The Northern Mad Dog Wags It’s Tail

Evry let out a long sigh.

“With this, the mad dog Sig Tura’s monster legend will grow even further.”

He was referring to the fact that the mad dog fought a man with a raised sword without any weapon, broke the sword, and knocked the man out. Many fearful onlookers were now witnesses to this spectacle.

“If only he had taken the sword…”

Then, it would have been a slightly more humane-looking duel. Evry mumbled.

“If you’re going to collapse, at least apologize to Britia and then collapse!”

Sig was too preoccupied with trying to wake Marcus up, so he didn’t have time to pay attention to what his subordinate was saying.

“Get up this instant!”

“Duke Turas!”

Countess Robley, who had come down from the cafe, sharply yelled.

“What are you doing to the fallen boy? Is it not enough yet?”

The Countess tried to push Sig aside and reach for Marcus, but Sig was too big and heavy to be easily pushed away.

“What else do you want me to do? Do you want an apology? Should I do it on his behalf then?”

The Countess’s face turned red with fear and embarrassment at the sight of Sig, her nephew who had become both frightening and a joke, and the boy he was protecting.

“I apologize. Is that enough for you?”

Her voice was sharp as she raised her head.

“Is that enough for you?”

As she leaned against the railing on the second floor of the cafe, Kyra muttered.

“And you should apologise to her, not to Duke Turas.”

Kyra pointed at the stunned Britia with her finger. At that moment, a vein bulged in Countess Robley’s temple.

“Britia.”

The prideful Countess raised her tail with effort. The emotions in her eyes were closer to resentment towards her nephew and herself for ending up in this situation than an apology to Britia.

“For now, things are chaotic. We’ll talk about this later.”

Deciding to apologize later, Countess Robley turned away from Britia and called someone to take Marcus away before leaving in haste.

“How long are you going to stand there like that?”

Evry called out to Sig, who was standing tall like a person stuck to the floor.

“… What should I do?”

“What are you saying?”

Evry’s response was curt. He was upset with Sig for breaking the sword he cherished.

“In the end, I couldn’t get an apology.”

“Well, how could an unconscious person apologize?”

“Evry, I’m serious right now.”

Confused by Sig’s demand for a solution, Evry spoke in dismay.

“I told you to take the sword. It’s dangerous!”

Evry clearly warned him. Dangerous. Not for Sig, but for the man he would have to fight!

“Despite that, you knocked the man out. Isn’t that Duke Turas’s doing?”

At Evry’s firm assertion, Sig’s brow furrowed.

“The man couldn’t be left unharmed after taking a blow from Duke Turas. Isn’t it something you could have expected?”

“It wasn’t a punch, I hit him with the back of my hand.”

“Yes, you did well. If it was a punch, it wouldn’t have just ended with him knocked out.”

Marcus’s swordsmanship was decent, surprisingly so, even for Evry. Some people learned to wield a sword to survive, while others took elegant lessons from instructors at home.

“There’s a flaw in his swordsmanship. A flaw that comes from not having been on the receiving end of an attack.”

In Evry’s experience, such people only sparred with their instructors and never experienced being on the receiving end of an attack. Even if they were to face retaliation from their instructors, the instructors usually controlled it so that they wouldn’t get hurt.

“They probably don’t even know what it feels like to be hit in the face in their life.”

But the first time it happened to Sig was during this encounter. Evry felt a little sorry for Marcus.

“… What should I say to Britia?”

Sig asked carefully. He couldn’t gather the courage to look at Britia with his own eyes, so he asked Evry to look for him.

Evry quickly glanced down from the cafe’s second-floor railing.

Was her face darkened with fear after seeing Sig’s appearance? Or was it simply the shadow falling on her face from looking up? Evry found it hard to judge.

Please, let it not be the latter. Please!

“Is she very angry now?”

With a worried look at Sig, Evry sighed. Based on his appearance, Sig thought that she must be extremely angry. He had rashly insisted on taking on the duel, making the situation so complicated.

How should he look at her? What should he say to ask for forgiveness? No kind words came to mind, and just imagining her angry face made him even more anxious. However, Sig clenched his fist and bravely entered the cafe.

“It feels like I’m going to get scolded by my aunt. No, it’s worse than that, my feet won’t stop trembling.”

Sig murmured with a tormented expression.

The gazes of the onlookers who had been watching the duel followed Sig, but he was too absorbed in his serious thoughts to notice anyone staring at him.

“Perhaps it would have been better to wait until that man woke up to demand an apology?”

Sig stopped his steps up the stairs and turned to Evry, asking seriously, his expression showing genuine concern.

“There hasn’t been enough time for that. We can make it if we hurry.”

“Well, you might be able to, but…”

Seeing Sig trying to immediately act upon what he just said, Evry was taken aback and stepped in front of him.

