Chapter 44…
“……”
Tession let out a quiet sigh as he looked down at Cynthia, who was glancing nervously up at him. Then he turned and stepped out through the open door. At the sound of the bell earlier, the maids were already approaching from the end of the corridor.
“You’ve been kept far too long when you must be tired. Please, wash up and rest well.”
“Yes…”
“When morning comes, I’ll show you around the garden. It’s far more splendid than you might expect, so look forward to it.”
“Yes…”
“Please answer with a bit more energy.”
“Y-Yes!”
At her slightly livelier reply, Tession smiled faintly and turned to leave the room.
Feeling strangely guilty for some reason, Cynthia watched his back as it grew smaller down the hallway beyond the maids.
The next morning, Cynthia rose with a heavy sigh after barely sleeping a wink.
“I hardly slept at all…”
Her mind had been crowded with tangled thoughts all night, leaving her exhausted.
“How am I supposed to face Tession from now on…?”
Whenever she was alone with him lately, the atmosphere would start turning weird. And after what happened last night—her first time ever experiencing something that intimate—she’d been so shocked she kicked him out of the room. His completely uncharacteristic behavior, so unlike his original personality, only left her more confused.
“What on earth happened to Tession? He’s not supposed to act like this…”
Cynthia muttered to herself.
Tession was supposed to be reserved, restrained, even ascetic—and definitely not interested in things like that!
So then, why did he keep…!
“Could it be because Elizabeth died too early? Or maybe because I messed with the story and woke him up sooner than planned?”
After a moment of thought, Cynthia frowned and sniffed at her own nightgown.
“Or maybe that perfume Violet sprayed on me had some weird effect? Like—it attracts men or something…?”
She couldn’t tell. Maybe it was all three.
Groaning, Cynthia pressed her fingers to her aching forehead.
“And when am I even supposed to bring up the Ritemper Merchant Guild issue…?”
She tugged at her hair, imagining her 4.5 million mints drifting away into the sky.
“No way! I can’t let that happen… Ugh…”
Knock, knock!
Just then, someone knocked on her door.
Could it be Tession?
Cynthia’s head shot up in alarm.
“Who is it?”
“Lady Elizabeth, are you awake? It’s time for breakfast.”
“Ah, Violet…”
The door opened, revealing Violet. Cynthia let out a breath—half relief, half disappointment.
“Hm? Did something happen?”
Noticing her odd reaction, Violet walked past the bed and pulled the heavy curtains wide open. Sunlight immediately flooded the room, so bright that Cynthia squinted and frowned.
Tession had said the sun would rise on this side first—it was true.
“V-Violet… um…”
“Yes?”
“That perfume you sprayed on me yesterday… does it, um, have any special effects?”
Violet blinked at her in confusion.
“Perfume?”
“Yes! The one you sprayed before we arrived at Lacrona—the sweet but slightly bitter scent!”
“Oh!”
Violet tilted her head thoughtfully as she recalled.
“Right, it was a sample from the catalog that perfume shop gave you a while ago. Why, what kind of ‘special effect’ are you talking about?”
So… maybe not? Cynthia hesitated.
“Well… like, maybe men find it especially attractive or something?”
“Hmm? The catalog said it’s popular among women, actually.”
“So… it doesn’t do anything strange?”
“Other than making the wearer feel good, what else would perfume do?”
Violet chuckled, assuming Cynthia was being silly again.
“Stop with the weird questions and get ready. His Grace is waiting downstairs—he’d like to have breakfast with you.”
“Ah… okay.”
Cynthia nodded awkwardly.
If it’s not the perfume, then why is he being so nice to me…?
“That was awful.”
In the dining room on the first floor of the Lacrona villa, Tession sat with one leg crossed, lifting a cup of coffee to his lips.
“She must have been really startled.”
Setting the cup down, he sighed. From the moment he’d walked out of Cynthia’s room last night, he’d been filled with regret.
Whenever he saw her, he lost control of himself. And though he’d tried to hide it, he’d let that side of himself show—and even pushed her. The guilt weighed heavily on him.
He had deliberately delayed the Ritemper matter, pretending not to know, and now things had gone completely off track.
“Haa…”
Tession leaned his head back against the chair, exhaling.
If she grew uncomfortable around him and began to push him away, everything would be meaningless.
“Your Grace! G-Good morning…!”
At that moment, a cheerful voice came from the entrance.
Tession instinctively turned—and saw Cynthia standing there awkwardly. He rose from his seat at once and approached her.
“Good morning, my lady. I trust you slept well?”
Cynthia forced a smile and nodded.
“Thanks to your concern, yes. I made sure to close the curtains tight just like you said, and I didn’t wake up once!”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
Tession guided her to the table, pulled out her chair, and waited until she sat before taking his own seat.
“After breakfast, I’ll show you the garden.”
“Yes, I’d love that!”
“……”
“……”
That was the end of their conversation.
Cynthia smiled awkwardly, pretending to look elsewhere, while Tession fidgeted, staring toward the kitchen.
Ugh, this is so awkward! I hate this kind of thing!
After a long silence, Cynthia gathered her courage to speak—
“Um…”
“My lady…”
They spoke at the same time.
“Oh! You first.”
“No, please, you.”
Even their next lines overlapped, like two singers missing their harmony.
What the— Cynthia blinked wide-eyed.
Realizing that they were both equally uncomfortable and wanted to apologize, she couldn’t help but giggle.
“Pfft…”
“Haha.”
Tession chuckled softly too.
“Then, if I may go first, my lady… To be frank, I made a mistake last night. I owe you an apology. I must have frightened you and made you uncomfortable. I promise it won’t happen again.”
“It—it wasn’t unpleasant!”
Cynthia quickly added, her face flushing bright red as she looked away.
“…Pardon?”
“I mean, it’s not that I disliked it—it was just, um, surprising since it was my first time… and I only pushed you away to protect you, really! Please don’t misunderstand!”
“To protect me?”
“Yes. It might sound strange, but… I keep feeling this strong urge to protect you.”
The original male leads… I just want to keep them safe, as they’re meant to be.
Tession looked at her quietly, then asked,
“So, you’re saying… you didn’t dislike it?”
“Of course not! In fact, I kind of like you—a lot! Your warmth, your kindness, your dazzling looks, and your incredible wealth—everything!”
Her exaggerated declaration made Tession laugh softly. He could tell she was trying to lighten the mood.
“I see. I’ll keep that in mind, then.”
A gentle smile curved on his lips.
Just knowing what she liked about him was enough to lift his mood.
He raised a hand to cover his mouth, hiding the faint smile that wouldn’t leave his face, just as the maids began bringing in steaming plates of food.
“Huh? Keep what in mind?”
“Nothing. Please, enjoy your meal, my lady.”
“You too, Your Grace!”
Cynthia beamed brightly as she picked up her fork and looked excitedly at the plates in front of her.
Warmth, beauty, wealth…
A glint flickered in Tession’s violet eyes—those were all the things she said she liked.
“Your Grace, aren’t you eating?”
At her question, Tession looked up, quickly masking the emotion in his eyes with a mild smile.
“Please, go ahead. I’ll eat too.”
