Chapter 45
People often say: Would it really be good to date your favorite character?
Now, Marienne could finally answer that question herself.
“It’s absolutely amazing!”
They say that when your idol becomes your lover, the rose-colored glasses fall off.
But apparently, that didn’t apply to Marienne — because her lover was Baileon.
“Marienne.”
Even inside the carriage on their way to work, the man shone like sunlight itself.
And that voice—so smooth and warm—wrapped around her like velvet.
Marienne smiled brightly.
“Yes, Lord Beers?”
“It’s nice that you look at me,” he said with a small cough, turning his gaze to the window.
“But perhaps you shouldn’t stare only at one spot.”
“Oh, really?”
Marienne replied casually. Baileon coughed again.
“Will you keep looking at just my chest even in front of the ministers?”
“Ah—yes, of course… Wait—”
Marienne snapped out of her daze. When she looked at him, the tips of his ears were faintly red.
If even he was mentioning it, she must’ve really been staring too intently at that area.
“Well, that’s because…”
She quickly tried to come up with an excuse.
“There was some lint on it.”
Then she reached out and pretended to flick something off his chest with her finger.
Just then, the carriage jolted. Losing her balance, Marienne pitched forward.
“Ah!”
Baileon, sitting opposite, caught her before she fell—
and somehow she ended up straddling his thighs.
Inside, she screamed, “Kyaaa!”
Cliché perfection.
Long live romantic clichés.
It was summer, so his jacket was thin. His chest was broad, his scent clean and soothing, and she fit snugly against him.
Since we’re dating now, sitting on his lap should be allowed… right?
“You’re not hurt, are you?” Baileon asked.
“No, thanks to you catching me.”
“And the lint? Is it gone?”
“Yes, perfectly!”
“Shall we stay like this until we reach the palace?”
“Yes.”
Marienne answered before realizing what she’d just said.
Then she quickly looked up at him.
Was he thinking this was improper?
She suddenly remembered how she had jumped to conclusions last night—thinking he was about to kiss her.
Maybe she was the only one rushing ahead again.
Marienne quickly untangled herself from his arms and sat back across from him.
“Marienne,” Baileon said suddenly, “didn’t you ask me to tell you each day one reason why I like you? Here’s today’s.”
So suddenly, this early in the morning?
Marienne perked up, ready to let sweet words cleanse her ears.
“You’re recklessly adorable.”
“…Huh?”
“So adorable that I think I should start preparing countermeasures.”
He gave her a mock stern look.
“Others probably think the same. Some may already be falling for you. The thought alone makes me sick to my stomach.”
Recklessly adorable.
She knew she had a soft, bunny-like kind of cuteness, but hearing it from him was on a different level.
He said I’m cute. He said I’m cute!
Marienne had to resist the urge to grab a cushion and smack it repeatedly.
At this rate, he’ll be proposing by tomorrow!
Her smile crept from her lips all the way to her eyes. She shut them tight and laughed quietly.
Watching her, Baileon added,
“I wish there were a visible sign above your head that said ‘Already taken.’”
Marienne, still smiling, asked,
“Then shall we announce our relationship to everyone today?”
“I’d love to,” he said, “but…”
Then he offered an unexpected warning.
“If we do, every eye in the palace will turn toward you. And then the problems will begin. People will start trying to reach me through you, asking you for favors I can’t grant.”
That made sense.
He was the Prime Minister, trusted completely by the Emperor.
Marienne frowned.
“Just thinking about it gives me a headache. Her Highness the Fourth Princess is already laying double traps for me about that public library project. If someone I refuse takes offense, I’ll be in big trouble…”
Baileon’s expression shifted subtly, but Marienne didn’t notice—too caught up in her imagined worries.
“I’m your lover, and you’re the Princess’s right-hand man. Every move I make could be twisted to damage her image. Ugh, I hate this.”
She reminded herself—political power struggles were fun only when you were watching them from afar.
Ah, the drama! The fire! The chaos! It was thrilling from the audience seat, munching on snacks.
But joining the game yourself? Absolutely not.
Besides, she was just an extra.
If not for her distinctive hair color, no one would even remember her face.
Sure, she’d somehow lucked into dating Baileon, but that didn’t mean she had protagonist-level plot armor.
One wrong refusal and I could get stabbed, she thought.
Then she imagined all the possible fates—stabbing, kidnapping, confinement, starvation. What a cheerful list.
Right. I’m not here to fight for power. I came to this world for romance.
She had possessed this body for one goal—to make her favorite character happy.
But somehow she ended up dating him herself.
