It Was Me, Not You

Looking at Diana without a word, he moved his lips slowly.

“I can only ask one thing, do you want to be with your mother?”

“…”

“Why are you asking that?”

Diana shut her mouth, not knowing what to say.

“If you say no, you don’t have to live with your mother anymore.”

The Grand Duke said softly.

Diana’s eyes fluttered violently.

‘What did I just hear?’ If I can just say one word I don’t like…’

His unbelievable words made Diana wonder if she was dreaming of her.

However, the gold eyes that she encountered were all looking at Diana.

As if she wasn’t dreaming.

The one who helps her escape from Leah is the duke.

Diana bit her lip, unable to understand the grand duke’s actions.  Because she didn’t want to go back to Leah, and she couldn’t take the duke’s offer, which he couldn’t believe, either.

What should I do?

She rolled her eyes and saw Leah’s twinkling gaze. She was warning with her eyes.

I’ll kill you if you make fun of her mouth.

Diana’s spine trembled at the Sharp gaze. She had been tamed by Leah over the years.

The moment I saw Leah’s gaze, I had no choice but to say no.

The moment she reflexively opened her mouth, the duke’s body moved first.

He completely covered Leah and looked down at Diana.

And he opened his mouth again.

“Don’t be afraid. As long as I’m by your side, there’s nothing that can do to harm you here. So you just need to say one word.”

Truly, strangely, the moment I heard his words, my heart, which was beating with fear, gradually subsided.

It was absurd that she felt relieved by the duke. 

He is Diana’s biological father and the one who abandoned her.

But if I had to choose between the duke and Leah, it was now the duke.

She didn’t want to go back to the woman who tried to kill her.

Diana moved her mouth slowly as she looked at the duke.

“…No…uh.”

The corner of the duke’s lips, who was looking at Diana, rose smoothly.  He did not turn his gaze away from Diana, and commanded the butler outside the door in a loud voice.

“Haron, take Leah out. And get Diana’s room in the mansion right now.”

***

Blink, blink.

Diana was blinking her eyes as she stared at the glamorous ceiling that she could never fit in.

‘I really want to stay here.’

I remembered the commotion that had just happened a few minutes ago.

If it was just a word of dislike, the duke really protected it.

At the duke’s command, the servants dragged Leah out of the room.

Of course, Leah did not accept it.

The duke blocked her from seeing her face, but her voice could be heard clearly.

– Diana! How could you do this to me, Diana!

It sounded sad at first glance, but Leah’s voice calling out Diana’s name was full of evil.

Diana’s body trembled at the voice, but soon her voice could no longer be heard.

“You too, go away.”

The duke gave a congratulatory order to the maids who had all witnessed Leah being dragged out while she was white.

The maids left and a moment of heavy silence settled in the room.

The duke, who was looking at Diana with a complicated gaze, ordered Edwin to guard the room and left the room.

All of this happened in just a few minutes.

Diana opened her tightly closed lips only after the duke left the room.

“I’m not dreaming…”

I thought it wasn’t, but it still didn’t feel real.

The soft bed I was lying in, the soft blanket that wraps around my body, and even the warm room where the cold wind of midwinter did not come in at all.

If this is a dream, it must be a sweet nightmare.

As Diana’s small whispers dispersed through the air, Edwin’s voice was heard standing by her side.

“It’s not a dream.”

“Edwin…”

Turning her head to see him, he squinted his eyes.

“If you don’t believe me, shall we pinch?”

“…Is that so?”

Edwin moved his hand before Diana could even move her hand to pinch her cheek.

He pinched his cheek tightly and frowned in pain.

“Ah!”

Diana’s eyes widened in surprise at his loud voice.

“Are you okay? Why are you pinching your cheek?”

Edwin smiled as he brushed his pinched cheek.

“Of course you can’t pinch her cheek. Don’t worry, lady. I just checked and it’s definitely not a dream.”

Really…Why is he being so nice to me?

Diana swallowed while looking at Edwin.

Today, if he hadn’t come to rescue her, Diana probably wouldn’t have been able to lie comfortably in the castle like this.

Either dead or sold somewhere now

She might have lived a more miserable life than that. Diana moved her lips slowly as she looked at Edwin.

She said, “Edwin is late, but…thank you.”

“Yes?”

