The Creditor Is My Husband? - Chapter 22

Operation Cat Rescue? Date?

Early morning on the weekend.

Although the cool dawn air was slowly lifting, it was still quite chilly.

Moreover, it was a time when people usually slept in to shake off the fatigue of the week, so the usually busy streets were empty.

The same was true in front of the building owned by Lucas Taylor’s company.

Except for two people.

“Yawn… Ugh.”

Squatting and yawning, Giselle quickly covered her mouth with both hands. But Lucas had already caught her yawning.

He chuckled as he looked at her. Embarrassed, Giselle pouted and grumbled.

“It’s because you came too early, senior. How could you come to someone’s house at dawn?”

“Who was it that suggested we meet early to catch the cat since it roams a wide area in the morning? Besides…”

Lucas smirked slightly and trailed off. Giselle tilted her head in confusion. As if answering her unspoken question, Lucas continued.

“If you hadn’t dressed up so much, you could have slept an extra hour or two.”

“Wh-who dressed up? I always look like this!”

Flustered, Giselle stammered her rebuttal. Her green eyes darted around, clearly lying.

“Aha. So you’ve always done that?”

“Th… That’s right!”

She stammered and forced an answer, then quickly turned her head away.

‘It’s unfair. This is all because of the nanny.’

Why did it end up being her job to explain everything hastily?

Giselle recalled the nanny who woke her up this morning, no, even before dawn.

「Get up, my lady! Today is the day you’re going on a date!」

Ever since she heard that Giselle was meeting Lucas on the weekend, the nanny had been overly excited, as if she were the one with the appointment.

And as soon as the promised weekend arrived, she forcibly woke up the half-asleep Giselle, washed her, and dressed her up.

The person who used to lament the passage of time and her declining energy was nowhere to be found.

「It’s not a date; I’m going to catch the cat that lives near the office.」

「It’s the same thing. Who wouldn’t know you’re using the cat as an excuse to go on a date? My lady, you don’t have to be so shy. What’s wrong with dating the person you’re going to marry? It’s only natural.」

‘Sigh…’

Whether it was Lucas describing the cat’s scratch as shredding her arm or the nanny calling the cat rescue operation a date, she couldn’t understand why everyone was distorting things so much.

Anyway, Giselle, who had dozed off while the overly excited nanny took care of her, didn’t realize how different she looked from usual. It wasn’t until she saw his expression when he came to pick her up that she looked in the mirror and screamed.

「…Your clothes look a bit uncomfortable for catching a cat.」

She was in shock looking at herself in the mirror when Lucas’s barely suppressed laughter echoed in her ears.

As she recalled the small commotion from early in the morning, her face reddened again, and she scrunched her nose, glancing at him.

Lucas also looked different from usual.

However, unlike his usual neat suit, today he was dressed casually, contrasting with her.

A light coat, a knit sweater, and comfortable pants.

Even his hair, usually neatly styled, was tousled and covering his forehead. It made him look softer somehow.

It was a look she had never seen during their days at the academy. Seeing such a different side of him right now in front of her…

“…or not?”

For some reason, it made her heart flutter. Seeing a side of him that no one else knew made her feel special…

“Giselle?”

At that moment, a hand waved in front of her eyes.

“Ah!”

Giselle was so startled that she almost fell backward. She had forgotten she was squatting while lost in thought.

“Ugh…”

As she started to topple backward, Lucas grabbed her wrist. Thanks to him, she avoided the embarrassing fall and bowed her head.

“Oh, thank you…”

“You weren’t listening to me, were you?”

“Huh?”

She was about to thank him when Lucas suddenly asked a question. She looked at him in confusion.

Now that she thought about it, he might have said something earlier.

She blinked and asked with an embarrassed expression.

“Um, what did you… say?”

“I asked if that cat over there is the one you’re looking for. Ah… never mind, it’s gone now.”

Lucas answered her question while pointing somewhere to the right of the building, then clicked his tongue.

“A cat? There was a cat here?”

