CH 54
For a moment, a single question filled Marienne’s mind.
Is there a swimsuit competition in the Flower of the Empire contest?
Normally, there wouldn’t be.
From what she had gathered in the meeting room earlier, being chosen as the Flower of the Empire was a far greater honor than she had imagined.
First, the top three winners would parade through the city in a lavishly decorated open carriage.
A marching band and a troupe of performers would follow before and after the carriage, making them stand out even more.
At the end of the parade, the Grand Chamberlain from the Imperial Palace and the city's mayor would be waiting for them.
Amid everyone's congratulations, the three beauties would receive a substantial cash prize and follow the Grand Chamberlain to the Imperial Palace.
An audience with the Emperor, treatment as honored guests, and an invitation to the Imperial Palace ball held in the autumn.
These were experiences that even low-ranking nobles couldn't dream of, all made possible simply by being chosen as the Flower of the Empire.
For these reasons, she had heard that not only commoner ladies but also noblewomen participated in this event.
This is a world without swimsuits in the first place. So a swimsuit competition is impossible. To them, it would be like going on stage in see-through nightgowns.
But this time, it was a handsome man contest, not a beauty pageant. If the ones on stage were men, couldn't they be made to show a little more skin?
Even if not a full swimsuit, wasn't taking off their shirts worth considering?
Wouldn't that be the way to contribute, however slightly, to world peace? Especially if it could momentarily relieve the worries and fatigue of her fellow women.
...Get a grip, Marienne Didi.
Marienne pictured Vileon in leather pants so tight it looked like his legs had been sewn into them, then shook her head vigorously.
“Are you against it?”
Vileon asked.
“I’m one of the judges. And besides, I’m dating you, Sir. If Sir Byers participates, the fairness of the judging will be compromised.”
“Is that the only reason?”
“For now, that’s the official reason.”
Marienne replied primly. Hearing such an unexpectedly rational answer seemed to have soured Vileon’s mood a bit. The corners of his smiling mouth drooped slightly.
He then told her to state the unofficial reason.
“I can’t let others see Sir Byers’s body drenched in water.”
“Why not?”
“Are you really asking because you don’t know? Your body is incredible even when it’s perfectly dry, Sir Byers. Dousing it with water would be a disaster. The thought of all the women in the empire staring at your body with gleaming eyes...”
“Does it make you angry?”
“Of course it does!”
Marienne stopped walking and stomped her foot.
“I don’t care if some other handsome man takes his clothes off on stage, does a handstand, or does a handstand with his clothes off.”
Vileon quietly muttered, “That’s a bit much.”
“But not you, Sir Byers. You should stay just as you always are, buttoned up to the neck and sitting primly in the Chancellor’s Office.”
“You’re surprisingly conservative, aren’t you, Marienne?”
Vileon looked rather pleased as he asked.
“Even though the audience is full of strangers you’ll never have anything to do with?”
“I told you, yes. But why do you keep asking? Do you want to get undressed in front of other people?”
Vileon laughed.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen you jealous.”
Marienne’s face instantly turned red.
Jealousy. Couldn’t he use a more forceful word, like possessiveness, instead of such a cringey term?
Jealousy. It’s not like I’m the great Her Highness Odette; there’s no way I’d be jealous of complete strangers.
And hearing it from Vileon’s own lips was another matter entirely. Her first instinct was to deny it unconditionally.
“I’m not jealous.”
“You’re not?”
“No. I’m just worried about the other contestants who would instantly be overshadowed by Sir Byers’s appearance. And I also like Sir Byers’s neat and tidy look. Yes, I’m saying this for various reasons.”
“Hmm, I see.”
Vileon continued, still smiling.
“I only ever felt heartburn when I was the one who was jealous, but it’s different now that the roles are reversed. I can’t stop smiling, and I think you’re unbearably cute.”
“There you go again, calling it jealousy...!”
“I’m sorry. I take it back, I take it back.”
Vileon raised both hands in a gesture of surrender. To others, it might have looked like they were being serious over nothing. Or perhaps Marienne was the only one being serious. Vileon certainly looked far too happy.
“But Marienne.”
He asked in a gentle voice.
“How do you know my body is incredible even when it’s perfectly dry?”
“That’s because in the office the other day, your clothes...”
Marienne suddenly started coughing as if her throat was itchy.
There was no way she could confess to having peeked at his body through the hole in the partition. Vileon gently rubbed his lover’s back and asked if she was okay.
“Ahem, ahem, yes, I’m fine.”
Marienne scrambled to form a sentence.
“Whether in the office or at the estate, your physique is apparent even when you’re wearing clothes.”
“Do you think I wear my clothes too tight?”
“Oh, no. You don’t have to deliberately wear larger sizes. The way they are now is perfect.”
She was about to miss out on her own viewing pleasure just to keep others from looking. Marienne quickly denied it. Fortunately, Vileon didn’t press the matter further.
“Does it please you when I show this possessive side, Sir Byers?”
“Shall I be honest?”
Vileon’s voice suddenly dropped.
“I’d be happy even if you said you were going to put me in shackles.”
Shackles.
Marienne stared at her lover, who was like a sparkling, refreshing summer tree.
“Your tastes are pretty intense...”
He sounded like a slave who had been waiting to be bound to a single person. Marienne couldn't take her eyes off Vileon, who was only smiling.
