The Survival Strategy of the Contract Duchess - Chapter 93

The path that slightly skirted the edge of the bustling street and arrived at the forest entrance was starting to become familiar.

“I’ll be nearby today.”

Dylan said that as he slowly walked, contemplating, until he arrived at the white gazebo, then subtly stepped back. Last time, he had parted ways right from the forest entrance, but today, he said he would follow.

The gazes of the two men briefly tangled, but Sasha, thinking it was nothing more than a nod in response to his words, followed Kyler into the gazebo.

She quite liked sitting behind the privet hedge of the Duke’s residence and watching the water droplets shatter in the air; it seemed she simply liked watching water.

This place had dynamic water flows and surfaces as still as mirrors. And it was here that she first felt how beautiful the harmony of magnificently grown trees and water could be.

But today, in between appreciating such scenery, her gaze kept trying to wander elsewhere. The side profile facing outward started to prickle under an intense gaze.

Sasha withdrew her gaze from the outside and turned to look beside her. She could see his blue eyes tremble slightly at the sudden shift in her gaze.

“How can you stare so intently?”

She asked without smiling, and his eyes trembled even more strongly than before. Did it seem like she was questioning why he was staring? His reaction was amusing, so she stared intently for a moment.

But she felt something subtle. Shouldn’t she have already noticed when Kyler was the one who suggested coming to the Uhallin Forest first?

Considering that they had just exchanged glances about being nearby, it was almost a certainty rather than a suspicion.

“Now that I see it, you have a face that says you have something to say.”

“It shows.”

The corner of his lips moved subtly. Kyler, who seemed to be smiling quite often lately, was looking at her with furrowed brows, as if being mischievous and apologetic.

Sasha looked at his brow, which seemed slightly tense, and then touched it lightly with her finger, tap, tap.

On a face where each muscle seemed to create sleek and wonderful lines, the most wonderful line was, of course, the bridge of his nose. She would have to laugh at her younger self who scoffed at the words “sharp enough to cut.”

Because she had confirmed the real thing.

“I guess so. I didn’t know, but it shows, doesn’t it.”

Sasha continued to look at his face. As if endlessly watching the flowing water, the still surface of the water, she never tired of looking at him.

“I’m not good at beating around the bush. So I will only tell you the truth. If you’re scared you have to tell me.”

Not ‘you can’ but ‘you have to’?

Sasha had a rough idea of what it might be, but she quietly looked at him.

“……”

“……”

It seemed like he had a very difficult story to tell. For the first time, hesitation seemed to be reflected in Kyler’s eyes as he looked at Sasha. Shouldn’t she be afraid too, seeing those steadfast eyes wavering?

Unlike him, who couldn’t easily open his mouth and was just staring blankly, Sasha strangely had a faint smile on her lips.

“It’s not accurate. You seem to have something that attracts monsters.”

“Ah, so are you saying I should be bait?”

Sasha wiped the smile off her face at his words. Kyler’s face gradually hardened as he witnessed the smile that had been blooming brightly disappear in an instant.

But he didn’t deny his words or rashly jump up. Sasha looked at him and then stood up. Looking up at Sasha, who was now in a position to look down on him, Kyler nodded slowly.

“Yes. If that’s what you think.”

Kyler stood up as if trying to accept Sasha’s thoughts. Bringing her here was enough; whether something came down or not, it didn’t matter. They could find a way, and just because it wasn’t possible right now didn’t mean they should give up or “Sasha?”

Sasha’s two hands pressed down firmly on his shoulders as he tried to stand up. Looking up at her, he saw that the faint smile from before was spreading again on her face, backlit.

He felt his heart, which had hardened in an instant, tingle again as if melting.

“You brought me here with such determination, how can you just leave after one word?”

Kyler found her face, which was smiling even more brightly than before as if her serious face had been a lie, even more awkward.

The chilling woman who seemed like she would jump up and leave at any moment was nowhere to be seen. Her smiling face showed no sign of blame or tension as she looked down at him and pressed down to keep him from moving.

