I Will Not Fall For the Villain’s Flirtations - Chapter 80

“Wow, having a mage around sure is convenient! Hey, don’t they teach you magic like that at the temple?”

“……”

It seemed like it would take a while to find my lost wits. Thinking I should find Peidos first, I looked in the direction Keene had just come from, but no matter how long I waited, he didn’t appear.

Dad, also puzzled, craned his neck and looked around.

“That’s strange. Didn’t he say he was coming with you?”

“……”

I rolled my eyes and glared at Keene behind my parents’ backs. If he was with him, why did he come alone…?

“Ah, Sir Peidos went back because he had some business.”

“What?”

…What?

Business? What business? Why did he go back?

There was no doubt this man had done something.

“What do you mean he suddenly went back?”

“Mom, that’s not it.”

I waved my hand to catch my parents’ attention, trying to salvage Peidos’s innocent first impression.

“Actually, I left my bag at the temple… He went to get it for me.”

“What?”

Given my long history of losing things, my parents immediately accepted my excuse. Mom clicked her tongue and started scolding me.

“Did you lose it again? How can you still be so careless? You’ve grown up, but you’re still so sloppy. Ugh. What a nuisance to such a busy person! And he even went to fetch it for you, what a nice man.”

“That’s right.”

The story I made up to cover for him inadvertently reminded me of our first meeting.

“He’s a kind person.”

Back then, he found my bag twice.

[Is your name Duna Valorem, by any chance?]

[You should get better acquainted with your bag.]

Recalling the past brought a smile to my lips. My heart felt warm and fuzzy. Back when I was joking about making him my son-in-law, who would have thought he’d actually come to this house as a prospective son-in-law?

“If you had lost it while with me, I would have picked it up for you several times.”

“……”

Keene whispered in my ear, sounding hurt. Snapping back to reality, I tightened my lips that had relaxed into a smile and glared at him.

“Follow me. Now.”

I had a lot to say. My words came out garbled from clenching my teeth, but he seemed to understand. As I stepped into the hallway, he followed leisurely, like a well-fed predator.

Seeing him act so nonchalantly after causing such a mess made me want to punch him. Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I decided to ask about Peidos’s whereabouts first.

And his answer was truly outrageous.

“Oshtin.”

“……What did you say?”

The familiar place name made the back of my head throb. If it’s Oshtin, it’s beyond Mount Monta. Are you saying he sent him to the other side of the mountain?

“Don’t worry. At Peidos’ speed, he’ll probably arrive within three or four hours.”

“Is that something you should be saying right now?”

I certainly didn’t want to extend the fight from Liche to here, but I never expected him to deal with the opponent in such an extreme way.

He knew I was coming to greet my parents, and yet he went too far!

“No matter what you do, it won’t undo the engagement.”

Even though it was only verbal, Peidos Carmel was not a man who would easily go back on his word. Especially not on a serious matter like an engagement.

“Why did you meet my family? Why do such unnecessary things? Even if you score points, once they know who you are, they’ll be shocked and faint. Besides, who are you to do that? We’re not even close.”

“……”

“Or are you going to threaten me again? Saying you know my house and my family’s identities, so I shouldn’t act rashly, or something like that……”

“Du.”

He called me in a low voice, his smile gone.

“No matter how much of a bastard I am, I don’t plan to meet a woman who hates me by threatening her.”

“……”

I had to admit that I had gone too far. He might have toyed with me, but he wasn’t the type to resort to threats for courtship.

“Then why are you here?”

There’s no need for us to get involved anymore. Especially now that I accepted Peidos’ proposal, he was someone I should not get entangled with.

I didn’t have good enough feelings to consider him a friend, and whether he was sincere or not, his attitude was never entirely straightforward. In the past, our relationship had been similar to that of a creditor and debtor due to his threats, but now there was none of that.

He wasn’t a friend, certainly not a lover, and obviously not a colleague.

“I wanted to see you.”

“……”

I stared blankly at him, familiar with the excuse. It was something I heard so many times that I was sick of it. Yet, for some reason, it resonated differently this time.

“I’m losing more and more reasons to see you, Du. I don’t know what to do.”

