FGFM 10

Chapter 10

When Fleur’s lips brushed his cheek, Dylan froze in place like a broken robot.
Then, without even blinking, he stared straight at her, clearly demanding an explanation.

“Oh my, it was an accident. The umbrella was too small, so while trying to cover you properly, I accidentally touched you.”

“……”

“It was just a coincidental slip, so don’t take it the wrong way and just forget it.”

With shameless composure, she casually rubbed the spot where her lips had brushed.

But Dylan still stood frozen, his face vacant, unable to move.

Aidan’s favorability was at 25%, making her nervous about completing the quest with him.
On the other hand, Dylan’s was only around 10%—a convenient level to exploit.

It was an act to prevent a reset, but she couldn’t help but feel awkward about the kiss. To cover her embarrassment, she deliberately acted even more confident.

“What are you doing? I’m cold. Are you planning to let your master catch a cold?”

“Ah… I’m sorry.”

Only then did he adjust his hold on her and continue walking.

Since the kiss was not sincere, the quest is recognized as only half-complete.

Dylan’s favorability rises only halfway.

Current favorability: 10 → 12%
Reward: Perfume

It was actually better that it only rose halfway. She quietly checked what useless reward she’d been given this time.

Perfume That Can Never Be Forgotten: If you spray this perfume on yourself in front of the target whose favorability you want to raise, you will have another chance to meet them again soon.
Warning: On your next meeting, the favorability will automatically be +5%. Choose your target carefully.

It was just one of those common items used to raise favorability.

For her, who had no desire to get involved with the capture targets, it was utterly useless. She’d rather have been given money.

“We’ve arrived.”

At the entrance of the mansion, Dylan carefully set Fleur down.

“Young Lady, are you alright?!”

The maids, who had been waiting in advance, rushed to wipe her wet body with dry towels.

“Prepare a bath immediately. Lady Fleur seems to have a bit of a fever.”
“Yes, miss, please come this way.”

“Mm. Dylan, thank you for coming to get me. Make sure you keep yourself warm and rest too.”

She patted his shoulder twice and, supported by the maids, headed toward the bathhouse.

Dylan stood rooted to the spot, unable to tear his eyes away from Fleur as she moved farther away. Only after even her shadow had disappeared up the central staircase did he gently brush his thumb across the spot on his cheek where her lips had touched.

“It was just a coincidental slip, so forget it.”

“…You tell me to forget, yet you make it unforgettable.”

Like a nail driven deep, his gaze remained fixed for a long while on the staircase she had ascended.

The next day.

Fleur left the mansion disguised not as a noble lady but in light, commoner’s clothing.

“So in the end, you really did cut your hair?”

“Yup! How is it, does it suit me?”

The first place she went that morning was the salon. Her long hair, which had reached her waist, was cut cleanly to her shoulders.

Dylan, waiting outside, opened his mouth as if to say something but only ended up nodding.

“Yes, it suits you very well.”

He had told her countless times that to nobles, even a single strand of hair represented family honor and should not be cut recklessly.

But Fleur didn’t care at all and boldly chopped it off.

Even that suited her, and all Dylan could do was smile helplessly.

“Ah, I feel so refreshed! Do you know how annoying it was, having long hair dragging around whenever I worked in the fields?”

“Did you tell the butler you’d be cutting it?”

“No, do I need his permission?”

Dylan thought to himself that the household staff would probably be in an uproar once they returned. He resolved then and there that he would side with her.

“If you wanted to cut it so badly, why didn’t you just summon someone to the mansion? If Lady Fleur insists, nobody would dare oppose you.”

“I purposely came here to cut it.”

“Why?”

“Because this is the only salon in this district.”

“I know that.”

“For citizens, this is the only place they can come to cut their hair. And where there are crowds, there are always rumors.”

The two of them walked together along the bustling street.

“If I want to hear reviews about my shop sometimes, I have to come here.”

“And what did people say today?”

“Luckily, most of the feedback has been positive. But some said they’d like to see more stew varieties. It might be good to partner with the butchers and expand the business that way.”

