Chapter 140
“Jayden. You said he’s my friend? Someone I like. But why are you looking at him like you want to kill him?”
“You shouldn’t give your heart so freely to others. How many people have tried to use you, young master?”
“Norman is diff…”
Adrian hesitated briefly and looked back. It seemed he was recalling our first meeting—when I changed my attitude after hearing his family name.
“Diff, different. No, he is different.”
What a lack of confidence in his voice. Jayden hardly seemed convinced.
“…And what if it’s because of my family? If that helps me get Norman… I don’t think I’d be ashamed of being an Escardo.”
“Young master!”
Hearing Jayden’s aghast cry, I tilted my head in confusion.
Count Escardo maintains a clean public image with no obvious scandals. He’s known as a skilled businessman who earns sufficient funds through his opera house. Though the reality differs, if you knew nothing, being a family member wouldn’t be something to be ashamed of.
‘So it’s not just that he doesn’t get along with his father.’
It occurred to me that Adrian might already know about the Count’s other face. And this was probably something he’d learned recently, since he had proudly revealed his family name when we first met.
‘The timing isn’t really important though.’
The point is that I need to lure the current Adrian who is ashamed of his family. Not much time remained until graduation. An excellent card had fallen into my hands at a crucial moment.
‘Jayden, is it?’
I took in the woman who had remained silent the whole time. She remained calm even while watching the prospective fiancée who was obsessed with Adrian. Almost as if she were monitoring.
‘Hmm…’
A person’s innate nature doesn’t change easily. Especially after reaching a certain age. Unless there’s a catalyst for change.
Though it might be a hasty judgment, I think I understood why Adrian had memorized the ledger.
‘If my guess is correct, this could be wrapped up cleanly.’
It seemed possible to resolve this without deliberately getting captured. Linder, who put so much effort into preparing the stage, might be disappointed, but the important thing is the ledger, isn’t it? He’ll understand. Well, it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t.
* * *
Just before leaving my room, I checked the letter Luwen had brought me that morning. It was a reply from Adrian. Though Luwen wouldn’t open my letters without permission, I checked anyway, but it was perfectly sealed.
[Of course! I can’t miss the honor of seeing Norman’s face instead of the professor’s. I’ll be there at the time you mentioned. A date alone in your dormitory. I’m already looking forward to it!
See you soon. Loving Norman!]
I crumpled the letter in one hand and burned it. “Loving Norman,” how nice.
After opening the window for ventilation and heading to the living room, Luwen was coming down from the second floor.
“Was that a letter from the mansion?”
“Yes. The butler sent a list of rejected ball or tea party invitations. I need to keep them in mind.”
I didn’t need to explain, but found myself making excuses anyway. Perhaps because his increased dislike for Adrian since meeting Jayden was so obvious.
That day, when Luwen questioned me about when I had met Jayden, I told him everything truthfully—except the part about having a knife held to my throat. Since it was already well-known that Adrian had carried my collapsed body back to the academy, I thought it wouldn’t matter, but contrary to my expectations, Luwen became depressed.
‘It was so heartbreaking to see him trying to smile and hide it.’
Though it feels strange to say “thanks to that,” I came to understand why Luwen clenching his fist had troubled me. Whatever the reason, I disliked seeing him upset.
So I needed a way to remove this obstacle in his heart without making him uncomfortable.
‘I need to resolve the status issue first…’
But how could I remove the perception of me being his master from Luwen, who is a native of this world to his core? Without modern memories like mine, he can’t be free from status.
‘Is an honorary duke title the only way?’
Unlike regular nobility, titles with “honorary” prefixes aren’t hereditary. In other words, even if Luwen became an honorary duke, he wouldn’t be obligated to produce an heir. It means there would be no issue with him keeping me, a man, by his side.
‘But when would he receive an honorary duke title?’
He could accumulate achievements by hunting monsters at the frontier, but Luwen wouldn’t likely leave me behind. If I said I’d go with him, he would probably refuse, saying he doesn’t need such a thing.
‘Since he dislikes me going to dangerous places… then the only option left is war.’
But with the Second Prince on guard, war might not happen.
Leaving fate to an uncertain future didn’t suit my temperament, and I didn’t want to wait idly until then.
