The Male Lead Is Trying To Tame Me With Money - Chapter 21
Lord Gache looked around in disbelief.
But there was not a single strand of brown hair to be seen anywhere.
He had been deceived.
With the sudden realization, Lord Gache couldn’t hold on any longer and collapsed on the spot, his eyes wide open.
The Empress was the first to regain her composure.
“How, how did you?”
This was a place where there should have been no one.
Why was her precious son out on a night stroll in a place that could be called an abandoned shrine?
“What do you mean how! Because Mother kept interfering between me and Alec! We came here searching for a place to have a cozy date!!”
The Third Prince shouted at the Empress, full of injustice.
“But how could you tell your own son! To me, who should be having a happy, sweet, and joyful newlywed life!! To take in someone like that?!”
The Third Prince, engulfed in anger, strode towards the Empress.
He stomped his feet as he spoke.
“I can’t do it! I can’t do it!! How can I share my love! I’m going to ask Alec to only look at me!”
Then he continued to make bombshell statements.
“Mother too!! You said you don’t want to share with the other consorts, uuuugh!”
“P-Please be quiet! Prince! Are we the only people in this place?”
“Uuugh!”
The Empress covered his mouth tightly, preventing him from speaking, but the Third Prince expressed his sorrow and injustice with his whole body.
The Empress, in her struggle to restrain her almost fully-grown son’s actions, lost the veil that had elegantly draped her and soon her dress and hair were in disarray.
Alexis Pheriander waited for the chaos to settle and then approached Lord Gache, who was half-conscious, before trying to stop the Third Prince.
“What a shame. I found you quite endearing.”
“Y-Your Highness….”
“But what’s the use of a noble who harms their own country?”
With an indifferent smile, Alexis leisurely retrieved the recording device from Lord Gache’s possession.
He was at a complete loss, unable to stop Alexis, and soon it was the Empress’s turn to turn pale.
“P-Princess!”
The Empress cried out desperately, her eyes fixed on the recording device in Alexis’s hand.
She clung to the hope that, since the person involved was destined to marry the Third Prince, there might be some chance of salvation rather than having it fall into someone else’s hands.
However, even in this moment, Alexis remained resolutely focused on her priorities.
“Come here, my dear. I know your heart.”
With a voice so sweet and gentle that it was hard to believe it was coming from her, the Third Prince was called over.
The Third Prince, who had been acting like a wild colt, finally calmed down and slowly detached himself from the Empress, returning to Alexis’s side.
Lord Gache, watching this, was overcome with jealousy, and the Empress felt a strong urge to roll her eyes at her son’s ingratitude.
However, Alexis, who could hold her own in terms of boldness, calmly collected the recording device and spoke confidently to the Empress.
“Shall we have a chat, then? With the one who is soon to become my new mother?”
That moment, the Empress’s negotiating partner changed from a small fry to a big shot.
*
As the commotion at the abandoned shrine subsided and Alexis’s knight took Lord Gache away, I was finally able to rise from where I had hidden myself in the deepest shadow.
“It’s a bit of a shame.”
Cassian, who had been supporting my unsteady body, spoke as I murmured in a low voice.
“Considering what we got, this isn’t too bad.”
He slowly removed the hood he had pressed down deeply, meeting my eyes.
As he took each step forward, the moonlight intensified, and his features became clear in my sight.
“Rose, you’re truly greedy.”
“Please say I value efficiency.”
I felt slightly wronged by Cassian’s teasing remark.
It would have been nice if the Third Prince had revealed all the things the Empress had done to the other consorts.
That might have provided a clue to unravel what happened to Cassian’s mother.
As I clenched my jaw, he grasped my hand tightly and gently shook it.
“That’s why I’m saying, Rose. If you rush too much, you might ruin everything.”
He slowly bent down.
His violet eyes met mine at the same level, speaking soothingly.
“Didn’t you say something similar before?”
“…….”
I was at a loss for words due to the sudden face attack.
Did I say something like that?
When…?
Was it during a time when I was extremely busy?
As I racked my brain for memories, Cassian chuckled softly.
“It’s sad, my fiancée doesn’t even remember our shared memories.”
“…Your Highness.”
“For now, be satisfied. We didn’t suffer any losses, and Princess Alexis will handle everything, right?”
