~CMWDD 03~
Chapter 3
Olentia was so startled that she swayed briefly inside the carriage before finally managing to sit across from the man and catch her breath.
“Ha… I’m sorry. I startled you suddenly, didn’t I?”
“Yes. More than startled—I thought a wild buffalo had come charging in.”
As expected, his way of speaking was still harsh.
‘A moment ago, he definitely called me a rabbit!’
Olentia frowned slightly, then forced the corners of her mouth up. She needed at least a polite smile. After all, he had helped her.
And unlike the first time she saw him, he now seemed to exude a somewhat gentle aura.
“Phew! I ran into some street thugs just now, so I dashed like a buffalo. Anyway, thank you very much for your help.”
She curved her eyes like half-moons and flailed her arms, mimicking the act of running into them. To him, she would probably just be another forgettable face or a buffalo charging through the street the next day, so it didn’t matter. In any case, it was a relief to have avoided encountering those street thugs directly.
But she couldn’t keep riding in this carriage forever. She had no idea where the man was heading.
Olentia, noticing they hadn’t gone far from the thugs, spoke first.
“I’ll get off here.”
She widened her eyes and looked at him, but the man ignored her words, arms still crossed.
“Excuse me?”
Not wanting to get angry at someone who had helped her, she spoke as politely as she could.
He then uncrossed his arms, drew the curtain aside, and looked out the window.
“Why don’t you have a bodyguard?”
‘Why bring that up now?’
“Circumstances…”
“If a lady doesn’t know much about the world, a bodyguard is even more necessary.”
He had touched on a sensitive issue, and she immediately felt a surge of irritation.
“Why do you speak like that? What business is it of yours?”
“The men… you know, the ones wearing satin suits that follow you around—do you know who they are?”
“No!”
“They’re the ones who pretend to hire you as theater actors but are really traffickers. Outwardly they seem proper, even polite, but inside? They’re absolutely vile.”
Human traffickers… She had suspected something was off, but it was far more dangerous than she thought.
‘I could’ve been in serious trouble.’
Olentia bit her lower lip and exhaled sharply. She wanted to calm herself, but her body trembled uncontrollably.
The man, seeing her pretend to be calm, drew the curtain again.
“So don’t think of wandering around Shine Street alone. I don’t want to see you end up as a corpse because of me.”
“Even if you say so, still—”
She couldn’t understand why he was so rough. Someone commanding such a large private carriage must hold a high position. He didn’t seem like a nobleman who lacked basic etiquette.
By the way, had there really been any noble in the capital, Geranium, who stood out so much with such a massive build and a private carriage?
Curious, Olentia stared intently at the man. Turning her head, she caught a glimpse of his firm jawline and ears.
Now that she thought of it, the husband in her dream also had a strong jaw rather than a delicate one—which she liked. Especially his eyes, a striking red.
Olentia swallowed hard, trying to see his eyes through the slits of his mask.
Until now, she hadn’t paid much attention, but the man before her seemed to have red eyes as well. What a strange coincidence! People with red eyes weren’t common.
She felt an even stranger sense of déjà vu.
It was just a dream, but it almost felt like a prophetic vision.
Long ago, the Armeniaca family had been born with sacred powers for generations. Seeing herself wielding holy power in the dream had felt impressive.
It was then that he spoke again.
“If you keep doing that, your mask might break, Lady.”
His teasing made Olentia cough awkwardly, shifting the conversation.
“Where are you headed? Haven’t we gone far enough from them?”
“What is your destination?”
“You’re taking me there?”
It wasn’t necessary—her legs worked fine, and she could find the Carunda Yulsa office on her own.
But he overstepped with a provocative remark.
“Well… if you genuinely reflect on today’s events, I might consider it.”
“No!”
Clatter!
At that moment, the carriage jolted sharply.
As Olentia was thrown forward, the man instinctively reached out and caught her shoulder with a swift, precise movement.
