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"Did I ask something I shouldn't have?"
I added an explanation.
"I was looking around the mansion earlier, and I noticed quite a few butterfly motifs."
Idris was silent for a moment, then readily admitted, "Yes, I like them."
"Is there a special reason?"
"A caterpillar completely dissolves itself inside the chrysalis to become a butterfly. Isn't it amazing that it can completely throw itself away to gain wings to fly?"
I was surprised by his answer and widened my eyes.
"You knew the secret of the caterpillar too? Most people don't know."
The fact that a caterpillar completely dissolves inside the chrysalis and then becomes a butterfly is something that many people don't know.
I only found out about it by chance in a book I read when I was young.
Idris also seemed surprised that I knew that fact, and his eyes widened slightly.
"You like butterflies too, it seems?"
"For similar reasons. It's a weak insect, but I like that it's strong enough to throw itself away for its dreams."
After hearing my answer, Idris stared at me for a moment with an unreadable gaze, then chuckled.
"I felt it from the first time you came, but we seem to have a lot in common, partner."
It wasn't a feeling I had created with that in mind, but it seemed like my answer pleased him quite a bit.
"Good. The business presentation is still a while away, but in commemoration of becoming partners, I'll tell you first."
"Tell me what?"
"Aren't you curious about what business I'm going to use your magic stones for after buying them?"
"What kind of business is it?"
"I'm going to build an airship that flies like a butterfly."
An era where magic and technology coexist.
Humans have succeeded in dominating the land, but they have not yet dominated the skies.
"It will be humanity's first step into the skies."
Idris, talking about the airship, seemed like a completely different person from the countless infamous stories I had heard.
His eyes, brighter than ever, were like...
'Like a pure boy dreaming.'
So that person has that side to him too.
"I'll invite you then."
The moment I met his eyes filled with dreams, I had another goal.
In this life, I want to witness the airship taking off with my own two eyes.
After finishing dinner and returning to the hotel, the front of the hotel was definitely quieter.
'Of course, there are still some reporters camping out.'
But with that number of people, it seemed like there would be no problem entering the hotel.
I said goodbye to Idris, who had escorted me.
"Thank you for bringing me. Then go in carefully."
"You're welcome."
Idris raised my hand and kissed the back of it for a long time.
I paused at the sudden touch of his hot breath, but noticed the gaze of the reporters watching and gave a bright smile.
The carriage with Idris in it left only after seeing me enter the hotel.
Thanks to that, I was able to go up to my hotel room safely without being bothered by the reporters.
"Finally, a long and tiring day is coming to an end..."
I turned my stiff neck from side to side, and then smiled contentedly as I saw the paper bag in my arms.
It was pannacotta that Idris had packed for me.
'Hehe... Erin will like it too, right?'
I arrived in front of the room, thinking of eating pannacotta with Erin and falling asleep, and knocked lightly.
"Erin, it's me."
"Ah, Miss..."
However, Erin's expression when she opened the door was unusual.
She looked like she was about to burst into tears.
"What's wrong? Did something happen while I was gone?"
I rushed into the room and immediately realized why Erin was on the verge of tears.
"...Paydan?"
"Going around until this late? Anyone would think you're having an affair with the Grand Duke."
Because my ex-husband, looking thoroughly angry, was waiting on the sofa.
Seeing the hotel manager next to him with a troubled expression, I could roughly guess the situation.
'He must have threatened the hotel manager and taken the master key.'
Whether I looked at him with a cold gaze or not, Paydan pointed to the sofa across from him.
"Come and sit down."
As expected, it was a garbage-like command.
Erin, who had grasped the situation, began to sob.
"I'm sorry, Miss..."
"It's okay. It wasn't a problem you could stop."
I comforted Erin, lightly hugging her and whispering in her ear.
"Go to 24 Mormont, Sebastian Street, and call Wigg Sebastian."
Only then did Erin realize my plan, quickly stop crying, and nod.
After sending Erin out, I headed to Paydan and the hotel manager.
"The hotel must have been very noisy today because of me, right? I'm sorry."
The manager was surprised by my attitude of apologizing first, as he had expected to be scolded.
I continued, so as not to betray that expectation.
"But, it seems that Florence Hotel prioritizes flattering power rather than the safety and security of its guests?"
"Ah, flattery! Isn't the Duke your family member?"
"So, did I ever give permission for this man to enter my room?"
"That, that's not the case, but..."
"My maid must have stopped him. But still, the hotel manager abused his power and forcibly trespassed into my room."
The manager seemed humiliated that he couldn't say a word of refutation, but in the end, he couldn't say anything and tightly closed his eyes.
Just as I was about to add my last words, Paydan, who had been watching, intervened.
"Letitia, don't blame innocent people. It all got noisy because of you in the first place, right?"
At those words, I snorted.
'Gaslighting is as natural as breathing, really.'
It's like he's reminding me of a reason to hate him every moment.
"You have to say things right. The reporters gathering and the trespassing have nothing to do with each other, and the trespassing is clearly your fault."
"What nonsense...!"
"You pressured the manager with your power, right?"
Paydan's expression, which had been relaxed, crumpled as he had nothing to say to the logic I pointed out.
Then, he vented that feeling on an innocent party.
"What are you looking at blankly? Get out!"
"Ah... Yes, yes!"
The manager, who was caught in the crossfire, carefully watched our reactions and awkwardly got up from his seat.
I said before he could get too far away.
"I'm moving to another hotel tomorrow morning, so keep that in mind."
Even if it was unavoidable in the face of power, I couldn't continue to stay in a hotel that sold the safety of its guests.
"Ah, I understand..."
I took my eyes off the manager's back as he fled the room, and only then did I turn to Paydan.
"I thought we had finished all the talking we needed to without a lawyer between us. It's quite unpleasant that you keep showing up like this."
But Paydan didn't say a word about what I said and abruptly threw his question at me.
"What's going on with that bastard?"
It was as if he was interrogating a criminal.
'To think he was sitting here until this late just to ask that question.'
I retorted indifferently.
"I think I showed you the answer to that sufficiently at the boutique today, didn't I?"
"Are you really dating?"
"That's right. I'm in love."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"Why can't you believe it? Idris's looks, title, personality. He doesn't lack anything compared to you."
Paydan's expression crumpled when I started comparing him to Idris.
'How is it? You compare me and Elise so much at every chance you get, how does it feel to be on the receiving end?'
I wondered what kind of reaction he would show, but all he said was...
"You loved me!"
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