Just as they were about to reluctantly retreat with a heavy heart, someone suddenly came to the veteran butler’s mind.
Come to think of it, there was one person. Someone who could excellently manage the house in the Duke’s absence.
Although her position and situation were a bit ambiguous… Ariella was the only one who could stop David now.
The butler, who had been hesitating, soon realized that hesitation was a luxury and hurriedly moved his feet.
***
Bang! Bang, bang!
Lizzy woke up with a start at the sound of someone banging on the door as if to break it down.
In the pitch-black darkness, she reflexively raised her upper body and cowered. Her trembling eyes quickly scanned her surroundings.
An incredibly large room, sturdy walls that blocked the wind, and soft, fluffy bedding.
Only after confirming this did her pounding heart calm down a little.
This is the Bedford manor. Not that wretched Tolkan slum. So there’s no chance of suddenly being in mortal danger, or being raped helplessly…
She continued to mutter to herself as if casting a spell.
“Hoo, hoo…”
Only after taking a few deep breaths was she finally able to assess the situation.
Bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang!
Her slender eyes followed the direction of the noise. In the distance, the thick wooden door was shaking incessantly.
“Come out! I said come out!”
The one who was suddenly shaking her bedroom door in the middle of the night, making her habit of always locking the door when she slept particularly meaningful, was undoubtedly David.
She didn’t know why the guy who was afraid of his father and ran away from home had suddenly returned, but the fact that he was looking for her with such an agitated voice was not a good sign.
Should she just pretend to be asleep and not open the door? The impulse arose, but it didn’t seem like a wise decision.
Judging by the way he kept pulling on the doorknob and even punching the door, he seemed ready to break it down if necessary.
It would be better to go out right now and somehow appease his anger than to face him like that.
Lizzy sighed, got out of bed, and walked towards the door. Her face was full of annoyance as she took each step, but the moment she opened the door, it changed to a cute expression as if nothing had happened.
“Damia-?”
But before she could show off her acting skills, a thick hand grabbed her shoulder.
Startled, Lizzy opened her eyes wide and looked up at David.
“You. Why didn’t you keep your promise to me?”
David’s appearance in her sight was very unsightly.
His face was swollen as if he had been beaten somewhere, his chin was covered with stubble as if he was showing off his runaway status, and his clothes were crumpled.
In the midst of all that, his eyes were filled with resentment, making him look like a thug from the slums, only with more expensive clothes.
“You promised to make an alibi for me! You should have at least tried to stop my angry father!”
Lizzy was dumbfounded and opened her mouth. She wondered what he was talking about, but he was trying to blame her for his running away.
It was absurd. She had said she would help if he needed an alibi, but that was only if he hadn’t gotten into a fight at the gambling house.
The rumor that he had a fistfight with Baron Griffith had already spread throughout society, so how could she make an alibi for him?
Besides, stopping the angry Duke was the same as telling her to take the beating for him.
A deep sense of disgust suppressed her sleepiness and rose again. Her lips twisted for a moment, but Lizzy quickly regained her composure and tried to put on a kind face.
“David, the rumors had already spread. I wanted to be on your side, but…”
She thought she could coax him with sweet words like last time, but it didn’t work this time.
“Don’t lie!”
David raised his voice and grabbed her shoulder tightly. Lizzy flinched reflexively at the sharp pain.
