Enrique furrowed his brows.
But even that looked charming, Eugenia thought.
“…I don’t really understand why that’s so important.”
“It is important.”
Joshua seemed a bit awkward using formal speech, as he kept responding out of rhythm.
Eventually, Enrique sighed lightly and nodded.
He decided to go along with Joshua’s stubbornness to continue the explanation.
“…So, I’m a low-ranking noble from the Aisa Empire who came to pick up my fake wife ‘Hari’ and two children, ‘Shu’ and ‘Shelly.’ This should sufficiently explain why someone from Aisa is in the principality and why they’re trying to cross the border from a humanitarian perspective.”
Joshua, who had been listening seriously, nodded heavily.
“If that’s the case, I have no choice but to cooperate.”
“Glad to hear you understand quickly. Now eat.”
Enrique replied bluntly and piled meat onto Joshua’s plate.
“I-I can serve myself.”
“I know.”
He brushed off Joshua’s sharpness nonchalantly.
Thus, the meal resumed.
Selmia quickly got tired of the meat and focused on the grilled vegetables she initially didn’t want to eat.
In between, she enjoyed the special whipped cream Eugenia had made, piling it high on her pancakes to savor the fluffy texture.
But since she was a small child, she soon declared defeat.
“Ugh! I’m full! I can’t eat anymore!”
At that very moment, Joshua also calmly put down his dishes.
“I’m done too.”
Eugenia, who had to look after two children, quickly put a piece of meat she was holding into her mouth and put down her utensil.
In the meantime, Selmia’s upper body had slid down and was half-lying on the chair.
Eugenia looked at her daughter with a warm smile and supported her back to sit upright.
“Selmia, you’ll get a stomachache if you lie down like that. You know that, right?”
“Ugh, but I’m sleepy…”
Selmia murmured, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.
Her eyes were already half-closed. No matter how much she spoke, Selmia wouldn’t hear anything more.
Eugenia hurriedly turned to Joshua.
“Joshua, we need to keep Selmia from lying down right away. She needs to brush her teeth, wash her face, change clothes, and sit for at least 30 minutes.”
“Got it. I’ll make sure she doesn’t lie down, even if I have to lend her my shoulder.”
“Trustworthy as always.”
Eugenia smiled and ruffled Joshua’s hair, causing his ears to flush red.
“I’ll take the kids to their room for a moment.”
As Enrique nodded, Eugenia quickly gathered the children and went upstairs.
A little while later, she returned to the first floor.
In the meantime, Albert was wiping his mouth with a napkin, as if his stomach was full.
As Eugenia sat down again, Albert opened his mouth as if he had been waiting for her.
“Now it’s adult time. I’ll report on our outing earlier.”
Enrique nodded.
“I have requested that Miss Eugenia make an identity card. However, they said that it cannot be done right away due to the current state of affairs.”
“How long did it take?”
“They said about ten days at the earliest. A week at the quickest.”
It seemed like Enrique was displeased, as his brows furrowed into a vertical line.
“It would be better if it were faster…”
“For now, that’s the best we can do.”
At Albert’s firm reply, Enrique pulled his chin in toward his body.
“Well, there’s nothing we can do about that.”
He exhaled deeply, pondering something for a moment before speaking.
“Then we need to prepare during that week.”
Eugenia looked at Enrique with wide eyes.
“What kind of preparation?”
As Enrique’s gaze shifted to her, he didn’t answer immediately, causing Eugenia to briefly wonder if her question had crossed a line.
‘No way. If it were that serious, they wouldn’t be having this conversation in front of me.’
Trying to calm her swirling thoughts, Eugenia also felt a bit bold inside.
‘And why not! I’m allowed to ask this much, right? I’m technically a partner!’
Eugenia was caught in her internal conflict.
Fortunately, before her thoughts could deepen further, Enrique spoke again.
His answer was surprisingly straightforward, leaving her confused as to why he had hesitated.
