FMLDM 19

Chapter 19

Marcon’s head was already tangled with the Calyps problem when he hesitated at the mention of sunflowers. Wait, sunflowers? The sunflower that Lady Calyps received?

“What do you mean by that?”

Could it be that even the sunflower was a problem? Marcon felt like he wanted to crawl into a mouse hole if that were true.

“The sunflower, I’ve heard from the lady, is a slang term popular among the empire’s ladies.”

Slang?

“So what exactly does it mean?”

“It means a man who never looks away, who loves only one person until death.”

Knowing that Lady Calyps’s divorce was due to her ex-husband’s affair, Marcon understood why she said that.

“Haah… Then what does this mean?”

“What do you mean?”

The contents of the note, so worn from being read repeatedly that it was almost memorized, slipped out of Marcon’s mouth.

“A modest and innocent man who can be seductive depending on the situation, and has a good-looking face and body.”

Momont proudly placed a thick book he’d brought from home on the table. The cover read Moon Knight Encyclopedia. Adjusting his glasses, Momont flipped through the pages as if searching for something, then stopped.

“That is…”

Momont looked between the dictionary, Marcon, and himself, seeming frustrated as if unsure how to explain. Then he said,

“It’s ‘Your Majesty.’”

Marcon grabbed the dictionary in disbelief. Inside, new slang used by ladies these days was categorized by topic.

“Who even makes up these trends…”

“How did Lady Calyps know about this? Did she go to Moon Knight often?”

That wasn’t the important thing now. Marcon stared quietly at the dictionary.
Moon Knight Encyclopedia

1. Modest and innocent – means ‘loses during the day.’

2. Seductive depending on the situation – means ‘wins at night.’
   … (omitted)

3. A good-looking face and body – a man with a sculpted face and a well-toned muscular body.

“…!”

Now Marcon finally understood why the ‘good man’ makeup hadn’t worked.

“Huh, I thought this was a ‘good man’…”

His face flushed even redder with shame.

Afternoon at the training ground dessert time.
When this time came, Kai would move his seat to sit with Coral, naturally giving Duke Schuppen more alone time with Marcon. But even with Duke Schuppen’s usually cheeky personality, today he sat quietly sipping his tea.

‘Is he still bothered by what happened yesterday?’

Without meeting Marcon’s eyes, Duke Schuppen lowered his long lashes and kept clearing his dessert plate. Only when the plate was half empty did he speak for the first time.

“Kai wants to enter the upcoming swordsmanship tournament.”

Hearing about Kai instead of ‘me’ eased Marcon’s tension. But a swordsmanship tournament? That was a huge event within the Imperial Academy where only the most talented gathered. Many nobles trained for it, and heirs fought for their family’s pride. Parents watched nervously, so the tournament’s importance was clear. But Kai had only just started learning swordsmanship…

“Isn’t it too soon for him to enter?”

Duke Schuppen smiled faintly and watched Kai playing in the distance.

“That may be true. But the results vary greatly depending on who the master is.”

Though Duke Schuppen could be a bit full of himself, he wasn’t someone to joke about such matters. The thought that Kai was already capable enough to enter the tournament made Marcon’s heart pound.

“So can Kai participate?”

“Of course.”

Duke Schuppen’s gaze seemed to say, ‘You must trust me completely.’ With confident eyes, he shifted his gaze from Kai back to Marcon. Then…

“The goal is to win.”

As expected. It wasn’t confidence but Duke Schuppen’s bravado. As his confidence turned to bravado, Marcon’s hope turned to worry.

‘What if Kai gets injured competing?’

While worrying, Marcon muttered quietly under the strong gaze of Duke Schuppen.

“Dream big.”

“…”

Duke Schuppen’s slightly sulky expression made it clear he heard ‘winning’ as a joke.

Sneaking a glance at the mood, Marcon added something he thought would please Duke Schuppen.

“Kai’s really lucky to have found such a good master.”

It was a casual remark, but Duke Schuppen’s ears flushed red as if very pleased. After a long talk about the tournament, Duke Schuppen said quietly with a serious expression,

“Kai will need a sword for the tournament.”

Until now, Kai used a special sword envied by knights, but it was still a practice sword, so it was completely inadequate for the tournament.

‘We can’t kill Kai by giving him a bad sword in his first tournament.’

Marcon could guess why Duke Schuppen brought it up cautiously. Receiving a sword from the imperial family as a reward for service was an honor, but exchanging swords between families was considered ominous in the empire. It was seen as an act ‘considering the other an enemy’—an old superstition dating back to when the Luteis family gifted a sword to the Felintz family, then assassinated its head. But swords are swords. To Marcon, whether pretty or not, they’re all the same.

