CHAPTER 56……..
I Hope to Be the Tyrant’s Secret Patron –
When I looked at the Grand Duke belatedly, he was wearing a faint smile that somehow seemed sad.
“You look a bit sad, don’t you?”
“Yes, I suppose so.”
The person speaking to me wasn’t Viscount Daniel. I realized this too late and felt flustered.
“Who are you?”
Turning my head, I saw a handsome man with pink hair and purple eyes smiling lightly.
The dimples that appeared when he smiled were charming, giving him an overall cute impression.
“Haha, I’m the one in that picture.”
Daniel, standing beside him, answered my question in his place.
Startled for a moment, I quickly greeted him.
“Ah! Hello, Grand Duke Andreas… Your Highness?”
Somehow, his appearance looked very different from the Grand Duke in the painting, even though the hair color was the same.
“Unfortunately, that’s my father.”
‘Ah, right. The eye color was different…’
The eyes of Grand Duke Andreas in the painting were blue, but the Grand Duke in front of me had purple eyes.
‘I thought it was a recent painting.’
I hadn’t considered the passage of time.
“I apologize for not recognizing someone so distinguished.”
I reflexively apologized.
‘Don’t forget, status is everything here.’
No matter that I was Viscount Jacqueline; I was far inferior to Grand Duke Andreas in terms of power.
“It’s alright. My name isn’t written on my face or anything.”
Fortunately, his voice matched his gentle and friendly expression.
“You are Viscount Jacqueline, right? I am Julian Andreas.”
“…Your Highness!”
Daniel, standing beside me, was visibly shocked. Not understanding why, I stayed silent and tried to read the atmosphere.
Still, I didn’t understand why he was so surprised.
Ignoring Daniel’s reaction, Julian continued speaking.
“I’ve heard you are as passionate as you appear, truly a person like the sun.”
He said this with a soft smile.
‘What a nice way to sugarcoat “aggressive and hot-tempered.”’
I roughly knew how the world viewed me.
Watching him, I felt a sense of unease.
More precisely, it was déjà vu that had started after seeing the painting.
Seeing him in person made it even stronger.
‘What is this feeling?’
I was curious, but it was too abstract to describe precisely.
Unable to bear the intangible frustration, I spoke.
“Your Highness, if it’s not rude, I’d like to ask you one more question.”
“Yes, ask freely.”
“Have we truly never met before?”
“We really haven’t met, Viscount, but—”
Julian glanced at me subtly, then stopped speaking.
“I just… feel a sense of familiarity.”
He said this with a brief smile.
“I’m going to do some laundry now. Daniel, how about a drink later?”
“That sounds good.”
Daniel gestured a circle toward Julian, who mimicked drinking wine.
They seemed familiar and comfortable with each other, as if they had known each other for more than a day or two.
“Is there nowhere else you’d like to look around?”
Shaking my head at Daniel’s suggestion:
“No, not really… I should start heading back. I feel uneasy leaving the children alone.”
It was time to punish the troublemakers.
“Haha, a very responsible teacher,” Daniel said, smiling brightly, unaware of my intentions.
Back in the garden, the students pretended to play enthusiastically—except for Alfeo, who was lying openly on the hammock.
Catching my gaze, Alfeo slightly raised a finger.
“You, you, you, you.”
Calling the students in the order Alfeo indicated, I placed them in front of Daniel.
“They’ll prepare dinner tonight.”
“Uh…?”
“They said they’re interested in cooking or washing dishes.”
Daniel’s flustered face relaxed slightly.
“Ah, in that case…”
“See? I’m right.”
Glancing at me with a fearful expression, the students quickly nodded.
Before leaving, Daniel gave me a slightly odd look.
But, as if nothing had happened, he smiled and led the students I designated away.
Watching the “arrested” students leave, I smiled proudly and looked around.
I saw Lennox leaning against a tree, a troubled expression on his face.
‘What’s wrong?’
I considered ignoring him but remembered what had happened with Mellin and approached him.
“Len, are you troubled by something?”
“…Professor.”
He immediately averted his gaze when I asked.
He seemed a little embarrassed.
‘Lennox?’
Even when his relationship with Mellin was revealed, he hadn’t seemed fazed. Now he looked unsettled.
“Len, is it serious?”
After pausing to choose his words, he finally spoke.
“The girl I just met…”
“Is she hurt?”
“…No.”
“Then dead?!”
“She said she likes me.”
Phew, not a big problem.
Wait. What did he say?
Most of the children in the Viscount’s residence were preschoolers.
‘Wow, a handsome face works regardless of age.’
Lennox seemed deeply troubled by having charmed yet another young girl.
“But why is that a problem?”
Still, was it serious enough to report like this?
Yet Lennox’s stern expression showed no sign of easing.
He asked seriously:
“How can I refuse her clearly?”
…Why is he asking me that?
I wondered, but soon understood.
‘Ah, right…’
Alfeo had followed him as a friend, and the rest were fans disguised as students.
Aside from me, there was no one else to ask.
“Well, but if you refuse too harshly, it might hurt her at such a young age… say this instead.”
“…How?”
“Tell her to come find you when she’s grown up.”
Lennox looked at me as if he didn’t understand.
I shrugged.
“At that age, they usually forget these crushes as they grow. That’s what we call puppy love.”
He didn’t respond, but the firmness of his lips and the look in his eyes clearly showed he disagreed.
It was fascinating that I could read his emotions from his impassive face.
‘Unexpected reaction.’
Does he want to reject her but hates being forgotten?
Doesn’t want me, but doesn’t want to give her to someone else?
‘This little one already has the makings of a flirt…’
Well, even if he becomes a flirt, as long as he doesn’t become a tyrant, it’s fine.
‘He said he has nothing with Mellin.’
I casually added:
“Well, you’re special, so maybe she can’t forget you.”
“…I’m special?”
Lennox tilted his head, unsure.
‘Even small actions can look like magazine spreads, that’s why he’s special. Does he have other special traits?’
I wanted to say this, but it would sound too forward, so I held back.
“I don’t know what’s special about me.”
His words left me momentarily speechless.
I thought he was joking and tried to laugh, but Lennox was too serious.
‘He’s sincere?’
Apparently, he was.
“Ask someone on the street. They’ll tell you.”
“I want to hear it from you, Professor.”
“…From me?”
“Yes.”
Though the question wasn’t difficult, answering it felt strangely hard.
Was it because he asked what was special about someone who seemed special in everything? Or was it his persistent gaze?
‘Feels like déjà vu.’
I recalled when we signed the patronage contract.
He had asked what talent he had.
Though the situation was no different, I felt awkward this time.
Seeing that I struggled to speak, Lennox’s expression darkened.
“Nothing, then.”
“No! You’re good at swordsmanship.”
“But she doesn’t know that I’m good at swordsmanship.”
Unexpectedly, a logical rebuttal.
Frustrating! I should just tell the truth!
“You’re handsome!”
Your face is ridiculously handsome!
‘How is this any different from last time…’
Do I really have to say this myself?
‘Haven’t you looked in a mirror for the past three years?’
I couldn’t understand how Lennox had forced me to say that.
But the questions didn’t end there.
“…Then is Alfeo handsome too?”
