By Zephyria 
“Ughhh. I don’t know anymore. Really… Beatrice, being this innocent, how do you plan to survive in this harsh world…”
Hearing my gloomy voice, Beatrice forgot to cover her mouth and burst into loud laughter.
“What? Innocent? I’ve often been called a troublemaker who could devour her brother, but this is the first time I’ve heard that.”
“Hmph.”
“But now that I’ve opened up, I just instinctively trust Noah. As if I’ve known you for a very long time.”
“…”
“I’m not trying to flatter myself, but I am quite exceptional, aren’t I?”
“I suppose so…?”
That wasn’t wrong. The world was set up to heavily favor Allen, but in reality, Beatrice was more capable in handling affairs than even her older sibling who was the heir to the duchy. On top of that, she was cute and lovable enough to make anyone fall for her, and she was a dominant omega too. She had more than enough qualifications to be the protagonist in any decent romance novel.
“There have been plenty of people crowding around me, trying to make a good impression. But none of them ever felt as close as Noah. I’m not the only one who feels this way, am I?”
“…”
Wow. My face instinctively heated up. Perhaps because she rightfully deserved to be the protagonist of any decent romance novel, her words touched my heart more than the confession lines of most romance characters.
“Your face looks like it might pop if I poke it.”
“It’s not that bad…?”
“Still so cute. I wonder who’s calling whom innocent.”
“Ugh…”
Just like my heated face, my heart felt warmly tingly inside. Though it might show that I’ve lived without a single friend until now… having just one friend like everyone else strangely filled my heart with satisfaction. The world seemed beautiful.
But separate from such sentiments, the disappointment remained. It didn’t feel right to force my way into the ducal house, but I couldn’t think of any other method. Sigh, should I give up this time?
I was just returning home, organizing my complicated thoughts, when I jumped out of the carriage with an excited heart only to find an unwelcome face waiting for me.
“Noah.”
“Ah.”
Tsk, the perfect end to an otherwise good day had been sullied.
“Do you have something to say to me, Brother?”
It was Andrew. That pathetic fool who had lost his mind and tried to strangle me, yet couldn’t even remember doing it himself.
“…You’ve been going out frequently lately.”
“I have Father’s permission, don’t I?”
“…”
Despite the clear sharpness in my response, Andrew showed no particular reaction. Recently, since that day I first visited the Crown Prince’s palace until now, Andrew had become strangely dull in his responses. It was awkward to see someone who used to grate on my nerves even while doing nothing now remain completely unresponsive no matter how I provoked him.
Even other people in the mansion were unanimous in saying that the Young Count had somehow changed his demeanor, so the extent of the change was obvious to anyone.
“Is that all you wanted to say? I’ll head in first.”
Anyway, whether he’d changed or not wasn’t my concern. I just nodded curtly and walked past him. Grrd. I faintly heard the sound of grinding teeth, but I didn’t even look back once. Whatever emotions he held toward me, or how much he struggled because of them, that too was not my concern.
“It’s been a while, Young Master.”
“Mmm. Mr. Seymour, your complexion looks even better than before.”
“Haha. I’m glad you see it that way.”
With no more reason to visit the Duke’s mansion, I began pouring my spare time back into Mr. Seymour’s trading company. Mr. Seymour only had one week left in the capital.
Even Nicole, who wasn’t particularly fond of my wandering around, seemed to tacitly approve of visiting the company as Mr. Seymour’s departure drew near, likely because family was still family. He no longer tensed up when I left the office under the pretext of letting father and son spend time together. He had somehow intuitively sensed that the company had robust security measures.
“Don’t go outside the company, don’t follow anyone even if they offer you candy, and don’t think ‘I’ll just be back in a moment’ if you smell something delicious.”
“Yes, yes. Teacher, I understand.”
“Are you really listening to me, Young Master?”
“Ah, I got it! I said I got it!”
I’ll translate this Korean text to English:
I have no idea what kind of person Nicole thinks I am. Nicole seemed to view me as some naive young master who’s tired of stuffy mansion life, yearning for vague romance while desperately swimming through flights of imagination. Sorry to fall short of such expectations, but I never had any intention of deliberately stepping into dangerous places. Where else would you find someone as purposeful and rational as me?
Pressuring Mr. Seymour about whether there were any suitable workers from an orphanage was my last resort, and for the remaining week, I was determined to thoroughly search through the company every single day without fail. So even if they told me to leave the company, I absolutely had no intention of going out. Certainly, definitely that was the case… but!
Oh no. What a coincidence this is. Beyond the company’s wall. A shiny black back of the head that shouldn’t be seen from here caught my eye.
“Why is he there again…?”
It was the Young Duke Carlisle, who should be confined in the Duke’s residence by now. It seemed he had changed into casual clothes, but nobility dripped from his entire body for anyone to see. Moreover, his still youthfully blue face tried to feign calmness but clearly revealed his anxiety. To anyone watching, he looked like a noble young master who had snuck out and gotten lost. He couldn’t be a more perfect target for kidnapping and robbery.
Ah… Should I go? Or not? It looks dangerous… Anyway, seeing how he always shows up without fail when the original game begins, even without my intervention, he’ll definitely be fine this time too…
“Hmm… what should I do…”
After deep contemplation, I flipped up the hood attached to my robe and closed my eyes tight. Oh, whatever. If he were much bigger and taller than me like other target characters, it might be different. But right now, I couldn’t just stand by and watch this milk-breathed child who barely reached my chest standing there like that.
“Where are you going?”
As soon as I took one step through the company’s main gate, someone approached and blocked my way. Judging by their polite speech, they seemed to know my identity. I calmly gestured for them to come closer, as if I had something secret to tell.
“There was an urgent message from father calling me back. I think I need to return first. I arranged to meet a knight in disguise out front, so please open the door.”
“Have you confirmed that the knight has arrived?”
“Yes. We just exchanged signals.”
At my confident voice without a hint of trembling, the employee opened the door without a second thought. The respectfully bowed head was a bonus. As soon as I left the company, I grabbed the back of the neck of Young Duke Carlisle, who was still looking around with a confused expression (though he was trying not to show it).
“W-w-who are you!”
Wow. He really is a child, a child. I’m not particularly strong myself, but his still underdeveloped body was easily pulled along with my grasp. Before answering, I first pulled up the hood attached to the Young Duke’s cloak.
“There are many predatory eyes watching, young master. Let’s hide your appearance first. Standing around like that is like begging bad people to take you away.”
“Do… do you know who I am?”
His voice, trembling with surprise, was still a young boy’s voice. It was simply amazing. Even until the middle of the game, before he grew up significantly, he seemed much younger than the other characters, but now he’s even more so. In all my memories, I’ve never seen him this young. He must be about fifteen, but he looks just like an elementary school student.
“I don’t know which family you belong to, but I can clearly tell you’re a person of high status. Please enjoy your outing in moderation and return home.”
“No, not yet… I can’t yet…”
“What do you mean you can’t? Seeing that there’s not a single knight escorting you, you clearly snuck out, right? Your household must be in an uproar by now.”
The Young Duke dragged his feet, saying he had something to find and couldn’t go back yet, but with his elementary school like physique, not yet developed as an alpha or gone through growth spurts, there was no way he could overcome my strength as an adult man.
I moved quickly, careful not to let the hoods covering both our heads come off. It was fortunate that I had come and gone frequently lately, giving me at least a rough idea of the surrounding geography.
Let’s see, where was the public carriage station…?
“No, let go of me, you rude fellow. I promised my aunt I would show her daffodils…!”