Chapter 147
I looked at him with astonishment at the violent words and deeds I had heard for the first time from him.
But for a moment I was mute.
"Who else is this? The Young Duke? The second one? Or Eckart"
"Eclise!"
The ensuing verbal abuse stopped him in a hurry. "It"s not like that."
"......."
"I"m fine, nothing happened." Nothing really happened.
I was just a little tired when I saw a bird trapped in a cage. That"s all. But he didn"t believe what I"m saying, Eclise eyes were blurred. "I"ve seen and heard, Master."
"What are you"
"I know that the reason you brought me from the auction house is related to the Master"s situation." Fortunately, this remark was not surprising.
I already knew that Eclise knew my position in the duchy. Instead of being surprised, however, this time worries came.
I"m afraid that the "fake princess" situation will affect his favorability again. I wonder if that"s why he"s angry at me for looking so pitiful.
"Because of my positionWho"s bothering you again?"
"That"s"
At a careful question, Eclise clenched his fist in a hurry. After a big breath, he answered with a clear voice. "That hasn"t happened since then."
"....."
"It"s not like thatI"m asking why you"re standing alone in front of him." (he means the bird)
"What do you mean?"
"Who bothered you?" and "Why are you standing alone?"
It didn"t feel like the same question at all, but I soon accepted it.
It"s because I suddenly remembered how my appearance had just reflected on him.
She had her face buried in her hands in front of a bird and burst into groan, so it might look like a pitiful sight.
"Did you rather buy sympathy?"
I wondered if one of the "puppies" that Eclise said was bothering him, and his heart was gone.
I answered with a more relaxed voice.
"It was because the bird was pretty, so I watched it for a while and I was tired." It was a bit embarra.s.sing to see it, but it wasn"t an entirely unacceptable excuse. But Eclise just looked at me with an unknown expression.
Then a long time later, he askes something out of the blue. "Are you happy now?"
"What?"
"Are you happier than before I came to the duchy?" I blinked at my command.
I couldn"t understand why he suddenly said that.
"Did you get any unhappier after you came to the duchy?" "No. That can"t be true."
Eclis shook his head.
"That can"t be true, Master." "Then why would you ask that?"
"Just, I want to know. How was my master."
With no fixed eyes on me, he urged the answer. I felt a sense of bewilderment. "Well"
I answered him vaguely. "Are you happy?"
It was close. I don"t know. When I think about how I felt after I came here, I thought that it was more about misfortune than happiness.
But is it enough to be entirely unhappy? It wasn"t that again. As long as there was a way out, this was nothing.
I am not the kind of person who is always asleep in misfortune and frustration. Look.
Even though I just felt deeply fatigue, but I was smiling under a mask. "I"ve never really thought about it, so I don"t know. How do I look?"
I shrugged calmly, as usual.
However, I couldn"t get rid of Eclise"s expression.
"My masterSometimes you seem to be okay, but you seem to be more unhappy than anyone else.
"Really?"
"And sometimesit looks like you"re going to disappear somewhere."
I got goose b.u.mps at his following words. "Did henotice that i would disappear?"
I thought I had never made such an expression, but he doesn"t know how good he is. Maybe he sensed something in secret.
I opened my mouth. My heart was pounding. I hurriedly said.
"You"ve seen the wrong thing, Eclise. Where am I going to leave you?" ""
"I"m fine. I"m just a little tired. So don"t worry too much."
I emphasized that nothing had happened to me so that he could rest a.s.sured. Until I escape, I must not instill any anxiety in him.
"Get out of here with me, master."
But what I heard was more shocking than when he was angry for no reason. "Whatdid you say?"
"Run away with me." "Eclis. You"
"There are slaves who are planning to defect to another country." ""
"We plan to smuggle through the Delman who are working on the port side in a few days. So I"m gonna get in between them and say"
"......."
"Come with me out of the Empire, Master." I was so embarra.s.sed that I lost my words.
I thought he was just helping his countrymen who were worse off than he was, but I didn"t know he were planning this great thing.
Whenever I heard the report that he was returning home late, the anxiety that had caused me to wrap my chest turned out to be a reality.
