Huh, alright. Push me away. I'll just approach again. His refreshing aura made all his actions forgivable.
[Mom, dad really gets along well with you, doesn't he?]
"Huh?"
[Do you want to get out of here?]
The child who had been giggling approached with a completely blank expression. Had he given up pretending to be human?
The floating child brought his face close.
[Shall we play hide-and-seek?]
Suddenly?
[You know what? If you find us, we'll let you out.]
"Really?"
Her eyes lit up at the mention of getting out.
[Yes! We don't lie.]
It didn't matter whether it was really a ghost or not. It could be the clue to the exit she and Noel had been searching for so many times.
I can get out of this godforsaken place!
[Then we'll hide! One~ Two~]
The child's voice faded away as it disappeared into the mist. After counting to ten and no longer hearing the child's voice, Diana grabbed his sleeve.
"Let's go."
She compromised with the sleeve since he seemed to dislike being touched. Just being near him made her feel good.
"What are you trying to do?"
"We have to play hide-and-seek, right?"
"Why?"
"Because we need to get out?"
They advanced through the misty corridor, engaging in pointless question and answer. He wasn't friendly, but he wasn't bad as a conversation partner.
At least it was better than walking alone through this silent corridor.
Despite the short visibility, Rodrick strode forward as if he could see clearly ahead.
The traps were still there, but even when magic activated, no teleportation circles or monsters appeared.
Weapons like arrows or maces did rain down, but Rodrick deflected them all as if they were trivial.
As she pushed through the mist, she had to admit. He was the best shield and cure.
'It's not something to say about a person, but this man is really useful.'
Now I need to appeal my usefulness to this man too.
She followed Rodrick with small steps, rolling her pink eyes.
Thanks to Rodrick, her strength returned and her narrowed vision widened. Enough to sense the child's magic that had disappeared into the mist.
It's scary when ghosts don't actually exist. If they have magic like this, there's no need to be afraid anymore.
Find the child quickly and escape this castle somehow. And then return home! Diana clenched her fist, steeling her resolve.
As a bonus, she plans to seduce this man. Though cliché, should she go for the typical contract marriage?
It is the orthodox way to have plenty of skinship, but...
Well, let's think from his perspective.
What if a strange man suddenly clings and begs for help? Hmm, creepy.
"..."
It would really be unpleasant.
Haha. I was wrong. After some self-reflection, Diana glanced at Rodrick.
No emotion could be read from his sculptured face.
Still, if we exchange words slowly, wouldn't he grant permission?
How should I break this man's icy wall? Rodrick walked straight ahead without even glancing at Diana. Conversations didn't last long either.
Becoming close is the priority, but neither he nor she had time.
The life of an extra with a time limit was like a candle in the wind. In a life that could be extinguished at any moment, is there time to measure this and that? Now that such an excellent cure has appeared, she felt impatient. Should I just pounce on him?
"Be careful."
As she was walking through the mist, focusing only on what was ahead, suddenly the ground beneath her feet gave way.
She looked down at the ground below, held up by Rodrick's arm. She had nearly tumbled down the stairs.
"Th-thank you."
Rodrick looked down at her indifferently, then descended the stairs with her dangling from his side.
"No! Wait a moment. Your Grace! Put me down."
Rodrick ignored her words and continued descending the stairs level by level.
"Princess, since you've caught my eye, I'll guide you to the edge of the Black Forest."
Diana's struggling movements stopped. She looked up at Rodrick as if surprised.
Though her sparkling pink eyes, expecting something, were bothersome, he spoke calmly.
"So stay still. It would be troublesome if you get hurt and the Beatus family demands compensation."
"Um. Excuse me. Your Grace? Young Master?"
He slightly furrowed his brow at the inconsistent forms of address.
"You can call me Rodrick."
"Um, then please call me Diana too."
"That's up to me. Princess."
Tch. Diana pouted and looked into the hazy mist, obediently offering her waist.
"You know, Rodrick. Since we've met like this, it's fate. Can't we go to the capital together?"
"I have something to do in the Black Forest. I won't leave until I complete my mission. One of my subordinates will guide you. If you want, I'll order them to escort you to the capital."
No, what's the point of going with his subordinate? I'm likely to die before even reaching home. How can I stay with this man?
"What's that mission?"
"It's a family secret, so I can't tell you."
"Ah, I see."
Such an iron wall of a man. Having descended the stairs and put her down, Rodrick shifted his gaze to the hand axe hanging at her waist.
"Do you need this?"
"Can I borrow it for a moment?"
When did we arrive at the entrance hall? She looked up at the huge door behind him. It's useless to strike that down.
Clang-!
As she expected, the hand axe he held bounced off due to the barrier. Rodrick seemed to measure something, then swung around the entrance hall that wasn't even visible through the mist.
"Rodrick, where are you going?"
Without a word, he disappeared and came back with an enormous axe as big as his body. Where on earth did he get such a weapon from? He easily lifted the massive axe.
"Step back. Princess."
"What?"
"Dodge on your own."
With that brief warning, Rodrick swung the axe at the entrance door with all his might.
Thud!
"No, it's useless because of the barrier!"
Thud!
"I've tried it! I've already tried it, I tell you!"
Thud!
"Rodrick!"
Let's just find the child first, this man! What's going on with this hide-and-seek?
As she tried to stop him, worried he might get hurt, the thumping noise gradually changed to something different.
Whoosh-
A strong wind blew as he swung the axe, clearing the mist, and
Crash!
What she thought was the door crumbled down, revealing the outside clearly.
"Huh?"
"Commander?"
Who would be the most surprised here?
Would it be the knights who were about to bite into meat in front of a bonfire at the boundary between inside and outside? Or would it be Diana, whose mouth was gaping open in shock?
Search "seduce" at redcatty [.] com to read ahead up to chap 70.