Chapter 18: An Accident Under the Pose Tree?

I stood at a distance with Maya, watching Xavier’s tent. Soon, the entrance of the tent opened, and Duke Xavier and a man wearing a black mask and a white robe walked out.

“Xavier, the funds you provided will be well-used for the refugees of the war.”

“Alright. I’ll leave it to you.”

The priest patted Duke Xavier on the shoulder before boarding a white carriage.

‘He must have read the note, right?’

I was about to continue on my way after watching the Duke’s retreating figure when he suddenly turned around sharply.

“Oh.”

His teal eyes spotted me. Narrowing his gaze, he started walking toward me at a brisk pace. His determined look seemed as if he had made a significant decision.

“Uh, why, why is he coming here?”

I had been lazing around, sleeping in, and not even cooking…

Oh, the uniform.

‘Oh no. Did he find out I put a hole in his uniform and get angry?’

The thought of facing him head-on didn’t even cross my mind after yesterday’s reminder of my current position.

This Duke was someone who could easily take my head, and I was nothing more than a mere subordinate. I couldn’t take that lightly. Seeing Duke Xavier’s serious expression, I began to slowly back away.

“Miss? Where are you going?”

“Maya, go ahead and eat.”

“Pardon?”

I turned around and bolted. However, my weak stamina quickly left me out of breath.

“Huff, huff. Surely he won’t chase me, right?”

I glanced back.

‘No way!’

The Duke was chasing me.

And he was incredibly fast. With an extremely serious expression.

I weaved through the tightly packed tents, trying to shake him off. After running as hard as I could, I found myself on the forest path leading to the field hospital.

“Huff, huff. He won’t chase me all the way here, will he?”

But it was all in vain.

The Duke’s cold voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Yuria Graham.”

‘What the heck, why is he so fast? Is he a cheetah?’

Right behind me stood Xavier Auguste. I was gasping for air, completely out of breath, while he looked immaculate, not even a single breath out of place.

“Haha, Duke, good morning.”

I turned to him, trying to smile as casually as possible.

“Why are you running?”

“Well…”

‘Because I did something wrong.’

He took a long stride forward, closing the distance between us to just a few steps.

I swallowed hard and looked up at him. My wide-open eyes were reflected in his deep gaze. My lips trembled slightly as I asked him.

“…Did you read the note?”

“Yes, I read it.”

So, he did read it. Well, he must be furious.

“If it’s about the uniform, I’m sorry.”

“If it’s just about that, it’s fine.”

The Duke brushed his hand over the uniform he was wearing.

‘Thank goodness. It seems he forgave me.’

“Then why were you chasing me?”

Suddenly, his body leaned toward me. His scent filled the space between us.

“There’s something I want to say…”

“Um… Could you stop getting closer?”

However, the Duke leaned in even closer. His teal eyes under long lashes gazed deeply into mine.

I tried to back away, but my retreat was blocked by a large tree.

Duke Xavier placed his hand against the tree above me, looking down at me lazily. The distance was so close I could hear his breathing.

“For now, I’ll choose to believe in your sincerity.”

Huh? What is he talking about? How could I know what he means when he says something like that out of the blue?

“But only up to that point.”

His voice, penetrating my ears, sent a ticklish sensation through my stomach. My toes curled involuntarily.

“I-I don’t understand what you mean.”

I stammered, and the Duke let out a small, deflating laugh.

“Are you embarrassed? You spoke so confidently in front of the maid earlier.”

‘Me? What did I say in front of Maya? I just told her to eat breakfast first, right?’

I rolled my eyes, trying to recall, but that was all I could think of.

“I’m not embarrassed at all. Why would I be embarrassed?”

This time, the Duke’s face showed a hint of confusion.

Hey, I’m just as baffled as you are.

“Or… are you shy?”

Excuse me, but embarrassment and shyness are practically the same thing.

Up until yesterday, he seemed eager to devour me whole, so why is he suddenly acting like this? I can’t make sense of it.

“Stop beating around the bush and just say what you mean.”

The Duke, uncharacteristically hesitant, began to speak.

“Miss, actually, I wanted to thank… Ugh.”

With a thud, his face suddenly leaned closer to mine.

As his body, leaning against the tree trunk, pressed forward, I found myself trapped in his large frame.

“D-Duke?”

My voice didn’t seem to reach him.

Xavier’s face continued to lower, closer and closer. In that fleeting moment, it felt like eternity as everything about Xavier Auguste filled my vision.

His long, dark lashes. His sharp nose, and below that, his slightly red-tinted lips exhaling warm breaths as they neared mine.

