Chapter 30
[No traces of the dragon could be found anywhere. However, a merchant traveling between the Eastern continent claimed to have seen a serpent larger than a python. Thus, men were dispatched eastward to confirm the creature’s identity first, and……]
Elliot, under his command, was calmly investigating the possible existence of another dragon. The report in front of him was no doubt related to that.
But the Grand Duke put it down on the desk with a sharp thud after only reading a few lines.
He had no idea why he simply couldn’t focus today.
His thoughts kept bouncing elsewhere—such as the food Jianna used to make for him.
‘That fresh octopus dish Jianna made on Chokseom Island… it was truly unforgettable.’
And that stew she made afterward?
The Grand Duke could swear he had never eaten anything so delicious in his entire life.
Of course, everything Jianna cooked after that had also been exquisite, but nothing quite matched the sheer impact of that very first taste of octopus.
‘Will I ever again taste something as incredible for the rest of my life?’
Drumming his fingers on the desk, the Grand Duke sank deep into thought—only to reach an undeniable conclusion.
A faint smile tugged at his lips as he shook his head.
‘There’s no use denying it any longer.’
It was meaningless to keep deceiving himself.
He had fallen in love. Deeply. Stubbornly. Irrevocably.
‘With my diver… and her octopus dish.’
Of course, from the octopus’s point of view, it was a completely one-sided affair.
And suddenly he understood why Victor’s very presence had always gotten on his nerves. The mere thought of his diver cooking for someone else was enough to twist his guts with jealousy.
‘How could I possibly allow anyone else to eat such divine food?’
The most delicious meal—her cooking—had to be his alone. Never to be shared.
If that black-hearted Victor dared to invite Jianna clam digging under the pretense of childhood memories…
And then, on the excuse of those clams, asked her to cook for him?
The Grand Duke felt rage bubbling up just from imagining it.
‘Jianna is my contracted personal diver. No one has the right to eat the food she makes without my permission.’
Suppressing the anger that threatened to boil over, he began drafting an order for Elliot.
[……Have the Collins Trading Company fill an overwhelming flood of orders. Place them under different names, request a wide variety of goods, and keep the merchant lord so swamped he’ll have no leisure to spare.]
That way, he wouldn’t have the time or energy to go running to Jianna as some old childhood friend.
After disappearing for ten years, the man had the gall to act as if he were the most important person in her life. Unforgivable.
‘If he’s buried under work, he won’t even have the time to see her, no matter how much he wants to.’
With a sly grin, the Grand Duke scribbled out an absurdly long list of orders:
Five violins already battered by a ten-year-old child who’d played them three times before tossing them aside,
twenty sacks of seeds that would only sprout after a hundred days of daily watering without fail,
ten scrolls of magical maps that showed a different region every time they were opened, and so on and so forth.
The dragon report lay forgotten on the floor. It no longer mattered to him at all.
Today was the day I was to meet the Tower Master!
Leaving Garrin, who was still under discipline, behind at the inn, I headed off early in the morning to find Arinesse.
“Is it true the Tower Master is coming to the palace?”
“I told you, yes!”
Arinesse asked me the same thing over and over, as if she couldn’t believe it.
“What, are you nervous?”
“Wouldn’t you be? It’s like going to a fan signing for your favorite idol—no, it’s like my ultimate bias is coming to see me!”
The room that had once been cluttered and gloomy was spotless. The dull gray blackout curtains had been replaced with lacey, elegant ones.
On the table, where there were usually scattered papers and chaotic tools of experiment, stood a dainty flower vase and an expensive tea set—totally un-Arinesse-like.
The usual acrid smell of smoke and chemicals had been replaced with a soft floral fragrance.
And as if that wasn’t enough, she’d drowned herself in perfume.
“Seriously, how much perfume did you dump on yourself? It’s like you bathed in the stuff!”
“Of course I did! I’m meeting my ultimate bias. The maids chose the scent, saying it would suit someone important. Do I look seductive?”
“Mm… I think the definition of ‘seductive’ must have changed. Does it mean someone who almost drowned in a vat of perfume but barely escaped alive?”
Even with my teasing, Arinesse paid me no mind.
From her morning bath to her perfectly polished appearance, she looked nothing like a mad scientist now.
Her cheeks were rosy, her pink hair shimmered, and a delicate smile graced her face.
She was the very picture of the radiant Princess Arinesse I remembered from the original story.
…If only it weren’t for her lips, which were painted so red they looked like she’d just devoured a rat.
“Forget the perfume, but could you at least wipe off that lipstick?”
“First impressions matter! Don’t I look striking?”
“Uh… yes. Extremely. More like intimidating than striking.”
I sighed deeply and delivered my verdict.
“Just be yourself. That color really doesn’t suit you.”
“You criticize everything I do.”
Still grumbling, Arinesse looked in the mirror, then scrubbed her lips until the color was gone.
“There. Much more natural and prettier.”
“Jianna—no, Hero. Why am I so nervous?”
“What, is this a blind date? Didn’t you say the Tower Master would fall for you at first sight? Then why are you shaking like this?”
“I don’t know, it’s weird. I don’t know why I feel this way.”
Arinesse was so restless, pacing all over the room, that I felt my own head starting to spin.
At that moment, a maid entered to announce the Tower Master’s arrival.
“Lord Rio Blair, the Tower Master, has come to see Princess Arinesse.”
“Send him in!”
Startled, Arinesse blurted it out in a voice like a goose honking, then, embarrassed, darted to hide behind me.
So of course, I ended up being the one to greet him.
“Welcome, Tower Master.”
“Hero Jianna. So you really are close to the princess. To think I’d meet you both here at the palace.”
Though it was his first time at the palace, Rio Blair strode in as if it were his own home, calm and at ease.
Behind me, Arinesse peeked out, sneaking glances at his face.
…What was this, a matchmaking agency?
With an exasperated sigh, I pulled Arinesse forward to stand in front of him.
“Introduce yourself.”
“Ah, hello! No, greetings! I mean—pleasure to meet you!”
Arinesse stammered all over the place, tripping over her own words. At this rate, no man would fall for her at first sight—love lasting a thousand years would shrivel up instantly.
“It is an honor, Princess.”
Thankfully, the Tower Master responded politely, without showing any reaction to her awkwardness.
And finally, their eyes met.
‘Come on, Arinesse. You can do this. Love must be fought for! You look truly beautiful right now!’
I cheered her on in my head, watching the two.
For a moment, it seemed as if sparks leapt in the Tower Master’s eyes as he looked at her.
‘Oh?’
But then—he suddenly turned away, walked to the table, and plopped down on a chair.
“Now, then. Let us get to work. We have much to accomplish today.”
What was that? That aloof, indifferent attitude—was that how a man supposedly struck by love behaved?
Startled by his unexpected reaction, I glanced toward Arinesse.
‘Wait, what’s with her now?’
Her face, so flushed with excitement only moments ago, was now void of anticipation. Instead, it bore an unreadable, peculiar expression.
