“Heuk…Yes?”
Ciello coughed at the sudden question. Estribal spoke very calmly, but it was so dry that it seemed unnatural.
“I’m talking about a contract lover.”
“Cough, ah, that…Yes, right.”
Ciello’s face turned red. Estribal filled Ciello’s empty cup with water and said,
“You must know how difficult it was for me because of this scandal.”
In fact, he was not in trouble at all. Duke Trepe was able to completely hide the real reason for favoring an unfamiliar maid, so he rather benefited.
Of course, unexpected things happened, but that was not a bad direction for Estribal. However, he hid this fact and spoke bluntly.
“So I want you to be faithful to this relationship. As I said yesterday, you won’t be going out alone for a while, but even if not, you shouldn’t meet with boys your age.”
“That… um, but, Duke.”
“In unavoidable cases, I will allow you to have a gathering with several people. But…”
“No, what I’m curious about is not that. You said boys my age.”
Estribal raised one eyebrow as if frowning. However, the question Ciello asked was in a direction he did not expect.
“How old are you, Duke?”
“…Cough.”
This time, Estribal coughed as if something was stuck in his throat.
‘Is that a surprising question?’
Ciello asked with wide eyes.
“Are you okay?”
Estribal covered his mouth with a napkin and waved his hand with a rarely flustered face. After a while, the calmed Estribal opened his mouth.
“Do you care about age?”
“Ah, no. Rather than that…”
Ciello looked at Estribal with a trailing voice. He was a man whom she couldn’t guess the age for some strange reason.
The deep-set eyes and the corners of his mouth that didn’t easily rise felt definitely older than herself. But the body she glanced at was better than his peers, and didn’t look immature.
But what blurred his age was not such a specific appearance. The tired eyes that were somehow weary, the tone that felt aristocratic, even old-fashioned…
“…You mean it’s not important?”
Estribal turned the question in a favorable direction as if to interrupt Ciello’s thoughts.
“Ah, yes, that…right? I don’t really like the too young ones.”
Ciello nodded. A more dignified and intellectual adult man was more to Ciello’s taste than the delinquents in the back alley. Although Ciello has never met such a man so far.
“But as long as it doesn’t look too, there, but…”
“What do you mean by ‘there, but’.”
Estribal shook Ciello’s tail of words persistently enough to feel stubborn. Caught in this, Ciello rolled her pupils and answered.
“Uh, what I mean is that it’s okay as long as it doesn’t look too different…!”
“Right. I’ll try.”
Estribal nodded and naturally continued eating. Ciello also picked up the fork again in surprise, then raised her head.
“Ah, anyway! Duke’s age!”
“…Tsk.”
Estribal clicked his tongue as if it was a waste. Ciello, who was determined not to pass this time, asked in a jingling manner.
“Think about it. It’s strange if you don’t know when someone might ask your age, right?”
“Is that so?”
Estribal replied with a sullen face. Ciello spoke confidently.
“Of course. We’re lovers!”
Hmm. Estribal wore a faintly satisfied smile. Then Ciello’s expression was full of anticipation.
“So how old are you really?”
“300 years old.”
“What?”
Ciello looked at Estribal with a look of what a boring joke. But Estribal shrugged his shoulders and turned the conversation.
“Anyway, you have something to do today.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a very important thing. It won’t be easy.”
****
“…This is not so much a task as just…”
‘A date.’
Ciello, who was riding in a carriage, swallowed the next words and looked at Estribal, no, Duke Trepe.
“But Ciello. There are many people who misunderstand our relationship.”
The duke, with a foolishly pinned hairpin and nerd spiral glasses, did not flutter at all as a member of the opposite sex. But the softened tone and expression that followed strangely shook people. The duke smiled softly and said.
“Thanks to you meeting something like a wheat straw and even being pictured.”
But the content of his words was not so soft. Ciello avoided his gaze with a pricked face.
“No, that’s really…”
“So we have to show it. That you and I still have such a deep relationship.”
The carriage stopped in front of the Imperial Bank. Estribal stopped Ciello, who was about to get off the carriage without any thought.
“Wait a moment.”
Estribal got off first and reached out his hand towards Ciello. Ciello hesitated at the unexpected escort.
“Uh…”
Cielo looked back and forth between his hand and face. But the duke lightly patted the outstretched hand and urged Ciello.
“Hurry up.”
Ciello, who had hesitated for a moment, carefully placed her hand on his. The two gloved hands overlapped. The moment Ciello set foot on the ground, the duke lightly pressed his lips to that hand.
Heuk. Ciello gasped and staggered.
“Straighten your back.”
With his lips pressed to Ciello’s hand, the duke only raised his gaze and whispered lowly over his glasses. People who saw only the crooked back, not the golden pupils of the duke, tsk-tsked and added words.
