Chapter 64
As expected from a villain.
He sure knows how to make an entrance that’s utterly infuriating.
The Barnard siblings appeared out of nowhere, mocking us as if they’d caught us red-handed.
Nanael Barnard covered her mouth with her fan, chiming in.
“Well, this isn’t something that should just fizzle out like this. At the very least, shouldn’t all the coins you’ve collected so far be confiscated? Who knows.”
Glaster, meeting her sharply glinting eyes, hid behind Edwin.
I had thought they weren’t coming since they hadn’t shown up until now.
But the way they appeared right after we’d barely resolved the incident, as if they’d been waiting, made their intentions crystal clear.
Showing up out of the blue and talking about seizing coins—how vicious!
How hard had we worked to gather those coins? I couldn’t let them go to waste because of the mess Edwin had made.
Perhaps because the disciplinary action had just ended, Nanael was draped head to toe in brand-new attire.
I’d heard that ever since I’d taken everything from her at the debutante ball, she hoarded every new item that came out, and it seemed to be true.
‘Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I’ve seen Cesare.’
He used to show up every day, stamping his face in my presence, but then he suddenly vanished.
I figured he’d finally lost interest in me.
Just then, our eyes met, and Cesare shot me a sleazy wink.
“Ugh.”
It was an instinctive wave of nausea from pure revulsion.
Nanael approached Alferen. Her gaze drifted to the bear costume he had tucked at his waist.
“Your tastes have gotten a lot cuter since I last saw you, haven’t they?”
The glare she shot my way afterward stung fiercely.
“And you’re still in a relationship, I see?”
Her words carried a barb, but it didn’t seem like she was picking a fight with him specifically.
It was probably just her usual obnoxious way of speaking that made it sound like she was picking fights with anyone?
“My lover likes cute things, you see.”
Alferen deliberately placed the bear costume in my arms and smiled softly.
Naturally, Nanael’s gaze turned to me.
“Well, yeah. You do look so frail, like you couldn’t even kill an ant.”
What? Coming from someone who’s always getting beaten by me!
I was just about to glare back at her, refusing to back down, when Cesare spoke up.
“It’s been a while, my lady. Still no intention of accepting my proposal?”
Cesare glanced at Alferen as he asked.
“I’m not sure what proposal you’re referring to.”
When I played dumb, Cesare grinned.
“Well, if you’re really torn about it, I’m willing to offer a trial date or something. Just for you, considering your pretty face. Once you go on a date with me, I bet your mind will change completely.”
Alferen’s aura turned menacing at the crass mention of a date.
“What did you just say?”
“Oh, was that too lowbrow for a goody-two-shoes duke like you? But then again, you’re not exactly in a position to act all righteous.”
His tone was polite, but his words were aggressive.
It was a powder keg moment, like either of them might throw down a gauntlet at any second.
“Hey there! Long time no see, Your Highness!”
Adrian burst in cheerfully, slinging an arm around Cesare’s shoulders as if they were old pals.
“P-Peris? What are you doing here…?”
What was surprising was how Cesare paled as if he’d seen a ghost the moment he laid eyes on Adrian.
‘What’s this? How does my brother know that guy?’
I was flustered by Adrian’s sudden move, but seeing Cesare squirm was refreshingly new.
Adrian gave a perky salute.
“Hello, Your Highness. It’s even more delightful to run into you in a place like this!”
“Don’t you have knight training today, Lord Peris?”
“Wow, you know my schedule inside out? It’s like you’re avoiding me on purpose.”
Cesare’s face turned ashen at Adrian’s grinning retort.
“As if. I just happened to hear about it.”
Cesare edged backward, trying to put some distance between them.
Undeterred, Adrian closed the gap in one stride.
He grabbed Cesare’s hand firmly, blocking any escape.
“I was actually planning to come see you again anyway. The delegation from the Eastern Kingdom is scheduled to visit the capital soon. It’s the perfect chance to showcase Your Highness’s impressive foreign language skills.”
“I don’t need—! I mean, I appreciate the offer, but I’ll handle it myself!”
“Oh dear. I’ve already told His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince that you’d be taking full charge.”
“What, you son of a—!”
Cesare scowled fiercely, but Adrian responded with a sunny smile, pressing a finger to Cesare’s furrowed brow.
“There, there. You wouldn’t want wrinkles on that famously handsome face. Don’t forget, I just smoothed that out for you.”
He even followed it up with a wink, which nearly sent Cesare into a fit.
“Who do you think is making me run myself ragged with all this work?!”
“Huh? Oh, look, it’s His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince.”
“What? Where?!”
Cesare bolted in a panic.
Nanael stared after him in disbelief, while Adrian turned to me and winked.
“…Or so I thought, but nope?”
What on earth has my brother been up to all this time?
I could guess without asking.
He’d probably latched onto someone he didn’t like and subjected them to his “sunshine torture” again.
Unlike Alferen, Adrian was sociable and had a wide circle of acquaintances.
He got along with everyone, so crossing him made life in the capital utterly exhausting.
His skill at tormenting people with a smiling face earned it the name “sunshine torture.”
To outsiders, it looked like he was just being caring, but the victim was the one suffering.
‘Assigning a prince who’s just returned to the empire to guide a foreign delegation, of all things.’
He’d hardly want to deal with such a hassle when he needed to build connections with the nobles in the empire.
‘And he ran off like his tail was on fire.’
It seemed even someone as nasty as Cesare found a sunshine type like Adrian to be his kryptonite.
Nanael hated them too, so maybe it ran in the family.
Just then, Adrian slapped Alferen on the shoulder.
“Did you see that?”
That’s how you do it, punk.
Alferen let out a deflated chuckle at Adrian’s smug display.
Left alone after Cesare’s escape, Nanael didn’t look as upset as I’d expected.
If anything, the twisted curl of her lips suggested she pitied her brother.
Then she turned to me and said,
“Lady Peris.”
“Yes?”
I tensed up at the sudden address. Usually, when she called me, something unpleasant followed.
But contrary to my expectations, Nanael said something surprisingly reasonable.
“I’m truly sorry about what happened last time. Since we’ll keep running into each other anyway, let’s put the bad blood behind us.”
Uncharacteristically apologetic, she held out an invitation to me.
Huh? For me? Why?
“As a token of my apology, I’m inviting you to a tea time. You can make it, right? I came all the way here just for this.”
The implication was clear: accept it, considering my effort.
I stared at the invitation, embossed with the imperial seal.
This was the first official tea time Nanael was hosting since her debutante.
Inviting me to her very first gathering suggested the Emperor’s influence at work.
Even though her notoriety was well-known, being invited to the imperial palace was an honor for any lady.
Moreover, refusing an invitation offered with an outward apology would do more harm than good.
‘Still, an invitation from Nanael? It feels off.’
When I didn’t accept immediately, Nanael added,
“If it’s awkward to come alone, feel free to bring your partner. Either way, I’ve practically certified you two as a couple, haven’t I?”
Her prickly tone made it obvious how much she hated extending the invite.
‘If Alferen comes with me, it should be fine.’
The imperial palace was essentially her territory, which made it uncomfortable, but on the other hand, it was safer than outside the palace.
Nanael wasn’t foolish enough to cause trouble right under the Emperor’s nose.
As she said, since we’d keep crossing paths, pretending to reconcile on the surface would look better.