So fine. She’d quietly enjoy her romance while the royal family sorted out their own drama.
“If you’re fine with it, Lord Beers,” she said, “how about we keep our relationship secret for now?”
“I’m fine with that. Your safety matters most.”
“Thank you,” she said brightly.
Good. She’d keep it secret until Odette defeated the final boss—the Emperor himself.
Then Baileon asked,
“Marienne, can I ask something?”
“Yes, of course.”
“When you said earlier that Her Highness was laying double traps—what exactly did you mean by ‘double’?”
There was no way he, Odette’s strategist, didn’t know that already.
Marienne frowned, puzzled, but began explaining anyway.
“Well, Baron Hetzlay from the Crown Prince’s side switched allegiance to the Second Prince, right? But he’s not been delivering much result, so…”
Something felt off.
Marienne trailed off, but Baileon smiled, encouraging her to go on.
“I’m listening.”
“So Her Highness decided to take action herself. She persuaded the construction workers who were being blackmailed by the Crown Prince’s faction and got a petition out of them. Then, while doing that, she found evidence of even worse crimes and sent that as a package deal to the Second Prince’s side.”
“The Second Prince is suspicious and cunning. He’s not the type to swallow any bait.”
“He will if he sees the desperate eyes of a baron drowning in his wife’s gambling debts. He’ll believe it’s genuine.”
When she finished, Marienne’s face turned sheepish.
“I suddenly regret saying all that.”
“Why?”
“I think I just talked way too much.”
At least she had stopped before mentioning the gambling den—
since that would later be the spark that destroyed the Second Prince’s faction.
Ugh, spoiler alert, Marienne!
Baileon gave her one of his reassuring smiles—extra warm this time.
“I was the one who asked. It’s not your fault.”
Then he added quietly,
“I already knew everything you just said.”
“…You did?”
“Yes. What I’m curious about is how you knew it.”
Would acting cute work again? She had a feeling she’d used that card too often lately, but it was worth a try.
Marienne put on her most pitiful expression.
“For now, I won’t ask,” Baileon said.
“Phew. Saved.”
“I didn’t expect you to say that out loud,” he murmured dryly, folding his arms across his chest.
Why did it feel like he was coaxing her rather than scolding her?
Was she just a pervert—or was he deliberately using some advanced charm tactic?
“Just don’t tell me you were hanging off the Fourth Princess’s balcony to eavesdrop, all right?”
She almost blurted, “That’s exactly what I did,” but managed to say,
“…That would’ve been dangerous.”
“Exactly.”
“Yes, sir.”
And so, another crisis was narrowly avoided.
Marienne vowed not to fall for Baileon’s unintentional beauty trap again.
Not that resisting him would be easy.
◇ ◆ ◇
After the national affairs meeting, Baileon paused in front of a mirror in the palace hallway.
“Lord Beers, is something wrong?” one of his aides asked.
But Baileon barely heard him.
So… Marienne’s preference is for chests rather than hips, huh…
He’d thought she liked nice rears—since she once seemed so fascinated by Priest Anais’s perfectly shaped one.
That’s why he had been focusing on lower-body training lately.
But she kept sneaking glances at his chest, swallowing hard, her fingers twitching like she wanted to touch.
Marienne was terrible at hiding her thoughts.
And while that might be a weakness in a palace full of masks, to Baileon it was… charming.
The way her innocent, desire-filled blue eyes looked at him—
it made him feel ticklish, sweet, every hair on his body standing on end.
Every spot she gazed at seemed to grow hypersensitive.
He’d been used to attention since childhood.
Wherever he went, people naturally gravitated toward him—some even stared more blatantly than Marienne did.
But it had never made him feel anything.
Only Marienne’s gaze did that.
Maybe it’s because she doesn’t see me from behind often, he mused.
He rarely took off his jacket, after all.
Now that the weather was warming up, maybe he should start using the heat as an excuse to do so more often.
“Lord Beers, is there something wrong with the mirror?”
“What? Oh, no, nothing.”
Baileon quickly composed himself.
“Please continue.”
“Yes, Duke Blackwood delivered the fourth donation this morning. He implied it would be his last.”
“Excellent. Then announce that the long-delayed national road maintenance project will begin in two weeks.”
“…Does that mean—?”
“If the Duke volunteers to lead the first week of labor, it’ll greatly improve the Fourth Princess’s image.”
He’d already drained the Duke’s finances; now it was time for some physical toil.
Baileon hoped that through this, Cain Blackwood would finally learn one thing:
Never make an enemy of Baileon Beers.
Because even in revenge, the ever-diligent Prime Minister always gave his very best.
