I Snatched The Duke - Chapter 14. Realization(1)

“My hat flew away….”

 

“If that’s the case then you should have just let it go.”

 

After spitting out such discourteous words, he didn’t seem to care.

 

“What in the….”

 

The tall, dark and handsome b*st*rd seemed to know the fairy.

 

Goldmuhn scrutinized his appearance.

 

A plain white short-sleeved shirt, black pants, and a basic sword with no special craftsmanship. He was either an escort knight from a poor family who could not afford to match a knight’s uniform, or a casually hired free knight.

 

‘A free knight dares.’

 

Goldmuhn, convinced by the man’s appearance, grew even more furious.

 

“What kind of insolence is this!”

 

Unable to bear the blatant disregard, Goldmuhn roared.

 

“So what?”

 

Goldmuhn’s loud shout moved Mihalis’ gaze slowly.

 

“Are you going to challenge me to a duel?”

 

“That’s….”

 

The moment he met his cobalt blue eyes, Goldmuhn got goosebumps.

 

The man wasn’t even holding his sword. Yet it felt like a sword had grazed his neck and the nape of his neck felt cold.

 

“It’s not like that, but I must receive an apology for the rudeness.”

 

Goldmuhn, who squeezed the last bit of his ego, said with difficulty.

 

The man gave no response and only his blue eyes glinted. It was as though they were mocking him saying, ‘Something like you?’.

 

The strange pressure boring down on Goldmuhn’s body made him break into a cold sweat for no reason.

 

He checked the sword and it was still nestled in its scabbard. It was only then that he saw a small pattern that would not have been visible unless one were to look closely.

 

A pattern was engraved on the tip of the sword’s hilt. He remembered seeing it in the past. It was the Duke of Atcher’s coat of arms which was engraved on the wedding invitation.

 

“Apologize?”

 

The corners of his lips, which spoke in a languid voice—like a well-fed beast, curled up slightly.

 

“…….”

 

It was a carefree laugh, like how a cat would, in front of a mouse.

 

“Y-Yes, that’s right. Please apologize.”

 

Despite such outright ridicule, Goldmuhn couldn’t get angry. It was odd because it felt like he was thrown naked in front of a beast.

 

“Mihal, let’s go back now.”

 

Then, a clear voice broke the silence, and Goldmuhn was freed from the strange pressure.

 

“Alright.”

 

“Thank you for catching my hat.”

 

As the man naturally escorted the fairy and turned around, the tension that dominated his whole body was released.

 

‘That person….’

 

Looking at the back of the two who had already walked a few steps away, Goldmuhn was convinced.

 

A woman from the North and a man with the coat of arms of the Duke of Atcher. Then the nickname ‘Mihal’.

 

‘Mihalis, the Duke of Atcher.’

 

Seeing the protagonists of the wedding whom everyone in the empire were curious about. It was a huge scoop.

 

Goldmuhn had quickly forgotten the feeling of dread that gripped his entire body and this time felt a sense of bliss. Coincidentally, wasn’t one of his close friends the heir to the empire’s largest newspaper? He thought of a good method to wash away the dirty sense of defeat at once.

 

Rustle.

 

Goldmuhn pulled out an image storage device from his pocket and held it up.

 

“Save image.”

 

After inserting a magic stone as small as a pinky fingernail and uttering the spell, the small video recording device started operating without a sound.

 

“…….”

 

Pretending to be on his way, Goldmuhn approached them as much as he could and hid himself in a corner of an alleyway, focusing the image storing device on the woman who was likely the future duchess.

 

It was a pity though. Due to the hat that covered most of her face, he couldn’t capture her beauty in all its glory unlike when he saw her earlier.

 

‘This should be enough.’

 

They were satisfactory secret shots.

 

Goldmuhn slipped the image storage device into his pocket and the corners of his mouth twitched and kept rising. It was clear that the star of today’s party would be the one with the big scoop.

 

“Ugh!”

 

Goldmuhn turned around with a sly smile and bumped into a wall that wasn’t there before.

 

“W-What?”

 

A black shadow hung in front of Goldmuhn. He was a gigantic man that was rare to see even in the capital.

 

“Give it to me.”

 

The man blocking Goldmuhn’s way held out a large hand.

 

“Heup!”

 

That hand that was larger than the head of an adult man, Goldmuhn felt it instinctively.

 

‘If I get hit by that hand, I will die!’

 

Goldmuhn took a step back but the large man took a step forward. A coachman’s outfit, which did not suit him at all, did not catch his eye.

 

“Give it to me.”

 

His low voice sounded like the growl of a large black bear.

 

“H-Here it is.”

 

After stepping back and hitting a wall, Goldmuhn was forced to take out the recording device from his pocket.

 

“Hmm….”

 

Crunch.

 

As his large palm turned into a fist, the metal image recording device became like jelly.

 

“Ugh.”

 

In the face of overwhelming strength, status was nothing.

 

“Get lost.”

 

“Uwaack!”

 

Goldmuhn could only watch in vain as the image storage device worth more than 30 Million Riums was shattered, then ran away in contemplation without being able to argue.

 

‘What the hell. That crazy bear b*st*rd! He didn’t follow me all the way here, did he?’

