The Male Lead Is Trying To Tame Me With Money - Chapter 37
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
37.
Thanks to Casian’s exaggerated bowing, his characteristically overly upright posture was somewhat offset.
“Really, you should be grateful that I’m so generous.”
“How could I not know of Miss’s generous heart?”
He smiled brightly and skillfully catered to my mood with his smooth words.
‘…Your Highness is enjoying this too.’
Having been his aide for a year and a half now, I was beginning to think this was Casian’s hobby and stress relief.
The tyrannical young lady I had created using the big data from all the novels I’d read seemed to be working out quite well too.
“Look at that, how uncouth. What family’s daughter would raise her voice in such a place?”
“Look at those clothes, you can tell she’s someone without proper breeding who just thinks expensive means good.”
Judging by the sounds of people showing off their discernment from here and there.
“Tsk tsk, treating a servant like that will come back to bite her later. No matter how incompetent they are, you should quietly discipline them with beatings at home.”
“Who says otherwise? She’ll definitely forget all about the servant’s mistakes once she goes back. Look at that servant’s cunning face – isn’t he the type to completely fool an innocent young lady?”
Of course, there were also rebukes about ‘refined’ methods of handling servants, along with strange envy and jealousy.
The important part was here.
“Phew, they said Ilium wasn’t bad for shopping, but that was clearly all nonsense.”
“That’s right, Miss. You haven’t even spent one-tenth of the pocket money your father gave you.”
“Who says otherwise? The jewelry is all inferior quality too. Really, it’s utterly boring.”
I deliberately started bragging about having a lot of money.
Since I was drawing attention, even though I wasn’t speaking very loudly, I could feel several people perking up their ears.
“The Capital’s gambling houses were utterly boring too – why is there nothing fun anywhere?”
I raised my fan and struck Casian’s shoulder with it.
“It’s all because you didn’t research properly, isn’t it? Do you think Father’s words about not letting me get bored were a joke?”
“Th-that’s why I brought you here. There were rumors that all sorts of rare things would appear on this cruise ship today.”
“What? Are mermaids going to appear?”
“N-not that, but…”
Whack-!
I raised my fan and struck Casian’s shoulder once more, making it sound dramatic while being gentle.
The one who got hit showed a briefly displeased look in his eyes.
‘How could you hit your boss’s cheek, no matter what!’
Spouting nasty words and striking shoulders was one thing, but laying hands on the face!
Even if he was in disguise, I knew what he really was – how could he give me such a harsh trial?
At my protest, Casian slightly raised the corner of his mouth crookedly but soon opened his mouth as if making excuses.
“B-but still! Isn’t the cruise ship quite nice? Since coming to Ilium, you’ve never once enjoyed the cruise ship that’s this place’s specialty, have you?”
“Hmph! You want me to board that old, tacky thing?”
Sorry, Wilma.
After speaking, I sincerely apologized to my friend, at least in my heart.
“And! Look at that, you need an invitation! What an incompetent servant.”
It was about time for someone to take the bait.
This time, I was really wondering if I should tearfully strike that cheek, and just as I raised my fan high once more.
“Young lady from a noble family, don’t strain your precious voice unnecessarily.”
A man with a slimy impression approached us, clasping his hands together and bowing slightly.
“Though it looks like that on the outside, there’s definitely something inside that will please your eyes, Miss.”
The man looked toward us and quickly scanned my neck, arms, fingers, glimpses of my ankles, and shoes.
It was a look assessing how much what I was wearing cost, and whether the things I’d been saying were mere bluster.
I pretended not to notice that gaze at all and spoke to him in an irritated tone.
“Seems like it would be a waste of time? Are you the manager? Can you take responsibility for what you just said?”
“Of course, today inside the cruise ship we’re providing some truly fantastic sights.”
Then he spoke in a low voice that Casian could barely hear.
“There’s also a show by young men that Miss would enjoy, and foods so delicious they make you see visions.”
“Hmm…”
I still made a face as if I wasn’t interested.
“Ahem, hmm. And while it’s not quite mermaids, you’ll be able to meet very precious things. At the auction, which is the highlight.”
“So far nothing you’ve mentioned has been interesting.”
I even twisted my head side to side, playing hard to get.
“Please don’t be like that, Miss. Please give us your time tonight.”
The man’s eyes gleamed thickly with greed.
