# Chapter 41
The master could not say a word and swallowed dryly. Meanwhile, Judith took a moment to steady her slightly irregular breathing.
"Oh, I felt weirdly nervous. Just thinking about it makes me feel angry. I think I got emotional because I really enjoy spending time with Mom, Dad, and Carl."
“Ha-ha-ha…”
“Anyway, there is clearly no chance of Young Duke Ekian Maius's return. That's why I never thought of such a possibility.”
Judith smiled cheerfully and straightened her back.
Then, after rolling her eyes once, she added cautiously with a smile, “By the way, sir, thank you.”
"What?".
“Thank you for saving me from that servant earlier. Honestly, I’m really grateful. The Maius Guards were supposed to intervene eventually, but...”
whispered Judith as she added her thanks. Expressing her gratitude seemed to reinforce the thoughts she had in mind about him.
“Now that I think about it, thank you for trying to protect me at the Shrine of the Last Priestess as well. That means a lot.”
“I didn't really do anything.”
The master's somewhat tense voice carried a faint trace of laughter.
“I wasn't able to protect you at that time.”
"but…".
Judith looked at the master intently.
“The more I think about it, the more grateful I feel. That’s why I keep thinking about you.”
She was extremely frustrated that she could not see the expression on the master's face, and she had no idea how he would react to her words.
In fact, Judith herf wasn't entirely sure of her feelings, but one thing was certain.
After admitting her messy feelings, she felt relieved and joyful. It was a feeling she had never felt before. After a moment of silence, the master cleared his throat and changed the subject.
“It's embarrassing to make something big out of nothing. Let's go back to the previous topic...”
For Judith, the subject of Ekian Maius was not particularly important. Honestly, since she didn't know much about the master, she just wanted to talk about him.
However, the gentleman seemed strangely intent on continuing the discussion about Ekian.
“Didn’t you say that you loved Ekian Maius in the past? I don’t think it’s fair to call him a scoundrel so quickly...”
"I don't love him anymore. I've forgotten him completely, completely, with no feelings left."
“But since you had feelings for him in the past, wouldn’t those feelings resurface if you met him again…? Well, isn’t it true that no one new has entered your heart yet?”
For a while, Judith, who was answering confidently, had a hint of bewilderment on her face.
“Oh…”
At that moment, the person who came to her mind was not Eqian, but the master standing in front of her.
After all, she was thinking about him all the time. She even felt conflicted about whether she had feelings for him.
In fact, when he first arrived, she was reluctant to let him leave without a reason. Because of this, she brought up the catalog she wasn't even interested in.
'But... I'm still not sure, right?'
Judith's face slowly began to redden.
Now she realized that she might love a man whose name, face, or even voice she did not know. Of course, this left her feeling confused.
What made matters worse was that her initial thought was “Does Master love me?” From that question, she came to the realization that she didn't hate thinking about him. This is what brought her to this point.
"Or...could it be certain? The fact that I'm thinking about this..."
The master caught with interest Judith's hesitation in that fleeting moment.
“Mmm...”
The master’s shoulders trembled slightly, and he asked cautiously, “Could it be someone?”
“Well, this is…”
Judith hesitated, and could not say that she suddenly felt her heart beating because of him.
Although she had no experience with romance, she realized that relationships develop in stages.
Moreover, didn't she explicitly declare to him that she would not enter into any romantic relationships during the contract period?
Well, it's not like my feelings are specific or overly emotional... In fact, we're still in the early stages of getting to know each other...
Judith quickly waved her hands and added, “I just think… I'd like to get to know him better. Since I'm not sure yet. Ahahaha.”
During this exchange, the Master's demeanor seemed increasingly sullen. As his silence stretched on, Judith found herf delirious, unsure of what to explain.
“I'm not completely oblivious, so I wondered if this person might like me. And... well, it's not something I hate... anyway!”
Judith's voice trailed off as she became more confused, and she concluded meekly.
"I think I need to know what I feel. However, at this point, I don't even know what's going on in my heart. If we continue to spend time together, I might develop feelings… or maybe not…"
“I see.”
The master gritted his teeth as he spoke.
“So, it's not certain yet.”
“Well, not yet.”
"But you're saying that spending more time together could get dangerous. It's confusing, but you might cross that line."
Judith nodded slowly and said, “It is very dangerous.”
Because that was true. Feeling embarrassed, Judith added: “I never imagined that I would hesitate like this the moment I paid off my debts and my life became more stable.”
“Ha.”
"However, I should not act until after the divorce. I am a responsible employee, after all."
“Are you actually thinking about acting on this?”
"If this person loves me too, and I love him, why should I hesitate? I would like to start a family as soon as possible."
At first, Judith's words were hesitant, but as she spoke, her enthusiasm grew. Expressing her feelings to someone she cared about filled her with excitement. Since she couldn't see the master's expression behind his mask, she felt strangely courageous.
‘Is this… what they call flirting?’
Judith rested her chin on her hand and smiled. She looked curiously at the gentleman's mask, and suddenly wondered what kind of face lay beneath it.
Given his impressive physique, even an average face would rank him highly overall.
"family…".
While Judith was happily daydreaming, the Master's voice sounded strangely strained as he exhaled.
“So, do you want to start a family with this person? Completely forget about Ikian Mayus?”
“Why should I think about Ekian Mayus, who would certainly be a despicable person if he were alive?”
Judith quickly refused to mention her supposed past affection for Ekian, worried that this might concern the Master.
To be honest, she never liked Ekian. It would be ridiculous for her current chances at romance to be ruined by unfounded allegations.
The master stammered before protesting.
“But isn’t starting a new family too fast?”
“That's true. I think so too. Of course, there is a process to everything.”
Even at that moment, Judith's thoughts wandered.
‘If we connect romantically and become a couple, will I finally be able to see his face?’
She decided to reveal it one day, so she muttered unconsciously: “First, I have to take it off...”
The master fell completely silent, froze in place, and did not move a muscle, as if he had turned into stone.
“Okay, hmmm.”
Judith did not realize the Master's reaction, nor did she notice his obvious annoyance. He hesitated for a long time before suddenly standing up. He stuttered, then said goodbye to her.
"It's getting late. I'll go now. I've learned a lot about your preferences."
“Okay, good night.”
Judith felt satisfied with her playful yet restrained flirtation. She waved her hand goodbye cheerfully.