Side Story 1 Chapter 8

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As if I was running away from the ball which I hosted, I left the Dukedom’s castle without an escort. 

“Madam, where are you going?”

“A stroll.”

“Then I will–”

“Don’t try to follow me.” 

Oslo, who was loitering around the drawbridge, found me and had asked me in surprise, but he retreated with a flinch at my short and cold answer.

“Sorry. I’m not mad.”

Thinking that I had vented my anger at him, I bit my lip and crossed the drawbridge. 

‘I’m so annoyed!’

I knew that Dietrich was being childish just to tease me, however, I couldn’t help but keep getting angry. 

‘Why am I so upset?’

My reasoning that it wasn’t a big deal comforted me, but my emotions didn’t think of listening to my words at all.  

In the end, a dark red aura crept up and soon wrapped around my ankle. 

‘I’m really strange today.’

I felt pathetic for myself because I couldn’t control my emotions more than usual. And that made me angry even more.  

Entering a quiet alley, I turned to the tavern that Veronica often stopped by, hoping to eat something delicious and relax

“Are you lost?”

“You look like a precious lady from somewhere though~?”

Blocking my vision, I looked up at the owner of the arm propped against the wall. 

“How pretty. I’d like to hang out with this lady today.”

The other man next to him was grinning as he looked me up and down.

“Move.”

“Don’t want to though~?”

“It would be in your best interest if you move.”

“Wouldn’t it be better for the lady to play with us~?”

I frowned at the man’s dragging pronunciation.

“While we’re still speaking politely.”

Looking at the spittle clinging to their shaggy beards due to their poor self-management, they were men who were not in their right minds. 

“How are you going to play?”

Interpreting my question in their own way, the laughing men with similar faces as if they were twins reached their dark red hands towards me. 

“First, let’s go to that pub over there and have a drink…..”

Pak!

I slammed my fist into the chin of the man who was babbling nonsense. 

“Fine, let’s play.”

The sound of bones and flesh colliding made me feel refreshed inside.

“Wh-what was that~!”

“I said let’s play.”

I grabbed the man who was sitting on the floor and screaming at me with a flabbergasted face, pulled him up by the collar, and hit him again in the stomach. 

Pak!  Punch! Pak punch pak!

“Ack! Urgh!”  

Pak! Punch! Pak!”

“Urgh! Ack! I’m s-sorry! Ack!”

I glanced  back at the man who couldn’t think of rushing at me even though his friend was being beaten by me, who had pushed him against the wall so that he couldn’t run away.

The man whose eyes met with mine flinched and started to walk backwards. 

“Wh-why are you doing this?”

“Didn’t you say we’ll play? Why don’t you come here? Let’s play?”

“Why is this playing?”

“I play like this.”

“And I never asked to play with the lady though?”

He gave a shudder, pointing his finger at his friend who had collapsed after frothing.  

“No. I’m sure you asked me to play, too.”

I slowly approached him, throwing away his now fainted friend on the floor and making excuses. 

“I said come here.”

“I really said nothing. It was my friend who was trying to flirt with you.” 

Where did that sleazy tone from earlier go? Now, the man bowed to me in an extremely polite manner.

I flicked my forefinger as I watched his palm rubbing side to side like a fly.  

“Fine. I’ll beat you less so come here.”

“.......”

“If you run away, you’ll get ten more hits.”

“Hiic!”

The man hesitated to approach me at my warning. 

“Ack! Aaack!”

“If you make a fuss you’re going to get hit twenty more times.” 

“Urk, ugh! Hughhk!” 

I beat the skinny guy like a stick as well as his friend, and laid him down next to his friend who was stretched like a corpse. 

‘I need to take care of the security again. It’s near the Duke’s castle but I can’t believe these guys are acting like this.’

Wiping my bloodstained fists from the men on my dress, I stretched myself out and a familiar shadow appeared at the entrance of the alley. 

“Anissa.”

“..........”

“Anissa.”

Dietrich, seemingly frustrated, loosened his cravat with one hand and threw it back, blocking my way. 

“Move.”

I glared with my eyes as I held onto the firm arm blocking my view with both hands. 

“Listen to me.”

Dietrich, who met my eyes, whispered like a sigh.

It was a sweet voice as if asking me for a favor, but I didn’t want to hear it now. 

“I told you to move.”

“No.”

“Do you want to get beaten like those men?” 

