Wow. I was so surprised.

  Perez’s face looks seductive enough to dazzle and suffocate at the moment.

  I thought this is what beauty is like.

  Hey, you’re really dangerous.

  I could feel my heart pounding and my face turning red.

  But, Perez was just obsessed with acting as my fiancé.

  I tried to think so and calmed myself down.

  After my mind calmed down a bit, the situation around me started to become clear again.

  The Empress seemed quite surprised by Perez’s rather brazen attitude.

  Now that the empress’ composure has been broken.

  I covered my mouth pretending to be ashamed when I saw Perez, who had turned red.

  "Oh, my God, the Prince……"

  I was going to pull out my hand naturally.

  But, Perez won’t let me go.

  I pulled my hand out and wiggled in it, but his big hand didn’t budge.

  I turned my head and stared at him, pretending to lean close to Perez so it wouldn’t be seen by the Empress.

  ’Hey, don’t you let go of this?’


  Then Perez quietly glanced at the Empress.

  "Hahaha……"

  When I checked the Empress with a smile, I could still see her watching me and Perez.

  Well, there’s nothing we can do.

  It was a bit awkward to hold someone else’s hand, but if the Empress had some doubts, it should end here.

  I tapped Perez’s shoulder that I was leaning on with my other hand, and looked at him with love and madness.

  The Empress said as if she was displeased when Perez and I did not let go of our hands.

  "That’s rude, Second Prince."

  "I’m sorry, Empress. But as you can see, my fiancé is such a lovely person. Once you held it, you can’t let it go."

  It was Perez’s sly answer, which seemed to be furious even with me watching from the side.

  In addition, he added.

  "Of course, the Empress will understand with a generous heart."

  If Perez goes that far, the Empress has nothing to say.

  If she says, ’I can’t see your affectionate behavior, so let go of your hand right now!’, it would make the Empress embarrassed.

  Empress Rabini, well aware of that, so, had no choice but to smile coldly and pass the answer.

  After all, Perez held my hand until dessert was served.

  My hands are sweating.

  It was time for me to give up because even when I looked at Perez, he just smiled at me.

  Tak.

  What the servant put down in front of me with the small noise of the plate was a strawberry cake in a familiar shape.

  This……

  "I have prepared something that Lady Lombardy likes to eat. Was it Caramel Avenue, the name of the place?"

  The Empress and I faced each other with a smile.

  Now the Empress was talking to me with a cake from Caramel Avenue.

  For most people, cold sweat would flow behind their backs.

  I looked down at the cake with white whipped cream.

  The Empress will not be completely bluffing.

  The whipped cream cake with strawberries was actually one of the desserts I bought often.

  But at the same time, I could feel the limitations of the Empress’s intelligence.1

  The reason I bought this cake often was for Louryl.

  Because this was Louryl’s favorite.

  Marilyn, Louryl’s baby, also took a little bit of this sweet whipped cream and ate it deliciously when it was put in her mouth.

  If the Empress’s intelligence was so good, this is not what I like, but chocolate cakes scattered with caramel would be in front of me.

  If this was a dinner hosted by me, it would have been not a cake but a fruit sprinkled with the finest honey in front of the Empress.

  "Thank you, Empress."

  I smiled and held a fork and ate the cake deliciously.

  As if this were indeed my favorite.

  I could see the Empress smiling satisfactorily.

  And there’s another one in front of me.

  "Empress, this is……"

  "It’s an engagement gift from me to Lady Lombardy."

  The Empress seems determined to win my heart, apart from doubting the relationship between me and Perez.

  You’re thinking of building a bridge through me to my father.

  There’s no more money to borrow from Sussew, so Angenas is looking for a host to put in a new straw.

  If we look at it, it was my father who’s making the most money on the continent right now.

  "Thank you, Empress."

  When I opened the black box, there was a pair of emerald earrings in it.

  The antique design seemed to be an old valuable at a glance.

  Even though money dried up in Angenas, the Empress had money that the Imperial Family could operate individually.

  But as far as I know, most of them are also invested in the business of Angenas.

  As an Empress, she was quite generous.

  The Empress smiled and solved my question.

  "It’s a jewel that’s been handed down from the Imperial Family for generations."

  That’s right.

  It seemed to be an item from the Imperial Treasury.

  "It’s Lady Lombardy who will soon be a member of the Imperial Family, so I thought it would be good to keep one of the Imperial Treasures in advance, so I paid some attention."

  "I’m delighted, Empress."

  I’ll give this back to Perez later.

  It was a bit reluctant for anyone to have an Imperial Heirloom with no connection.+

  "By the way, there’s a lot to discuss, including the engagement of Lady Lombardy and the Second Prince, and the wedding. When will Lord Gallahan Lombardy return from Cheshire?"

  I could notice it instinctively.

  This question is why the Empress held a dinner today and made me feel good with all kinds of complacency and jewels.

  I closed the earring box back and looked at the Empress.

  "Empress, please listen without misunderstanding my will."

  And I said, making a really cautious expression.

  "My father can’t afford to care about things other than Cheshire right now. Physically, timely, and above all financially."

  The Empress’s eyes became sharp.

  I’ve done something to the detriment of that great pride.

  But unexpectedly, she didn’t interrupt me or yell at Perez for being rude.

  I peered at Perez, sitting quietly next to me.

