The Story of How I Pretended To Be A Boy and Ended Up Being Loved By A Mafia Boss - Chapter 23

“Anis, wake up. We’re almost there.”

“Mmm…”

Huh?

When did I fall asleep…?

We had left the mansion early in the morning and were on our way to the capital by carriage. It seemed like Ryu had been letting me rest on his lap, gently stroking my head.

“Ryuu-san, aren’t you tired?”

As I tried to sit up, Ryu supported my back and helped me up.

“Ah, not sleeping is pretty normal for me.”

“Are you sure? You didn’t get tired after all that exercise?”

“Haha, there’s no way I’d get tired from something like that.”

“Is that so? Is that the usual for you?”

“Yeah.”

I see… Ryu  must have a lot of stamina.

“How about you, Anis? Is your body okay?”

“Yeah, my waist hurts a little, but…”

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t hold back.”

Saying that, Ryu gently rubbed my waist.

“It’s okay. That just means you wanted me a lot, right?”

“Yeah. But it’s still not enough.”

“Eh? Really?”

“Of course. I’d even want to continue right now if I could.”

“Eh…? Well, if Ryu wants to…”

Then Ryu sighed deeply, covering his face with one hand.

“Anis, please stop teasing me…”

“Teasing? What does that mean?”

As I wondered what he meant by teasing, our large house came into view.

I’m home…

When the carriage stopped, Ryu picked me up and carried me off. It felt like I was a princess.

When I rang the bell at the gate, my mother rushed out with a tear-streaked face.

“Anis!! You’re safe?!”

“Mom…”

My mother hugged me so tightly, like never before.

“I was so scared! I couldn’t stand the thought of anything happening to you!!”

Behind her, Lord Ray also stood with a tired look on his face.

“I’m sorry…”

I felt so sorry for making them worry.

“Roanne and Anis, you two should go inside and rest. We need to have an important conversation.”

“Right. Anis, let’s go upstairs.”

Lord Ray and Ryu walked toward the carriage with serious expressions.

Is Ryu leaving now? I wanted to say goodbye properly…

My mother took me upstairs to my bedroom and laid me down on the bed.

“Were you in any danger? Did anything happen to you?”

“I’m fine. Ryu came to help me right away.”

“I see… We should thank him properly.”

“Yeah… Mom, I have to tell you something… I really like Ryu-san…”

When my mother heard that, she was surprised for a moment, then smiled softly.

“I know. You’ve always been so happy whenever Ryu visited, saying things like, ‘He came today!’”

“Hehe, I did say that…”

“Since we came to the capital, you seemed a little down for a while, but… you two made up, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m glad. That’s good to hear.”

When the men who had kidnapped Anis were handed over and about to leave, the duke bowed to me.

“I’m grateful to you.”

“Please don’t mention it. I just did what I thought was right.”

“Were you staying in the capital all this time?”

“No, I was in Suven.”

“Suven?”

“Yes. I received information yesterday that the Lightning Sword had kidnapped Anis, so I searched through their hideouts.”

“Haha, I see. With you, I’m sure you could get that kind of information.”

The Lightning Sword was a huge mafia group that controlled the capital. The Silver Dragon’s Den, which controlled Nailden, and the Lightning Sword were the two main mafia factions in the country.

“I keep track of the Lightning Sword’s movements.”

“I figured as much… You really helped us this time. If anything else comes up, don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll help.”

“Yes.”

At that moment, we naturally shook hands for the first time.