--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ugh..."
Time passed quickly in the blink of an eye.
The exhilaration from the business presentation had already faded.
A quiet afternoon with the sun shining down.
I was at the library, deep in thought with the end of a pen in my mouth.
On the paper in front of me...
<Business Proposal>
Apart from the five words that started with a determined spirit, the bottom was empty.
And it had been like that for days.
'What kind of business should I do?'
I had confirmed that magic stones were buried in my mother's land and started mining operations.
Idris had agreed to pay for it, so I had secured capital.
But I had many ideas for businesses, and none of them really appealed to me.
'I don't have time to be doing this.'
Paydan had been humiliated once, so he would now be grinding his teeth and trying to interfere with my business.
To beat Paydan even when we clashed, I had to expand my business and solidify my position.
But maybe because I was in a hurry, time was passing without any ideas coming to mind.
Just as I was anxiously biting the end of the pen,
"Why don't you ask for dessert if you're hungry?"
A playful voice came from right next to me.
"Idris?"
Surprised by Idris' sudden appearance, I looked up with wide eyes.
He had left in the morning to check on the airship development status.
"You're back early?"
"Well, my sweetheart is waiting for me at home."
I flinched at those words.
'Is it because of that handsome face?'
I knew that there wasn't a grain of sincerity in this man's words, but every time I heard them, my heart felt like it was sinking.
Knowing that Idris was deliberately doing it because he enjoyed my reaction, I was repeatedly caught up in his pace.
Feeling a strange sense of rivalry, I avoided his gaze and protested softly.
"...I wasn't waiting."
But Idris didn't seem to hear me, or maybe he didn't care.
He leaned against the desk and casually spoke to me.
"Looks like your business plan isn't going well?"
"Well... I have a lot of ideas, but nothing really grabs me."
Idris' gaze turned to my notebook after hearing my story.
I belatedly discovered the empty notebook and was about to cover it with my hand out of embarrassment when—
Thud—
'Huh?'
A large, straight hand covered the notebook with a sound.
"Then shall we go on a date today?"
"I was going to look for more books, or do something else that might spark an idea, but..."
As I was absentmindedly answering, I thought about his question and exclaimed in surprise.
"W-wait, what did you say?"
"You've been in the library for days now."
His hand naturally took the pen I had been holding to my lips.
"The library is a treasure trove of knowledge that can broaden your thinking, but."
The pen that had been taken away was neatly placed on my notebook.
"A closed space can also trap your thoughts."
I blinked and looked up at him.
Certainly...
'Maybe I need time to refresh my mind, just like he said.'
It was something I hadn't thought of because I was in a hurry.
Idris seemed to have already read the answer in my eyes and offered me his hand with his usual relaxed smile.
"Then would you be willing to spare some of your precious time, milady?"
'This is...'
The place Idris brought me to was a cafe by the river.
The desserts were delicious, and the view was so good that it was a popular spot for couples.
"Welcome—"
As Idris and I entered the cafe, the employee who was greeting customers' eyes immediately filled with fear.
I was reminded of something I had briefly forgotten.
That the man next to me was the infamous Archduke to the outside world.
"W-welcome, Your Grace the Archduke."
The employee quickly composed himself and greeted us.
But he couldn't hide the looks of fear and admiration behind him.
I felt strange as I saw the people glancing at us.
'Actually, Idris doesn't seem like such a scary person.'
He's always joking around and doing things that are interesting but incomprehensible to me...
But then he shows a insightful and serious side, a person who is a little strange but not scary.
As I glanced up at him, Idris raised an eyebrow and met my eyes, unaware of what I was thinking.
"I'll show you to your reserved seat."
A little while later, the employee led us to a window seat on the second floor with a good view of the river.
After ordering drinks and desserts, I started to look at the scenery by the river.
It was just the beginning of spring, so the scenery was barren, but it had its own charm.
'It would be better to come in the summer or fall.'
As I was thinking that and turning my gaze to the inside of the cafe, I met the eyes of someone I was now quite familiar with: golden eyes.
'Those are really pretty eyes.'
At the thought that came to me unintentionally, I was surprised. Idris, who had been staring at me, asked.
"What are you looking at so intently?"
Idris' eyes narrowed when he noticed the couple at the end of my gaze.
He must have thought I was just looking at that couple.
Even though they were the ones showing affection, I felt embarrassed and cleared my throat before answering.
"I was just... looking around."
"Excuse me for a moment."
Thanks to the employee who appeared with a tray at that moment, I was able to quickly get out of the embarrassing situation.
Or so I thought...
'Huh?'
Idris cut a small piece of cake and offered it to me on a fork.
"Say ah~."
"W-what are you doing?!"
As I was in shock, Idris asked playfully.
"Weren't you looking at them earlier because you were jealous?"
I could see the playfulness in Idris' slightly curved eyes.
Not again!
"That's not what I meant...!"
"Just eat it anyway. This is something that couples can do, right?"
There was a strange accent in Idris' words when he mentioned 'couple'.
It was a word that reminded me of the employee who had just finished setting up the dessert and the other couples around us.
In the end, I forced a smile, clenched my cringing hands, and accepted the cake he offered.
At the same time, the corners of Idris' mouth turned up in satisfaction.
'He's so annoying!'
I felt like I was caught up in his pace again.
Feeling a strange sense of rivalry, I cut a piece of cake and offered it to him.
"You'd be sad if only I ate it, right?"
Exactly like he had done earlier.
But...
Contrary to my expectations that he would feel embarrassed, Idris grabbed my hand holding the fork without a moment's hesitation.
"Huh...?"
I paused for a moment at the sudden skinship.
He gently guided my hand and swallowed the cake.
His lips, which were red for a man, parted slightly, and his long eyelashes fluttered.
And...
"Delicious."
Even the golden eyes that curved slightly as he looked at me.
The moment my eyes met his, my heart felt like it was falling.
Even though my instincts were warning me that it was dangerous, I couldn't take my eyes off him.
I could feel the tips of my fingers tingling.
Comments
Post a Comment