Dietrich seemed to be taken aback at my threat as he smiled briefly and glanced at the men scattered on the floor. 

“Ha.”

He took a quick breath as if he had just run from the Duke’s castle to this place. 

“No. That’s not it.” 

Dietrich muttered softly and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

“Then don’t block my way.” 

I stared at his neat forehead, which I could clearly see thanks to my head tilting up, and leaned down to pass under his arm. 

Grab. 

But I couldn’t completely get out because he grabbed my arm again. 

“I said don’t stop me.”

“Are you…very much angry?”

“Yes.”

Dietrich sighed a little longer at my firm answer. 

“I was in the wrong.” 

As I raised my head at the whisper-like voice, he opened his mouth again, looking somewhat intimidated. 

“I made a mistake.” 

Dietrich was looking at my face with his eyes down like the triplets who once caused an accident. 

“What did you do wrong?” 

“I didn’t consider your feelings.” 

“...........”

“..........?”

“Hing.”

Looking at his figure, I didn’t know why I’m this sad. 

“Wh-why are you crying?” 

“Kuu, hic! I’m not…crying!”

Tears that not my will could stop fell down to my feet. 

“Don’t cry. I’m sorry.” 

“.....Kughhh.” 

“I’m sorry, all right?” 

Dietrich began to soothe me with a restless bewildered face.

Soon, his large hand covered my wet eyes. 

I stomped my feet in the dark in an instant. 

“You seriously annoy me!” 

“Yes, I’m annoying.” 

“You’re ugly!”

“That’s right, I’m ugly.” 

No you’re not! 

I removed Dietrich’s hand as he calmly repeated my words and examined his face. 

‘Because I was this angry I thought he’d look at least a little ugly.’

Damn it.

It was a rage that was sure to burn up to the top of my head and explode like a volcano, but my heart was melting little by little because the target was so handsome. 

‘I still have no thoughts of releasing my anger yet!’ 

I glanced at his solid outline reflected in his shirt, soaked in sweat and my tears, and wanted to hit the ground in resentment. 

“Have you calmed down now?” Dietrich asked, wiping away the tears clinging to my eyelashes with his long index finger. 

“......hm.”

At my hesitant answer, he lifted me up and placed me on a low wall, and then stared up at me from below. 

Dark red eyes that were always indifferent and cold but were kind only to me, began to carefully examine my face. 

“What? What are you looking at?”

“You’re pretty.” 

“Don’t look! It’s my face!” 

Dietrich clicked his tongue at my grumpy outburst and then smirked. 

“Will it wear out?” 

“Yeah, it’ll wear out.” 

He didn’t take his eyes off my face even though I answered primly. As if to soothe me, he lightly patted the back of my hand and opened his mouth. 

“Now, tell me why you’re so angry.”  

“I told you because you’re annoying.”

“Being annoyed means being jealous.”

“.........”

“Didn’t you tell me you weren’t the type to get jealous?”

“A p-person originally…”

“Originally?”

“Can say two things at a time!”

How could one live and keep only to one’s words that had been said? 

That’s impossible! 

I shook my head side to side and sighed, completely forgetting the me of yesterday – no, to forget the me of yesterday. 

“I’m glad.”

Dietrich, who was still looking at my shameless face, laughed with a loud sound. 

He lifted my hand resting lightly on my lap and kissed it. 

“......What are you glad about?” 

I held my breath for a moment at the beauty of the yellow light from the streetlights pooling on his delicate eyelashes. 

“I had thought that I’m no longer attractive to you.” 

“...........” 

“I was so anxious that my stomach burned.” 

I touched Dietrich’s hair, which was in a good position to stroke, as he added slowly. 

The black, curly hair that slipped gently through my finger glowed blue as if dawn had fallen. 

“By the way, how did you find this place?”

“Oslo came running, loathing that you had lowered the bridge yourself.” 

“......So, you followed me?”

“Yeah.” 

I tilted my head, feeling uncomfortable at Dietrich’s nonchalant answer. 

“You must have been behind me when those men flirted with me then?” 

His chin twitched slightly at my question. 

I put on a smile at his dismissive face. 

“Then why did you not step in?” 

“It looked like you needed a place to vent your anger.”

“......Oh?”

“You looked like you were having fun.”

If Oslo had seen it, he would have admired her, saying that she was indeed Lagrange’s mistress, Dietrich added quietly. 

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