Cassian spoke as he placed a light kiss on the back of my hand.
I looked at him with a frown, but eventually nodded in understanding.
The cunning and clever Cassian Artez had already received compensation from Alexis in advance.
Apparently, the straightforward Princess hadn’t realized it.
This abandoned shrine was also a place where the Empress hid her assets.
But there wasn’t enough justification or impact to expose it all at once, so we had only gathered information for now.
‘But if you set the meeting place here while asking for a meeting, the story changes.’
There was no way she wouldn’t come out.
This was why the Empress, who rarely left the palace, responded to Lord Gache’s call.
Neither Lord Gache nor Princess Alexis, a foreign princess, were informed that this was where the Empress hid her assets.
However, being quick-witted, Alexis likely sensed there was something here and would make good use of it in her dealings with the Empress.
This would increase the likelihood of the panicked Empress taking some action.
“Indeed, indeed. Princess Alexis has become a great shield for us. Thanks to her, we dealt a blow to the Empress, and created an opportunity for future mistakes.”
As I spoke, feeling somewhat aggrieved, I leaned towards Cassian.
“Although Your Highness used me as bait.”
I wasn’t angry at all, and I thought it was well done, but it felt a bit annoying.
‘How could you only tell me about a plan like that just before executing it?’
I had been bringing all sorts of information to Cassian, thinking it would be helpful.
Unlike the original, the not-so-fair and not-so-righteous male lead had been planning this since I became Alexis’s temporary assistant.
If something happened to me while under her command, it would become Alexis’s responsibility.
So he thought it would be good to use that as a shield to involve the Empress.
“Are you upset, Rose?”
“Of course not. How could I dare to be?”
I denied it with words while not hiding my emotions at all.
Is that supposed to be a compliment?
Of course, I knew Cassian wouldn’t handle my safety carelessly, but I felt a bit mischievous.
It seemed like he didn’t trust me.
It felt like he thought I might give away a hint to Her Highness Alexis.
Over the past year, I had worked so hard, yet he didn’t trust my ability to handle things.
At that moment, I felt a warm sensation enveloping my back.
Cassian wrapped his arms around my waist and whispered softly in my ear.
“…I wanted to give you some peace of mind, even for a moment.”
“…….”
“You seemed to like Princess Alexis quite a bit? Unlike me, Rose, you’re delicate.”
I felt his grip around my waist tighten.
His heartbeat was transmitted gently through my shoulder.
“Of course, you would have done well, but I didn’t want you to feel uneasy.”
“…Your Highness.”
“Though I’m still lacking in giving you a sweet rest or a comfortable place, even if just for a moment.”
Normally, I would have made a joke by now.
But his overly sincere attitude left me at a loss for words to respond.
If you ask whether I was truly upset, that wasn’t the case either.
I just wanted to show a little of my feelings.
Because the camaraderie I felt towards Cassian was genuine.
Time passed slowly.
Cassian, leaning his forehead against my shoulder, didn’t seem to have any intention of letting go.
I reached out and stroked Cassian’s hair.
“…I won’t say thank you.”
“Okay.”
He replied immediately.
He understood that his consideration for me might have felt like distrust.
“And don’t talk as if nothing matters, Your Highness.”
Even though you’re hurting too.
No matter how much his personality had changed from the original, his heart couldn’t have been armored with steel.
As shameless as he had become, there must have been shallow scars left somewhere.
So at least while I was Cassian’s assistant….
“You hired me to be by your side because I’m not weak enough to fail to handle what’s mine.”
“…Rose.”
“So let me handle it too. I’m not someone who would run away from this.”
Perhaps this was Cassian’s trauma in this altered world.
Because he had lost a series of assistants to arduous tasks and the Empress’s interference.
At that moment, Cassian hugged me tighter and lifted his head to meet my gaze at close range.
“Does that mean…”
“Yes?”
His moonlit eyes curved into a crescent.
“…that you’ll take responsibility for me for life?”
“…….”
What is this absurd change in atmosphere?
As I looked puzzled, Cassian’s face broke into a broader smile.
Y-You’re teasing me, aren’t you?”
“No, I’m serious. There’s no way I would be.”
“You’re teasing me!”
Translator
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