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‘But later I might need the contract to insist on it for a lifetime if the period is omitted.’
The down payment shouldn’t be raised, but the contract period should be unconditionally extended!
Ellex had a lot on his mind, pulling out thoughts of possibilities, and without hesitation, he understood the reason.
“Do you trust me, Duke?” ᴹᵃʸᵉʳᶦᵉ
“No,” Ellex answered sharply.
He seemed to have answered instinctively and made a mistake.
It’s the first time I’ve seen Ellex embarrassed. Although he sometimes showed a bit of emotion, it was always whether being annoyed or despised.
‘Like a person who speaks with his eyebrows, the frown of his forehead changes according to the decree of his anger.’ ᴹᵃʸᵉʳᶦᵉ
It was a slight difference, but I could immediately recognize that he was embarrassed because his face had not changed so much except for his eyebrows.
Eyes that are larger than usual or through his slightly open lips. For the first time in my life, his expression was both weird and funny, so I burst into laughter without realizing it.
“…”
Ellex, who had a long-expression in an instant, glared at me.
Was he doing that because I laughed? I couldn’t even laugh out loud because I’m scared. I groaned inwardly but didn’t dare to spit it out.
“Oh, I wasn’t laughing at you, but seeing the Duke flustered for the first time… Should I say that I felt relieved that the Duke was also a human..?” ᴹᵃʸᵉʳᶦᵉ
‘Haha,’ the atmosphere turned heavy. I scolded myself as I stared back intently into Ellex’s eyes.
Why did I have to laugh there and turn the atmosphere into a gutter? ᴹᵃʸᵉʳᶦᵉ
“…I’m not flustered.” ᴱˡˡᵉˣ
His red eyes shook as we stared at each other.
What? Then are you shy?
This time, I was embarrassed, but I didn’t show off my superhuman patience.
“I see. I was mistaken.” ᴹᵃʸᵉʳᶦᵉ
I tried to change the atmosphere by nodding quickly, but the description of Ellex from the novel flashed by.
When Ellex’s shy, his ears turn red. My gaze turned towards his ear.
‘Wow, only the tip of his ears are really red.’
Radiata was usually quick-witted, but he had one of the obvious cliches that became particularly sensitive to the male protagonist’s favorability.
For that reason, there were frequent descriptions that, ‘But Radiata didn’t notice the tip of Ellex’s red ears.’
I barely swallowed the laughter that was about to burst out again.
The corners of my mouth twitched a little, but before Ellex could even see it, I quickly bowed my head and hid it.
It felt like I was doing a no-laughing challenge.
“And…” ᴱˡˡᵉˣ
While I was biting my lip and trying to catch my breath, a low-pitched voice continued to speak.
“I’m originally a human being.” ᴱˡˡᵉˣ
For some reason, his voice seemed sullen.
When I lifted my head to look at Ellex’s expression, the tip of his red ears returned to their original state. His face was blunt as usual. Am I mistaken, or did my words offend him?
“I know. You’re so handsome that you often feel like a statue, so I said that.” ᴹᵃʸᵉʳᶦᵉ
I calmly spit out the words mixed with flattering. It’s something he heard often anyway, so I don’t think there’s much response from Ellex either… The tip of his ears turned red again.
“…”
What- why do you feel shy again? It’s not your first time hearing compliments about your face. I couldn’t understand Ellex’s reaction at all.
‘It’s a compliment that makes one’s mouth dry in the social world. No matter how much Ellex doesn’t attend the party, didn’t the Emperor say the same thing at last year’s New Year’s party?’
I was rather confused by his reaction. Ellex appeared the second most after Radiata, so his personality and mindset were also mentioned a lot in the original.
(Limited to the female lead) Being kind or (only to the female lead) being considerate.
Besides, I thought I knew him well because the novel described a variety of aspects, such as hating dishonest and irresponsible aristocrats, cherishing life, and a surprisingly weak mentality.
‘So I thought we would be able to talk more comfortably than Grandiel…’
Well, it’s impossible to fully grasp people, so I shouldn’t care too much. I decided not to think deeper.
Anyway, unlike Grandiel, who has a double personality, he’s the same on the inside, and he’s not good at deceiving others, so he won’t do anything to harm me.
However, I noticed that what he was embarrassed about right now wasn’t out of shyness, but because he was ashamed.
I quickly apologized in case my words offended his nerves.
“I’m sorry if I offended you.” ᴹᵃʸᵉʳᶦᵉ
“…It’s not that I feel bad. I’ll prepare a contract the next time I come.” ᴱˡˡᵉˣ
The brief silence bothered me, but he said it was okay. I brought up another subject to divert the awkward air.
Extremely sincerely…
“Oh, I’d like you to pay a damage compensation fee along with the contract. I was imprisoned because the Duke came to the palace without contacting me first.”