  You said you have been busy.

  You’ve got the Empress’s purse dried up, haven’t you?

  "But I know a place that might help the Empress."

  "……Where is it?"

  "Pellet Corporation."

  "Pellet…… Corporation?"

  The Empress seemed quite surprised when a completely unexpected name came out of my mouth.

  As known, Pellet Corporation was pro-Lombardy and tends to pro-Perez.

  In addition, there was a time when Angenas and Pellet had a crash during the Triva tree business.

  "These days, Pellet Corporation is looking for a place to invest in the long run because it has too much cash. It’s no big secret, as you know sometimes I help Pellet Corporation with its work."

  The Empress’s eyes flashed when I said, ’There is a lot of cash’.1

  However, she asked vaguely.

  "Well, let’s see if Pellet Corporation will listen to me."

  "Clerivan Pellet is my teacher, but he’s a person who can forget about the past when it comes to money and business."

  I think the Empress has been tempted by my words.

  And it seemed like she was thinking about putting in a word.

  Feeling Perez’s gaze from the side, I suggested to the Empress.

  "May I ask my teacher for the consultation, Empress?"

  * * *

  "Long time no see, Caitlyn, Kylus! How are you?"

  After dinner with the Empress, I came to Perez and Poirak Palace.

  "Lady Florentia."

  Although Caitlyn sometimes went to the mansion whenever the Lombardy Scholarship was held.

  For Kylus, the last time was when we had a brief conversation with the people of the Herrin family on my grandfather’s birthday.

  As we were talking for a while, Perez said to the two.

  "Bring a dessert with chocolate and warm tea."

  "Yes, Your Highness."

  Caitlyn and Kylus watched Perez for a while and then went outside.

  "Tia."

  "Huh?"

  "Now sit down and rest."

  "Oh?……"

  It was a strange thing.

  As soon as Perez said so, fatigue came.

  I must have been unknowingly nervous about dinner with the Empress.

  I sat down on the sofa with a rattling sound.

  "Thank you, Perez."

  And as it was, I lie down on the sofa after a long time as if falling to the side.

  "Tia!"

  Perez, who was taking off the buttons on his neck, frowning a little as he was frustrated, in surprise.

  His eyes are big and his face is stiff.

  "Hahaha! Look at your face, Perez!"

  "Sigh. Tia……"

  "Just kidding, kidding! Did you think I’d barely fall for something like this? Don’t you think I’m too fragile, Perez?"

  When I burst into laughter, Perez washed his face dry with both hands and sat on the floor under the sofa where I lay.

  There was no conversation between us for a while.

  But that didn’t mean it was awkward.

  Rather, such a time was convenient.

  Because Perez is one of the few people who are ’can be’ comfortable for me.

  After a while, in a slightly hoarse voice, Perez asked me.

  "Are you sure you don’t mind?"

  "What?"

  "The Empress borrowing money from Pellet Corporation."

  "Oh, that."

  I answered with a big stretch.

  "Don’t worry, I really don’t want to lend her money. Because if I do, your plan will fail."

  Perez is not surprised that I know of his plans that he has never told me.

  Rather, it was close to a natural response.

  "The Pellet Corporation will buy bonds for the construction cost of Lombardy by the Empress. Angenas will be in debt to Pellet Corporation, not Lombardy. It said she doesn’t have to repay it right away."

  "A bond."

  "Then I’ll be able to support you as you move, Perez."

  Finally, Perez turned his head towards me.

  By the way, the distance was closer than I thought.

  The distance between my face lying on the sofa and Perez’s face.

  "Hmm."

  I coughed deliberately and patted Perez on the shoulder of pretending to be fine.

  "And you. You don’t have to overdo it."

  "Overdo?"

  "In front of the Empress earlier…… Holding my hand. What would you say if she suspected it? Don’t you think so?"

  I giggled, but Perez wasn’t.

  He just looked down at me with a deeply sunken face.

  "Smile a little."

  I grumbled but this time Perez didn’t react.

  "Sigh."

  I sighed briefly, smiled, and said.

  "Perez, you haven’t forgotten yet, have you? We’re just contractually engaged."

  Perez and I can’t be more related.

  No, it shouldn’t be.

  Perez’s red eyes, which had yet to answer, contained only me.

  Uhk.

  I had a sharp pain in my chest.

  "Perez."

  He conveyed his heart to me again and again.

  But I can’t agree with it.

  I must not cross that line.

  I can’t repay Perez’s feelings with a happy ending.

  Because.

  "Tia."

  Perez came up calling my name.

  I could feel Perez’s shadow on my face as it moved.

  Right. I was lying down.

  A little vainly, I looked up at Perez, who was half-overlapping above me.

  "Tia."

  Perez’s voice that closer was like chocolate.

  It was deep, sweet, and dark somewhere.

  Perez’s hand moved slowly, keeping eye-to-eye.

  As if to avoid it.

  The large palm warmly covered the flat area with the heart under my collarbone.

  At that moment I realized.

  That my heart is beating so fast.

  Feeling the beating of the heart on the breastbone under the thin skin, Perez smiled deeply.

  And said quietly.+

  "I think you’re overdoing it."

  With that voice, my heart began to beat faster.

  Then Perez came closer to my ear and whispered.

  "You don’t have to endure it, Tia."