Episode 40

I didn’t expect Theodore to let me go so easily. I looked at him with a slightly bewildered expression.

And the moment our eyes met, I became even more flustered.

‘Why is he acting like this?’

Theodore seemed completely oblivious to the fact that he was holding my wrist.

He just stared at me with a blank expression. But even that was short-lived, as he glanced between me and Raiden.

Perhaps he felt that our contact was inappropriate.

Surely… he didn’t think I was a woman.

Is he trying to convey that message to Raiden?

But the situation I feared didn’t materialize.

“I’ll just step back for now.”

With that, Theodore casually mounted his horse and quickly left as if fleeing.

As I watched his retreating figure, I realized that Raiden’s arm was still wrapped around my waist.

My body, concealed by the thin dress, was fully exposed to his touch.

I could distinctly feel the sensation of his thick arm. Suddenly, my face flushed.

“T-Thank you for your help…”

I struggled to push his arms away to escape, but Raiden only held me tighter.

“Duke…?”

I raised my gaze in confusion, and Raiden’s face as he looked at me was somewhat dark.

“Why are you in this state?”

It was like an angry face. But I couldn’t understand why he was angry.

But even that was short-lived, as I grasped the situation, I became incredulous.

‘He’s the one who ordered this! What does he expect me to do!’

It was clearly Raiden who sent me to Amy. There’s no way he didn’t know I would crossdress.

I was at a loss for words, my mind muddled.

“And…”

Raiden scrutinized me carefully. His gaze, staring intently at me, made me feel exposed.

I hurriedly pushed him away. Surprisingly, Raiden let me go willingly.

But as I stepped away from him, his gaze observing me became bolder.

But the moment his eyes met mine as they rose from my toes, he turned his head aside, avoiding my gaze.

Then he ran his hand through his hair.

I couldn’t guess what Raiden was thinking.

Let’s go out with confidence. I’ll wager on confidence.

“You think I look good in women’s clothes, don’t you?”

“…”

There was no response from Raiden to my bold yet utterly foolish remark.

While he had been enthusiastically observing before, he didn’t spare me a glance now.

Feeling uneasy, I unconsciously took a step towards him. However, Raiden unexpectedly stepped back, maintaining his distance from me.

Seeing him retreat, I abruptly halted my approach.

I had always been the one to approach boldly…

What’s wrong, suddenly acting so cold?

I felt a bit irritated.

This is all because of the current situation…!

If he thought the dress wouldn’t suit me, he shouldn’t have sent me to Amy.

“But the Duke allowed it. Didn’t he give permission because he thought I would look decent in women’s clothes?”

“What?”

Raiden’s response to my words seemed to question what I was saying.

…Does he really think women’s clothing doesn’t suit me?

I looked at my current appearance, feeling truly odd.

Seeing Raiden’s expression darken in an instant, I quickly retracted my words.

“If it doesn’t suit me, forget it…”

“No, before that. When did I give permission?”

His question made me pause for a moment. Did I say something wrong?

I cautiously spoke up.

“I heard that the Duke lent me to Miss Amy for Marie… Wasn’t that the case?”

The more I spoke, the more anger filled Raiden’s face. My voice involuntarily grew quieter.

“Ha…!”

Raiden let out a hollow laugh. His gaze became sharp in an instant.

Shocked by Raiden’s unexpected intense reaction, I sealed my lips shut.

“I gave permission…”

With a stern expression, Raiden looked at me, who was trembling in fear, then softened his gaze slightly.

Then he approached me and took something out of the pouch on the saddle.

What Raiden brought out was none other than bandages. He wrapped the bandage around my neck.

His bandaging skill seemed quite proficient.

But as soon as our eyes met, his hand, which had been moving, stopped.

Despite avoiding his strange reaction and looking down, Raiden’s hand remained still.

Between the lapels of his jacket, his Adam’s apple was visible. It bobbed slightly.

“Go back and get treated.”

His hand moved again. I felt like I shouldn’t be looking, but I couldn’t help it. I bit my lip.

His cold touch grazed my skin gently. But strangely, wherever his gaze touched, it felt like it was burning up.

The tension in this situation was unbearable. Unconsciously, I tightly gripped the hem of my dress.

Then, Raiden slightly bent over and whispered softly into my ear, “Relax.”

His breath tickled my ear. I thought I heard his laughter, but soon his demeanor vanished without a trace.

“By the way, why is that scoundrel acting like that?”

It was quite peculiar to hear the word ‘scoundrel’ from Raiden’s mouth.

‘In fact, I’m a woman, and it seems that scoundrel has caught on to that.’

I replied gloomily, avoiding eye contact.

“If I say I’m a woman…”

“He’s insane.”

Raiden abruptly cut off my words and mumbled something indistinct.

It was quite comforting that he cut me off so decisively. Nevertheless, a strange fluctuation stirred in my heart.

“…Maybe he really doesn’t like my current appearance.”

Well, it’s better this way. The lackey who used to serve me was caught by my fiancée and was even forced into crossdressing. Is there any chance of looking good?

It’s actually for the best. He can serve as my attendant with pride.

At the same time, I found myself ridiculously amusing for having such thoughts.

With a bitter smile, I distanced myself from him. The feeling of discomfort persisted, and I absentmindedly touched the bandage around my neck.

Then, cautiously, I asked, “But… there aren’t any injuries, right?”

Raiden paused for a moment at my question. However, he nonchalantly replied, “Take care of yourself.”

“I asked because I was worried.”

“If you were injured, wouldn’t you want someone to take care of it?”

“Well, yes.”

This wasn’t what I expected.

Raiden, who heard my words, burst into a genuinely joyful laughter.

In the moment of facing the laughter I had been seeking, I felt a strange emotion. Even though the situation wasn’t particularly amusing, I wanted to laugh along with him.

But at that moment, Raiden lifted the hem of the dress I was wearing.

“…!”

Surprised, I quickly grabbed the dress.

“W-What are you doing right now?”

However, unlike my startled self, Raiden’s face remained calm. Even if I tried to pull the dress down forcibly, the dress he held showed no signs of budging.

With a peculiar expression, he simply gazed intently at my leg, hidden beneath the dress.

“W-Your Grace!”

Is this man really insane? Heat flushed across my face.

Of course, he believed I was a man, so it wasn’t an unusual situation for him.

However, he soon started poking my leg with his fingers.

“He must be really crazy!”

As his cold fingers brushed against my leg, I involuntarily flinched.

“…Does it hurt?”

Raiden, noticing my uneasiness, looked at me and asked. I shook my head tremblingly.

“That’s enough.”

“What do you mean?”

He tilted his head, opening his mouth.