“……”

The man who always played leisurely above my head looked like a lost and anxious child at that moment. Like a child who had lost his mother’s hand, taking each step with tears welling up, afraid he might never meet her again.

His speech was slow, his expression almost blank rather than tearful, yet why did it feel like such an absurd illusion? Why did his calm tone convey such desperation?

“What are you two doing?”

As I looked at him with utmost confusion, a cheerful voice came from above. Turning my head towards the stairs, I saw Con, dressed in a neatly pressed shirt, in my sight. He seemed to have dressed up, anticipating meeting the esteemed guest.

“Where is the Commander?”

“……He had some business to attend to at the Grand Temple, so he went back there. He’ll be a bit late.”

I intended to end it with a vague answer. My desire to confront Keene had long faded, and since Peidos wouldn’t arrive until evening, I just wanted to get some rest.

However, Con persistently called out to me.

“Really? Great. Sis, Sis, can you help me choose some pants? I wore the vest you bought me last time, but it doesn’t seem to match.”

“……Go away.”

“Oh, come on. Help me out. It’s an important meeting with my future brother-in-law. I looked so unpresentable earlier because it was so sudden.”

If I didn’t help him pick out clothes, he would come to my room and put on a fashion show. Sighing deeply, I reluctantly nodded. Con, excited, wiggled his hips.

“Hey, you should see how cool I look later too.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

After boasting to Keene, he noisily went upstairs. Just as I glanced at the man who was still staring at me and was about to follow Con up the stairs, his low voice stopped me.

“Don’t rush into marriage.”

“……”

“There’s no need for that.”

Those words, which should have carried little weight, sounded like a desperate plea.

Was it just a simple illusion, or was it a projection of my true feelings that I didn’t want to acknowledge?

Standing silently, I eventually left without giving any response.

* * *

Peidos arrived at the house exactly six hours later.

When he boarded the carriage, he looked so splendid that I wanted to give him the Best Dressed award right away if there were such a thing here. It was the first time I saw him not in uniform, and it made the already surreal situation even more so.

He was the epitome of a noble young man. If I were a man, I would never have dared to try the bright turquoise jacket and the flashy patterned sky-blue vest he wore, but his good, fair skin suited them perfectly. If he weren’t the next designated Guardian, he would have received numerous marriage proposals.

However, his current appearance was vastly different from the morning, likely due to the hardships he faced in the mountains. His jacket was casually draped over his arm, his cravat was completely undone, and his neatly styled hair was partially disheveled.

Of course, thanks to his dazzling looks, he still seemed like someone who had naturally tousled his hair for a photoshoot. But seeing the murderous intent he directed at Keene upon arrival, I could guess the hardships he had endured.

Keene, having some conscience, seemed to feel guilty. The journey took much longer than he had anticipated, and seeing the signs of hardship, he offered a somewhat verbose explanation, “I heard you participated in rescue operations in a nearby village that caught fire? That must have been tough.”

I didn’t know what words passed between them, but considering that he was a much more mature person than a certain mage who sent him to the other side of the mountain, there was no wild retaliation. Peidos, who continuously apologized for any discourtesy, was guided by the servants to freshen up in the guest room.

With everyone present, dinner preparation was quick. The problem was the seating arrangement. Somehow, it ended up with Con and my parents sitting in a row opposite me, Peidos to my left, and Keene to my right.

Ah, this isn’t right.

One was the commander of the Holy Gabriel Knights, known as the Shield of the Holy Kingdom. The other was the infamous Master of the Magic Tower. Their relationship was currently very strained.

Having these two on either side of me made me feel like I would get indigestion before even eating.

And it seemed I wasn’t the only one feeling that way. Con, who kept glancing at me, scratched his head and said,

“Sis, it’s a bit awkward with you in between.”

At least my brother had some sense. Not that he would fully understand my predicament.

“Um, your level of appearance is a bit……”

“……What did you say?”

Seriously.

Grinding my teeth, I glared at him, trying to make sure Peidos didn’t hear.

Come to think of it, I had forgotten. These two men were the most handsome men I had ever seen in my life.

Ah, really……

How did it come to this?