“Were you very bored? It took longer than expected.”

Adelia turned her head toward Lucian as she put down the report. She drooped her eyebrows, looking apologetic.

Because Adelia’s standards were high, much time had passed during her advice. All Lucian needed to know was that there would be a banquet and trade with the Holy Kingdom. He didn’t need to listen until the end.

“Not at all. Looking at the documents you provided, I found your document organization skills and the thoroughness of the reports admirable. I learned a lot by listening to your advice to that guy.”

“Haha…… The praise is embarrassing. But I’m glad you weren’t bored.”

“It was quite informative. Please call me often if it’s content I’m allowed to know.”

Lucian, who had found this time as informative as Conrad, spoke calmly. At the unexpected praise, Adelia awkwardly scratched her cheek.

Lucian’s words about it being informative were sincere.

Throughout Adelia’s comments, Lucian watched her. Focused on work, she didn’t notice someone sending her heated gazes.

‘Even her working appearance is beautiful.’

Her slender fingers turning the pages of the report, her habit of pursing her lips when concentrating, her serious appearance showing passion for work while making comments—everything was beautiful.

He had to suppress the urge to kiss those red lips several times as they precisely pointed out problems and gave answers.

How could the time he spent taking in everything about Adelia not be informative?

“Shall we get up then?”

Adelia rose from her seat. Conrad was preparing to leave while putting the documents on the table into his bag.

Adelia blinked at him, naturally thinking Lucian would leave too. Though Lucian wanted to grab that small hand and leave the room immediately, now was the perfect timing to meet Conrad alone.

“Deputy Guild Master.”

“Yes?”

“I want to change the Knight Order’s supplies, did you bring the catalog?”

“Yes of course. I’ll send it to you by letter……”

“No, I’d like to decide while looking at it now, can you spare some time?”

At Lucian’s words that were close to threatening, Conrad nodded resignedly.

He looked at Adelia with small hope, but she tilted her head to the side indicating he should handle it himself.

When those in power say kneel, you must kneel.

“Would it be alright to use this place, as going to the Crown Prince’s palace would be troublesome?”

“Of course. Then I’ll head up.”

Adelia ignored Conrad’s pitiful gaze and left the room. For her with piles of work waiting, time was gold.

After Adelia disappeared, silence fell in the reception room.

‘How should I bring this up.’

Lucian crossed his arms and glared at Conrad. Even at the gaze that held no malice but simply stared while pondering, Conrad trembled.

Wanting to escape the gaze that seemed to constrict his body, Conrad rolled his eyes around.

‘Master! Come back!’

Though he desperately called for Adelia inside, she would not return.

With Adelia gone, Conrad’s confidence plummeted sharply.

Judging he should quickly escape this situation, Conrad took out the catalog from his bag. The catalog listing weapons and armor sold by the guild was spread before Lucian.

“What items did you want to change? Practice swords? Uniforms? Cloaks?”

“I didn’t know the Deputy Guild Master was this tactless. Did you think I called you for something so trivial?”

“Haha…… I had hoped so, but my hopes were wrong.”

Conrad let out an enlightened laugh as he snapped the catalog shut.

He had noticed something was off from the moment a private meeting was arranged after sending Adelia away. Adelia knew it too but left willingly since it didn’t seem harmful to herself or Conrad.

Moreover, Conrad became more uncomfortable the moment he realized Lucian harbored feelings for Adelia.

Conrad let out a sigh deep enough to sink the ground.

“I won’t beat around the bush. Why did you want to meet me privately?”

“I want to buy information from you.”

“I won’t sell information about the guild no matter how much you offer. Didn’t we finish this conversation a year or two ago?”

Conrad stood up, indicating he would pretend he hadn’t heard this.

Even Conrad who moved for money wouldn’t agree to anything that touched the guild.

“If you’re thinking of using guild information to catch Master, give up. If you do that, Master will despise Your Highness. It wouldn’t be good for you to receive such looks from someone you love.”

“You……”

Conrad spoke firmly. His words made Lucian’s eyes waver. He was very surprised that Conrad knew this fact.

Lucian narrowed his brows as he looked at Conrad.

Conrad shrugged his shoulders, seemingly surprised to see the Crown Prince unsettled for the first time.

“It shows all over your face. Master doesn’t seem to have noticed yet, but you should control your expressions better.”

