The Creditor Is My Husband? - Chapter 45

“It’s probably simmered with Cereta Mountain honey. It’s this restaurant’s signature.”

Cereta Mountain honey is known for its unique aroma and excellent flavor, with some saying that just a spoonful is worth several gold nuggets.

But Lucas didn’t bother to add such details to Giselle. He had already stopped her once from trying to peek at the menu, curious about the food prices.

He couldn’t let her get indigestion without properly savoring the taste.

“Cheers.”

At that moment, Giselle picked up her wine glass and lightly clinked it against his, making the sound with her mouth.

Lucas chuckled in disbelief, then took a sip of wine. She also took a small sip as if wetting her lips, then immediately scrunched her eyes.

“Ugh… It’s bitter.”

“You have a child’s palate.”

“No, I don’t! I just… never had the chance to drink something like this before.”

Giselle took another sip of wine and scrunched her face again.

“Why do you keep drinking it if you’re making that face? Let’s order a different drink.”

He let out a hollow laugh at the sight of Giselle complaining about the bitterness yet continuing to sip the wine, and raised his hand to call a waiter. But Giselle quickly reached out and grabbed his arm.

“It’s okay. I want to drink this.”

“But you said it’s bitter.”

“Even if it’s bitter, I need to get used to it by drinking more. I’m more familiar with bitterness than anyone, you know?”

The bitterness of life.

The bitterness of family.

The bitterness of money.

Lucas clicked his tongue as he watched Giselle ramble on about all sorts of bitterness. It seemed certain that she had gotten drunk after just a few sips.

‘No, even so, it’s not even a full glass, and she’s drunk from just that?’

It wasn’t just her taste buds that were like a child’s, but her alcohol tolerance as well. He chuckled in disbelief and bewilderment.

“Hmm… As I keep drinking, it seems to taste good.”

“Stop drinking, Giselle. You’re really going to make a mistake at this rate.”

Lucas stopped Giselle as she tried to pour wine into her glass directly from the bottle. Giselle frowned and puffed her cheeks in apparent dissatisfaction, then soon smiled broadly.

“Well, I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll let it slide.”

“You’re in a good mood?”

Nod, nod.

She smiled again and nodded at his question. Then she spread her hands wide and started folding her fingers one by one.

“I bought all the books I wanted to read.”

You bought a bunch of used books.

“I bought pretty ribbons in various colors.”

You bought a bunch of cheap ribbons from street vendors.

“And we had tea sitting at an outdoor table.”

“Ah… I think I’ll remember the astringent taste of that tea for the next ten years.”

Lucas shook his head, inadvertently sighing and responding aloud to Giselle’s words.

That’s how terrible the taste of the tea they had at the outdoor street table was.

“Haha. Senior, you even joke with a straight face.”

Giselle laughed cheerfully at his words, finding them amusing.

I’m not joking. Lucas just shrugged, unable to tell her the truth while she was laughing.

‘Well… It wasn’t completely terrible.’

Dusty used books. Cheap ribbons. Astringent tea.

Considering everything he had experienced today, it should have been frustrating, but the most surprising thing was that none of it felt particularly bad.

…Why was that?

“Ah, it was fun.”

At that moment, Giselle mumbled to herself with a face slightly flushed from the alcohol. It was fun. Lucas silently repeated her words to himself and chuckled.

“Huh? Senior, why are you suddenly laughing?”

“No. It’s just… Nothing.”

Somehow, he felt he understood the reason. He looked at the smiling Giselle and was about to raise his wine glass again.

Just then, someone approached him and carefully spoke.

“Excuse me, aren’t you President Taylor?”

“Ah…”

Lucas let out a soft exclamation as he put down his glass. There was a hint of annoyance in his voice at having his private time interrupted, but the man who had recognized him continued speaking with a broad smile.

“I didn’t expect to see you here like this. It’s really a pleasure. …Ah, is this lady the one who’s about to marry the President?”

The middle-aged man glanced at Giselle. At the same time, Lucas realized that she was currently intoxicated and inwardly clicked his tongue.

