The Obsessive Male Lead Is Obsessed With Me! - Chapter 109
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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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Episode 109
“That’s right! Absolutely! I teach His Highness the Prince the knowledge necessary for managing the Roheim Duchy every single day. He’s receiving groom lessons from me daily.”
Hahaha! Duke Roheim’s hearty laughter echoed throughout as countless nobles were left speechless and closed their mouths.
Of course, when entering as an adopted son-in-law, one would receive groom lessons. They would, but…
A prince receiving groom lessons to become an adopted son-in-law? And the Second Prince who was called the prospective crown prince at that?
Everyone’s mouths clamped shut like clams at this reality that was hard to accept.
But then.
“Cecilia.”
The Emperor, who had been silently observing without saying a word as if he weren’t present, opened his mouth.
Lionel’s gaze slowly turned toward Cayen, who was calling his fiancée’s name without hesitation.
The two brothers’ gazes met in mid-air. Hidden by the dim light, the surrounding people couldn’t guess exactly what emotions they held toward each other as Cayen’s mouth opened once more.
“She only came to the Imperial Palace about two or three days a week… How is it that you’ve been staying at that manor for nearly a month?”
“Th-that’s right. Is there a need for you to stay at that manor to receive groom lessons…?”
“There is! Of course there is! So you see…”
While Duke Roheim, who had spoken first and thought later, was belatedly coming up with an excuse, Lionel opened his mouth without taking his eyes off Cayen.
“My fiancée is intelligent, so two or three days a week was sufficient for her, but I am slow-witted and cannot keep up even when learning all day long.”
“Wh-what did you say?”
The faces of those who had ever taught the Second Prince were colored with bewilderment.
If he was slow-witted, then there wouldn’t be a single clever person in the entire Empire, would there?
Slow-witted? Slow-witted?
“That’s right. Oh my, truly. Our prospective son-in-law is just so terribly slow-witted… Since we’re on the topic, let me ask. Your Majesty, what was the name of the first Duke Roheim?”
Lionel shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
It was natural that he didn’t know. He had never been told.
But Duke Roheim shook his head back and forth as if asking how such a tragedy could exist.
“Oh my, you still haven’t memorized that name! I’ll have to give you punishment today too. When you return home, spend all day writing that name on paper.”
“I understand.”
“But don’t worry. I’m not the type of person to kick out a son-in-law just because he’s a dunce. He can learn. Hahaha!”
Duke Roheim, who had stood up abruptly from his seat, approached Lionel and embraced his shoulders, patting them comfortingly.
Then he swept his gaze around the assembly.
“You’ve all heard it, haven’t you? How passionate His Highness is about his groom lessons. There’s no one who doesn’t understand what this means, right?”
It was a pointed reference to the promise that if Lionel’s will was firm, they would proceed with his and Cecilia’s marriage as planned.
No one could refute it.
The Former Empress was the same. She was looking at Lionel with disbelieving eyes as if she had suffered a great betrayal.
“You… How could you.”
However, those words didn’t reach Lionel’s ears. Because there were small wing beats patting his left chest, telling him he did well.
“Then I’ll deliver good news to you all soon. Today’s meeting is as good as over with this, so I’ll head back first to give our prospective son-in-law his groom lessons.”
Duke Roheim laughed heartily and turned around with Lionel.
“Let’s go, prospective son-in-law!”
Lionel left a light bow toward the Former Empress and walked out of the meeting hall with Duke Roheim.
The nobles left behind in stunned silence belatedly realized.
‘…We’ve been had!’
No wonder Duke Roheim had been showing an uncharacteristically flustered demeanor.
That cunning snake of a man must have been acting, knowing that the Second Prince would defy the Empress’s wishes!
* * *
The moment I confirmed that Lionel and Father had come out of the meeting hall, I quickly returned to my body inside the carriage.
‘I wasn’t caught, right?’
Thanks to deliberately leaving Uni behind, there was no one inside the carriage.
I let out a light sigh of relief and opened the carriage door to jump outside.
“Lady?”
“Ah, it seemed like Lionel would be returning soon.”
“Haha, the power of love?”
“The power of love indeed!”
Shortly after, Father and Lionel walked out of the building side by side.
Seeing this, the coachman gave me a thumbs up, and I giggled and ran toward the two of them.
“Father! Lionel!”
“Cecil? Did you follow along too?”
“Of course!”
Since I had absolutely no idea why the Imperial Palace had summoned Lionel, I had no choice but to follow him here.
‘Lionel is a ticking time bomb right now!’