Even Conrad who liked wielding others’ weaknesses declined to wield the Crown Prince’s weakness.

He had long stopped engaging in high-risk gambling.

Lucian let out a deep sigh while pressing his interlocked hands to his forehead.

“Sit. I’m not done talking.”

“As I said, guild information……”

“What I want to ask about isn’t guild information but information about Adelia.”

“I’ll sell information about Master even less. You might as well point a gun at my head.”

Conrad waved his hands dismissively. He hadn’t just kept the Master’s secrets for three years. He didn’t even blink now at swords to his neck or guns pointed at him.

As Conrad really tried to leave, Lucian shook his head.

“Not information about the Guild Master, but about Adelia. What she likes, what she dislikes. I’ll buy these two pieces of information.”

Lucian wiggled two raised fingers.

Though Conrad noticing his feelings was unexpected, it actually allowed him to be more honest. It was convenient not having to talk in circles.

‘Judging by his actions now, he opposes it. Then he won’t go running to tattle to Adelia either.’

Lucian lowered his hand leisurely. Conrad pondered this for a moment.

He thought it would be fine to pass along that level of information if it wouldn’t harm his Master.

He was sick of hearing about Adelia’s type in men anyway.

My type is someone modest who only looks at me, she’d say. And men who look pretty when crying.

‘Modest and only looking at her is a bit ambiguous, but he’s definitely not a man who looks pretty crying, but just in case…… Better not sell the information.’

Though selling that level of information probably wouldn’t cause any issues, Conrad was about to refuse due to an uneasy feeling when…

“Five hundred gold.”

“What?”

“I’ll give five hundred gold for each. A thousand gold for both. How’s that for loosening your tongue?”

Lucian spoke while lounging back on the sofa.

Hearing his offer, Conrad’s hands trembled where he stood. He dropped his bag on the sofa and ran his hands through his hair.

With a deep sigh of ‘whew’, Conrad wiped his face with the hand he’d run through his hair.

Then he snapped his head toward Lucian.

“So what would you like to know, dear customer?”

Conrad sat back down with a greasy smile, politely clasping his hands beside his cheeks.

For that much money, he could sell Adelia’s likes and dislikes.

Conrad’s eyes curved into crescents and fluttered, trained by his life in society.

Lucian let out a dry laugh and opened his mouth.

“Everything about what Adelia likes and dislikes.”

“Where shall we begin? First, Her Highness the Crown Princess, regarding jewels……”

Lucian got three hours of Conrad’s time and information about Adelia for a thousand gold.

* * *

“That was informative.”

Lucian left the reception room with a satisfied face. When he added about three hundred gold in tips to the thousand, Conrad had spilled information non-stop.

His evaluation of Conrad improved slightly since none of it could be used as Adelia’s weakness.

From just a blabbermouth to someone who could say useful things too.

“My wife?”

“After returning to her room from the reception room, she dismissed her maids and is resting.”

“Tell the head maid to send one maid who knows my wife’s tastes well, as I want to choose a gift for her.”

“Yes, understood.”

The Crown Princess’s palace still had no head maid. Among suitable nobles, few had received proper training at the palace to be head maid, and Adelia hadn’t sought one separately thinking she’d leave soon.

So Madam Joan, head maid of the Crown Prince’s palace, was serving as temporary head maid. Thanks to this, Lucian could easily borrow one of Adelia’s maids.

After returning to the palace, Lucian waited briefly reviewing documents when someone soon knocked on the door.

“Your Highness, a maid from Crown Princess’s Luce Palace has arrived.”

“Enter.”

The door opened and a small-framed maid entered.

The maid who entered with her waist deeply bowed as if afraid carefully greeted Lucian.

“Greetings to Your Highness…… I am Gina, maid to Her Highness the Crown Princess.”

Gina was Adelia’s close maid. Though commoners rarely became close maids, Gina had secured the position as someone Adelia brought from her private residence.

There were many complaints at first, but they disappeared seeing how well she matched Adelia’s tastes and worked efficiently.

“Sit.”

“What……? How could I sit across from Your Highness?”

“Well, do as you please.”

When Gina waved her hands in shock, Lucian indifferently waved his hand.

How a maid sat wasn’t his concern. What mattered were the words that would come from that maid’s mouth.

Lucian asked various questions with the maid standing. What Adelia did these days, if anything unusual happened. He asked about Adelia’s daily life under the pretext of gifts.