“I don’t know much about swords…”

Duke Schuppen’s eyes lit up as if waiting for this.

“I will help you.”

Though Marcon asked for a recommendation, Duke Schuppen was unexpectedly enthusiastic.

“You must be busy…”

“I have plenty of time.”

Though a bit puzzled, Marcon thought Duke Schuppen seemed empathetic, with a variety of expressions and a kindly meddlesome nature, making him less suspicious.

‘Maybe it’s the same this time.’

Calyps smiled in a way Marcon had never seen before, while Duke Schuppen looked at her with a strange expression. As Calyps headed to the annex, Duke Schuppen’s face bloomed into a wide smile.

‘Is he crazy? Laughing at someone else’s wife?’

Marcon felt an odd burning in his chest watching this scene. Honestly, this wasn’t something he should worry about. Whether his contract partner was with someone else, laughing, or even emotionally elsewhere, what did it matter? Besides, the scene seen through the window had repeated since Duke Schuppen entered. But today, every move by Schuppen and Calyps irritated Marcon more than usual.

‘Have they really gotten that close already?’

‘Was Lady Calyps always able to smile so brightly?’

Seeing Calyps smile so brightly for the first time twisted Marcon’s mood. The tiny thorn that had pricked him yesterday now crowded his mind anytime. He didn’t understand why and felt like going crazy. With this unknown emotion, Marcon called for Calyps.

“You said you wanted to see me?”

She could get along well with Duke Schuppen without a word but asked about the purpose right away here.

“Please sit.”

“Is there something you want to say?”

Marcon spoke straightforwardly.

“It seems you’ve grown quite close with Duke Schuppen.”

“…!”

In the west annex, in Marcon’s study, he pinched his thigh from the moment he entered until now.

‘I shouldn’t do this…’

The ‘good fool’ kept circling in his head, making him want to laugh. Was it like holding a ticking time bomb inside? He tried not to meet her eyes. Wearing a suit different from yesterday, Marcon looked different yet again.

‘Is he putting a lot of effort into his image these days?’

His carefully styled hair enhanced his sexy vibe. But his tightly pressed lips and thick eyebrows made his expression look strangely full of anger. Why?

“Kai is probably entering the sword tournament soon, so I wanted to discuss giving him a sword.”

Marcon gulped down his tea uncharacteristically fast. It must have been hot… But his smooth face set the glass down with a thump.

“Please consult me first on these kinds of things.”

Was he angry because she talked with Duke Schuppen about Kai’s sword? It seemed quite unpleasant that she discussed his son’s sword with someone else. Had he been reckless? But the plan was already made, so what to do?

“We planned to buy it tomorrow with Duke Schuppen…”

“I will tell him myself.”

Smiling warmly, she stopped him.

“You must be busy… You don’t have to.”

“I want to do it.”

Marcon’s schedule was probably packed for the month… But to put off his work just to go buy a sword, he couldn’t understand. Still, since it was about Kai’s sword, he decided to respect her wishes. Since she said she would tell Duke Schuppen herself, it should be fine.

“Alright then.”

The next day, dressed up to the nines, Marcon got into a carriage escorted by someone. Since they were heading downtown, they chose an outside carriage instead of the Crayd family’s private one, but his face alone was bound to attract attention. Though few would recognize the long-reclusive Marcon, his look screamed someone going on a blind date or formal meeting.

“You look sharp today.”

Even a narcissist like him blushed a bit when complimented. He looked out the window silently for a while. His sculpted face when smiling was strangely captivating.

‘If he wore black eyeshadow and matte lipstick, he’d ooze decadent charm.’

Marcon was the perfect muse for the ‘bad boy’ look. As his professional habit kicked in, Marcon studied his face until their eyes locked directly.

“My face will wear out. Do I look a little handsome today?”

Here it goes again. That annoying illness he had—he always said things like that. But without the ‘good fool’ makeup, he was truly stunning. He could say that and be forgiven. Marcon wanted to see him in the bad boy look right now, but he swallowed his desire and focused on the task at hand.

“Have you ever bought a sword yourself?”

After a moment of hesitation, he looked at his sharp profile and said,

“Is my face getting outshined by the sword?”

Even a handsome man wanted to hear he was handsome. Serving him must be a tough job for Sir Momont and Lord Aint. If I didn’t answer, their day would be miserable.

“You look better today than yesterday.”

“Is that a compliment or an insult?”

“Of course a compliment. Everyone tries to make today better than yesterday, right?”

“Ha, that’s the most original compliment I’ve ever received.”

Marcon smiled a little, feeling better. Covering his face with his large hand as if hiding, he looked like a photo shoot. Though impressive to others, it was a daily sight for me.

“So, have you bought a sword before?”

The confident Marcon hesitated briefly and looked away.