Chapter 51
｡･:*:･ﾟ★ Translated by Divine ｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
Then Daphne said, “No need to be so nervous. I just have a few simple questions.”
Seemingly experienced with such situations, Daphne called a staff member in a deft manner and had them prepare some tea.
Warm tea and a quiet café, Daphne’s unexpectedly friendly demeanor.
‘She looks a bit aloof, but…’
Contrary to the rumors circulating, she seemed quite kind. Gradually, the tension began to fade away.
As a result, the surroundings naturally came into view.
The small café was quiet and filled with lots of cute items.
Moreover, one side of the room had a bookshelf packed with novels he liked.
‘Does the owner have similar tastes to mine?’
His heart softened and unknowingly, his harsh impression began to ease.
At that moment.
Daphne, who was continuing her explanation, suddenly looked at him. Her clear green eyes seemed to see right through him.
‘T-This is no time to relax!’
Gael quickly composed his expression. It was such a brief moment that it surely wasn’t noticed.
Just then, Daphne smiled. The gentle curve of her mouth made Gael feel uneasy instead.
“Let’s add one more condition.”
“Condition?”
“Yes. During your break time, you can do whatever you want. I can get you anything you’d like, for example…”
Daphne’s red lips curved into a deeper arc than before.
“Like your favorite books or embroidery tools.”
“…”
“What do you think?”
Hearing this, Gael thought.
Paradise was beckoning right before him.
Then, he abruptly snapped back to reality.
The reason Daphne wanted him was because of his intimidating face and larger build.
So this offer was surely a test.
Gael cleared his throat and furrowed his brow as if he didn’t understand.
“I, I don’t understand what you mean…”
“It means if your efficiency goes up, it’s beneficial to the both of us.”
Though he feigned ignorance, Daphne’s attitude showed she knew everything.
Sweat began to form naturally.
He had to act casually, but his inherently timid heart began to pound.
“…How did you know?”
In the end, Gael dropped the mask he had been wearing.
“Did someone give you a hint…?”
If Luciel had subtly mentioned something, it wouldn’t be surprising if Daphne picked up on it.
“That’s not it. Just a hunch.”
You don’t always need a conversation to gather information.
Expressions, gaze, gestures, and tone. Everything about a person provides information.
‘On the other hand, this person is really bad at hiding.’
Daphne glanced at Gael’s breast pocket.
An embroidered handkerchief was tucked in there, and the faint lines on his fingers resembled the marks on the hands of seamstresses.
Moreover…
Daphne quietly let her gaze drift.
The shop was filled with cute mascot dolls, and the man couldn’t take his eyes off them.
In addition, after noticing the books on the bookshelf, his face visibly brightened.
In fact, Luciel had tried to be considerate by filling the shop with things Gael liked, so he wouldn’t feel too nervous.
But that only exposed Gael’s preferences.
‘A bear on the outside, but a rabbit on the inside.’
Now, Luciel’s comment about Gael struggling to find a job made sense.
On the outside, he looked like someone who could handle rough tasks.
‘But I don’t need that, and I prefer kind and gentle people.’
He was the perfect match.
“I don’t intend to interfere with your tastes. That’s personal freedom. I’m just looking for someone to work with, not to share hobbies.”
Let’s just work together professionally. I won’t ask about personal matters and I’m not curious about them.
“So there’s no need to forcefully hide it. Do whatever you like as long as it doesn’t affect your work, that’s your private business. Oh, and…”
Daphne smiled at Gael, who was still hesitant.
“As you know, Peregrine is academically accomplished and has connections with many publishing houses.”
“…!”
“If you want, we can provide a wide variety of books.”
“When do I start?”
It was an offer too tempting to refuse.
With the smooth conclusion of the contract, Daphne smiled.
Daphne continued with her instructions.
“…And one more thing. I’d like you to keep it a secret that I’m the real owner. If anyone tries to find out…”
Before she could finish, Gael’s expression hardened.
The soft brown puppy turned into a wild bear in an instant.
“That’s the spirit.”
Daphne nodded in satisfaction.
Gael scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“I’ll contact you again soon.”
Daphne said as she stood up.
Even though the real business was concluded, since she used the bakery as an excuse to leave, she had to buy some desserts to bring back.
As Gael stood up, he suddenly remembered something and asked, “Ah, by the way, when will I hear back from you…?”
“It’ll probably take about one or two months at the earliest. I have to go to the countryside for a bit.”
