Chapter 16 …
If you’ve caught him, then you’ve already lost—why are you running away again!
I sprinted as if my life depended on it.
At my shout, Rimeric flinched and turned around. He gasped and muttered,
After muttering that, the guy ran away again. Far, far beyond where I could no longer chase him.
I stood there blankly, staring at his disappearing figure, then glared.
Meanwhile, at a bright midday.
Leonardo Shablin leaned back in an elegant carriage, lazily passing through the bustling city streets.
Even the way he rested his chin on the window frame looked so striking that Croby, sitting opposite him, could only shake his head in admiration. The precious jewels on his ears and neck seemed dull today in comparison to Leonardo’s beauty.
After watching him for a moment, Croby suddenly brought up something.
“By the way, I heard Eru Sha-sensei secretly came to teach today? They apparently played a game of hide-and-seek.”
“Hide-and-seek?”
“Yes. It seems he told Eru Sha that if she finds him, he’ll teach her.”
“Didn’t we agree on one lesson per week?”
“Exactly. I told him absolutely not, but I don’t understand why he’s disobeying the Marquis’s orders.”
“Fire him.”
“Fire him?”
At the sudden remark, Croby was startled, but he couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from lifting.
“As expected, that’s what should be done, right? Even if Eru Sha is so cute I’d want to see her every day, still…”
“What?”
Croby, as if finally revealing his true feelings, rubbed his hands together.
“Then… wouldn’t it be better if I taught Eru Sha instead? The point is just to have a nominal tutor anyway, so it doesn’t matter if nothing is actually taught. I’m confident I can do a better job than any other private tutor at doing absolutely no teaching. Hahaha.”
The chance to officially see Eru Sha more often! Croby was full of anticipation, but Leonardo’s eyes narrowed.
“Just pay Rimeric more. That way he’ll slack off even more thoroughly.”
“…Yes, sir.”
Croby shut his mouth, disappointed. There was no point pushing the conversation further; it would only irritate Leonardo.
Leonardo lost interest and turned his gaze out the window.
Rimeric Bray was someone who owed him his life. Seven years ago, in a deserted alley in the capital, he had been beaten by a group of classmates, and Leonardo had saved him.
Rimeric saw Leonardo as his benefactor and wanted to repay him. Every year, he sent letters asking if there was anything he could do. For Leonardo, it was something he would normally forget immediately, so he had ignored all those letters.
But when Eru Sha needed a tutor, Leonardo contacted Rimeric, and he agreed immediately, as if he had been waiting for it.
‘He even quit his position as Supreme Judge of the Imperial Court… has he lost his mind?’
One of only three elite positions in the empire’s judiciary—he gave that up. Leonardo had seen many crazy people in his life, but this was the first time he saw someone lose their mind over repaying a debt.
At that moment, something strangely irritating came to mind, creasing his brow.
Eru Sha had begun to slip into his daily life.
He had lived without thinking about Eru Sha at all until now, but suddenly, he was involved in matters concerning her.
‘What is this? Why is it…’
It felt like something slippery had quietly climbed over a wall without him noticing.
Still, things like this would not happen again anyway.
As he absentmindedly watched the passing scenery, he suddenly leaned slightly forward from the seat.
‘That?’
He turned his head to look back at the place they had already passed. But inside a moving carriage, the doll shop quickly disappeared from view.
Round faces with round eyes. Colorful fur-like hair adorned with jeweled dresses of various colors.
Even from a speeding carriage, it was clearly a luxurious doll shop.
Leonardo tilted his head slightly.
‘Was there always a shop like that there?’
It was a road he passed often, yet it felt like he was seeing it for the first time today. After thinking for a moment, he rang the bell to stop the carriage.
Croby looked confused at the sudden request.
“What is it? Do you see someone you know outside?”
“I need to check something.”
When the carriage stopped, Leonardo Shablin jumped down. Croby hurried after him, puzzled.
‘What is he going to check?’
Was he planning to beat up someone he didn’t finish earlier? Or maybe he saw a piece of clothing or jewelry he liked in a shop window? Or… what could it be? Nothing else came to mind.
After walking briskly with long strides, Leonardo stopped in front of a shop. Croby followed his gaze and looked down.
What entered their view were dolls. Clearly luxury toys crafted for upper-class children.
At that moment, Croby’s face brightened.
“Are you buying one for Eru Sha? Is that it?”
“……”
“Impressive, Marquis! Jumping out of a moving carriage for your long-lost daughter!”
“……”
“So you were happy to see your daughter too!”
Leonardo frowned silently.
As expected, the shop window was filled with lavish dolls.
Their eyes were made of obsidian, amethyst, and diamonds. The fabric and lace of their dresses were equally exquisite.
Looking at those extravagant dolls, Leonardo recalled what he had seen in Eru Sha’s room. Even the cheapest doll here would be incomparable to the junk in her room.
“Wow, Eru Sha is going to love this! Let’s go inside and take a closer look!”
Just as Croby tried to pull Leonardo inside, a bell rang and a shop clerk came out.
“Welcome! We have even more products insi—oh my!”
The energetic clerk suddenly covered her mouth.
She looked at Leonardo with a doubtful, almost frozen expression. Anyone seeing him for the first time often reacted like that.
Either they recognized the infamous “mad noble,” or they were shocked by a silver-haired, elf-like man of unreal beauty. This time, she seemed completely overwhelmed by the unexpected visitor.
Noticing her reaction, Croby smiled casually and pulled Leonardo inside.
“They say there’s more inside. Let’s just buy everything, haha!”
“Buy… everything?”
The clerk looked slightly worried at Croby’s exaggeration. It was hard not to be concerned when the so-called reckless Marquis was involved.
Regardless, Croby proudly entered the shop. The luxurious interior and the dolls inside were enough to impress anyone.
Leonardo scanned the store with a detached gaze. Croby kept admiring things and then ran back to him.
“Marquis! I think I need to start looking for a woman to marry immediately!”
“Unusual.”
Leonardo casually picked up a doll.
“Who knows? Maybe the daughter I have will be as lovely as Eru Sha.”
Only then did Leonardo slowly turn to look at Croby. With a gaze filled with two scoops of disdain, he scanned him and smirked.
“Do you think that’s possible?”
“……”
“Think about who Eru Sha’s real father is.”
Finishing calmly, Leonardo put the doll down. Croby looked deflated, as if struck at the core.
“Don’t go that far to hurt me—”
“It’s not easy to give birth to a daughter like Eru Sha.”
“Yes.”
Croby sighed bitterly at the undeniable truth.
Eru Sha was the child of the most outstanding man in the empire in terms of appearance. From her very birth, she had gathered the blessings of the universe.
Unless another man more beautiful than Leonardo Shablin is born, someone like Eru Sha will never exist again.
Bound by this harsh reality, Croby suddenly had a brilliant idea.
“Marquis! Since you’ve left Eru Sha unattended all this time, why not send her for adoption to me? I will become her foster father and protect her with my life—”
“Shut up.”
“Yes, sir.”
