CH 34
Marienne froze, her round silver spoon held mid-air. Vileon’s gaze, his expression, his posture—everything pointed to one thing.
Is he asking me to feed him?
Marienne stared blankly, her eyes darting between her dessert and Vileon’s face.
“Don’t you have a spoon, Sir Byers…?”
“I dropped it on the floor.”
“What?”
That couldn’t be right. When had the spoon that was perfectly fine on the table fallen to the floor?
Besides, Vileon was the very picture of impeccable table manners. She had never once seen him get food on his face or drop so much as a bean.
A man who doesn’t even drop a tiny, round pea wouldn’t drop a spoon, would he?
But it was true.
Marienne confirmed that the spoon, which had been neatly placed in front of Vileon just moments before, had vanished without a trace.
“Then I’ll ask the staff for a new one.”
“It’s going to melt.”
Vileon gestured to the ice cream with his eyes. The ice cream was, of course, perfectly fine. It maintained the perfect round shape it had when scooped from the freezer.
“Hurry.”
How can you rush me with such a syrupy-sweet voice? This is a public place, and that’s a crime!
Feeling half-entranced, Marienne dipped her spoon into the pink ice cream with a soft plink. Then, she involuntarily glanced to the side. It was a situation where she couldn’t help but be conscious of the person next to her.
Chloise shot up from her seat as if someone had jabbed her bottom with a needle.
“I’ll go get a spoon. Oh, and I should probably get a glass of water, too.”
Chloise muttered things no one had asked and disappeared into the shop.
I didn’t mean to make the Lady work for me. I was just glancing over to see if it was really okay to be staging a scene like this in broad daylight!
There was no helping it.
Vileon was still waiting to taste the ice cream. Marienne slowly extended the spoonful of ice cream toward him.
Suddenly, the world seemed to stop, and only Vileon moved in slow motion under the dazzling sunlight. A face so handsome that ‘beautiful’ was an understatement drew closer to Marienne. The moment he opened his mouth and took the spoon, Vileon met her gaze.
Hk.
Marienne prayed and prayed that her hand, holding the spoon, wouldn’t tremble unsightly.
Only one thought ran through her mind.
This is a crime! Do you want to be arrested for public indecency? It’s a guaranteed life sentence with no parole!
But the man himself surely had no idea what was going on inside his aide’s head.
Vileon’s eyes remained fixed on Marienne until the moment he released the spoon. The pull was stronger than she expected, and Marienne’s hand was drawn forward a few centimeters.
Marienne quickly lowered her hand. The spoon was slick and clean, with no trace of ice cream.
He really licked that clean.
Hmm, on second thought, maybe ‘licked’ wasn’t the best word to use.
Then ‘sucked’...
Warning. Warning.
His tongue must have touched this, not just his lips, right?
Marienne Didi, you are guilty.
Your lewd delusions have crossed the line. The sentence is death. Bang, bang, bang.
Ah, I should stop.
Marienne, deeply repentant, lifted her head. But just then, Vileon was licking his lips with the tip of his tongue. In that moment, Marienne heard an auditory hallucination of something exploding with a pop in her ear.
“I thought it was strawberry.”
Vileon murmured quietly.
“...I-it’s not strawberry flavor?”
She felt she had to do something. Anything to stop her own wicked delusions would be welcome.
Marienne took a bite of the pink ice cream. The fresh, sweet strawberry ice cream, like freshly squeezed juice, melted smoothly in her mouth.
“It is… strawberry flavor, though?”
“Yes, just as I expected.”
“But…”
Marienne’s voice trailed off. She had eaten from the spoon Vileon had used. A belated realization made Marienne’s cheeks flush.
Stop it, Marienne. Don’t you dare think of a childish word like ‘indirect kiss.’ You just used the same utensil. It’s something that could happen anytime.
“Anyway, it’s delicious! No wonder this place is so popular. I’m glad I came out with you, Lady.”
To prove she was unfazed, Marienne diligently ate her ice cream and shaved milk ice.
It seemed she wouldn’t be able to meet Vileon’s eyes for a little while longer. In that respect, it was a relief to have food right in front of her to focus on.
Just then, she sensed a presence behind her. A husky voice, as if tinged with violet smoke, reached her ears.
“It’s been a while, Sir Byers. I believe this is the first time we’ve met outside the Imperial Palace.”
Vileon sat up straight.
“Priest Anais, it’s good to see you.”
“I was able to recognize you from a distance, Sir Byers. But the next moment, you leaned forward, didn’t you? To accept a spoonful of ice cream from this sister here.”
Leslie smiled.
“For a moment, I thought I’d mistaken you for someone else.”
“Yes, I see.”
“I hadn’t heard any news of you seeing someone recently.”
Marienne wondered how long this jerk was going to stand behind her, blathering on. Her spooning of the milk ice became increasingly combative.
“Perhaps my information gathering has been slow?”
“That is not the case.”
“In that case, this sister here, who is not your romantic partner, is…?”
Leslie finally stepped out to stand between Marienne and Vileon. Marienne lifted her head from her dessert bowl and looked at Vileon.
Should I answer him myself?
She asked a silent question, and Vileon answered just as silently.
Yes.
“I am Aide Didi of the Chancellor’s Office.”
Marienne answered while keeping her eyes fixed on the table. For some reason, she wanted to give this man the bare minimum of personal information.
