CH 53
Vileon eased the mood with a joke, then added.
“I’m sorry. For having you summoned by someone you’re afraid of. And on top of that, for making you listen to orders about our relationship.”
“Well, I wasn’t planning on breaking up with you anyway.”
“Even so.”
Vileon said gently.
“It’s one thing for me to decide that for myself, but it’s completely different when someone else orders it.”
Ha, that’s exactly what I mean.
Marienne was grateful to have a lover who understood the situation so precisely.
“I thought the Fourth Princess would summon you someday. But I didn’t think it would be so soon.”
Vileon’s voice settled into a calm tone.
“I did give Blackwood a good thrashing. But she wouldn’t have called you in just for that. And it wouldn’t be simply because she was curious about my lover.”
Correct.
Marienne recalled her meeting with Odette.
During her time in the drawing room of the Fourth Princess’s palace, she’d listened to Odette reminisce about the past, praise the surprisingly tight-lipped Chloise, make the problematic declaration that she and Vileon were in the same boat, and state that Marienne, too, had already come aboard.
If she had stayed longer, she would have been asked if she knew how to play chess.
She might have been asked why she didn’t know, if Vileon hadn’t taught her, and heard a long spiel about what a wonderful rival Vileon was.
But what about that northern bastard? The name Blackwood didn’t even come up once in her conversation with Odette.
According to the original story, Odette and that northern bastard should have shared several deep kisses by now.
Moreover, that day, Odette didn’t even mention Marienne’s fanatical obsession with her fiancé’s hair.
Odette, who, unlike Marienne, was skilled at maintaining a poker face.
There were many things that bothered her, but had Odette focused solely on winning Marienne over that day?
It was more than that… How should I put it? It felt more like… indifference.
Did that northern bastard finally fall out of Odette’s favor?
She had overlooked the stolen earring incident, but he, ungrateful, had thrown the precious keepsake necklace into a pond.
That incident even angered Vileon, who had been minding his own business.
Given Odette’s temperament, if Cain Blackwood weren’t Cain Blackwood, she would have already chopped his body into tiny pieces and fed him to the swans.
He’s so big. She’d probably say, “Look how much the swans left over,” and then dump the rest into a pig trough—that’s the kind of person she is.
In any case, her heart fluttered slightly with the hope that Odette’s feelings for the bastard might have faded.
This was separate from her own relationship with Vileon. If only she didn’t have to see that bastard live out his life next to Odette, acting like a grand duke!
It was best not to get one’s hopes up, but you never know.
Maybe.
“I must have let something slip in my words or actions.”
“Ah…”
“That’s why Her Highness took you.”
Marienne debated whether or not to tell him that the coachman who drove them to and from work was one of Odette’s people.
“Should I not have mentioned the plan you gave me to Her Highness at all…? But it’s strange. When I think back, there was nothing that could have been held against me.”
Having said that, Vileon let out a small “Ah.”
“I just misspoke, didn’t I?”
“Uh, yes.”
“You’re not angry?”
“Me? Not at all. Besides, Her Highness already knew. That I was the one who first brought it up.”
Vileon furrowed his brow slightly.
“That’s what’s so strange. Where did the information leak from?”
He had figured out that information had leaked to Odette.
Vileon was smart. If she left him to it, it seemed he would uncover the coachman’s secret without much difficulty. She didn’t need to risk revealing it herself.
And for that very reason, Marienne changed her mind about not telling him the coachman’s secret.
There was only one reason.
Romance Fantasy Couple Law, Article 1: Hide the truth for your partner’s sake.
The more trivial, the better. You will tell bigger lies to hide a small secret, and in the end, you will fall into a pit of misunderstanding.
“Actually, Her Highness told me. That the coachman who helps us commute is her ear.”
Vileon looked stunned.
“Right? It’s shocking. It’s also why I’ve only been making small talk in the carriage these past few days.”
Marienne continued, saying that when you thought about it, it was a very Fourth Princess-like thing to do.
“I debated it for a while before telling you now. Sir Biers, you believe me unconditionally, even when I say absurd things. But I hid everything I heard at the Fourth Princess’s palace. I’m sor—”
“If you say you’re sorry, I’m going to kiss you.”
Marienne covered her mouth with the empty cup from her finished ice cream.
“That’s a… joke, right?”
“If you want to know whether it’s a joke or not, try saying you’re sorry.”
“But…”
“If we do it now, my first kiss will taste like a rainbow.”
The fruity taste remaining in her mouth suddenly felt vivid. Naturally, her gaze went to Vileon’s lips. They looked soft.
They’d be even softer if I touched them.
The image of red, orange, and yellow food coloring transferring to Vileon’s tongue came to mind.
A first kiss that tastes like a rainbow.
The line was so powerful that Marienne completely forgot what she had been about to say.
“Really, right here?”
“It’s fine, as long as you don’t say you’re sorry.”
“Ah.”
Why was I about to say I was sorry?
“As long as I don’t say I’m sorry…”
Vileon leaned in.
“Next time, when we’re alone… I’ll do it.”
His sweet, low voice tickled Marienne’s ear. Like a broken doll, Marienne just nodded her head vigorously without a word. Vileon smiled faintly and pulled back.
“I told you before, didn’t I? Every time you keep saying you’re sorry, it makes me feel like I’m a terrible person.”