“Yes, she’s my fiancée. But right now, her condition…”

As Lucas was about to make an excuse that she wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t engage in a long conversation, he heard a clear voice, unlike her slurred speech from earlier.

“Hello, Marquis Bertan. I’m Giselle Anticia.”

Lucas turned to look at her with wide eyes, surprised by her voice that showed no signs of intoxication. Giselle was sitting upright with just a slight smile on her face.

Except for her cheeks being slightly flushed.

Even that was a change he noticed only because it was him. It was such a subtle change that unless one paid close attention, it would go unnoticed.

“Ho ho! You know me!”

“How could I not know the owner of Bertan Bank?”

Considering how much money her father had borrowed from that bank.

Giselle smiled again, feeling the drunkenness completely disappear.

Of course, she had never met Marquis Bertan, the bank owner, in person. Although her father, Baron Anticia, had borrowed a large sum of money, it was only a large amount by her and her family’s standards.

To Marquis Bertan, it was probably just one of many loans from his bank.

“Ho ho ho, I’m truly honored. To think that the future mistress of the Taylor family would recognize me like this.”

Perhaps because of this, she felt strange.

The bank had always been a frightening place for her.

Her father had struggled not only to repay the money borrowed from the bank but even to pay the monthly interest, so Giselle dreaded the days when she had to face bank employees.

Days of begging to extend the repayment deadline each time, pleading with both hands.

During all that time, Giselle had never once faced even a mid-level employee, let alone anyone higher than the counter clerk.

It might have been a large sum for her, but from the bank’s perspective, it was probably an insignificant amount.

She must have been seen as just the daughter of an incompetent and pathetic debtor who couldn’t repay on time.

But now…

She was now face to face with the bank owner, whom she had only seen in newspapers, never even from afar, exchanging greetings like this.

The bank owner who couldn’t hide his joy, beaming at being recognized by her.

The weight of the title ‘mistress of the Taylor family’ suddenly hit her.

‘Come to think of it, it’s not really mine.’

It’s not a position earned through her own efforts or abilities. Just because she’s becoming one man’s wife, other people bow their heads and try to impress her.

Giselle swallowed a sigh, feeling somewhat empty. She felt her good mood from the entire day suddenly plummet. However, she tried to act nonchalant as she turned to Lucas and spoke.

“It seems the Marquis has something to discuss with you, Senior. Should I excuse myself for a moment?”

The Marquis’s intentions were obvious as he lingered even after exchanging greetings. When Giselle was about to stand up, not wanting to be seen as tactless, Lucas raised his hand to stop her.

“No, there’s no need for that. Marquis Bertan, let’s have our conversation later at the office. As you can see, we’re on a date right now.”

“Ah, a date… Ahaha. Y-Yes, of course. My, I’ve thoughtlessly intruded due to my old age. But… Could you spare just a very brief moment, President? I have an urgent matter to discuss.”

Despite admitting he had thoughtlessly intruded, the Marquis continued speaking with a reluctant face, not leaving his spot.

As Lucas frowned with an unpleasant expression, Giselle hurriedly shook her head at him.

While she appreciated his consideration in trying to prioritize their ‘date,’ she didn’t want to cause any harm to his work because of it.

Perhaps reading her thoughts, Lucas looked at her, sighed, and then nodded compliantly as he stood up.

“Then I’ll excuse myself for a moment. Will you be alright alone, Giselle? Feel free to order anything you need from the staff. Ah! Except for wine.”

“Someone might think I’m an alcoholic if they hear you.”

Giselle’s face flushed at Lucas’s joking addition, and she glared at him with a pouty expression. Lucas chuckled and turned away.

The Marquis, who had been watching curiously as Lucas joked and smiled kindly at her, flinched at the cold gaze that returned to him.

“Let’s go outside.”

Lucas gestured to the Marquis with his chin, showing a cold and arrogant expression completely different from what he had shown Giselle.

* * *

Giselle chuckled as she watched the two men head towards the outdoor terrace of the restaurant, then looked around again.

People at other tables glanced at her, quickly averting their eyes when they met her gaze.

“…Ah, I guess I’ve become quite a celebrity.”