The Male Lead Is Trying To Tame Me With Money - Chapter 29
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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29.
“The Empress has intervened.”
“Yes… No matter what we do, only the Second Prince Jamoti comes out.”
I couldn’t help but grumble.
I was planning to bankrupt half of the Jamoti Duchy’s fortune with this.
‘His Majesty the Emperor will be disappointed.’
That cunning snake was always obsessed with filling the national treasury.
While secretly lining his own pockets too.
“It’s not like you didn’t expect this, Rose.”
“That’s true.”
The Empress wouldn’t let her family be tarnished over something this minor.
She probably already broke dozens of teacups by now just from the Second Prince Jamoti being cut off.
“When the report goes up to His Majesty, another splendid drama will be staged at the Rose Palace.”
“Yes. We’ll have to keep the Second Prince alive.”
I felt somewhat deflated, but Casian already had a nonchalant expression.
Wasn’t I the only one being serious?
“I didn’t have high expectations from the start.”
“…Please stop reading my mind, Your Highness.”
“I thought you were showing it to me?”
Casian leisurely wrote the final page of the report as he spoke.
“Rose doesn’t hide her expressions from me alone.”
“…It’s not just from you.”
I tried a meaningless bit of rebellion.
“Outside the Salice Estate, I mean.”
And my annoyingly perceptive boss who knew me too well never let me win.
Though if he actually let me win something like this, that would be creepy in its own way.
“-More than that, Rose.”
We had defended against a major incident and even dealt a blow to the opponent.
But Casian simply swept away the ‘exhibition incident’ with the phrase “more than that.”
It’s not like I was particularly disappointed either.
If the Empress was someone who could be cut down this easily, the protagonists in the original story wouldn’t have suffered so much, even if they lacked cunning.
‘The fact that the duchy’s money is bleeding out while trying to clean up this mess is harvest enough.’
Getting extorted by Princess Alexis, then squandering money to clean up this incident.
The possibility of even the vast Jamoti Duchy fortune drying up was growing, which was satisfying enough.
Maybe the Empress will stop wasting teacups now.
“Yes.”
Anyway, I answered while showing a faint sign of rebellion.
“Pfft.”
“Your Highness seems very happy just looking at my face.”
“You’re just realizing that now? Should I be a little hurt?”
At Casian’s immediate response, I deliberately furrowed my brow more.
That man.
“I brought a story that Rose will absolutely love.”
“…A story I’ll love?”
At Casian’s words, I tensed up first.
Generally, when such words came out, it was often when my allowance would increase, which meant my workload would increase insanely.
“Don’t be wary, Rose. This time I really didn’t deceive you.”
So you are aware you’re a con artist.
Even so, I didn’t want to be arrested for insulting royalty, so I only answered weakly in my mind.
Of course, seeing Casian’s crooked smile, it seems he read my thoughts again.
“I’m really hurt, when I’m trying to give Rose a vacation.”
“…What?”
Did I just hear something impossible?
“Is there perhaps a job called ‘vacation’ these days? Like another word for inspection?”
“No, you heard correctly. Actually, I’ve wanted to give you one for a while. Though you look like you don’t believe me already.”
As Casian spoke, he didn’t miss a single expression on my face, reading my thoughts perfectly.
“Tomorrow starts the weekend, but is there no weekend work and can I rest on Monday?”
When I presented this extremely reasonable doubt, laughter burst from Casian’s lips again.
He signed the bottom of the report, closed it, then leisurely stood up from his seat.
“No, I really mean you can rest all of next week.”
A long vacation…?
To me, who couldn’t even take summer or winter vacations like everyone else and was happy with just 3-day holidays attached to weekends…
He’s giving me a whole 9 days of vacation…?
I was speechless at this miracle that was absolutely impossible under Casian.
“I really want to take back my words.”
“No!”
I desperately shouted to protect my precious vacation.
If I rest this time, who knows when I’ll be able to rest like this again.
“But how?”
I was too curious about the reason for this impossible long vacation, so my wicked mouth moved on its own.
Casian called a servant to instruct them to relay what we had done today to each department, then sat on my desk and stared at me intently.
“I thought you’d leave work immediately after I told you.”