 

Goldmuhn, who had been running away from the large man for a while, came out on a busy street, and glanced behind him.

 

‘He didn’t, right?’

 

It looked like he didn’t go after him that far.

 

“Kikikik.”

 

An evil laugh erupted from his lips after looking around several times to confirm.

 

“Kikik, you didn’t know there was another one.”

 

Goldmuhn placed a hand in his pocket to check.

 

An image storage device.

 

It was a pity that the revealing photos of the women from the beach were gone, but it was nothing compared to this scoop.

 

* * *

 

Clip clop clip clop.

 

A carriage that looked like a regular rental carriage stopped in front of the bench.

 

“Be careful.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Taking Mihalis’ hand and climbing into the carriage, Eliana took a seat.

 

Across from her was a box she hadn’t seen before. Mihalis then climbed into the carriage and sat opposite her.

 

“You can take it off now.”

 

“Oh, right.”

 

At the words of Mihalis, Eliana took off her hat and placed it on her lap. Her hair, which had been pulled up so that it was easy to fit into her hat, was also loosely hanging down. It was the end of a dream-like outing.

 

“Your shoes, not the hat.”

 

Mihalis, who had been watching Eliana quietly, spoke again.

 

“Oh….”

 

Eliana’s face burned hot for no reason.

 

‘What’s this, all of a sudden. Take off my shoes? What if my feet stink?’

 

“Doesn’t it need to be treated?”

 

Mihalis stared at Eliana who was fidgeting and couldn’t bear to take off her shoes, then opened the medicine box next to him.

 

Rattle.

 

Just in time, the carriage started.

 

Clop. Clop.

 

He didn’t force anything but Eliana reluctantly took off her shoes, unable to bear his stare.

 

“…….”

 

Mihalis said nothing more and applied disinfectant to Eliana’s heel.

 

“Euk.”

 

Eliana flinched as she felt the sting of the antiseptic and moved her foot.

 

‘Haa.’

 

Mihalis sighed inwardly. The wound was bigger than he thought. It was amazing how she walked around with ankles as thin as a crow’s nest.

 

‘Just let him do one thing.’

 

Eliana stopped watching Mihalis wrap the bandages with deft hands and gazed out the window.

 

Her heart was pounding for no reason.

 

“It’s done.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

After Eliana checked the tight bandage, she continued to stare out the window.

 

‘Why are you so kind anyway? It makes my heart pound for no reason.’

 

She didn’t have the confidence to face Mihalis, dreading that he would somehow sense the racing of her heart.

 

“…….”

 

An awkward silence followed.

 

Clip clop clip clop.

 

As they no longer spoke to each other, only the sound of the horses’ hooves could be heard for a long time.

 

“Why are you being so nice to me?”

 

Keeping her eyes out the window, Eliana broke her silence by turning her head towards Mihalis.

 

The date had started as a joke, but it really felt like a small date between lovers. Eliana was overjoyed throughout the day, all thanks to Mihalis, who had made everything just right for her.

 

“While you are in my castle, I will take full responsibility for the lady’s safety.”

 

Mihalis, who had been awkwardly looking out the window as well, looked at Eliana and said.

 

“It’s the same with the young lady’s wounds too.”

 

“I see.”

 

Mihalis’ answer simmered Eliana’s excitement.

 

‘Responsibility?’

 

Her eyes moved back to the window.

 

‘Ah, because of responsibility.’

 

He danced with her and went on a date with her. Talking with him was no longer as awkward as it was the first time. She believed that they had gotten a little closer.

 

‘What was I expecting?’

 

This man was just someone with a strong sense of responsibility.

 

‘Wake up, Kim Eun-chae. Why are you showing that you’re starved of affection!’

 

She felt like a fool. He was just a little nice to her, but she had already started harboring expectations.

 

‘You dimwit! You should have kept your distance and not gotten swayed by the Duke’s appearance….’

 

Eliana regretted asking him out on a date as a joke.

 

‘I just need a place to stay for a while. Let’s not have useless expectations in the future.’

 

Eliana gathered her feelings.

 

‘Because I’m going to log out anyway. There’s no point in useless emotions.’

 

“…….”

 

Apart from Eliana’s thoughts, Mihalis felt devastated.

 

‘Haa.’

 

Mihalis looked out the window and sighed inwardly.

 

He should have looked after her more closely.

 

He was enraged by the wound on that tiny foot. But it was him who had made her life like that in the Duchy, to such an extent that she was unwilling to return, even if it meant concealing her wounds.

 

Her initial appearance was so daring that he had pretended to give in. After accepting that they were to be wed, he turned away from her and neglected her for over a month.

 

‘I was afraid.’

 

He unconsciously avoided caring.

 

The male to female ratio was 98 to 2. In the first place, a duchy full of men was not an environment where an ordinary young lady could live happily.

 

‘It’s all my fault.’

 

Mihalis only felt responsible now.

 

He didn’t know how to deal with a single weak person who suddenly appeared before he even recognized it. He honestly didn’t have an answer.

 

He just didn’t want to live a life like his father and create another victim like his mother. In his entire life, he had never imagined exchanging affection with the opposite sex and only thought of breaking his family’s terrible practice within the Duchy in his generation.

 

‘How did this happen?’

 

Mihalis felt conflicted about the current situation.