“…But I’m the one who did something wrong, so why would you, Sir…”
“Huh?”
Startled, Marienne picked up the cup she had put down.
Stop the impulsive display of affection from her lover and superior. Stop it. Stop it, you must. At least you have to keep your head on straight. Squeeze.
“Did you just say you did something wrong? Isn’t that the same as saying you’re sorry?”
“No, it’s not. They’re completely different, you know?”
“I’ll let it slide this time.”
Vileon took the cup from Marienne and set it on the table.
“I can’t exactly show you the insidious thoughts going through my head.”
He let out a short sigh.
“Anyway, so the one who relayed our words was the coachman. Thank you for telling me. And…”
Marienne waited for him to continue.
“I had a feeling I knew why you kept it a secret for a few days. That’s why I also kept my mouth shut until you asked.”
“Just as I thought… the romance fantasy law.”
Look at that. They had almost faithfully followed Article 1 right from the beginning of their relationship. Marienne breathed an inward sigh of relief.
At the same time, she decided that from now on, she would just be upfront about things whenever possible.
It seemed especially necessary with someone like Vileon, who was so thoughtful he was always several steps ahead.
“Now all the pieces of the puzzle fit. Her Highness was quite fond of my plan. But if it came from your head, then that settles it.”
“Am I going to be worked to the bone, just like you, Sir?”
“Yes, probably.”
Still, she’s his first love. Did I make her sound too much like a villainous boss? She thought he would be uncomfortable. She thought it was entirely possible.
I guess not.
First love is first love, and recognizing that she works people to the bone is a separate matter.
His situational judgment is sharp, at least. Yes, that’s a relief.
She had already caught Odette’s eye anyway. In that case, it was better to empower Marienne to show off her skills.
Because if Marienne showed good results, her value in Odette’s eyes would also rise. That was how Vileon had judged the situation.
“Since we’re on the topic of my talent.”
Marienne glanced around before she spoke again.
“The food poisoning incident is a bit suspicious. I think someone might have caused it intentionally. What’s your opinion, Sir Biers?”
“Actually, I had the same suspicion.”
“We’re on the same page.”
Marienne smiled brightly.
“The timing of the incident is just too coincidental. When everyone is living in the dorms, it’s easy to infect them. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the salad.”
“But we won’t be finding out exactly what the cause was.”
Their eyes met.
“On the same page again.”
“If this keeps up, Her Highness will never let you go, Marienne.”
“Ugh, that’s a chilling thought.”
The two of them stood up. The topic was too risky to discuss while staying in one place.
The coachman, who had been killing time in the distance, started to bring the carriage over. Vileon waited for him to approach. Marienne whispered.
“Are you going to take the carriage?”
“Shh, I have an idea.”
The coachman stopped in front of them and was about to get down from his seat without much thought, intending to open the door for them. Vileon raised a hand, signaling that it wasn’t necessary.
“Go to the Chancellor’s Office and take care of something for me. Report that Aide Didi and I went straight home after our fieldwork.”
“…Understood. Then I’ll take you to the Byers county estate first.”
“No. The weather’s nice, so I think we’ll walk.”
The coachman asked.
“It’s quite a long way. Will you be all right?”
“We’ll take our time.”
“…Yes, I’ll head to the imperial palace, then.”
The coachman left, looking somewhat disappointed. Marienne waited for the carriage to disappear from view. A sound of admiration escaped her lips.
“Wow, you shook him off so smoothly.”
“It’s because I’m of a higher rank than him. No matter that the coachman is Her Highness’s man, right here and now, I’m his master. He can’t disobey my orders.”
“Thanks to you, we can talk freely now.”
A couple passed in front of them. The woman was laughing, her arm linked with the man’s.
Seeing them, Marienne felt the urge to subtly link her own arm with Vileon’s. It was a shame there were so many eyes around.
“Do you think it was the Crown Prince, wanting to screw over his half-brother? Or was it the Second Prince’s own doing? It bothers me that he chose you, Sir Biers, as the final inspector. Especially since you two don’t usually interact.”
“This might be a cold assessment, but…”
Vileon began.
“The Crown Prince doesn’t have the brains to come up with something like mass food poisoning. Food poisoning is too complicated for him. If he wanted to ruin things, he would have just set fire to the dormitory.”
I wondered what he was going to say, and he just calmly spits venom.
“So you’re saying he’s ignorant and violent.”
“Very much so.”
“Then that lends more weight to it being the Second Prince’s own scheme.”
He created a situation that was difficult to cover up and difficult to start over from, and then he entrusted the final inspection to Vileon.
Would a hero really emerge from the cornered planning committee, one brave enough to admit their mistake?
Even if one did, what could they possibly do with only three days left until the festival?
“He probably never imagined we’d pivot completely to a handsome man contest…”
Vileon replied with a smile.
“That was truly an idea only you could have come up with, Marienne. Even Priest Anice, who devises all sorts of cunning schemes, wouldn’t have thought of it.”
“Still, the Second Prince is smarter than his brother,” Marienne said.
“If we fail to clean this up, he’ll pin the blame on the planning committee. If we solve the problem, he’ll snatch up all the praise for himself. It’s so annoying.”
“Speaking of which,” Vileon began.
“What would you think if I entered the Flower of the Empire contest?”
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