“Oh my, what a disgrace…”
“Shh. Be careful with your words. You never know if he might draw his sword.”
“She was trying to run away, wasn’t she? She looks fine.”
“No, look at her. She’s showing signs of dislike.”
At the murmuring of the people, Ciello rather came to her senses.
‘It’s work. This is work.’
Ciello straightened her back and smiled brightly, repeating in her mouth.
Estribal raised the corners of his mouth.
“That’s right. That’s it.”
At that moment, a light so bright that it could be dazzling even in the daytime, flashed towards Ciello. It was the light she had seen when she was supporting Noah.
“This is…”
“Well done.”
Estribal whispered softly and bent his waist. The face of the risen duke was again smiling with a drained smile.
“Then shall we go in? I don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for this day.”
Hoo. Ciello, who had been tense, secretly sighed and went into the bank with him.
“We’ve been waiting for you. We’ll guide you this way.”
Under the golden sun of the empire, Duke Trepe was ignored, but in front of the glitter of gold coins, everyone was equal. A well-dressed employee guided the two to a private room with utmost courtesy. Ciello puffed out her chest and walked as confidently as possible.
“You’ve had a hard time coming. Shall we prepare some tea?”
The duke sat on the sofa in the private room, looking awkward but familiar, and answered.
“Do you have bergamot tea?”
“I, I’ll have the same.”
“Yes. Please wait a moment.”
After a while, warm tea was served in front of the two. The duke took a sip of the tea and savored the scent as if he was momentarily stunned. Ciello also followed him and drank the tea, but the taste was not particularly excellent.
‘Could that also be an act…’
The employee spoke towards Ciello, who was pondering inwardly.
“As you said, Ciello… no, Miss Ciello’s debt is 30 million gold. And…”
“There were various debts.”
The duke put down his teacup and asked. Ciello didn’t answer and lowered her gaze. The duke spoke tenderly.
“Lift your head. It’s not your fault.”
The duke put down an old and worn-out bag on the table. When the employee unbuckled and opened the bag, it was full of imperial currency that he had given to Ciello before.
“Please handle it well, and please put the remaining money in the safe.”
Ciello swallowed hard, feeling more tense. It was an enormous amount of money that she couldn’t get used to no matter how much she looked at it.
“Well, you’re about to become a precious lady. We’ll take care of it so you don’t get involved in dangerous things unnecessarily.”
The duke nodded at the employee who was trying to please him.
“Yes. Then I’ll trust and leave it to you.”
The employee put down a few contracts on the table. Ciello wrote her new name on the paper. Since there was no surname, she didn’t write it. Would she ever have a longer surname and name? Ciello thought about it as she put down the fountain pen.
“Then please go back carefully. If you have any questions, anytime…”
The two left the bank behind the employee’s greeting. Estribal asked.
“How do you feel?”
“Um, it doesn’t feel real yet…”
Ciello sighed long and deeply as if she was drained.
“It’s a bit of a waste. I should have gone myself…”
“Ciello.”
The duke called Ciello’s name in a suppressed voice. It was a voice that was trying hard to speak harshly like the usual Estribal.
“They take something like a brokerage fee anyway. How much is that!”
The duke frowned and quickly erased his expression as if someone might see it, and spoke softly.
“Where is there anything more valuable than you. Don’t worry.”
Ciello pouted her lips with a slightly flushed face. The duke looked down at her for a while as if she was lovely, and lightly put his gloved hand on her shoulder.
“There are too many people here. Shall we go somewhere we can talk alone?”
It was a tenderness that had to be accepted even though it was an act.
‘How nice it would have been if it weren’t for those ridiculous glasses.’
Ciello obediently nodded, and Estribal led Ciello to a deserted alley.
“…It would be perfect if two people were mixed.”
Ciello, who had entered the alley, muttered softly. Estribal took off his glasses and pressed his forehead, asking.
“What did you say?”
Estribal had already returned to his usual cold expression. Ciello shrugged her shoulders.
“It’s nothing. Anyway, we’re going there now, right?”
Ciello took out the necklace she had hidden in her clothes. The mysterious turquoise scales sparkled.
“How did it work…It definitely worked like this before.”
Ciello held the scales in both hands and awkwardly rattled them. Estribal stared down at her for a while and bent his waist.
“Let me see.”
He moved Ciello’s necklace with his fingers that had several calluses. Ciello, who had bowed her head in front of him, looked down at the line that ran straight from his forehead to his nose, and suddenly came to her senses and asked.
“Right, how is this used, Duke?”
“What.”
“It was said that imperial people definitely can’t use it!”
Estribal chuckled. The hot breath contrasting with his cool face tickled her neck.
“Well. Maybe it’s because I’m not a person.”
“Ah really, that again…!”
Before Ciello could finish her sentence, the two of them disappeared into thin air.
