TNMN 06

Chapter 06

Alosha widened her eyes dramatically as she spoke, throwing in groans like “Oh, my aching body,” and “I’m dying here,” between sentences to establish dominance from the very beginning.

“I apologize.”

“Don’t you know that when a carriage turns a corner, it’s supposed to slow down? And that the driver has a duty to watch the road and protect pedestrians?”

She had no idea whether such traffic laws existed in this world, but people were people everywhere. Surely the same basic rules applied even in a created world, so Alosha pushed forward confidently.

“Regrettably, your carriage was also stopped right in the middle of a major road, so—”

“So what? You’re saying that after nearly turning one carriage and four people into corpses, your side bears no responsibility whatsoever?”

“W-What are you talking about? Corpses? The carriages merely bumped into each other a little. You’re exaggerating.”

“Exaggerating? Can’t you see my people suffering right now?”

As Alosha shouted and pointed toward her carriage, the maid and coachman—who had been standing perfectly fine moments ago—simultaneously collapsed to the ground and began rolling around dramatically.

“Heidi! Are you alright?”

“Oh, Sir Knight… this is so unfair! My parents died when I was young, and I have five younger siblings depending on me… Am I going to die like this?”

“Ohhh, I’m dying! I have a wife and children to support, and now the carriage is broken and my whole body hurts—what am I supposed to dooooo?”

The loyal servants of House Nocturne immediately launched into full method acting at a single word from Alosha, looking as though they might perish at any moment.

“But you were all standing perfectly fine just a second ago!”

“So what are you going to do about this? What are you going to do?!”

“…”

Faced with Alosha’s murderous glare, the man began sweating profusely.

‘Of all the people to get into an accident with, it had to be a bunch of lunatics like these…’

He had heard rumors that swindlers in the Empire sometimes deliberately caused carriage accidents or threw themselves onto the ground afterward to extort compensation. Coughing awkwardly several times, he glanced toward the black carriage behind him.

The thing he feared most was neither the furious young woman before him nor the accident itself.

It was the person sitting inside that carriage.

‘Damn it. If I waste any more time here, I’m going to lose my head.’

Arwen felt that today was truly cursed.

That morning, when he stepped outside to collect the newspaper, a black cat had crossed directly in front of him, stopped, made eye contact, and meowed.

Then, on his way to work, a crow had cawed unusually loudly overhead. When he looked up, bird droppings fell straight toward him. He had rushed home to change clothes, only to discover he was wearing mismatched socks and had forgotten important documents.

‘Those were all omens…’

If the superior he was escorting today hadn’t needed to visit the Order of Knights, he would have wanted to take the day off.

And now this disaster had happened.

Worse, the people in the damaged carriage looked ready to squeeze every possible coin out of the situation.

Sweating heavily, Arwen bowed repeatedly before the apparent con artists.

“First of all, we happen to be in a hurry—”

“What?! You think you’re the only ones in a hurry? We were in a huge hurry too! Are you trying to run away?”

“Run away? Of course not! I merely meant that you should receive treatment first and then send us the bill.”

“…”

“H-Here, let me give you my card.”

Arwen handed Alosha a personal card that he normally never gave to strangers.

“Baron Arwen Swyler?”

“Yes. You’ve heard of me, haven’t you? I’m a trustworthy man.”

Who?

Maybe he was someone famous in this world, judging by the way he expected recognition from his name alone.

But he meant nothing to Alosha.

“So you’re saying I should overlook everything this once because of your name?”

“I would be grateful if you did. Otherwise, please send the invoice to House Swyler later. I’m currently escorting a very important person, so I can’t remain stuck on the roadside any longer.”

Even while speaking, Arwen kept glancing nervously at the black carriage behind him.

‘Wait a second. They caused a major accident, and not only is the passenger refusing to come out, they’re planning to leave without even apologizing?’

Her carriage had been smashed badly enough that she might spend the rest of her life worrying about aching bones whenever it rained.

Alosha didn’t care how important the person inside was.

She could not let this go.

“Ohhh, so we’re not important people?”

“My Lady, please, why are you doing this? W-Wait, where are you going?!”

“Where am I going? You said someone important is inside that carriage, didn’t you? Let’s see just how precious their face is!”

“My Lady! Please calm down!”

Anyone who remained seated after such a serious accident had to be someone of extremely high status.