He was someone who had said with his own mouth that he would start a rebellion if necessary.
But what was rebellion anyway? If you cut off the Emperor’s head, that was rebellion. And Lionel had more than enough ability to do so.
“Nothing happened, right? Nobody said anything to you, right? How do you feel? Are you okay?”
Thanks to possessing Ruda’s body and watching from the moment he entered the meeting hall, I knew that there had been no physical contact with him whatsoever.
But I spun Lionel around and around, checking to see if he was unharmed.
Watching Lionel obediently spinning around in place as I turned him, Father’s eyes crinkled at the corners.
“Daughter, can’t you see this father of yours…?”
“There’s no one there who would bother Father.”
“That’s not true. There were so many. People were all pointing fingers at Dad and raising their voices… Don’t you know how much Dad’s heart ached?”
Father pretended to sniffle and cry. Both I and the coachman were used to Father’s behavior like this, but passersby wouldn’t be.
Before rumors could spread that Duke Roheim was sniffling and crying at the Imperial Palace, I quickly patted Father’s back.
“Among ducks, swans are naturally ostracized. It’s because Father is too outstanding.”
“Ahem, right? Father is the most wonderful in the world, isn’t he?”
I hadn’t said that much, but I nodded enthusiastically to boost Father’s spirits.
Then Father’s nose rose so high it seemed to know no limits.
“Now, my daughter, let Dad give you some spending money. Since you’ve come all this way, you two should go on a date before heading home.”
“A date?”
“That’s right.”
Father saw me stagger momentarily after receiving the heavy pouch of gold coins, so he took the pouch back and placed it in Lionel’s hands.
Then he pulled out a checkbook from the pouch, saying this was the prospective son-in-law’s share, and slipped it into Lionel’s pants pocket.
“Buy some delicious food, go somewhere with nice scenery and sightsee, anyway, have fun. Of course, you must return before dinner.”
“Shouldn’t dates normally include dinner at a nice restaurant with good atmosphere?”
“What nonsense! Dinner should be enjoyed intimately with family! Isn’t that right? Don’t you think so?”
Father asked for our agreement but didn’t listen for an answer.
Then he patted both my and Lionel’s backs simultaneously with both hands while speaking in a subtle voice.
“Tonight I’m having a whole roasted pig barbecue prepared. How about it, sounds good? Are you looking forward to it?”
“…Orange sparkling wine too?”
“Of course! We naturally have to prepare our daughter’s favorite orange sparkling wine. I’ll also prepare red wine that our prospective son-in-law likes.”
“I understand.”
“Then I’ll be looking forward to hearing about your date!”
Father waved enthusiastically while the carriage carrying Lionel and me grew distant.
I watched this scene and resolved that since Father had set up such a perfect stage, I really should enjoy our date to the fullest before returning home.
“Lionel, is there anywhere you’d like to go?”
“Anywhere is fine with me.”
Yes, I knew you’d say that.
“Then you won’t complain no matter where I suggest we go, right?”
“Yes.”
“Alright.”
There was actually a place I wanted to go, so this worked out perfectly.
I knocked on the carriage wall and told the coachman our destination.
“To the opera house, let’s go!”
* * *
The capital has a very large opera house built 100 years ago, and surprisingly, this theater was built with Roheim’s support. That’s our family, in other words.
Our family, which was wealthy even 100 years ago, expanded their business ventures in all directions and didn’t spare any investment in the arts either.
Thanks to that, as a descendant 100 years later, I could enter the box seats to watch any performance without a ticket if I wanted to.
But I had never been to the capital’s opera house before.
When I was sixteen, my parents wouldn’t allow me to go to the opera house because I was still too young, and after that, I had no opportunity to come since I stayed on the estate the whole time pretending to be sick.
‘But now I’m an adult!’
Just how provocative could the content be that sixteen-year-old me was too young to watch it?
I deliberately didn’t look up what performance was showing in case I got spoiled and it became less interesting.
The opera title I first confirmed from the poster that took up an entire wall of the large theater was 【The Fateful Encounter of Lady Red Salvia】.
‘If she’s a lady, she must be a married woman, so a married woman’s fateful encounter…?’
I’m getting vibes. The vibes of a face-slapping K-makjang drama…!
“Let’s watch that. It’s fine, right?”
“Yes. It’s fine.”
Yahoo!
I’m finally going to see some dopamine-rushing creative work after so long. Excited, I linked arms with Lionel and headed into the theater.
“Wait a moment.”
“Why?”
But Lionel suddenly stopped in place. I looked at him with a puzzled expression.
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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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