Chapter 42
｡･:*:･ﾟ★ Translated by Divine ｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
Luciel had felt good when he accepted Daphne’s proposal.
He thought it was a natural outcome since he had subtly led Daphne to make the offer.
However, when he heard Daphne ask for his hand, Luciel couldn’t help but be surprised.
Luciel had always avoided contact with others. It was because he could somewhat sense what others were thinking.
But for the first time, there was someone in front of him whose emotions he couldn’t read. Daphne was like an error that suddenly appeared to Luciel.
Someone who didn’t go along with his proposal; a person whose thoughts he couldn’t read.
While he thought it was absurd, he was also curious.
What is this woman thinking?
Why isn’t she coming over to me?
Luciel had never lost to anyone. So, he felt a sense of pride. He wanted to uncover Daphne’s secret.
All he had to do to accept her offer was take off his gloves and hold her hand.
Then all the questions he had would be answered at once.
‘But…’
Luciel unknowingly clenched his fist.
It was strange. He was so curious about what Daphne was thinking, but why was he so hesitant to accept her proposal to hold hands?
Could it be because of the sunlight coming in over the terrace? It felt like his body temperature was rising a bit.
His lips seemed dry, so he reflexively licked it.
‘…Yeah, what’s the big deal with holding hands?’
Rather, since she had given him the opportunity, he should gladly accept it.
It was just that he hadn’t had contact with anyone in so long that it felt strange.
Thinking that, Luciel took off his gloves. He didn’t forget to quickly dry the sweat on his palm with magic.
Luciel tried to remain calm.
But when Daphne’s hand touched the back of his hand, his fingers trembled involuntarily.
At that moment, he thought of the romance novel Gael liked.
In the novel, men in love would often act like idiots.
‘Back then, I laughed at them, saying they must have mistaken it for heart pain…’
Now, he was no different from those fools.
Even though he thought so, Luciel couldn’t bring himself to pull his hand away.
He just stared carefully at Daphne, who was looking intently at his hand, as if she could not feel his tremors.
Then Daphne opened her mouth.
“Your heart rate has increased.”
“…What?”
“It seems like you’re feeling some slight discomfort, is that correct?”
Luciel’s habitual smile faltered at her question.
It was like a nail on the head.
‘How did she know?’
Did she figure it out with the ‘not well-known medicine’ she mentioned?
Luciel continued to answer flusteredly.
“Pain… Yes, I do feel some pain… but it’s not severe.”
“I see. You don’t need any medicine then?”
“No, it’s just a temporary symptom… There’s no need for you to worry, Milady.”
Daphne nodded as if relieved that it wasn’t too bad.
There was no sign of trembling or tense emotions coming from her…
Despite holding onto his hand.
Luciel’s lips slowly dropped down.
He had thought Daphne sought him out because she was interested in him.
‘But this…’
Wasn’t this just a professional attitude towards Patient 1?
‘Nonsense. There’s no way.’
Luciel immediately dismissed his doubts and considered another possibility.
Maybe Daphne wasn’t incapable of feeling emotions…
And instead he simply didn’t recognize the type of emotions she was experiencing.
‘Yeah. That’s more likely.’
Even though she stopped him from taking off his clothes and simply held his hand modestly.
But just to be sure, he’d have to read some more of Gael’s romance novel. Maybe then he could understand her emotions more clearly.
Luciel nodded to himself.
Daphne secretly glanced at Luciel, who was deeply lost in thought. He had a serious expression on his face.
‘Maybe it’s because I’ve only seen him smiling, but his expressionless face is quite cold.’
Regardless of the expression he wore, his beauty remained unchanged, but he seemed somehow different as a person.
Anyway, this seemed to vaguely show what his true nature was.
And the diagnosis she made regarding Luciel’s condition was…
‘Arrhythmia. Or an unknown heart disease.’
That was it.
Of course, due to the special circumstances involving magic, she couldn’t definitively diagnose the disease, but she could speculate on the problematic areas.
‘Fortunately, it doesn’t seem severe right now. I’ll just keep an eye on him.’
Relieved, Daphne let go of Luciel’s hand.
“It’s done, Rose.”
As she withdrew her hand which had been feeling his pulse, Luciel looked at Daphne again, as if waking up from his thoughts.
Then, as if enchanted, he licked his lips.