At the last moment, I turned my head to the side. As a result, the Duke’s lips pressed firmly against the white skin of my neck instead.

“Ugh.”

The warm, soft sensation of his lips pressed against my skin. I let out a sound instinctively, without meaning to.

In the quiet forest, the sound echoed loudly. At the same time, his hot breath brushed against my neck, and my face flushed red.

“Ahh, g-get away from me!”

Feeling the burning heat, I pushed the Duke with all my strength. His chest muscles were so firm that my slender arms couldn’t budge him.

“A-ah, I’m sorry.”

The Duke, his eyes wide like a startled rabbit, quickly backed away. His lips were slightly parted, as if genuinely surprised.

“Why are you the one surprised after jumping on me, Duke?!”

I shouted, my voice carrying the frustration of my racing heart, my lips, and the injustice on my neck. My neck felt like it was burning, and my vision spun.

“That’s not it! Someone suddenly hit me hard on the head from behind…”

“What? Who would be here on this mountain path? Act like a noble, not some pervert!”

Furious, I lashed out at him.

I had almost lost my first kiss to this ultimate villain. My neck now bore the imprint of the Duke’s lips.

“P-pervert?”

The Duke’s ears turned red, seemingly shocked by my words.

I pouted and stepped out of his shadow.

At that moment, something hard bumped against my foot. Looking down, I saw a Korean pear rolling on the ground.

Wait, this is the West. Why is there a Korean pear the size of an adult’s head?

Looking up at the tree, I saw nothing but massive fruit resembling Korean pears hanging from its branches.

Now that I thought about it, he did say someone hit him hard on the head earlier.

‘Could this really have fallen?’

Did this pear-like fruit fall and hit the Duke on the head, causing him to lose balance and crash his lips onto my neck? Ugh, how embarrassing.

After a long silence, Duke Xavier spoke with difficulty.

“I’m truly sorry. I just…”

“Well, w-we’ll call it an accident.”

Yes, it wasn’t intentional. It was just an accident. But why is my heart racing like this?

At that moment.

Coo, coo, coo. The sound of birds flying across the sky interrupted our conversation. A pigeon with a blue ribbon tied neatly around its leg was flying toward the tent.

A carrier pigeon!

It seemed the mercenary leader had sent a reply.

“It looks like, as you said, we’ll be able to return quietly now.”

“Yuri…”

“I’ll go first. I’m truly sorry for calling you a pervert.”

I bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle before spinning around.

Without looking back, I dashed toward the tent. My face was growing hotter and hotter.

＊

“I just wanted to say thank you… How did it turn out like this?”

Xavier muttered to himself, ruffling his hair vigorously.

He thought of her lips, illuminated by the moonlight, and her long, deer-like neck.

Xavier placed his long fingers over his lips. The soft sensation lingered on his lips.

His chest, still warm from Yuria’s body heat, felt as if it had been burned.

Her startled, wide, sky-blue eyes. Her red lips, which he had almost touched, were still vivid in his mind.

What would those lips taste like? Would they be as soft as her white neck?

Or would they melt and disappear as soon as they touched his?

‘Ridiculous.’

Xavier took a few steps forward and looked up at the large fruit tree.

The tree, which Yuria thought was a strange pear tree, was actually a ‘Pose Tree.’ A rare species that only grew in the Bern Mountains, its Pose fruits were particularly useful as emergency rations due to their bread-like taste.

‘To think a Pose fruit would hit me square on the head.’

He had been so flustered by Yuria that he hadn’t noticed the fruit falling from the tree.

‘Or could it be?’

Did someone do it on purpose? If so, the culprit would have to be someone capable of handling aura. And they would likely have been lying in wait here.

Only someone of such skill could pull off such a feat against a Swordmaster who also wielded aura.

‘No, it might just have been a wild animal. Either way, I’ll need to strengthen the perimeter.’

Xavier rubbed his lips hard against his sleeve. Though there was nothing visible, he frowned.

After staring at his sleeve for a moment, Xavier began walking in the direction Yuria had gone.

＊

Meanwhile, a shadow hiding in the nearby bushes sheathed the dagger in their hand at their waist. Pulling off their sweat-soaked mask, they revealed a golden-haired woman whose dagger-shaped hair tie glittered in the moonlight. Her green eyes still gleamed faintly with a leftover aura.

Dagger Master Naomi.

Once a Dagger Master, now Baroness Naomi Graham, she looked toward the direction where the Duke and Yuria had disappeared, a satisfied smile on her face.

‘Yuria, I did well, didn’t I? A woman should always go straight for it!’