“Normaaaan~ Norman!”
It seems the appointed time had arrived while I was lost in thought. Adrian’s loud voice snapped me back to reality. Quickly opening the door in case anyone else might hear, I said:
“What if someone hears you shouting and Luwen finds out?”
“I knocked on the door! You didn’t answer so I called out—that’s too harsh~ Is this how you treat a fish you’ve caught?”
Adrian strode in, pouting.
“What do you mean ‘caught’?”
“Me. I’ve been completely caught by Norman. Is that why you’re treating me so coldly? It’s sad, boo-hoo.”
He rubbed his dry eyes with bent index fingers, blinking rapidly. I wasn’t sure what he wanted with this act.
“Stop pretending to cry and sit down. Would you like some tea?”
“I’m sad and you won’t comfort me?”
“So you don’t want tea?”
“Ah~ You should comfort me~”
He spread his arms wide, looking at me with expectant eyes. Was he asking for a hug? There’s no way I would hug a grown man like that—it’s creepy.
“If you don’t want tea, just sit.”
“You’re cold, so cold. The tea Norman serves must have ice floating in it~”
I wanted to get straight to the point, but since it felt awkward to talk without tea, I made some and offered it to him.
As I sat across from Adrian, he took out a small pouch as if he’d been waiting.
“I brought cookies. Jayden doesn’t like sweets, so I chose ones he said were good—they should suit your taste too. Try them. I’m confident.”
Crunch.
“They taste good. Jayden picked them?”
Adrian nodded with a proud smile.
“What kind of person is he?”
“Jayden is like a brother I grew up with… or a friend, I should say. Officially he’s also my guard, and as you experienced, he’s a bit overprotective. Haha.”
He rubs the back of his neck, seemingly embarrassed. Then, as if something occurred to him, the mood sank deeply. Adrian lowered his hand from his neck and tapped a cookie with his index finger before picking it up.
“No, I should correct myself. He’s not my guard anymore. I keep forgetting…”
Looking gloomy, he put the cookie in his mouth and chewed it vigorously.
“Why did Jayden quit being your guard?”
“My father… hmm. Never mind. Let’s stop talking about Jayden. We’re alone for once, so there’s no need to talk about other people. Graduation is coming soon—why don’t we have a cozy chat about our future?”
I took a sip of tea, considering how to continue the conversation.
After brief thought, I set the cup down with a clink and spoke.
“Sure. That’s not a bad idea. What do you want to do after graduating from the academy, Adrian?”
“I’m thinking of creating a merchant company. You know I don’t get along with my father, right? He told me to study business management, which implied I should help my brother later.”
Adrian raised his lips in a playful manner.
“Since I don’t want to follow my father’s wishes, I’m planning to create my own merchant company and wander the world. Ideally with my beloved Norman. What do you think? Want to join our company as a doctor?”
This sounds familiar, though my memory is hazy. But now wasn’t the time to break the flow of conversation, so I had to put my questions aside.
“Would that be okay? Are you confident you can persuade the Count?”
For a moment, Adrian’s eyes wavered. He quickly hid his trembling hands under the table.
“Do I really need to persuade him? Traveling the world with someone I love was my dream. That’s why I proposed it to Norman. I want to live the life I desire.”
Adrian’s answer was serious. Serious enough to convey his sincerity.
‘Ah. I remember now.’
It was when I asked Adrian about his abandoned dream in the alley. With bitterly downcast eyes, he had fallen into thought before lightly offering:
‘Hmm~ My dream was to wander the world with someone I love. Why? Are you offering to join me?’
He still has the goal of wandering the world. So what he gave up was the “with someone I love” part. And was that person Jayden?
There was almost no description of Adrian in the original story. So I don’t know why he had the slave auction ledger memorized. But judging from his current appearance…
‘Perhaps it wasn’t voluntary’
And the suspected culprit was Jayden. After all, if someone threatened Luwen’s life to blackmail me, I would do anything they asked, even knowing that many people might die.
‘It’s easy to manipulate someone who desperately wants something.’
If you dangle what they want in front of them, they’ll rush for it.
Now it was time to change the subject of conversation.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