Giselle turned her head in the direction he pointed, but there was nothing to be seen, not even a cat.

“A cat was here?”

Wondering if she had missed it, she rubbed her eyes and asked him again.

“Yes. But it saw us and turned around and left.”

“What? It usually comes right away for food.”

“Maybe it felt something was off. It’s a stray, so it must be cautious.”

“Even so… Achoo!”

Giselle pouted in disappointment, then shivered and sneezed.

“Ugh… It’s cold.”

“Of course it’s cold; you’re dressed so lightly.”

When she muttered to herself, feeling a chill, Lucas chided her.

“I didn’t dress like this because I wanted to.”

“Then did the nanny force you to wear it against your will? Ignoring her master’s wishes? If that’s the case, shouldn’t such a servant be fired immediately?”

He responded with a smirk to her protest.

“That’s… No, why are you talking about firing someone else’s nanny!”

Giselle, unable to find a proper retort, mumbled and scrunched her face, protesting again. Then she buried her head between her knees, turning away.

‘It’s cold, but why is my face so hot?’

As she grumbled to herself, something warm was suddenly draped over her shoulders.

“Huh? I’m fine, really.”

Lifting her head, Giselle saw Lucas’s coat draped over her shoulders and quickly spoke up.

“Just wear it.”

“No, really, I’m fine.”

“You’re about to get a runny nose.”

“R-Really?”

At his words, Giselle panicked and rubbed under her nose with the back of her hand. But nothing came off.

“Pfft!”

At the same time, she heard Lucas’s laughter. Only then did she realize he had been teasing her.

She frowned and stood up, stretching her legs.

“Senior, you’re teasing me…”

Grrr.

At that moment, a loud sound came from Giselle’s stomach. If she had been wearing thicker clothes, the sound might not have been heard, but unfortunately, her clothes were too thin to muffle it.

“…!”

Having been up since dawn and only drinking a glass of milk, it was no wonder she was hungry.

Giselle’s face turned bright red as she didn’t know what to do. She thought the man who often teased her would do so again.

But contrary to her expectations, Lucas spoke in a calm tone.

“Shall we go have breakfast?”

“Huh? Uh, well…”

“I’m a bit hungry since I didn’t eat anything after rushing out early this morning.”

If his butler had heard him, he might have been either delighted or dumbfounded.

Feeling a bit embarrassed even after saying it himself, Lucas rubbed his cheek and cleared his throat. But Giselle, unaware of his eating habits, believed him and her eyes sparkled.

“Senior, you haven’t eaten anything either? Me neither. Well, I did have some milk thanks to the nanny.”

Giselle, excited, continued talking. She hid her own hunger while pretending to be considerate of Lucas.

“Shall we go have a quick breakfast then? The cat will probably come back around lunchtime anyway. I used to come out to feed it during lunch.”

“Well, alright.”

Lucas rubbed his hand over his lips to suppress a smile and nodded nonchalantly.

* * *

A cup of tea, a biscuit, and a piece of pie.

Their breakfast was simple. But it was enough to satisfy their hunger.

Giselle sighed contentedly and looked around. With her stomach somewhat full, she had the leisure to look around.

People who had woken up late began to come out onto the streets one by one. Some even sat at outdoor tables of the restaurant across the street, having a late breakfast like them.

It was a peaceful time.

Even Lucas could enjoy a cup of tea leisurely, away from the eyes of the people.

“Maybe it’s because you look different from usual. People don’t seem to recognize you, senior?”

She suddenly spoke while resting her chin and admiring the street view. Lucas was about to put down his teacup but chuckled at Giselle’s words.

“Well, it’s not that they’re not looking at all. Instead of being confused about whether I’m their senior or not, they seem to be looking because I’m handsome, don’t you think?”

“Hmm. From what I see, everyone seems to be looking at you because you’re pretty.”

He shrugged his shoulders and replied nonchalantly, as if he was talking about the weather.

But what came out of his mouth was not something that could be taken lightly.