“Is Didi your surname, or your given name?”
“My surname.”
“A cute surname. Then the given name that goes with it must be… Marienne, I presume.”
Marienne’s head snapped up. Leslie, whose gaze met hers, narrowed his eyes into a curve. At his coquettish smile, the people who had been stealing glances at their table let out a collective sigh.
“I am Priest Leslie Anais.”
“Ah, yes. Hello.”
“Do you have any idea how I’ve searched for you, sister? In the fairy tale, Cinderella at least dropped a glass slipper. But all I knew about you was this…”
Leslie made a slow, deliberate motion of stroking Marienne’s hair.
“...candy-colored hair.”
She tried to avoid his touch and bumped against the back of her chair. By the time she righted herself, she had already seen the smile spread across Leslie’s lips.
She’d been caught getting flustered all by herself while her opponent remained perfectly composed. It was both embarrassing and infuriating.
He’s clearly made a habit of nonchalantly doing things that cause misunderstandings.
“Why were you looking for my aide?”
Vileon asked, putting particular emphasis on the word my.
“Ah, for personal reasons.”
“Personal reasons?”
Vileon offered a gentle smile.
“Could you share them with me?”
“Sir Byers, this is amusing. Did I not just say they were personal reasons?”
“After I hear them, I will be the one to judge whether they are personal or official.”
Vileon’s voice was calm and smooth.
“Will you tell me?”
Marienne fiddled with her spoon, trying not to show her surprise.
So this is how our Sir Byers pressures people. He was only kind at the Chancellor’s Office because things run smoothly even when he speaks nicely.
“I’m only a good person to good people.”
She recalled something Vileon had once said.
“If you insist, I have no choice. I intended to ask the sister here about the place where we first met. I was curious as to what business brought you there.”
“If it’s about that, then I, her superior, can answer in her stead.”
Vileon slowly clasped his hands together. His demeanor made it feel as if they were in the Chancellor’s study, not on the terrace of an ice cream shop.
“Aide Didi went there to carry out her superior’s orders.”
“...You know the place where we met, Sir Byers?”
“It would be strange if I didn’t. I was the one who told her to go in the first place.”
Marienne tried hard not to be overly conscious of Leslie’s gaze boring down on her.
Vileon was doing well. He was so good at lying so casually, it was astonishing.
The problem was Marienne herself. She couldn’t show any sign of it now. That cunning bastard Leslie wouldn’t miss the slightest detail.
“Sister, what exactly were your orders?”
What a despicable bastard. Turning the arrow on me just like that!
“Even if you ask, my aide will not be able to tell you.”
Vileon brought the conversation to a crisp conclusion.
“It’s classified.”
“...Ha.”
A solid hit.
Leslie let out a laugh that was close to a scoff.
Meanwhile, Marienne couldn’t suppress her overwhelming emotions.
Everyone, are you all watching? This man before my eyes! This resourceful, charming man is my man…
Marienne slapped herself hard in her imagination. It was a slip-up so bad she’d have no excuse even if her lips swelled up like a duck’s bill.
No matter how excited she got, there were some blunders you could make and some you couldn’t.
Marienne collected herself. Then she vigorously declared that the man before her was her ultimate favorite and the new male lead of this era.
In any case, Leslie seemed to have decided there was nothing more to gain here. He offered Vileon a series of clichéd farewells.
Next, it was Marienne’s turn.
“I look forward to seeing you often in the future, my cute little sister.”
Leslie casually tried to take Marienne’s hand.
He’s trying to kiss the back of my hand as a farewell! Who does he take me for, a fool? Does he think I’d fall for the same trick twice?
Marienne quickly pretended to be searching for something in her pocket. Leslie’s hand, clad in a smooth glove, was left hanging in mid-air.
Leslie licked his lips in disappointment, like a snake that had just missed its prey. He then changed direction and picked up the cherry garnish from the ice cream.
The round, red, candied cherry that was obviously meant for Marienne disappeared into Leslie’s mouth. The priest looked down at Marienne and chewed the cherry.
Is that a warning that he’s going to crush me like that soon?
If so, she found it absurd that he was warning her out of the blue.
In her attempt to get rid of the northerner, she had unintentionally gotten on Odette’s bad side. But she hadn’t done anything to displease the Crown Prince or the Second Prince.
“May God’s blessing always be with you.”
He eats someone else’s cherry without permission and then says what, now?
Marienne glared at Leslie with a displeased expression. Regardless, Leslie nonchalantly headed for the bookstore across the street.
Because of his form-fitting, pure white priest’s robes, his firm backside was accentuated with every step. Every woman on the street was sneaking glances at that particular part of Leslie’s anatomy.
Is that what they call screaming ‘I’m a fraud’ with your whole body?
Just looking at his exterior, he didn’t seem like a servant of God in the slightest.
Begone, Lustful Demon. Ptooey, ptooey.
“Should I buy you a new one?”
Vileon’s voice cut through her thoughts.
“Huh? A new what?”
“The dessert. The priest helped himself without permission.”
Marienne realized he was talking about the cherry.
“Ah, ahh, it’s fine. Come on, there’s still so much left. Does it make sense to order a new one over a single cherry?”
“But I thought you might be upset.”
Such a thoughtful Vileon.
Marienne gently shook her head.
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