ASDEF 05

Chapter 05

I had only slightly referenced the original story to get out of a tight spot, but I never imagined it would cause another problem.

Still, it was a good thing I knew about the Benson family beforehand. If it had been any other woman, she would have been stripped bare and left for dead on the spot!

If anything, they should be praising me and giving me a generous bonus.

‘I’m not even hoping for a bonus. How am I going to dodge that suspicion again?’

“You look rather displeased.”

Seeing me deep in thought, Daniel urged me on, and I forced the corners of my mouth up so hard it almost cramped, hastily spitting out an answer.

“I-It’s not that… who in Plithium doesn’t know the Benson family? You’re… you’re famous. Haha.”

“You deduced all of this from rumors?”

“W-Well, Your Grace is such a legendary figure! Of course I know the stories of how you won victory after victory in the rough borderlands! Everyone’s bound to be curious about the Benson family’s affairs…”

“Do you really think that makes sense? Do you honestly believe that street gossip includes the conflict between me and my father?”

At his chilling tone, an instant silence fell over the carriage.

‘That’s… actually, I’m a possessor.’

I wanted to say that, but the image of the magical flames I had witnessed inside this very carriage flashed through my mind, snapping me back to my senses.

If I died here, it would probably be recorded in a corner of a page in the novel like this:

**”Daniel’s violent nature did not end there. In an instant, he burned a ‘person’ to death without a trace. Blah blah~”**

I decided to cast a defensive spell, just in case he attacked me with magic.

There was nothing else to it—I put my hands together, relying on the incredibly slim hope that I might miraculously manifest magic, and muttered the first word that came to mind, ‘Fireball,’ in various accents.

“Fireball. Fireba~ll. Fireball! Fire…”

As I muttered to myself, Daniel’s brow across from me furrowed deeply.

“What are you trying to do now? Since you’re not answering, were you really digging into my background after all?”

“…?”

“Just because you’re keeping your mouth shut doesn’t mean I won’t…”

“Ah!”

At his menacing gaze, I unconsciously shouted out the defensive spell.

I quickly clamped my mouth shut, but a crooked sneer was already etched at the corner of Daniel’s lips.

“…Ah? Did you just say ‘Ah’?”

“S-Sir, no, Young Master. It’s not that…”

“You don’t want to go back alive, do you?”

At the renewed threat of death, my mind went blank.

No, but I really did well today! Who else could put on such a brilliant performance with no information, and even while hiding their identity?

So why are you trying to kill me? What did I do wrong!

But voicing these feelings would only shorten my life.

The cold air kept making my body shrink. I slowly inched my way to the farthest corner and looked out the window.

No matter how much I thought about it, I seemed to have only one option left.

The final resort. Jumping out of the carriage rather than being burned to death by that hand.

Surely tumbling around would be less painful than the agony of being engulfed in flames.

As the old saying goes, dying without pain is a blessing too.

Just as I was shifting my weight, the carriage suddenly jolted, as if it had hit an obstacle. My body, which had been leaning toward the door, lost its balance and flailed.

“Aaah!”

The coachman managed to stop the carriage, and I tumbled forward.

Right into the arms of a wide-eyed Daniel.

Normally, I never quite understood the scenes in novels where the female lead loses her balance and falls into the male lead’s arms. They usually use it to signify falling in love.

*’Oh my, I’m so sorry.’*

*’Say no more. It was like a butterfly flying into my arms—an ecstatic and overwhelming feeling.’*

*’…Pardon?’*

*’The moment you fell into my arms, I knew at once. That you were my destiny.’*

*’Young Master…’*

Just like that.

As I kept my eyes tightly shut, lost in my imagination, someone tapped on my head.

I cautiously opened my eyes to see Daniel smiling like sunshine with crescent-shaped eyes… No, not that. Instead, I saw the villain, his face all scrunched up as if to say, ‘What are you playing at?’

“What are you trying to do now?”

Daniel twisted his face in all sorts of expressions and looked down. Following his gaze, I too looked down involuntarily.

“Gasp!”

What I had been clinging to for balance wasn’t the carriage, but his body.

Is this really a man’s body?

“Can you let go of that right now?!”

His face flushed completely red. I quickly pulled away from his arms.

Wh-What do I do in a situation like this! They’re not going to execute me on the spot for lèse-majesté, are they?

No, no matter the class gap between commoners and nobles, this is a society that punishes people for indiscriminately killing others. If I appeal that it was an unavoidable accident…

Just then, the coachman opened the carriage door and checked on both of us.

“Young Master, Miss, are you alright?”

“…Well, as you can see.”

Daniel’s expression soured, and the coachman’s face turned pale.

“Another carriage came speeding from the opposite direction, and in trying to avoid it, I accidentally hit an obstacle. Please forgive me!”

“A coachman can be replaced easily enough, but I’m not satisfied with letting your offense end there.”

“Eh…? Wh-What do you mean by that? P-Please forgive me just this once! If not for me, my remaining family will starve to death. I beg of you, considering our past ties, Young Master!”

The coachman knelt in front of the carriage and pleaded with his hands clasped together.

Daniel was already in a foul mood because of my earlier actions. He seemed intent on taking it out on the poor coachman.

In all fairness, the carriage was rickety enough to be jostled by a small pebble on the road, and it truly was an unforeseen accident.

How can a human possibly anticipate and prepare for everything? The punishment awaiting him was far too harsh for such a minor offense.

He really is a villain for a reason. He’s exceptionally good at threats and intimidation, as he’s shown before.

I racked my brains for the poor coachman’s sake. Even though I might never see him again, I didn’t want him to lose his job because of me.

I flashed Daniel the warmest smile I could muster and spoke gently.

“Young Master, don’t be angry at the coachman. I’m fine.”

Daniel’s fierce gaze shifted from the coachman to me.

Meeting his eyes, fear surged up instantly, but I managed to keep my smile and placed my hand on his.

“Thanks to him, we got to have some quality time together, didn’t we?”

At my sly choice of words, Daniel’s eyes trembled slightly.

I turned my head.

“Don’t worry. For my sake, you’ll forgive him.”

“Th-Thank you! Miss!”

The coachman bowed his head repeatedly, grateful for my words.

I quickly sent the coachman back to his seat to smooth over the atmosphere.

Daniel raised an eyebrow, apparently incredulous at my behavior.

“Why are you handling my servant as you please?”

“I’m sorry. But today is the day you introduced your beloved to your family, isn’t it? On a day like this, wouldn’t you want to be in a good mood all day long…”

“What?”

“If you fire the coachman for no reason, word of this will eventually reach the Duke’s ears. Wouldn’t forgiving the coachman be a better way to make today’s gathering shine in the long run?”

As I spoke, I habitually lowered my eyes slightly. I also swallowed a dry gulp.

‘Is he annoyed? He’s not going to burn me to death because of the coachman, is he…’

Unable to contain my curiosity, I glanced sideways.

But then, something unexpected happened. Daniel’s harsh expression had softened. As if my words had actually persuaded him.

I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again. The atmosphere felt like my opinion was being respected, and my mood lifted along with it.

Just then, through the window, I could see a train station in the distance. It seemed like a good time to part ways with Daniel.

The moment I turned my gaze back to Daniel, our eyes met. I could clearly see his softened face stiffen again.