Chapter 3
Nineteen hours since arriving at the Grand Duke’s residence. I realized one thing.
My adaptability is insane.
I felt as if I’d been bewitched by the fluffy bed and the ecstatic cuisine of the residence.
Life here might not be so bad after all……? For a very brief moment, I almost fell for that delusion.
However, the current situation was a very grim and dangerous reality. The task at hand was clearly defined.
[Even a Virgin Grand Duke Can Do It! National Marriage Starts with Dating! Project: Enjoying an Ordinary Romance!]
After writing the grand title, I nodded my head.
Seion Fernandi, from now on, there will be no episodes like kidnapping the female lead in your future!
I pulled out a clean sheet of paper and gripped my pen. Seion was not an easy opponent, so a fair amount of preparation was necessary.
[1. Identifying Ideal Type.
Let’s believe in clichés. Maybe he’ll change naturally once he meets his fated partner. (Note: Absolutely avoid pink-haired women with curly hair!)]
As long as it wasn’t the original heroine, I could cheer for him dating anyone.
[2. Brainwash him: If the other person says “I hate it,” “No,” or “Don’t do that!”, you absolutely must not do it.]
.
.
.
[10. Increasing Understanding of Emotions.
(Would he be offended if I made emotion cards to show him?)]
As I moved my pen without rest, I ended up writing down a total of ten plans. I hope at least one of these hits the mark.
Alright. Let’s just dive in!
* * *
After a happy lunch, the time for the lesson with Seion arrived.
The Head Butler of the Grand Duke’s residence, Dale, escorted me to Seion’s office. Then, he suddenly gave me a warning with a worried expression.
“If you feel a threat to your life, please pick up any object around you and throw it. Then, the servants waiting in front of the door will help you.”
“Pardon?”
“Just in case, I have also stationed people below the window. Even if you are thrown out the window, we will catch you safely.”
Since when did the Seion I’m supposed to teach become such a dangerous person? Oh, was it since the moment I set up his existence?
My commoner’s heart trembled at Dale’s worried words. A red light turned on in my instinctive senses. It was subtly too realistic to be a mere attempt to scare me.
In my head, I was grabbed by the collar by Seion and thrown out the window. Contrary to Dale’s words, the people failed to catch me, and I crashed straight into the ground.
*Creeeak—.* Thud.
There wasn’t even time to say, “Wait a minute.” The office door opened, and Dale gently pushed my back, ushering me inside. The sound of the door closing pressed heavily against my heart.
How can you push me in right after saying something so terrifying? Staring at the already closed door, I silently resented Dale.
“Annette.”
A low voice called me from behind. My movements were unnatural as I turned my head like a creaking machine.
“Yeees?!”
Perhaps because I was nervous, my voice cracked. I ended up making a sound like a crying water deer. Heat rushed to my face out of embarrassment.
“…….”
My gaze collided directly with his calm red eyes. They were emotionless eyes, just like yesterday.
“Did you sleep well?”
Seion ignored my deer-like voice and immediately changed the subject.
“Huh? Yes! Of course! The moment I lay on the bed, it was so fluffy that I fell into a deep sleep right away. Wow, I thought someone had knocked me out!”
“…….”
“The, the food is delicious too! To the point that I thought about whether I should kidnap the chef because I wanted to eat it for the rest of my life. Haha! Ha ha, ha ha ha… ha…….”
A moment of silence arrived along with a thoroughly awkward laugh.
Ah, damn it. My mouth is the problem. I bit my lips hard. If there were a mouse hole anywhere, I wanted to hide in it.
Please. Let’s not overdo it, Annette Jernias.
I couldn’t read the thoughts of the expressionless Seion at all.
It was a relief he didn’t openly make a pathetic expression. If he had, I might have jumped out the window voluntarily before Seion could throw me.
“There is no need to kidnap him. As long as Annette is living in the Grand Duke’s residence, you will be able to keep eating it.”
Seion’s voice was calm, but somehow it felt chilling. It was because it sounded like I should eat as much as I wanted until I died.
“Yes, yes! That’s right. Haha! Kidnapping? I never even thought of such a crime!”
“…….”
“I just imagined, ‘I want to live in the Grand Duke’s residence for a long time to eat such delicious things!’ Hahaha!”
I spat out nonsense while laughing awkwardly, but Seion showed no particular reaction. He just brushed past me and sat on the sofa.
I got ignored. Watching Seion’s composed face, I clenched my fists.
‘I will soon turn you into a student who nods at the words that kidnapping is a crime, you precious brat of a Grand Duke.’
“Sit down, Annette.”
While I was reigniting my fading will, Seion pointed to the sofa opposite him. I sat opposite him as he intended and looked directly at Seion.
The achromatic office and the moderate sunlight coming through the window. In the atmosphere of a drowsy afternoon, Seion looked like a painting.
“As signed in the contract.”
A faint light shimmered in Seion’s eyes, which had been serene until a moment ago. It was the eye of a full predator discovering a snack.
“It is time for dating, is it not?”
Ah, I told you it’s not that!
