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Chapter – 25
“Something interesting?”
“A lie. The beginning of a vicious lie.”
I don’t know whether Roseni is the one lying or whether the author is lying, but if there’s a lie involved, then there must definitely be something being hidden.
That alone was reason enough for me to be here. Feeling pleased, I let out a response that was almost a mutter to myself. Then, all of a sudden, something felt strange.
He had asked so naturally that I’d answered just as naturally. But I had come here alone.
Only then did I pull my gaze away from Chesper and look to my side.
Standing there was the emperor.
“Wait… why are you here?”
“Hm? Shouldn’t I obviously be here?”
“Excuse me? Your Maj— no, I mean, anyway, there’s no reason for you to be here. I mean—”
“Call me Zig.”
When I faltered, unable to properly address him, the emperor lightly shook his head from side to side, correcting me.
“……How could I possibly dare to address you by name?”
“If you’re careless with your words in a place full of ears, it feels like everything will be ruined before we even get started. Are you sure you’re fine with that? You came to gather information, didn’t you?”
How does he know my intentions so well? Am I really that transparent? The way he saw through me so easily made me suppress my flustered feelings and put on a serious expression.
“…Yes. All right, Zig. But why are you here? When did you arrive?”
I asked quietly, looking at him as he hovered beside me like my personal knight.
“So that no strange men set their sights on my fiancée?”
“People will misunderstand if they hear you say that.”
“It’s not a misunderstanding. It’s the truth.”
“…Ha. Anyway, no matter what I say, you’re going to stay here if you want to, aren’t you, Zig?”
“‘Zig-nim’ sounds a bit odd. Well, in any case, I’m not here. I’m just next to you.”
“Ah… yes, yes. Haha… But what should I do? I think I need to go talk to that man, Chesper. If you really want to stay, then stay here. If we go together, I don’t think I’ll hear anything useful.”
From this distance, I couldn’t just sit around waiting for Chesper to say what I wanted.
“Fine. I’ll stay here.”
Surprisingly, the emperor backed off easily.
“All right. Then I’ll—”
At that moment, just as he seemed ready to let me go, the emperor suddenly grabbed my hand.
“A woman who looks like she has something is better at drawing a man’s attention than a woman who has nothing.”
“What exactly do you know…?”
His tone was oddly suggestive, so I asked. He merely shrugged slightly, then went a step further and slipped a ring set with a deep blue sapphire onto my finger.
“Young, looks rich, yet a bit naïve. A woman men can’t resist. That’ll be a good concept for today.”
“……”
The sapphire suited my pale hand surprisingly well. The square-cut gem, large enough to perfectly cover my slender finger, looked valuable at a glance.
“Now then, go. At the very least, try to get the information you want.”
I couldn’t tell whether he was trying to help me or interfere, but it wasn’t a bad suggestion.
Staring at the obviously expensive ring—something I’d never worn in my life—I soon turned and approached Chesper.
I walked over quietly, without a word, but perhaps he had been watching me all along, because he raised his eyebrows with a rather intrigued expression.
“Do we know each other, by any chance?”
“What?”
I’d never seen a decent person who spoke so casually to a stranger, and this man was no exception.
“No. This is our first time meeting.”
“Is that so? You were looking at me so intensely, like sunlight, that I thought perhaps we were fated.”
“…Sunlight…?”
“Yes. So hot I nearly got burned.”
I felt goosebumps all over. Was this supposed to be a joke?
Despite the rumors that he was handsome, he was actually a bit disappointing. Perhaps because I’d just seen the emperor’s perfect proportions, Chesper’s eyes seemed slightly too far apart, his nostrils a little upturned, and his lips oddly dark—his features didn’t quite harmonize.
I forced a smile, lifting my cheeks despite the painfully unfunny joke. Taking that as genuine, the man beside Chesper chimed in as if he’d been waiting.
“Chesper, is it really all right for a handsome man like you to be enchanting women like this? Just like you said earlier, it seems this lady has taken quite a liking to you. You’ve always been like this.”
…What is he even saying? Enchanting whom? All he’s spreading is bad luck. But I couldn’t ruin things now.
“Haha. Even at my age, I still have it. So, milady—did you come over because you fell for me at first sight?”
“Th—”
I wanted to say no. I’d come here to build some kind of connection with him and coax out even a small mistake to get the information I wanted, but I didn’t want to lie. Even pretending to agree would send his ego through the roof.
Even without my answer, he showed no sign of being discouraged and kept talking. He even turned fully toward me and placed his second finger lightly against my lips, as if telling me not to speak.
“No, no. You don’t need to answer, milady. I understand the hearts of beautiful people very well. In fact, I fear I was rather rude. You wouldn’t have come here unless you found me appealing.”
“Ha. The way you talk is truly an art. I should learn from you.”
“Rick, that’s something that can’t be learned. It’s an innate sense.”
My stomach churned. I hadn’t even eaten anything, but his greasiness was making me feel sick.
As I stood there awkwardly, only my cheeks twitching, Chesper smiled brightly, as though he’d been waiting for this.
“Come now. If this beautiful lady has fallen for me, Rick, would you mind giving us some space?”
“Weren’t you supposed to treat me today?”
“What can I do? I prefer a fragrant woman to a smelly man.”
“And what about that woman of yours?”
“Who?”
Was there even anyone else he could mean? Even Rick, who referred to his friend’s lover as that woman, was strange.
“The rich—”
“Ahem, Rick. No matter how much you want to sabotage my romantic endeavors, there are things you should and shouldn’t say. And besides, what woman do I have? Right now, the only woman in my eyes is this beautiful lady before me.”
“Fine, fine. We see each other every day anyway, so just for today…”
Rick looked me up and down with clear regret.
“But I really am jealous.”
His gaze naturally settled on my ring.
“How is it that rich women, one after another, all end up falling for you?”
“That’s my charm.”
Thankfully—truly thankfully—he was the type who loved to show off. And the type who spouted such tactless nonsense right in front of a woman.
As I quickly sized up Chesper, Rick stood up from his seat.
“Do your best. But Chesper, share them with me once in a while too. I’m starting to feel jealous.”
“Who would like a burly man like you? Well, if you want a woman that badly, try wandering the streets. There might be someone who’ll come drooling over a few gold coins.”
“Chesper!”
“Now then, off you go. Keeping such a beauty standing makes me feel quite uneasy.”
“…Hah. If things go well, I’ll treat you big next time.”
“That just sounds like you’re asking me to buy you a meal. Fine, now go.”
As if he didn’t want his time disturbed any longer, Chesper waved his hand dismissively. Rick finally retreated, and only then did Chesper cross his legs and tap the chair beside him, gesturing for me to sit.
Instead of sitting down, I slowly opened my mouth.
“Your relationships with women seem… complicated.”
“What a hurtful thing to say. Rick was just spouting nonsense. How could it be complicated? Well, perhaps it will become complicated from now on. I’ll have to fend off all the women who throw themselves at me like moths to a flame and focus solely on you.”
I’d thought I’d seen and done just about everything in my line of work as a lawyer, but this might take the cake. How could someone fire off pick-up lines in every single moment like this?
I hadn’t felt anything for him to begin with, but now my interest cooled even further.
Just to avoid hearing any more of that, I’d better get straight to the point.
So I was about to look down at him and speak—but instead, Chesper suddenly grabbed my hand.
“That ring suits your hand quite well. Was it a gift?”
“Ah…”
“Well, of course. To steal the heart of such a beautiful lady, one would at least need to give a gift like that. I understand. I like it even more, actually. People who already have someone by their side tend to feel lonelier.”
“Sounds like you’ve seduced people like that quite often?”