“What if something comes up that needs cleaning up and I have to come to work in the middle of my vacation?”
“I can handle it.”
“…What?”
I stared at Casian at his unexpected words.
In the past year or so, there had never been a time when Casian’s and my holidays didn’t overlap.
“Does that mean you’ll be working on holidays again?”
Actually, he almost always did that.
“I’m not on vacation, Rose.”
“…What?”
“I’d be very happy if my lovely fiancée was expressing a desire to spend vacation time together.”
“That’s not it.”
“How heartless.”
At my reflexive answer, Casian just smiled without any sign of hurt feelings, as always.
“The timing worked out. Thanks to the kingdom’s delegation visit, most of the diplomatic work for the first half of the year was almost finished in the first quarter.”
“That’s true.”
Instead, I had to volunteer for overtime work going back and forth between Princess Alexis and Casian.
“And there’s some time until the next inspection, plus the exhibition is going well, so I think I can manage about a week by myself.”
At his kind and careful explanation, I looked at Casian silently for a moment.
“Why?”
He asked with a gentle smile.
“I’m worried you might overwork yourself.”
“That’s what I’m always doing to Rose.”
Casian said he had at least that much conscience, carefully stroking the ends of my hair with his fingertips.
“Don’t worry and go rest. You’re my precious aide.”
What is this guy, really.
Rather than when he calls me his fiancée with all sorts of flowery modifiers that make me restless, now feels more…
I can feel tender emotions.
So I…
“I don’t run away easily, Your Highness.”
I spoke to Casian with the utmost goodwill.
At my words, his hand that had been habitually running through his hair paused for a moment.
His eyes that had briefly deepened soon regained their composure and he smiled.
“Yes, I’ll try to understand it exactly as Rose meant it.”
What other meaning could there be besides what I meant….
Of course, my boss absolutely never read such thoughts of mine.
*
And so, on the third day of my precious vacation.
I, who had been leisurely lounging around in my sweet home, was somehow now in a place about eight hours by carriage from the capital.
And that too….
“Um, um. Do you, do you like the room?”
Together with Duke Wilhelmina Lopez’s daughter.
“Oh, yes. Very much so.”
“Of course, naturally. I told them how much care to take.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing! I was just saying that our villa, famous for its beauty, couldn’t possibly not be to your liking!”
But I heard everything about taking care.
I fumblingly retraced my memories.
So it was probably around midday, I think.
I was delighted by my long-awaited vacation and had been reading through all sorts of new novels I’d accumulated but hadn’t been able to read.
Naturally, I paid no attention to when the sun rose or set.
I probably fell asleep long after dawn broke, and since there was nothing urgent, I planned to sleep lazily until afternoon.
Joan the maid was faithful, and knowing that I was actually quite lazy and happy with my day-night reversed lifestyle, she rarely woke me up.
Though sometimes when I slept too long, she would boil my favorite stew in the kitchen and gently wake me with that fragrant smell.
But today, just an hour or two after falling asleep, Joan burst open the bedroom door and urgently woke me.
Saying a guest had arrived.
Yes, that very guest was.
‘How can the Second Prince’s aide and fiancée be lazing around like this!’
Princess Wilhelmina.
Come to think of it, I think I greeted Wilhelmina in my room, not at the foyer….
“Are you still not fully awake? You got up at mealtime earlier and ate well, so I thought you were fine.”
Thinking that one must eat properly during travel, like in-flight meals, I ended up.
I still remembered diligently wielding my spoon even while half-asleep.
“Are you very tired? Did I bring you here too forcefully?”
While I was organizing my thoughts, Wilhelmina’s dejected voice pierced my ears.
No, that won’t do. To disappoint Wilma!
Smack!
I raised my hands and slapped both my cheeks to wake myself up.
Then Wilma hurriedly grabbed my hands.
“Wh-what are you doing!”
“To wake up-“
“This isn’t something to apologize for in such a way, you know? Do I look like such a terrible person to you?”
“Of course not-“
“I brought you here thinking we could spend time together since you’ve been constantly busy because of Prince Casian and finally got a long vacation, but I’ve already hurt your feelings!”
Th-that’s not it, Princess.
For some reason, faced with that desperate expression that looked ready to cry at any moment, it became very difficult to explain.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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