/
Episode 27: Someone Is Back (V)
─➽⊰
Number 28 of 6th Street, Albans, was Cesare’s mansion.
After I left the clubhouse, I rode a carriage to Cesare’s house.
Sitting in the fairly old-fashioned drawing room, I asked for coffee, ignoring the fierce glances of the spy maid.
Fortunately, the coffee came out quite good. This place had nice coffee.
“The coffee is really good.”
“Yes. We use beans roasted within 3 days from the Soritaire region. Isn’t the acidity unique?”
“…….”
It was just delicious, but the explanation was useless.
“Try the pavé chocolate. It will go well with coffee.”
I blinked as I popped the small piece of chocolate he suggested into my mouth.
‘What? Why are you so serious about food?’
But the flavor of the chocolate was amazing, so I was pleasantly surprised.
“Oh my, this is really delicious. Please eat too, Marquis.”
“Ah… I’m okay.”
Cesare, who had been watching me eat with a strangely pleased expression, added,
“I have a bad sense of taste after an unfortunate accident.”
“Ah.”
‘Then… you can’t even taste, but you’re buying and piling these delicious things in the mansion?’
He was definitely a strange person.
Perhaps he misunderstood my gaze as sympathy as he said with a low smile.
“It’s nothing. Don’t mind it.”
Well, I didn’t care that much…
Anyway, this didn’t matter.
“I’m sorry if I embarrassed you earlier.”
I changed the topic after a sip of coffee.
“I didn’t mean to bring it up all of a sudden.”
“Hmm.”
Cesare drank tea in perfect posture.
As if the earlier embarrassment had been a lie, he looked quite relaxed. Somehow, the languidly drooping eyes made him look a little happy.
He asked, staring at me with interest.
“Then why did you say such a thing, it’s quite out of the blue.”
And coincidentally, Cesare and I spoke at the same time after that.
“If you liked the way I showed up at the right time to offer to escort…”
“If it’s a pathetic, crazy life of going to a clubhouse, I thought you will just treat it lightly…”
A moment of silence passed.
“Pfft!”
“Heh…”
I could hear the spy maid behind me and the slovenly-looking side behind Cesare forcefully holding back their laughter.
And the one summon who would never do such a nice thing.
<Ahahahahaha! It’s so funny! That sleek but evil handsome man must have been fooling around! Hahahahahaha! So, did you feel a little better? Ahahaha!>
“Peep.”
I sternly pressed Peep’s head and warned.
“Don’t laugh too much. Let’s laugh together later in the carriage. It’s more fun to laugh together.”
Cesare sighed lightly and touched his forehead. Baffled, he said,
“I think the method of educating the summon is wrong.”
“I’m a mess inside, so I can’t educate anyone in the first place. Maybe if it’s math or science that doesn’t involve value judgment at all.”
I continued, staring at Cesare.
“Well, it seems that the Marquis doesn’t have the qualities of a good educator either. Like going to the clubhouse.”
“I went for the first time today because I had something to do.”
“Did you hear what most people were saying to the guards earlier? ‘I’m here for the first time today, just following a friend!’ I’ve probably heard this a hundred times.”
“But it’s really my first time. I’ve already finished my business, so I don’t have to go back.”
“We can never go back. The owner has been arrested.”
And I smiled a little, as if expressing it was wonderful.
Cesare mirrored the smile.
“I finished my business quickly and rushed to escort you.”
“Yes?”
“But since your smile is so pretty, I can’t even say anything.”
Wait a minute.
This person… about my smile… Did he say it’s pretty?
Everyone said I was creepy when I smiled!
Strangely, the way he looked at me was friendly.
Wasn’t… Wasn’t this the second time we met?
However, my heart trembled when such a handsome person looked at me in a friendly and meaningful way. Truly, he had an outstanding appearance and impeccable manners.
Now, if 78 more variables such as personality, taste, talking in code, conversation style, values and intellectual level matched well, I would even want to try dating.
Of course, going to the clubhouse was a little disappointing, but no one was without flaws.
‘If this was the only downside, I can close my eyes. He will never be able to go to the clubhouse again anyway.’
I came to propose a fake relationship, but I wanted to try a real relationship, and I started to think of a good honeymoon destination.
