"Come on, how can you compare me, a commoner, to yourself? And in my case, it's not that I haven't, it's that I couldn't."
"Why couldn't you?"
When Herald asked with genuine curiosity, Dillon shrugged his shoulders.
"Well, because no woman wants to marry a common man guarding the dangerous border region. If I happen to die, she'd become a widow."
"By that logic, I'm in the same boat, aren't I?"
Dillon waved his hands dismissively.
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"Come on, you're different, Captain. You're the second son of the Maximilian ducal family, and now that you've received your title, you'll settle in the capital."
"What are you talking about? I'm going back to Cardin as soon as I receive my title."
"...What?"
As Dillon looked at him in surprise, Herald tilted his head.
"Why are you so surprised? Did you think I was going to stay in the capital?"
Dillon scratched his surprised face and stammered.
"It's not just a possibility, I thought you'd definitely stay. You've received your title, and there's no reason for you to go back to the dangerous border region anymore..."
"Then do you think I had a reason to go to Cardin four years ago?"
"..."
Dillon closed his mouth, at a loss for words because that wasn't the case.
Herald asked with a seemingly serious face.
"Don't tell me everyone is hoping I won't return to Cardin?"
"That's not it at all! Absolutely not!"
Worried that Herald might misunderstand, Dillon explained frantically, almost spitting.
"On the contrary, everyone desperately wants you to return to Cardin... but if we think about what's best for you, we've given up because it's better if you don't return. The capital is safer than the border region where anything could happen at any time. Here, you can get married and start a family..."
"Pfft."
As Herald suddenly burst into laughter, Dillon stopped talking and looked at him. With his head slightly lowered, covering his mouth with his hand, and his shoulders shaking slightly, it didn't seem normal.
"Don't tell me... you were teasing me?"
Instead of answering, Herald looked at Dillon with a smiling face. It was an affirmation.
Realizing there had been no misunderstanding from the start, Dillon sighed in relief and complained.
"How could you tease me with something like that? Do you know how surprised I was? I was worried that you might have some strange misunderstanding and grow distant from the unit members!"
"Ah, I'm sorry. I was acting because I wanted to know your true feelings, but I went too far. I apologize."
Dillon narrowed his eyes and looked at Herald, then shook his head with a sigh.
"I always think this, but Captain, you seem to have too much of a playful side, unlike your appearance."
"Do you dislike it?"
"I should dislike it... but strangely, I don't mind when you play around, Captain."
Dillon said with a bright face, as if he had never frowned.
"So please, make sure to come back to Cardin, Captain. Not just me and the unit members, but all the people living in Cardin are desperately hoping for your return."
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The meeting with Countess Baliman was unpleasant and uncomfortable, but it wasn't all bad.
Thanks to Samantha being bedridden after suffering a great shock from having her pride mercilessly scratched by the Countess, Liliana wasn't scolded for staying out overnight.
Not only that, she learned that knowing the Garta language could be more profitable than she thought. Until now, she had only been translating novels because she didn't know anything else, but now that she had learned good information, she planned to look for more lucrative work. It would be great if she could gain experience too.
That way, she could live without Fredrick's help. Of course, it would be nice if she could cover her mother's hospital bills on her own, but that might be asking for too much.
And her mother's hospital bills were the price for making Fredrick the Viscount Benjamin, so she shouldn't worry about it.
...Should she really not worry about it?
"Young Mistress, a letter has arrived."
"..."
Awakened from her thoughts by the maid's words, Liliana frowned as she checked the recipient on the letter handed to her by the maid.
Search "lover" on redcatty(.)com to read ahead up to chapter 70.