Chapter 64
Trust the villains to make an entrance this annoying.
The Barnard siblings appeared suddenly, as if they had been waiting for a chance to pounce.
Nanael raised her fan to cover her mouth, eyes gleaming.
“Well, it would be wrong to just brush this incident under the rug, don’t you think? At the very least, they should lose all the coins they’ve collected so far.”
Glaster flinched at her sharp gaze and ducked behind Edwin.
They hadn’t shown themselves all this time, and of course—right after we’d barely cleaned up the mess, they appeared as though they’d planned it.
And now they were demanding our coins? Absolutely vile.
Do they have any idea how hard it was to collect those? I wasn’t about to let Edwin’s screw-up wipe it all out.
Fresh out of disciplinary probation, Nanael was dressed head to toe in brand-new designs.
Ever since I stripped her bare at the debutante ball, she’d been hoarding every new release like her life depended on it.
‘Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I last saw Cesare.’
He used to pop up every day, and then suddenly vanished. I thought maybe he’d finally lost interest in me.
But when our eyes met, Cesare gave me a sleazy wink.
“Ugh.”
The nausea was instant and visceral.
Meanwhile, Nanael turned to Alperen, her gaze landing on the bear mascot head tucked under his arm.
“My, my. Your tastes have gotten rather… cute since I last saw you.”
Then her eyes flicked to me, sharp and piercing.
“Still dating, I presume?”
The words carried barbs, but it didn’t sound like she was picking a fight—more like that was simply her default, insufferable way of speaking.
Alperen smiled serenely and placed the bear head in my arms.
“My partner likes cute things.”
Her attention shifted fully to me.
“I suppose so. You do look too weak to hurt even an ant.”
What? As if she hadn’t lost to me every single time we clashed!
I glared, refusing to back down—when Cesare spoke up.
“It’s been a while, Lady. Have you reconsidered my offer?”
Alperen’s expression darkened instantly.
“What offer?” I asked blandly, feigning ignorance.
Cesare smirked.
“Well, if you’re still unsure, I could at least offer you a ‘trial date.’ Once you spend time with me, I’m sure your opinion will change.”
A “trial date”? Where did he get the audacity?
Alperen’s mood dropped like a thundercloud.
“What did you just say?”
“Oh, was that too crude for your delicate ears, Your Grace? But then, your own position isn’t exactly spotless either, is it?”
Polite phrasing, sharp as knives.
The tension thickened. At this rate, one of them was going to throw down a glove.
“Hey! It’s been too long, Your Highness!”
Adrian suddenly bounded in, cheerful as sunlight, and slung an arm around Cesare’s shoulders like they were old friends.
“P-Prince Ferris? What are you doing here…?”
What surprised me was Cesare’s reaction: his face went white, like he’d seen a ghost.
‘Wait. How does my brother know this guy?’
As Adrian beamed, Cesare floundered. It was glorious to watch.
Adrian gave a crisp salute.
“An honor to meet you, Your Highness. How wonderful to see you here!”
“Shouldn’t you be at knight training today?” Cesare asked, voice tight.
“Oh? You know my schedule so well. It’s almost like you’ve been trying to avoid me.”
Cesare’s face turned green.
“O-of course not. I just happened to hear…”
He tried to retreat, but Adrian cheerfully closed the distance again, grabbing his hand to keep him from escaping.
“Actually, I was planning to visit you soon. The Eastern Kingdom’s delegation will arrive in the capital, and what better chance to show off your legendary language skills?”
“I don’t need— I mean, thank you, but I’ll handle it myself!” Cesare snapped.
“Ah, too late. I’ve already told the Crown Prince that you’ll be in charge.”
“You—!”
As Cesare’s face twisted, Adrian pressed two fingers to his frown, smiling radiantly.
“Careful, Your Highness. Wrinkles ruin even the most handsome of faces. Don’t forget who smoothed them out for you.”
He even threw in a wink. Cesare nearly collapsed from sheer outrage.
“Do you have any idea how much work I’ve been drowning in because of you?!”
“Oh? Look over there—it’s the Crown Prince.”
“W-what?!”
Cesare bolted like a rabbit.
Nanael stared after him, dumbfounded. Adrian just winked at me.
“…Or not.”
So that’s what he’d been up to lately.
I didn’t need to ask—I could guess. He’d latched onto Cesare, torturing him with his relentless “sunshine.”
Unlike Alperen, Adrian was sociable and had countless acquaintances. Anyone unlucky enough to fall out with him found life in the capital unbearable.
He’d mastered the art of torment disguised as kindness—what I called “sunshine torture.” To outsiders it looked like friendly support; to the victim, it was hell.
‘No wonder Cesare panicked. He’s barely back in the Empire, and now he’s stuck babysitting foreign diplomats thanks to Adrian.’
Even Nanael loathed Adrian’s sunny meddling. Clearly, it was a family-wide weakness.
Adrian clapped Alperen’s shoulder.
“See that? That’s how it’s done.”
Smug as ever. Alperen gave a faint, deflated smile.
Nanael, left alone, didn’t seem angry at Cesare’s retreat. If anything, her crooked smile looked more like contempt for her brother.
Then she turned to me.
“Lady Ferris.”
“Yes?”
My guard shot up. Usually when she addressed me, something unpleasant followed.
But instead, she said something unexpectedly reasonable.
“About last time—I owe you an apology. We’ll be seeing a lot of each other, so let’s not drag this on.”
And she handed me an envelope.
“Uh… this is for me?”
“Yes. As an apology, I’d like to invite you to tea. I came all the way here just to give you this.”
It was a formal invitation, stamped with the imperial crest.
The first official tea party Nanael would host since her debutante ball—and I was invited.
No doubt the Emperor had pushed her to do it.
For any young lady, entering the palace was an honor, no matter the hostess’s reputation.
And refusing an apology presented in such a public, formal way would only make me look bad.
‘Still, Nanael’s invitation… it feels sketchy.’
I hesitated, and she added curtly,
“Bring a partner, if you must. You two are practically an official couple already, aren’t you?”
Her tone made it clear she hated the idea of inviting me.
‘If Alperen comes with me, it’ll be fine.’
The palace was Nanael’s territory, true, but it was also the safest place of all—nobody would dare stir up real trouble with the Emperor present.
She was right: we’d be crossing paths often. Better to at least pretend to make peace.
