Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Derrick led me down the main street a good distance, then veered off onto a smaller, less populated road.

A few buildings dotted the sides of the path, and we passed them before coming to an incline, beyond which there was a thicket of trees and shrubbery. However, it was no wild pathway since I could see small, delicate lanterns lighting the trail at regular intervals. They dotted the path, shimmering lights blinking like fireflies. The trees and shrubbery were neat and arranged beautifully, as well—it was clear someone was tending to them lovingly. I frowned when my eyes found a small sign at the beginning of the path that clearly marked it as “East Hill.”

Why did suddenly bring me here? I’d heard of this place. It was a small trail that ran along one of the hills on the duke’s estate, a popular spot for the female and male protagonists to take a stroll in normal mode. I’d never actually gone on a date with any of the love interests in the time since I’d arrived in this world, of course, and this was my first time visiting the trail. The park was kept in splendid condition and was not open to the public. That meant commoners weren’t allowed access.

Wait, does he mean to stab me to death in there, where no one will see? The chilling thought caused me to freeze in my tracks just as I passed the sign.

“W-wait!” I said. Derrick turned his cold gaze on me.

“What?”

“Wh-why are we going up there?”

“Didn’t you say you wished to be punished? Just keep quiet and follow me.”

He resumed walking, expecting me to follow. We passed through the gate and onto the path going up the hill at a steady incline. I couldn’t change my mind now, not after I’d said I would accept any punishment without complaint earlier. Besides, I preferred not knowing what he would do if I refused to comply. Penelope’s weak body soon grew tired as I forced myself to continue. Even though we hadn’t gone all that far I was out of breath.

I had to follow at almost a run to keep up with Derrick, who was walking much too fast. I gasped for air, struggling to breathe through the mask as I wondered, Is he punishing me by forcing me to climb this hill? If that was the case, he truly was a cruel son of a b*tch. He didn’t even look back, the cold bastard, as he charged ahead with no consideration for the lady he was leaving behind. Soon, I couldn’t help but stop again.

“P-please, wait!” I gasped out.

“What now?” he demanded irritably, not slowing even a little. His bad mood frightened me, but I couldn't continue at this pace. The hem of my robe was already stained black from being dragged through the dirt.

“I... can’t keep up if you walk so fast,” I protested weakly. To be honest, I expected him to ignore me altogether, or snap something nasty at me in reply like he always did. Surprisingly, he slowed at my request, and as we continued to walk the distance between us stayed consistent. He had slowed to keep pace with me.

Is he okay? I wondered. I kept glancing up to confirm that “[Affection Score 13%]” continued to glow brightly, reassuringly, through the darkness. We trudged on in silence and eventually, a beautiful gazebo came into view in the distance. We’d finally reached the top of the hill. I peered inside and frowned at the cozy little space I found.

What the... I thought this was a popular spot for couples! I was sure the game had described it as a place for secret trysts, but there wasn’t anyone to be seen at that moment. I don’t want to be alone with him... Filled with despair, I trudged over to one of the benches. I was completely spent, and I desperately needed a break.

“Come over here,” Derrick said, dragging me away before I could sit down. It was only when we’d reached the very top of the hill that he came to a halt. “Look down.”

I did as I was told, resigned to my fate. I peered down. “Uh...” I gasped, my eyes growing wider and wider at the view that met my eyes.

The hill we’d climbed was deceptively simple in appearance but hosted a perfect view of the entire capital, including the beautiful lights of the festival. The streets were lit with colorful lanterns and large crowds flowed between the old buildings like waves. In normal mode, there hadn’t been a festival and in hard mode, I hadn’t been allowed anywhere near any festivities. Therefore, this magnificent view wasn’t one I’d ever seen before.

“Wow...” I murmured, dazzled. I hadn’t realized how beautiful it was when I’d been down there myself, walking the streets. I’d had no time to take notice of such things, busy as I was planning for any contingency and always looking over my shoulder. The same could be said about my life in the real world. I’d never had the time to stop and enjoy the view. But taking a step back and looking at the world like this...

Why does it feel so real? It was a strange feeling, and my heart pounded. This is just a scene from a video game... I was distracted from my racing thoughts when Derrick raised his hand, pointing.

“Look over there, Penelope.”

I stared at where he was pointing, a scene not far from the hill. It was a large street filled with people, and I could see two knights in silver armor running. “That’s...” A man was fleeing from them frantically, but before long he was caught. He couldn’t dodge through the crowd with half as much skill as the knights could, and they pinned him down easily. He was probably a pickpocket—they were commonly found at crowded events like this one. I guess people here are no different from those in the real world, I thought.

Derrick—who was also watching the knights—said, “Those pickpockets are nobodies. The capital becomes a hotbed of crime during the festival.”

“...”

“Worse things are no doubt happening out of sight. There was a murder at a pub on Hamilton Street yesterday, though I doubt you heard about it from your cozy room.”

Wait, was that an insult? I stared up at him in surprise, wondering why he was bringing this up all of a sudden.

“That’s what’s happening here despite being located only a few blocks away from the duke’s manor. What do you think happens in the merchant district, which is frequented almost entirely by criminals and mercenaries?” he continued. I realized that he was continuing the conversation we’d been having at the manor wall.

So, is he lecturing me, or making fun of me? Now all that was left was to figure out what his goal was, dragging me out here.

“Are you planning on mingling with those scumbags now, is that it?” he asked.

I had my answer. He was mocking me. Ugh. I shouldn’t have expected anything different from him.

I sighed and spoke after a long pause. “I swear... I’ve done nothing to tarnish the family name.”

“Our reputation isn’t something that you can control. Your actions have consequences, and those consequences affect our reputation,” he said.

“I was wearing the mask,” I shrugged. Derrick’s eyes were like shards of ice as he glared at me. “And if someone had been able to recognize you immediately as I did? More importantly, do you think those sorts of people will allow you to wear it for long after they find out you’re a girl?”

“I’m not a child, Lord Derrick,” I interrupted firmly. “I have behaved like a fool in the past, I’ll admit, but I’m not stupid enough to walk into trouble blindly these days.”

I was nervous about how he’d respond to this, but I wagered I would have had to address this sooner or later. Most of my conversations had been with the duke thus far, so I hadn’t really had occasion to speak with Derrick properly. Just like I had with Reynold, I would draw a line in the sand.

“You’re the daughter of a duke, not a pauper. And yet you chose to crawl around in the dirt and sneak about.”

“The reason I left without telling anyone today was...” I trailed off, trying to think of an excuse he would accept. I needed something that wasn’t overly complicated, and reasonable enough to satisfy Derrick, who was more finicky than his father. “I said that I’d stay out of your hair from now on, didn’t I? That’s what you wanted, right?”

“...”

“So, I left quietly, to avoid bothering anyone.” There. It was perfect. You told me to stay out of sight, so that’s what I did. However, maybe I’d misspoke since Derrick’s eyes only grew colder.

“And why did you visit the merchant district?” There was no end to his questioning. I felt a sudden wave of fatigue.

“Must you know even that?”

“It would be best if you just answered my question,” Derrick answered.

“I needed to find someone, so I commissioned an information guild.” I knew that insisting a lady had her secrets wasn’t going to work on anyone but Winter. I resisted the urge to sigh, mentally concocting an appropriate mix of fact and fiction. It was how I always handled Derrick. “Someone helped me at the palace. He lent me something and I lost it, so I wanted to send my apologies.”

Derrick’s endless questioning ceased abruptly, and I felt a rush of triumph. He knew I was talking about Winter’s handkerchief—the one he’d instructed Emily to throw away.