“We’re specially offering a cruise ship invitation, which we normally only give to families of Count rank or higher, to such a precious young lady.”
What a blatant lie.
Nevertheless, I looked at the splendid invitation the other party offered, determined to somehow get hold of this money source, with an extremely haughty expression.
“You’d better watch out if it’s boring.”
I accepted it reluctantly, along with a kind warning.
I did warn them, didn’t I?
*
When we handed over the invitation to board, an employee standing at the ship’s entrance offered us masks.
“The moment you board this cruise ship, everyone returns to the nameless, most primordial moment.”
Then he even explained a worldview that had been attached who knows when.
“Welcome to Delight, a space where you can set aside reason and morality.”
This crazy bastard.
The cruise ship’s name was something the ailing Grand Duchess had personally chosen, saying Wilma’s very existence was a joy, and he dares?
When I cursed him with my eyes, the broad-faced employee flinched momentarily.
“How pathetic. I don’t know who wrote it, but it’s really obvious, so obvious.”
Of course, I didn’t forget the tyrannical young lady setting and voiced my complaints as well.
Saying that, before I could snatch the mask the employee handed me, Casian quickly grabbed it instead.
“Didn’t we agree that only I would have the honor of touching Miss’s precious hands?”
Such sudden, unplanned ad-libbing.
“It’s because you’re so slow!”
Playing along was no difficult task after rolling around as his aide for a year and a half.
He even put the mask on me himself with a strange look in his eyes, as if showing off to people.
That subtle atmosphere suddenly enveloped the previously noisy surroundings in silence.
The person in question had such a shameless nature that he didn’t care about their gazes and just checked whether the mask he’d put on me was crooked or uncomfortable.
“You’re the most beautiful as always, Miss.”
At the buttery smooth line, coughs erupted from here and there.
Among them.
“He must be planning to completely deceive that young lady and take his share. She shouldn’t be fooled.”
“It’s not really our business though. Who knows? Maybe he really has presumptuous feelings and will later entertain us with something like a love elopement.”
There were those who tried to find intention in Casian’s words.
But to my eyes, he was just.
‘I think you’ve stopped acting, Your Highness…’
Simply the usual Casian Artez.
*
“It’s all so garish it hurts my eyes.”
Once we entered the interior, I could feel that the parts visible from outside had at least maintained some dignity.
Even if he was an agent engaging in embezzlement and ledger manipulation, he must have been afraid of properly getting caught by the Ducal Family who might visit Ilium.
“That’s right, everything is too low-level for Miss’s eyes.”
It meant this environment was too harsh for Rose, who liked pretty things.
Even after boarding, since people had eyes and ears, Casian and I were being careful with our speech.
We couldn’t get kicked out before obtaining decisive evidence.
I clearly remember the official capacity being around 150 people…
“Looks like two or three hundred people are aboard?”
“It seems that way, Miss doesn’t like crowded places.”
Even as Casian said this, his eyes were scanning various locations.
“What do you see?”
“…It seems Miss will achieve her objective.”
Casian said this while showing a sinister smile.
“There’s quite a bit of entertainment to be had, so it should be somewhat stimulating too.”
Since I was being escorted by him, I understood even more what he was saying.
In short, the Mages had fallen for my bait, leaving only a small number remaining here.
‘Casian’s knights will handle the train side well.’
Very straightforwardly and by the book, they would be treated as train terrorists or Imperial Family assassins.
‘And most of the people gathered here are those intoxicated by illegal drugs.’
In other words, they were a good source of money for the bad Criminals committing illegal acts.
However, intoxicated by drugs, the funds that could be extracted by gradually squeezing them were decreasing.
So to produce new sources of money, they had invited vain and impulsive businessmen or naive young Aristocracy who hadn’t inherited their family estates to this Cruise Ship.
‘That’s why I put on this nouveau riche act.’
So the Criminals would be caught by us in reverse.
And the phrase ‘it should be stimulating’ meant.
“You really have a nasty personality.”
“Thank you for the compliment, Miss.”
Soon the Mages on this Cruise Ship would go crazy and set out to track down Casian.
Since he had finished assessing the ship’s interior and even caused an incident that would turn their stomachs upside down.
As evidence of this.
“The ship is sailing on a strange course?”
The panicked voices of what appeared to be staff members could be heard.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————