novelzi Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Kabir just stared at me without a word. Finley, sensing the situation, grabbed my arm to lead me away.
“I’m sorry, Your Grace. I will take her back immediately...”
“Go ahead.”
“Really?”
Finley was visibly flustered.
“Is that really okay?” he asked.
Kabir responded with a slight smile.
“Yes, it should be amusing.”
Kabir’s playful demeanor was unexpected. He seemed much more lighthearted than his character in the original story.
I waved at Finley as Kabir had waved at me earlier.
“Don’t worry, I’ll write to you, Finley.”
Finley appeared resigned to the situation.
* * *
My room was located in the same place as before, by my request.
“So, what will you do now?” Kabir, who had come to see me, asked. Eric was also standing there, looking puzzled.
“What should I do?”
“I was just wondering what you’re planning.”
Kabir seemed genuinely interested in my actions.
“I always act without thinking,” I declared confidently.
“That sounds about right.”
Eric seemed lost in our conversation. It was as if he couldn’t quite follow the flow.
“And why did you allow me to stay without any precautions? What if I had bad intentions?”
Kabir chuckled, a clear sign of amusement.
“Do you think you could harm me?”
His look was slightly condescending.
Despite feeling a bit irked, it was true I posed no real threat to him.
“Even so, we’ll assign a guard to watch over you. Officially, he’ll be your escort knight.”
“Isn’t that something you usually don’t tell the person directly?”
“It won’t be uncomfortable since you’ve already spent time with him. Right, Eric?”
Eric, caught off guard, looked surprised.
It seemed Eric was to continue his role as my watcher.
“Hey, Eric.”
I raised my hand for a high-five, but Eric just stood there, not reacting. I awkwardly lowered my hand.
“Feel free to ask if you need anything.”
“I have a request.”
Kabir quickly seized the opportunity to respond to a courtesy offer.
“Would it be alright to have dinner together from now on?”
Kabir had been so busy that I had to create an excuse like this to meet. After all, the viewers would be happy to see the male lead often on the broadcast.
“Why?”
“Just because.”
“If you say so.”
Realizing that I was someone without much thought, Kabir didn’t pry further and agreed. It seemed like he was also observing how far I would cross the line.
[Gold2: At this rate, you’re going to die without anyone knowing.]
[asdf: No worries, I have a resurrection ticket.]
[Poppopo: What’s fine? Are you joking?]
[Manager: Oh, these crazies.]
While conversing with the characters, I hadn’t paid attention to the chat for a while. Thankfully, it was still heartwarming.
“Then, see you again this evening.”
“Please prepare something delicious.”
“You should tell that to the chef.”
Kabir casually said goodbye and left. Knowing that I was virtually a member of the Erpeso ducal family, he showed no respect for a noble lady. To me, his attitude was rather comfortable and nice.
After Kabir left, Eric finally spoke.
“...What did I just hear?”
“What? That I’m staying here? Or that you’ve become my knight?”
“Both of those are absurd, but... His Grace having dinner with someone!”
“What’s so strange about that?”
Typical of romance novel fans, always interested in matters of love.
“What’s your ideal type?”
“I hope at least not as strange as you.”
“That’s too broad.”
“It’s also strange that you don’t object to being called strange.”
“.......”
That’s irritating. My image in Kabir’s eyes seemed to have solidified.
“Any more questions?”
“What are they?”
“Oh, sorry. I was speaking to thin air.”
“Right.......”
Kabir passed it off as if it were usual.
[LLoading: What are some settings not revealed in the original work?]
[OnlyFinley: There’s a lot to ask Finley.]
asdf’s chat caught my eye.
[asdf: You know, about the demonic lineage.]
It was said that the Heyward Duchy had been carrying a demonic lineage for generations. That’s why they managed demons.
In the original work, this was just a brief description of the male lead. I hadn’t paid much attention to it, but it seemed others were interested in this key detail.
Looking into Kabir’s eyes, I asked,
“What exactly does the demonic lineage entail?”
“Just as it sounds. My ancestors were demons.”
“So, are you a demon or a human?”
“As you can see, I am human.”
“But there must be some differences from ordinary humans.”
“.......”
Kabir’s fork paused.
“...Let’s skip this question.”
Ah, there’s something there. This piqued my interest.
The original author was really strange. Such details should have been explained in the work.
This was the problem with this author. By leaving too much to the readers’ imagination, many settings were glossed over. Still, it was an enjoyable read.
“I apologize if I asked something sensitive.”
“No, it’s fine. I agreed to this in the first place.”
Kabir wasn’t as prickly or guarded as I thought. Surprisingly, he was quite generous and easygoing.
“Your Grace, you’d probably be very popular in the social circles.”
“I dislike the noise and fuss.”
“I can see that.”
I didn’t like social circles either. Just thinking about court intrigues and such was exhausting.
“We have quite a bit in common.”
“.......”
Kabir looked at me, his expression one of surprise.
“Why?”
“...Never mind.”
Kabir answered blandly.
* * *
After finishing the meal, I returned to my room. Eric said he would guard my door until midnight and then switch with another knight.
‘Tough job.’
Just standing by the door until midnight seemed like a hard task. Being a guard wasn’t easy.
“It’s not midnight yet, but I’m going to end the broadcast now.”
[asdf: Rest well.]
[PleaseShakeACarrot: You worked hard today!ᄒᄒ]
[LLoading has donated 100 points!]
– Please turn it on tomorrow too! It’s the highlight of my day!
I pressed the end broadcast button amidst the warm atmosphere.
As usual, even after everyone left, the Manager remained in the viewers’ list. I stared silently at the chat window.
Then a message popped up.
[Manager: What?]