Chapter 37

We walked a while to the main street, then slipped into another street with barely any people.

We passed by some buildings and met with the pathway up. Through that, we could see the flourishing trees and grass fields.

The road wasn't your ordinary road as it was decorated with several very detailed small lamps that were brightening up the area. The beautiful sight reminded me of fireflies.

Then I took a closer look at the grass and the trees to see that they were all treated with care, just like the ones in the well-cared garden.

Then I spotted the sign with 'East Hill' written on it and because curious.

'Why are we here all of a sudden?'

I dimly knew of this place. This was a walkway made by carving a mound owned by the duke family.

It was also the usual date location for the normal mode heroine and the capture targets.

Of course, it was my first time here as I was never in a situation to date any of them.

The walkway was luxurious, however, access to it was strictly controlled. It meant that ordinary commoners could not enter.

'Are you planning to stab me where there are no people?!'

I stopped in my tracks after I passed the sign.

"J, just a moment!"

Then Derrick coldly turned towards me.

"...What is it?"

"Wh, why are we going up there?"

"Didn't you say you wanted to be punished? Follow without complaining."

he turned back again and started walking again. In a flash, we passed the entrance and climbed onto the ramp.

I couldn't talk back to that as there was something I said before. I also couldn't predict what he would say if I were to say I didn't want to go.

I followed him without having much of a choice, but this body got tired too fast even when we didn't walk that much.

And I had to almost run rather than to walk at his fast speed.

"Ha, haa...."

I breathed heavily behind the mask on my face as I thought.

'Is the punishment he's going to give me perhaps, climbing up this hill?'

If that's the case, then he really was a cruel bastard.

Not being considerate for a lady, Derrick continued walking fast without looking back. Without holding back any longer at that sight, I spoke.

"Haa, wait!"

"What again."

He didn't stop walking this time as he replied annoyedly.

And that was enough to make me feel scared again. Even so, I couldn't continue to be dragged like this by him. The robe I was wearing was was already dirty on the lower ends.

"...It's hard to keep up if you walk that fast."

I protested with a timid voice.

I thought he'd ignore me to be honest. Or if not, he'd at least spit out insults like he did every time.

Surprisingly, however, his steps began to slow down.

And soon, there was a constant distance between him and I.

'...I'm fine, right?'

I glimpsed up above his head. [Interest 13%] was shining brightly like an indicator even in the dark.

For how much longer did we walk in silence.

A beautiful gazebo was seen from afar. At last, we reached the top of the hill.

I looked inside and frowned.

'What the, I thought this was the date spot!'

It was mentioned as a place for a secretive meeting between a guy and a girl in the game, but it was empty inside when I looked in it.

'I'm scared of being alone with this dude....'

I moved over to the bench, powerlessly.

I was out of energy coming up here. I was desperately in need for a break.

"Come this way."

But before having to take a step, Derrick dragged me again.

It was only after we reached the top of the hill that he stopped walking.

"Look down."

I did as he said, having no power at all to protest.

But.

"Huh...."

My eyes grew wider at the sight.

You'll miss a lot if you were to underestimate this place just because of the hill.

Under us, we could see the spectacular view of the capital city where the festival was in full swing.

Night streets embroidered with colorful lanterns, antique buildings, and countless people streaming through.

There was no festival episode in normal mode, and I wasn't able to get far enough to play the festival episode in the hard mode.

Therefore, the scene right now was something I didn't get to see even in the game.

"Wow...."

I looked down the hill, fascinated.

I didn't know it was this of a beautiful world down there when I was in the streets myself.

I couldn't even think about feeling the beauty of the city then. I was always so full on guard, and always stressed out thinking of plans of things that may happen just in case.

It was the same on Earth, too. I didn't have the chance to look around me in my entire life.

But now that I take a step back and look at the world...

'Why does it feel so realistic?'

This was a weird, way too weird, feeling. My heart… it felt weird.

