I Will Not Fall For the Villain’s Flirtations - Chapter 74

The whisper was very quiet, but its chill was by no means small. As I moved away and then back to him in the dance, I tried hard to glare at him as if I wasn’t flustered.

“So, are you saying you’re jealous now?”

“Yes, I am. Jealous.”

My spinning body was pulled into his large embrace as if a hawk had snatched its prey. With a face devoid of any smile, he tightened his arms around my waist and said.

“That’s why I came. To catch you, Du.”

“……”

His eyes, filled with quiet desire, flashed sharply. My whole body stiffened, and I momentarily forgot how to breathe under his arrow-like gaze.

The fierce momentum, unlike him, overwhelmed me for a moment, but then Keene’s eyes softened as if it had been an illusion. He took a step back from me and, with a gentleman’s courtesy, kissed the back of my hand.

“It was a pleasure today, Miss Duna.”

I was still too dazed to mock his unfitting tone. As I stood there blankly, he leaned in and whispered playfully.

“Don’t play with other guys and go home now. It upsets me.”

“……”

“You can come less pretty tomorrow. I’m already smitten with you, but you don’t have to make me lose sleep.”

I didn’t even have the strength to laugh at his absurd words. It was hard to tell what was true and what was a lie. Then, I suddenly realized he had mentioned ‘tomorrow.’

“Are you planning to come tomorrow too…?”

“Actually, I came in a hurry without any preparation. I need to go back to sort things out.”

Interrupting my words, he smiled faintly and gently stroked my cheek.

“I’ll come tomorrow. Rest well and see you again.”

“Wait a moment…”

When I tried to catch him at his departing words, the figure before me disappeared. A sense of emptiness filled my heart, and the faint surroundings of people and objects surged back into my vision like waves.

It was fortuitous that the music ended at that moment, so me, awkwardly standing alone, didn’t stand out. However, as the dancing groups started to disperse, those who recognized my face flinched. It seemed that Keene’s presence-muffling magic had vanished as he left.

“Duna!”

From a distance, Lindsay spotted me and rushed over. Not only her, but the king, who had heard her shout, also started walking towards me with a face full of things to say.

“Priest, this way.”

A servant, anticipating the king’s intention, guided me out of the ballroom. Sighing at the seemingly exhausting situation, I buried my face in my hands.

* * *

This social season was ruined.

And very miserably at that.

“……”

I glared at the culprit leisurely sipping whiskey beside me. Yes, it’s all because of this person. Whether it’s bad luck or something else this year, why did I have to catch his eye?

I suddenly recalled the first time I met him in the city. Really, I shouldn’t have been drinking at that café that day.

“Do you like it?”

“What?”

“I asked if you like it.”

I provocatively questioned him and snatched the whiskey he was drinking, gulping it down. The high-proof liquor burned down my throat, mirroring my current emotions.

On the first day of the ball, questions about the man who suddenly appeared and disappeared poured in. Since the person in question was the esteemed king, the questions were more like interrogations.

The main questions were why he had singled me out and what our private conversation had been about.

Of course, I couldn’t say, “The Master of the Magic Tower wants to ruin my marriage prospects!” So I spun a long tale about deceiving him at the ruins, making it seem like his curiosity was piqued by my actions.

Thankfully, his poor reputation allowed me to get away with my nonsensical story. After all, his behavior had always been nonsensical.

But the problem was, it didn’t end there. Thanks to the Master of the Magic Tower, who seemed to have endless free time, my trials showed no sign of ending.

“It’s been nine days. Nine days! Because you haven’t left my side for nine days, I haven’t been able to speak a word to anyone!”

The royal family tolerated his comings and goings to the palace due to the truce talks with the Magic Tower. It wasn’t just the palace. Whatever was discussed at the talks, he attended private balls and parties without hindrance.

And he always managed to pick the places I attended.

No, from the third day, he even came to my house.

[Miss Duna, a very handsome suitor is here to see you!]

When the maid suddenly said this as I was about to have breakfast, I was confused. Due to someone’s persistent interference, I hadn’t made any new acquaintances, let alone suitors. Viscount Lesprey, the only suitor I had, had disappeared from the social circles.