Melissa also had hot love affairs, I should try it at least once!
“Anyway, I’d like to hear your story.”
“…….”
And, as if I had never been flustered for even a moment, I swiftly found my composure.
“Why the Princess said something like that to me, whether it’s a love relationship or a contract relationship.”
Every gesture of his was composed. Although, his voice was strangely sweet as he uttered the word ‘love’.
My body trembled slightly at the gap.
“Oh, yes. That’s right.”
After clearing my throat and mind, I explained.
“Do you remember that brazen Rodrigo Purves? The guy saw it in the magic item shop.”
“The aspiring chef with those bulging eyes.”
“Yes. That same beggar ended up proposing to me this morning. But that’s not all. He even enclosed Prince Heaton’s written opinion.”
I put down my coffee cup and spoke very dramatically, but Cesare’s expression was calm.
No, even if it’s someone else’s business, is it okay not to be surprised like that?
With a knowing face, he even leisurely tapped his feet.
I was a little stunned, but I continued with a slightly softened voice.
“Uh, anyway… So… If I ignore it for no particular reason, it will end up as if the Duchy of Prelai is arguing against the opinion of the imperial family.”
“Hmm.”
“Grandpa tells me to just ignore it, but I don’t really want to get caught up in something like this.”
“That’s very strange.”
Cesare’s tone when commenting that it was strange was rather like it wasn’t strange at all. With a face as though looking down on the whole situation from above, he said with a slight smile.
“Why does Prince Heaton put such petty and personal pressure on the Prelai family…”
“Rodrigo and Prince Heaton are close.”
I gritted my teeth and answered.
“From the start, Rodrigo was friendly with the imperial family. He was very close with His Highness, the missing crown prince…”
“Hmm.”
“He is a person who originally stakes his life on connections. That’s a characteristic of an incompetent human being. But well, that’s not the point…”
Cesare nodded nonchalantly like he was not particularly impressed and raised his cup.
“Is there anything you want from me? I’ll start researching the magic tools you want. Instead…”
I swallowed dry saliva and spoke in one breath.
“Please pretend to be in a relationship with me.”
Cesare stopped lifting the teacup.
“That is the only way to smoothly overcome Prince Heaton’s pressure. Even the imperial family cannot separate lovers.”
Cesare stared at me silently.
I calmly drank coffee.
I already knew the outcome. Cesare was the one who persistently demanded research on magic tools from the academy. And that, too, while raising the amount of sponsorship more and more. So it was definite that my offer would be tempting.
“If you look closely at the academy’s papers, you’ll know. It’s faster to ask me than to pour money into the academy.”
“I know. That’s why I went to the general store there.”
As expected, the reason he came to me that day was because of the magic tool request.
So he pretty much ran to me as soon as I came to the capital… I wondered how great the magic tools he wanted were.
“I will be honest. It’s a bit conflicting.”
Cesare said slowly, in a tone that was really troubled.
I added quickly.
“I’ll keep an eye on the situation and break up with you when it’s appropriate. It might be sooner than you think.”
Honestly, a fake lover could easily turn into a real one, so I didn’t want to say such a thing, but it was a pity.
“Hmm.”
Cesare did not give me a direct answer.
‘Is this something to worry about this much… I think it’s more beneficial than going to the clubhouse.’
After a moment of silence, Cesare let out a low chuckle. And he said something abrupt.
“In the old days, I would never have done anything mean, but… It has changed quite a bit since a few years ago.”
“What?”
Mean, it was a riddle word that came out of nowhere.
When I tilted my head, he held out his hand.
“Princess, I hope you don’t regret it. Let’s make a deal.”
“I knew it. I’ll make sure you don’t regret it.”
I grabbed Cesare’s hand.
He smiled tenderly and stared at me. And he slowly uttered, almost seductively.
“Princess, even if you want to take it back right away tomorrow…”
It felt strangely penetrating. My body shrank for a second at the confident yet dangerous look in his eyes.
“…I’ll never let it happen.”
“Um, uh, oh, yes.”
It was such an insidious atmosphere that I had no choice but to hesitate for a while.
Ame: *blushes* *giggles*