Surprisingly, it was someone I had met once.
That crazy person I ran into on the day I was supposed to buy Carsion a meal…!
I guess I ended up in the same class as Carsion.
Feeling suddenly worse, I narrowed my brows and went in. Jane stood by and explained what she knew about her.
“The name is Sarah. She is the second daughter of Marquis Blendy. He is famous for being greedy and rude to everyone.”
For some reason, she was far away from Carsion.
I took a seat almost directly opposite him and didn’t pay him a single glance. Rather, it felt like he was avoiding Carsion.
That wasn’t the only strange thing.
“What gloves?”
Jane opened her mouth before me and pointed out something strange.
It was like that. She was wearing gloves that completely covered her wrists.
It was a design that did not match at all with the school uniform or the gym uniform I was currently wearing.
“So, what kind of gloves are these?”
“Besides, I’ve been watching you since a while ago, and you were constantly massaging your wrist.”
“Wrist?”
“huh. Do your joints hurt?”
It was full of questionable things. But unlike when I was in Fjord, I was able to look away indifferently.
“I guess that’s something we don’t need to know.”
* * *
It was a chilly afternoon as the sun had not warmed up yet. I met with Hans to discuss selling additional medicines.
This has been in the works since vacation, and it was already scheduled to
be sold soon.
“First of all, there are so many recipes you gave me, so I’m going to select just a few and release them.”
“What are you going to release first?”
“Why? Is there an item you would like to distribute first?”
I answered Hans’ question without hesitation.
“Mana relaxant and painkiller. I don’t know anything else, but I hope they distribute these two first.”
Mana relaxer is a medicine that was created after seeing Carcyon on the verge of a runaway.
Eating it when it was difficult to control mana had the effect of releasing abnormally accumulated mana.
Efficacy may vary from person to person, but it could still reduce the frequency with which wizards experience mana explosions.
Painkillers are literally painkillers, but in fact, their performance is inferior to that of existing products.
However, because the ones currently sold were narcotic painkillers, they had severe side effects.
Moreover, the price was too high for commoners to bear.
The recipe I handed over to Hans had the advantage of being made with mild ingredients that were easy on the body and that it could be made at a relatively low price.
If you’re going to make money, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to do it in a way that can help someone.
Hans nodded with a satisfied look on his face.
“Okay. I will do as you say.”
“It’s a secret that I passed on the recipe. I don’t know how the rumor got
around last time, but please be especially careful this time.”
I don’t want Erhan and Rex Begonia to know that I’m making a lot of money.
Hans scratched his cheek with a slightly prickly expression.
“Sorry. I’ll be careful from now on.”
“Well, the antiperspirant thing may have been my mistake, so I’ll leave it at this….”
I asked with a faint smile.
“How are you and Jane these days?”
“Hehe, I say hello when I see him! He hasn’t ignored me since the day of the party.”
Hans was so excited that he raised his voice and started boasting.
“Sometimes Jane talks to me first!”
“Oh! really? What are we talking about?”
I haven’t heard anything from Jane, so was there any progress between the two of them without my knowledge?
“Something like rumors and gossip among nobles! Oh, that’s right, there’s some news that Jane told me earlier. Do you want to hear it too?”
My eyes became cold as I looked at Hans.
It felt like I was feeling a little pity. How thoroughly had they been treated so far to be so excited about the exchange of information rather than a private conversation?
I asked, thinking not to show it in front of Hans.
“What news?”
“The Duchess of the Begonia House passed away not long ago.”
“What?”
I widened my eyes in confusion, he lowered his voice and spoke secretly.
“There are rumors going around that it was not because of a chronic illness he had been suffering from for a long time, but rather a murder. It is said that no one witnessed the deathbed…. Aren’t there one or two things that are questionable?”
It felt like my heart stopped. There were no other thoughts in my mind. No way. No way.
No way…!
I left my seat and ran to the dormitory.
When I arrived at the dormitory, I immediately opened the drawer where Erhan’s letter was kept.
When I opened the drawer, the scent of lavender wafted in. But I didn’t even have to feel bad about it and picked up the letter at the top.
The most recent letter was from Erhan.
I never thought the day would come when I would open Erhan’s letter. With trembling hands, I opened the envelope and took out the letter.
Sure enough, there were two letters inside the envelope.
When I opened one of the letters, a familiar handwriting caught my eye. There was nothing more to see.
Erhan’s letter, I immediately threw it away. Then, the one thing I haven’t unfolded is….