Of course, it was a good thing in the case of the Viscount. According to news from Lindsay’s informant the day after the royal ball, he was a womanizer who had made many women cry during his studies in Patria.

Despite not looking the part, he was a lowlife who reassured women with promises of a future and then abandoned them after spending the night. As he had only recently returned to his homeland, his reputation wasn’t well-known, and it was a close call.

In fact, the rapid spread of his rumors was quite coincidental. Patria wasn’t a nation with frequent exchanges, so personal rumors spread slowly.

This made me even more suspicious.

The only person who could come to see me with such an absurd title of suitor.

[Did you sleep well, Du?]

[…….]

That day, I barely managed to stop Lindsay from immediately informing my parents. I didn’t even want to imagine what would happen if word got out that I was entangled with the Master of the Magic Tower.

Fortunately, I decided to stay at Lindsay’s house during the season. I only needed to keep her and her husband, Count Moulton, quiet.

And that turned out to be easier than expected.

Ironically, thanks to the man who caused all this trouble.

[He’s sharp in business. If he hadn’t joined the Magic Tower, he could have become a great merchant.]

Count Moulton said this one evening after I had spent the entire day at the dressmaker’s to avoid Keene, who had been clinging to me since morning. The Count, who had always been interested in the magic item business, was completely won over after having lunch with Keene.

[As a fellow citizen of the Holy Kingdom, I was initially reluctant, but he turned out to be a gentleman. Sometimes, in complex situations, these things happen. Look at how relations with Parcel have been good and bad.]

The Count seemed willing to overlook Keene’s estrangement from the Holy Kingdom. After all, the Count had adopted religion naturally as a native believer but wasn’t inherently devout.

[Even if I don’t know about anything else, he is extremely handsome. Does the Magic Tower select people based on their appearance?]

Even Lindsay, who I trusted, let down her initial guard when her husband showed a favorable attitude. Despite hearing a barrage of curses and being chased out, he came to see me every day, which seemed impressive to her, so she subtly inquired about the size of his wealth. Of course, she didn’t encourage me to meet him, perhaps because the barrier of him being the Master of the Magic Tower was too daunting.

Since the Pope attended the truce talks, even some young ladies began to slyly ask me about him. I heard that the atmosphere was quite tense for the first two days after the Pope got involved, to the point where the Holy Knights issued an alert, but it seemed to have eased a lot now. As the agreement neared completion, many were still fearful of him but also curious.

The problem was me. An individual like the Master of the Magic Tower, who didn’t fit in with the social scene at all, suddenly became the hottest topic in the Holy Kingdom, and I, too, inadvertently became a famous figure.

Of course, just as Keene was referred to as the Master of the Magic Tower rather than Keene Lione, I was also referred to not by my full name, Duna Valorem, but as ‘the priest the Master of the Magic Tower was interested in.’

As a result, many people of all ages showed curiosity towards me. However, there wasn’t a single man who showed romantic interest in me. Who would want to date someone associated with the Master of the Magic Tower?

I felt a surge of anger again. Slamming the whiskey glass down on the tray, I glared fiercely at Keene and questioned him.

“Are you doing this for revenge? Because I took the relic, are you doing this to mess with me on purpose?”

His annoying smile deepened. Keene leaned his upper body towards me, resting his chin on his hand, and whispered.

“Of course not. I’m doing this because I like you and want to see you.”

“If I end up dying alone because of this, will you take responsibility… No, don’t say anything, just forget it.”

Seeing the sparkle in his eyes, I quickly waved my hand. Judging by the usual level of his jokes, this man would gladly say he’d take responsibility.

“Why are you doing this to me?”

At this rate, I really wouldn’t be able to get a single suitor. How would I explain this to my family later?

“Is marriage that important?”

“It might not be important to a high and mighty Master of the Magic Tower, but to me, yes, it is. I’m already quite old, and if I get pushed back further, it’ll be difficult!”

“Why don’t you come to the Tower? With your abilities, you’d easily be accepted.”

“Are you crazy?”