"Did you try to do the same?"
While I was just poking my lips because I didn"t know what to say, a terrible sense of betrayal suddenly rose to my throat.
"You lied to me, you tried to go to another country, too?" "Oh, no. Master."
He shook his head with round eyes at my pressing voice. "It"s not like that. I didn"t mean to do that."
"Then why would you say that to me? Eclise."
"I"m sorry, I"ve misunderstood that you want to do that." His words struck me dumb.
It was absurd that he had been making such a wild guess at me. In the meantime, I couldn"t stop my head from spinning.
"Eclise and I run away alone, raise the remaining favorability and escape."
I don"t know if there"s really this route in hard mode, but it wasn"t a bad way. Realistically speaking, however, escape was subject to numerous restrictions. About two weeks now. His favorability was close to 96%.
Calling him in comfortably from the mansion as before and to make a desperate move to the harbor to avoid the countless number of soldiers following him.
If I choose the latter, I can certainly improve the favorability of Eclise, but I cannot guarantee the
favorability of other ML.
In particular, Derick, who was worried that Renald and the Duke, who seemed to have finally opened their hearts to me now, would get caught up in the station.
If their favorability dropped, 96% of them were useless. "And"
At a glance, in the brilliant golden light pa.s.sing by my mind, I shook my head hurriedly to shake off my thoughts.
"Eclise."
I, who had come to a conclusion, made eye contact with Eclise, who was still staring at me. "You can"t just go around and say things like that. Even if you stand before me." "Master."
"I am the n.o.blewoman of the Empire, and the only princess of this country before I was your master." Eclise"s mouth was stiff. He couldn"t say a word at the end.
I could see. His eyes gradually turning into disappointment. But I couldn"t do much.
With only 4% left, I didn"t want to take the risk.
"I can take your convenience because I"m here. I can"t take that award. Don"t cross the line." Eclise replied in a tight voice to my rather sober words.
"A place where even a servant looks down on you and ignores you?" "Eclise."
"A n.o.blewoman returns alone from the banquet hall without a single escort." His jaw has become so hard that it stands out.
He really felt sorry for my situation and seemed to have the authority to run away.
I was a little surprised that he felt so sorry for me, but I felt appalled that it was all due to favorability. If I escape, I"ll be in possession of a normal mode hostess anyway....
"But when hard mode is over and normal mode starts, what happens to ML"s memory and
favorability towards Penelope? Is it all reset to the set value?" That thought suddenly crossed my mind.
I never broke the end of hard mode, so I didn"t know what would happen after that and what the contents of "Hidden Ending" were.
Of course, it was none of my business what would happen after I went back to my present life, but...
It was when I was in deep thought, looking at the vivid dark red color gauge bar above the head of Eclise.
"Take me with you."
Suddenly, Eclise"s words cut off the idea. I"m all back to reality.
"Is it because I"m a slave, so I can"t get into the palace?"
"It wasa carriage ride with my family today, so I couldn"t do much."
"Family?"
Eclise"s eyes wiggled finely in my excuse.
"How can they be the Master"s family"
"Stop."
I kept blocking Eclise from going too far. "Calm down."
I reached out one hand to him, who was trying to refute again. Warm warmth touched my palms.
"I don"t know what made you so excited, but neither in the carriage nor the palace, nothing happened." I gently stroked his cheek to soothe the excited Eclise.
Like a cute puppy, Eclise quickly relaxed his body and leaned his face on the palm of my hand. "Your hands are cold."
"Because I"ve been out for a long time."
"When you came back, you didn"t even ride a carriage." "That"s"
I was embarra.s.sed because I knew why my hands were cold, but I immediately caught my voice. "It"s not a big deal. I said I"d take a walk, so don"t worry about it."
"Then you shouldn"t have bought me, Master." ""
"You shouldn"t have made me care." "Eclise."
"You shouldn"t have made me your one and only knight."
Eclise, who had been rubbing his cheek thickly in my hand, slowly turned his head. Soon, it was not soft skin, but moist and dry.
Cup.-
"It"s already late."
Hissing my palms, Eclise kept his eyes from me.