Chapter 8

Translator: Yonnee

Translator’s note: Hello! I’m the new translator for this series. The official translation of the novel’s manhwa was released recently, and from what we can access right now, the spelling used for our FL’s name, the ML’s name and the Kingdom’s name are different (Julia Robinharts, Leo Sirius Epesia, and Floren Kingdom), so I’ll be following those from now on.

—

“That I…”

She was focused on his voice, and his voice alone. There was something different about the smile he had on right now. Why was he making such a serious expression again? But even if he looked at her like this, it wasn’t too bad.

“…towards you…”

But then—

“Milady. I’ve done everything you asked me to do.”

The closed door burst open and Patrick came in while rubbing his arms. At that moment, the tense atmosphere between Julia and Leo disappeared, and two gazes that were previously locked with each other turned to Patrick.

“Huh?”

Patrick flinched, then stared in confusion at the two people who were looking pointedly at him. He couldn’t put a finger on what that atmosphere was just now, but then Leo sighed and rose from his seat.

Julia’s eyes followed his movements.

“Let’s talk about this later. You must have been tired today, so you should rest well.”

Julia nodded while Leo glared at Patrick, but soon after, Leo left the room. He sighed deeply as the door closed behind him.

“Did you get ahead of yourself and commit a mistake again, sire?”

The man who said this moved without a sound. So when Alden suddenly appeared, Leo winced and stared at him.

“Commit, you say. If anyone heard this, they’d think I’m a criminal.”

“…But besides the point, aren’t you being too hasty? It should be at least a week. Please wait a little longer—”

“I know. I know this already.”

Leo waved his hands at the man as if he was annoyed and just cut him off. When he saw that Alden had a serious look in his eyes, Leo sighed again.

“But what should I do.”

Leo glanced at the closed door and pursed his lips.

“Every time we meet, I just keep getting more impatient.”

His blue eyes flashed.

* * *

Meanwhile, as if Patrick was inside a restaurant, he looked at the chicken dish that Julia hadn’t finished yet and licked his lips. Julia was staring at him as he did this, so she pushed the plate towards him.

“Take it and eat it if you want. You wouldn’t eat here even if I told you to sit down.

“How could I sit with you and eat, Milady? But since you’re offering it to me like this, I won’t decline.”

Patrick picked up the plate and put some bread on it. Julia kept watching him and sighed.

As she did, Patrick spoke bluntly.

“I heard everything.”

“What?”

“I heard that the Duke of Epesia had proposed.”

“W-Who did you hear that from?!”

“From the Madam.”

Ah, she had loose lips. Julia furrowed her brows, but Patrick replied in a relaxed manner.

“Don’t worry. She said it only to me.”

“I believed that last time, but I don’t believe what my mother says anymore after that strange rumor.”

Everyone knew that her mother trusted people too much and had a big mouth. Patrick burst into laughter and nodded.

“I also heard that you refused the Duke’s proposal.”

“What kind of proposal was that anyway? He was just kidding. How is it possible to pay for one’s life by offering the Duchess’ seat? And besides, in the Floren Kingdom, the Duke of Epesia is the one who had just recently been granted the title of Duke. He’s so famous that everyone knows about him.”

“Well that’s true. I also heard that he’s a very competent person who’s good at wielding both the sword and magic, and he was born with the strong bloodline of the Epesians. He’s not my type, but he’s handsome, too.”

Not his type, he says… Julia smirked at his words.

But he wasn’t wrong. As the only male heir of the Epesians, which was a renowned knight family, the Duke was a man whose name just rose higher and higher.

Furthermore, his noble visage was so splendid that it’s rumored that ladies would visit the Duchy just to get a glimpse of his face.

“Well, yeah, I admit he’s a pretty impressive guy. But even if I put in the work, I’m sure the pay will be cheap.”

Considering how she took a blank cheque from him already, there shouldn’t be any problems if she should take a short break after this.

But Viscounty didn’t have enough income. When Julia clicked her tongue, Patrick stared at her.

“What is it?”

Julia tilted her head to the side, confused by his pointed gaze. Patrick, who seemed slow-witted, was surprisingly sharp. That’s why Julia chose him as her escort knight. But she wished that he wouldn’t use his quick wits here.

“Maybe what brought us here was not just work.”

Julia had a vague idea. As a shaman, she was a brilliant woman, so she already knew what Patrick was hinting at.

“I know. Maybe I wasn’t called here to solve the Duchy’s concerns.”

“The Duke may not have given up on his proposal to you yet, Milady. You may have brushed it off as a joke, but maybe he seriously meant it.”

“…”

“But you’ve always told me that you won’t get married. You’ve never been in a relationship, and you’ve refused many arranged marriages or engagements before.”

Julia shrugged. In the past, she was sad that she never dated anyone, let alone get into a relationship, so she decided that this time, she’d meet a wonderful man who would appear in front of her like they did in novels, then get married because of love and not because of politics.

But her life as a shaman back then and now in the present wasn’t any different. No, to be exact, her reputation as a young shaman in her past life made it difficult for her to get a bigger income.

Things were much the same, but still somehow worse in this life. Her parents were nobles who were naïve about the world, so they got scammed, and as a result, her sisters got married early and had no choice but to leave home.

And in the meantime, the Viscounty’s income and taxes dropped to rock bottom day by day. This was why she took advantage of her abilities and became a shaman again as a profession. It was useless to lament the fact anyway.

It was easy to think that she gained no benefits at all, but thanks to Julia’s good-looking parents, all her siblings, including herself, were blessed with exceptional looks. Marriage proposals were at least nothing she should worry about since she received them dozens of times.

“How can I marry someone whose face I haven’t seen yet and is probably decades older than me? Besides, I’ve never been in a relationship before. Shouldn’t I at least have a happy one? It wouldn’t be too late to decide on marriage later.”

“…Even if it’s a commoner, you won’t mind?”

“As a lover.”

Dating and marriage are entirely separate things—this was what she realized when she died. There were opportunities that only came once in a lifetime, so even if you think you’re living your best life, it’ll all end up in sh*t if you save such opportunities for later. It wasn’t until at the end of her life that she concluded that she should just do whatever she wanted.

Therefore, she wanted to live this life without any regrets.

“So it’s not really too late for me. Don’t I have to date the man first to know if he’s a good guy or a sh*tty person?”

“…Sh*tty person?”

Patrick tilted his head to one side in confusion, but Julia just shook her head and ignored this. The escort knight looked at her with suspicious eyes, pursed his lips, then said—

“Is that why you were affected by that atmosphere earlier?”

“W-What atmosphere?”

When Julia stammered as though she was embarrassed, Patrick narrowed his eyes. Julia awkwardly looked away as Patrick continued to stare at her suspiciously.

“Did you see everything?”

Patrick didn’t answer. But his eyes were clearly saying that yes, he did.

“W-Were you watching us the whole time? Why?!”

Patrick just shrugged as Julia continued to look more embarrassed.

“I thought you hated Duke Epesia because you refused his proposal, so I stood guard nearby. Was my assumption wrong?”

“…No. It’s fine.”

Julia murmured and shook her head. She just remembered the feeling that passed through her while she was with Leo. His gaze, which seemed unusually serious, was still stuck in her mind. At that time, she was truly curious about what he was going to say because she was carried along by the mood.

“What will you say if he asks you to marry him again? Will you say yes then?”

At Patrick’s question, Julia met his gaze.

“No.”

Julia shook her head.

“I don’t intend to get married any time soon.”

But she wasn’t opposed to dating.