Chapter 43
“Then, shall we head to the garden?”
At my hurried attempt to change the subject, Sophia offered a faint smile and led the way to the garden.
May followed behind, chattering away.
“Our young lady is weak to compliments. That’s why I praise her every single day.”
“May, why are you the one looking so proud?”
“The glory of the master is the glory of the loyal servant, isn’t it? Praising my lady is no different from praising me.”
Her hand, spouting such absurd logic, caught my eye with a newly acquired large sapphire ring.
Even without asking, I could guess who had given it to her and what instructions came with it.
“You’re more fond of jewels than of me, May.”
“Oh my! That’s not true!”
“Then can you give me that sapphire ring?”
“Goodness. For a lady with so much money to try and squeeze the liver out of a flea.”
May hastily hid the sapphire ring, her face showing she’d been caught red-handed.
It was such a transparent reaction.
* * *
Having finished my schedule earlier than planned, there was quite a bit of time left before meeting Alferen.
A good idea suddenly popped into my head.
‘Should I go pick him up at the Magic Tower?’
Since I’d already decided to play the girlfriend role, showing some supportive, wifely behavior could be a great way to get under Nanael’s skin in multiple ways.
‘This is all Nanael’s fault for messing with me first, right?’
The aftereffects of the preemptive strike were still considerable. Because of that, I’d had to rush into this public relationship and even endure Adrian’s siscon tendencies, so the built-up resentment was enormous.
“Let’s stop by Winifred and then head to the Magic Tower.”
While I was at it, I went to the Winifred main branch and was in the midst of ordering coffee and desserts to my heart’s content.
‘Huh?’
As I turned to leave, a massive figure blocked my path. He’d appeared so suddenly that I had no time to dodge.
‘No!’
The gelato I’d bought to eat while waiting for my order to be packed hurtled mercilessly into the man’s chest.
Thud-!
Just as I was about to topple over from colliding with his rock-hard body.
“Oh dear.”
A low, husky voice accompanied a firm arm that caught my waist and steadied me.
“Are you alright, my lady?”
His tone was so polite it verged on oily, reeking of buttery charm, and it made me frown instinctively.
‘You block the way and then ask if I’m alright? My gelato’s already met its end, and you ask if I’m alright?’
It was the last scoop left, and I’d thought myself lucky to snag it.
But that gelato was already pitifully melting down the man’s chest.
Anyone would have been unable to avoid him if he’d popped up suddenly in a crowded cafe.
I lifted my gaze, thinking I’d get a look at the face of the guy who’d stolen my gelato.
“Huh?”
Wavy red hair that burned like flames.
Golden eyes gleaming through it, the mark of royalty.
The moment I saw that face, eerily reminiscent of Nanael in a way that set my teeth on edge, I knew for sure.
Cesare Barnard!
Of all people, I’d run into one of the villains I least wanted to meet, and my expression soured on its own.
Misinterpreting this, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and personally wiped the ice cream from my hand.
“I’ve soiled the hand of such a lovely lady.”
But why the hell was this guy’s way of speaking like that?
His lines could rival a Casanova’s, and it filled me with instant revulsion.
Shouldn’t he be tending to his own chest first instead of my hand?
His suit, which looked expensive at a glance, was now spotted with stains.
“I’m fine.”
As I briskly swatted his hand away, Cesare blinked in surprise.
Then, as he broke into a soft smile, the two beauty marks beneath his eyes stood out prominently.
“No. I’m the one who’s not fine. Letting a lady go like this would go against my code as a gentleman.”
His words were blatantly flirtatious. Knowing from the original story just how brutal his temperament was, it only sent chills down my spine.
In short, he was the number two villain you’d want to avoid getting entangled with. (For reference, number one is Nanael.)
“I’m really fine, so get lost……, I mean, don’t worry about it.”
I quickly pulled a check from my wallet and pressed it into his hand.
“Use this for dry cleaning or to get a new outfit made.”
I’d made sure to cover the costs precisely, so no one could accuse me of running off without paying for the cleaning.
As Cesare stared down at the check in his palm with a dumbfounded expression.
“My lady! Your order’s all packed!”
Unaware of the situation, May waved her arms, hands full of shopping bags.
“The cakes will get ruined!”
“Eek!”
At my sharp command, May obediently stilled her hands.
“Well then, goodbye.”
I gave Cesare a quick nod and hurried out of Winifred.
My movements were as swift as a refugee fleeing a disaster.
* * *
Left alone in the blink of an eye, Cesare gazed down at the check in his palm.
The amount matched the price of this jacket exactly.
To recognize a master tailor’s work in that fleeting moment and calculate the cost on the spot.
This meant his plan to use the ruined clothes as an excuse to secure a date with her had failed.
“……Not bad at all.”
Sudden accidents were meant to catch people off guard and expose vulnerabilities.
When he’d deliberately waited for Rodellia Peris to turn with her gelato and bumped into her, he’d been confident of success.
‘I’m really fine, so get lost……, I mean, don’t worry about it.’
He truly hadn’t expected her to toss the check at him like charity to shake off an annoyance and vanish.
‘She definitely meant to say “get lost.”‘
It was a profoundly humiliating first encounter. Enough to scratch the pride of Cesare, who had never once been rejected by a woman.
Yet, strangely, it piqued his curiosity. Probably because of her initial reaction.
Pink hair vibrant like cherry blossoms, a face pale as porcelain.
Her pert green eyes were filled with wariness.
An expression as if she’d already suffered a major blow, even though he hadn’t tried anything yet.
She’d recognized him at a glance. Given his resemblance to Nanael, it made sense.
To act that way despite knowing he was royalty—how intriguing.
“Well, her face is pretty cute, at least.”
It was an appearance perfect for toying with briefly.
Her heavy guard was a flaw, but with his own devilish charm, if he set his mind to it, those walls would crumble in no time—it was obvious.
Romance was a battle with clear offense and defense. The harder the opponent pushed back, the greater the rebounding pull.
According to his informants, she was already coming and going from the Ainluk ducal residence like it was her own home.
It seemed the Duke of Ainluk, who had strictly barred outsiders, was quite smitten with the young lady.
‘Hmm, a chance to take that annoying guy’s ego down a peg?’
It was perfect timing, as he’d been irked by how that guy always acted like some lofty young lord.
He was curious what expression he’d make if his woman was stolen away.
Truthfully, Cesare had no interest in avenging Nanael or anything like that.
His sister was merely his accessory, after all.
She existed to support him in becoming emperor.
So, her failure to secure Ainluk through her negligence was her own mess to clean up.
Yet, the reason he’d taken action personally was because of Alferen Ainluk—that subordinate with a stiff neck despite his position.
Cesare crumpled the check into his pants pocket.
Without hesitation, he stripped off the gelato-stained jacket and tossed it into the trash.
“Well, we’ll meet again soon anyway.”
At this point, Cesare was still quite relaxed.
That is, until he learned about her formidable defensive skills (aka her iron wall) and the massive gatekeeper and assault team guarding her front lines.
* * *
“May, your timing was perfect.”
Having confirmed we’d put enough distance from Winifred, I gave May a thumbs up.
“I feel bad for always thinking you butt in without reading the room.”
“But that’s not what you think anymore, right?”
“Hm? You heard that?”
“May has good hearing.”
As May pouted her lips, she murmured softly.
“I didn’t get that sapphire for nothing from the young master.”
So it was from Adrian, as expected.
With a narrowed gaze at the predictable outcome, I asked,
“You knew, didn’t you? That the guy back there was Cesare Barnard?”