“It’s over…?”
“It means I’ve finished the examination.”
Daphne chuckled, and Luciel’s fingertips flinched slightly.
Again.
It was just a small smile, but Luciel’s chest felt strangely tight.
As if he was running hard and then suddenly falling down. He wondered what this unfamiliar sensation could be.
“By the way, how should I deliver the medicine? Since it might be inconvenient to meet often, should I prepare it all at once?”
However, the moment Luciel heard Daphne’s next words, all his thoughts came to a halt.
‘Since it might be inconvenient to meet often…’
It meant that their meetings might be postponed indefinitely.
Realizing this, his heart that had been pounding wildly suddenly grew cold. It was a feeling similar to anxiety.
No, actually, he couldn’t even understand what he was thinking, but…
Luciel’s mind raced.
According to the information gathered so far, Daphne couldn’t just ignore people in trouble.
Moreover, she didn’t even accept favors in return. Even if he tried to use his beauty, the result was the same, so this was an undeniable truth.
Just as Luciel furrowed his eyebrows at the difficult situation he had never experienced before.
“…So, there’s something I’d like to suggest, Rose.”
Daphne spoke again with a subtle tone and cautious face. It was the attitude of someone who wanted something.
Luciel quickly sensed an opportunity and smiled as if he had never been agitated.
“Yes, please go ahead.”
“I’m actually planning a business venture, but I have limitations if I were on my own. Some of the things I need don’t exist here…”
As Daphne continued, a pleasant smile spread across Luciel’s face.
The crux of the matter was that she needed the help of the Magic Tower Lord.
Normally, he would hate such bothersome things and leave without listening… but there was no way he’d refuse when the prey came to him directly.
Luciel softened his gaze and said, “Yes, I’ll help in any way I can.”
“…!”
When Luciel agreed, Daphne’s face lit up immediately.
“Thank you, Rose.”
The corners of her eyes that rose up softened slightly. Her red lips drew a beautiful curve, and her cheeks were colored with vitality.
Her face bloomed even more brightly than before.
Luciel paused unknowingly, and Daphne also trembled.
‘Did I make another weird expression?’
Watch your face. Don’t smile recklessly, it might scare him.
After realizing it, Daphne returned to her original calm expression. Then, she cleared her throat nonchalantly…
“Well then, let me explain the plan in detail.”
She explained her plan in a clear voice that was different than before.
“In fact, I want to open a small salon.”
“…A salon?”
“Yes. It’s a bit different from the typical salon. Well, think of it as similar to this Rose Bakery that you often patronize.”
Luciel had doubts on his face.
He thought Daphne wanted a deal with the Magic Tower.
She created an effective medicine, but couldn’t sell it under her name due to her reputation.
Other pharmacists wouldn’t trust the medicine she made.
‘So there’s no other authority left other than the Magic Tower.’
Moreover, he had confirmed with his own eyes that her medicine relieved the symptoms of the Grand Duke.
So, she could even threaten to make a deal using the medicine as an excuse.
‘But a salon?’
Did she really want to start a business?
According to this morning’s newspaper, a re-investigation of the poisoning case was underway, so it was possible that she might miraculously clear the charges.
However, public opinion towards her wouldn’t be favorable.
Moreover, most salons were places for choosing clothes, doing your hair, and drinking tea.
That meant she would need to recruit good talent first, but those people were likely already working elsewhere. Even then, there was no guarantee they would willingly work under Daphne.
Therefore, she wouldn’t have any customers even if she managed to open.
Seeing Luciel look a bit puzzled after quickly considering the situation, Daphne spoke up.
“That’s right. There are already many salons in the Empire. They probably already have regular customers.”
Initially, she had considered opening a pharmacy.
But the method she had for making medicine was not found in the Empire, so people might be wary of it.
‘In other words, there’s already a niche.’
To change into a major player, she would need to persuade people, but forcing it might lead to resentment.
‘So, I thought about it.’
She would approach it naturally.
There were already numerous salons in the Empire.
Flashy but similar interiors, sweet but similar pastries, and names that were so similar it was hard to tell them apart.
They were all the same. Competition had naturally intensified, and customers didn’t feel any differentiation.
“Discerning people dislike things that lack uniqueness. I want to incorporate my abilities into the salon.”
