I’m Looking for the Male Lead for the Ending - Chapter 29

Chapter 15.2

When I turned my head, the Grand Duke was seen bowing towards me.

“Looking at the situation, it appears that my adjutant has been disrespectful to you. It’s because he doesn’t know women very well, so please forgive his impoliteness.”

“….”

“Ban Foster.”

“…I apologize, Young Lady.”

In haste to offer an apology in response to the Grand Duke’s call, Ban’s gaze shifted towards my right hand, which was holding the brooch. Feeling uncomfortable with his stare, I clenched the brooch a bit tighter.

Ban lifted his head, looking at me, and asked.

“The brooch you have seems similar to the one I know of, and I inadvertently acted rudely. I apologize.”

‘…Similar to the one someone he knows has?’

Surprised by his words, Marie stepped in and glared at him fiercely.

“Are you suggesting that my young lady stole the brooch?”

“While I theoretically consider that impossible, if you don’t mind, may I have a look at the brooch you have…”

“Let’s stop here.”

Marie’s face flushed at Van’s comments as if he suggested that I was a brooch thief. She would’ve undoubtedly raised her voice to defend me from the insult if it hadn’t been for the Grand Duke, who intervened to restrain his adjutant.

As the air surrounding the space became strange, I decided to break the tension by speaking first.

“The brooch was a gift.”

The Grand Duke and Ban’s eyes turned to me as I spoke calmly. I opened my mouth to those two people.

“And I don’t think I have to comply with your request to show it to you.”

“….”

“Although you apologized for the rudeness, I won’t accept it. It doesn’t seem like you sincerely apologized.”

Upon hearing my words, Ban glanced at the Grand Duke. And he…

‘…Strange person.’

The corners of his lips curled into an arc. Somehow, the sight of the Grand Duke smiling happily in such circumstances stirred up an unpleasant feeling within me.

At that moment, the young knight, who had been observing the subtle atmosphere hesitantly, asked me cautiously.

“By any chance, is there someone you’re looking for?”

“I think I’ll be fine. Thank you.”

I bowed my head slightly in greeting and turned around with Marie. Thinking that it was an unfortunate encounter, I thought that I shouldn’t get involved with him any further.

At least, that was what I thought until then.

̊ · : * ✧* : · ̊

“That wasn’t your usual behavior, Ban.”

Estieren Kaisian, who was watching Ardi’s retreating figure, spoke to his subordinate. In response to his lowered voice, Ban also spoke in a noticeably subdued tone, as if he was aware of his own rudeness.

“…There was no other choice.”

Only after his response did Estieren’s gaze finally shift away from Ardi. As Ban turned away, he parted his tightly closed mouth again.

“…While I was waiting for the Captain a while ago, I happened to see the brooch the Young Lady had.”

“….”

“It was undoubtedly the brooch that the Captain always wore.”

“Wasn’t it you who said it couldn’t absolutely be the case?”

“Well, as I mentioned, it doesn’t make sense theoretically… B-but! To be honest, the Young Lady’s claim of receiving it as a gift doesn’t make sense either.”

As he went on, he sharply raised his right eye, which wasn’t injured ferociously.

“Honestly, if what the Young Lady said is true, doesn’t it mean there’s a lunatic in our knighthood who stole the Captain’s brooch to give it to a woman?”

“If that’s the case, who do you think it is?”

Ban couldn’t offer any response to Estieren’s question. The faces of those he had spent over five years with briefly flashed through his mind, but that was it. He never thought any of them would have done that.

“Is there anyone you can think of?”

“…To be honest, no.”

“Then, don’t waste your time on pointless matters and use that time to practice swordsmanship more, Ban.”

Upon hearing that, Ban lowered his head. Though the response wasn’t a gentle answer, it still stirred his emotions for some reason. The fact that Estieren said it was pointless implied that he believed no one in the knighthood would have done such a thing.

‘Have I really gotten older? Why am I crying over something like this…’

“More than that, I’m more curious about why you summoned me when I was trying to rest after the match.”

The response that came back from his superior was so blunt that it was almost comical that he thought the tip of his nose was tingling earlier. At the same time, the corners of his eyes, which had been damp with moisture, became completely dry.

‘How can a man who spends three days and nights on a bloody battlefield without sleep need time to rest after a duel that feels like a house play?’

Still, Ban suppressed his urge to grumble and spat out everything he wanted to say. It was because he realized that this time, he might actually get his tongue cut out. Then, he straightened his posture in response to Estieren, who tilted his head at an angle, and opened his mouth again.

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