I slowly took a deep breath and opened the letter.
The inside of the letter, which I thought was written in detail, was frighteningly clean.
I was confused whether to be relieved or more scared that nothing was written.
A corner at the bottom of the letter. Until I noticed the fine print.
<So were you satisfied with my gift, Lien?> Ahe.
Ahhh….
I got goosebumps all over my body.
My legs became weak and I collapsed into my seat. This situation was so terrible.
My mind went blank, and like a helpless child, all I could think about was
that it was a dream.
“Because of me, Duchess Begonia…, because of me…!”
I felt my consciousness sinking into the depths.
Yes, this was an extension of a dream I had never seen before.
To remember.
* * *
I only learned the boy’s name after he left. Rex Begonia.
A minor duke of the Begonia duchy.
He was the man who proudly held the position of successor in the Begonia duchy, which was said to have more than ten half-brothers and sisters.
You must have grown up in a bleak place. There were a lot of competitors, but it was amazing.
That was exactly my impression of Rex Begonia. Until I received his letter.
I couldn’t believe my ears as I received the letter handed to me by the employee.
Why is he writing to me?
Out of curiosity, I quickly opened the letter and read it.
<I said I’d see you again next time. Leave time aside for tomorrow.>
“What is this…?”
It was a method of making an appointment that I had never heard of.
Isn’t this a promise that is close to a notice?
It was absurd, but fortunately I didn’t have any big plans for tomorrow. That’s how the meeting with Rex Begonia came to fruition.
When I met him in the living room, he just stared at me without saying another word.
“…Little Duke?”
“Rex.”
“Ah. Yes, Rex.”
“Speak comfortably. I wish you would call me by my name if possible.”
“Huh. Rex.”
He widened his eyes a little, probably not expecting to speak informally right away. Then, he drew an arc on his lips and started to laugh.
“That’s fun.”
“Because I’m a commoner and can’t learn manners.”
“For that matter, it seems like he receives a similar level of education as Erhan.”
…How did you know that?
Was Erhan close enough to Rex to discuss my level of education?
I pushed the doubt into a corner of my head. That wasn’t what mattered now.
“So, why did you come to see me and not Erhan?”
“You didn’t call me that last time. Where has the title ‘Brother’ gone?”
Oops. I forgot that I called Erhan “Brother” last time. I opened my mouth, pretending to be calm.
“Don’t change your mind.”
Rex leisurely drank his tea and stared at me. Those eyes seemed to say, ‘It seems like you’re the one changing the conversation.’
“Why? You don’t want me coming?”
“It’s not that I don’t like it, but I want to know why.”
“It’s the reason….”
Rex put down the teacup without making a sound. It was a clean, machine-like movement.
“It was love at first sight. To you.”
“…Yes?”
I looked at Rex with a confused face. What kind of bullshit is that?
Words that were spoken casually suddenly became polite. It was to create some distance from him.
“Duke Rex. No matter how much I fell in love at first sight, this is too sudden for me.”
To put it bluntly, even if the Duke had really fallen in love with me, I had no obligation to do anything.
“As you know, Duke Little, I am a commoner, and I am still too young to discuss love.”
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a commoner. My father didn’t even consider the status of the woman he placed next to him.”
The rumors about the current Duke of Begonia’s wealth with women were not only glamorous, but also rotten.
The duke’s high status and brilliant appearance were sufficient cover to cover his history with women.
However, such a duke only married a daughter from a prestigious family.
It was a common arranged marriage.
In other words, saying that my status does not matter is the same as saying that I should become his concubine or mistress.
Rex Begonia said as if showing mercy.
“I’m willing to wait until you become an adult. Actually, there’s not much of an age difference between me and you, right?”
The desire to refute came to me.
Isn’t it true that we can say that we are younger if we are 3 years older? “And to be honest, I’m pretty good looking. Is not it?”
He rolled his eyes mischievously. But on the contrary, my heart grew cold.
“If I, a commoner, dare to express what I feel about Rex in my head,” I looked directly into Rex’s eyes and conveyed my message.
“I really hate it.”
The rudeness of arbitrarily making appointments without notice. He confessed that he fell in love at first sight after only their second meeting and had the arrogance of telling her not to become his concubine.
Lastly, the confidence that comes from thinking that you are good- looking.
Of course, it is true that you are handsome as the son of Duke Begonia.
A good-looking person doesn’t have to be unlucky if he doesn’t know he’s good-looking.
Or at least don’t show that you know.
His expression hardened as he looked at me.
