Chapter 3

3

I looked down at myself. So this was what he called 'hideous.'

"Skylar! Where have you been? I haven't seen you in over a month!"

Well, she was beautiful, and her voice was charming.

I tried my best to shrink behind a pillar to lower my presence, but the girl still noticed me.

"Who is this? A new one? Why hasn't she bowed to me?"

I had no choice but to move out slowly and give her a casual salute.

Skylar couldn't help but let out a laugh.

What could I do? I was just a protector, and the butler hadn't taught me how to bow properly yet.

"No manners!" Lady Aria's maid reached out her hand toward me.

I grabbed her wrist instinctively. With a sharp crack and a scream, her wrist was dislocated.

Lady Aria's eyes widened as she stared at me.

"I didn't do it on purpose. It was just a reflex."

I knew I probably wouldn't be able to explain this one away.

"Guards! Someone!"

The room was filled with the girl's high-pitched screaming.

"Aria, this is the Sterling Estate, not your house."

This was the first time I had seen Skylar with such a stern face.

It was also the first time I was forced to endure the resentment of a little brat.

I didn't know if Skylar had found out who wanted him dead, but he insisted that I stay by his side at all times.

I even had to sleep on the daybed in his outer room at night.

As a trained fighter, I was always alert. Several times, I felt Skylar crawl to the edge of my bed in the middle of the night to watch me.

I didn't dare open my eyes until the hair on the back of my neck stood up, and only then would he return to his inner room.

The Duke was very unhappy about this, believing I had used some unspeakable methods to bewitch his only son.

After enduring it for a few days, he finally confronted me.

"Miss Vance, you saved my son's life, but you aren't officially employed by this house. A man and a woman sharing a room is scandalous."

If your son hadn't begged me so pitifully, who would want to share a room with him?

I rolled my eyes internally.

"I'm not for sale. But if you're so desperate to buy my contract, how much are you offering?"

The moment I spoke, the way the Duke looked at me changed completely.

I wanted to slap myself. Now I had personally handed him a motive for 'seducing' his son.

"I'm sorry, Miss Vance, but I have to ask you to leave the Sterling Estate."

As soon as he spoke, several elite guards surrounded me.

Leave the Sterling Estate? That was cutting off my income. No way. I struck first.

The Duke was stunned. He probably never imagined that the guards he, a former General, had trained wouldn't last ten moves against me.

My mother said things that can be explained with fists don't need many words.

So, after dealing with the guards, I went straight for the Duke.

By the time Skylar arrived, a large crowd had gathered, and I was pinning his father to the ground by his arm.

Seeing his shocked expression made me feel a bit guilty, so I quickly let go.

He took the opportunity to hold back the furious Duke, whispered a few words, and pleaded with his father to go inside.

I was left alone outside to receive the admiring gazes of the crowd.

I curled my lip. People in Empire City were truly weak; in a few years, even Seventeen would probably be able to beat them.

Since my 'spar' with the Duke, he never bothered me again.

The entire household learned to turn a blind eye to me entering and leaving Skylar's room as I pleased.

This infuriated Lady Aria, who came to the estate every day.

When she argued with Skylar, he just called me 'Ruby' more affectionately.

When she went to the Duke, he avoided her.

When she came to me… well, her people couldn't beat me, and she didn't dare make a scene she couldn't control.

Every time, she would stand far away and throw insults, saying I was a nobody trying to climb the social ladder.

Every time she annoyed me, I took it out on Skylar.

I didn't dare hit my employer, so I beat up the guards who watched her insult me without reporting it.

I called it 'combat training.'

Skylar now understood my temperament quite well. When I hit too hard, he solved it with money.

Or he would act cute: "Ruby, does your hand hurt? Let me blow on it for you."

Those two things always made me feel better instantly.