“Will that lady just stay put?”

“I don’t care.”

“Yes, you might not be concerned about the potential problems between the Northern and Southern regions along with the Robley family. However, Miss Britia does care, doesn’t she?”

Evry convinced Sig that if he were to rush out and catch Marcus, it could be interpreted as him leaving this place without saying a word to her.

“Don’t be so disheartened, My Lord.”

Even though the purpose of receiving an apology failed due to the failed knockout, at least he protected Lockhart’s honor, right?

Evry gently comforted him, and Sig sighed softly as he ascended the stairs again. Even though it was an ascending staircase, he felt like he was descending to hell.

“Duke-nim.”

As he reached the second floor with his eyes tightly shut, Britia’s voice reached him. Why did she come out to greet him without waiting for him to come up? How angry must she be?

Sig was too scared to open his eyes and put on a serious expression. Evry poked his side, telling him to straighten up, but Sig only made a faint groaning sound.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

Trying to apologize first, Sig was taken aback by Britia’s rushed voice. Expecting her to scold him, he blinked unexpectedly at her response.

“Where are you hurt?”

Seeing Sig remain silent, Britia’s voice rose in surprise.

“No, I’m not.”

Since Sig didn’t even try to hold the broken sword, he wasn’t injured at all. When Sig clicked his tongue, Brita’s pupils became moist.

“I’m sorry.”

Sig nervously clasped his hands in front of his chest, not knowing what to do or say.

“I wanted to be of help to you. However, I apologize for not even being able to receive an apology.”

No matter what he said, it sounded like an excuse, and Sig bit his lips in frustration. He knew this apology would only make her angrier.

Is there any way to express my sincerity? As Sig stole a glance at Britia, his tail tucked itself under his legs. She seemed on the verge of exploding, her face flushed.

Sig swallowed unconsciously. He could feel her gaze fixed on his tail. Not knowing how his tail looked at the moment made him incredibly anxious.

“Britia-nim, I’m very…”

“I’m sorry, Duke-nim.”

Britia cut off his apology, seeming not to want to hear any more. Sig waited for her to continue speaking.

“I’ll excuse myself for a moment.”

Without looking back, Britia headed toward the restroom. Sig froze, still reaching his hand out in the air as if trying to stop her. His head and fingertips had turned cold.

Does she not even want to see my face anymore?

“Duke Turas-nim.”

Lady Lockhart, Hailey, was calling out to the frozen Sig in a hushed voice. It was already the third time she called, but Sig didn’t hear the sound.

When Sig slowly turned to her, Hailey flashed an awkward smile.

“If you’re okay with it, could I buy you a cup of tea? While waiting for Britia, you know.”

As Evry slightly nudged Sig’s back, Sig’s frozen gaze remained on Hailey’s face.

“We should be the ones buying the tea.”

To make a good impression on Britia’s family, Evry showed the brightest smile he could muster.

Even though he had just shown a monstrous and terrifying appearance a moment ago, his desperate desire was to be polite and kind to them.

“Thank you, so if you’d give me a chance to repay the favor, even in a small way.”

Declining Evry’s suggestion, Hailey gestured towards the now quiet terrace area.

“Britia probably thinks the same way.”

As Britia’s name was mentioned, Sig’s frozen lips trembled slightly.

“When she returns, Britia-nim won’t like my presence.”

With a heavy voice, Sig spoke, and Hailey’s eyes widened a bit.

“When she returns, if you’re not there, she will be disappointed.”

“See, my Lord? If you don’t want Miss Britia to be disappointed, let’s go and take a seat.”

Evry gently pushed Sig from behind and guided him to a seat, accepting Hailey’s offer of hospitality.

“Lavender tea for you, my Lord.”

As soon as Sig took his seat, the waiter brought the tea, as if they were waiting for him. Hailey had planned to order something, but seeing the tea served without being asked, she felt puzzled. However, when she saw Sig gulp down the still-steaming tea, she decided to let it go for now.

“Is Britia-nim very angry?”

Sig asked in a slightly hoarse voice.

Meanwhile, Britia, who rushed to the restroom, was splashing her face with cold water. Despite that, the heat within her didn’t dissipate easily.

“How could you do that?”

Britia shut off the water and looked at herself in the mirror. Her pupils were filled with resentment toward Sig.

“I almost hugged Duke-nim’s tail tightly. With so many eyes watching.”

If she did that, it would be awkward for both of them.

“It’s not possible. I have to endure. But…”

The anger towards Marqus had completely disappeared from her mind when she saw him fall to the ground, so she couldn’t summon any more anger.

“But it’s just… too, too cute!”

In Britia’s mind, there was only the image of Sig’s black tail wrapped between his legs, as if he had done something wrong.