'It's nothing more than a scene in the game....'

It was then. Derrick raised his hand and pointed it at one place.

"Look over there, Penelope."

I got out of my imaginations and moved my gaze at where he pointed at.

The place wasn't far from this hill. It was a large street where a lot of people were walking through.

There were two knights in their silver armour, running in a fast speed in the middle of the crowd.

"That's...."

A man was running away from the two knights who were chasing him.

But it was only a moment after that he came to a stop and was caught. It was because the place was too crowded for him to get away.

It seemed like he stole something, which was a pretty common thing that happens especially during the festival times.

'Reality or in the game, people are all the same.'

I was thinking that when Derrick who was staring at the same scene I was, opened his mouth.

"Those robbers are nothing. Many culprits of much harsher crime appears from everywhere around you during the festival."

"...."

"There are probably much harsher things happening at where we can't see from here. There was a murder incident yesterday at a bar by Hamilton street. Though you, who's always been in your room, wouldn't know."

'Are you slagging me off right now?'

I looked up at Derrick, curious. I didn't get why he was telling me this all of a sudden.

"Things are like this even in the areas the duke family watches over. What do you think it'll be like in the small streets on the upper portion, where many culprits and dangerous people roam around?"

His continued words made me realise that this was a conversation continuing from the scolding from before we came up here, by the escape hole.

'If so, then is this an admonition or a mockery?'

Now all there's need for me to do is figure out his purpose on leading me up here.

"Are you planning on befriending those people and start hanging out with them now?"

Here's an immediate response to my last question. It's a mockery.

'Whew. What did I expect.'

I sighed once and spoke, leaving a moment of silence before I did.

"...I swear, I didn't do anything that would bring down our family's reputation."

"It's not you who chooses what's good or bad for the reputation. Reputation is what follows after your actions."

"That is why I wore a mask."

I shrugged. Then Derrick icely glared at me.

"What if there are people who recognizes you immediately like I did? No, before all that, do you think that the people who find out that you're a girl would leave you be with your mask on?"

"I'm not a little kid, first young master."

I replied without hesitation.

"It is true I have made a lot of scenes up until now while not knowing my place but even so, I'm not an idiot who enters a dangerous place with my own wills."6

I was scared of how he'll answer me with now that I've said this to him, but it was something I had to go through anyways at least once.

I didn't have a chance to properly confront Derrick as I was busy handling the duke up until now.

So I had to draw the line between us that we both shouldn't cross, just like I did with Rennald.

"You say you're an idiot. Are you saying that not even an idiot, but a gong-nyuh would crawl through the hole to escape?"

"The reason why I went out secretly without telling anyone about it is...."

I worked my brain to come up with something while buying me some time by slowing down my speech.

An excuse that's not exaggerated, but enough to make Derrick, who's more harder to deal with than the duke, understand.

"...I told you that I'll live like a non-existent person so that you wouldn't have to mind at all. And the first master also wanted this."

"...."

"So I only went out and came back quietly without making a scene."

Yeah, that's right. You told me to live as quietly as a mouse would, so I quietly went out and quietly came back.

A brilliant excuse. But it didn't seem to satisfy Derrick as his expression hardened up even more.

"...What's your purpose on going to that place?"

He didn't stop his interrogation. And that made me tired.

"Do I have to tell you that, too?"

"You better answer me."

"I was going to search for a person by requesting an informant."

I knew that an excuse such as 'it"s a lady's secret' would only work on Vinter.

I held in a sigh as I took a portion of truths and lies to make something up. It was something I did everytime in front of Derrick.

"There's a person who helped me out at the royal palace, and I wanted to apologize as I lost his belonging he has lent me."

"...."

Derrick, who was making things difficult with all those questions, shut his mouth as soon as I finished my sentence.

I felt refreshed at that sight.

It was because I was talking about Vinter's handkerchief that Derrick had ordered the servants to throw away.

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