Chapter 16
A woman who conducts background investigations—even she thought she was being truly terrible.
It was a sudden and random claim, but she thought her years of unrequited love would lend it some credibility.
Thinking that, Ines swallowed hard.
She steeled herself to remain unhurt no matter what he might say.
However, there was one fact Ines had overlooked.
The fact that Cedric was a far more capable politician than she had imagined.
To Cedric, who dealt with the sly old foxes of the House of Lords, Ines’s impulsive scheme was as transparent as clear water.
Her tightly clenched fists looked solemn.
Staring down at her small, white hands, Cedric gave a bright smile and spoke to Ines.
“That is wonderful.”
“Even if you are disappointed, there’s nothing I… Wait, what?”
“It is wonderful.”
“The fact that Miss Ines has such a passionate interest in me.”
“And I, too, shall make an effort from now on.”
“So that I can get to know more about Miss Ines.”
‘Th-this isn’t how it was supposed to go…’
Flustered by Cedric’s unexpected counter-response, Ines’s gaze wavered back and forth.
Looking at his prospective fiancée, Cedric wore a pleasant smile.
To him, her innocent nature—unable to hide her true inner thoughts—felt nothing short of adorable.
Just by seeing her panicked state, he could tell instantly that her words were a lie.
The reason for the lie was obvious.
It must be because she wanted him to be disappointed in her.
A background investigation.
Had anyone else said it, it would have been offensive enough for him to never associate with them again.
But if the person was Ines, the story changed.
‘No. Actually, it might have been even better if it weren’t a lie.’
Public interest in the Duke of Angel’s family was nothing new.
Furthermore, if someone were conducting a background check on him, word of it would inevitably reach Cedric’s ears.
If Ines had truly investigated him and the House of Angel, Cedric would have pretended not to notice and handed over every piece of information she was curious about.
Quite gladly, at that.
‘But still…’
How did Ines know about even the minor items within the Ducal residence?
A sudden curiosity welled up.
Cedric looked at Ines with a peculiar gaze.
They were trivial matters that weren’t exactly secrets, but for that very reason, they weren’t the type of information that would openly circulate as rumors either.
‘It seems my fiancée is hiding something after all.’
Cedric smiled broadly.
Ines was not a person suited for hiding things.
Even now, wasn’t her feeling of embarrassment showing through as transparently as water on her face?
Ines seemed completely unaware that for someone who wanted him to lose interest, she was drawing far too much attention.
Since it didn’t seem like he would get an honest answer, he didn’t ask.
He would have to uncover the secrets she was hiding slowly.
After first effectively using the cards that had fallen into his hands.
“This will be a great help in choosing a teacup.”
“Since you have even investigated my tastes, you must know them well.”
Cedric’s eyes curved into crescents.
Faced with the handsome arc of his eyes and lips, Ines was left utterly speechless.
Having already claimed that she had conducted a background check on the House of Angel, she could not ignore Cedric’s request to pick out a teacup.
Ines had no choice but to slowly scan the displayed teacups.
Whether because they had prepared thoroughly for the Duke’s visit, every single item was a luxury good.
Among them were items of a quality that would likely suit Cedric’s taste.
However, Ines intentionally looked away, pretending not to notice them.
Then, Ines’s gaze stopped at one spot.
She reached out and pointed in that direction.
“That one would be good.”
“That one?”
“Yes.”
Unlike the other items displayed in bright areas, the one Ines pointed to was located at the very bottom of the display case.
It was practically hidden, to the point that one wouldn’t even know something was there without looking closely.
Ines’s behavior—choosing something that could barely be seen instead of the items displayed prominently—once again piqued Cedric’s curiosity.
Meanwhile, the shop owner, who had been watching the two with anticipation, waved her hands in distress.
“Oh my! Th-that is not for sale.”
“I told them to clear it away, so why is it still there…”
“Anyway, I have no idea why that caught Ines Greenwood’s eye.”
“Is it an expensive item?”
Cedric asked the owner, who had rushed over in a flurry.
“No! Not at all.”
“In fact, it is the opposite.”
“It belongs to a poor artist, and because it simply wouldn’t sell, I was planning to remove it from the shop now.”
Indeed.
If it were an important item, it wouldn’t have been placed in such a remote corner.
However, the value of the item did not matter to Cedric.
Only the fact that it was Ines’s choice mattered.