Before working as her aide, Dylan had only ever seen Fleur inside the mansion. Seeing her now, outside, wholly focused on making her ventures succeed, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“I didn’t expect you to personally conduct market research.”

“We need to know the local prices if we’re going to set ours properly.”

“But surely, you don’t need to do all this yourself. The servants could handle it just fine.”

“I don’t want to be the kind of person who dumps work on servants while not even knowing how prices or the world are changing. If I’ve decided to become a proper family head, I need to care about everything.”

She spoke as if it were obvious, but Dylan knew she was putting in many times the effort of others to earn recognition as head of house. Quietly, he smiled.

“I’ll do my best to be of help as I accompany you.”

“Thanks. Now, we’re heading to a bigger market, so keep your wits about you.”

“…Excuse me?”

He looked confused as to why he needed to stay sharp when they were just browsing.

“Dylan, you’ve only ever worked inside the mansion, so you don’t know how chaotic markets can get.”

“No matter how chaotic, it’s just people walking around…”

But the moment they turned a corner, Dylan was at a loss for words.

As if out of nowhere, the main street was filled wall-to-wall with people.

“Once a month, merchants from other cities come and set up stalls. And today just happens to be that day.”

“You even knew this?”

“Of course. We need to see what they’re selling and grab the good things before anyone else. The more diligent you are, the more money you make.”

She took the wide-brimmed hat Dylan had brought for her, put it on, and tied the strap firmly under her chin.

“Dylan, stay right behind me. If you lose me, we’ll meet at the café at the end of this street.”

“…Understood.”

At her solemn tone, he swallowed nervously.

“Alright then, let’s go!”

The two plunged bravely into the crowd. Fleur, accustomed to markets, slipped through quickly, but Dylan, tall and broad-shouldered, kept getting blocked.

“Oh! Look, new seeds over there!”
“Eh? W-wait…!”
“What kind of crop is that variety? I need to buy it right now!”
“Lady Fleur, please slow down…!”
“Wow, look at those snacks! Let’s buy some for the servants. If they’re good, I’ll recommend them to the bakery that supplies our bread as a new product.”

Her eyes sparkled as she darted here and there, buying things nimbly like a flying squirrel despite the dense crowd.

“See, coming here was worth it! Every time, I find something fun. I’ll think of ways to profit from these once we get back to the mansion.”

Her arms were already growing heavy with purchases when she suddenly noticed something odd.

“…Huh?”

Dylan was gone.

He was taller than most, easy to spot, yet she couldn’t see him anywhere. It seemed he had been swept away by the tide of people and lost.

“Well, we agreed to meet at the café at the end of the street, so I’ll head there and wait.”

She had already shopped plenty anyway, so she began making her way toward the café.

“…Oh? What’s that?”

She stopped, caught by a stall shaped like a big “ㄷ” selling strange fruits. Drawn in, she squeezed her way through the crowd.

Among the colorful fruits, she bought one of the kind that people seemed to be buying most.

“That’ll be 2 silver.”
“Here you go.”

She paid and turned to leave when—

“Hey! Wait a minute! You think you can just eat without paying?!”

The male shopkeeper suddenly grabbed her wrist tightly and shouted.

“What? No, I paid already.”

“Don’t lie! You were just about to steal it.”

“I really did pay! Ask the lady shopkeeper—huh?”

The middle-aged woman she had paid to was nowhere to be seen. Her eyes widened in panic, and the male shopkeeper pressed her harder.

“See? You did steal it! A young brat like you, already learning the worst things.”

His loud accusations drew the attention of the crowd immediately.

“She’s only holding one fruit… Looks like she really did steal it.”
“Young folks these days, I swear…”

It was unfair, but if she wanted to resolve it quickly, paying again might be best.

“Fine, I’ll pay another 2 silver.”

“If you’ve got money, then why steal? No, I won’t sell it for less than 1 gold to the likes of you!”

“…Fine, I’ll give you the gold.”

Just as she reached into her purse to hand it over—

“This person has already paid.”

A large hand suddenly reached from behind, wrapping around her small one.