“We’re going to meet with the upper class.”
As Enrique glanced over at Albert, he immediately provided an answer as if he had been waiting.
“Yes, I prepared on the way. I arranged a visit for tomorrow right after lunch.”
“Good job.”
Eugenia couldn’t follow their conversation at all, so she just blinked her eyelashes and then frowned.
To interrupt the two men’s conversation that was moving ahead without her, Eugenia raised her hand.
“Wait a minute!”
Enrique and Albert’s gazes were fixed on her, their expressions questioning if there was a problem.
“How can you two just continue discussing without me? It seems like I’m not involved in this, so you need to explain everything from start to finish for me to understand.”
“Don’t you understand?”
“I don’t. What’s the purpose? Why do we need to do this? All of that was missing from your words.”
After Eugenia’s protest, Enrique pressed his lips together for a moment before loosening them and speaking at a slower pace than before.
“I’m thinking about getting some new clothes.”
“Clothes?”
Her expression clearly said, ‘In this situation?’
Meanwhile, after finishing his meal neatly, Enrique nodded and crossed his arms.
“Of course, we need to get them tailored. Didn’t you hear my explanation earlier? You’re not seriously thinking of pretending to be a noble in that outfit, are you?”
“Ah…”
Eugenia trailed off, looking down at her clothes.
They weren’t shabby, but they certainly didn’t look like noble attire, even as a polite remark.
Enrique continued with his questions.
“Or is there something more useful among the two bags you brought besides those clothes?”
Eugenia felt a flush rising to her face.
She pursed her lips slightly and shook her head in response, her voice was somehow lacking energy.
“No, that’s not it.”
“Then we need to get you fitted.”
His attitude suggested he wouldn’t accept any more objections, so Eugenia kept her lips sealed.
Albert, who had been silent, nodded and chimed in with Enrique’s words.
“Because you need to play the role of Enrique’s spouse, you need to be fitted in high-quality attire.”
“Let’s prepare simply. At least five dresses, along with some jewelry and hats.”
“Goodness.”
Eugenia’s lips parted slightly as she listened quietly.
She quickly blinked her eyelashes and raised her glass to her lips, then spoke in a somewhat urgent tone.
“Is that really simple?”
“Of course it is. What’s the problem?”
Eugenia bit her lips, then released them.
“That’s ridiculous. Spending that much money for just a few days…”
“It’s necessary.”
Enrique cut her off, finishing her sentence for her.
“Doubts often sprout from the smallest cracks.”
He began tracing the rim of his cup with his finger.
“Moreover, you’re not the type of skilled at lying. So you need to pay attention to the little details.”
“And you can do that, Enrique?”
She asked, looking at him intently.
Her expression seemed calm at first, but in reality, Eugenia didn’t expect to ask such a question.
Enrique paused for a moment before responding, not avoiding her gaze.
After a while, he answered.
“…Of course. If I set my mind to it.”
His low voice seemed to resonate in the air.
Eugenia unconsciously swallowed hard.
She felt a sense of danger in his atmosphere.
“Hmm.”
Enrique seemed aware that the current mood was overly heavy and awkward, taking a short breath before exhaling.
He rubbed his brow and shifted the topic back to the original subject.
“Anyway. For that reason, Eugenia, you need to start with the small things.”
Since it wasn’t incorrect, Eugenia nodded obediently.
“…Yes. I’ll do that.”
After all, she was only borrowing for a short time. There was no need to feel burdened since it wouldn’t belong to her.
Meanwhile, the two men continued their conversation on a new topic.
“Getting a Pair Jewel is the biggest challenge.”
At Enrique’s serious tone, Albert frowned as if it was quite a headache and nodded.
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Translator Note:
Next 15 chapters will be translated by RJR.
This chapter was translated by Gon. Next post will be released on August, 8.
If you like my work please support Gon on Coffee.
Or in Patreon, if you want to read more chapters.
