🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 19
“We’re on the same boat now, so that makes us allies, right? Even if it’s just a temporary partnership until the contract ends.”
Calliope replied bluntly.
Lerazier quietly mulled over her words. Same boat, same side, partners…
“And thank you for today.”
Lerazier’s eyes widened a little. Seeing his surprised expression, Calliope looked a bit embarrassed.
“If it weren’t for you, the plan wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.”
After speaking, she turned her gaze to the window. The tips of her round ears were slightly red.
To Lerazier, who had only ever seen the proud and sharp-tongued Calliope, this side of her felt unfamiliar.
He gave a faint chuckle, leaned back in his seat, and closed his eyes.
“Same side, huh…”
Somehow, he had a feeling this contract might not turn out as bad as he’d originally thought.
* * *
Regardless, Lerazier was treated like a hero from the moment he arrived at the Count Verdi estate.
“Welcome, Your Highness, the Seventh Prince!”
News that Calliope had been involved in an accident but was thankfully rescued safely had already reached the mansion.
It was thanks to Sylvia, who had received real-time updates from Agnes via the communication sphere and quickly spread the word.
“I heard the news. Thank you very much, Your Highness.”
The Count’s employees, being people who valued trust and gratitude, willingly showed respect and appreciation to the man who had saved their one and only lady.
Among them were Harold and Sylvia, who had both taken part in the scheme.
Harold, especially, used his position as butler to create an enthusiastic atmosphere of welcome for the Seventh Prince.
As a result, Lerazier entered the Count’s household receiving hospitality far greater than he had just a few days prior.
With a dazed look, he whispered to Calliope.
“What is all this?”
“Just enjoy it.”
Shrugging her shoulders and grinning, Calliope turned to Harold and asked,
“Any word from Grandfather?”
“No, not yet. He likely hasn’t heard the news. But by tomorrow, the article will have spread across the Empire, and he’ll get wind of it.”
In truth, there was another reason why Calliope had orchestrated this event.
It was because Archibald—who had excused himself during a previous meal, claiming urgent business—had still not returned home.
‘How can the most important person be missing?’
Growing frustrated, Calliope decided to use her plan with Lerazier.
She had chosen to blow it up far beyond the original scale of their agreement.
Loud enough that no citizen of the Empire would miss it.
“It has to be the front page of the newspaper. You know that, right?”
“Of course.”
Agnes chimed in right on cue.
“I told them that if they didn’t give us the front page, they could forget about exclusive interviews or unreleased photos of the Young Lady forever.”
“Good job.”
At her praise, Agnes puffed out her chest proudly. Calliope then turned to Sylvia.
“Oh, Sylvia. What about what I mentioned earlier?”
“Of course I prepared it. Please follow me!”
Sylvia proudly stretched her chest and spoke confidently.
“Let’s go.”
Calliope led Lerazier and followed Sylvia.
Sylvia brought them to a guest room with a drawing room and private bathroom attached.
“I placed your change of clothes on the table over here.”
She opened the bathroom door and continued,
“I’ve also filled the bathtub, so please feel free to use it if needed.”
Lerazier nodded. Meanwhile, Calliope checked the clothes and nodded in satisfaction.
“I asked you to prepare something on short notice, but you picked out something really nice. You’ve got a good eye, Sylvia.”
“It was easy to choose. Sir Daniel had such great taste that—gasp!”
Sylvia suddenly covered her mouth with both hands, her face pale with panic.
“I’m sorry, My Lady! I misspoke!”
She quickly bowed her head.
Wondering what had just happened, Lerazier’s eyes widened. The name “Daniel” caught his attention.
‘If I remember correctly… wasn’t Daniel the name of the late former Count?’
In other words, Calliope’s father.
“I’m sorry, My Lady.”
“It’s fine.”
Calliope shook her head. She gently patted the sniffling Sylvia and said,
“My father really did have a good sense of style. My mother used to say that she married him because she liked well-dressed men.”
She handed Sylvia a handkerchief. Sylvia accepted it and dabbed her eyes, still apologetic.
“She also said his handsome face didn’t hurt.”
Calliope added playfully with a smile. At that moment, Lerazier froze.
That composed expression, as if trying to hide sadness behind a brave front—
He remembered seeing that look in his childhood.
No, perhaps he had seen it often.
“What are you doing? Not coming?”
Calliope’s voice snapped Lerazier out of his thoughts.
“Is it really okay if I wear these clothes? I was thinking of getting something new tailored, but with so little time… and it would seem odd to order young men’s clothing for our family.”
As you know, the Verdi family doesn’t have any young men. Calliope added.
“But I heard just now that these were your father’s. Is it really alright for me to wear them?”
They must be precious.
Lerazier didn’t say it out loud, but Calliope seemed to understand anyway and smiled faintly.
“If left alone, they’d just slowly age in storage and become unusable. I think my father would be glad if someone made good use of them. More importantly…”
Calliope paused for a moment.
“My father lives on in my memory and my heart. Lending a piece of clothing won’t erase a memory like that.”
Her gaze had already returned to the confident, strong expression she always wore.
“So hurry up, get changed, and come to my room. We need to plan our next move.”
* * *
When the freshly washed Lerazier returned, for a brief moment, the eyes of the three women in the room seemed frozen in place.
They were locked on the gleaming face of the man before them, still damp with moisture.
His flawless skin even had a healthy glow. Wet hair cascaded carelessly over his forehead, but even that somehow matched his unbothered appearance.
His lips, like they’d been drenched in red dye, looked almost sensual.
If there was such a thing as a face that could bewitch women, it was Lerazier’s.
“Wow… They say beauty is half the battle, and once again, the truth is revealed—it’s not about fashion…”
“Pull yourself together, Sylvia. This is improper behavior in front of His Highness.”
Agnes scolded Sylvia as she adjusted her glasses.
“If being too handsome were a crime, the Seventh Prince would be sentenced to death, no doubt.”
“Agnes, focus.”
Calliope tapped the oddly dazed assistant’s shoulder.
Finally snapping out of it, Agnes shook her head and awkwardly tried to excuse herself.
“Ahem, I’m a little sensitive to visual stimuli…”
Sylvia narrowed her eyes with a mischievous grin.
“A little? A liiittle? Since when did ‘little’ mean that?”
“Sylvia, hush. Girls who are too sharp never win hearts, you know.”
“But the Young Lady likes me precisely because I’m like this. Isn’t that right, My Lady?”
Sylvia leaned toward Calliope, clearly fishing for backup.