Kyler took her hands that were touching him and gently lowered them. Because he wouldn’t be able to hear the monsters’ sounds if she was touching him.

“I brought you here nicely, but it’s not far from the truth to say you’re bait, as you said. I should have told you from the mansion, but I didn’t want to keep you in suspense for too long. I hoped you would at least enjoy the way here.”

Even if it was a little clumsy, her heart that was thinking of him was properly conveyed, so Sasha didn’t feel bad at all. He had been looking at her with such tense eyes as if the world was collapsing, and it turned out it was for this reason, so she laughed a little.

“I’ve already encountered monsters with you, and I know how you saved me back then. The strongest man in the Empire and probably the second strongest man are standing guard, so what’s there to be afraid of?”

She smiled even more brightly at Kyler, who was still blaming himself and had heavy eyes. She had just been trying to joke around because he seemed too serious, but maybe she had hit the nail on the head too much.

Knowing the reason why he had kept her away, Sasha didn’t touch him unnecessarily and quietly said as she sat down again nearby.

“Actually, I was thinking of asking you to let me talk to a monster one more time. Somehow, I keep thinking about the monster that was looking at me back then.”

In fact, Sasha had been wondering if she should ask to come to this forest again. For some reason, she couldn’t shake the thought that the monster had been trying to say something to her.

But she had been watching him suffer, thinking that he had put her in danger for his own selfishness, so she couldn’t bring up the story rashly.

She had wanted to talk about it, thinking that it might be worth experimenting with when they had done as much as they could about the monsters and there was no way out.

Besides that, she had been thinking that it would be nice if she had some use, and she was rather excited when she heard his words.

She had always had the thought that she should do something, having come to another world and receiving a comfortable life without any compensation, and even the love of a kind and handsome husband.

Rather than a pointless sense of debt, it was one natural feeling of wanting to give back as much as she received, and separately from that, one feeling of wanting to do something for the person she loved. That was it.

“There’s no need to worry so much. I will never take you in front of a monster.”

Well, he understood what that feeling was like. Because she also felt the same way about wanting to be helpful because of the feeling that she couldn’t put him in danger.

“Back then, when the monster came right in front of me, I was looking at Kyler. Kyler was gritting his teeth and coming incredibly fast from far away.”

She was too surprised to know it well back then, but the more she thought about it, the more strongly that face remained in her mind. Whenever she thought of that face, gritting his teeth and running as if he was going to die, her heart felt heavy and her eyes watered.

“What’s there to worry about when you’re right here next to me like this? And you even have your ears open like this.”

Sasha raised her hand and gently tucked his hair behind his ear. Kyler’s hardened face softened slightly at the touch that was almost touching but not quite.

She wanted him to carry it out with determination, just as he had brought her here with determination. He was even saying that he wouldn’t let her face the monsters, but he seemed worried.

“I’m definitely the only one who will ever know this side of you. You cherish the person you love like this, and you work hard at what you have to do. How wonderful.”

Sasha was just saying anything in front of him, who was tense. In fact, she wasn’t very good at handling people either. She was also a little awkward and clumsy in receiving this pure and straightforward love that Kyler gave her.

She didn’t know if she was controlling the things, she wanted to do for him well, but Kyler was running to the Emperor and threatening him to subjugate the monsters for her, and Sasha was volunteering to stand in front of the monsters to help him.

Rather, she was starting to think that they had met each other well because of that.

” I will protect you no matter what.”

“Of course. If Kyler doesn’t protect me, who will?”

Kyler couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at Sasha, who was deliberately acting more nonchalant.

She was a lovely woman because she stayed with him. That’s why he wanted to protect her even more safely.

So that danger would never come to her, who attracted monsters, and so that he, with his sensitive ears, wouldn’t hurt her because he couldn’t overcome the pain.

Even after becoming a Duke, he had never actively stepped forward to solve anything. Kyler, who had only faithfully done what was given to him, had decided to actively see something through to the end. His eyes became determined.

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