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Chapter – 26
As if waiting for my words, he wiggled his fingers from side to side.
“You say I’m trying to seduce? I’m not that kind of person.”
“Actually… I know who you are.”
To avoid being toyed with by him any further, I decided to confront him head-on.
“Oh?”
“You’re a famous person, after all.”
I worried for a moment whether this was the right approach, but considering his personality, this seemed more effective.
“So I was curious. What kind of charm do you have that makes everyone talk about you?”
People who love to show off can’t help but be drawn in when someone claims to know them. They like their fame. They treat the things they’ve done so far like trophies.
I’ve met countless people in my life, but this type was one-dimensional. And judging by the obvious conversation he had with someone named Rick, he wasn’t even particularly clever.
“Is my reputation really that widespread?”
As expected, his eyebrows moved vigorously in response to my words.
“Yes. You’re famous for being handsome, too. And the story of you losing all your memories but remembering only one woman, returning after five years… it made me almost tear up.”
“Ah… that.”
Chesper’s eyes subtly shifted to the left and then back. Along with that, he scratched his nose with his fingers—a classic body language of someone lying. But he didn’t stop there; he gestured with his hands far more than necessary.
“Is that not true?”
“No, that’s correct. Choosing one woman after appearing again after five years.”
“But did you really have amnesia? From what I heard earlier, it didn’t seem like it.”
Lies from people like him are usually thin and collapse easily, like sandcastles in front of waves. So I casually tossed a small wave his way with my words.
“Huh?”
“It seems like you remember everything.”
“Are you testing me?”
“No, not at all. I’ve been sick since I was a child and stayed home most of the time. So I like stories like this.”
When truth and lies are mixed, lies feel stronger. I gazed at him with the sorrowful intensity of someone drowned in a sad memory. Still, it was hard to fully focus on him because of his face, which, while handsome, wasn’t perfectly so.
“Oh, so you were confined your whole life?”
“Yes. I was sick. So I listened to many stories from the maids, and I became curious about you, Chesper. What kind of person can inspire such love? But… now that I’m here, it doesn’t seem like you really had amnesia…”
“Turns out, she’s an even more innocent young lady.”
If I can understand the truth, if I can get information, I’m willing to become prey.
“And she’s smart, too. How attractive a combination. Innocent yet clever. Nowadays, every woman I meet is hopelessly dumb, so this is quite enjoyable.”
“You say ‘every woman you meet,’ so there are other women?”
“Honestly… isn’t reality more interesting than those boring fairy-tale stories you walked in talking about?”
The person I want to conquer—that’s how I would appear to him. To achieve that, rather than telling a pure fairy-tale story, or a story where half the lies have already been revealed, I needed to present myself as attractively as possible.
Chesper reached an obvious conclusion and kept talking, not even realizing who was in front of him.
“What’s a story about reality like?”
“Our innocent young lady may not know, but the truth is, many women wanted me. There’s no need for me to devote myself to just one.”
“Ah.”
“And I don’t stop those who come. The story of a fairy-tale-like beauty who found her old fiancée after five years of amnesia? Honestly, that’s boring. After that, they overcame all hardships and lived only for each other. That’s how it’s supposed to end, right?”
I looked at him with eyes shining deliberately.
“So?”
“See? Isn’t this more interesting? That’s how people are. Fairy tales are bland. That’s why people are naturally drawn to something more provocative.”
“Is there more?”
“No, no. That’s the story before. But beautiful lady, if you’re curious about my story and want our story to continue, wouldn’t we need a slightly more… special relationship?”
He twirled a strand of my hair between his fingers.
“How about we go a little deeper?”
“I don’t know what ‘going deeper’ means!”
“Well… if you’ve lived your whole life like that, it’s understandable not to know men. But the more innocent the young lady, the more fun it is to conquer her. So… do you want to be conquered?”
“Conquered? I… think this is enough for meeting someone for the first time.”
“Why draw a line? Usually, the first meeting is when it burns the most. Don’t worry about anything. Even widows who vowed to preserve their chastity have fallen for me. In the face of passionate love, purity doesn’t matter.”
So that was it. The words I needed to hear today had come out. But it didn’t seem helpful for persuading Baron Taylor. Of course, it could crush Rozennie’s heart.
“Widow?”
“Yes. Rich like you…”
He, holding my hand, slowly ran his finger over the ring the emperor had placed on it.
“An innocent soul like her fell for me.”
“I’ve never heard of that.”
“People only care about beautiful love stories. Imagine if they knew that a countess, who had sworn never to meet another man after her husband’s death, ended up with a man ten years younger. That’s why it’s not well-known. See? I’ve conquered even women like that. You don’t need to feel guilty. Even she was with me. I can keep it a secret if you want.”
I stayed silent.
“Cute baby. That’s what you want, huh? Yeah, I’d be shy too.”
“But… why, after being with that woman, did you suddenly return to your fiancée?”
“All about the money, isn’t it?”
“Money?”
“Yes, money. Rozennie, my ex-fiancée, married into a very rich family. I was curious, so I met her. Her husband was utterly devoted, giving her all his money. For a while, I lived off the money she gave, but… eventually, there’s a limit.”
Seeing my interest, he continued to speak eagerly, saying things he shouldn’t have.
It was amazing how he had deceived women with this skill. Perhaps he was just making fun of me.
“So? Once the money ran out, wasn’t it over?”
“Rozennie loved me too much. The woman giving all that money said, if her husband dies, the wealth would all be hers. A fortune that never runs out, like a magic vessel.”
“Really… did it turn out that way?”
“Not really. So now she says she’ll divorce and marry me. So frustratingly persistent.”
He shook his head tiredly. I shook mine along with him.
“But do you know why I’m telling you this, my lovely baby?”
His fingers slowly brushed my cheek. I quickly turned my neck to avoid it.
“I prefer you, who acts like you’d do anything for me, over women who only pretend. There’s no such thing as a perfect love story in the world. But we can create our own beautiful love story.”
“I… I’m a bit…”
“Honestly, I can’t give up that woman yet, even for money. But it seems you want a secret love, so I’ll pretend to love her outwardly, but choose you in reality. How about it? I prefer pure over a loose woman who’s already been married.”
That was enough. A widow ten years older than Chesper, a countess who hadn’t remarried to preserve her chastity—that’s specific enough.
In other words, there’s no need to talk further with this man.
Conclusion: This man never truly chose Rozennie first. Something went wrong with the widow, and since no money would come, he chose Rozennie for now. He might give her a shock, but… would Baron Taylor accept it?
I had only one concern: him.
“Baby.”
Then Chesper, with his sleazy expression, tried to stroke my cheek again. But I stood up and smiled at him.
“Baby? Don’t call me that.”