“Ah, thank you.”
His hand was large, solid, and steady.
Then, as the carriage shook again, Olentia instinctively grabbed his hand. It was large, thick, and warm.
He held her hand for quite some time, gripping it tightly—she could feel every ridge and curve of his palm.
Realizing this, she startled and pulled her hand away.
“Now, don’t tease me.”
Though initially cold, his repeated help suggested he wasn’t a heartless man.
Olentia glanced at him briefly and whispered softly.
“If you’re not letting me down here, then please take me all the way to my destination. The Carunda Yulsa office.”
Though she thought he was overstepping, it didn’t feel right to argue in front of someone who had helped her.
Before getting off the carriage, Olentia wanted to know his name. Such a connection wasn’t common, and there was a high chance they’d meet in society later.
Curious, she studied him. Her dream husband had a beautiful face—but what about him?
Were his eyebrows thick? Was his nose low or towering like Mount Taesan? And his lips… soft and full, like layered pastry?
Swallowing hard, she asked him:
“If it’s not rude, may I ask your name? I’d like to remember it.”
In that instant, the man’s aura, which had seemed unshakable, changed completely.
‘What… what’s happening?’
After a brief pause, he leaned forward somewhat arrogantly and said coldly:
“So you really didn’t know who I was. Well, if you had, you wouldn’t be with these street thugs—you’d have avoided me.”
Olentia couldn’t understand a word he was saying. Her eyes darted anxiously, and then she heard him continue:
“If you’re so curious, I’ll tell you. Dimidius Belial. That’s my name.”
Dimidius Belial.
The moment she heard it, her body froze and her heart dropped. Even her fingers felt stiff.
The Duke Belial was the only person in the Bonus Empire with demonic blood—the descendant of Lilith, queen of nightmares. The former Duke Belial, her father, had succumbed to Lilith’s seduction and fathered a single child: Dimidius Belial.
A demon! A demon has appeared! Terrible misfortune is coming! Volcanoes will erupt, lava will flow, ashes scatter, and the ground will split! We must drive out the Demon Duke!
Brave church folk occasionally protested in the streets against Dimidius, the half-demon.
She had only heard rumors—never encountered Dimidius Belial in her life.
All the talk of a monstrous duke—she had assumed it was all exaggeration…
‘Foolish me! Why didn’t I think of this? The Demon Duke supposedly hides his face with a Bauta mask because it’s so horrifying. And it’s true.’
Olentia shivered, lips trembling. She had tried to act casual, but now she couldn’t.
Seeing her frozen, Dimidius smirked.
“From the start, I thought you were fearless, so I assumed the Demon Duke wouldn’t scare Lady Raiden.”
His voice was undeniably cold, yet did it carry a hint of disappointment?
Olentia couldn’t speak and could only fidget with her lips. Honestly, someone with demonic blood was terrifying for a believer. Demons were usually vicious creatures.
‘What should I do? I thought he was just a carefree noble wandering around during the day! Never did I imagine he would be the infamous Demon Duke! Who expects to meet a duke in the street!’
She wished she could undo every word and action she had taken toward him.
‘The Demon Duke resembles his mother and can control minds. Horrifying, isn’t it?’
‘He can enter dreams and destroy the mind—he’s not human, he’s a demon!’
‘And his face is so dreadful he’s worn a mask for 15 years.’
Conversations among ladies at society parties echoed in her mind.
Shaking her head in confusion, Olentia noticed the carriage had stopped. They had arrived in front of the Carunda Yulsa office.
Dimidius opened the carriage door first.
“We’ve arrived. You may get out now, Lady.”
His voice was sharper and more demanding than before, yet oddly more polite.
Olentia finally opened her eyes wide and looked outside.
The street wasn’t chaotic, and there were a few people around. She just had to get out now, yet her heart pounded like mad. She felt her heartbeat might be audible to Dimidius.
