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CHAPTER 75…
“There’s a riverside nearby?”
“Yes, that’s one of the main highlights of this estate. The sunset view is especially magnificent.”
“Wouldn’t it be noisy, being right by the river?”
“As you can see, it’s quite a distance from the city center, so it’s very quiet. Though, as I mentioned, being far from the center is its only real downside.”
‘And houses near water tend to get moldy too.’
Still, there’s no way a realtor trying to make a sale would willingly mention the cons.
As I hesitated, the agent quickly scanned the map and pointed to another property.
“Then, how about this estate? It’s surrounded by forest, so it’s quiet, and as you can see, not too far from the city center.”
Just as he said, it was a reasonably located estate.
“Do you have any pictures of this one?”
“Oh, absolutely! One moment, please.”
The agent opened the folder he’d brought with the map, clearly ready and waiting for this question.
“This is the estate. The forest behind it gives off a peaceful, calming atmosphere.”
It was a little smaller than I expected, but not enough to be a deal-breaker.
‘If it comes to it, I could just rebuild.’
After double-checking the location and photos, I asked,
“How much is it?”
“It was originally priced at 7.5 million gold, but the owner seems to be in a hurry for cash, so they dropped it a bit to—ugh!”
The agent, who had been smoothly highlighting the discounted price like a seasoned salesman, suddenly let out a pained groan and glanced under the table.
‘Did something happen under there?’
Puzzled, I looked at him, and he glanced between Idris and me, his face turning pale as he abruptly changed his tune.
“S-Sorry, my lady. That estate is no longer for sale.”
…Huh?
“All of a sudden?”
“Y-Yes. S-suddenly…”
Stammering and glancing anxiously at both Idris and me, he quickly revised his statement.
“Oh! Right, right. The owner changed their mind a few days ago and decided not to sell. I just remembered. Haha…”
“Ah… I see.”
“Oh dear, how terribly embarrassing of me.”
I wasn’t too disappointed—after all, I wasn’t planning to buy it today anyway. I’d only wanted to ask about the price.
“Then what about the riverside estate we looked at earlier? How much is that one?”
It was still good to get a general sense of the pricing for similar properties.
But as I asked about the previous estate, the agent—still eyeing Idris nervously—began sweating bullets.
“Oh, that one… The owner suddenly doubled the price. Just remembered that too…”
“They doubled the price? Isn’t that basically saying they don’t want to sell?”
“Y-Yeah, it does seem like it, doesn’t it? Haha…”
Now obviously sweating, mopping his brow with a handkerchief and stealing glances at us, the agent seemed incredibly suspicious.
But there wasn’t much I could do.
I sighed internally.
After failing to get the price for two estates, my motivation took a nosedive.
As if to comfort me, Idris—who had been quietly listening—spoke gently.
“Well, nothing we can do. How about we call it a day for now and come back when there’s something better available?”
“…That sounds good.”
Ugh. A groan slipped out on its own.
In the end, I returned to the duke’s residence without even getting to tour another property.
Completely unaware of the satisfied smile curling at Idris’s lips as he escorted me home.
That evening.
As soon as he returned to the ducal estate, Idris summoned Heather.
Though it was the end of her work hours, Idris had an urgent order.
“First thing tomorrow morning, visit every real estate agency in the capital and tell them: Do not sell any estate that Leticia is trying to buy.”
Though displeased about the sudden overtime, Heather—who had expertly taken his coat—paused at the unexpected instruction.
“Is this part of a new business venture?”
“A new business, huh…”
Idris pondered her words briefly, then nodded.
“Well, you could say that.”
After all, love was business too.
The kind where your entire life is on the line.
“Understood.”
“Good. Off you go, then.”
Heather bowed and turned to leave, but—
“Oh, wait.”
Just as he was undoing his shirt buttons, Idris suddenly remembered something and stopped her.
He walked over to a nearby drawer and pulled out some stationery, then held out his hand.
Knowing what he meant, Heather handed over the fountain pen from her front pocket.
Taking the pen, Idris scribbled something hastily onto the paper, stuffed it into an envelope, and handed it to her.
“Send this to His Majesty first thing in the morning.”
“Excuse me?!”
Heather’s eyes widened in shock at the casual order.
“Wait, Your Grace! You can’t just send a letter like this to His Majesty!”
Even if Idris and Azeph were brothers, Azeph was still the emperor.
Before being Idris’s sibling, he was the most noble and powerful man in the entire empire.
Maybe it would’ve been okay when they were kids—but now that they were adults, proper form and etiquette were essential.
But Idris simply waved her concerns off.
“It’s urgent. He’ll understand.”
Doesn’t seem urgent at all…
Still, she couldn’t defy her master’s orders, nor could she alter or ghostwrite a message meant for the emperor.
Reluctantly, she accepted the envelope.
“Yes, sir…”
With a sour look on her face, Heather exited the room.
A little while later, Idris slipped on a robe and began tying the sash—only to freeze as he looked down at his own hands.
The memory of the carriage earlier flashed through his mind.
The whole way back, he had held Leticia’s hand.
She hadn’t pulled away, but that was only because they were in a contract relationship.
“Wouldn’t it be better for you to start seeing someone else?”
Leticia’s voice had been calm, almost indifferent—as if it didn’t matter to her in the slightest if he dated another woman.
As if it meant absolutely nothing to her to end things.
Only then had his heart sunk.
Even though he’d been holding her hand, even though he’d tried to keep her close—
He couldn’t shake the feeling that Leticia might slip away at any moment.
A growing sense of crisis loomed over him.
‘At this rate… our relationship really might end with just this contract.’
But at least, for now—
‘I’ve bought myself some time.’
He still had a chance.
The only problem was—
‘I have no idea how to approach her.’
He’d never had to try to win over a woman before.
He’d never had much interest in them anyway, and they usually blushed first just from seeing his face.
That had always been his reality.
So it made sense that he didn’t know the first thing about wooing a woman.
And to make things worse, the woman in question was Leticia.
A woman who kept her wounds locked up tight behind a fortress of pride.
A formidable opponent…
As Idris finished tying the sash on his robe, he pushed back his bangs with a frustrated sigh and muttered under his breath,
“…Maybe I should just walk around shirtless.”
Would that make your heart waver—just a little?