“Bring it out.”
At Cedric’s unexpected words, the shop owner hesitated and glanced at him tentatively.
To the owner, Cedric spoke once more.
“Bring it out.”
“I want to take a closer look at the item Miss Ines has chosen.”
She dared not defy the Duke’s command.
The shop owner approached the display case with hesitation.
The shop owner could not understand Ines’s choice at all—why she had picked an item that one had to crouch down on the floor just to pull out.
‘There are so many fine items here.’
The owner did not know.
That Ines had intentionally chosen the most shabby thing, hoping that Cedric would be disappointed by her poor taste.
“Your mind will change once you see it in the light.”
“You must not have seen it clearly because it was placed in such a dark spot.”
“It is all my fault; I should have shown you only the finest, carefully selected items.”
Explanatory words poured out incessantly.
The item she reluctantly brought out was covered in a thick layer of dust, unlike the other clean and sparkling pieces.
Even after she brought a white cloth and wiped away the dust, the impression of the item didn’t change much.
No, rather, it looked even worse.
It was a teacup with a dull yellow base and green patterns, perhaps due to the use of crude materials.
Seeing the quality, which was even cruder than she had expected, Ines was certain this time.
There was no way Cedric would ever like it.
“Hmm.”
As she expected, Cedric did not give an answer easily even after staring at the item for a long while.
Thinking this was the moment, Ines quickly spoke up.
“I have no talent for choosing things.”
“I just roughly use whatever the maids pick out for me.”
“I don’t know how to distinguish between what is good and what is bad, so my father often tells me I am naive.”
“I only chose it because the Duke asked me to, but if you don’t like it, you don’t have to…”
“No.”
Cedric cut Ines off.
“It is actually the opposite.”
“I really like this item.”
Then, he smiled, his eyes narrowing beautifully.
“Pardon?”
Ines wasn’t the only one shocked by Cedric’s answer.
Turning pale, the shop owner asked Cedric with a stutter.
“Y-Your Grace. You like this item?”
“Yes. I like it.”
“It has a similar feel to Miss Ines’s outfit today.”
“It is truly an item worth commemorating our first date, Miss Ines.”
No sooner had Cedric finished speaking than the shop owner quickly scanned Ines’s attire.
Only then did Ines realize that the dull yellow dress she had worn on purpose was similar in color to the teacup.
“The green pattern also feels similar to the color of Miss Ines’s eyes.”
“The fact that the colors aren’t particularly harmonious somehow appeals to me, ironically.”
A burning heat that started from her neck seemed to climb upward, and soon Ines’s face flushed bright red.
“B-but please look a little more.”
“I’m sure there will be an item you like better…”
“No. This will do.”
“I shall purchase it.”
“Charge the cost of the items all at once.”
She had been at the shop since dawn, displaying only the highest quality goods, yet the teacup that caught the Duke’s fancy was merely that.
The owner was anxious, but seeing Cedric peering into the teacup repeatedly, she managed her expression and quickly gave an answer.
“No, Your Grace.”
“This is the work of a new artist, and since it hasn’t sold, I was at a loss for what to do with it.”
“Even when I lowered the price several times, a master never appeared; it must have been waiting to meet Your Grace.”
“Just having the Duke of Angel use it will be great promotion.”
“Therefore, you may simply take the item.”
“No. I cannot do that.”
“Please accept the correct price.”
“But the set price is truly a pittance.”
The price the shop owner hesitatingly mentioned was not even one-hundredth of the teacup set Cedric had gifted to Ines.
Hearing this, Cedric raised the price as if it were of no consequence.
“Then charge the same price as the item I gifted to Miss Ines.”
“What? No, that makes no sense.”
The owner was startled and hurriedly waved her hands.
“As a merchant, it would be a profitable deal, but there is such a thing as business ethics.”
“The item Ines Greenwood first laid eyes on is extremely rare.”
“It is a very precious piece of which our shop could only acquire one.”
She could not accept the same price for that crude teacup as she would for such a luxury.
It truly made no sense.
However, Cedric’s stubbornness was stronger than the shop owner’s honesty.
“Deduct an appropriate amount and give the rest to that new artist who made the teacup.”
“So that they can continue to create good works in the future.”
An ordinary teacup shop owner could not argue further against a decision made by the Duke of Angel.
The owner had no choice but to finally nod her head.
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