I Thought I Was the Monster Duke's Fake Tranquilizer - Chapter 7
Lucy patted the man’s chest plate with a cheerful grin.
“And on top of that, to catch a fragile, feather-light lady who fell from a tree like this… You’re an incredibly kind person.”
“…”
“Now… would you mind putting me down?”
Hearing this, Edward silently cocked his head.
‘What is this?’
The grimy, small woman was emaciated, as if she hadn’t eaten in ages.
And yet, despite facing himâthe man others feared and reveredâshe showed not a trace of terror.
That wasn’t all.
When had she ever met him before? She rolled her large eyes and chattered at him as if they were old friends. It was utterly absurd.
But what made Edward go rigid above all else was…
‘…It stopped.’
His body, which had been thrashing on the verge of a rampage, had gone still.
To be precise…
The places where this woman was touching him were growing subtly, minutely calm.
‘It’s quiet.’
The power that had been clamoring wildly was dying down. A sense of ease settled over him.
The migraines that always crushed his skull, the scales that had pressed up all over his bodyâthey slowly subsided.
More than anything, this feeling.
‘It feels as though I’ve gotten my body back. Whole.’
If he were to receive a proper purification.
If he were to take Sepina’s purification, strip away every last trace of that crawling-insect sensation, and leave only the pure essence, this was exactly how it would feel.
Refreshed and utterly unfamiliar with the sensation, Edward looked down at the woman in his arms.
‘A small, malnourished thing like a little animal.’
White, tiny, soft. Testing the waters, watching his every move. Black eyes…
“…Like a mouse.”
“Pardon?”
At the words that came out of nowhere, Lucy narrowed her eyes.
What?
‘Not even a squirrel.’
Just something along the lines of “like a little rat”?
Of course, she couldn’t deny she probably looked the part…
‘But who says something like that to someone they’ve just met?’
She couldn’t help but marvel. A personality so splendid, it seemed as though someone had fed all his social skills to a dog.
‘Still, I guess it’s better than being called a parasite, like back at the shelter.’
And for all his words and the murderous aura he exuded, she wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d flung her aside at once. Yet here he was, still holding her. That was surprising too.
‘No, if anything…’
…Was he holding her just a little tighter than before?
The warm breastplate drew closer. She had just thought that the man’s eyes seemed somehow drowsy, whenâ
“…Duke Edward!”
At the cry that rang out from behind, Lucy’s body went rigid.
‘Temple guards!’
Of course, that alone was enough to make her jump, but…
‘Wait.’
Duke Edward?
Lucy found herself staring into those blazing red eyes once more.
The familiar name. The ominous atmosphere. She swallowed hard.
‘Then this is…’
The male lead!
‘I… didn’t… know…’
True, the armor he wore was absurdly ornate and gleaming.
And his red eyes were like rubies. She had thought them oddly beautiful.
But to think that was the reason⌠because he was the male lead…
‘Of all people!’
Normally, if you met the male lead like this, there were supposed to be sparkles and flowers floating around. You were supposed to feel relieved, as if you’d met your savior…
But her tension only spiked.
‘What if I end up killed by the male lead before I even get caught by the temple?’
This male lead was a son of aâ no, a complete bastard who saw anyone who wasn’t his mate as trash.
‘In the original story, he didn’t even like touching Sepina.’
Though it was hilarious that he still slept with her regularly, despite that.
In any case, he could very well be utterly disgusted right now, being in contact with Lucy.
Perhaps that was why.
She didn’t sense any flowers in the airâonly a thick, suffocating bloodlust.
‘What do I do.’
Lucy curled up, her heart pounding with anxiety.
Clank, clank.
Even as she panicked, the sound of the approaching soldiers’ footsteps drew nearer from behind.
“Your Grace. May we have a word?”
“…”
“A prison… A sinner of the temple has escaped.”
Hearing the soldier’s words, Edward cocked his head once more.
‘A sinner.’
The moment those words were spoken, the woman in his arms went rigid.
She was most likely that sinner.
It made sense. What she was wearing looked like some filthy scrap of sackcloth…
“…”
Having thought that far, Edward studied the woman a little more closely.
Gaunt, as if she hadn’t eaten in ages. Her grimy appearance, her clothes torn all over.
And the wounds on her wrists, as if blood had been drawn, and the injection marks scattered here and there.
This was less a sinner and more…
“Your Grace?”
“…”
“Our deepest apologies, but if it’s not too much trouble, might we see the face of the lady you’re holding…”
As the soldier spoke and reached out his handâ
Smack!
A sharp sound rang out, and the soldier was sent staggering back.
The back of his hand, where he’d been struck, swelled up as if it had been slammed by a pot lid.
“…”
The soldier’s bewildered eyes rolled toward Edward.
“Y-Your Grace?”
“It is too much trouble.”
“…Pardon?”
“I said it’s too much trouble.”
Lucy and the soldier looked up at Edward at the same time.
