/
She couldn’t figure out what he was trying to say, but if she were to guess, he seemed to be asking her to hurry it up.
Radis was a little dismayed by this, but she went on to sign the contract anyway.
Bernard bowed his head gracefully and reached out a hand to her.
“Then, Lady Radis, we welcome you to the Pelletier Bank as a precious client.”
Radis took his hand and shook it enthusiastically.
“Thank you for explaining everything so kindly!”
Bernard was trying to kiss the back of Radis’ hand, as he always did with ladies, but then when Radis shook his hand instead, he burst out into a pleasant laugh.
At this, Yves shook his head, while Olivier smiled softly.
Yves jumped up to his feet.
“Now then! I would like to deposit money into Miss Radis’ account.”
“Ah, that…”
“Beeeernarddd! You’ll help me out with that yourself, riiight?”
Yves soon dragged Bernard along as he shouted.
“Your Highness! I’ll be away for a moment then!”
And the door slammed shut.
Because of the way Yves was acting, Radis couldn’t help but feel so embarrassed. She just face palmed because she didn’t know what else to do.
“I’m sorry.”
But when Olivier suddenly apologized, Radis looked over to him in surprise.
“It seems like I’ve disturbed you.”
It’s ridiculous, but it looked like he was sincerely sorry.
Radis just stared blankly at him because she didn’t know how to react to the way he slightly lowered his eyes and apologized with a genuinely apologetic tone.
This would be the third time that Olivier was seeing Radis, but for Radis, it was the second.
That day, during their first meeting at the banquet in the Russell residence.
The first impression that Olivier left on her was so intense—and he was so beautiful to her.
Had it not been for Yves, Radis would just have kept this brief encounter as something like a fragment of a wonderful dream.
That’s why, she also kind of doubted her own memory.
She was very mentally distressed that day, and she thought that maybe she was remembering him with a rose-colored tint over her memories.
But as she saw him here once again, Olivier was still so beautiful.
As he was in a bright-colored tailored suit that suited his silver hair, Radis’ vision—which had gotten accustomed to darker tones because of Yves’ all-black wardrobe—seemed to brighten in an instant.
‘Brighten? What are you saying?!’
Radis closed her eyes tightly, opened them again, then straightened her posture.
“Your Highness, please don’t say that. You did not disturb anything at all, how could that be?”
She urged herself to speak in the most serious, formal tone that she could so as to convey her politeness.
But when Olivier heard her say that… He smiled.
With his glistening amethyst-like eyes curving softly into crescent moons, and with his mesmerizing red lips smiling ever so brightly.
‘Oh my god.’
Radis was rendered speechless.
When Olivier first came to the drawing room earlier.
While Radis was sitting in a chair that was facing the entrance, she happened to see him in full view as he entered.
Led by Bernard, Olivier was exactly like the glass doll that Yves said he was.
The gaze from his purple eyes were so cold, and there was no warmth at all in his countenance.
She’s certain that it was like that.
‘Yves Russell, you’re right.’
Yves said that he saw Olivier smile at Radis on the night of the banquet.
That there’s something different about it.
And it really did seem that way.
‘But why?’
This was something that Radis couldn’t comprehend.
“I knew it was discourteous to come here.”
She watched his red lips move.
“But when I heard that Marquis Russell was here, I thought that you might be here, too.”
His lips were sparkling in her eyes.
Even his pretty eyes were twinkling.
“And if you really were here, I wasn’t even thinking about saving face anymore.”
Radis was so nervous and tense that she could feel her shoulders getting heavier by the second.
Her rational side just couldn’t keep up, and it kept shouting, no! It’s impossible! Your life isn’t like one of those romance novels that Jurich liked reading! There’s no way the Third Prince of the Empire is interested in you!
And yet, against the cries of her rationality, Olivier’s voice was much too sweet.
Radis couldn’t hold out any longer.
“Your Highness, there’s absolutely…. absolutely no way that you’ve committed any discourtesy.”
Her hands were on her knees, as if she was a knight listening to her liege’s orders. However, her face was turning bright red little by little.
“I, I also… Your Highness… um, seeing you again… I’m h-h-ha…”
I’m happy, was what she wanted to say.
But both Radis’ mind and tongue were vehemently refusing to say it.
Her thoughts were so tangled up that she kept thinking that it’s so much easier to just go into the woods alone, fight all the monsters there—including Arachne, to boot—than to say such a thing. And her tongue had become so wooden, which was making her avoid saying it out loud.
“I-It is an honor…!”
The moment she said that instead, her mind went blank.
Why the heck did she say it’s an honor here?
“Ahaha.”
Suddenly hearing him chuckle, Radis looked at Olivier in shock.
Though he had one hand slightly covering his mouth, his laughter was as clear as a bell.
And it sounded so much like shimmering diamonds being rolled over in a golden tray.
‘Huuk.’
Seeing his beautiful smile and hearing his captivating laughter, Radis felt herself choking up, but she forced herself to press down on the urge to let out a gasp. She was frozen now, hardened like a rock.