KMPEG 45

Chapter 45

Frederic pouted and didn’t say anything for a while.

I didn’t really have anything to do either. I hadn’t brought any books, and in his condition, Frederic couldn’t exactly move around.

Bored, I fiddled with my fingers and asked,

“By the way… Young Master, who do you think cursed you? Do you have any guesses?”

He fell silent, deep in thought, and then glanced toward me—his eyes stopping on my necklace.

“What’s that necklace?”

“Oh, this? It’s the Mermaid’s Tear—”

“……!”

“Ow!”

The moment I touched it to show him, it flared with a bright red light and gave me a sharp, electric sting.

“What… what was that?”

Frederic reached out and grabbed the hand I’d used to touch it.

“Hey, don’t touch that necklace. And don’t take it off—ever.”

“…What just happened?”

He bit his lip, gathering his strength, then said slowly,

“This curse I’m under and that necklace… they’re connected. Because of it, you and I are safe. So don’t take it off.”

“If it’s keeping me safe, wouldn’t it help if I gave it to you? Maybe it’d get rid of your curse.”

He shook his head firmly.

“No. Don’t touch it.”

“Hmmm…”

I craned my neck to look at it—it was glowing a deep, molten red.

“Good thing Tiago gave it to you.”

“Tiago?”

“Yeah. He gave it to me as a birthday present.”

At Tiago’s name, Frederic’s expression froze. He looked both angry and a little tense.

Then, in a low voice, he asked,

“Hey, do you like him?”

What the heck? Why is he asking that all of a sudden?

I rolled my eyes, thinking it over. Did I like Tiago? I didn’t even know him well enough to say I liked him. I didn’t dislike him, but my heart did race around him—though maybe that was just because he felt unfamiliar…

I couldn’t come up with a clear answer.

Frederic turned away and said,

“So you don’t completely dislike him. Otherwise, you’d have said no right away.”

“…I don’t know. But still, I am grateful for the gift, since it’s keeping us safe.”

His face hardened even more.

What is this—jealousy? Wait, why would he be jealous of me? Ridiculous.

“Anyway, be careful. That man’s a playboy.”

“What are you talking about? You’re saying all kinds of nonsense because you’re sick. Just rest.”

Whether I like someone or not is none of your business. I don’t say anything about you liking Charlier. I’ve never even badmouthed that sly fox.

His question made me think of Tiago, Charlier, and even Leo, and my head started to feel crowded.

Ugh… I need a break.

“You should rest too.”

I stood up out of habit and started walking toward the door.

“Hhhk! Cough! Cough!”

“Oh, right!”

I’d only taken a few steps when I heard him coughing like he was on death’s door. I rushed back to his side.

“Sorry, I forgot. Are you okay?”

He half-opened his eyes and said,

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

“No! I didn’t!”

Before I could defend myself further, he closed his eyes again. His long, soft eyelashes trembled, and I saw tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.

Guess he really is sick… this curse is no joke.

He stayed like that, eyes closed, and I found myself staring at his face.

They say you can’t hate someone when they’re sleeping… and I guess it’s true. Why does he look so angelic when he’s asleep?

His face looked sculpted—perfect. Honestly, he’d be fine if he just didn’t open his mouth.

Then, his soft pink lips parted slightly.

“…Don’t go anywhere…”

“……”

Was that… sleep talking?

I stared at him even harder. His breathing soon turned slow and steady—he’d fallen into a deep sleep.

Finally, I relaxed a little and leaned back in my chair, organizing my thoughts.

Frederic’s cursed. Luckily, Tiago’s Mermaid’s Tear is keeping us safe. So… who cursed him? A business rival? Or…

For some reason, Leo and Charlier’s faces came to mind.

Those two are the main characters of this story. Would they really turn dark just because I took him from them? Even if they hated me, they wouldn’t have a reason to hate Frederic… he’s basically a pushover for Charlier, and Leo…

I remembered the day Leo and Frederic had a standoff—right in front of the Salon de Chat.

Chills ran down my spine.

Could it be Leo?

I looked at Frederic’s sleeping face, but in my mind, I saw Leo’s instead.

“Hey, wake up. Enough sleeping.”

I rubbed my eyes as I sat up in bed. Frederic’s bed next to mine was already neatly made.

Figures. Waking up this early is probably why he’s so cranky.

“Get up. Stop being lazy.”

I glanced toward the window—it wasn’t even dawn yet.

“What time is it? Not even five in the morning, right…?”

Frederic was already dressed and ready. That’s when I regretted my words from yesterday.

Yesterday, all full of energy, I’d told him, I’ll try waking up on your schedule, and he’d smiled faintly.

How was I supposed to know he lives like this?

Still half-asleep, I got up with a heavy sigh, tied my hair, and threw on some warm clothes.

“You’re going out like that?” he asked.

“Yeah. Why?”

He crossed his arms and gave me a disapproving look.

“We’re doing outdoor training right after breakfast. Wear something warmer and more comfortable.”

“Ugh… fine.”

I rummaged through my things and put on the warmest, comfiest clothes I could find.

“All right, let’s go.”

“……”

He still didn’t look satisfied, then tossed me one of his coats.

“Wear this.”

“What about you?”

“I’ve got another one.”

I put it on—it was thick with down feathers. When I was ready, he said,

“Go first.”

We walked close enough to stay within the curse’s safe distance, but far enough apart to keep some space.

By the time we got to the dining room, Echor had already prepared breakfast.

He’s up this early too?

We sat side by side and lifted the silver covers from our plates. Mine was a ricotta cheese sandwich, his was chicken breast and sweet potato.

“Wow… not a single carb. No wonder he’s so moody.”

He glanced at me with his fork and knife in hand.

“It’s so early my thoughts are slipping out, haha.”

I gave a sheepish laugh and took a bite of my sandwich.

He ignored me and started on his chicken. After swallowing, he recited today’s schedule.

“After breakfast, we train. Then morning study—you study trade during that time. After lunch, more study, then afternoon training. Then dinner.”

“……”

“After dinner, read until bedtime.”

“……”

Just listening to it made me tired. When I’d said I’d follow his schedule, I hadn’t realized how intense it was.

Self-made people really are different. This isn’t easy. But… yeah. I need to make money too.

I sighed.

“Sigh… so this is what living the ‘best life’ looks like. What even is this story’s genre anymore?”

“Best… life…?” he asked.

“Ah, nothing, Young Master.”

I took another big bite of my sandwich. He gave me a puzzled look, then turned away.

“Ugh… I’m dying. Everything hurts!”

I groaned as I flopped onto the sofa in Frederic’s study. My whole body ached.

He stood over me and said,

“Get up. Time to study.”

“You’re ruthless. Absolutely ruthless.”

I eyed him warily. He was not normal.

“Frederic, aren’t you tired after all that training?”

“If you do it every day, it’s not tiring.”

After breakfast, we’d gone straight into two hours of outdoor training.

He practiced longsword techniques—honestly, he looked kind of cool doing it. I’d said I wanted to try, but he immediately refused.

“Wow, that looks amazing! I want to try with a sword too.”

“Not yet. It’s dangerous and you’ll hurt yourself. You need to build basic strength first.”

Then he made me do 20 push-ups, 20 sit-ups, 20 squat jumps, and 20 high-knees… on repeat for two hours.

“You’ve got no muscle at all. Like that, you’ll never be able to handle a sword.”

Whenever I tried to rest, he’d give me a look that got me moving again. It really was like boot camp.

Meanwhile, he kept up his sword drills. Since I had to stay close, he avoided flashy moves and focused on simple thrusts.