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Chapter – 19
“My ideal type? Hmm. Well, I’ve never really given it much thought.”
“You say you’re my fan, but I guess I’m not your ideal type after all.”
Mina spoke with a playful expression.
She had brought it up to lighten the mood, thinking their conversation had been too heavy.
“Of course not! I mean—Mina, you’re the most beautiful and perfect woman in the world. I just didn’t know if it was okay to say you were my ideal type!”
Mina blinked in surprise at Radius’s intense answer.
“Hmm, why did you think that? Oh—did you mean like an ‘ideal type’ as a musical actress?”
“Well, yes, you are the ideal actress, but…”
“?”
“Mina is…”
“I am?”
Radius stopped just as he was about to speak the rest of his thoughts aloud. A chill ran down his spine.
Mina doesn’t like me, and there’s no way she’d ever confess to me.
How long had it even been since they met? There was no way Mina would already be falling for him or confessing to him.
Besides, her father, Peto, was currently dating Radius’s mother, Thalassa. There was no way she would see him as a romantic partner.
Wow. I didn’t realize because I’ve only ever dated people who confessed to me first. I unconsciously assumed there was no chance Mina and I could ever become lovers because she would never confess—and I would never confess to her.
Suddenly, he wondered:
Why couldn’t he confess to Mina? Was it just because their parents started dating first?
As he was caught up in those thoughts, Mina spoke.
“You’re taking my joke way too seriously.”
She laughed lightly. Only then did Radius snap out of it.
“Oh… a joke. It was a joke.”
“There are so many beautiful, kind, and talented actresses out there. I was even thinking of introducing some of them to my future brother.”
“Future… brother…”
His earlier pointless thoughts vanished instantly. Mina’s brother?
“Oh—maybe I went too far with that one?”
Flustered, Mina smiled awkwardly. Radius immediately responded.
“No, not at all! I’ve been thinking the same. Their relationship seems to be going well, and I believe that someday we really will become siblings!”
He replied with great enthusiasm, unaware of the nonsense he was spouting.
“Thank you for making time today,” Mina said, seemingly trying to wrap up the conversation.
“Oh, no. It’s an honor that you invited me. Please call on me anytime.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
As Mina moved to stand up, Radius hurriedly spoke.
“But—did you eat?”
“Yes, I arranged the meeting just after mealtime on purpose.”
“Oh, I see.”
His lingering desire to stay longer was so obvious that Mina found herself hesitating as well.
“Should I tell you more about my mother?”
He blurted the words out, wanting any excuse to keep her with him.
“Huh?”
“Oh, no. You probably aren’t that interested. My mother is dating Mr. Martínez, not you.”
He muttered under his breath. Mina stared at him with widened eyes.
“…Do you want to talk more about the two of them because of me?”
“Eh? Ah—yes. Yes! That’s right!”
He responded instantly.
“They haven’t been seeing each other very long, so I don’t know that much.”
Mina seemed to misunderstand, assuming he wanted to hear about Peto.
“But if you two talk about things like their backgrounds or hobbies, you can be better prepared for when they get married and become one family, right?”
Radius seized the chance to continue the conversation.
“Well… that’s true.”
Mina sat back down. That alone made Radius happy. And, drunk on that happiness, he began rambling about things he didn’t need to say.
“I actually redid the wallpaper in my mother’s townhouse in the capital.”
“Oh? I see.”
“I thought—once they get married, maybe they could start their newlywed life there.”
“Um…”
Radius was so desperate to keep talking that he started laying out excessively detailed plans for the future.
“I want to give them a new automobile as a wedding gift. Do you know what color Mr. Martínez likes? Or his preferences?”
“Ah, no. I don’t really know…”
“And the distance from your home to Ornaments Theater is a bit far, isn’t it?”
“Me? Well… it’s not too bad, I suppose.”
“My mother’s townhouse isn’t far from Ornaments Theater. It has lots of rooms, so I was thinking we could prepare one for you too. If you have a favorite style or color, let me know.”
“Preparing a room for me at Lady Thalassa’s townhouse seems a bit strange…”
“I’m preparing my own room too, so it’s fine. What kind of style do you like?”
“You’re Lady Thalassa’s son, aren’t you? And we don’t have any relationship yet…”
Mina cautiously tried to decline.
“That’s true, but I’ll do everything I can to help the two of them build a good relationship. Oh, but I’ll be careful not to cause trouble for Mr. Martínez again like last time.”
“Haha…”
Mina laughed awkwardly.
“Don’t worry, Mina. We’ll definitely become a wonderful family.”
Radius’s slightly unhinged confidence made Mina avert her eyes and sip her tea.
“I’ll prepare the townhouse thoroughly so you can focus on your performances.”
“I don’t think it’s time to think that far ahead…”
“I know you’re busy rehearsing for the next production. I want to set up a practice room inside the house too.”
“Um… Lord Radius.”
“Yes, Mina?”
“Your plans seem a little rushed. You’ve hardly met my father, and even if you two become close later, there’s no reason for either of us to live with them after they marry.”
“Ah, really? Then I’ll just prepare a new mansion nearby for us to stay in.”
He had completely crossed the line.
“…Pardon?”
“A home close enough to visit our parents frequently and see them often.”
“I must have misheard. A new mansion is fine, but I thought you said ‘us.’”
“That’s right. I did say that. A mansion for us.”
Mina lowered her teacup and forced a smile.
“…Why?”
“We’ll be siblings, won’t we? As a family, of course we should live together. But to give them privacy for their honeymoon, the children should step aside for a while.”
“That still doesn’t explain why you and I should live together.”
“It would be strange for family to live separately, wouldn’t it?”
Mina felt dizzy, as if she were being dragged along by his nonsensical reasoning.
“Lord Radius.”
“Just call me ‘Radi.’ That’s enough.”
Somehow the title had degraded all the way down to a nickname. The more she talked to him, the more Mina felt like she was being pulled into some bizarre joke.
“…Do you like me?”
Radius stared at her, startled by the question itself.
“W-What?”
A moment later, his face turned bright red.
“Oh—no, um. You said I’m your favorite actress, so of course you’d like me.”
“Ahem, well. Yes.”
He awkwardly cleared his throat and gulped his now-cold tea.
“In any case, we’re both adults, and even if our parents get along well, there’s no reason for us to live together.”
“…Why not?”
“It’d be uncomfortable. We’re not real siblings.”
“I’m confident I can be the best older brother you could ever have!”
“Yes… I can see that.”
“But why would it be uncomfortable?”
His earnest question was so absurd that Mina began to wonder whether she was the strange one here.
