When a firm hand pressed on my shoulder, I was so startled I almost bit my tongue.

Click.

It was only the gentle intrusion of his finger between my lips that stopped me.

“Count Deverti. Prowling behind my estate’s staff like a duckling isn’t a good look for you.”

A familiar voice resounded strongly behind me. Tilting my head slightly back, I felt his chest against the back of my head.

Looking up, I saw Laches holding my shoulder.

He stood shielding me with his broad back, protecting me from Deverti’s gaze.

‘How did he…’

I blinked several times in disbelief. Laches, sensing my gaze, turned his eyes towards me.

He removed his index finger, which I had been biting. The clear teeth marks were visible. Despite having committed such an absurd act, his expression remained calm.

Does his calmness give me a sense of security, or have I just become really strange?

“……Duke Violentus.”

I could feel Deverti hesitating in the distance, not wanting to confront Laches.

“……I was just looking for something to ask.”

“Is that so?”

Was it because Laches perfectly shielded me from Deverti’s view?

Strangely, the fear I felt earlier disappeared completely.

Laches continued to hold a light conversation with Deverti while still watching me.

Captivated by his obsidian-like eyes, I couldn’t look away.

“But the staff of my estate tells a different story.”

Laches spoke fiercely, revealing his ferocious nature.

“Count Deverti, they say you’re behaving like an animal in heat, making it difficult for them to do their jobs.”

His straightforward tone stripped of any pretense felt more familiar than any polite speech.

“What, what? In heat… like an animal? Duke, isn’t that too harsh?”

“You seem to have missed a message from your fiancée.”

“Fiancée? …Delia? Have you been with Delia? She’s my woman!”

Oblivious to his own recent behavior with the maids…

Deverti bristled at Laches’s words.

“Last night, if having a conversation after she forcefully sought me out counts as being together, then yes.”

“Delia… came to you first?”

Deverti muttered in disbelief upon hearing Delia sought out Laches.

They truly made an apt couple. May they hold on to each other and make it to the altar.

“So I told your fiancée, an uninvited guest should behave properly and leave when it’s time.”

“Duke Violentus, you seem to be mistaken.”

“Mistaken?”

Laches turned his head with a disdainful smile. Finally, his gaze shifted away from me, allowing me to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Except for the dead Lefrentia, all the Guardians are the same.”

Startled by my name suddenly mentioned, I stiffened, worrying Laches might notice the tension while still holding my shoulder.

But Laches seemed oblivious, simply poking my cheek with his outstretched index finger.

“The Duke’s domain was just conveniently prone to frequent monster invasions, making it suitable for earning merits. We’re all the same, you see.”

“A suitable place for earning merits, is it…”

A cold chuckle echoed. Laches seemed offended by Deverti’s venomous inferiority. A chill, like a cold wind, swept through the air.

Yet the warmth from his ceaseless touch on my cheek remained.

‘Is he taking revenge for the time I squished his face like dough?’

“Do you manage laundry? I have something special to ask.”
Of course, his touch was much gentler than when I had been the one doing the touching.

For me, such a meaningless contact was unfamiliar.

Afraid of being caught by Deverti, I couldn’t say stop, and instead, I just lightly swatted at the unfortunate hand that was touching my cheek.

Laches, knowing or not knowing what was inside me, didn’t stop.

“Then you should have earned your merit. Why did you fall at the sight of the monster and soil your pants?”

“……!”

I couldn’t see Deverti’s face as I didn’t turn around, but from the sound of his heavy breathing, it was clear he felt humiliated.

“If you still wish to talk, you’re welcome to stay. I was curious why the Count’s pants were so dirty that day. Maybe everyone else is curious too?”

“……I’ll be going now.”

Deverti, having received nothing but wounds, finally admitted defeat. Laches just watched him go, smirking quietly.

The sound of his footsteps gradually faded. The suffocating threat was disappearing.

“……You can let go now.”

Only after Deverti’s footsteps had completely disappeared did I push Laches away.

“Not yet. He might still be lurking around, watching.”

But Laches didn’t let go of me.

“Then at least stop touching my face.”

“Does it hurt? I was gentle.”

“Will you stop if I say it hurts?”

No sooner had I finished speaking than Laches quickly withdrew his hand, as if scared of hurting me.

His reaction was so swift it surprised me, making me widen my eyes in shock.

“You mean to say it hurts even though I was so gentle? I’ll have to be even more careful in the future. Even such things can be dangerous.”

Laches murmured to himself, his gaze fixed on the laundry basket I was holding.

It looked like he was ready to throw the basket at any moment.