A treasure like this really needed to be hidden away safely.
I should just focus on getting other handsome men, the ones who have nothing to do with me, to take their clothes off.
◇ ◆ ◇
The head of the Duke Blackwood family, ruler of the vast North.
On top of that, he possessed a power that rivaled the heroes of myth.
It was only natural to Cain that people feared him and bowed their heads.
And since he was young, Cain Blackwood had a disposition where he had to have whatever he wanted.
At some point, he had come to want the pink-haired Crazy Rabbit from the Chancellor’s Office.
At first, it was definitely indignation.
Marienne Didi, who not only had no fear but routinely engaged in insane antics, got on his nerves immensely. Marienne was a type of human he had never encountered before.
Even before Marienne, there had been constant attempts to provoke Cain. Though everyone feared the iron-blooded Duke, they also hoped the arrogant, flawless Duke would make an irreversible mistake.
People had their own reasons for wanting Cain’s downfall.
Each reason was different, yet all were predictable.
They never deviated an inch from what his own father, the previous Duke, had told him were ‘the things you will hear from now on.’
And then Marienne Didi, that Crazy Rabbit, had come up with the most bizarre reason of all.
“Because you have that damn black hair.”
What in the world does that have to do with anything?
And that wasn't all. Marienne would often spit out, as if utterly fed up:
“A ruthless, black-haired duke from the North… how annoying!”
She holds a grudge against me for such a pathetic reason?
She must not value her life. He couldn't simply dismiss her as an eccentric. Marienne Didi constantly buzzed around him like an annoying gnat.
At some point, Cain grew curious about the ‘real reason’ Marienne acted that way.
Marienne was the type who couldn't hide her true feelings. So Cain soon found out the reason.
It was for Vileon Byers.
To be precise, it was to help Vileon’s unrequited love for the Fourth Princess come true.
The stupid rabbit must have believed that if she just took Cain out of the picture beside the Fourth Princess, the Princess would take Vileon’s hand.
But strangely, that foolish consistency of hers struck a nerve in Cain.
What do I lack compared to Vileon Byers?
Why was Marienne Didi the only one cheering on Vileon’s unrequited love, which everyone else thought was a lost cause?
What did it feel like to receive such blind support and affection?
How on earth did she find out the secret about my hair, and why isn't she selling that information to others?
It seemed Marienne hadn't even fully confided in her idol, Vileon.
You get on my nerves, and you make me curious.
At the same time, he wanted to crush her triumphant spirit.
He wanted to see her confess with a face red with indignation, admitting that although she started out liking a needlessly kind man like Vileon, she ended up falling for the arrogant and ruthless Duke of the North.
A confession from the lips of Marienne, who despised him so much. How thrilling would that moment be? A wave of ecstasy washed over him at the mere thought.
I’ll take her to the ducal castle as a maid. It’s possible if I find something to blackmail her with, something that leaves her no choice but to obey me. First, I’ll bring her to the castle like that, and then I’ll tame her in my own way.
But there was something he had overlooked.
Vileon, who had been resigned to his long-unrequited love, had discovered a new light in Marienne.
It had been a mistake to underestimate the man, thinking he was too lost in his thoughts to ever be a man of action.
Marienne and Vileon became lovers.
The catalyst had been the very locket he had thrown into the pond in a fit of rage.
If I had known things would turn out like this, I wouldn’t have thrown the locket back then.
Cain ground his teeth. A flyer, blown by the wind, was kicked by his black-booted foot. Cain’s already foul expression worsened.
Now even a cheap flyer is blocking my path?
Normally, he would have just shaken his foot and walked on.
But for some reason, today he wanted to see with his own two eyes the flyer that was stuck to him like a leech. He picked up the paper at his feet. His brow furrowed the moment he unfolded it.
It was clearly an advertisement aimed at women. Upon seeing the words ‘Flower of the Empire Contest’ printed within a flashy frame, Cain immediately tried to crumple it up.
It was then.
At the bottom of the flyer, he thought he saw a name that was both very familiar and decidedly uncommon.
He hadn't been mistaken. Cain found the name Marienne Didi under the introduction for the special judges.
“Why is an Aide from the Chancellor’s Office judging a beauty contest?”
Cain read the flyer again from the beginning.
It seemed the Flower of the Empire contest, arguably the highlight of the summer festival, was accepting male contestants for the first time in its history.
Phrases like ‘handsome young men just for you’ and ‘a shocking stage production that will surprise everyone’ were crammed onto the page, all meant to entice its target audience. The very idea was just like that Crazy Rabbit, Marienne.
Cain stared down at the flyer for a while with a fearsome expression. Then, without a second thought, he tossed it into a trash can.
As he walked, his eyes landed on the plaza's bulletin board, where a poster with a distinctly different feel from the flyer was posted.
In truth, Cain found the whole concept ludicrous. What man would want to preen before a female audience, begging them to find him pretty?
However, contrary to his expectations, quite a few young men were milling about in front of the board. While some were loudly debating who should enter, a fair number of others were earnestly reading the eligibility requirements with serious expressions.
They were all handsome enough to plausibly consider entering.
You said you hated me because I was from the North and had unlucky black hair.
The following thought suddenly struck Cain.
If I were to change my status and appearance, would you still hate me unconditionally?
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