“Was it my fault?” ᴱˡˡᵉˣ
He knew I was in prison and didn’t seem to know why I was here.
“Yes. The Duke’s visit today reached the princess’ ears and told me to confide in every conversation I had with the Duke. Of course, I lied, but it was a little clumsy because I was in a hurry…” ᴹᵃʸᵉʳᶦᵉ
Without Erica, I could have passed!
On second thought, I was furious, but the important thing was to get along with Ellex. I explained to him in detail what excuses I made. Just in case something else comes up in the future.
‘If Stella wouldn’t believe me, she could ask Ellex directly.’
If Ellex admits, Erica won’t be able to tackle me.
Even if Grandiel released me by other means, I just had to lie boldly without hesitation from Erica or Stella.
“I’m sorry. I’ll bring the contract with me next time.” ᴱˡˡᵉˣ
Rarely, did Ellex listen to my words and apologized obediently. I was a little surprised by it.
The character of Ellex, as originally described in the novel, was the same, but when it was particularly related to me, he often misunderstood, so it was very refreshing to see him apologizing like this.
‘Do you trust me a little bit now?’
I was kind of happy. It was worse than his enemies, and it was a distrust that began with my faults.
Therefore, I did not expect much restoration of trust.
Well, it was just a contract out of necessity, but my relationship with Ellex seemed to have improved a bit.
I thought that it would be good to keep the contractual relationship as it was, but then I realized the existence of the hand that I was still holding.
And I think it’s time for him to go back due to the flow of conversation, but Ellex hardly let go. So I tried to pull my hand out first, but because of his tight grip, I couldn’t pull my hand.
Eventually, I told Ellex directly, “But aren’t you going back? I want you to let go of my hand now.” ᴹᵃʸᵉʳᶦᵉ
I would have said it more roundly in the past, but it’s for the best anyway!
And in other words, Ellex tends to interpret it at his discretion, so it was better to just throw in straightforward words.
Ellex didn’t really care about my tone either.
“…Is it uncomfortable?” ᴱˡˡᵉˣ
Ellex hesitated a bit, and as he asked, he still didn’t let go of my hand.
“No, it’s not uncomfortable, but do we have to hold it more?” ᴹᵃʸᵉʳᶦᵉ
“A little more, please.” ᴱˡˡᵉˣ
Since I already held his hand, I thought it was fine. But I couldn’t take my hand out if you ask me like that.
His hands were surprisingly warm. It was the complete opposite of his cold appearance.
Was the basic temperature of his body high because he’s from the north? I looked down at his hand, thinking nonsense.
‘Large, rough hands.’
It was the largest hand of all the people in my memory. No, it couldn’t compare with Nouner, and since entering the academy, I haven’t held hands with Ren because we’ve been on bad terms.
Grandiel’s hands were also big, but they were nicer and smoother than Ellex’s.
‘I didn’t expect that a day would come when I would hold hands with the male lead in prison.’
If it was a dream, it was such a ridiculous situation that it would be regarded as a dog’s dream.
It was all because of the ‘powers’ bestowed by God. I didn’t pay much attention to it because it wasn’t covered much in the novel.
It was by accident that I regained the memories of my past life and started being careful about being read by Grandiel at the beginning.
But I didn’t expect it to be directly related to this ability. It was necessary to find out whether this only calms Ellex’s or Grandiel’s ability.
‘Would Grandiel be honest?’
We promised not to hide anything from each other, but Grandiel seemed to exercise his right to remain silent if it was against him.
Lifting my head, I thought I should find out first why I, of all people, could help calm Ellex ability through contact. Ellex with his eyes closed.
‘Today’s the first time I’ve seen his face so close.’
He’s handsome. The red eyes, praised for being more beautiful than rubies, were hidden by the eyelids, but he was still very handsome.
Not to mention his thick eyebrows or his straight pointed nose, but even the skin without a single pore was perfect.
Truly a work of art made by God!
Observing his features one by one and thinking that the ratio was perfect, Ellex suddenly opened his eyes.
Even in the dark prison, his bright red eyes showed off his breathtaking presence. I was so startled that I even stopped breathing for a second. I thought I was going to get eaten for a moment.
‘I thought my heart was going to drop.’
Struggling to calm my pounding heart.
I wanted Ellex to say something or turn his gaze away, but he was also looking down at me without saying a word.
It was awkward to have a staring fight in a silent prison. Unable to withstand the suffocating atmosphere, I had no choice but to speak first.
“But Duke. How many times a month are you going to visit me?” ᴹᵃʸᵉʳᶦᵉ
“Whenever I can’t calm down.” ᴱˡˡᵉˣ
So I’d like to know when it would happen… and you don’t know either?
Does Ellex know anything about this ability? Anxiety sprang up in my heart with a small doubt.
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