“Today… you saved me.”

The corners of Edwin’s lips, who were smiling at Diana’s words, went down.

‘Did I say something wrong?’

When he was looking at her eyes, Edwin took a step closer to Diana.

He approached the bed and lowered his posture by bending one knee instead of sitting on the chair by the bed.

Edwin, who made eye contact with Diana, who was lying down with only his head turned, smiled softly again.

“Lady, I told you back then, but you don’t have to tell me that. I’m a knight to protect you.”

“But …”

Edwin said in a firm voice as Diana rolled her eyes and looked at her.

“Don’t look into my eyes. No matter what the lady does, I will always be her knight. All you have to do is give a command.”

Edwin’s green eyes were looking at Diana without wavering.

Diana, who was staring into his eyes like a large, old tree in a wide forest, nodded slowly.

“Ugh… But, I want to say it this time, thank you.”

Because he saved me and my life changed. It did not simply save me from a single danger.

Thanks to that, I was able to get away from Leah as well. I don’t know what will happen in the future though.

Edwin widened his eyes as if surprised by Diana, who said thank you very quickly in case he would refuse.

Made my smile

“Haha, really… Oh, I shouldn’t say things like this, but you’re so cute. Then I’ll only take this time to say thank you.”

Edwin laughed, saying Diana was cute, and Diana’s eyes widened.

She’s cute

“He said that while Diana was embarrassed by the words she didn’t agree with, she was also in a good mood.

Because it was the first time I’d ever heard the word cute.

Diana shyly averted her gaze and smiled bashfully.

I wish the peace of this moment could continue.

Instead beatings of Leah or the duke who doesn’t know when to kick me out, I just thought that I would like to live with Edwin like this, when the closed door opened.

The one who opened the door was none other than the duke.

Edwin, who was looking at Diana, got up hastily and knelt down to the duke.

“I see you, Grand Duke.”

“Stand up.”

Diana, who was looking at Edwin’s back with an intriguing gaze at the greeting of the first knight, turned her head to the low voice that echoed above her head.

“Is there any pain?”

When she turned her head, the duke is looking down at Diana.

“…Yes.”

“Right.”

“…”

The duke listened to Diana’s answer and looked down at her silently. An uncomfortable silence settled in the room.

It was difficult to read something in the eyes of the duke. The duke’s face was almost expressionless, and his golden eyes were always cool.

However, unlike in the past, the reason I do not avoid his gaze is at least because I no longer feel contempt for myself.

I don’t feel any contempt, but… Does he have any regrets?

I suddenly had a thought. Perhaps it was an impulsive decision.

Therefore, it is highly likely that hewill regret having brought her into this house.

Does she have to go back?

If he goes back to Leah now…

Just imagining it was too scary. Leah certainly won’t let herself go.

Let alone beating, this time it’s really will kill me

As she recalled the stick she used to beat her, her body throbbed as she remembered his pain.

Diana gripped her blanket tightly in her fear.

At that moment, the duke’s voice resounded in his ears.

“Your face is pale, is there really no pain anywhere?”

“…”

Diana, who looked at the sound naturally, flinched.

His eyes seemed to be worried about her.

Nonsense.

The duke can’t worry about her.

It was a moment, but as he was embarrassed by his own misunderstanding, and as he closed his lips tightly, the brow of the great prince narrowed.

“Okay, you’re still not feeling well. Edwin.”

His gaze on Diana turned to Edwin.  Just as the duke was about to move his lips, he heard a knock on his door.

“Your Majesty, the doctor has brought medicine.”

“Come in.”

The door opened, and a doctor and a maid with a silver tray entered. They walked straight to the bed and bowed deeply to the duke.

The Grand Duke, who was greeted, waved his hand as if he had an urgent business, and said immediately.

“Get up.”

The duke opened his mouth again before the doctor could lift his head.

“Baron, Diana seems to be getting sick again, so please check her condition.”

“…Yes ,Your Majesty.”

His name was Baron. I’ve met the doctor twice, but this spring is the first time I’ve known him.

“Lady, where are you sick?”

“…No, it’s okay.”

Diana became pale not because she was sick, but because she imagined Leah.

As she shook her head, Baron’s forehead narrowed. He scanned Diana’s body and touched her pulse.

“Hmm…you seem more unstable than before.”