“Oh, I see. One or two months at the earliest…”
Gael repeated habitually, then suddenly stopped in his tracks.
One or two months at the earliest. Does that mean she’ll be gone for that period of time?
‘Oh, wait a minute.’
Gael instinctively recalled Luciel.
For some reason, he felt that Luciel wouldn’t like knowing that she was leaving.
But since he’d already successfully placed him by her side and obtained the necessary medicine, one or two months should be fine.
Gael dismissed it lightly.
After the two exchanged some formal goodbyes, they parted ways.
In any case, the interview was a success. Gael returned to the store with a relaxed mind and soon found Luciel still engrossed in reading.
“Are you still reading, master?”
When Gael appeared, Luciel set the book down.
“How did the interview go?”
There was a hint of tension in the immediate question. Gael nodded confidently.
“It went well. The lady was much nicer than I expected.”
“Really? That’s a relief.”
Luciel smiled with a visibly more relaxed expression.
“Actually, you came at the right time.”
He frowned slightly and continued.
“I don’t understand the protagonist’s perspective here. Can you explain it to me?”
“Which part?”
Luciel pointed to the epilogue. It was a scene where the reunited protagonists had a child and were living happily ever after.
It was just a sweet scene with no conflict, so Gael wondered why he had questions about it.
As Gael tilted his head in confusion, Luciel frowned and said,
“Why isn’t he jealous?”
“…What?”
“From the male lead’s perspective, the female lead has another person she loves now.”
“…”
“Isn’t that a rival? Why would he say he loves that person too?”
Gael couldn’t say anything to that.
A child–his own child–wasn’t a rival, but someone to love and cherish.
However, Luciel couldn’t understand this, because his childhood had taught him that children were bothersome and useless.
Luciel was born with greater magic power than others.
It was so powerful that there was no way the young Luciel could control it properly, threatening to break free from its master’s control.
To make matters worse, he could also read other people’s emotions. And negative emotions always weighed more heavily than positive ones.
Since he was a child, Luciel was defenselessly exposed to all sorts of negative emotions: those who held malice against him, and those who wanted to harm him.
His father, the Emperor, tried to understand and care for Luciel.
He thought that with enough teaching and education, Luciel could be raised like any other child.
However…
“H-How could you…!”
In front of Luciel’s magic rampage, even the Emperor was no different from others.
Everything was a mess.
The Emperor’s terrified face covered in blood, and the former Empress Hela shouting to confine Luciel away immediately.
Due to that incident, Luciel had to be sent to the magic tower by the Emperor’s order.
Though the official purpose was treatment, everyone whispered that it was practically banishment.
In such a world, the young Luciel thought:
Children who share the same blood are really troublesome…
So Luciel couldn’t understand the protagonists who were happy to see their child.
But trying to understand by force was tedious and bothersome. So, Luciel decided to just accept it.
Luciel lightly closed the book. Despite asking a perplexing question, he looked unperturbed.
“By the way, Gael, what did you talk about with the lady?”
“Oh, well, the usual. Working conditions and what I had to do.”
Luciel asked naturally, so Gael answered casually.
“Hmm, is that so?”
He was curious about what they talked about, but he wanted to hear it directly from her, not through Gael.
‘But we’ll see each other soon, so there’s no need to rush.’
He didn’t want to do such a pathetic thing as in novels like run to her because he couldn’t suppress his excitement.
At that moment, Gael suddenly exclaimed and opened his mouth.
“The lady said she would be away for a month or two.”
“…What?”
Luciel’s habitual smile vanished.
So he wouldn’t be able to see her for a month or two?
Luciel clenched his fist without realizing it. However, Gael didn’t notice and continued saying, “Well, she mentioned there were some things that came up. She said it would take a month or two at the earliest, so it might be even longer…”
“Where did she go?”
“…What?”
“The lady. Where did she say she was going?”
Luciel asked in a lower, colder voice than before.
A chill seemed to fill the room.
What was wrong with the master? Gael faltered but replied, “Well, she mentioned looking around the plaza…”
Bang-!
At that moment, Luciel burst out of the room with a loud noise.
The door was opened so forcefully that the hinges got misaligned and it creaked helplessly.
There was no time to stop him.
Left alone in bewilderment, Gael clutched his pounding heart.
“What, what was that? What’s wrong with him all of a sudden…”
No, more importantly…
“The master ran…?”
He could use magic, so there was no need to run…?
Words that Luciel wouldn’t hear echoed in the room.
