Young Master, Please Put Some Pants On! - Chapter 60

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 60

“It is an honor to have Your Grace visit our boutique. Please allow me to escort you this way.”

Upon arriving at the boutique, Mellis once again felt Duke Severus’s imposing presence anew. The moment he entered the store, countless staff members abandoned their own customers and rushed toward him.

The two were immediately escorted to the VIP room on the second floor.

Following behind him through the crowd that parted like water, Mellis felt curious gazes piercing her sharply. Everyone seemed to be wondering about the identity of the woman who had visited the boutique alone with Duke Severus.

‘I’m a nanny! Garulus’s nanny!’

She wanted to reveal her identity with every step she took, but it was practically impossible. Had she ever missed Garulus this much before?

Mellis tried her best to maintain a stoic and businesslike attitude, recalling Malcolm who always assisted at his side.

Just as he stepped onto the stairs, he suddenly turned around, met her gaze, and said:

“If there’s anything you want, feel free to say so. I don’t spare money when it comes to my people.”

My people. His choice of words, which could easily be misunderstood, made her feel stirred up inside once again.

‘This is driving me crazy…’

In the end, Mellis kept her head down until they reached the VIP room. Fortunately, unlike the bustling lower floor, the upper floor was remarkably quiet.

Decorated with red velvet and gold decorations, this place had an elegant yet warm atmosphere. While she looked around with eyes full of interest, Kermanomon naturally sat on the central sofa and called for the designer.

“I want to have a dress made for that woman over there. Since it’s an important gift, bring out only the finest materials.”

Her admiration was brief, as Mellis was startled by the mention of making a dress and waved her hands frantically.

“What dress all of a sudden? I’m fine without…”

As she tried to refuse the proposal in confusion, she suddenly remembered a previous conversation they had shared.

“What’s more, if it becomes known that the seat next to me is empty, how much would they bother me? Rather than dealing with such things, it’s better to have bad rumors spread.”

“Showing yourself with a lover once is much more effective than saying you’re not interested in marriage a hundred times.”

Only then did Mellis slowly look around. This was a place Kermanomon didn’t usually visit, and right on the floor below were several noble ladies who were central figures in high society.

That meant this was just as good a place to spread rumors about him as the New Year’s festival.

A man who visits a luxury boutique without notice to give his lover a custom-made dress. It was perfect content for the noble ladies’ gossip.

With that thought, her head immediately became calm. Mellis, who had regained her composure in an instant, pondered thoughtfully.

‘Ah, so that’s why earlier too…’

Did he deliberately use the phrase “my people”? To show off their relationship in front of people? Well, there was no reason she couldn’t act as his lover twice when she had already done it once, but it would have been nice if he had given her a heads up.

Anyway, this wasn’t even the Duchy, and compared to the New Year’s festival, there weren’t as many watching eyes, so she decided to help him just one more time. Now, barely two months after the romance rumors with Merien, she planned to put on an inspired performance to make Kermanomon the Empire’s greatest playboy.

Soon, Mellis nodded slightly and approached him with sultry eyes.

“Oh my, Your Grace.”

“…Your Grace?”

“I keep telling you I don’t need such things as long as Your Grace is with me.”

Mellis sat on the armrest of the sofa, leaned against him seductively, and ran one hand along his shoulder.

“All I need is Your Grace’s affection.”

Looking at him with deep eyes, Mellis raised the corners of her mouth charmingly. Just as she was admiring her own improved acting skills…

“…What are you doing right now?”

When Kermanomon lowered his voice with a dazed expression, she also whispered back sweetly.

“I’m being coquettish?”

“I mean, why?”

“Why? The Grand Duke’s lover…”

Mellis, who had been trailing off her words due to his bewildered attitude, finally realized that everything had been her own misunderstanding. Just as Mellis’s face turned bright red and she was about to jump up from her seat, Kermanomon, who had grasped the situation, covered his mouth with his fisted hand to suppress his laughter.

He cleared his throat softly and spoke with a composed attitude, dismissing the people.

“…I’ll call for you again later.”

A moment later, when everyone around had left, Kermanomon shook his shoulders and burst into full laughter.

“Puhahaha!”

“D-don’t laugh!”

“You made me laugh, so what’s with that resentful tone?”

“…”

“You suddenly started acting all mushy, so I wondered what was going on. This is really driving me crazy.”

At the sight of Kermanomon laughing as if he might fall backward, Mellis’s entire body burned with embarrassment. Where had that man who showed such a cold attitude just moments ago gone?

“The Grand Duke made me misunderstand first!”

“I did?”

“My person, important gift… I naturally thought you brought me here to act as your lover!”

When she protested with an aggrieved voice, Kermanomon barely wiped away the tears that had formed at the corners of his eyes and said.

“You’re a person of the Ducal Residence, so naturally you’re my person. It’s a title I often use for others too—haven’t you heard it before? And since it’s a gift to repay the kindness you showed me at the New Year’s festival, it’s an important gift.”

“…”

“Most importantly, I wouldn’t commit the rudeness of suddenly treating you as a lover in front of people without even giving you a hint. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s right…”

At his words, which had no flaws whatsoever, Mellis had no choice but to acknowledge everything. She turned her head away in shame to avoid his gaze, when suddenly he gently grasped her wrist and guided her.

Mellis, who had inadvertently sat back on the armrest, blinked her eyes. Kermanomon had already stopped laughing.

Soon, he softly curved his lips upward and touched her hair with one hand as he spoke.

“I didn’t know you craved my affection this much. How about it, shall I dote on you a little even now?”

As if he would put those words into practice immediately, he approached with his face tilted at an angle. His languid voice, one note lower than usual, and his tongue lightly grazing his canine teeth stimulated Mellis’s senses.

“Ah…”

At his brazen attitude, Mellis momentarily forgot to breathe. Soon, for a different reason than before, her face heated up as if it might burst.

“Wh-what! Don’t play such strange tricks!”

Startled, Mellis quickly jumped up from her seat and shouted. Seeing him giggle again, it was clear that mischievous tiger’s head was filled with nothing but thoughts of teasing her.

‘This is really driving me crazy.’

She clearly knew it was a mischievous joke… but for some reason, Mellis’s face, flushed with heat, showed no signs of calming down easily.

* * *

Coming out of the boutique, Mellis couldn’t overcome the awkwardness and fidgeted with her hands unnecessarily. In the end, she had been led by his hand and reluctantly had a dress made.

Actually, receiving clothes worth a thousand nif as repayment for one dance felt too excessive, but when he said he’d buy her a carriage if she didn’t like clothes, she had little choice in the matter. Moreover.

“As expected, you look good in anything you wear.”

The words Kermanomon had said to her kept circling in her head. Mellis, who had only been intimidated by the expensive clothes, ended up choosing the outfit he had complimented as suiting her best.

‘Well, the Grand Duke is someone accustomed to these things. I’m just trusting his eye…’

There was absolutely no other meaning to it. Whether he knew of her confused feelings or not, Kermanomon looked at his watch and furrowed his brow.

“The timing is still a bit awkward to return directly to the Academy.”

“That’s right.”

As Mellis looked around, she spotted an ice cream shop in the distance. It wasn’t a specialized dessert shop but just an ordinary street stall, yet for some reason she felt drawn to it.

“Grand Duke, would you like some ice cream?”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————