I pinched my thigh to stop myself from being bewitched by Seion’s beauty. If I didn’t keep my wits about me, I would be swept away by his logic.
“Your Highness. Right now is not ‘sweet-lovey-dovey dating time,’ it is a ‘very solemn lesson time,’ okay?”
At my firm words, Seion shrugged his shoulders. He had a somewhat arrogant face. My first student has a strangely cocky attitude.
“There are no reviews or anything in our lessons. I will explain everything only once.”
I approached Seion and grabbed his hand firmly. His large, thick hand was as cold as ice.
“Take notes on the important parts yourself.”
I opened his hand and personally placed a pen in it. Whether he was flustered by the unexpected situation, Seion did not brush me off. His face seemed to stiffen subtly, but I tried my best to ignore that fact.
I thought ‘oops’ after grabbing it, but fortunately, it was fine.
“…….”
Facing his red eyes up close, they were deep and dark. Overwhelmed by that unique atmosphere, I let go of the hand I had held.
Let’s not lose nerve, Annette. I tried to erase the warning Dale had given. If I become afraid of Seion, it will cause significant disruption to future lessons.
Composing my heart as much as possible, I boldly shouted the words I had prepared toward Seion.
“And if you don’t understand, just memorize it!”
It was time to show the Grand Duke of a romance-fantasy world the taste of rote learning.
* * *
It is now the beginning of the lesson with Seion. Right now, only one thing was most important.
Dominating the atmosphere!
“Your Highness must have learned many things when you were young. What kind of lessons did you mainly take?”
“I took all the essential education, such as basic noble etiquette, political science, military science, and swordsmanship.”
It was the expected answer. I continued with a triumphant smile.
“Your Highness governs the Grand Duchy by learning political science and demonstrates qualities as a monarch by learning military science. After learning swordsmanship, you must have become able to handle a sword with ease.”
“Yes.”
“The lesson with me is the same. You ‘learn’ dating from me, and you will have an ordinary love with your future partner.”
Do you get it, you precious brat. We are in a teacher-student relationship, not an equal lover position. The teacher’s word is law, and I will not accept creative refutations to rote learning!
Seion, who had raised one eyebrow, eventually furrowed his brow. He still had a face that didn’t understand.
“Your Highness. What did I say when I first started?”
I asked with a kind smile. I told you to memorize if you don’t know, you precious brat.
Seion rolled the pen in his hand once and then scribbled words across the clean paper. The elegant handwriting was neat.
[Write down what is important.]
“Eh?”
I let out a dumbfounded sound at the unexpected writing.
Am I seeing this right?
I raised my hand, rubbed my eyes, and looked again. Then, Seion pushed the paper toward me. He seemed to have misunderstood that I couldn’t see it well.
Haha, you Grand Duke fellow.
“Didn’t Annette say it? You told me to write down what is important.”
“Not that! The part after that was more important, you know?”
He let the important part slide and only remembered what he wanted to hear. If he had been born in Korea, Seion would have definitely been at the bottom of the rankings forever.
“Give me the pen, Your Highness. It would be better for me to write it down for you than to say it.”
I am having a lesson, not dating, with Annette Jernias. If you don’t understand, memorize! I should write such a sentence and stick it somewhere in the office.
“There is a flaw in Annette’s logic.”
However, Seion did not hand the pen to me, making my outstretched hand awkward. He just stared intently at my palm.
Feeling sheepish for no reason, I withdrew my hand while pretending to scratch my head.
“No matter what you learn, it is natural to build experience together with the teacher.”
No, I tried to withdraw it.
“Ugh!”
Seion grabbed my hand and pulled me toward him. Because of the sudden force, my body went up as if falling onto the table. The hand he held tightly felt numb.
Seion leaned his waist toward me, narrowing the distance. In an instant, his face approached right in front of mine. His clear red eyes, so close, were quite overwhelming.
“When I learned political science, I always debated with the teacher; when I learned military science, I learned by setting up war situations every time. When I learned swordsmanship, I had sparring matches every day.”
My reflection wavered within his red pupils. The woman with short blonde hair was showing her fluster exactly as it was.
“If it is the same as other lessons, as Annette said. Isn’t it natural to do the things you, the teacher, taught me together?”
Seion asked in a whisper. Ugh, my speech was blocked by an unexpected perspective. I hadn’t thought that far.
“Am I wrong?”
Every time his breath touched my cheek, goosebumps broke out all over my body. This kind of contact was not familiar. Moreover, a situation where such an unrealistically handsome man is close enough for our noses to bump is beyond unfamiliar.
I tried to pull my body back slightly. However, this stubborn Grand Duke didn’t seem to want to give me time. Every time I tried to withdraw slightly, he gripped my hand tighter and pulled me toward him.
“Your Highness, could you let go of my hand for now?”
“You haven’t answered my question yet, Annette.”
“Do you really have to hear the answer this close? Being stuck this close is really harmful, you know……?”
To my heart.
His unnecessarily handsome face moved even closer. *Tap*, as the tips of our noses bumped, my heart began to beat like crazy.
“Yes. I want to hear it up close. Is that not allowed?”
Hey, don’t beat. Get a grip!
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