Looking for a Husband to Confine Me - Chapter 37.1
Chapter 37.1
I slowly blinked, my gaze fixed on Damian’s dark eyes as if I were in a trance. Suddenly, I noticed Bashar frowning behind him. “D-Did that person just say what I think he said?” He was probably more bewildered than I was, a sudden romance unfolding right before his eyes.
If only this were a sweet moment where we could whisper sweet nothings to each other. The reality, however, was far from ideal: monsters and beasts swarmed outside, Pazl roamed the hallways with his sinister plans, and I was hiding in a bedroom with a prince struggling to maintain his composure. Damian had to know this. Why would he joke around in such a situation? Dozens of thoughts raced through my mind in a matter of seconds.
“Amelia?” Damian tilted his head when I simply stared at him, speechless. If it weren’t for that handsome face, I might have snapped at him to stop the nonsense. “…You didn’t have a drink on your way here, did you?” I asked suspiciously, though I couldn’t smell any alcohol on him.
“Of course not. Even I wouldn’t wander around drunk on a day like this,” Damian replied, feigning hurt.
“Then why are you making such strange jokes?”
“Strange jokes?”
“Saying you came all this way for me…”
“I wasn’t joking.”
“….”
I was momentarily speechless. He meant it? I forced myself to shake off the shock that gripped me, recalling his words and trying to piece together his arrival. “I heard you were with the other knights when you entered the darkened mansion. Did you perhaps meet Captain Ray and His Highness Haroon in the gardens?”
I had to be on high alert when talking to Damian. If I let my guard down, the conversation would always flow in his direction. It was impossible to tell what was sincere and what was a jest just by listening.
“And after noticing His Highness Bashar wasn’t with Haroon, you came here? You must have guessed he’d head for the sanctuary where the monsters can’t approach.”
As I calmly pieced together the situation, Damian clicked his tongue, his expression full of displeasure. “How boring.” Despite his words, a faint smile played on his lips.
“You could’ve just said you came looking for His Highness Bashar. Why lie?”
“It’s not entirely a lie. I came after hearing you were with him.”
“….”
“So, it’s also not a lie that I came for you.” Damian smiled, a beautiful, innocent smile, as if he had done nothing wrong.
“…Surely not.” Bashar, who had been silent until now, his face etched with astonishment, finally spoke. His gaze, fixed on Damian and me, was hardened. “I didn’t realize you two were lovers.”
“…Your Highness?”
“Yes, you were together that day as well.” Lovers? Damian and I? I was so surprised that I questioned him, but Bashar was already lost in his own thoughts, muttering to himself. He was probably recalling the banquet where the poisoning took place. That day, I was only coincidentally involved with Damian, but after hearing him say he came for me, Bashar seemed to have developed a strange misunderstanding.
“Your Highness, that’s not…”
“We’re quite close.” Damian interjected, a playful smile on his face as he laced his fingers through mine and raised our joined hands. Bashar’s frown deepened as he stared at us. My head began to throb.
‘Meeting Damian is… nice. Nice, but…’
Damian being in the sanctuary meant other knights had also arrived at the mansion, so the situation with the monsters would soon be resolved. While this eased my mind, his presence was making things increasingly complicated.
‘This isn’t the important thing right now…!’
The conversation kept getting sidetracked, and it was all because of Damian. I sighed, pressing my free hand to my forehead. A reassuring yet chaotic presence—the more I met Damian Ditronyl, the less I understood him.
“First, alright. The monsters and beasts outside are being dealt with, right?” I decided to explain my relationship with Damian later. The more I tried to defend myself, the more smug he would become. It wasn’t that important anyway.
“Yes, both Haroon and your brother are safe.”
“That’s… good. Isn’t it, Your Highness?” I said, looking at Bashar. He was still staring at my hand intertwined with Damian’s. As if snapping back to reality at my question, he belatedly replied, “Yes.”
The number of beasts visible through the window had decreased, likely thanks to the arrival of the other knights.
“Then all that’s left is to deal with Pazl, who must be searching for Your Highness in the hallways.”
“Hmm, Pazl is here?” Damian tapped his fingernails on the back of my hand, not hard enough to cause pain, but just enough to be noticeable.
“Yes. He probably got in through the knight who’s colluding with him. And he’s spreading a black, foul-smelling oil…”
