29. — His Intentions

“Oh, if you contact me in advance, I think I’ll be able to come prepared!”

“….”

“I don’t want to bother him because the Grand Duchess of Destro is always working hard for the Empire. So, if you contact me in advance, I’ll take the Blaise’s family carriage and come myself!”

Wow, that was well spoken. I am so good at talking now…!

Roan’s eyes widened as if a little surprised at the sight of me waiting for an answer with both eyes shining. While waiting for a positive answer, he smiled and replied to me.

“His Highness wouldn’t be bothered to send Young Lady Adelia the Grand Duchy’s carriage.”

“…Yes?”

“So, you don’t have to worry about the carriage.”

…No, did I not put my heart into it enough? I do feel burdened. Still, I could not draw a line to Roan, who smiled and said it was okay, even though I was trying to say that it was too burdensome.

You confucianists, respect this damn old man!

“Then, shall we go inside now? The Grand Duke has been waiting for you for a while.”

I tried to reach for Roan, though the next moment, I wiped my face down instead. Yeah, I could not say anything because I am a confucianism girl.*
[ T/N: It’s a saying that refers to a woman with a traditional mindset who’s resistant to excessive exposure or promiscuous private life. Rather than being used in the sense of supporting a truly Confucian way of thinking, it’s mainly used to say when they found out that they were a ‘conservative woman, too’ when they felt against the Korean standards of ‘going out too far.’ The etymology came from a parody of Hyori Lee’s 2008 hit song ‘U Go Girl.’ ]

How can you talk back to an adult…?

“Young Lady Adelia?”

“Ah, yes. Coming, I’m coming!”

I hurriedly followed Roan, who was walking ahead.

It felt like a piece on a well-crafted chessboard. If there was one thing that was a little uncomfortable, it was, at best, that my presence was originally about the level of a pawn. However, now, it feels like my presence is rising higher and higher than that of a bishop or rook…?

As I was walking after him, leaving behind my somewhat disturbed feeling, words came out first from Roan, who was walking in front of me.

“His Highness is in his study.”

“The study? Not the dining room…?”

“Yes, he said to bring the Young Lady there when you arrive.”

Wow, is he going to have me work without even feeding me now? Does he really think of me as just an audiobook…?

At his calm words, somehow, it seemed that my throat was already heavy. I then cautiously asked him, holding back what I wanted to scream, ‘I want to stop reading books that make me feel sleepy just by looking at them.’

“Is there any ginger tea in the Grand Duke’s residence?”

“Ginger tea?”

“Yes, if you’re bringing tea for the Grand Duke, may I ask for ginger tea then?”

That was the best thing to do for a sore throat.

Although he could not understand what I was thinking, Roan rigorously answered the unexpected request immediately.

“It’s not difficult. I’ll prepare it right away.”

“Then, yes please. Oh, and not in a small teacup, but in a glass bottle about this size.”

With my hand gesturing to the size of a glass bottle of approximately one liter, he widened his eyes as if bewildered before nodding his head slowly.

“Yes, I understand. I’ll contact the kitchen in advance.”

“Thank you.”

Smiling at my gratitude, he eventually knocked on the door of the study carefully.

Knock, knock.

“Your Highness, Young Lady Adelia Blaise has arrived.”

As he spoke calmly, Cain’s voice telling him to come inside was heard. As soon as Roan opened the tightly closed door, I could see him reading a book with his back to the pouring sunlight.

He was really too much of an addict…

Cain, who raised his head to the sound of the door closing behind my back, uttered with a playful smile.

“That’s a relief.”

“….”

“I was worried if the Young Lady wanted to go on a night trip after hearing that I was sending a carriage again this time.”

“…Didn’t you mean to only tell Lily on purpose because of that?”

A smirk escaped from his mouth as I replied back with a fattened voice.

“I hope you don’t misunderstand what I meant, it’s because I didn’t want to bother you.”

Saying the person whose saliva in their mouth dries up*?
[ T/N: It’s an idiom which means ‘to talk much in order to compliment someone or boast about something.’ So here, Adelia sarcastically said that he was just pretending to say nice things to her. ]

After seeing Cain smiling playfully, I let out a sigh. When I glanced around his study, I could see bookshelves filled with books and books stacked like a mountain on a table in the middle of the office.

One, two, three… ten books?

Cain smiled and shrugged his shoulders as I widened my eyes at the unexpected situation.

“We’ll have dinner after today’s reading is over. Today, I want to take a slightly different order from the method I’ve done in the past.”

…It was just an opulent way of saying that he was going to make me work without feeding me.

Trembling at Cain’s beckoning, I turned to stare at him as I was startled by the title of the book at the top after I walked to the table.

“Are, are we going to read this today?”

“You’re the one who reads, I’m just listening.”

No, so he wants me to read this now…?

I hurriedly checked the books piled up on the table as Cain was wearing an expression like he was wondering what the problem was.

“The Marquis’ Secret Hobby”, “What Happened in that Stable?”, “Between the Two Legs”

….?

Even just glancing at it, my face heated up as if it was about to explode at the bare title.

“Is there a problem?”

I shut my eyes tightly when I saw him gazing at me with a bright smile.

…Writer, it seems that this is a perverted man, not a man of great virtue?

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