TSBSFVW 72

Chapter 72
Five Minnows. Driven Mad by Jealousy (1)

After Ellie stomped off, Ban and Edmund came in. They clicked their tongues at the sight of Morris, who was slumped there pitifully. Ban spoke first.

“What were all those dozens of scandals I’ve heard about?”

“I told you, they were all just casual flings…”

“Then your words and actions just now looked pretty casual too.”

“……”

“If your intention was to make me lose all respect for you, then you succeeded.”

Ban grinned and held out his hand to Morris. Seeing Ban’s upright face that somehow looked pleased, Morris sighed and took his hand.

“You suit being a harsh critic more than a model student.”

“Yeah, I only realized that myself recently.”

“This side is better, but it stings a little right now.”

Edmund, arms crossed, shook his head in disapproval.

“You used to say everything could be solved with just a conversation.”

“I just wanted to see your face first.”

“……Did you really intend to make me lose all respect for you?”

Edmund and Ban nodded simultaneously.

“You seemed like you were teasing him.”

“Some kind of freak who plays with what he likes.”

Morris fell silent for a moment, then sighed and rubbed his forehead.

“I realized it midway too, but I couldn’t stop. I kept wanting to tease her.”

Watching Ellie’s round face turn red and blue with anger probably made it sound like he was teasing her even more.

“She’s so cute I could die…”

Ha. Morris covered his mouth with his hand. Seeing him laugh with his shoulders shaking, Edmund scowled.

“……You’re hopeless. Ah, go away. Don’t show your face again.”

“It’s already too late, Eddie. You even admitted I could help Ellie.”

“If that weren’t true, you wouldn’t have been allowed to approach her at all.”

“Again, I met Ellie first. It has nothing to do with your permission.”

The playful pinch accompanied by a smile carried an unmistakable sincerity. Edmund let out a helpless laugh.

“You’re good with words, calling her a prize, huh.”

“She is a prize, too. I won’t deny that.”

“Then? Did your feelings suddenly change?”

“Not exactly a change.”

“Then?”

“I just realized it now, like you said.”

Morris grinned.

“Ellie was cute from the start, but I thought it was normal.”

“She is cute. That’s natural.”

“That’s a normal observation.”

Edmund answered, and Ban nodded in agreement.

Morris thought that even these two weren’t exactly normal.

It wasn’t that Ellie wasn’t cute, but that they casually said things they normally wouldn’t and didn’t even realize how special it was.

Like saying the sky is blue and the clouds are white isn’t special; they weren’t even trying to compliment—it was just stating facts, so there was nothing awkward about it.

If that isn’t doting, what is? Morris said,

“I never thought a person could be cute or lovable.”

Edmund gasped, finally understanding.

“True, you hated people as much as I did back then.”

“You didn’t seem like it at all.”

Ban tilted his head.

Morris Herzog was famous for his friendly personality and excellent social skills.

With his handsome face, tall stature, smooth speech, and wide range of topics, he was naturally popular. He was wealthier than most nobles and had a better personality than a low-ranking noble’s son.

Moreover, Morris was famously easygoing in love.

He didn’t maintain a single relationship for long but often dated different people, all of whom became regulars at the Mammoth Trading Company.

Many disliked him, but fame—positive or negative—brought profit.

Morris would do anything if it made money. He didn’t see it as shameful.

In Morris’s world, where money was the greatest value, people were either profitable or not.

Being cute, pretty, or lovable didn’t matter. He never held any sentiment toward people.

He believed people weren’t beautiful enough to inspire feelings.

Unlike Edmund, Morris fundamentally saw people as worthless. It wasn’t a matter of dislike or fear.

Edmund said,

“So when you called her cute as a little sister, I thought you’d lost your mind.”

“Wait, that was before you even introduced her, right? You realized it back then?”

“No. I just thought you were out of your mind.”

“……”

“Since I gave you a chance to talk as you wished, just give up and get back to work.”

Edmund patted his shoulder.

“She hates you now anyway.”

“Do you really have to emphasize it like that? It hurts.”

“You should’ve seen this coming when you started playing with someone’s heart.”

“…You’re too much, Eddie…”

“Looks like you’re not giving up.”

Morris just crossed his arms and smiled vaguely, showing no intention of surrender. Edmund shrugged.

“Good luck. It won’t be easy.”

Morris knew better than anyone how difficult it would be.

If he had been clever, he could have measured the right timing to confess to Ellie.

But seeing Ellie avoid him made him anxious that she might forget him completely if he waited too long.

‘I guess I’ll have to earn her trust first.’

He prepared for a long battle.

Even regaining the trust that had hit rock bottom would be hard.

Edmund turned away first, and Ban looked at Morris for a moment, tapping his mouth.

“Lies become a habit, Morris. If you hide your true feelings behind a smiling face, Ellie won’t trust you. I say this from experience.”

“Mind your own business.”

“I am. Ellie trusts me now.”

Ban grinned at Morris.

“If you’d shown that face from the start, Ellie would’ve trusted you too.”

Morris groaned and covered his face with his hand.

His jealousy toward the two closest to Ellie showed on his face with no trace of humor.

“How can I even show this…?”

Even with his already low score, it was obvious she’d run off in disgust. Morris sighed.

A month ago

After sending Ellie to Rayard first, Morris was tormented by Damian for several days.

Even knowing Morris was struggling from his injuries, Damian didn’t let up, making him endure the torment. Morris accepted it silently, seeing it as payback for rejecting Damian’s offer of treatment.

“Can’t bear to leave, huh, Morris?”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

“You only earn money when war breaks out.”

“Ah.”

“You have plenty of pre-purchased goods. I also know you were planning to buy ships and sell them to both sides. This will make you bear the loss otherwise.”

“They’re all useful eventually, even if not immediately.”

“Considering how you complained about disturbing the Rosso nobles, that’s a weak response.”

Thanks to that, Morris gained a reputation as a womanizer. He added with a smile that he had enjoyed the process.

“I’m just thinking long-term. It’s delayed, but you haven’t given up, right? A year or two is a minor difference.”

Morris continued cheerfully.

“I was even more surprised you didn’t forcibly take Ellie and postponed the war.”

“If Duke Macclure wasn’t there, that would have happened,” Damian shrugged.

“And you must have someone completely to make it meaningful. Forcing obedience works only on beasts. Talent only flourishes when someone willingly devotes everything to you. Ellie’s type responds better to coaxing than intimidation… I don’t know why anyone would be scared of her. Weren’t you perfectly gentle?”

Damian appreciated her cleverness. Quick-wittedness was never bad.

Damian’s eyes sparkled like a cat with a new toy, enjoying how to fully utilize Ellie.

For a capricious ruler, Ellie’s skill could be both a blessing and a curse. Morris felt uneasy about Damian’s favors toward her.

“By the way, Morris, how old is Ellie?”

“She just turned twenty.”

“Of proper age. When she comes to Yan, I’ll find her a suitable match. Marc won’t do. Tch, if that hadn’t happened, I could’ve matched her well.”

“……”

“If she falls for the wrong guy, she’ll be taken away. We need to secure her… Why the expression?”

“……Does my face look strange?”

Morris fiddled with his face.

“No. It’s rare, I like it.”

Honest and fierce, very admirable, Damian grinned.