Chapter 44
“What a pain.
If it’s a man with red hair and golden eyes, it has to be him, right? He didn’t seem to be hiding his identity anyway?”
It was just as Mei said. Red hair symbolizing Rosaria, known as the Emperor’s rose, wasn’t common.
Add golden eyes to that, and only one person came to mind.
“I heard he’d returned, but why run into him there of all places.”
Things hadn’t been going well since Nanael had rammed into me.
“But his face was pretty handsome, though? His personality didn’t seem that bad ei—”
“Mei, I usually agree with you, but Prince Cesare is really a no.”
“You usually disagree with me, don’t you?”
“Ahem, anyway! You can’t be fooled by his slick face and cheesy pickup lines. He’s pretty trash.”
Yes. Honestly, the entire imperial family was shady.
Especially the Emperor, who’d been blatantly biased ever since marrying Empress Rosaria.
He was like a textbook example of how a man in love could act so arbitrarily.
In fact, the Emperor was the most suspicious character in the original story.
He’d started as an outstanding politician, but toward the end, he grew increasingly shady.
‘Anyway, getting involved with royals is always exhausting.’
I erased Cesare and his weird pickup lines from my mind.
Arriving at the Magic Tower like that.
“Oh my, hello! Lady Rodellia!”
The woman at the reception desk greeted me warmly.
Unlike the first time when she’d treated me like a stalker, her face was extremely friendly.
She led me to the elevator with a curious expression.
“That day, I was rude because I didn’t recognize you. I had no idea you were in a secret relationship…”
“Ahem!”
Why had rumors spread like this here too?
I’d suddenly become the woman who’d gone from a secret romance to a public declaration.
Embarrassed, I held out the shopping bag Mei was carrying.
“Share these with everyone!”
“Oh goodness, thank you! I was on duty and craving something sweet anyway.”
As expected, food was unbeatable— the receptionist’s face bloomed even more.
Ding—.
Arriving at the top floor, Iden, who’d been notified in advance, greeted me.
“Welcome, madam!”
“M-Madam?”
The unexpected title nearly made me drop my coffee.
“The Tower Lord is waiting inside.”
Whether I was embarrassed or not, Iden cheerfully guided me in.
“The maid can come this way.”
He naturally blocked Mei as she tried to follow.
“Mei is my lady’s escort, you know?”
“Where else is there someone as strong as the one inside?”
When I gave him a look like, you know better, Mei pouted.
“Wait outside.”
Quickly backing Iden up, Mei couldn’t argue anymore.
“Tch, I’m telling the young master everything.”
With Mei dragged off by Iden like that, I entered the study alone and came face-to-face with Alferen, who was examining documents with the window at his back.
“Delly.”
Wearing silver glasses, he smiled brightly and rose from his seat.
The sunset’s glow dappled his hair in vibrant hues.
“Don’t tell me you came to pick me up?”
His elated voice tickled my ears.
As I set down the coffee and stared entranced at the powerful glasses exuding intellectual charm.
He naturally took my hand, brought it to his lips, and smiled softly.
“You missed me.”
The contact as natural as breathing, and a voice so sweet it was like it had been candied in sugar.
“Just… it ended earlier than planned.”
My face flushed bright red on its own as I pushed his hand away and fanned myself.
“Aren’t you overdoing it?”
Unaware of my inner turmoil, Alferen wore a worried expression.
He must be concerned since it involved his own household.
“Overdoing it? It’s actually fun. I wanted to try it anyway.”
Managing the household suited me more than I’d thought.
It felt rewarding to see the ducal residence changing.
The servants followed my words well, so it wasn’t particularly hard.
“I’m starting to understand why Mom is so passionate about household management?”
“Household management… Why does it feel so good hearing that from you, Delly?”
“I’m quite the desirable talent, after all.”
My shoulders shrugged at the praise.
As Alferen smiled innocently, his expression suddenly hardened.
“Delly, what’s this?”
Before I knew it, the handkerchief Cesare had given me was in his hand.
It must have caught his eye after I’d shoved it carelessly into my bag earlier.
“Oh, earlier I bumped into some guy and…”
I hadn’t even finished speaking.
Whoosh—.
The high-end fabric handkerchief turned to a handful of ash in midair and vanished.
It happened so instantly, I had no time to stop it.
“Ren brother?”
Why suddenly burn the handkerchief like that?
I was planning to throw it away because the owner creeped me out, but still.
As if nothing had happened, Alferen dusted off his hands and said quietly.
“Dirty.”
“…”
“You shouldn’t just accept things from any man, Delly.”
For a split second, his blue eyes seemed to flash coldly.
A sharp gaze, as if impurities had tainted what was his.
As if he’d stab a dagger into an enemy’s heart at any moment.
Did Alferen make expressions like this?
But before I could even show my surprise, he spoke, his warmth restored.
That fleeting expression felt like my imagination.
“You understand, right?”
In his pleading words, a sticky possessiveness lingered.
‘That just sounded like something an obsessive male lead would say.’
Wondering if I’d seen wrong, I rubbed my eyes, and there was Alferen, waiting for an answer as usual.
“I was going to throw it away anyway.”
“I see.”
Alferen smiled gently, then intertwined our hands.
“So, what did that guy look like?”
The moment our eyes met, I sensed danger.
It sounded like a simple question, but between lovers, it was a highly sensitive point.
The answer could be interpreted differently.
Detailing the guy’s features here wouldn’t be a good choice.
Especially since delaying the response would invite unnecessary misunderstandings.
“His features were so bland and forgettable, I don’t even remember!”
“Really?”
“Yeah! And because of that jerk, I only got one bite of my last gelato.”
“Oh dear. That must have been upsetting.”
Alferen gently stroked my hair.
“Want to go get gelato with me?”
Before I knew it, Alferen had dropped his suspicions and was smiling.
The glasses amplified his beauty to an eye-watering degree.
“Should we?”
Entranced, I agreed, and ended up sharing gelato amicably with Alferen, finishing with a splendid dinner at a restaurant, followed by a thorough night stroll in a park by the lake before heading home.
Lying in bed after washing my weary body like that.
“This was totally a date…”
Somehow, I’d gotten swept up by Alferen and had a proper date.
Plus, we’d held hands the whole time, so the sensation still lingered vividly.
I stretched my hand toward the ceiling, recalling Alferen’s touch.
It felt too real for pretending to be fake lovers.
Especially his reaction upon spotting Cesare’s handkerchief—it had felt like jealousy.
‘As if Alferen would be jealous.’
Even I found the assumption ridiculous, and laughter bubbled out.
“But why did I make excuses?”
Recalling the handkerchief reduced to ash and how I’d quickly defended myself against his surprise trap question, I grew serious.
It seemed I’d unconsciously immersed myself because Alferen was acting so much like a real boyfriend.
‘At this rate, when the fake girlfriend gig ends, I might feel a bit empty.’
* * *
When Rodellia arrived at the Magic Tower. Alferen caught a whiff of an unfamiliar man’s cologne from her.
Tracing the source of the scent, what caught his eye was some man’s high-end handkerchief.
On the handkerchief he pulled out while Rodellia was off guard, initials were clearly embroidered.
CB.
Beneath the nausea-inducing initials was the Spear of Judgment, symbolizing the imperial family.
There was only one prince whose name started with C.
Second Prince Cesare Barnard.
