even so, he is the heir of a duke….’