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Chapter 15
“Are you talking about when you said you wanted to observe carefully because it might be a fake relationship for a purpose?”
“Yes.”
“I remember it well. Your expression when I hit the nail on the head was priceless.”
Calliope’s face crumpled in annoyance.
“You talk like you weren’t the same. I saw your face scrunch up too, so don’t act like it’s just me.”
Not backing down, Calliope shot back and continued speaking.
“Anyway, it was a mistake to overlook the relationship between us until now. We managed to get through it safely, but we almost ruined everything.”
Through her conversation with Archibald today, Calliope had come to an important realization.
“Do you think this kind of thing will only happen once?”
Probably not.
Archibald’s observation had been sharp and reasonable.
“Other people might suspect our engagement too?”
“Exactly. They could think it’s a temporary alliance for the sake of a title — a fake marriage. If that happens, it’ll put me in a very difficult position.”
Her uncle would latch onto the marriage’s authenticity and never let go.
Gilbert Roman was desperate to seize the Verdi family. She couldn’t afford to expose such an obvious weakness to someone like him.
“So we need to create a convincing reason for our engagement to be naturally accepted in society.”
“Correct.”
“You’ve already come up with a plan, haven’t you?”
Right? Lerazier tilted his head as he asked.
Facing him, Calliope quietly curled the corners of her lips into a smile.
“Of course. I’ve already written a perfectly plausible script.”
What they needed now was a narrative.
A narrative enticing enough to convince anyone.
By the time they had finished planning, it was already late at night.
But since Archibald still hadn’t returned, Calliope ended up seeing Lerazier off alone.
“From tomorrow on, things will get hectic, so brace yourself.”
“I’m not even sure I’ll be able to sleep from the fear.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Dismissing his feigned complaint, Calliope glanced sideways, then cleared her throat.
“Come a little closer.”
“What a bother.”
Though he grumbled in protest, Lerazier obediently stepped toward her.
“A little more.”
“What is it—gah!”
Suddenly, Lerazier’s eyes widened in shock.
Without warning, Calliope had grabbed his cravat and yanked him toward her.
His reflexes were so sharp that he didn’t fall, but that wasn’t the problem.
‘What the hell…!’
Their faces were uncomfortably close.
If Calliope pulled just a little harder — or if Lerazier didn’t resist just a little more — their noses would practically touch.
“Lerazier.”
As her breath brushed his face, he felt goosebumps rise all over his body. Lerazier barely restrained himself from forcefully grabbing her hand.
Instead, a strained voice escaped his lips.
“Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”
“It’s nothing really.”
She leaned even closer, pressing her lips right next to his ear.
Lerazier held his breath. Now, their bodies were so close that even a finger wouldn’t fit between them.
“In your carriage…”
Calliope’s whisper tickled his ear, sending an odd chill down his spine.
“There’s cake.”
What?
Calliope burst into laughter and immediately stepped back.
Lerazier, completely out of character, stared blankly in disbelief. His head throbbed as if he’d been struck with a hammer.
By the time he came to his senses, he was already in the moving carriage.
The neatly placed cake box across from him seemed to mock him.
“She actually got me in the end.”
He let out a small laugh, finding it absurd how nervous he had been because of Calliope’s prank.
“Who would’ve thought my first gift from my fiancée would be a carrot cake?”
Lerazier pulled the box — wrapped prettily with a red ribbon — toward himself.
With his large, rough fingers, he slowly untied the ribbon and opened the box.
“…”
For a moment, he was speechless as he looked inside.
Then he suddenly burst out laughing.
At this point, he had to admit it.
“She really got me today.”
Inside the box was not a carrot cake — but a whipped cream cake filled with ripe strawberries.
✦ ✦ ✦
Before returning to the imperial palace, Lerazier changed carriages two more times.
‘There’s less surveillance than before, but it’s too soon to relax.’
It never hurt to be cautious. When he arrived at a busy street, he casually got out and blended into the crowd.
Eventually, he reappeared in a quiet, tucked-away alley where no one would pay attention.
Opening a back door, he descended a set of stairs leading underground.
The place was a basement, surrounded by solid wooden walls.
As he entered silently, a grumbling voice reached his ears.
It was his aide, Aegis.
“I can’t work in this unhygienic, awful environment anymore. This is abuse of an aide… He’s seriously a tyrant…”
Aegis sat at a desk, scribbling furiously with his nose practically pressed to the surface.
Lerazier, with his excellent eyesight, quickly caught sight of the title of the document Aegis was working so hard on.
[Resignation Letter]
‘He’s sulking.’
Lerazier glanced around the basement. He had already been planning a major renovation soon anyway.
‘But still, he didn’t even bother to beg — he just planned to run off?’
Ungrateful little thing. He needed to be taught a lesson.
“The air’s so stale in here, I can’t breathe. We need to install some ventilation.”
“Y-Your Highness…!”
Only then did Aegis notice him and leap to his feet in shock.
Lerazier waved off any formal greeting and slowly walked along the basement wall.
“Being underground, it’s damp and not cozy at all. Definitely needs a major remodel.”
“Excuse me…?”
“This desk is ancient. The chair has zero cushioning — sit here for an hour, and your back’s ruined. We should replace everything with the newest, most luxurious furniture.”
Am I hallucinating? Aegis blinked rapidly.
“Don’t you agree, Aegis?”
“Y-Yes, sir?”
“Do you actually like things the way they are?”
Finally snapping out of it, Aegis shouted enthusiastically.
“No! Absolutely not! Remodeling sounds amazing! New desk! New chair! Top-tier quality, please!”
“Knew you’d say that.”
Lerazier smiled. He was now standing in front of Aegis’s desk.
“But what were you writing—”
“It was nothing!”
In a flash, Aegis snatched up the resignation letter and tore it to shreds.
“I was just producing some trash for a moment.”
“My capable and clever aide would never do that.”
“No. This was definitely garbage.”
Aegis answered firmly. Lerazier’s eyes lit up with amusement.
‘Is it just my imagination?’
But no — the Seventh Prince’s eyes were clearly full of joy. Even the corners of his lips twitched slightly with amusement.
Somehow, that made Aegis even more uneasy.
After rolling his eyes around a bit, he cautiously asked,
“Did you eat something strange today, Your Highness?”
“Don’t ask if you don’t want to know.”
“No, no! Of course not! That’s not what I meant!”
Aegis frantically shook his head and clenched his fists.
“I’ll serve Your Highness loyally — down to my bones!”
“Keep your bones for something else.”
What would I even use those for? Lerazier replied indifferently, then asked,
“So, got anything new?”
Aegis quickly rifled through a pile of papers and handed him a letter.