Alosha marched over and flung open the firmly closed carriage door.

Then, in a voice louder than a fighter jet taking off, she shouted:

“Hey! Get out here right now!”

The rebellious spirit buried deep within every Korean seemed to awaken at that moment. Even after transmigrating into another world and another character’s body, that defiant DNA had not disappeared.

“…Who?”

Opening the door so boldly had felt great.

But the instant she saw the man inside, Alosha lost the ability to speak.

Silver hair that seemed to glow even in the darkness.

Violet eyes colder than ice.

And a beauty so unreal that he barely seemed human.

His pale skin looked as though it reflected light itself, and his red lips seemed made for kisses.

And those broad shoulders—

That wild, powerful physique visible even through his clothes—

‘Damn it. I can’t stay angry.’

People said handsome men seemed to shine.

If that were true, then this man’s face must have contained xenon, element 54 of the periodic table—the gas used to produce some of the brightest artificial light known to humanity.

Alosha knew exactly what kind of character this was.

“The Grand Duke of the North…”

“What?”

In romance fantasy novels, the Grand Duke of the North appeared with an eighty-seven percent probability and was almost always male-lead material. Black hair was the standard, but occasionally a rare and beautiful silver-haired specimen appeared like this.

Alosha stared at him in a daze.

He frowned slightly.

Even that expression was handsome.

“You burst into someone’s carriage, shout nonsense, and now stare blankly. Did the accident damage your head?”

If his face and body were already unfair, his voice should at least have been disappointing.

Instead, his deep, resonant voice sounded like it came from the center of a cavern, vibrating directly through her heart.

“More… Please say something else.”

“What?”

Even his baffled expression made her heart burn hotter.

Her pulse thundered.

Bells rang in her ears.

Her chest felt so full she might cry.

‘I’m done for! I’ve completely fallen for him. To think I’d encounter fate here!’

She had never given her heart easily, not even to celebrities praised across Korea or the rest of the world.

Yet in this entirely different world, someone had stolen it in an instant.

This was the legendary otaku-love-at-first-sight accident that everyone supposedly experienced once in their life.

“My Lady! What on earth are you doing?!”

Arwen roared from outside and yanked Alosha back out of the carriage, snapping her back to reality.

Desperately, she stretched her arm toward the man.

“W-Wait! At least tell me your name!”

Ignoring her plea, Arwen slammed the carriage door shut and scowled fiercely.

“…In any case, if there are any problems, contact us through the information on that card. We’ll be leaving now.”

As the carriage hurried away, Alosha shouted after it with all her strength.

“Don’t go! Talk to me a little longer!!”

It had been a brief encounter, and the circumstances had been anything but romantic.

But in that moment, Alosha’s heart had truly burned with excitement.

Spring had arrived.

“Don’t leave me, my husband!!!!!”

Meanwhile, inside the carriage that had unknowingly ignited the flames in Alosha’s heart, a heavy silence lingered.

Even as the carriage rolled away, the cry of “Don’t leave me, my husband!!!!” could still be heard faintly behind them.

Arwen swallowed hard.

That woman was unquestionably insane.

“I sincerely apologize for exposing you to such an unpleasant incident, Duke Whistler.”

Sweating profusely, Arwen bowed deeply to the man seated across from him.

“…”

“Are you injured anywhere? O-Of course, someone as mighty as Duke Whistler wouldn’t be harmed by a mere carriage collision, but I felt I should ask just in case.”

The Duke remained silent while Arwen rambled nervously.

Resting his chin on one hand, Whistler gazed out the window.

“May I continue the report from earlier?”

“…Continue.”

“The spy we planted within the Imperial Palace reports that Count Targi has been in contact with someone connected to the Emperor.”

“A rat-like bastard.”

So the man who had embezzled money intended to betray them as well.

“How shall we handle it?”

“Wasn’t the one who lent money to Count Targi the Auclair Merchant Guild? Contact the guild master. Demand immediate repayment of all outstanding debts. If he cannot pay, charge forty-five percent interest per day. Then find out whom he seeks help from and tear out their roots as well.”

“Understood.”

“After that, kill every member of Count Targi’s household, set the estate on fire, and burn it all to the ground. It will serve as a useful example of what happens to those who betray me.”

At a single sentence from Duke Whistler, Arwen lowered his head and trembled violently.